Monday, December 30, 2013

Healthy Recipe - Weeknight Greek Pasta Salad

This may be one of our new favorites. It is great for a busy weeknight because it is easy to prepare.

Weeknight Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
20 oz Pasta - we used chicken stuffed tortellini but you could use your favorite. Bowtie or penne would be great as well
1-2 cups of grape tomatoes
1-2 cucumbers
1 cup olives - we like kalamata
1/2 small red onion 
3/4 cup feta cheese
2 sprigs of fresh dill

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic or 1 clove garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
Note: If you are in a pinch just use your favorite vinaigrette dressing such as Balsamic 1/4 cup. 

Preparations:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Cut red onion into thin slices. Peel and deseed cucumber. Chop cucumber into half moon slices. If olives are not already sliced go ahead and slice them now. While pasta is cooking prepare your dressing by mixing the above ingredients. I add the dressing with my veggies to marinate once dressing is ready. After pasta is cooked mix all ingredients together. Add cheese and dill last. What a wonderful easy meal. 









Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Don't Lose Your Money - Use Your Insurance and FSA Today!

Don’t Let Your Insurance and FSA Benefits Go To Waste! 

End of the Year is fast approaching…before year’s end GBC would like to remind you to take a look at your health benefits!

Insurance Benefits and FSA Accounts Don’t Typically Roll Over from Year to Year Each year your insurance company most likely gives you a maximum amount of available benefits.

Since those benefits don’t typically carry over into the next year, you will want to contact us here at GBC now to get your appointment scheduled!

We all know how it is, once the holiday season is here things can get pretty hectic and stressful! Life gets busy don’t forget your health is important. Take care of yourself now and you will feel better during the holidays.

If you are unsure what your insurance benefits are, please give our office a call 281-337-7000 and we will be happy to help you get it all straight.

Thanks for being our valued patient!

GBC Chiropractic - www.gatewaybaycolony.com - 281-337-7000

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Surviving the Holidays - Tips for Shopping

Patient Information from the American Chiropractic Association :
The day after Thanksgiving is a milestone of sorts in America. It reminds us of just how quickly the year has gone by – and how close we are to the holiday season. This realization – coupled with the fabulous sales at major department stores and malls everywhere – helps make the day after Thanksgiving our biggest shopping day of the year. And until we flip the calendar over to a new year, the chaos just doesn’t let up.

“Our bodies have the capacity to do a little more than we normally do,” says Dr. Scott Bautch, of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. “But our bodies do not adapt very well to doing a lot more than we normally do. Since the added demands of this season can stress the capacity of our bodies, we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. Eat right, drink plenty of water, stretch, exercise and take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on what the season is all about.”

So relax and enjoy the holidays! Dr. Bautch and the ACA encourage you to consider the following tips to help keep you and your loved ones healthy, happy and safe this season.

Treat Holiday Shopping as an Athletic Event
• Stay hydrated! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics/dehydrators. Don’t substitute them for water.) On shopping days, you may need to drink even more water. Be sure to stretch before and after a long day of shopping.
• When you are stressed-out, your muscles are less flexible than usual.
• Wear shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact of walking on those hard shopping mall floors. According to recent studies, 60% of women report wearing shoes that are uncomfortable.
• Make sure the clothing you wear is as comfort-able as possible. It’s a good idea to wear lay¬ers, because you may be going from a cold environment (outdoors) to a warm environment (indoors).
• Leave your purse at home. Wear a light fanny pack, or if necessary, a light backpack instead. Pack only those items that are absolutely essential (driver’s license, credit card, etc.).
• If you start to feel some pain, nip it in the bud. Apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours. Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two.

“During the holiday season, we’re running at absolute maximum capacity, which can lead to stress and even depression,” says Dr. Bautch. “Why do so many people become depressed around the holidays? We need to stretch and stay hydrated to increase our capacity, so we are not overwhelmed by the activities of the season.”

Plan Frequent Breaks During Your Shopping Day
• During a day of heavy shopping, most people should take a break every 45 minutes. Those with less stamina may even need to take a break every 20-30 minutes. If you work in a physically demanding job where you are accus-tomed to being on your feet most of the day, you may be able to get away with taking less frequent breaks.
• If possible, obtain a locker. Lockers can help cut down dramatically on how much you have to carry around. You can take a load off by scheduling trips to your locker into your breaks.
• If your mall or shopping center doesn’t offer lockers, try to plan trips to your car. Don’t carry around more than is absolutely necessary at one time.
• When taking breaks, try to eat light foods. A salad and some fruit is a much better option than a burger and fries.
• Skip the coffee break! Coffee and sodas con-tain caffeine and sugar, which add even more stress to your body. Pass on the designer cof-fee at the java stand and keep drinking water.

“We actually need to eat better than normal during the holiday season,” explains Dr. Bautch. “On average, people gain five to six pounds during the holidays. And heart attacks occur more often during the holidays as well. Eating a heavy meal and then running out on an exhausting shopping trip can be very dangerous.”

Shopping With Children
• If at all possible, DO NOT bring a child or chil-dren along on a holiday shopping trip. Most children simply do not have the stamina for such an event, and you and your child will only become frustrated with one another. Don’t add this type of stress to an already stressful situa-tion.
• Try to split “child duty” up with a spouse or another parent. They’ll watch your kids while you shop, and vice-versa.

“Shopping with children is just a bad idea,” says Dr. Bautch. “If your hands are loaded with shopping bags, you may not be able to hold your child’s hand, which could increase the chances he or she might wander away from you. Take whatever steps necessary to not have to bring your child along.”

Wrapping Your Gifts
• Since there is no “ideal” position for wrapping gifts, the most important thing to remember is to vary your positions. For example, try stand-ing at a table or countertop for one package, sitting on a bed for another, sitting in a com-fortable chair for another, etc.
• Do not wrap packages while sitting on the floor. Wrapping packages while sitting on a hard floor can wreak havoc on your posture, and should be avoided.
• Always stretch before and after you wrap gifts.

"When wrapping presents, it’s a good idea to ‘stretch the opposites," says Dr. Bautch. “In other words, if you are leaning forward when wrapping your gifts, stretch backward when you are done.”

 This patient information page is a public service of the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for a diagnosis by a specialist. For specific information concerning your health condition, consult your doctor of chiropractic. This page may be reproduced noncommercially by doctors of chiropractic and other healthcare professionals to educate patients. Any other reproduction is subject to ACA approval.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Erogonmics of a Cell Phone


From the ages of 8 to 80 it appears that most people have smartphones.  Cell phones come in handy for a quick internet search, directions through GPS, cameras, emails, and texts, but there overuse can lead to issues.  What issues you ask...

Issues You May Experience:
 - Possible headaches
 - Numbness/tingling in the hands/arms
 - Muscle tension in neck and shoulders
 - Thumb or wrist pain

To Avoid Issues Above Consider:
 - Using less keystrokes when messaging.  Remember more is not always better.
 - During the phone purchasing process, select one with a full keyboard.
 - Use a headset whenever possible to avoid stressful angles of he head and neck.
 - Consider doing your emails with a PC instead of phone...Ergonomically speaking.
 - Use voice commands and verbal texting when possible

This "Wellness Wednesday Tip" brought to you by your partners in health at GBC!

 GBC Chiropractic           www.gatewaybaycolony.com         281-337-7000