By Michele S Jang, PT
The next time someone tells you to “take a hike”, maybe you should! Research shows that nature walks result in greater mental health benefits as compared to urban walks. Maybe this is why the San Luis Obispo area ranks as one of the happiest cities in America. We are still fortunate to have exposure to natural environments; unlike urban dwellers surrounded by concrete jungle. Continue reading Take a Hike! Health Benefits of Nature Walks
By Michele S Jang, PT
How often do you carry your cellphone on your body; in your pants or shirt pocket for example? Cell phones emit low levels of radiofrequency energy and scientists have been conducting studies to determine if release of this energy can adversely affect your health.
Back in early 2000 when pagers were more popular, I would perform an experiment for a class of therapists that demonstrated how pagers can affect your body. I would have one of the students wear their pager, usually on their hip. As a class, we would observe their posture and measure range of motion and strength. Then I would ask the student to remove their pager from their body. The change was remarkable! Posture, range of motion and strength all improved!
Current communication technology has resulted in much more powerful equipment that we hold or wear in close proximity to our tissues for longer periods of time. Not only do we have cellphones, but we have smartphones which transmit electromagnetic radiation signals at a much higher rate than pagers do. Continue reading Are Cellphones Hazardous for Your Health?
Why is it important for you to get tested for Hep C? Because then you know! This is the easiest and most important answer to the question of why get tested. The bottom line is that nobody knows with absolute certainty that they are Hep C negative until they’ve taken the test. Most people don’t know much about Hep C or what it means to live with this disease. The truth is that Hep C can and does affect all kinds of people across many different situations.
One of the biggest risk factors is age. In fact, if you were born 1945-1965, you are 5x more likely to have Hep C, and not even know it! We aren’t sure why Baby Boomers are particularly affected. It may have to do with certain medical procedures (or a lack of) during that time. All we know is that the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends that Baby Boomers should get tested for Hep C at least once, and as soon as possible. Continue reading Let’s Knock Out Hep C in SLO
By Dr. Monika Allen
Water restriction is the talk of the town in San Luis Obispo County, but are you facing a personal drought?
We all have water on our minds as we live through a drought in California but do we remember the importance water plays within our bodies as well? As a doctor, I consider both the external environment in which we live and the internal environment of our bodies. As an acupuncturist, I recognize the duality in the nature of water as described by the five element acupuncture theory. It has the potential to be powerful and yet remarkably peaceful and serene and it can evoke fear as well as utter peace and calm. It is the one thing that all forms of life depend on and where life on Earth began. Continue reading A Personal Drought?
Provided By Connie Rutledge
1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
6-8 ounces organic chicken breast or thigh grilled or steamed
¼ cups of dried cranberries
1/4 cup of chopped roasted almonds
½ cup of diced carrots
¼ cup of chopped mint
¼ cup of scallions, cut thinly diagonally
¼ cup of chopped parsley
4 cups salad greens tossed with 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
¼ cup or more of lime
2 tablespoons of honey
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool.
Cook chicken on the grill or by steaming. To steam, cook the chicken in ½ inch boiling water in a covered pan for approximately 7 minutes. Slice chicken lengthwise.
In a small bowl, blend together the dressing ingredients you may add a splash of water if it appears to thick. Place all ingredients except chicken and salad greens in a bowl, and toss together with quinoa and dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Create a bed of greens and top with quinoa mixture and chicken! Enjoy!
Connie is a Certified Nutritional Counselor and an advanced Certified Metabolic Typing® Advisor with certifications in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition and Amino Acid Therapy. She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and continues her education routinely through educational conferences within her area of expertise with emphasis on Nutrigenomics, biochemical individual health, digestion and detoxification. She believes we are just scratching the surface in our understanding of the human body.
By Leslie Kasanoff DC
Are you healthy or just not sick yet? In our disease-oriented society most people don’t even understand that there is a difference. How many people do you know (maybe you’re one) who eat some kind of junk; from chips to soda pop to processed meats or donuts on a daily basis, are sedentary for much of the day yet have no overt symptoms of disease and so consider themselves healthy?
On the other end of the spectrum are those with “poor genetics” who maybe do none of the above yet have symptoms of illnesses. Surely genetics DO play a role but that role only lasts so long. And most of us are neither of these extremes; just doing what we can for as long as we can, to one degree or another, to keep ourselves healthy.
But what is health? The most commonly accepted definition is, “physical, mental-emotional, social & spiritual well-being; not merely the absence of symptoms.” Continue reading Healthy at 100: 5 Essential Secrets of a Long and Healthy Life
By Susan K. Boyd MS, MFT
When I first moved to the Central Coast I remember asking, “What do I put in that big, blue barrel?” I came from the San Joaquin valley and we did not have recycling barrels to take to the curb. It wasn’t long before I noticed that big, blue barrel filled up twice as fast as the gray one. Knowing I was wasting less made me feel good. I remember watching my mother conserve, before it was ever popular or cool. She was not trying to save the environment. She was trying to save money, time, resources, and energy (hers and ours not PG &E’s), all because of her conservation ethic that she explained as, simply, ‘The Scott in me. “
You don’t have to have a Scottish heritage to save and not waste. You just have to have a good reason, to do both, and be invested. My mother was a young teenager during the Great Depression, when she, and everyone else, pinched pennies and understood the phrase, “Use it up and wear it out.” Thousands of people were out of work and stood in soup lines around the country. The cliché, “Waste not-want not,” was a reality that people understood. Continue reading The Psychology of Conserving
Story by Gareth Kelly
Photos courtesy of Quantum Waves Hypnotherapy
When many think of hypnotism, people running around a stage clucking like a chicken or barking like a dog spring to mind. However, with recent advances in neuroplasticity the stigma surrounding hypnotherapy and hypnotherapists is beginning to erode and the real benefits of this type of treatment are finally beginning to be seen.
Quantum Waves Hypno Therapy started by Los Osos resident Gila Zak is one such business.
“My daughter has Lyme disease and she got really sick,” said Zak. “We tried everything and finally I took her to a hypnotherapist, and what I watched was amazing. Along with bio feedback and hypnosis we were able to rid her of her chronic stomach pain and the associated stress.” Continue reading Quantum Waves Hypnotherapy
By Michele S Jang, PT
Mainstream light therapy has historically referred to the use of an artificial light source to treat mood disorders associated with a lack of sunlight. Light is a powerful source for creating positive health changes and its mechanism of action is the topic of much research. Other therapeutic uses of light are becoming main stream in the fields of physical therapy and psychology. Two of these include low-level lasers and guided imagery/visualization with light.
Low-level laser therapy involves exposing tissue to low levels of red and near infrared light. Studies have indicated therapeutic benefits from exposure to these specific wavelengths of light; including, Continue reading Light Therapy
By Michele S Jang, PT
How do you know if you have good posture? At Spirit Winds Physical Therapy we have an exercise that we call the “3 – S” posture drill. Stand against the wall and feel what parts of your body touch the wall. When you have good spinal alignment, three parts of your body will touch the wall. These three body parts are what the “S’s” stand for. They are your Sacrum, Shoulder blade(also known as your scapula) and lastly, your Skull.
In order to have your sacrum flush with the wall, it is important to engage your abdominal muscles and perform a slight posterior pelvic tilt as if tucking your coccyx or tailbone between your legs.
For most people, keeping our shoulder blades against the wall means rolling our shoulders backwards, gently squeezing the shoulder blades together and down. Continue reading Do you have Good Posture?