Well,  we’re about to tip you off on a little secret that will have you catching some zzzzz’s rather than counting sheep in no time! It’s called CalMag-C, and we have it in stock right here at Burford Spinal Rehab. For more information on the benefits of CalMag-C, check out this link, then give Dr. Burford a call and place an order a good night’s sleep! Or just stop by, we have it available right here at the office. What are you waiting for?

http://www.calmag-c.com/2012/02/want-better-sleep/

While we don't all need to stretch quite this much... it is still important to stretch before and after you exercise

Whether you’re already on an exercise program, or starting a new one, proper stretching before and after is vital to your success. Stretching warms up your body, which makes it less prone to accidents and injuries. It increases joint and muscle flexibility making for a better workout. A good rule of thumb is that your stretches should be held between 15 and 30 seconds per repetition.

After you’ve exercised, stretching relieves muscle tightness, improves flexibility and cools down the body. You’ll find that after you exercise,  your body will be able to stretch even further than it did before you exercised. Your after workout stretches should be held between 30 seconds and one minute. This will help you maintain full mobility without tightening up after the workout.

Always breathe normally when stretching, and concentrate on the stretch itself and on relaxing your body. Tension should be felt, but not discomfort. Don’t cheat! Yes, bouncing while you stretch is cheating!

If you stretch in a standing position, hold onto a steady object such as a chair to maintain balance and proper posture. Or keep your eyes focused on a point of interest to maintain the proper balance and posture to stay stable.

Stretching can be done almost anywhere and anytime. They can be done in any environment…whether working, shopping or going about your daily routine.

Best of all, stretching is calming and relaxing, and it gives you a sense of peace and well-being. It helps to prevent accidents and injuries during your workout, and improves your overall flexibility. It helps to tone your muscles, and enhances your balance and coordination. It improves your posture and reduces stress. So don’t cut corners…stretch every time you exercise, both before and after. It’s a great way to get loose. For peak fitness, be sure to include stretching in your daily routine.

Always make sure you consult your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program. Dr. Burford will make sure that your program suits your fitness level, and keep you on track for peak health!

Vitamin C (also known as Ascorbic acid) is important for growth and development of the skeletal system, cardio vascular system and the muscular system. It also helps the body absorb important iron compounds from food. If a person doesn’t have enough vitamin C  in their body, certain symptoms will begin to show as the overall health suffers.

These include slower healing of wounds or skin damaged by burns, the slower absorption of iron from foods consumed, a weakened immune system, and slowed development of proteins that help the body to maintain good bone and muscular health.  Other symptoms can be fatigue, headaches, back aches and other body pains. Irritability, vulnerability to bruises, discoloration of the skin, nose bleeds, and dental cavities. Scurvy is a very common symptom of Vitamin C deficiency. This disease presents itself with symptoms like bleeding gums, loss of teeth, very hard to treat wounds and eventually, if left untreated, could lead to death. While this disease is thought to be one that is long gone, in reality it is very much alive, even today.

The good news is that this issue can be easily remedied with the proper diet, along with some vitamins and supplements. Maintaining the necessary amount of Vitamin C in one’s body can be achieved through a proper diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables that are rich in sources of Vitamin C. Fish, legumes and root crops are good sources of Vitamin C. Citrus fruits (and juices) such as oranges and lemons also provide the human body with high levels of Vitamin C. Peaches are another fruit with that is a good source of Vitamin C.

Helping you maintain a proper balance of vitamins and minerals in your body for your overall good health is a priority of ours at Burford Spinal Rehab. If you suspect that you may have the symptoms of a Vitamin C deficiency, give Dr. Burford a call. He’ll get you back on track, and everything will be peachy for you in no time!

Make a delicious green smoothie for weight loss!

If you’re on a diet, you know that making something that tastes great and has no calories is hard to come by. But here it is…the perfect, guilt free treat! One try and you’ll be hooked, and so will your hard-to-please, hard-to-feed-vegetables-to kids! It’s fast  and easy to make, and it’s a great breakfast or snack option, too. It only takes about a minute to make so this is the perfect smoothie for people on the go, parents wanting to give their kids a healthy snack, and those looking to lose weight.

