Archives

I am so excited! Wait, really though…like tippy-toe-dancing-in-place with wavy-flappy hands excited!

By now you must realize I am a Danville native, which in general terms means that for the very longest of times, Danville was all I knew. Couldn’t wait to get out as a youth and couldn’t wait to get back as an adult. My travels took me much further and broader than I could even have dreamed from my bedroom in Sycamore, once I did have the opportunity to go.

My travels took me to Africa, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia and India while I traversed the globe brining affordable healthcare to developing countries. While in each of these places I immersed myself in the culture and I ate the way they ate. Hence my love for pho, nyamachoma, padang, nihari, and biryani. And those loves do not go away. (Side note: this article may/should result in multiple google searches for terminology unknown as to enhance the readers’ experience.)

By and large, the best eating is Middle Eastern. The dishes are clean and bountiful and cater more to the vegetarian but waste none of the animal when used. They are colorful and flavorful and always seem to focus on community sharing or gatherings. I always leave a Middle Eastern table with that “right kind of full,” that I have spoken of in the past—never that greasy-gut, bowling-ball feeling that American food leaves me with.

This love affair with food is wonderful when you find yourself at a back alley hawker stand in faraway worlds, but what am I to do once I return to the fish bowl from which I came. These desires don’t just diminish, and sometimes I NEED dolmas.

Danville Market was the only place within 20 miles that I knew of where I could go to pick up true Middle Easter Groceries in which to make my own versions of classics at home, but the people there were so terribly rude. By now you know me to be a man of substance and while the store had so many things I wanted, I refused to go there on principal based on my third unsuccessful attempt. The owner clearly wasn’t happy to have me as his customer, so I was content to oblige…not happy. Content.

All of a sudden I need Tahini, and I need it now. I’ll just run in, grunt at the man, pay and go.

As I walk in, Malisa Meemari is making fresh coffee and looks up to smile and welcome me. This isn’t the Gargamel I was expecting. Then I hear the sounds of a jovial husband and wife (Morad and Minou) coming from behind the lunch counter. They are loudly welcoming me in with her hands full of fresh vegetation and his with a sword and spiced meat creating true kabob.

This isn’t the market I remember. The items on the shelves are the same. The kitchen looks the same. But there is no little dark cloud. The place is sunny, happy and full of positive energy. The inhabitants are elated to see me! TRULY elated to see me. I quickly ask if the store had changed owners. Why yes, it has!

The Meemaris (formally of the Kabob House in Walnut Creek) gave up 30 years of restaurant success for the quieter (we’ll see) life of grocery and counter. Daughters Malisa and Mahsa have taken their spots amid their busy lives to craft the lunch menu and help launch to day-to-day operations, and I have a place to shop again!

I got my tahini, and six other things I didn’t come in for. Shook all their hands. Was promised a wonderful hand-crafted meal by mom and floated to my car.

My Christmas has come early!

508 San Ramon Valley Blvd., Danville

925-820-2319

 

Is round better than flat? How can changing the curve of a roof line change the gender attraction of a vehicle? We will leave that question to the professional market research folks who conduct these studies. Well, the folks at Volkswagen did ask the question, performed the testing and determined that a more conservative roof curvature would help bring more men to purchase the Volkswagen Beetle.

Volkswagen redesigned the Beetle two years ago keeping the spirit alive, and created a more masculine profile noted by the lower roofline and a more upright windshield. The R-Line receives more aggressive bumpers and side sills plus appropriate badges. The overall lines are clean and smooth and flow as you would expect on a Beetle. An optional sunroof drapes blackened glass from the front windshield back over three-quarters of the roof adding a performance flare.

