The last several months have been a great journey supporting my wife through the challenges of pregnancy.  As all of you parents know, there are many choices to make about how you want to raise your children that start even before they are born.  Of course, one thing that all parents have in common is the desire for their child to be happy and healthy.

For me, I believe that we are designed to be healthy, and that the human body, in its natural environment and without interference, has a natural state of health.  However, there can easily be a great deal of fear involved in the process of having a baby.  While the arrival of a new life into the world is the greatest testament to just how powerful nature, and human nature, is the fact that we don’t have full control of the process is just what makes it scary.

I believe that trusting the power of the human body, and the recognition that people (i.e., women) are inherently designed to create life, is a most important guide in our choices.  One of the most stark realizations in my education however, came when I found that so many in our society do not share the same view.

In fact, for health care professionals, there is a guideline for diagnosing illnesses and disease called the ICD codes, or the International Classification of Diseases.  It’s organized like the dewey decimal system (those over the age of thirty will remember this). Pregnancy is listed as V22.0-.2

So it is little wonder that health care in general treats pregnancy as a condition that needs to be heavily managed.  And not without reason; as I said, every parent, just like us, wants to see their child happy and healthy at the end of it.  But, how to best get there?  There are so many choices that expecting parents face.

For the next few weeks, I will detail a few of the choices that we made in effort to be the best parents, and the reasons behind them.  As you can imagine, they have all been done because I believe ultimately that they are the best for our little guys’ health and happiness.  They might not be the most common choices, but for us I am confident they are the right ones.

For now, I wanted to share our exciting news with the practice, and to encourage you to keep an eye out over the next few weeks, especially for those expecting or soon-to-be, for a series of blog posts that I hope help you in your journey as well.

In Health,

Dr. Jesse Davis

These macaroons always create a buzz because they are so rich, delicious and healthy. Skip the nuts and substitute coconut flour for almond flour if nut allergies are a concern.

3 cups shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts [skip with nut allergies]
1/2 cup almond flour (1 cup if adding walnuts – skip with nut allergies)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (1-1/4 if adding walnuts)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (3/4 cup if adding walnuts)
1/2 cup coconut oil (warmed to liquid – 3/4 cup if adding walnuts)
1/2 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• Combine coconut, cocoa powder, salt and optional almond flour, and walnuts in a large bowl and mix thoroughly
• Warm the coconut oil to liquid
• Mix maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix completely using wooden spoon
• Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to let the allow the oil and liquids to soak into mix
• Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon (or use your hand) to form into 1”-2” balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper; cover with plastic wrap
• Place into the refrigerator or freezer to “set” (solidify) 10– 20 minutes
• Keep refrigerated or frozen; coconut oil is a solid at room temperatures, it will melt at about 76°F.
• Serve cold or put out a few minutes early to let them warm up to just below room temp (still slightly cool) which helps the flavor; if they get warm, they get pretty gooey, but still delicious – just not great in the car with kids

For more information and a VIDEO if Chanya making these delicious treats, follow this link to BonfireHealth.com!!

A special note from Chanya: After moving to New England, we noticed that many Haddock recipes were made with bread crumbs, so Chanya came up with a healthy alternative. Even our kids love this fish dinner! Buy and make extra for lunch.

1 1/2 – 2 lbs of haddock (or flounder, cod, or tilapia)
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
Olive oil
Kalamata olives
Capers
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
1/4 cup imported grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Optional: Chopped fresh basil

• Heat oven to 400 ° F.
• In medium sauce pan, heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, tomatoes, olives, and capers.
• Bring to boil, turn down to simmer.
• Place fish in baking dish.
• Pour melted butter over fish. Sprinkle Parmesan over fish.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

The first week here, we are focusing on our FUEL; the foods we put into our body to help it function and run properly.  Sara and I are wearing trash bag tu-tus to encouage you to clean out your kitchen cabnets and throw out those winter comfort foods. Have no fear, of course we will equipt you with the tools you need to make these changes!! Including a Stopping and Shopping List with your own garbage bag, Paleo recipes, information on the Bonfire Principals and a free Bonfire Fish Oil tasting. There is also a Commitment Wall where we are posting our commitment(s) to changing certain health habits. We welcome you to post a few while you are in.

Dr. Justin posted this commitment today:

(I will start each morning with a Bonfire Smoothie.)

So to start him [and you] off on the right track, here is one of our Bonfire Smoothie Recipes put together by Dr. Paul!

You will not believe how good this smoothie tastes despite looking like lawnmower juice! Feel free to add or subtract what you have on hand and what you like in terms of taste. Be careful to not go overboard on the fruit – this is a green (i.e. vegetable) smoothie designed to deliver great nutrient-dense antioxidants and phytonutrients from vegetables with the fruit added to sweeten and lessen any bitterness from the chard, kale and spinach.

For a fantastic breakfast, serve with either eggs, some Yambanana Bread, or some bacon (uncured – no nitrites or nitrates) or organic sausage.

