Take a look at our July/August newsletter!
CEDAR CREST CHIROPRACTIC
July/August 2021
Dr. Paul Braadt
1028 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown, PA 18103 • 610-776-2005 • CedarCrestChiropractic.com
What Really Matters in Your Life?
I was raised in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Summers revolved around boating and going to the beach with my family — “down the shore” for all you Philly locals. We frequently traveled to Wildwood, New Jersey, which took us over six hours with six kids; my parents squeezed into the largest station wagon made by man. I think it was a Chrysler, with wooden panels on the side. I’m surely dating myself with that! My mom packed sandwiches for everyone, so we never stopped to eat. For those of you familiar with the route “down the shore,” this was prior to the Atlantic City Expressway. My dad always consulted his maps, never considered stopping for directions, and somehow, after a few wrong turns through South Jersey, we always made it. At home on weekends, when it didn’t rain, we spent family time boating on the Susquehanna River on a small cabin cruiser, frequently staying overnight. Notice the teen smirk on my face in the family pic; that look never stopped my mom! Weekend hygiene was over the side of the boat with a bar of Ivory soap. And what germs didn’t kill us made us stronger! My mom’s food never tasted so good as breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the water. I don’t know how my mother made all this go right, but she certainly did. My wife, Georgette, and I marveled at my mother’s endless stamina and organization skills as we tag- teamed raising our only daughter. That was definitely the “Greatest Generation,” as Tom Brokaw described in his bestselling book.
My waking hours the rest of the summer were spent playing basketball with my friends, cutting grass, trimming the hedges, and reluctantly taking the garbage out. Of course, in high school, I had part-time jobs that kept me busy in between basketball and family time. I look back fondly at these summers and how much these simple experiences influenced me and enriched my life. The gatherings and interactions among adults and kids created bonds that, in many cases, lasted throughout my life. These learning experiences instilled an appreciation of family, friends, and the beauty of nature and community, despite the usual ups and downs of life and the barriers we all pushed through. The recent enforced pause to our normal lifestyle has been difficult for all of us. As we all feel more comfortable living in a safer physical environment, I invite you to join me in refocusing your attention to what really matters in your life , such as family, friends, meaningful work, helping others, a worthy cause, music, art, taking a walk, personal time to ponder, or just to hide and take a quick nap, or playing with your children or grandchildren — whatever it is that nourishes you and helps you recharge. I suggest you take time to start with yourself. How’s your overall health? After all, the state of your health also impacts your family and friends. In our practice, we highly recommend following a healthy keto and IF (intermittent fasting) eating plan. Pick up a simple $10 booklet at your next appointment to learn why this eating plan can contribute to you getting healthier, thinner, looking younger, feeling happier, smarter, less stressed, and less diseased. Then focus on reestablishing in-person communication with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. This personal interaction is SO important to our emotional health. These actions will help us all restore and expand the quality of our lives. Remember, to create change takes action — so begin, even if they’re baby steps!
As always, I’m here to help!
–Dr. Paul Braadt
The Braadts, 1967
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DR. BRAADT’S WELLNESS COLUMN The Medicalization of Lifestyle vs. YOU Maintaining Healthy Lifestyle Habits!
The Problem
our bodies in good enough shape to minimize and often prevent disease so that you can have enough energy and mental clarity to go about your daily life with less stress and anxiety. • Simply put, the medicalization of lifestyle does not lead to a healthy body that helps minimize disease or disability so you can chase your dreams, big and small! Consequences of Inaction Being overweight is not simply about appearances. We all know that bodies come in different shapes and sizes. But all the science data concurs that being overweight is associated with degenerative, obesity-related illnesses like osteoarthritis of the knees, hips, and spine. Being overweight is also associated with Type 2 diabetes, which is an epidemic and, as of 2018, affecting over 34 million Americans, adding three million new cases per year, which is more than the current COVID-19 pandemic. Being overweight also contributes to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and neurological (nerve-related) diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as certain cancers. Scary stuff! What’s your reason to get healthier? What’s going to inspire you to put in the discipline to incorporate daily healthy lifestyle habits to get healthier, resulting in losing weight, having more energy, sleeping better, etc. You may lead a long life, but there’s a difference between life expectancy and quality of life! I understand that change is not easy, but not confronting the consequences of inaction will inevitably lead to disease. Please don’t wait! Take baby steps if needed, but do something about your health now! Your family and loved ones will also benefit greatly from you taking care of yourself. My wife and I never want to be a burden to our only daughter. I’ll be 69 and she’ll be 70 this December. We have energy and brain power to stay productive and, of course, create pleasure moments along the way. Our lives are by no means perfect, but overall, they’re pretty darn good. Maintain healthy lifestyle habits: Eat nutrient-dense food, move your body, get quality sleep, avoid negative people, and create pleasure moments along the way to help minimize stress. Nobody can do this for you; I know you can do this!