The 2014 Beetle is available in the following line up: 2.5L Coupe ($20,815), TDI Coupe ($25,015), R-Line Coupe($25,615), GSR Coupe ($30,815), 2.5L Convertible ($25,815), TDI Convertible ($29,315), R-Line Convertible ($29,815)

New for 2014 is the arrival of a new and more fuel efficient 1.8-liter turbocharged TSI 4-cylinder engine. This new engine will gradually replace the present 170-horsepower/2.5-liter naturally-aspirated 5-cylinder base engine in the Beetle. The 2.5L comes standard with a 5-speed manual transmission and is available with an optional 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic (manual shifting mode). The TDI, R-Line, and GSR are equipped with 6-speed automatic or an optional 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic.

My test model was the R-Line with Sunroof, Sound and Navigation. The interior was gray on gray with touches of silver trim including shiny rings around the air vents and speakers. The interior feels larger than it is and the controls for radio, navigation, and cooling and heating were easy to use. The seats were comfortable and had decent bolstering. The steering wheel allowed you to command the radio, Bluetooth, and cruise control with a touch of your finger. I really appreciate gadgets so I loved the push-button start and keyless entry. The headroom was excellent and the Beetle has usable back seats.

Performance and handling were impressive in the 2014 VW Beetle. The 2.5L 5-cylinder engine delivers 170 hp. The R-Line with its 2.0 turbocharged 4-cylinder ups the horsepower to 210. The TDI carries a 2.0L diesel turbocharged 4-cylinder and generates 140 hp.

Room for improvement:

• The seating position is a little too high

Cool Features:

• Push-button start
• AWD option

Safety on the 2014 Volkswagen Beetle includes airbags, Anti-Locking braking (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and more. The Beetle includes Volkswagen’s Intelligent Crash Response System that shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and switches on the hazard lights if the car is involved in certain types of collisions.

In Summary – The 2014 Volkswagen Beetle with its recent redesign should attract a better mixture of the genders. It is fun to drive especially with the R-Line and its 2.0 turbocharged 4-cylinder. The interior provides a nice driving experience while the suspension grabs the road and adds to the excitement of the drive. Are you ready once again for flower power? Well, it could be a good time to reminisce!

Specifications

2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line w/Sunroof, Sound and Navigation

Base price:                  $31,095 as driven: $32,030 (including destination)

Engine:                         2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder

Horsepower:               210@ 5300 RPM

Torque:                        207 @ 1700 RPM

Transmission:           6-speed automatic with Tiptronic

Drive:                            Front-wheel Drive

Seating:                         4-passenger

Turning circle:          35.4 feet

Cargo space:               15.4 cubic feet

Curb weight:               3,056 pounds

Fuel capacity:             14.5 gallons

EPA mileage:              City 24/Hwy 30

Wheel Base:                100 inches

Warranty:                    3 years/36,000 miles powertrain limited

Also consider:            Ford Focus, Fiat 500L, Mazda MAZDA3, Mini Cooper Clubman,
Toyota Prius

 

 

In hockey circles the Sharks are often referred to as the best team never to win the Stanley Cup. In the past five seasons they’ve won the President’s Trophy for the best record in the league once and been to the conference finals twice without ever advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.

There is reason to believe that this year might be different. An infusion of young talent plus maybe a change in style have the Sharks off to an improved record. A year ago the Sharks were built around older, slower players like Ryan Clowe, and Douglas Murray. Now, they have been replaced by the younger and faster Tomas Hertl, Tommy Wingels, Justin Braun, and Tyler Kennedy.

So we have established that the Sharks are faster and younger, what else has changed? Off the Bench believes that the Sharks are tougher as well. Defenseman Brett Burns has moved to forward. He brings size (6-6, 240) and a defenseman’s toughness up front. Center Joe Pavelski has been dropped to the third line where he faces favorable matchups almost every game. His quickness works in his favor in his new position. Hertl has played at a Calder Trophy level in his role as the third member of the first line with Burns and Joe Thornton. Through December Hertl has played at a Calder Trophy level in his role as the third member of the first line with Burns and Joe Thornton. Through Dec. 31 he has 13 goals and 8 assists. Hertl has also contributed to Thornton leading the NHL in assists with 24.

