Prior to her college career, Maddie was homeschooled in a family of three girls. In her free time, she is an aspiring author and a self-proclaimed vocalist—her biggest challenge working at Spinal Health and Wellness is to refrain from singing along to the radio. She hopes to travel abroad next year doing mission work in inner-city London.

I decided to take Dr. Dolly up on her offer of employment and professional mentorship because I had complete confidence that if I was going to enter a professional environment, especially one dedicated to health and wellness, Dr. Dolly would be the perfect one to open my eyes to the benefits of chiropractic. Since beginning work in the office, each patient I have met has been a joy to work with. I am looking forward to working in a practice so dedicated to encouraging its community towards healing and healthy living.

A family physician tells his patient ““there are 3 stages of pain. The first stage, the pain is bad enough to catch your attention. The second stage it takes hold of you, and at the third stage it finally compels you to do something about it.”” The patient asks his doctor, ““when it gets to stage three what should I do?”” Without a blink, the doctor turns to him and says, ““Take some Motrin.””

The worst part is the patient actually thought it was good advice. When he relays the story to his Chi- ropractor, the Chiropractor responds, ““If your smoke detector went off in your home, the 1st time it would probably catch your attention, the 2nd time it would most likely take hold of you. But if it went off a 3rd time and you were finally compelled to do something, would you take the batteries out so you wouldn’t have to hear it anymore?”” ““Of course not,”” the patient replied ““that would be stupid.”” The pa- tient got the point.

The moral of the story
Symptoms are your body’s attempt to save itself. Masking your symptoms (whether it be pain, nausea, diarrhea or fever) with drugs doesn’t fix the problem, it can actually make the situation worse. It’s smarter to get to the CAUSE of the problem and deal with it the RIGHT way. That’s why they call Chiropractors DC’s because they are Doctors of finding the Cause!

Meet Mattie, and adolescent female who gave up gymnastics and other sports and activities because her back was causing her pain due to scoliosis.

Mattie came in for six weeks of scoliosis treatment (three times per week), and her hard work in the clinic and home spinal rehab paid off tremendously.  Check out her results:

Standing 1/4 inch taller, Mattie has improved range of motion in her neck and low back, improved lung capacity, more endurance with standing balance with eyes open and closed,  and overall less back pain with movements and touch.  Most exciting is that Mattie is now out of the range for risky scoliosis rod surgery.

Mattie continues with her home spinal rehab routine, and she is excited to continue to seek treatment for further improvement.

Yay, Mattie!  We’re so excited for you and the great success from your hard work!

The office will be closed by noon on Friday, May 25th through Monday, May 28th in observance of Memorial Day.  We will re-open for regular operating hours on Wednesday, May 30th.

This snack/breakfast/dessert is a great option for kids of all ages.  Great to pack in insulated lunch bags for a healthy and fairly filling snack away from home.

You could create an entire selection of flavors as individual servings for picnic or dinner party desserts.

Why Chia Seeds?

They’re SO good for you and have the following properties:

• Twice as much protein as any other seed or grain with 9 essential fatty acids
• Five times the amount of calcium in milk
• Twice as much potassium as bananas
• Three times more iron than spinach
• Low in sodium and cholesterol
• Great source of dietary fiber and manganese
• Abundant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids

You can sprinkle them on top of your salad.  There’s not a strong flavor…very mild.  When added to a liquid, they expand and absorb the liquid and morph into a soft, gelatin-like sphere.  They’re great at helping you get hydrated or rehydrated, and they’re easy going down the hatch.

Let’s get started!

For this no cook porridge, I’ll first share the recipe and images for the base.  From there, you can flavor it however you desire, but I’ll share a couple of my favorites.  This recipe is for a single 8 ounce serving.  You can use multiple containers and simply repeat the recipe for several servings.  Or, you can double or triple the recipe for a larger container.

What you’ll need for the porridge base:

• 8 oz. glass jelly canning jar with lid (available at most local grocery stores and also on Amazon).
• 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 tsp. of chia seeds
• 1/4 cup of whole milk yogurt or cultured coconut milk for a soy-free vegan option
• 1/3 cup of organic unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk or whatever type of milk you prefer

Instructions:

Add the dry ingredients to the jar first (oats and chia seeds).

