I was taking a free 6-week nutrition class, along with some other physicians and chiropractors in Santa Cruz, as a project for interns at Bauman College in Santa Cruz. (I’m going to host another free one for those of you that are interested . . . → Read More: The Dramatic Healing Power of Nutrition]]> This fall I had a powerful personal experience of the healing potential of nutrition.

I was taking a free 6-week nutrition class, along with some other physicians and chiropractors in Santa Cruz, as a project for interns at Bauman College in Santa Cruz. (I’m going to host another free one for those of you that are interested — please sign up at Free Weekly Nutrition Class for more information if you’d like to participate).

During three weeks of the class I had a lingering cold.  We happened to then have the weekly session topic on protein and the impact it has on our energy.   I decided to shore up my protein intake on my vegetarian diet by doubling it with both white beans and also quorn – a low calorie high protein non-soy product.  I started that doubling per day on Sunday of that week – by Friday I was completely well!  I had a tremendous amount of energy and I was also happier.  After thinking about all this and doing some research I uncovered the following information to explain this:

Protein is a key ingredient in our white blood cells – they are the ones that fight disease and infection.  Protein is also a key ingredient in neurotransmitters – those chemical messengers that are in our brain.  When neurotransmitters are functioning well, we’re happier.

This is not to say that eating more protein than you need is going to supercharge you.  Instead this is about eating the right amount of protein – something we may not be doing well, especially if using a vegetarian diet.

Clearly, I was getting only half of what I needed.  I determined how much I needed by using this formula from the worksheet I received in the class:

To calculate daily maintenance protein needs in grams for a ‘normal’ healthy person:

For a person who weighs 180 pounds:

(180/2.2) * .8  =  65 grams

In summary, divide your weight by 2.2, then multiply that by .8, then you will have your answer in grams.

Source: Bauman, E. (2010).  Foundations of Nutrition: NC105: Micronutrients.  Penngrove, CA: Bauman College Press.

You can find information about the number of grams of protein in a variety of foods on about.com’s high protein foods list.

Remember to sign up for information about the Free Nutrition Class I’ll be hosting in my office.  Dates and times are to be determined according to the availability of the interns from Bauman who will be both leading the class and giving each of us nutritional counseling.

We can also buy really good books online.  In addition to Amazon.com, I recently learned from a . . . → Read More: A Chiropractor’s Rx for Self-Care]]> I love reading!  I am definitely a bibliophile.  And here in Santa Cruz, we have great local bookstores that are so much fun to hang out at, especially when they serve food and drinks to have while reading our books.

We can also buy really good books online.  In addition to Amazon.com, I recently learned from a patient about another site that can be even less expensive: Abebooks.com.  I recommend you check it out.  They have new and used books at a very low cost.  So now for a very low price you can get a great education in self-care.

In the list below are some great resources of knowledge for your use in a wide variety of conditions.  I discuss many of these in individual blog entries that you can get to by clicking on the titles.

For cancer my favorite book The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen.

For eye care I recommend Healing The Eye by Edward Kondrot, MD

For lower back pain it’s Robin McKenzie’s How to Treat Your Own Back and for your neck How to Treat Your Own Neck.

I also recommend You Don’t Have to Live with Cystitis by Larrian Gillespie, MD.

To reduce inflammation: The Pain Free Diet and Aspirin Alternative are great.

Good cookbooks are Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

The exercise book I like is Pete Egoscue’s book Pain Free

My all time favorite reference for nutrition healing is Prescription for Nutrition Healing by Phyllis A. Balch.

These are my most frequent recommendations to my Santa Cruz chiropractic patients.  There are, of course, many others and I’m always learning from patients and other health care practitioners.

Let me know your favorites in the comments below.

Some patients have asked me about which pillow I recommend as a chiropractor.

I’m going to pass on some information I received from several patients who recently . . . → Read More: Choosing a Good Chiropractic Pillow in Santa Cruz]]> Let’s talk about pillows — the ones you use for sleeping. Each of us has our own special preferences about our pillows — what works for one person doesn’t help another.

Some patients have asked me about which pillow I recommend as a chiropractor.

I’m going to pass on some information I received from several patients who recently told me about a pillow they love!  They say they have never slept better and their neck and shoulder pain is gone.

They’re recommending the Oxygen pillow at SC41 in Soquel near Santa Cruz, CA.  It’s expensive, about $120, but they’re fit to each customer.  One patient took the pillow home and found it to be too big once it was on her bed.  The next day SC41 exchanged it for the correct size.

SC41 is a furniture store on 41^st Avenue north of the freeway and across from Home Depot.  Maybe you don’t need such an expensive pillow:  I suggest trying different ones in the store if possible.  SC41’s exchange policy is great because having a pillow that really works for your body and bed is so important.