Would you like to get a free chair massage? Tomorrow you can! It’s only one of the features of tomorrow’s Grand Opening of Bourne Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Orange City.
Here’s the skinny: Dr. Ashley Bourne has been my family’s chiropractor for more than a year, and he has been a godsend for us! He treated my daughter, Kelly, for whiplash after two back-to-back auto accidents. He also adjusted my neck, spine, and hips as I became more physically active in my effort to reverse my osteoporosis. When I would get discouraged, he was there to cheer me on. In fact, when I considered giving up running, thinking perhaps I was too old to take up the sport seriously, Dr. Bourne urged me to stick with it. He continued to help my body to adjust to new muscle development and athletic demands through a variety of gentle techniques and specially designed equipment to correct spinal misalignments, eliminating pain and promoting freedom of movement. More recently Dr. Bourne has treated muscle groups surrounding my broken shoulder to reduce pain and improve healing.
Tomorrow’s Open House will feature wellness screenings, information, vendors, refreshments, free chair massage, and activities for the whole family. Bourne Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center is located at 2425 S. Volusia Ave., Suite B2, Orange City, just south of Enterprise Road in the Whispering Pines Center. I’m planning to get there early and make a beeline for the massage chair! Hope to see you there!
Tags: Add new tag, broken bones, chiropractor, Dr. Ashley Bourne, fractures, osteoporosis
A new problem popped up this week as I began Week #3 of healing my shoulder fracture: itching! I started waking up in the middle of the night, itching incessantly on my back, chest, abdomen, and left arm and shoulder. No amount of scratching relieved the itch, so I tried soaking in a hot vinegar bath. That worked temporarily, but then the itching got worse! Next, I tried taking a warm Aveeno bath. This helped for a while, but again the itching came back, making it extremely difficult to get restful sleep.
The solution? My daughter, Mary, who is a massage therapist, theorized that the itching might be a symptom of my body’s processing of the dead blood cells from the internal bleeding and swelling that had pooled in my arm and trunk area after the accident. She suggested that helping the lymph to break down and eliminate these dead cells might relieve the itching. To that end, I gave myself a dry brush massage with a natural bristle brush, stroking my skin in motions toward the heart. I also drank a LOT of water, along with a cup of herbal tea mixed with a teaspoon of non-acidic Vitamin C powder. Amazingly, the itching stopped!
Tonight I again woke up at 1:00 a.m. with “the itch.” So, I got out the dry brush and ran it over the itchy skin in motions toward the heart, drank a large glass of filtered water, and fixed myself a cup of blueberry tea with non-acidic Vitamin C powder. Thanks be to God, the itch is GONE, and I am ready to go back to sleep.
Sweet dreams!
It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy.
—Mother Teresa
I read this quote of Mother Teresa’s and decided to try it out on a day that I felt…well…less than happy. I had broken my left shoulder in a biking accident three weeks prior and, while I was grateful that I was on the mend, I was tired of wearing the restrictive sling-and-swath dressing that felt mostly like a straight jacket. The doctor had okayed walking, as long as I didn’t jar the arm. So, I decided to take Mother Teresa’s advice and go for as brisk a walk as I could manage without putting my arm at risk.
You know what? Mother Teresa was right! I enjoyed the sunshine, the breeze against my face, and every flowering plant I passed. By the time I got home, I felt invigorated and uplifted…in a word, happy!
Well, I woke up again during the night. This time I was just plain hungry! I’ll be glad when this shoulder fracture heals and my sleep habits return to normal. In the meantime, I’m glad we had a variety of tasty leftovers in the house!
