It’s been too long since I’ve updated the blog! As my patients know, we’ve been collecting money to help a single mother and her two young daughters have Christmas this year. With a $20 donation, all patients could receive a free adjustment as my way to say thanks! We also extended the opportunity for all friends and family to become a new patient and get their initial exam and x rays for only $20 (restrictions apply with Medicare).
Even in these tough times, it was inspiring to see the how generous our patients could be. We collected over $2000, as well as assorted toys, toiletries, and items for the family. We even received a donation for an afternoon tea from local business Tea with Lee! Because of the outpouring of support, we’ve been able to up the stakes, adopting 3 local families instead of just one!
I want to say thanks for all of those who gave so generously for these families in need. Let’s all remember that the real reason for Christmas is the birth of our Saviour, and I can’t think of any better way to glorify His name than helping out those in need!
Remember your favorite part of elementary school? No, not recess….FIELD TRIPS! At Ocala Integrative Medicine, we’re still not too old to take field trips (not even Kathy)!
We recently visited Rosas Farms, located just north of Ocala in Sparr (yes, there really is a place called Sparr). You may have heard me talk about them before- this is the only farm in the entire state of Florida that raises 100% organic grass-fed beef. As a self-professed grass-fed beef afficianado, I was thrilled when Al and Erin Rosas invited my family and staff to come share a meal with them and take a tour of the farm.
As far as the food was concerned, if you’ve every had the creations of Chef Al Rosas (The Organic Chef), you won’t be disappointed. We were served a spread of tomato and mozzeralla salad, organic potato salad, some kind of ridiculously good won-ton type thing (I’m not enough of a foodie to know exactly what I ate), and the best part of the meal- a marinated hanging tenderloin. The Rosas’ daughter Lola, who is quite the budding young chef, made an orange meringue pie and chocolate torte for dessert.
After lunch we were given the grand tour. First stop was the flock of free-range chickens who roam the farm. If you’ve ever heard the term free-range chicken used, it often means that the chickens are given a few minutes a day to mill around in a dirty, open air pen. As you can see in the picture of my daughter Ellie with her Grandpa, the Rosas Farms chickens are given run of the farm!
We even gave Kathy a flashback to her days growing up on the farm when she was put in charge of the chicken coop!
We also got to see the wild boars that are raised on the farm. These are the same hogs that run wild in central Florida, and on Rosas farms they are raised naturally for sausage, bacon, and all kind of other delicious goodies.
As much as I enjoyed all of the animals that the Rosas are raising, my favorite part of the field trip was getting to introduce Ellie to all of the animals that she’s seen in her books at home. At five months old she isn’t making any mooing or oink oink noises just yet, but she sure is cute! In order to fulfill my duties as a proud papa, I’m obligated to post pictures of my 100% free-range baby girl!
All I know is that if the Rosas decide to produce a line of organic baby food, they have their spokes-baby ready to go! Thanks to the Rosas family for their amazing hospitality to my family and my staff, and we can’t wait to visit again! If you’d like to make a trip of your own, check out Rosas Farms at www.rosasfarms.com!
This post if from the blog of Jay Parkinson M.D., a doctor who is on the forefront of healthcare reform. Read the list carefully, and ponder the implications this has on the way we view sickness and true health. Please feel free to post answers you’ve found in the comments section- I look forward to seeing some diverse opinions!
Where did our healthcare system come from?
Did someone architect our healthcare system in the beginning?
Why is healthcare so expensive?
What is a rational, ideal path to reforming healthcare in America?
What is the main reason why we need healthcare reform?
Why is healthcare the fastest growing industry in America?
Why is it the most profitable industry in America?
How can such a huge industry exist with almost no means of accountability for the services it provides?
Who makes the most money in healthcare?
Who are the main players of healthcare?
Why do doctors profit off sickness and not wellness?
Why do 80% of doctors shun computers for paper and pen?
Diabetics spend 1/3 of Medicare expenses. How many diabetics, on average, get all of the recommended diabetic care? (10%)
What does walking half an hour five days a week do to the incidence of diabetes? (hint: it reduces diabetes by 40%)
Why doesn’t our country do the little things (like walking) that prevents 40% of 1/3 of Medicare’s expenses?
