Medicine is not healthcare

"Medicine is not healthcare -- food is healthcare." -via http://yorkwellness.blogspot.com

Smug and Busy [guest post by Dr. Rebecca York]

I can't tell you how many times people tell me they are too busy to cook healthy food, too busy to exercise, too busy to come to health classes or chiropractic appointments. Dr. York, a chiropractor in Bay City, Mich., described the problem of being "too busy" perfectly. It is time to make your health a priority. 

Guest post by Dr. Rebecca York, yorkwellness.blogspot.com

I read somewhere in a how-to-keep-your-peace-of-mind article that we should eliminate the word "busy" from our vocabulary for 21 days. I tried it. Several times. Not only could I not do it, but now I am annoyingly and acutely aware of its ridiculous and constant over-use.  Every single person says it. ALL THE TIME. I'm so busy. I've been busy. I'm too busy. I've been so busy.   It's smug. It's detached. It's distracting.  It's annoying.

Here's what busy really means:  I'm not focusing on what matters most.

Busy does not bring recycled bags do the grocery store. Busy is buying crappy, junky gifts at the last minute from the aisles that mean nothing to the giver or receiver. Busy is listening to your kids story but not hearing a damn thing they said. Busy is forgetting birthdays. Busy is always getting food from a drive-through window. Busy is not showing up to the appointment or your life. Busy is an excuse and escape. Busy is always somewhere else.

You see? Busy is not focusing on what really matters most. How do I know?  Because no one says, "I've been so busy listening to my children." Or "I've been so busy trying to do kind things for other people." Or "I've been so busy volunteering at the women's shelter." Or "I've been really busy just spending time quality with my husband." 

So what do we do?

Slow down. Not in a whittle-my-own-shoes-on-the-porch-with-a-country-time-lemonade-type-of-way. But in a this-is-what-matters-in-my-life-and-I'm-going-to-stop-the-frazzled-scrambled-merry-go-round-of-a-life-and-make-it-happen relaxing life type of way. You bring the recycled bags to grocery store because you hate what plastic bags do the environment. You buy gifts thoughtful with your heart. You invite friends over to gather and converse over good home-made food. Your conversations have depth. You shut off your phone and really listen to your children. You do yoga. You make your to-do list smaller. Instead of blabbing about the big things, you do small thoughtful things. You stay present. You prioritize. You walk with a slow swagger and a little more joyfully.

Stop using the word busy! Stop saying it. Stop thinking about. Stop living it. Just stop. Slow down, breathe, enjoy. Do what matters most. Live Well!

Recipe: Becky's Gazpacho

Thank you to our Kehres Health patient Becky for the delicious and healthy gazpacho today! Here is Becky's gazpacho recipe:

• 1 red onion
• 1 cucumber
• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp. salt
• pepper

Mix the vegetables in a food processor, then mix in the last six ingredients and serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Dr. Dan Says Get a Juicer [NBC 25]

As seen on NBC 25, written by Joel Feick, with Liz McFarland


Remember Jack LaLanne, the uber-fit health guru, who was always telling us about juicers? Well Mid Michigan's version of Jack LaLanne, Dr. Dan Kehres, says ol' Jack knew what he was talking about.

 

Dr. Dan Kehres is a Saginaw chiropractor with a passion for nutrition. The former college football running back leads an extra-healthy lifestyle and urges you to consider doing the same. He's a regular contributor to NBC 25 Today.

Dr. Dan is all about eating things that aren't processed and that's where juicers come in. They are a great way to add fruits, vegetables and fiber to your diet. He suggests getting the fruits and vegetables from your local farmers market.  The only downside, cleaning juicers can be a hassle. But it' the way to go, says Dr. Dan. It's one way he adds kale to his diet. Kale is considered by some to be a "superfood," much like blueberries.

Dr. Dan usually brings his shakes to the set with him. OK, they look kinda gross. But they are packed with nutrients and can be quite tasty. He also likes to sneak ginger in there, another one of his favorite foods.

Dr. Dan says get a juicer. Buy one at a garage sale if you have to. You will feel and look better if you add it to your lifestyle of healthy eating.

To learn more about the doctor: www.drkehres.com

Sugar: The Rodney Dangerfield of Sweeteners [NBC 25]

As seen on NBC 25, written by Joel Feick, with Liz McFarland



Poor poor sugar. It get's no respect. But a local nutrition expert says if you have to sweeten up your coffee (or iced tea or whatever), it's not a bad way to go.

Dr. Dan Kehres is a Saginaw chiropractor with a passion for nutrition. The former college football running back leads an extra-healthy lifestyle and urges you to consider doing the same. He's a regular contributor to NBC 25 Today. 

Dr. Dan is all about eating things that aren't processed and sugar products are no different. He showed us a host of artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, etc. He says these products aren't good for your body because they're hard to digest.

Instead, stick with the all natural sweeteners: honey, fruit and yes even sugar. It's better than the pink stuff: all chemicals. He also likes a product called SteviaPlus. It's all natural.

Dr. Dan's advice: be good to your body. Skip the food that contains chemicals. Stick with food that's all natural. 

Pretty simple advice.

Eat Local: The Maple Grille

The Maple Grille in Hemlock, Michigan

The Maple Grille is open for the summer! After a big renovation this summer to offer indoor seating, we are excited to get back to our favorite restaurant.

Chef Josh Schaeding and his family operate the restaurant on six acres of land where they grow the majority of the produce they use. 

Check out The Maple Grille's Facebook page for the daily menu as it changes depending on what fresh foods they have. 

Located on Gratiot Road (46) just west of Saginaw, they are open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 8 pm.


Learn more the benefits of eating local.  

The Maple Grille

13105 Gratiot Road

Hemlock, MI 48626

989-233-2895

The Problem With Pain Pills

Chronic pain now affects 116 million Americans and our medical system's first line of defense is typically powerful pain medications. This is a problem for a variety of reasons, but here are a few reasons that it's a ridiculous route.

1) Pain pills don't do anything to fix the problem, they only cover it up. For example, why fill your car with oil when you can just disable the oil light on your dash?

2) Powerful pain killers take away the pain, but they can also cause serious addiction problems. I personally have witnessed too many lives ruined by pain medicine addictions. 

It is not always the doctor's fault either. Patients need to take responsibility for their own health. If you keep going to your doctor for chronic pain but haven't tried to make a change in your lifestyle (nutrition, stretching, posture, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture) then you will most likely become addicted to pain medications until the issue requires surgery.

Take your health into your own hands to do whatever possible to avoid pain medication.

Eat Local: Michigan Dinner at The Bavarian Inn

This Friday, I had the opportunity to attend The Bavarian Inn Restaurant's Michigan dinner! A six course meal, the delicious dinner featured all locally grown, caught or made food and drink.

The picture at right is one of the courses; Michigan bluegill served over arugula with a hard cider and stone-ground mustard vinaigrette.

Another course was an onion soup served inside a full onion! The Michigan farmer who grew the onions spoke at the dinner about his farm and even went as far as making onion wine! (I don't think it was the biggest hit of of the night.)

This year go out of your way to eat local! We have so many great things in Michigan and if we start supporting them not only will it help our communities financially but from a health aspect as well.

Visit our Kehres Health & Chiropractic Facebook page to share with us what are you going to do this year to support our local community.