Expectations were down for the Sharks going into this year. Experts have picked the Los Angeles Kings to win the Pacific Division and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks to win the conference and thereby represent the west in the Stanley Cup finals.Plus, the Sharks core is aging. Dan Boyle is 37, Thornton is 34 and Patrick Marleau is also 34. This makes for a bad play in the national press. So far this year those three have defied father time and have played up to their old levels.

Finally, Anti Niemi is at the top of his game in goal for the Sharks. He is covering both the low shots and the high. His backup, Alex Stalock, is a marked improvement over Thomas Greiss.

****

This will be the last Off the Bench, at least as written by me. It has been my pleasure to serve you since Alive began publishing. However, I moved to San Diego in June and I have found it increasingly difficult to maintain my involvement with Bay Area sports, even in the Internet age. I have found there is no substitute for being part of the conversation and participating directly. I hope you understand and share with me the joy I have felt writing for you.

Here’s to you, my readers, without whom there is no point in writing this column.

For many of us the New Year presents another opportunity to pursue new ideas, expand and improve on previous endeavors and set new goals in both personal and professional interests.

Some people make New Years resolution stating lofty and ambitious goals that they, in all good faith, want to achieve. Unfortunately, very few follow through with these idealistic dreams. Why not make a resolution that is easier to keep and has many redeeming values and life improving benefits?  Join a community music group – namely a band, orchestra or choral group.

Usually, you do not have to be an experienced musician. Many community music groups do not require previous experience but some do require experience, at least at the intermediate level. It’s easy to find out what level of experience is required – just ask the group representative.

Research studies have proven that participation in a music ensemble greatly enhances one’s life.  A few of the many benefits of playing or singing in a community group include self satisfaction, enhanced self worth and the pure enjoyment of making music with others. Lifelong friendships are a common element in being with others who share the same goals of making music together for self improvement, camaraderie and fun.

Bay area residents are very fortunate as there is a plethora of community music groups in the Tri-Valley. One can find a group usually in most communities. Enter “community music groups” on the internet and you will be surprised to find how many groups there are in your area.

There are groups for almost any musical interest you can name including: concert bands; jazz bands; rock bands; swing bands; orchestras, including small chamber groups and full symphony orchestras. Many churches have choirs open to members and nonmembers. There are community choruses of various sizes that present a variety of repertoire from classical to jazz and popular music. Below are just a few of these local groups.

Community Bands:

• Danville Community Band, www.danvilleband.org, Director, Robert Calonico
• Pleasanton Community Concert Band, www.pleasantonband.org, Director, Robert Williams
• Walnut Creek Concert Band, www.walnutcreek.org, Director, Harvey Benstein
• Contra Costa Wind Symphony, www.ccwindsymphony.org, Director, Dr. Duane Carroll
• San Ramon Symphonic Band, www.sanramonperformingarts.com, Director, Larry Colon
• East Bay Symphonic Band, www.eastbaysymphonicband.org, Director, Beverly Johnson
• Tracy Community Band, Face book, Director, Scott Lycan

Orchestras:

• Livermore-Amador Symphony Orchestra, www.livamsymph.org, Director, Arthur Barnes
• Diablo Symphony Orchestra, www.diablosymphony.org, Director, Matilda Hofman Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, www.cccorch.org, Director, Timothy Smith
• Castro Valley Chamber Orchestra, www.cvorchestra.org. Director, Todd Wetherwax

Choral Groups

• Blackhawk Chorus, www.blackhawkchorus.com, Director, Diane Gilfether
• Valley Concert Chorale, www.valleyconcertchorale.org, Director, John Emory Bush
• Voices of Musica Sacra, www.vmschorus.org, Director, Mark Tuning
• Pride of the Pacific Chorus, wwwsingharmony.org,
• Women Sing, www.womensing.org, Director, Martin Benvenuto
• Rossmoor Choral Society, www.rossmoornews.net, Director, Frank Ryken

Playing music or singing with a group of friends is not only fun, creative and a rewarding way to spend time but more and more studies are showing the various health, social and general well being benefits of having music in your life.