Then, add the yogurt and milk.

Apply the lid and shake briskly for a few moments.

Now, the base is ready for you to add your desired flavors!

If you’re using a very sweet fruit base, then you don’t need to add as much sweetener.  For example, ripe bananas and mangos are fairly sweet, so, I usually only add half the amount of sweetener.

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE

To porridge base gently stir in the following ingredients:

• 1/8 tsp Bourbon vanilla
• 1 tsp (or 2, if desired) of raw local honey
• 1 T. of high quality unsweetened cocoa (such as Wilbur’s breakfast cocoa)
• Fill to top of jar with frozen raspberries (approximately 1/4 cup

Gently stir in. Secure lid and set in fridge for minimum of 30 minutes.  Best results if you wait ~2 hours or overnight.  When ready to eat, remove lid, stir again (especially since honey may settle to bottom), and enjoy your healthy and delicious snack!

RASPBERRY VANILLA BANANA

To porridge base gently stir in the following ingredients:

• 1/8 tsp Bourbon vanilla
• 1 tsp (or 2, if desired) of raw local honey
• Dice up 1/4 section of banana and add
• Add to top of jar with frozen raspberries (approximately 1/8 – 1/4 cup)

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER

NOTES:

Sources:

1.  Nutrition Data: Chia Seeds
2.  High on Health: Why Chia Seed Is a Healthier Seed than Flax Seed
3.  Pepper Lynn. Overnight, Two Ways.
4.  The Yummy Life. Overnight, No Cook, Refrigerator Oatmeal.

Dr. Dolly Garnecki, who previously served the United States Air Force in the Operation Southern Watch and Iraq war, will run this race alongside other veterans and wounded warrior supporters in the health and fitness industry.

We invite all our patients and friends of our business to join us for this day.  100% of all proceeds will go directly to the Wounded Warrior program.

Don’t worry if you’re not in 5k shape, there will be plenty of people walking as well as running.  The goal is to complete the 5k safely.  There’s also a free kids dash.  There’s an event for the entire family.

We plan to sign-up as a group prior to the early registration deadline of April 30th to save $10 off registration fees.  We’ll have more information available soon for the name of our group (combined with participants from Bar-G Fitness and Phoenix Dance Studio) and how to register for group savings.

Check out our Facebook page for health tips, information on training to complete (run or walk) a 5k, and more!

He experienced two treatment sessions per day, each session lasting 2 to 2 1/2 hours per session.  Treatment sessions included whole body vibration therapy, dynamic back traction and mechanical traction, active release technique, trigger point therapy, cold laser therapy, chiropractic spinal adjustments, cranial sacral therapy, and spinal corrective exercises.

There’s a reason we call it intensive treatment.

Mid-week, he was able to relax with a 75 minute Raindrop Therapy massage session that used pharmaceutical grade essential oils.

After one week of treatment, these are the results he achieved:

A few other improvements noted after one week of treatment: increased lung capacity, increased flexibility and range of motion, decreased soreness and back pain and no longer taking Aleve pain medication to manage his back pain.

We celebrate his success!

If you know of a young person with scoliosis who’s exploring options other than bracing or surgery, please consider sharing with them about our natural, chiropractic and rehabilitation-based scoliosis intervention treatment options.

Learn how to avoid insomnia and a few simple steps you can take to get a better night’s sleep by taking care of your health from the inside-out.

Most of us haven’t mowed the lawn, planted bulbs, or gone for a bicycle ride during the winter months. Jumping back into these activities carries risks (see box below). Starting a lawn mower or weed whacker can stress the back and shoulders, putting you out of commission for days, weeks, or longer. As satisfying as gardening is, kneeling and pulling and digging for hours on end can stress muscles and the spine in ways it hasn’t seen since last year; and you’ll be very unhappy the next day if you overdo it. Furthermore, those sunny and warm days may have you excited about your new fitness routine, but too many of us will jump in headfirst and pay the price. There’s a better way, and your doctor of chiropractic is here to help guide you into the wonders of Spring (and beyond). 

