“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Poor
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We carve
it into scary, funny, silly looks
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
is making light of the pumpkin’s quandry and confesses
to enjoying the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its edible, healthy aspects for our
Sitka chiropractic patients who are being treated for back pain or neck pain and their supporting families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Appreciation for the pumpkin grows
and grows! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the most common ingredient for amazing
pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its being nutrient-full
and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is described as a potent
source of proteins, metabolites, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, tryptophans, sterols, and
more. A few of its most favorable functional
properties recognized today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, and more.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color traits of the pumpkin
- terpenoids (oxygen-containing metabolites that contribute to aromatic scent
and flavor and even color) and carotenoids (tetraterpenoids responsible for
color) - are quite nutritious. (3) All this in the pretty
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns that young
and old alike appreciate…including Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka and our Sitka
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is significant in the lifespan
of the pumpkin and the human! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the
young and ripened stages – exhibited the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging generates increasingly more
molecular injury to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
A key to proper diet as we age is an appropriate
intake of antioxidants. The cucurbita fruits (types of pumpkin/squash)
are great in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even suggested that these should be eaten daily! (5) Our aging cells would appreciate that! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers discovered a treasure trove of useful
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties related to the prevention
of age-related diseases triggered
by oxidative stress. (6) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka is in favor of
protecting cells and the health of our Sitka
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the importance of managing
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Sitka chiropractic
appointment now. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka respects
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still anticipate the annual cutting, decorating, and baking!