“I had a good time playing again this year with the Danville Community Band at their Christmas Concert!” said, Norm Dea, director of instrumental music at Acalanes High School. “Huge Band with wonderful people enjoying each other and enjoying music making. Music education at its best and it does extend past high school and college!”

Making music can be a lifelong endeavor and it’s never too late to get started. Why not make 2014 a more fulfilling year by becoming part of a music group in your area? You’ll be glad you did. Have a very Happy New Year!

Don’t miss the Danville Community Band’s Annual Dinner Concert at the Diablo Country Club on Sunday, February 9, 2014. Contact the Diablo Country Club at 925-837-7040 for reservations. Seating is limited.

The Danville Community Band was founded by Dr. Lawrence Anderson and his wife, Jan in 2001 and quickly became the largest community band in the Bay Area. The band is currently directed by Professor, Robert Calonico, director of bands, at the University of California, Berkeley. The band currently has openings for percussion players.

Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net

Visit our website at www.danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.

 

Hmmm. Another year. Where did this last year go?  About Schmidt is the perfect example of a life lived year to year, paycheck to paycheck, never changing.

When insurance actuary Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) retires he pretty much believes his life is over but as the scene unfolds it’s clear that in many ways his life never started. Scene one has him sitting in his corner office, belongings all boxed up, briefcase in hand, waiting for the clock to hit 5:00 pm. As it strikes, he gets up, pushes his chair in, walks to the coat hanger and puts on his coat. His career at Woodman Insurance is done. Now what? At home he continues rising early and getting dressed up to find he has no place to go and a relationship with his wife that just isn’t working and maybe never did. Then she dies.

He finds himself never getting out of his pajamas and bathrobe, watching TV at random hours, dirty dishes everywhere. Late one night he encounters a “Save the Children” program and decides to sponsor a young Tanzanian boy. His solitary life is now one to share. Ndugu is favored with Warren’s monthly checks and his tale of woe. Warren’s therapy is pouring out his life to his young friend who probably can’t even read the letters.

Warren’s only daughter (Hope Davis) is living in another state, marrying a man (Dermot Mulroney) he can’t stand so he decides to get in the motorhome he and his wife purchased for retirement and head to Denver. He thinks that if he goes early enough for the wedding it will give him time to talk her out of marrying the guy. The wonderful Kathy Bates plays his daughters mother-in-law to be, a free spirit who sets her sites on the rigid Warren. If you don’t blink you may even get to see Kathy naked in the hot tub with Warren.

Writer-Director Alexander Payne’s has created a thought-provoking and often funny drama about isolation. Jack Nicholson is marvelous in this cuttingly funny, moving portrayal of a man searching for meaning in his unremarkable, unmemorable life. All in all, I really liked About Schmidt. There is a real lesson to be learned about living our lives on auto-pilot.

So, how is your search for significance coming along?  Do you have a handle on leaving some kind of legacy?  I’m not talking money, I’m talking influence. You can leave a major inheritance behind and have your heirs forget you the minute the money is gone, maybe before. What Warren was missing was living his life outside of himself…living with intentionality.

Ndugu saved Warren, Warren didn’t save Ndugu. The moment he wrote his first check, his life started to change. The size of his world changed. No longer was it the size of Omaha, it reached all the way to Tanzania.

I’m not saying you have to sponsor a child, although that is amazingly rewarding but there are unlimited opportunities, both large and small awaiting those who will step outside of their comfort zones. You have another new year just waiting for you to expand your borders. So, watch this thought provoking movie and start looking forward to an amazing New Year! As always, I enjoy your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A barely-discernible veil of powdered sugar still lingers on every surface of my kitchen. The wine closet has an alarming number of empty slots. The deli drawer in my refrigerator—once crammed with an enviable assortment of decadent triple-crème cheeses—now houses one teeny chunk of Parmesan.

It’s January. The Season of Excess has officially ended. The past six weeks were filled with good food—and much of it was reasonably healthy. At least, it started out healthy. It’s just all the other stuff I ate along with it that has transported me into The Land of Elastic Waistbands.

