Within the past few decades, scientists hit upon the discovery that many conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, arthritis, depression, and long-lasting respiratory problems such as asthma, share a common element: chronic inflammation. Scientists suggest that many factors contribute to chronic inflammation, including genetics and exposures to toxic contaminants in the environment. Chronic inflammation also might be exacerbated by lifestyle factors, including a diet laden with unhealthy fats and processed foods, lack of exercise, and poor dental hygiene/gum disease. If we just followed what our parents and grandparents said, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “Finish your veggies,” we likely would have fewer diseases linked to chronic inflammation.  Our diets play an important role in chronic inflammation because our digestive bacteria release chemicals that may spur or suppress inflammation. The types of bacteria that populate our gut and their chemical byproducts vary according to the foods we eat. Some foods encourage the growth of populations of bacteria that stimulate inflammation while others promote the growth of bacteria that suppress it. Hopefully you are already enjoying many of the foods and beverages that have been linked to reductions in inflammation and chronic disease. Anti-inflammatory foods are those that any nutrition expert would encourage you to eat. They include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins (like beans and nuts), fatty fish, and fresh herbs and spices. Fruits and Veggies Go for variety and lots of color: reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. Research has shown that vitamin K-rich leafy… Read More

LACEY (WA) – Let’s start with something super basic. Hydration. As you may already know your body changes as we age (that’s something we are likely too aware of). Did you know the communication between your brain and the receptors that detect dehydration become less sensitive as we age? I often hear the words, “I’m not thirsty” from my 40+ clients to which I have to respond, “If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.” Try to plan out when you can drink your 8-10 glasses of water a day. An easy tip to implement is have a large glass of water ready to drink for when you wake up. Having been dehydrated throughout the night, the glass of full water can help in a variety of ways. Then try to have 4 glasses by early afternoon. Importance of Hydration What does water do for you physically? If you have back pain but; drink your 8-10 glasses of water a day, you will find that you feel less back pain over time when you wake up. The increased water helps clear inflammation. Increased hydration flushes the entire system. The discs will often swell from inflammation at night if you have not had enough water to drink during the day and create more pain when you wake up. Hydration also affects physical performance and mood. Mild levels of dehydration can produce disruptions in mood and cognitive functioning. Mild dehydration produces alterations in a number of important aspects of cognitive function such as concentration, alertness’ and short… Read More

LACEY (WA) Losing 10 lbs can result in 40 lbs of pressure removed off of your knees! If recent quarantines have led to increase in weight, this article may help. With the new year, learn how to create lasting change from the comfort of your own home! As we ring in the new year, I’m sure we really wish Covid-19 was a thing of the past. Unfortunately, it’s not and it has lead many towards becoming too sedentary. Over the past few months, we’ve seen increased reports of aches, pains, and weight change in all age demographics. With stress, staying home, and no gyms open, it’s understandable how a few extra pounds may have been added. However, with the new year upon us, it’s a perfect opportunity to take control of your health. This article will help those with a desire for real fat loss, improved blood lipids, more energy and less systemic inflammation! No, this is not some quick diet that will cause you to gain it all back in 6 months. As a health care provider, I am for a reasonable and lean proteins that promote overall health: stabilizing blood glucose, improving cholesterol’s, protecting from heart disease, and limiting systemic inflammation. In fact, our gut health is strongly correlated to our overall systemic inflammation. I don’t even want to call this plan a diet. Really, it is an 8-week program to turn you into a fat-burning machine! Can I get an AMEN? Learn how to burn more fat; ENJOY wonderful food; get on a… Read More

LACEY (WA) Who could use some natural ways to jump start metabolism? I know I could! Most of us have been more sedentary due to COVID – limited gatherings/outings and working from home. Here are some practical ways to jump start your metabolism & help with fat loss! DRINK more water! Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. Also, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, which naturally contain water, rather than pretzels or chips. Your body burns many more calories digesting protein than it does eating fat or carbohydrates. As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism at mealtime. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products. Green Tea boosts your metabolism! Drinking green tea or oolong tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances shown to rev up the metabolism for a couple of hours. Research suggests that drinking 2 to 4 cups of either tea may push the body to burn 17% more calories during moderately intense exercise for a short time. Eating more often can help you lose weight. Yep, you read that correctly! When you eat large meals with… Read More

