A Paleo Thanksgiving

As we enter the holiday season it is now more important than ever to make sure we eat healthily. Most people tend to overeat or eat massive amounts of grain, sugar, and dairy and complete inflame our body. If we wonder why we get sick in the Winter months it is because of Halloween candy, Thanksgiving meals, holiday stress, sedentary lifestyles, more indoor activities meaningless Vitamin D, and increase stress from traffic. It is essential we continue to be healthy and Thanksgiving is a great place to start when it comes to nutrition.

Here are some of the meals I would put together for my Thanksgiving meal and feel GOOD about eating it:

Appetizer

Braised Cabbage and Bacon

Roasted Sweet Potato With Rosemary

Paleo Stuffing Mushroom Butter Roasted Turkey

 

Meal

Mushroom Butter Roasted Turkey

 

Desserts

Baked Apple Pie Apples

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

 

Please keep me posted if you make any of those and let us know how they turn out.

 

Health Doesn't Take Vacations

This past week I had client come back to the office with a sharp pain after taking a 1 year hiatus and doing nothing proactively with his spinal hygiene. He started chiropractic care in December 2010 with me and in June 2011 he stopped coming in because he said “life got busy”. I decided to take a re-xray of him this week to see if there were any changes in his spine from when he started to where he is now. I could see structurally he still had improvements from when he came in for 6 months but the permanent damage had gotten worse on his hiatus. There was increased disc deterioration, fusing of the joints, increased nerve pressure, more arthritic conditions, and overall the spine had progressed negatively. If only he could have come in every other week for some maintenance care then these problems could have been prevented and the permanent damage would not be as prominent. I understand we now live in a fast paced World that moves a million miles a second which is why it now more important to take better care of ourselves. If we are going to put our body through copious amounts of stress through long hours of sitting in front of the computer, lack of working out, eating poor quality foods, and thinking negative thoughts then it is crucial to be proactive. The years of only taking care of our body when we are in pain, overweight, sick, or recently diagnosed are over. It is time to become proactive and committed to living a healthy life everyday and every-way. We have ONE shot on this Earth so why not doing everything possible to make it your greatest and feel your best. I am sure your family and friends will be thankful! I am here to support you and be as much of a resource as possible.

Austin Cohen - Atlanta Chiropractor

Austin Cohen - Atlanta Chiropractor

1) I have never been on a roller coaster ride.
2) My favorite place in the World is Park City, Utah.
3) My first job was working for my uncle in a drugstore (My times have changed).
4) My grandfather owned one of the largest pharmacies in Charleston, SC.
5) My nickname in high school was Adogg.
6) My favorite book is “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”
7) I used to drink 2-3 diet cokes a day for a whole year in 2004.
8) I ran track and field in high school and my favorite races were the 1600M (1 mile) and 3200M (2 mile).
9) When I was in college a professor told me after my first exam in Biology that maybe I was not cutout for a pre-med major. (That lit a spark)
10) My favorite teacher was Mr. Wadsworth who was my middle school science teacher and I still remember learning about the Venus Flytrap.
11) At 15, I had a job working at a costume shop where I would have to dress up and dance on the side of the street to attract customers.
12) My favorite thing to do on a weekend is watch a movie and have some hot tea.
13) My grandfathers died in 2004 from cancer which taught my a big lesson on life and loving everyone in the present.
14) I have a sister that is 10 years younger than me that I couldn’t be more proud of.
15) I love getting work done in the airports and catching up on e-mails.
16) When I was younger I used think the wake from the water on a boat was hitting rocks.
17) I grew up in Charleston, SC and would like to move back when I retire.
18) I feel bad when I am 1 minute late to anything.
19) I meditate for 9 minutes every morning.
20) My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
21) I love my practice and clients more than anything in the World besides my family.

Homemade Workout Energy Bar

Many of you may know I am currently training for a half-Ironman on September 30th and man my body is wiped. Working out for 2-4 hours a day is something I am definitely not used to and all this working out is making me eat much more food. One of the other keys is to find healthy carbohydrate food as I paleo and grains is not on the food list.

When I went on my trip to Thailand I ordered a bunch of snacks called Steves Paleo Crunch bars which got to be pretty expensive. When I came back to Atlanta I said I was going to learn how to make this and finally I have found the right recipe. These are great for people who workout regularly and especially those doing the high cardio training. Many of you do crossfit and for those that are I would recommend this before a high intensity workout. If your goal is weight loss then these should not be eaten in high doses without any type of training.