Sweet potatoes are a perfect example. From Thanksgiving forward, they played center-stage in many festive meals. And had I the fortitude to scrape away the gooey marshmallow topping, candied nuts, puddles of melted butter, and/or molten brown sugar, I would have been left with something quite nutritious.Maybe I’ll try that next year.

For now, fellow January dieters can rejoice that sweet potatoes are one of the few starchy vegetables that ranks low on the glycemic index. They are also high in vitamins and A, B6, C and D; and a good source of potassium, calcium, folate, magnesium, iron, and beta-carotene.

Sweet potatoes are born with paper-thin skin and a high ratio of starch to sugar. (They’re not terribly desirable at this stage.) Only after a designated period of climate-controlled storage does the skin thicken into a protective barrier, and the starch contained within convert to sugar—resulting in the sort of sweet potato we know and love.

Shopping at the farmers’ market ensures you are purchasing the best possible product at its peak of perfection. There you’ll find a wide assortment of sweet potato varieties, grown both organically and conventionally. Whichever you choose, they’re ready to bring home and steam, bake, boil, sauté, or microwave into maximum deliciousness. These farmers’ market sweeties have also been handled far less than their supermarket siblings, reducing the likeliness of bruising, soft spots, and subsequent rot.

Growers divide sweet potatoes into two basic categories: moist and dry. The moist ones—commonly called yams—have reddish skin and bright orange flesh that’s sweet and moist. They also have colorful names like Garnet and Jewel and Beauregard. This variety is now officially recognized as one of America’s top-ten “super-foods.” Which means: They rock.

The dry ones—often labeled generically as “sweet potatoes”—have golden skin and pale yellow flesh that isdrier and more bland than sweet, with a floury texture reminiscent of a baking potato.

For the best results, select small-to-medium sweet potatoes that feel heavy for their size. Farm-fresh sweet potatoes remain fresh for at least seven days when stored in a cool, dry cupboard. Do not store them in the refrigerator.

An unadorned sweet potato baked in its skin is a healthy, flavorful alternative to traditional white potatoes. On these cold days, however, nothing beats the comfort ofwarm soup—especially when it looks appetizing; delivers an unexpected kick; tastes rich and creamy, and yet contains only a smattering of fat. The following recipe provides all that in less than one hour, from start to finish.

I happen to enjoy the velvety texture of pureed soup, but feel free to skip that step if you consider it too fussy. Or if you want to get truly fancy, top each serving with a drizzle of sour cream and/or some chopped fresh cilantro. This soup freezes perfectly, so there’s no reason not to double the recipe.

Smoky Sweet Potato Soup

 

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 pound red-skinned sweet potatoes (about 2 medium or 3 small), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 garlic clove, chopped

Fine sea salt

3 cups (24 ounces) chicken stock or low-salt chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce*(use only 1/2 teaspoon if you don’t care for spicy food)

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 more lime cut into wedges for serving

 

 

1. In a soup pot or large saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in the sweet potatoes, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook about 2 minutes longer. Pour in the stock,and stir in the chipotle, cumin, and paprika. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and cook, partially covered, until the sweet potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Using a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool to room temperature. Working in batches, puree in a blender until smooth; then return to the pot to re-heat.) Stir in the lime juice. Taste, adding more salt if needed. Serve hot, and pass the lime wedges at the table. Makes 4 cups.

*Chipotles are smoked jalapeño chiles. Small cans of chipotle peppers in spicy adobo sauce are available in Latin markets, or in the Mexican foods section of most supermarkets.Remove as many chiles as you need from the open can, and transfer the remaining chipotles and adobo sauce to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. It will keep in the refrigerator indefinitely, so you’ll always have chipotles on hand to perk up your cooking.