Green Smoothie Recipe

All you need is a blender and the following ingredients:

• 1-2 bananas
• frozen peaches
• frozen mango
• a couple handfuls of spinach
• water
• ice (if desired)

Add enough water to blend and enjoy!

You can substitute any frozen fruit for the above, for example blueberries instead of peaches for a Purple Smoothie, etc. Experiment to your heart’s content. Just don’t let the kids see you put the spinach in, that’s the only way they’ll ever know it’s in there in the first place!

To ensure you’re exercising aerobically (burning fat) rather than exercising anaerobically, it’s important to ensure you do several things as you exercise. Breathe deep as you exercise – into your stomach through your nose, hold it and then exhale hard through your mouth. Pick up the pace, make sure that you exercise at a level that’s comfortable. Exercise at a high level, but not too high. You should be able to have a conversation while exercising. A session of at least 45 minutes a day will make a huge difference in your energy reserves.

The added energy you pick up from exercising will be of benefit in all aspects of your life, and will lead to a dramatic increase in your overall productivity. You’ll notice your brain speed and efficiency increases.  So go ahead… ride a bike, walk, swim or play a sport!

And nothing has more benefits to your heart or your lungs. Deep breathing makes the lungs stronger and larger. The benefits of a strong and regular exercise program are irrefutable. It’s vital to your health, circulation, energy, brain and strength.

It is important to each foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients

When your body is suffering from a Vitamin B deficiency, it begins to show this through a variety symptoms. Vitamin B is responsible for a wide variety of physical balance, including cellular differentiation, transmission of nerve electricity, healthy nerve cells, pulse rate, muscular contraction, digestion, brain function, thought processes and energy production. Without adequate vitamin B complex from foods, you can experience many undesirable effects.

In some cases a Vitamin B deficiency can cause mental issues such as paranoid behavior and nervousness. Attention Deficit Disorder, irritability, restlessness and a feeling of uneasiness are other symptoms. Agitation and frustration can develop. Even worse are heart palpitations, cardiac arrhythmia’s and fibrillation. Indigestion, chronic fatigue and exhaustion are common, and tingling in the extremities and general soreness has been noted as well.

A chronic Vitamin B deficiency can cause problems with your adrenal system as well. The adrenal glands serve many purposes, but in relation to this topic, they are the back-up system for making energy. When there is a chronic lack of vitamin B the adrenal glands are called upon to produce quick energy by injecting certain hormones like adrenaline into your system so that you can cope with life. If this goes on for a long time, then the adrenal glands become impaired or worn out, leading to even more health problems.

If you are suffering from symptoms such as these, consult your healthcare provider immediately. With a few simple tests, a Vitamin B deficiency can be diagnosed, and a proper treatment program will be implemented.

Many of us are guilty of falling into lazy habits over the winter. As soon as the cool fall weather hits, we “cocoon” and curtail many of our most healthy activities. This tends to snowball through the holiday season, when the abundance of holiday delicacies is all around us. Then January and February hit, and many of us find ourselves overweight and unhappy with our body image.

Well, this just will not do! If you, like many others, have awakened this Spring to find yourself having put on some unwanted pounds…now’s the time to do something about it!

Check out the link below for a few excellent ideas from Mao Shing Ni, L.Ac., D.O.M., PhD, the author of Secrets of Longevity and co-founder of Tao of Wellness. There’s something there for everybody, young and old alike!

http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/mao-shing-ni-lac-dom-phd/fun-ways-spring-shape

(Always remember to consult with your healthcare provider to make sure your body is ready to start a new exercise program first.)

If you are being good and making the type of meals you should for you and your family, you may still be slowly poisoning your body! That’s right, the cookware you use may be slowly filling your body with unnecessary heavy metals and toxins. There are a few things you should be aware of:

Teflon-Coated Cookware
Teflon coating on cookware contains a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which is stated to be potentially cancer-causing by the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, manufacturers are set to totally phase it out by 2015. It has been found to cause serious changes in organs including the brain, prostate, liver, kidneys and others. So if you still have Teflon in your kitchen, it is time to do a surf and turf – that is surf through, find it and turf it!

