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Do you notice cravings for certain flavors or spices that comes and goes? If you do , you are listening to your body. I highly encourage you to pay attention to your body’s call for spices. They are powerful agents of health.

For example, you headache sufferers may like ginger. It can stave off a migraine in the early stages of onset. Grind up a few teaspoons in hot water, steep and drain for easy ingestion.

Cinnamon has been popular lately for its powerful help with blood sugar trouble. Roughly 500 mg at a dose! You may want to take this much in capsule form. It may also speed up visual processing of information- take note of  that for your next test!

Saffron was studied at the university of Tehran and found to have potent anti-depressant properties. Cook with rice, flavor to taste.  

Garlic has incredible anti-cancer properties( Cancer, 2007).  If your making tomato sauce, add it in powder or crushed clove form. If your making bruschetta, call me!

Finally, turmeric appears to remove the “plaques” that we see on the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. WOW. India suffers 1/4th the rate of  this disease. The major ingredient is curcumin. It interupts new vessel formation and growth in tumors.  Try to remember to cook with curry powder(turmeric) occasionally.

Spice it up at home!

For more information about nutrients and health, call (630)322-9522

Dr. Todd Bowers

I remember getting so mad at a Tums commercial one time because it said that it would reduce acid and “supply calcium- something your body needs anyway.” The only reason we can absorb the rock-like mineral is because we have an acidic stomach!  As soon as you use an acid reducer, you are no longer able to absorb calcium efficiently. If you think you could absorb the calcium that they are supplying, your mistaken. It is a low quality , low absorbing calcium carbonate.  Avoid the highly over-prescribed and misunderstood acid blockers until you have no other choice.

There are many ways to help yourself reduce the throat burning and bad taste in the mouth. As long as it is an acid over production and not an improper enzyme production, these will help:

• Eliminate water or fluids during a meal. This is the number one issue. If a chunk of food shows up in your stomach and needs to be broken down, water dilutes your stomach acid floats enzymes off the food.
• Chew each bite extensively. Aim at twenty to twenty-five times per mouthful. This gives the stomach a huge assist by breaking food down mechanically, and using saliva enzymes, thus reducing the stomach acid needed.
• Don’t lie down after a meal for at least one hour.
• Reduce your simple carbohydrate intake. Try to cut it by 20%.
• Avoid spices. They  make it worse.

We have herbal digestive aids that are outstanding at helping your gut process foods properly. Call us if you would like to get advice:630-322-9522

I just received a concerned letter from a patient who has a chronic low back problem. She was concerned about the impending long drive with her family this summer. Good preventative thinking! Let’s let everyone in on this advice.

Here are the tips for all you road warriors to keep your back out of trouble while you are driving:

• Keep your backrest upright. It should be close to a 90 degree angle  with the seat. It keeps you from “turtle-ing” your head forward.
• Keep the curve! Put a water bottle or a rolled towel behind your low back just about at belt height. This will keep your low back curve that protects your disks and muscles.  And,”No” , your fancy lumbar support mechanism in the car seat is not enough.
• Lift ‘em high! Adjust your seat to have your seat higher than your knees. This is more difficult in a sport coupe, easy in an SUV. It will improve your dispersal of pressure across your fanny.
• Keep the change! Modify your position often to keep blood flow from pooling.
• Give it a break! Stop and get out to do your stretches every 90 minutes or so. For example: Put one straight leg up on a stair or the bumper and lean forward (hamstring).  Then, try a heel to butt pull on your quad muscle. Also, try a lunge on one leg at a time to stretch out the hip flexors .

You will be much happier when you get there. So, have a great time and a healthier trip! Call if you need some personal instruction on these stretches. 630-322-9522

Its Spring! If you are like me, you are getting out into the garden and enjoying our beautiful weather in Chicagoland. Our goal at Bowers Chiropractic Center is to help you avoid injury and recover quickly if you happen to get injured. Please consider these preventative steps to healthier spring gardening:

Think of gardening as a sport.