What percentage of the population spends 25% of our healthcare dollars? (0.5%)
What percentage of the population spends 3% of our healthcare dollars? (50%)
What percentage of the population spends 0% of our healthcare dollars (20%)
What percentage of healthcare costs come from chronic illness? (75%)
What drives the increasing cost of healthcare? (normal inflation; higher doctor salaries relative to other countries; new technology, drugs, science, and treatments; inefficient, unlinked, uncoordinated care; caregivers who profit from quantity, not quality; an aging population)
Why aren’t new drugs compared in efficacy to current, less expensive drugs before being approved by the FDA?
Why does a pacemaker that costs $50,000 become widely adopted when there is no evidence to show that that pacemaker is better than one that costs $5,000?
Of the $2.5 trillion spent on healthcare every year, how much of that goes to doctors’ salaries? (about 5%)
Of the $2.5 trillion spent on healthcare every year, how much of that is from malpractice premiums and malpractice payouts? (about 1.5%)
How much of a nurse’s day is spent with patients? (26%)
Why does using a CT scanner appropriately decrease a radiology department’s revenue by 30%?
What happens to the cost of a service when healthcare providers provide a service that competes on price? (look at Lasik surgery and breast augmentation)
How many medications are approved by the FDA per year? (about 20)
How many of those medications are new drugs and not just subtle tweaks of existing drugs in order to create new marketing campaigns and new revenues? (about 35%)
Out of $100 you spend on medications, how much of that goes toward R&D vs. marketing?
Is it a good idea that congresspeople who have little experience, training, or knowledge of the complexities of our healthcare system be the ones to massively reform 1/5th of our economy?
What happens when consumers of healthcare have very little understanding of the complexities of an industry? (our healthcare system and Madoff happen)
Those of you who have been patients of mine for any length of time know what a passionate advocate I am of anti-inflammatory eating. What on earth is that? For those of you new to the practice or who are not yet(did you catch that…not yet) patients, here’s a post from several months ago where I cover this in detail:
So you can see why I am such a rabid carnivore- because this is what our bodies are designed to eat! However, because of the widespread use of steroids, antibiotics and growth hormones, finding the right type of meat to put into your body can be nearly impossible. Incidentally, these substances that are found in virtually all of the milk and meat we consume are emerging as a culprit for the rapid onset of puberty we are seeing in children. Is it just me, or does the fifth grade look like it’s full of 17 year olds? We have dosed an entire generation with these hormones and we are just now seeing the effects (ok, the rant is over)!
Even if you are able to find meat that is free of these chemicals (Greenwise meat at Publix, etc) you are only half-way there. The type of food the cattle, chicken, pork, etc eat is just as important as the chemicals that are being used. Grandma used to tell you that “you are what you eat”, and the same principle applies to animals. Livestock that are fed large amounts of grain and corn (sources of omega-6 fats) become massive omega-6 delivery systems! Cattle are designed to eat grass- those 4 stomachs are there for a reason.
So why do we feed cattle food that makes them sick (why do you think they need all of those antibiotics) and ultimately makes us sick? Sing it with me class, “Money, Money Money Money”!
The average cow takes several years to grow large enough to provide meat. By pumping cattle full of steroids, growth hormone and large amount of corn the process can be shortened to around 14 months. It’s really quite sickening to see where our beef actually comes from (if you think this is bad you don’t even want to know about chickens). Michael Pollan, author of several great books, including “The Omnivores Dilemma” goes into even more detail about the process of how most cattle are raised in an interview with PBS that you can read here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/interviews/pollan.html
If the human body optimally functions on fruit, vegetables, and healthy proteins and fats (grass-fed beef, bison, cold water fish, free range chicken, etc) then is it even possible to get these kinds of foods? Publix has an entire section devoted to them (kudos to them by the way), but even they don’t stock all of the essentials.
You have several options as to how you can handle this. You could simply throw in the towel. Decide it’s just too hard to worry about the type of food you eat and give in. Swing by the golden arches several times a day and load up on high fructose corn syrup (this stuff is literally almost in everything and despite what the commercials say should be avoided like the plague) and corn-fed beef.
Option number two would be to forage through the dozens of sites online that promote or sell grass-fed beef and other natural foods. You better be ready to invest some serious time price checking (prices range from $3.50 a pound to $12 a pound for grass-fed ground beef) as well as doing your homework on the farms to find out if they are feeding the cattle NOTHING but grass (many are supplementing with corn). This is exactly what I did until recently, and I had a great family-owned farm in Kentucky that I was purchasing grass-fed beef, sausage, roasts, and steaks from.