Aluminum Pots
Aluminum is found in trace amounts in your body from the foods you eat. The big problem is when there is an excess of this metal in your body. Aluminum, cooking pots can drive your aluminum level above the point of tolerance. Even tiny flakes can cause toxic levels to rise, and digesting it is the perfect, or imperfect, way to perpetuate this toxicity. Aluminum reacts when heated with salty and acidic foods, causing it to “release” into these foods. The results are a much higher risk of contracting Alzheimer’s Disease later in life.

Foiled Again
Think you’re not at risk because you never use aluminum pots? Maybe not! Are you using aluminum foil? Unfortunately, Aluminum’s heat reaction means that aluminum foil is unsafe too!

Stainless Steel
There is bad news about stainless steel, too. Manufacturers use a blend of metals to make stainless steel cookware, including nickel. This can lead to allergies and cardiovascular complications.

So let’s grill the solutions…
The most convenient solutions that I have found are glass cookware and enamel cast iron pots and pans. These are not a specialty item and can usually be purchased at any local store that carries home goods.

Raise your defenses

More important than changing your cookware is to raise your body’s defenses. Taking the right supplements to build your body’s defense is vital. Make sure you’re on the right supplement program to keep your body healthy by getting tested on your supplement intake whenever you notice a change in how your body responds to the supplements you’re taking.

Cholacol II is a supplement that helps your body “take out the trash”. It’s a source of bentonite (a clay generated from the alteration of volcanic ash) whose properties function like a magnet, where waste materials adhere to its surface and are carried away for elimination. The bentonite in Cholacol II works to cleanse the intestines by absorbing unwanted material and assisting the body to pass it. Cholacol II can be purchased at our office. It’s well worth giving it a try to stay healthy!

Vitamin A deficiency symptoms may cause a variety of health issues. Increased dental and eye problems are common. Symptoms such as dry eyes, difficulty seeing (particularly at night), rough, dry or scaly skin and an increase in susceptibility to colds and viral infections like sinusitis, bladder or urinary tract infections, ear problems, rapid weight loss and loss of smell, taste or appetite can all be signs of a Vitamin A deficiency. Needless to say, these are important health issues, and are not to be ignored.

If you notice the onset of these symptoms, consult your healthcare provider immediately. He or she will have a variety of ways to combat them with changes in diet and the addition of food supplements. There are plenty of foods you can eat that are high in Vitamin A. Both animal liver and fish liver oil will help boost your Vitamin A levels. Other Vitamin A rich food sources include eggs and milk. Foods containing beta-carotene contain Vitamin A, such as green and yellow vegetables like alfalfa, asparagus, beets, broccoli, chilli peppers, carrots, kale, mustard, spinach, pumpkin and yellow squash, sweet potatoes, and reddish-yellow fruits like apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, papaya, peaches.

Take care of your diet, and you’ll take care of your overall health!

Here are some simple safety tips for joggers and runners…

• For foot safety, make sure to wear properly padded running shoes.
• When you go for a jog, try to always go with a friend. There’s safety in numbers. If you insist on jogging or walking alone, don’t wear radio or recorder earphones. Your hearing is as important as your vision in the prevention of an attack.
• For safety, carry a whistle or high decibel battery powered personal alarm device when you run, jog or walk. Small pepper spray canisters are available that will clip to your clothing for emergency use in case you are attacked.  If you think you’re being followed, go to the nearest residence, open business or group of people.
• Wear brightly colored clothing to improve your visibility, especially when jogging in urban areas.
• Warming up your muscles before you jog can decrease your risk of injury. Spend at least 5 to 10 minutes stretching and loosening the muscles that will be used while jogging. The increased blood flow of such a warm-up will decrease tension in your muscles, improve their range of motion and can even improve performance. Also, warming-up can significantly reduce the chances of muscle pulls, strains, sprains and other such injuries.
• Start jogging at a slower pace for the first few minutes or start your jog with a brisk walk. Sudden and unfamiliar exertions are most likely to cause injuries. If you want to run faster or longer, limit increases to no more than 10 percent a week.
• At the end of your jog, cool down by slowing your pace or walking. Muscles that have carried you through a workout have contracted, and a session of stretching is crucial. Muscles that are not conditioned this way are more likely to sustain pulls, strains, and spasms.

Follow these tips, and you’ll keep your run FUN!