If you suffer from chronic knee pain, then booking a FREE screening might be the answer for you. A life where you can walk up and down the stairs without worrying when your knee is going to ‘give-out’, or the pain stop you in your tracks. A life where you can enjoy leisurely walks with friends and family and not worry if you’re going to make it or not, restricted by a knee so painful. One where you can pick up and play with your grandkids without worrying when your knee is going to stop you from getting back up. A life where you can do and enjoy all the things you see so many others doing and enjoying but your bad knee has kept you watching from the side-lines. …Basically, a life without the curse of knee pain. If you feel let down, disappointed, and even skeptical about what can be done to help you, then read on… My name is Jennifer Penrose, one of the nation’s leading knee pain specialists, and I have been helping people live with much less knee pain for more than a decade now – all across the country. What we know now… …is that so many people are confused by the advice they’ve previously been given, unsure about why it didn’t work out… perhaps even skeptical about their best chances of living with less knee pain in the future… and that’s why I decided to start offering 20 minute sessions to screen your knees – and decided to… Read More

A question I get asked a lot by clients and people who suffer with back pain is a really simple one: “When do I use ice and when do I use heat?” Rightly or wrongly, 9 out of 10 of my clients tend to favor heat–a nice hot water bottle, a soak in the bath, or one of those lavender scented wheat bags to try and ease their back pain. (I think a lot of people don’t like the idea of putting cold ice on their back, unless it’s really hot outside!) As you can appreciate, every concern and injury is different. Sometimes it’s ice to cool it down, or heat to help relax it. It can be very confusing! When to use ice  There’s one time in particular we say to use ice and that’s when something just happened and it’s very painful, likely hot and maybe swollen. This is an “acute” injury—”acute” meaning it just happened. For example, an ankle sprain or pulled muscle. When it comes to your back pain, the time to use ice is if your back has suddenly “gone” and you’re in a lot of pain, or you’ve overdone it and your back becomes very painful towards the end of the day. You see, your body is actually very clever. Let’s use an ankle sprain as an example. When you sprain your ankle, your body will immediately try and protect itself. This is why you get swelling and it becomes very… Read More

Do you work in an office based job? Or are you one of the thousands who are now working from home? As a result, do you find yourself struggling with neck, shoulder or back pain after sitting for long periods of time? Well there is a solution to create a more healthy and comfortable working environment for you, to not have to put up with annoying aches and pains. Let’s start at the bottom with your ankles… Research suggests your ankles should be supported via a foot rest keeping the ankle joints at just over a 90 degree angle. The same rule applies to your knees, keep them slightly at over 90 degree angles with at least 80- 90% of your thighs supported on your seat parallel to the floor. Basically, at all time your feet are planted firmly on the floor and you’re not sitting in a twisted position – which I know can be easy to do after sitting for hours without regular breaks! Your Lower Back Moving on to those troublesome lower backs… A lot of us are guilty of having poor sitting posture – slouching in our chairs at work. This creates extra unnecessary stresses through our spine and the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) that support our spine and body! To avoid this extra stress it’s important to ensure that your butt is touching the back of the chair. So get your wiggle on and shuffle right to the back of your chair, don’t be worried if your feet… Read More

Quick question: How much water have you drank today? For most people, the answer would be “not enough”. From everything we drink and swim in, to the ice that reduces swelling, water is all around us (and even in us). As a matter of fact – it basically is us! Water makes up around two thirds of who we are, and influences every single process in our body. This probably explains why we feel a lot better when we drink enough of it (and the same can be said for back pain) Now, you might be aware of the many ‘tips and tricks’ that are out there on “how to avoid a bad back”, and “how to relieve pain” – but have you ever heard of drinking more water? My guess is you haven’t! I get that it might sound ‘too simple’ to make a difference, but dehydration really can be one of the culprits of back pain, and one of the reasons why it stays around for longer than it needs to. Let me explain… I know you already know that water affects every organ and cell in your body, but it also plays an enormous role in the health of your back and spine. In between each section of the spine (the vertebrae) lies a disc – these are mainly made up of water. During the day when we’re standing up, they slowly become dehydrated, then at night when we’re laying down, they rehydrate themselves again (so… Read More