The Danville Certified Farmers’ Market, located at Railroad and Prospect, is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For specific crop information call the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association at 1-800-949-FARM, or visit their web site at www.pcfma.com. This market is made possible through the generous support of the Town of Danville. Please show your appreciation by patronizing the many fine shops and restaurants located in downtown Danville. Buy fresh. Buy local. Live well.

 

 

Sound of body, sound of mind. It’s an old saying that has some merit but skips several steps in the logical process. Does it make sense we should be concerned about the fitness of our kids or is it just part of the evolutionary process?

A new study analysis of millions of children around the world finds they don’t run as fast or as far as their parents did when they were young. I suppose the same is true of previous generations. But do they need to?  I can’t find any studies that say that today’s kids are better at cognitive function at an earlier age. But most families have two year olds playing with smart phones, ours has a seven year old who is able to design complicated architectural structures electronically. Their parents had legos and their parents’ parents had erector sets, but the complexity of today’s thought is truly amazing. So they sit to do it. Their minds much more active in an adult way, but they sit and do it.

Times were different when I was growing up. After breakfast on a non school day, mom would set me up with my baseball glove, basketball or football equipment and send me off to the park. She would say, “just be sure you are back before dark.” I would play and play and get exercise. Does it make sense it was better?  For physical health, yes better than sitting with that device, but better overall? The study concludes that, on average, it takes a child ninety seconds longer to run a mile than their counterparts did 30 years ago. Ninety Seconds!

The human race keeps evolving, our kids and kids’ kids have to keep up with technology, but where it may be that we are falling down is in schools. Many have cut PE classes and certainly today’s youth don’t get the sweaty workouts we did. We had to take a shower. As hard as they worked us, the smell in the next class period would have lifted the roof off. Many if not most of today’s PE classes don’t even break a sweat. They don’t even have working shower facilities.

Does it make sense we work on that?  As parents, does it make sense we make sure our kids are involved in physical as well as mental gymnastics? The American Heart Association says kids six and older should get sixty minutes of moderately vigorous activity accumulated over a day. That’s a place to start. We don’t want our kids to be smarter but live shorter lives, do we?  Make Sense?

 

 

Making the right choices in make-up will save you photography disasters

Plan as we might, unforeseen wedding day crises may pop up, from pesky blemishes to humid hair frizz. Luckily there are beauty professionals out there who can assist you in making your day effortless and help you look your best. I have seen so many ruined pictures of brides on their wedding day, from wearing the wrong color foundation to wearing the wrong shade of eye shadow, like purple for instance. Purple eye shadow does not photograph well and it can make you look tired. It reflects too much red into the eye area and your eyes end up looking red and swollen. It also distracts from the beauty of the bride.

When you go to a make-up professional for your pre-bridal consultation, make sure that the make-up artist is using natural tones and colors that reflect your eye and skin tone. If you are having a pre-bridal consultation with a make-up artist and she is applying blues or pinks and a lot of color, you will know she does not know what she is doing, so start looking for another professional. Remember, you will be taking a lot of pictures on this most special day, so wearing the correct skin tone color and make-up shades is vital.

Beauty and the Bride

The ultimate make-up application for a bride should be polished and formal, without taking away from her own natural beauty. The right make-up creates refinement and to push a look forward with softness, keeping it simple and natural. Using soft colors and warm tones are the key to complimenting the bride’s own style and unique look and those colors photograph beautifully. Make-up professionals should have a keen eye for detail and color balance and they should help you and your wedding party look their best.

When a bride comes in for a consultation for her make-up, I will normally ask the bride: What colors she prefers, how does she look on any “normal” day, and what does she wants to look like on her wedding day? Usually, girls know what they want but they just don’t know how to achieve it. So it should be a collaboration of what she wants and how the make-up artist perceives her request. I prefer to give the bride a nice trendy updated bridal make-up look with the colors of the season. This is a formal event, so a bride needs to look finished, glowing, and more than natural, but still like the same person.

