“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 spooky, funny, silly looks
for Halloween and mash it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Chiropractic Solutions
is playing with the pumpkin’s plight and confesses
to liking the pumpkin fun while also valuing
its tasty, healthy features for our
San Jose chiropractic patients who are being treated for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Appreciation for the pumpkin keeps growing! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the essential ingredient for great
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, etc.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color qualities 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 healthful. (3) All this in the pretty
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns that young
and old alike enjoy…including Chiropractic Solutions and our San Jose
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age counts in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the
young and ripened stages – exhibited the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging generates more and more
molecular injury to cells in response to
oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease issues.
A key to proper diet as we age is an adequate
intake of antioxidants. The cucurbita fruits (types of pumpkin/squash)
are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even proposed that these should be eaten every
day! (5) Our aging cells would appreciate that! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers found a treasure trove of useful
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases precipitated
by oxidative stress. (6) Chiropractic Solutions is in favor of
protecting cells and the health of our San Jose
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the importance of controlling
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your San Jose chiropractic
appointment soon. Chiropractic Solutions respects
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still anticipate the annual carving, decorating, and baking!