During the pandemic we have been home a lot more and that means doing a lot more housework. You could be doing something as simple as taking the trash out, gardening, folding your laundry, or even changing the sheets when all of a sudden you feel a sharp pain in your back and you can hardly move… Sound familiar? Just a few weeks ago this happened to one of our patients, Ann, 57 from South Bay. She was making the most of a quiet weekend, and before she planned on relaxing, she decided to do get the cleaning done. Anne was fine to begin with, but as soon as she went to turn over her mattress she put her back out completely. At first the pain wasn’t so bad, but then a few hours later her back began to stiffen up. Like most people we see, at first she thought “It’s just a stiff back, I’ve probably got a bit carried away with the cleaning, it’s happened before.” But the next day the pain was still there, and it felt even worse! Anne’s back started to ache when she sat down, she struggled to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in, and she couldn’t even bring herself to stand without being in agony AND she had a weekend away planned. How was she going to get away with a back so painful? “That Only Happens To ‘Other People'” You might be thinking this won’t happen to you,… Read More

If you drive fairly long distances to and from work every day, if your job requires you to drive long hours, or if you’re the designated driver in your family – it’s likely you’ve experienced back pain. Around 30-60% of drivers report having back pain at some point in their life, and a lot of the people we see in the clinic come to us in pain as a result of spending 30 minutes or more on the road, almost daily! But why does something as simple as driving trigger off back pain when it’s not exactly strenuous? Driving for long periods of time exposes the body to many different forces such as acceleration, sudden stops, and most notably vibrations from the road – and it especially affects those who drive larger vehicles. Driving also involves the use of your feet to control the cars pedals which means they are not used to help stabilize and support your lower body as they normally would when sitting. It’s no wonder why a combination of these factors, as well as the inadequate design of some vehicle seats can cause back problems for many of us. Back pain can make driving unpleasant (in some cases, unbearable), so I put together a list of tips to help make your next journey as pain-free as possible. Here are 7 tips to help you: 1. Get Comfortable Before You Set Off –  A small irritation can quickly grow into an… Read More

If you or a loved one suffer from chronic knee pain, this article may be the most important thing you read. It may unlock the agonizing mystery of your knee pain and show you a way to get back to the life you deserve… A life where you can walk up and down the stairs without worrying when your knee is going to ‘give-out’, or the pain stop you in your tracks. A life where you can enjoy leisurely walks with friends and family and not worry if you’re going to make it or not, restricted by a knee so painful. One where you can pick up and play with your grandkids without worrying when your knee is going to stop you from getting back up. A life where you can do and enjoy all the things you see so many others doing and enjoying but your bad knee has kept you watching from the side-lines. …Basically, a life without the curse of knee pain. If you feel let down, disappointed, and even skeptical about what can be done to help you, then read on… Let Me Introduce Myself My name is Jennifer Penrose, one of the nation’s leading knee pain specialists, and I have been helping people live with much less knee pain for more than a decade now – all across the country. And what we know now is that so many people are confused by the advice they’ve previously been given. They’re unsure about why it didn’t work out. Perhaps even skeptical… Read More

Over the last 10 years… I’ve been working on a daily basis to help people aged 45+ find relief from chronic knee pain. What I can tell you is that the cocktail mix of more rest and more painkillers will do absolutely nothing. No matter what most doctors say! Because I’m growing increasingly frustrated with the number of people suffering unnecessarily that I’ve written a report that details the 7 things any person can do to relieve knee pain naturally. And I want to send you this report completely at no charge. This report is for the person who is suffering from the torment of daily, annoying, chronic knee pain. The type of “ache” and pain where you get so nauseated that you feel your only option is to stop what you’re doing completely. Or to reach for the pain medication drawer and wonder when it will stop. The thing is, all of those pain medications are not good for your stomach. Plus the long periods of rest you’ve been told about is not likely to be doing you much good either. What Can You Expect Now, I don’t know if these 7 things will relieve you of your knee pain completely. I can’t promise that what worked for my patients over the past 10 years, will work for you too. However, reading my free report is definitely better than spending another day “resting”. Better than “accepting it” thinking “it’s your age”. Or worse yet, masking it… Read More