Supplements 101
Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo, PhD, PT, IMT,C Thomas A. Giammatteo, DC, PT, IMT,C
Restore Your Body’s Health Over the Summer!
elcome to warm weather and summer fun! What a great op- portunity to focus our efforts on restoring optimal health. Here are some helpful strategies that are easy to integrate into your summer schedule for you and your family:
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1. Drink lots of water! It is common for people to become dehydrated in the sum- mer months. One problem with dehydration is that it can lead to constipation, especially in children. Be sure to create lots of op- portunities for drinking liquids through the day. Water is optimal but, if necessary, you can add a shot of juice or even make a fun spritzer by mixing juice and sparkling water. Drinking mineral water is a great way to get electrolytes into your body and it has less sugar then Gatorade. 2. Get your daily essential fatty acids:
It’s so easy to eat fresh fish in the summer months. In addition, supplementing with fish oils is a great source of essential fatty acids. Flaxseed oil also is a wonderful and vegetar- ian source of omega 3 oils (essential fatty acids).
3. In the summer months we spend a lot of time in the sun. Sunshine is a wonderful source of vitamin D, which is essential for bone health. Research also has shown that being in the sun can combat seasonal affec- tive disorder.
4. Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables!
Fresh fruit and vegetables, which have many important nutrients and enzymes that are vital for our body’s health, are abundant during the summer. Visit a farmer’s market or join a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm. To learn more about local CSA’s or farmer’s markets, visit: www.localharvest. org.
5. Get lots of exercise! We’ve finally
arrived at a time when exercise doesn’t have to feel like a chore! You can incorporate daily walks or other types of movement and exercise into your leisure time every day.
Exercise is a fundamental component for building and maintaining a healthy body. 6. Take daily Probiotics to support a
healthy gut. 7. Take a daily Vitamin B Complex to create optimal cellular energy, which is es- sential for every tissue function. 8. Antioxidants like Vitamin C also are important to include in your diet regularly. Vitamin C can be found in many super fruits that are widely available today such as acai, goji, noni, and mangosteen. 9. Try an elimination diet! Your children
are not in school—you have more control over their diet. As a family, you can commit to a healthy kitchen, free of certain foods. Here are some ideas of foods to eliminate that typically contribute to health problems, learning and behavioral challenges, pain and other issues: • Gluten
• Refined processed sugar • Preservatives and processed foods • Peanuts
Other foods that sometimes contribute
to health challenges include dairy, corn, soy, tree nuts, and eggs. When instituting an elimination diet it is important to dedicate at least a full 6 weeks to eliminating particu- lar foods completely. Afterwards, introduce food slowly over the period of a month to determine its effect on your body. Some of these latter allergens are great test subjects for time-limited 6 week elimination diets. As for gluten, refined sugar, and preservatives, these are best avoided long term. Gluten is an inflammatory food which
means that when it’s ingested it contributes to greater amounts of inflammation in the body, typically in an individual’s weakest system. Consider the common symptoms that you experience, such as headaches, back pain, digestive problems, or other issues such as learning and behavioral chal- lenges, and so on—all of these can be exac- erbated by inflammation which is so often
worsened by having gluten in our diet. There are some phenomenal substitutes for gluten today in every food category. A great website to learn more about gluten elimination is:
www.instituteofimt.com/gluten-sensitivity. php.
Preservatives and processed food as well as refined sugars can contribute to so much illness, short term and long term. They are leading causes of liver disease, pancreas ill- ness and diabetes, cancer, immune deficien- cy, learning challenges, and so much more. Spending the summer months building a working knowledge will come in handy when it’s time to tackle the school year and its food challenges. It commonly takes a couple of months to initiate the process of changing one’s kitchen to a more natural healthy kitchen. Dedicating the summer to this type of project will help you to start off the school year fresh!
Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo, PhD, PT, IMT,C is the Practice Manager and Director of Pediatrics for Regional Physical Therapy and The Institute of Integrative Manual Therapy (IIMT), headquartered in Bloomfield, CT. She is also the Dean of the Connecticut School of Integrative Manual Therapy (CSIMT). Dr. Connell-Giammatteo has taught courses in IMT nationally and internationally for over 15 years. She received her doctoral degree focusing in neuropediatrics, with a concen- tration in autism.
Thomas A. Giammatteo, DC, PT, IMT,C is Director of Operations for the Institute of Integrative Manual Therapy (IIMT), including Regional Physical Therapy in Connecticut. Dr. Giammatteo holds undergraduate de- grees in both Physical Therapy and Human Biology. He received his Doctorate of Chiro- practic Medicine from the National College of Chiropractic and earned a Certificate of Meridian Therapy and Acupuncture. See ad on page 28.
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