These stats from last month’s newsletter are worth repeating: After a year of COVID-19, 70% of Americans are now overweight with a body mass index (BMI is the ratio between height and weight) of over 30, and 40% of this overweight group is now obese (BMI over 35). That’s one hundred million, or 1 in 3, obese Americans at risk for major health problems as they age. Yikes! Unfortunately, many Americans have developed a misguided dependence on drugs and surgery to replace their un healthy lifestyle habits . Now, here we go again, another drug is on the market, possibly headed toward being this year’s weight loss miracle drug and becoming next year’s class-action lawsuit. Prior pharmaceutical drug therapy for obesity , according to the Chicago Tribune, July 4, 2021, has “gone down in flames, having to be withdrawn because of failure and side effects.” Think of the 1990s obesity drug Fen-Phen being taken off the market in 1997 due to cardiac problems including heart attacks. What began as a “miracle drug” turned into a nightmare. The latest weight loss “miracle drug” is Wegovy . The warnings include gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, enough to cause upwards of 10% of participants to stop the trial. Also included were thyroid tumors, pancreas inflammation (think pancreatitis), and depression. The study trial spanned over 14 months. This weight loss drug therapy required a weekly self- injection. The expense was $1,300 per month over the 14 months for a total of $18,400! Note: After stopping this drug, participants regained over half of their weight lost . The average weight loss over this 14-month trial period was 34 pounds, and the participants’ average weight loss was approximately 10%, meaning most of these participants began at over 300 pounds. This new drug therapy for obesity appears to be another instance of medicalization of lifestyle vs. you maintaining healthy lifestyle habits . Bear in mind that even the Wegovy program required a healthy diet, regular exercise, and keeping a food diary. The ProblemWith Drug Therapy for Weight Loss:
•
The side effects and high cost noted
And I’m always here to help as needed.
–Dr. Paul Braadt
• Thinking you can escape the personal responsibility to actually do what it takes, on a daily basis, to keep this machine called
CedarCrestChiropractic.com
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610-776-2005
Get Your Train of Thought Back on Track
Inspired by Delish.com
EASY ZUCCHINI ENCHILADAS
INGREDIENTS This healthy summer dish is the perfect way to use up extra zucchini!
• • • • •
1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped
•
1 1/3 cups red enchilada sauce, divided 4 large zucchini, sliced very thin lengthwise and dried 2 cups shredded cheese Sour cream and cilantro, for garnish
RECOVERY HACKS Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation, presentation, or debate, stringing together thoughts in a way you hope is coherent and insightful when — poof! — you lose your train of thought? It’s frustrating. You just want to make yourself understood, but your brain has other plans. What if there were a way to keep your train of thought on track? Well, the good news is that recovering your train of thought is easy with the following hacks in mind.
2 cloves garlic, minced
•
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
• Salt, to taste •
• •
3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
SUDOKU 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. 2. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute, then add chicken and 1 cup enchilada sauce. Stir to combine. 3. On a cutting board, lay out three slices of zucchini side by side. Top each with a scoop of chicken mixture, then roll into a tube. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. 4. Add the rolls to a baking dish. 5. Top the rolls with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with garnishes! DIRECTIONS
Repeat, repeat, repeat yourself. Paraphrasing your last few thoughts out loud can help you remember where you were going. Think of it as retracing your steps: You go back to the last words you remember saying, and more often than not, you’ll find your direction again. Take a short pause. Pausing briefly is a great way to make recovering your train of thought seem natural. This hack works really well if you’re answering a question and you need time to think, and you also don’t want to be bogged down by a chorus of “ums” escaping from your mouth. Write it all down. This hack works well when you know beforehand that you’ll be speaking with someone or in front of people. Even if you never refer to your notes while speaking, simply writing down a road map for your train of thought can help you recover from a detour and speak more confidently. Remember your overall point. The easiest way to drive your train of thought into the weeds is to forget your overall point — or not to have an overriding point at all. Always have a short, overarching point you can use to recenter yourself and get back on track. With these hacks, your brain will have to work a lot harder to make you lose your train of thought! Now you’ll be more prepared to tackle any subject matter, no matter how deep or technical, that comes your way.
Safe, Effective Health Care Without Drugs & Surgery
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LOGO Cedar Crest Chiropractic Dr. Paul Braadt
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1028 S. Cedar Crest Blvd. Allentown, PA 18103
Hours of Operation: Mon: 3–6:30 p.m. Tue–Thu: 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Fri: Closed
Give Us A Call! 610-776-2005
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
PAGE 1 What Really Matters in Your Life?
PAGE 2 Dr. Braadt’s Wellness Column
PAGE 3 Life Hack: How to Recover Your Train of Thought
Easy Zucchini Enchiladas
PAGE 4 An Olympic Medal — For Arts
An Olympic Medal — For Arts
From 1912–1952, the Olympics awarded medals for arts and sculpture, though most people do not remember this. In 2012, the first book in English on the topic was published, “The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions” by Richard Stanton. = Stanton dug through decades-old, crumbling files that were packed away in Switzerland in order to uncover the origin of this forgotten Olympic tradition. Apparently, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the modern Olympic Games, saw art competitions as integral to his vision of the Olympics. Stanton told Smithsonian Magazine of Coubertin, “He was raised and educated classically, and he was particularly impressed with the idea of what it meant to be a true Olympian — someone who was not only athletic, but skilled in music and literature.” Coubertin thought that without the arts, it couldn’t be a true Olympic event. However, Coubertin had no luck convincing local organizers from Athens, St. Louis, or Paris that art competitions were necessary. At the 1912 Stockholm Games, Coubertin finally secured the Olympic fine art competitions. There were categories for architecture, music, painting, sculpture, and literature, but every work had to somehow be inspired by sports.
Judges didn’t have to award gold medals if they were disappointed by all the submissions, but 1912 was a success. With 33 artists in participation, a gold medal was awarded in every category. (Coubertin even won for his poem, “Ode to Sport”! He disguised it with a pseudonym.) As the Olympics exploded into a beloved international event, the fine arts competitions rarely caught people’s attention. Not all categories won gold medals, if any at all. There were significant winners, however. John Russell Pope (the architect of the Jefferson Memorial) won a silver at the 1932 Los Angeles Games
for his design of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium, constructed at Yale University. Other famous participants include Italian sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti, American illustrator Percy Crosby, Irish author Oliver St. John Gogarty, and Dutch painter Isaac Israëls. Even if the art competitions are not a part of the games anymore, they are fascinating to learn about! We’ll definitely think about them the next time the Olympics (finally) roll around.
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