I will make a fresh batch and bring it to the Advanced Nutrition Workshop this Tuesday night at 6:30 PM so you can taste them. This class explains how to eat the best anti-inflammatory foods and what a food pyramid should look like based on the latest research. If you are looking to maximize your nutrition then definitely make it out this Tuesday night for our Advanced Nutrition Corrective Class.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Pecans
1/2 cup Shredded (raw, unsweetened) Coconut
3/4 cup Almond Meal
1/2 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Coconut Oil (plus a little to grease the pan)
1/4 tcup Coconut Nectar

Step by Step Process:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Grind the pumpkin seeds, pecans, and coconut in a food processor until it’s a coarse flour.
3) In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin/pecan/coconut flour with the almond meal and sunflower seeds. Use your hand. This is also when you add the cinnamon.
4) Add in the vanilla and the coconut oil stir with a spatula until the mix is evenly coated.
5) Add the coconut nectar and fold the mixture together until it is consistent throughout.
6) Next, add a small amount of Coconut oil to your baking pan (8×12 works pretty well) and spread with a paper towel until it’s evenly greased.
7) Put the mix in the pan and press it in until it is even and spreads to all the sides.
8) Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it though. Once it is golden brown and the aroma fills your kitchen, it’s ready. Remove it from the oven and use the spatula to cut it into 20 bars. Let it cool though before you take them out of the pan.

This post is dedicated to a fellow chiropractor colleague that took his own life this week in St. Mary’s, Georgia. Dr. Jon Shiels graduated a quarter before me and every time I saw him he always had a smile on his face with a positive outlook. The World will miss you Dr. Jon and your legacy will carry on. This is very unfortunate and completely refocuses and empowers me on my commitment to all of you on living your greatest life.

Atlanta, GA – When I decided to dedicate this post to Dr. Jon I knew this topic would have be powerful and something that could create a dramatic impact on others. The topic that came to me that affects roughly 1 in 4 of you that come to my office was on depression and anxiety. Many of you right now are either on a depression medication or anxiety medication and if not, then you know many people that are. The psychiatric industry is currently a $330 BILLION dollar business and no signs of slowing down as more people look for outside resources to solve their problems. I am not negating depression or anxiety but I want people to be more aware of what they are doing to their body and become more proactive with the decision to use more natural resources. When God created us we were not designed to be depressed or have anxiety but we were designed for happiness, abundance, service, love, and ultimately living an EXTRA-ordinary life. I have had friends in the past where they knew their life was about to get stressful whether it was deadlines, having a baby, or buying a house and decided to supplement with a xanax, zoloft, or paxil. I wander what people did to manage stress when there was no such thing as a pharmaceutical industry or anxiety or depression. I know when my life becomes stressful then maybe I go for a run, meditate, think about the good, or do something to increase serotonin.

When I looked at the research of the pharmaceutical drugs to treat depression most of them were no better than a sugar pill. As one doctor said about the drugs “they are an expensive tic-tac”. This is because depression or neuroemotional disorders are being related to toxicity or deficiency at a cellular level and not a lack of drugs. The next 4 steps are tips and tricks you can use to remove toxicity and provide sufficiency at the cellular level. I put them in order of importance so please be sure to follow the steps in order. Please forward this article on to your friends, family, and co-workers so these stories like Dr. Jon’s don’t happen.

1) See a Chiropractor

With 70 trillion cells in your body right now doing everything they need to do to keep you alive your body is smart. The system that controls all those cells is your central nervous system making up your brain, spine, and nerves, which control and coordinate all function. In today’s World we encounter significant stresses through long hours of computer usage, sleeping improperly, poor posture, toxic food, emotional damage, working out, and many others that can compromise this system. Only 10% of the nervous system perceives pain which means 90% of your nervous system does function which is why you will have no idea whether it is compromised or not unless you seek a chiropractor. A chiropractor‘s ultimate job is to remove misalignments or stress from the spine to allow your body to function optimally. The reason I put this first is because I see people who eat right, workout, think positive thoughts, and take supplements but are still not healthy because the system that controls all those processes is stressed out. If you need a referral for a chiropractor because you do not live in Atlanta please e-mail us @ CohenChiropractic1895@Gmail.Com so we can tell you how to find the right one. Our Advanced Spinal Corrective Class is the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 6:30 – 7:30 PM and active patients will receive their spinal hygiene kit at this workshop.

2) Load Up on Omega 3’s

Since a lot of research is pointing right now to the body being inflamed with people who have depression these fats help reduce that. Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in 100% grass-fed beef, west coast wild caught salmon, sardines, walnuts, flax seeds, and mackerel. If you have any questions about this come out to our Advanced Nutrition Corrective Class the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM.