Middle of the night: 1/2 cup long grain rice, 1″ square of leftover baked salmon, 1/2 cup leftover summer squash & tomatoes, 2 cups blueberry tea with Beyond C powder, water
Breakfast: Fruity Protein Shake, supplements, Bone Cocktail
Lunch: Tossed Salad. water
Supper: Out to dinner at Main Street Grill – Chicken Almond Stir Fry, Main Street Salad with Balsamic Vinegar dressing, water with lemon
Bedtime: Bone Cocktail, supplements, water
Tags: Daily Diet, healing fractures, osteoporosis
My sleep schedule has been “off” since I fractured my arm. I usually wake up sometime during the night from either discomfort, thirst, or hunger, and I end up staying awake for an hour or two. Sometimes I have a snack. Sometimes I take a mild pain reliever, or put a heating pad or ice pack on affected areas. Eventually, I go back to sleep. It’s a good thing that this injury occurred during the summer when I am not teaching and have a flexible schedule!
Middle of the night: Cup of blueberry tea with Beyond C Powder
Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal with a tablespoon of organic raisins and a sliced banana, supplements, water
Lunch: Tossed salad, small serving of baked salmon, water
At the movie: ABJ Sandwich (Almond butter and grape jelly on Ezekiel bread), cucumber slices, sunflower seeds, almonds, bottle of water
Snack: Slice of Sarah’s Pumpkin Pie
Bedtime: Almonds, Bone Cocktail, supplements, water
Tags: Daily Diet, healing fractures, osteoporosis
*Note: Because I read only the front of the Trident Gum Package and not the fine print on the back, I didn’t notice that Xylitol wasn’t its only sweetener. Trident with Xylitol also contains Aspertame and Sorbitol, which Dr. Rogers does not allow because of their harmful effects on the body! Please see my revisions to the original product review below.
This week at Wal-Mart I discovered a new treat to add to our OsteoDiet for reversing osteoporosis and promoting bone health: Trident Gum with Xylitol!
Correction: Sorry…I can’t add this product to my diet after all. 🙁
What it’s for: Chewing enjoyment! Great taste! Fresh breath!
Correction: Tastes great, but I still have to avoid it.
What’s good about it: Xylitol! My doctors do not allow me to include processed sugars (sucrose, fructose, etc.) or artificial sweeteners (Aspertame, Nutrisweet, Sorbitol, etc.) on my osteoporosis diet, but they DO allow Stevia and Xylitol. Now, to me, Stevia has an strange aftertaste, but Xylitol tastes just like table sugar! Xylitol also inhibits the growth of bacteria on the teeth and reduces tartar.
Correction: Trident, you’re on the right track adding Xylitol. Now to get rid of the Aspertame and Sorbitol!
What’s bad about it: Nothing that I know of!
Correction: Aspertame and Sorbitol, as well as food coloring and preservatives.
It’s better than: Spry sugarfree gum with Xylitol. They both taste great, but you get more gum for your buck with Trident.
Correction: Turns out that Spry sugarfree gum is the real hero.
It’s not as good as: Double Bubble bubble gum, but hey! I can’t have sugary bubble gum anyway, if I want to put maximum effort into building my bones.
Correction: Spry sugarfree gum uses Xylitol as its only sweetener.
Why I use this product: Convenience! I visit Wal-Mart more often than the health food store, and it’s great to be able to buy gum that I’m allowed to chew when I’m buying groceries.
Correction: It’s back to the health food store for me! Health is more important than convenience.
Best place to get it: If Wal-Mart has it, it’s bound to be available in most grocery stores.
Correction: Spry sugarfree gum is available at DeLand Bakery & Natural Market and at other health food stores.
For more information about this product: Visit Trident’s website at: http://www.tridentgum.com.
Correction: For more information on Spry Sugarfree Gum, visit http://www.sprydental.com and visit the “shop now” section.
Tags: osteoporosis, Spry Sugarfree Gum, Trident Gum, Xylitol
It’s been three weeks since I fractured my shoulder in a bicycle accident. At this point, I’m up to an hour per day of exercise while my shoulder mends:
1) Stretching: 5 minutes
2) Stationary bike: 1 mile or 4 minutes
3) Walking, both for exercise and for fresh air and sunshine: 30 minutes
4) Belly dancing (modified): 20 minutes
It’s not as much fun as weight training or yoga or running 5K races, but hey!
It’s better than moping on the couch!