Spinal discs are typically 70, 80, even 90% water! Drinking plenty of pure water can save you spinal problems by protecting your back.

• Get hydrated. Not only can drinking plenty of water protect you from heat-related illness, but also there’s the fact that your body is mostly water. Spinal discs are typically 70, 80, even 90% water! Drinking plenty of pure water can save you spinal problems by protecting your back. The discs of your spine space the bones, and well-hydrated discs means plenty of room for delicate nerve roots to your muscles, allowing your frame to function at its peak potential. How’s that for an inexpensive way to care for your body?

• Warm-up, first. Athletes commonly warm up for up to an hour before their events; and you should consider the wisdom inherent in easing into activity. If you’re going to sweat and strain, consider a gentle 5-minute walk first. If you’re going to bend forward a lot, try “depressurizing” your spinal discs by gently bending backwards a few times. If your activity will involve your shoulders, very gently put them through an active range of motion for a few minutes before you start pulling and straining at those weeds. Let your joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons warm up to your tasks, and you may save yourself a lot of heartache.

• Use the right tool for the job. Take a moment to grab a hammer or mallet instead of using your hand or fist. Use a ladder where called for, and be sure it’s secure. Correctly use safety equipment such as gloves, eye protection, and blade guards. Consider kneepads or a soft cushion if you’re going to be low to the ground for any long period of time. Finally, never use a tool for a job it was never intended for. Good tools increase your leverage and effectiveness, allowing physics and inanimate objects to take the stress. You can always get a new rake, but new backs and necks and knees are hard to come by.

• Get adjusted. If you want to have a wellness tune-up for your spinal joints and attaching muscles, OR if you’ve already injured yourself, consider chiropractic care. Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to bounce back fast from a wide variety of joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, and functional (nervous system) problems. Though anti-inflammatory medications can help you “tough it out,” people find that chiropractic care not only decreases pain, but also helps improve return-to-function times. Your flowers, your tennis racket, and your lawn are calling you– so why wait any longer than you have to? And once you’re back on top of your game, consider chiropractic care as a tool to help you stay healthy and limber. That’s something pain management (or pain cover-up) pills can never do.

She coordinated unit teaching ideas with with preschool teachers to include creating rainbow-themed placemats to help kids color-associate their foods.  They also coordinated with songwriter/musician Jay Mankita who shared his album Eat Like a Rainbow: Colorful, healthy, sustainable food songs for kids and other folks. Mankita, who’s songs have been featured on Putumayo Kids’ Picnic Playground and Chop Chop Magazine (Winter 2011), was eager to support a healthy food unit for preschoolers.

Listen to Jay Mankita’s songs “Eat Like a Rainbow” and “Everybody Likes Fruits and Vegetables” now (for free).

Great Beginnings Preschool teacher Miss Donna learned and played Mankita’s song “Everybody Likes Fruits and Vegetables” while teacher Miss Betsy held up pictures of vegetables for the kids to shout out during certain stanzas of the song.  They sang about tomatoes, avocados, and other delicious and healthy foods.

Later that morning, they learned about how those fruits and veggies grow in the ground, on trees, or bushes, and they had the chance to taste the beautiful rainbow array of flavors first-hand.

Check out the beautiful table scape created with handmade (Dot-to-Dot) rainbow placemats . . .

and chef hats from repurposed plastic bags.  They also had personalized chef aprons made with their handprints.

Dr. Garnecki enjoyed teaching two classes full of little chefs.

Some kids who were initially reluctant, overcame their fears and discovered new fruits and veggies that they loved like kiwi fruit, roasted asparagus, and purple cauliflower.

Dr. Dolly Garnecki is available to teach school children in Charlottesville and Albemarle county how to Eat Like a Rainbow.  Contact our office by e-mailing us contact [at] scoliosisdoc [dot] com or calling (434) 566-0126 to determine her teaching schedule availability.