3) Burst Training

On a past radio show I spoke about burst training and how high intensity interval training can help you get fit, burn fat, and regulate hormones in 12 minutes a week. The workout was created by Dr. Tabata and the concept is during the workout you burn sugar but 24 hours later you burn fat. The workout calls for 20 seconds of all out movement than 10 seconds of rest. Continue this for 8 rounds for a total of 4 minutes and this would be your daily workout along with some strength training if desired. The movements to choose from during the 20 seconds are jumping jacks, running, biking, sit-ups, pushups, air squats, or any other movement you can do 100%. If you have an iPhone or computer go to iTunes and type in under search “Half hour to health with Dr. Austin Cohen” to get all the old shows. Also, the 2nd Tuesday of every month we hold our Advanced Fitness Corrective Class from 6:30 – 7:00 PM.

4) Load Up On Vitamin D

Most people who deal with depression or high levels of anxiety notice them more during the Winter months when they are inside and not getting as much vitamin D. Researcher Sonal Pathak, MD. studied 3 women who were taking anti-depressants and found that they were highly deficient in vitamin D-3 and by supplementing it back to their diet their symptoms significantly decreased. Vitamin D levels should be between 60-100 ng/ml. The key to get Vitamin D naturally is with 20-60 minutes of healthy sunlight every day or 10,000-50,000 IU of emulsified vitamin D3 daily to get the levels where they should be. My favorite website for vitamin D3 is Vitacost.com.

Last year at this time as I was writing my goals out for 2012 and I decided one goal was to complete a half-Ironman. So far with the USATF (USA Track and Field) circuit I have completed:

1998 – 5K

1999 – 10K

2006 – Marathon

2009 – Sprint Triathlon

2010 – Olympic Triathlon

The next step from this was to complete the half-Ironman and on September 30th I crossed the finish line in Augusta, GA. The weather was perfect to start the morning at 70 degrees with a water temperature of 76 degrees for the 1.2 mile swim. The swim portion I felt pretty good as my time was 30:44 and we swam down the Savannah River. Following the swim was a 56 mile bike through the rolling hills of South Carolina and Georgia. I felt pretty good during this part even though it was my weakest by far as it took me 3:31:16. During this part I got passed almost 800 times which really shows you how much training I did for this part of the race. Once we got to the run part I felt great as running was my favorite sport in high school and I knew this would be my fastest area. During the 13.1 mile run I passed 600 people which helped me gain some time back from the bike and finished in 1:54:49. Total time for the race was 6:04:35

 

During a 6 hour race there are a lot of things that go through your mind as music is banned so all you really have is your mind and man my mind went wild. Here are the top 4 thoughts that ran through my mind during this race:

Thought 1

While on the bike all I could think about was how fortunate and blessed I was to have found chiropractic care and recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy nervous system since 23 years old. I would bet only ~20% of the 3,000 participants regularly see chiropractors for when they are NOT in pain and the ones who do get major kudos. During a physically stressful race like this it is essential to have at least had 1 year of regular chiropractic care so that the nervous system is functioning optimally as this is what controls EVERYTHING. What is interesting is most of us put just as much stress on our bodies every single day from sleeping improperly and then getting in front of the computer, iPad, and phone for dozens of hours a day. I am 100% committed to the growth of all of you achieving a healthy nervous system and whether it is through my office or somewhere else in the country or World I can help you. I cannot imagine what is was like for the people there who DO NOT see chiropractors and what those spinal misalignments could have been doing to their body. The unfortunate part is 90% of the people who have subluxation or spinal misalignment do not even know it exists similar to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Thought 2

My coach Dan Klein for this race told me that if during the run I feel cramping in my legs then drink coca cola. As many of you may have guessed I am the most anti-Coke person in the World as I feel it is destroying our children and creating an obese nation. I have not had the product in at least 8 years and intended to never have it again. Of course it is not 100% Cokes fault as it is not their choice whether you drink it but they could easily get rid of the high fructose corn syrup and use cane sugar like other countries. Still bad for the body but better than HFCS. During mile 6 I began to feel my right hamstring getting really tight and I gave in and had nice cold glass of Coke. Then again on mile 9 and on mile 11 I had even more Coke. This product actually helped me get through my cramping and flushed my body with serious amounts of sugar. I felt so good after drinking the Coke that I am proud to say that Coke is not bad. Just like medical doctors are great for only crisis care, coca cola is great for crisis situations. The problem is too many people rely on their medical doctor for their poor lifestyle habits and get doped up on tons of medications and similar to this is too many people drink regular coke daily or worse yet they drink diet coke.