At The Rouge we love doing weddings and have been applying make-up for weddings for over 20 years. Our beauty and brow experts stay current with the latest trends and styles and will give the bride and her bridal party the best and most updated looks that are trendy, formal and polished; from ultra-natural, gorgeous and sleek with lashes, to the latest magazine runway trends. We are available to do pre-bridal consultations Tuesday through Saturday by appointment only.

 

 

In the last three issues I ad dressed the fact that controlling chronic inflammation can not only radically improve your health and slow aging, but literally save your life.We covered some foods and habits that create this condition. Then we covered foods and habits that fight this condition. In December’s issue we looked at how your lifestyle contributes to this problem and suggestions were given to guide you in addressing these problems.

In past decades the importance of good sleep and enough sleep never seemed to be a very significant part of the equation. Now that science has been able to establish how our body chemistry is influenced by our mental health as well as our physical health, those of us who treasure life can no longer think that a perfect diet, super supplementation and physical fitness is all we need.

Our emotional and neurological needs must be under control as well. We all know how stress can affect our sleep. How many of us know how we can personally take part in controlling our emotions.

Dina Colman, a local author, just released her book, Four Quadrant Living. In it Dina has many wonderful suggestions on methods to de-stress and finding inner peace. Simply identifying the cause of an emotional hang up can defuse it. Most importantly she emphasizes the need for balance, not only within us, but within our environment as well.

Having majored in Physiology in college, it has helped me to understand the chemistry controlling all of our body functions, not only how we screw it up, but what can we do to bring it back.

Very simply stated: emotions can cause stress which causes the fight or flight response in our adrenal gland which can strongly affect digestion, hormone balance and sleep. Improper digestion causes malnutrition and discomfort.

There are many factors that can affect sleep, the most common being stress, hormone imbalance and obstructive sleep apnea. The first two can be temporary and may just go away or can be treated.

OSA doesn’t go away and must be treated. To neglect treating OSA will likely lead to chronic inflammation and its horrible results which can include heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Children are not exempt from this challenge. Everyone needs proper sleep. Snoring in children has recently been determined to be a condition that must not be ignored.

Nasal breathing in ones sleep has been found to be so important that the researchers in this area are taping their mouths shut, yet many of our children are nocturnal mouth breathers. These subtle little things can have a large impact on the physical and mental development of the child. They have been proven to create cognitive problems in adults as well.

In my Dental Sleep Medicine practice there is much more to treating OSA than merely giving the patient an appliance. In children, many that suffer OSA do so because of an underdeveloped lower jaw. The sleep appliance of choice in this case not only helps to correct the obstruction, but stimulates more development of the lower jaw, hopefully to grow the jaw enough to correct that obstruction.

I use an Acoustic Pharyngometer to identify the obstruction and determine if jaw repositioning can lessen or eliminate the obstruction. An Acoustic Rhinometer may be used to identify nasal obstructions. The nasal obstruction is treated by an ENT doctor.

Hopefully ideal nocturnal breathing habits can be established. I do request a follow up sleep study to prove the goal has been achieved. Over the counter or quickly fabricated dental appliances should be avoided.

In the above example of the domino effect experienced by emotional problems resulting in physical problems we can begin to understand the importance understanding the intricate relationships that must be accounted for. Just like a large vehicle can be paralyzed by a small wire becoming disconnected, not dealing with an emotional problem or sleeping problem can have a similar result on one’s body.

Becoming more and more knowledgeable and informed about what makes us “tick” and taking care to make sure it’s “ticking” right is a big part of being rewarded with a great life.

Robert Brown, DDS has a TMJ, orthodontia, and sleep apnea practice in Danville and thoroughly enjoys discussing holistic medicine. You can contact him at 925-837-8048, at info@aodtc.com, or visit his web site at www.aodtc.com.