Or you could choose a third option (of course I’m saving the best for last)….Rosas Farms. I’m sure those ofyou who have lived in Ocala for any length of time have heard of them, but they are new to me (I guess I’ve been slaving away too many long days at the practice to get out much)! Chef Al Rosas and his wife Erin produce the only organic, grass-fed beef in the entire state of Florida! And they do it right here in Marion County. In addition to grass-fed beef they also stock grass-fed poultry and pork (yes, they will eat grass too), organic produce, artisan cheese, and much more.
As if this in and of it’s self was not great enough, their food is affordable enough that anyone can incorporate it into their diet. Grass-fed chicken breast is only $5 a pound, and grass-fed ground beef starts at around $3 a pound. I often hear patients say they can’t afford to eat healthy…hogwash (I don’t usually say this to my patients)! The same people who say this will push their cart into the grocery store and load up on processed lunch meat at the deli that runs $7 a pound and fill the rest of the cart with highly processed foods like potato chips and cookies that are certainly not cheap!
It might sound like I’m a paid spokesperson (apparently this is becoming common on blogs now days), but I’m not getting a dime for telling my patients/readers about this place. I simply couldn’t be happier with the vision that they have and the value that they are delivering. Plus, I’m supporting a local business and boosting the economy of Marion County. We’ll call this my own personal grass-fed stimulus plan (and it’s a whole lot cheaper than the governments)!
Check out the farm at www.rosasfarms.com for updates on their products, specials, and classes they offer. I’ll be heading out there soon for a family field trip, and anyone interested is welcome to join me- the more the merrier!
Have you been searching for a chiropractor in Ocala? Having a hard time telling the difference from one to the next? I don’t blame you! A quick scan of the yellow pages shows dozens of qualified chiropractors who all treat back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches, disc injuries, auto injuries, and a host of other conditions.
Some might have spinal decompression, others might offer acupuncture, but at the end of the day, there’s not a whole lot of difference. Marketing guru Seth Godin wrote a must-read business book called “The Purple Cow”. Godin writes that driving through the countryside can be an exciting experience for a city dweller. The first cow you see reminds you that you’re no longer in the concrete jungle with it’s noise and chaos. However, as the trip goes on each cow becomes less and less interesting, and by the end of the journey you don’t even notice them as you whiz by.
But a purple cow? That’s an animal you’d never forget. Once you saw a purple cow you’d watch every other cow intently searching for the rare purple one.
What does any of this have to do with choosing a chiropractor? Seth Godin believes every business should have a purple cow, or at least one feature that makes it unique and exciting.
At Ocala Chiropractic Center, we are proud to introduce Dr. Anthony Sancetta, our resident purple cow! Dr. Sancetta is a medical physician, more specifically a D.O., who brings an entirely new skillset to the practice. Dr. Sancetta specializes in the field of natural medicine, working to help our patients balance their body chemistry and hormones. He’s also able to assist in the treatment of patients with severe pain, such as those who have been in auto accidents, with medication and trigger point injections.
If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, then Ocala Chiropractic Center is for you. We are the only clinic in Marion County with a chiropractor and medical physician working together. Let us find the solution to your health problems with our purple cow!
More than you may think, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Seratonin, the neurotransmitter that is produced in the body to regulate mood, appetite and sleep has been linked to bone growth. Drugs such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft regulate seratonin to act as mood stabilizers.
95% of seratonin production occurs in the gut where until recently, it was thought to act primarily on digestion. However, a new study published in the November 28 issue of the journal Cell found seratonin actually signals cells in the skeleton to slow the production of new bone. Osteoporosis or osteopenia occur when new bone is not being produced as fast as the existing bone is being absorbed.
This study shows how excessive seratonin could inhibit the growth of new bone tissue. The types of osteoporosis linked to seratonin production in this study are both very rare and severe. However, this study opens up an entirely new area of research in the prevention of more common forms of osteoporosis.
So what does osteoporosis have to do with a good night’s sleep? The supplements that many people take to sleep better, such as 5-HTP or tryptophan may be affecting the health of your bones. Consult with your physician to make sure that you are not inadvertantly increasing the progression of osteoporosis with these common supplements.
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