1 large handful of spinach
2 kale leaves
1-2 chard leaves
1 banana
1 orange, peeled
1 avocado
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil-
1-2 cups purified water, or combination of water, coconut water, almond milk, hemp seed milk
Frozen berries, frozen pineapple chunks (available at Trader Joe’s), pomegranate seeds

Add all ingredients to Vita Mix blender and blend thoroughly (1-2 minutes)

• • • NOTE: Any smoothie can be made into a meal replacement by simply adding the following:
      1 organic raw or hardboiled egg*
      1-2 tbsp lemon-flavored fish oil
      *Use fresh, local and organic eggs (not mass-produced supermarket brands)

The best part of all of this information is that it is at your fingertips, every day, for free!! Head to BonfireHealth.com out for more information!! Don’t forget to check back daily for our Spring Cleaning Recipes this week!

Happy Spring Cleaning my friends!!

-Heather and Sara

When choosing fish oil there are specific attributes to be mindful of: choose a natural triglyceride fish oil over a processed ethyl ester form, note the concentration of EPA:DHA, compare sustainability of fishing practices, type of fish harvested…etc.

One key objective marker of the quality and purity of your oil is the IFOS 5 Star Rating.  IFOS stands for International Fish Oil Standards and is considered the penultimate third party indicator of quality in the industry.

The 5 Stars represent the following:

1 Star for passing all CRN/WHO* testing categories

1 Star for greater than 60% Omega-3 concentration

1 Star for Oxidation levels less than 75% of CRN Standard

1 Star for PCB levels less than 50% of CRN Standard

1 Star for Dioxin levels less than 50% of WHO Standard

Of course, Bonfire Premium Fish Oil satisfies all of the above criteria and is proud to display its IFOS 5 Star Rating.  To learn more about our products or to order yours today go to http://bonfirehealth.com/store/

In health from within,

Dr. Stephen Franson

*Council for Responsible Nutrition / World Health Organization

So it was no surprise when prominent talk show host Dr. McGraw welcomed chiropractor Dr. Fabrizio Mancini to his show to discuss the wide-ranging benefits of chiropractic care. Dr. Mancini is one of the most prominent members of the profession, as the president of Parker College of Chiropractic as well as the professions largest conference, the annual Parker Seminars.

It turns out that Dr.Phil has been a chiropractic patient for years and he even had his personal chiropractor in the audience to be featured as a part of the show. See a preview of the show here:

http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=55803

See chiropractic featured on the well-known Dr.Phil Show this week on Wednesday March 14th to see one more example of how celebrities everywhere have long utilized chiropractic for better health and a better quality of life!

…hormone.

Yep, research is now confirming that vitamin D is much more than a “vitamin” – not that vitamins are chopped liver, mind you.

Vitamin D has long been known as an essential nutrient, mainly for its critical role in calcium and phosphate homeostasis, which directly and indirectly affect many important cellular functions throughout the body, such as bone health (severe vitamin D deficiency has long been known to cause rickets; but also, remember adenosine triphosphate, ATP, from your high school biology – the Kreb’s cycle – for chemical energy transport and cellular metabolism and respiration); calcium and phospate biochemistry impacts nearly all cell functions.

In the past two decades, vitamin D’s influence on the immune system was discovered¹. Now, more recently, vitamin D is being shown to be a significant hormone involved in many endocrine functions, including the induction of cell differentiation, inhibition of cell growth, immunomodulation, and finally, regulation of other hormonal systems^2,3.

The take-away:

First, low vitamin D levels are associated with many diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disease, and hypertension.

• Second, because of our modern culture’s misguided fear of sun exposure (think sunscreens), vitamin D deficiency is quite common in most parts of the world. Yes, it’s true we don’t want to “burn” our skin from overexposure to sun, but we now know that regular sun exposure is important for vitamin D, a critical hormone, to be manufactured by our body.
• Third, vitamin D is made from cholesterol through activation of sunlight on the skin. [By the way, cholesterol is not bad – that’s an unscientific myth that has been shamelessly fed to the American public by misinformed doctors and the pharmacologic industry – drug companies – that drive the healthcare system today^4,5,6].

What should you do?

• Get regular exposure to sunlight, if possible.
• If you live in an area that precludes you from getting regular sun exposure, especially in the winter, supplement with vitamin D3: (the Bonfire doctors take 4,000 – 5,000 IU per day).
• Find a tanning salon that has updated technology (electronic instead of magnetic ballasts, UVB, Infrared, Red and Blue Light bulbs).

References:
¹Mora JR, Iwata M, von Andrian UH. Vitamin effects on the immune system: vitamins A and D take centre stage. Nat Rev Immunol 2008; 8:685–698.
²Norman A. From vitamin D to hormone D: fundamentals of the vitamin D endocrine system essential for good health.  Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 88:491S–499S.
³Dusso A, Brown A, Slatopolsky E. Vitamin D. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2005; 289:F8–F28.
⁴The Cholesterol Myths, Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
⁵The Cholesterol Myth That Could Be Harming Your Health, Joseph Mercola, MD. (Huffington Post)
⁶Fat is Good

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year? Did you decide that 2012 was the year that you were going to start making healthier lifestyle choices? Surveys show that by the end of January, most people have either gotten off track, forgotten, or just given up trying to reach their New Year’s resolution goals. So why do most New Year’s resolutions fail? It is usually due to two reasons: we either don’t take our health goals seriously, we are not prepared, or both.