• Prepare for your “event” by planning your gardening: don’t get into four hours of gardening on your first outing. You need to build up your endurance! Plan for 45 minutes to start.  Rotate jobs – don’t do one thing in high repetition. I know there’s a lot to be done. I am trying to make sure you enjoy it tomorrow.
• Stretching your muscles will really help minimize the stress. Especially the muscles around your low back and hips. (There are great ones under the stretching section of this website).
• Don’t lift those forty pound bags of dirt, mulch, chips …Use a shovel and cut them open. Shovel them into a wheel barrow. Break it into small loads. Bending is where most of the damage occurs. Carry a load to the garden then disperse it before going and reloading. It will give you more recovery time. This will disperse the stress through other areas and avoid one muscle getting overdone.
• Proper tool use is important. Use the tool as it is meant to be used. Only use a tool that is in good working order.  Keep yourself close to your work. Don’t reach far away to lift, dig, pull or pry. If you can make a work surface to pot or mix on, you will save so much effort. A workbench or old door across fence corners will do nicely.

Now, if you do get hurt, don’t avoid the issue. Get ice on the area quickly to stop swelling and reduce pain. Rest. Chiropractic adjusting will promote the body’s natural healing as well. Enjoy!

Hi Dr. Bowers,
I am Laurie’s sister and I came to you for an appt. a few weeks back. You made my neck feel soo much better! I just wanted to say thank you!
Have a great day,
Jenny

Linda: “I am doing great. Thanks! I am going to refer my friends to you.”

Stanley:” I don’t know how people can get along without Chiropractic care. It’s a lifesaver!”

Mary: “ I love coming to the office. It is so peaceful.”

These are the starter exercises for your shoulder problem. They are meant to reduce the discomfort and restriction. If you have pain at night, it may because the shoulder rides up into the joint. This routine before bed, may help.

Bed forward at the hips, dangle the injured arm down loosely. If  instructed by Dr. Bowers, hold a weight in your hand as well.  Sway your body around to get your arm swinging in small circles. Continue for a minute in one direction then reverse the direction (swinging around the circle in the opposite way). The intent is to have a passive arm and let the weight pull the arm “longer”.  This routine is done several times a day and 3-4 days in duration. You may hear small noises or feel little shifts. They should not be painful. If you run into painful clicking, contact  Dr. Bowers.  

After your pain reduces, you will be moving to the Diagonal exercises aka ” the sword and the beer”. You’ll find these on our website as well.

Stay consistent! Press on. Let’s get this arm better!

You are trying to figure out just how much you can do after your injury. Right? Follow this guideline for safe return to activity. This is for sprains and strains, not bone injury, OK? You are icing and wrapping, resting and elevating you injury until it is mostly pain free at rest. Then you are ready to put it through some motion. Try it without weight on it first. As soon as it is able to move most of the range, try gentle stretching. When you can stretch without pain, it is time to try mild exertion. You may need to strengthen for awhile to get back to full activity. Baby steps are key.

These are the key checkpoints you must hit:

1. Pain free at rest

2.   90% the range of motion can be achieved without pain.

3. Stretching of the area completes the missing range of motion.

4. Mild exertion is achieved without pain or instability.

Now you can try some activity with it! Build your strength now. You may still need to brace it during your activity, so talk to Dr. Bowers about your goals and schedule @ 630-322-9522.

There are numerous things causing pain about the elbow but one dominates all  the others. A nagging, tenacious elbow pain when gripping or lifting an object. It can last for months. It is easily aggravated. Over the counter meds can’t eliminate it. It often shifts higher or lower on different days. It is near the elbow on that outside edge where it can get bumped so easily. If this sounds way too familiar, I suggest that you might have lateral epicondylitis aka tennis elbow. I call it “the pit bull” of tendonitis because of its tenacity: once it gets hold of your elbow, it is hard to get rid of it. You might discover a reason for it , however many patients don’t recall the day it started or cause. It often lasts for months before they seek help.

I grade its severity on a functional testing: If it hurts to stretch it(elbow is straight and then bend the wrist down), and it hurts when you grip something, it is a grade two (out of three). If it only hurts when you grip something(often more sensitive with your elbow straight), it is a grade one.  Grade three is reserved for the rare full tear of the tendon -which is strangely non-painful but terribly weak.

“How do you get rid of it?” you ask… The best way is a combonation of icing, cross-friction massage and ultasound. You will need my help on the last two therapies, however you can reduce its severity by bracing it right below the elbow, with a tennis elbow brace. Icing is crucial. You put ice right on the pain,in 10 minute episodes, three to four times each day(especially after exercise). I know it hurts. Do it.

 Call soon to get your elbow function back: 630-322-9522