Thought 3

I would have never imagined years ago that this day would have come but in 2011 when I committed to this goal I knew for sure it was going to happen. I went online and registered and that is when the commitment started. Paying $275 for a race definitely means you will show up and compete. So many of you have told me some of your goals and what you want to accomplish but how are you going to get there. Don’t just think it, ink it. If it is to do a race then go online and register, if it is to build a business then get action oriented and figure out what steps need to happen instead of just talking about it, and if it is to build a relationship then start communicating and coming from a place of integrity so new possibilities show up. Most people let life happen to them but winners make life happen and they tend to have a great life.

Thought 4

If you are someone who is working out right now then it is imperative you know how to train the right way. One thing I saw during this race is so many of these people doing the race were overweight and looked very aged. It was so sad to look around in my 30-35 age group and see how many of these guys looked like they have aged at least 10-15 years and not looking physically fit. When you look at the pros at this race they were all fit and looked very young for the age by at least 10 years. So many of you do not look at your HRV (heart rate variability) to see if you are overtraining, eat quality foods, or do the extra things to make sure your body is aging right while staying fit. These long distance races increase cortisol into the body and people who have too much cortisol tend to gain fat around the abdominal region hence why so many of these people looked like this. If your goal is to lose abdominal fat then figure out how to reduce stress in your life and congratulations to 95% of you since you are doing the most important thing to shut that fight or flight response down which is chiropractic.

Thank you to everyone for their support on this accomplishment and special thanks to my wife, Shira, for coming down to Augusta and supporting me during the race.

Chiropractic Doesnt Cost It Saves

Many of you have told me about certain things in your life you want to do that relates to healthcare and unfortunately you do not do it because you think it COSTS. I had someone last week telling me they did not want to eat grass-fed beef because it was $2 more/pound and when I asked them about their 401K they max it out every month. I asked someone about doing crossfit and they said it was too expensive yet they as well were maxing out a savings plan. I truly feel in order for us to move forward as a society we have to quit looking at these types of healthcare such as: chiropractic, massage, nutrition, exercise, etc as costs but see them more as investments. I could take all the money I use towards my health and place it in some form of savings but how do I want my quality of life to look like as I age? Would I rather have less money and better quality and quantity of life or more money but weakened health? Usually what I see is people who put money into their health tend to get so much more back as they save from doctors visit and become more productive to increase their income.

In a recent Harvard study they found the number 1 reason for bankruptcy in our country is medical expenses. The study showed that out of all bankruptcies roughly 62% were due to medical expenses and 78% of those people had some form of insurance. This is what happens when we are reactive with healthcare and we depend on a medical model. If you only see me when your hurt, go to the gym when your overweight, eat healthy when you find out your pre-diabetic, or only do something about your healthcare when there is a problem then you’re currently right now moving down the trap.

I had a lady in my office last week try and justify that her weak spine was fine because most people in our society have this type of spine and it is common. I had to go on and explain to her that a spine that has had poor habits of daily spinal hygiene and no chiropractic care will be weak and probably arthritic as it ages BUT someone who eats poor food and doesn’t work out will eventually gain weight. It is COMMON for people in our society to be overweight since +50% of the population is and it is common to develop heart disease since +50% of our society does BUT does this make it NORMAL? I want the best for all of you and I want you to be different than our society and by different that is leading a great quality of life with abundant energy and truly getting to do things you love doing and not being hindered by health.

My commitment to you is to have our office be a place where no matter the market conditions or anything else going on in the World you get the best return on your investment possible. Through our workshops, newsletters, e-book, and most importantly chiropractic care our office strives to leave you and your family with a much bigger return on investment then what you put into it. Whatever you pay in our office my goal is that the investment you are putting in gives you quadruple your return which would be more than any 401K, IRA, or other investment route. This is my commitment and if you trust me and my team and commit to long term care then I promise you will see huge gains like all our other clients who have been with us the longest.

Top 3 Ways To Boost Immunity

As many of you may be aware the “flu” season is right around the corner. Now more than ever there is so much hype around the flu shot and usually this shot is a guessing game based on the strain of flu from the previous year. If we truly want to protect ourselves from the flu then our best option is to build a titanium immune system and not allow bacteria to thrive. Unfortunately in the Fall/Winter months most people completely neglect their health and allow a host of symptoms to arise from being reactive. For nutrition people are eating candy during Halloween, Thanksgiving feasts, holiday parties, and New Years celebrations.  Many people stay inside because it is warmer and they are lowering their vitamin D levels. People workout less because of the cold and are now becoming more sedentary. There is the stress of family and financial stress which accumulates during these times as well.