 

 

 

 

Ask anyone what disease is the most concerning or the scariest and they will probably say heart disease or maybe Alzheimer’s disease. But what causes those two afflictions?  Well… you might be surprised that many times, blood sugar control leading to obesity and inflammation is at the center of those and other serious health conditions. Diabetes (Type II) or the more recent term, Diabesity, is at the top of the list of serious metabolic conditions in the United States. The truth about diabetes is that most cases are  fully preventable and, in large part, reversible. Therefore pharmaceutical approaches should be used sparingly. My goal is to help people naturally before  the condition has progressed, causing damage to your blood vessels (heart attacks), kidneys (high blood pressure), eyesight (retinopathy), nerves of your feet (peripheral neuropathy), and brain (Alzheimer’s disease).

Briefly, diabetes can be described on a continuum or a line from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) on one end, moving to diabetes on the other. In between, are increasingly higher surges of blood sugar with names like pre-diabetes, Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome, and insulin resistance.

One of the biggest problems with dealing with this condition are the “odd” suggestions provided by the American Diabetic Association that contradict the more recent scientific literature. The ADA has essentially written that high blood sugar levels are ok—just not REALLY high levels. Recent scientific literature shows that this is not true. It shows that even if your levels of fasting blood sugar are within normal range (95 to 99) your risk can double. This leads to two issues: What are the “ideal” levels of blood sugar, and what are the best things to do if your levels are not in this range?

There isn’t room here to thoroughly discuss  all of the tests used to measure blood sugar and other related concerns, but I’ll mention a few of the 61 tests we use in my office. According to recent research, the actual ideal levels to prevent the problems caused by high blood sugar are the following;

Fasting blood glucose               less than 86 (mg/dl)

Two hours after a meal less than 120

Hemoglobin A1c (%)                less than 5.3

Fructosamine                            Less than 217

I frequently hear from patients that they have been told that as long as their fasting blood glucose is under 127 they are OK. Unfortunately, they are not OK because with levels between 90 and 127, substantial and permanent damage to organs can occur. Not only that, studies show that fasting blood sugar and A1c levels are not very accurate.

So, what can you do if your blood sugar is too high? If you want to be healthy (and I know that you do), then using natural, targeted, non-pharmaceutical approaches to keep your blood sugar controlled is the first thing. Next, it is very important that you understand that it’s not all about the sugar. Diabetes has many components and each need to be addressed for us to be successful. Those components are: autoimmunity, inflammation, genetics, obesity, leptin resistance, insulin resistance, and pancreas (beta-cell) destruction.

Recent research shows that diabetes begins with a low-grade inflammation that slowly ramps up the immune system causing further damage. This is caused by our own “western” lifestyle. That lifestyle involves deficiencies in Magnesium and Vitamin D, chronic stress, altered gut microbes (from antibiotics) and being sedentary. Knowing this is good because it is possible, with a change of diet, exercise and a few targeted supplements, to move into a more positive direction, steering you away from bad outcomes. But for more complex cases, a comprehensive evaluation and a complete metabolic exam and review are critical. If this makes sense to you, let’s take a look at your total profile to find out what your body can tell us about your health.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4325 (HEAL). Visit us walnutcreekthyroidinstitute.com

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by tissue damage and loss of function due to an immune response that is directed against specific organs. This review is focused on celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune enteropathy, and type 1 diabetes (T1D), a hyperglycosaemia caused by a destructive autoimmune process targeting the insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells. Even if environmental factors and genetic susceptibility are clearly involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, for most autoimmune disorders there is no or little knowledge about the causing agent or genetic makeup underlying the disease. In this respect, CD represents a unique autoimmune disorder because a close genetic association with HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 haplotypes and, more importantly, the environmental trigger (the gliadin fraction of gluten-containing grains wheat, barley, and rye) are known. Conversely, the trigger for autoimmune destruction of pancreatic ß cells in T1D is unclear. Interestingly, recent data suggest that gliadin is also involved in the pathogenesis of T1D. There is growing evidence that increased intestinal permeability plays a pathogenic role in various autoimmune diseases including CD and T1D. Therefore, we hypothesize that besides genetic and environmental factors, loss of intestinal barrier function is necessary to develop autoimmunity. In this review, each of these components will be briefly reviewed.

Keywords: tight junctions, intestinal permeability, zonulin