If you are struggling with your health goals, here are a few key guidelines that will help you get back on track:

1) It’s never too late. Just because you went off the rails doesn’t mean it’s time to give up…it simply means it’s time to refocus and recommit.

2)  Make your goals count. Make them significant. In order to experience growth, we need to challenge ourselves.

3)  Write down your goals and read them every day. Daily reminders will help keep your goals in the forefront of your consciousness.

4)  Break your overall health goal down into smaller increments. This makes it easier and more manageable to track your progress.

5)  Have an accountability partner. This can be a spouse, close friend, family member, or co-worker. Choose someone who will motivate you when you are struggling and also help to celebrate your accomplishments.

6)  Seek support, guidance, and advice from people who inspire you. Study the habits of healthy people.  They know exactly what you are going through because they have been there themselves.

If we truly want to be successful at meeting the health goals we set for ourselves each year, we need to move away from thinking of them as impulsive decisions that we entertain for a short period of time.  Instead, we need to view the entire process as a lifelong investment. Each year we build upon the improvements we made the year before, and we get stronger and healthier as a result. Just as a carpenter takes an unfinished piece of wood and sands down the rough edges until it is smooth, we are refining our health experience with each goal we reach.

Health is not a destination – it is a journey. Now is the time to get back on the path.

Dr. Justin Mariano

My name is John C. and I’d like to explain to you how I came to “believe” in Chiropractic Care as practiced at Franson Family Chiropractic.

I’ve been living on this planet now for 66 years and during that time I’ve had more than a few assaults on my body.  These assaults started like so many of us with a forceps birthing, then came the car accidents: hit by a car at age 4, later 3 car crashes and then a few industrial accidents along the way, i.e., torn muscles, sprains and all the other “routine” traumas that one experiences during a working lifetime. For the most part I felt OK with the exception that I had a CONSTANT left trapezius muscle and neck pain for years.  I self medicated almost daily with 3 to 6 extra-strength aspirin. The pain and discomfort had become such a part of my life that I came to believe that I would have to endure it forever.

Then in April of 2011 on the recommendation of my caring friend, Jon, I was referred to Franson Family Chiropractic.  I had a previous Chiropractic experience, which only gave me transient relief, and quite frankly I did not expect more than that from Dr. Franson’s Team.

Was I ever wrong!

From my very first visit I knew there was something “different” about the Franson approach. It started with the warm and genuine greeting at the front desk by Chaney, Sara & Alexis.  There was definitely a feeling of good Karma in the office.  It just felt good to be in that environment. Being somewhat naïve, I then explained my symptoms and medical history to Dr. Jesse Davis, Dr. Paul Kratka and Dr. Stephen Franson.  “OK, I said, here’s what’s bothering me so please just make your adjustments and I’ll be on my way.”  Looking back I now say…Hello, 66 years of abuse and I expected a 20 minute cure…..,wake up and smell the coffee John!  So what happened?

I listened to Dr Franson’s analysis and his recommendations, which included a series of spinal adjustments as well as a commitment on my part to make lifestyle changes.  His promise: I would feel stronger, more physically and emotionally energized and would gain control of my symptoms.  Most importantly, what I came to understand was that my symptoms were not the problem as much as they were a SIGNAL of what I was doing wrong to cause the symptom. In my case, that meant bad posture, sleeping wrong or sleeping too long, or most importantly sitting too long.  So the fix was to first make the commitment to Dr Franson’s care, then ACT on my commitments to lifestyle changes, diet, exercise and emotional discipline. 

After a few weeks the physical adjustments that Dr Franson and Dr Kratka made to relieve my spinal subluxations slowly started to relieve my constant discomfort.  The tipping point came at about the 4th month of care…I was watching TV and moved my neck to the left, and I could not believe the experience, everything in my neck was more fluid, there was no restriction and no pain….it felt like a SLINKY…I felt unchained!  

At this point I no longer have the constant pain and discomfort. The daily aspirin regime is now a once or twice a month event.  Now whenever I feel the tension in my neck and shoulders I merely walk it out, stretch and correct the improper action (i.e. sitting too long) and also take control of any emotional stress that is exacerbating my symptom.

So simply stated, Franson Family Chiropractic is more than physical care and subluxation correction (which is paramount) but it is also about wellness care and prevention of illness. This is accomplished by a partnership of patient and doctor, a commitment to proper Chiropractic adjustments and ACTION by the patient to make the lifestyle changes that will improve ones health.  I promise you….The Franson Approach Works! 

Thank you for sharing your story with us, John!

Please share this testimonial to inspire others to begin their journey back to wellness.

www.fransonchiropractic.com

http://bonfirehealth.com