As you can see there are plenty of ways we neglect our health and there is no coincidnce this is the time of your people are getting sick. Let me share with you the top 3 ways to boost immunity this Fall/Winter so you and your famly are protected:

1) Get Your Spine Checked

Your brain, spine, and nerves are the powerhouse and master control of every cell, tissue, organ, and organ system in your body. There are 24 movable vertebrae stacked on top of each other and between these vertebrae are the delicate nerves which are the lines of communication from the brain to the body. If somehow through physical, chemical, or emotional stress the vertebrae shift out of position and put pressure on the nerve then the brain cannot communicate at 100% to the body. This will result in weakened immunity as the nervous system controls the immune system and now the nervous system is stressed out. Make sure to find a chiropractor that explains subluxation and does corrective work to help you reach your true potential. Research shows that chiropractic can boost the immune system by 200% which was conducted by Ron Pero, Ph.D, chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute and professor in Environmental Health at New York University. Another study in 1992 found that by adjusting the thoracic (midback) spine then there is an increase in white blood cells.

If you live in Atlanta then feel free to contact us and if you live outside Atlanta please send us your zipcode and we will be happy to find you a wellness chiropractor.

2) Add Garlic to Food

Garlic which contains the 3 compounds llicin, ajoene and thiosulfinates is known as an immune fighter for many years. Garlic dates all the way back to 1550 BC when the ancient Egyptians would eat it as a facilitator to help the body heal. Garlic can be tossed in with vegetables, chicken, seafood, beef, etc. The best way to utilize garlic is not to chop it up the immediately throw it in a pan but to allow it to sit for a few minutes then cook with it. Too many people don’t allow the garlic to sit and if it does not sit it will not develop the full properties towards building a healthy immune system.

3) Burst Train

Out of all the times of the year to workout the most important and most neglected time is between October – March. Exercising keeps our blood flowing, increases oxygen to the body, and more importantly boosts immunity. The type of working out I am talking about is called Burst Training. This deals with high intensity movements for 20 seconds then taking a 10 second break. You would do this cycle 8 times until you reach 4 minutes and this would be your workout. The key is while you are working out you’re burning sugar but once you rest the next day your body burns fat. The key is to go ALL OUT during the 20 seconds and keep on the routine. Many of you know I workout at crossfit and the workouts we do are on average about 5-10 minutes.

Watch this video for more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISgxJ4GpSTk

REMINDER: On November 8th from 7:00 – 8:30 PM at Ted Montana’s on Peachtree Rd we will be holding our Dinner With Doc. Please make sure your register at http://dinnerwithdocnov8.eventbrite.com/ and guests are strongly encouraged to come.  

Sciatica Chiropractor in Atlanta

Sciatica is a debilitating  pain that begins in the lower back and runs or shoots down one or both legs. Sciatica pain will often get worse with long periods of sitting or standing.

One cause of sciatic pain can be due to bulging, degenerative, herniated or ruptured spinal discs.

Spinal disc problems often occur over time and the pain and symptoms then begin from a number of causes, like picking up the newspaper. This can cause a decrease in space for the sciatic nerve, thereby causing inflammation and irritation to the nerve.  Coughing, sneezing or other kinds of movement can be painful. When not properly taken care of, the sciatic pain can then extend down one or both of your legs. Even though you feel the pain in your leg, the problem area is often the lower back!

Pills, medications and muscle relaxers won’t correct the problem that is causing your sciatica pain.  Medications only mask the pain and can allow the problem to progress.

There’s Hope

Taking action by getting specific chiropractic adjustments can significantly improve motion in the lumbar joints of your lower back.  In response the sciatic nerve has less irritation and the pain is relieved for many people.

Your first step is a consultation and thorough examination in our office. If we think we can help, we’ll tell you. And if we don’t think we can help, we’ll tell you that too and refer you to someone we think can. Call today.

Whiplash Chiropractor in Atlanta

You’re sitting at the corner like always watching for the stoplight to change. You hear tires squealing behind you followed by the sound of metal crumpling against metal. Your body and your car are suddenly being vaulted forward!

You’ve just been rear-ended!

In only a moment, your body is smashed against your seat. Your head, isolated by your neck muscles, is slower to react.

Then, everything changes directions and your body moves forward engaging your seat belt. Suddenly your head is ripped backwards! There’s nothing you can do to stop it.

The smallest fender bender can cause a whiplash injury. Pain and symptoms from a whiplash injury can be immediate, take a couple days, or may be delayed for months before causing problems.  So what’s next?

Call our office today for a consultation and examination!

Restoring proper motion and position of individual spinal bones, with specific chiropractic adjustments, can help promote healing caused by a whiplash injury.

“The longer you wait,” says Dr. Austin Cohen, “the more unseen damage there is and the longer it seems to take to recover.”