Nutrition

At BreakThrough Physical Therapy we have learned that the human body requires the appropriate nutrition and energy to recover and perform and optimum levels.  Unfortunately, in addition to the physical disorders we treat through comprehensive physical therapy means, we are seeing continued decline in the health of our community.  At a time when technology and information is so abundant, we see continued rise in the incidence of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and many other life threatening disorders.  The nutritional side of our business focuses on providing information for our community and enabling you to make educated decisions for yourself and your family.

Below, please find some statistics that should make each of us stop and think a bit about the paths we are on.

Cancer

Statistics show that in 2011 there were over 1,600,000 new cases reported and over 570,000 deaths from cancer.

Diabetes

Diabetes affects more than 25,000,000 Americans, over 8% of the U.S. Population.
•Among U.S. residents ages 65 years and older, 10.9 million, or 26.9 percent, had diabetes in 2010.
•About 215,000 people younger than 20 years had diabetes—type 1 or type 2—in the United States in 2010
•About 1.9 million people ages 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 in the United States
•In 2005–2008, based on fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1C (A1C) levels, 35 percent of U.S. adults ages 20 years or older had pre-diabetes—50 percent of adults ages 65 years or older. Applying this percentage to the entire U.S. population in 2010 yields an estimated 79 million American adults ages 20 years or older with pre-diabetes.
•Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, nontraumatic lower-limb amputations, and new cases of blindness among adults in the United States
•Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke
•Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States

Heart Disease

•One third of American adults have hypertension, and only half of them have their hypertension under adequate control
•15% of adults have total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher
•8% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, and more than a third of adults are prediabetic
•Two thirds of adults are overweight

One of the key methods and philosophies shared by all of the major associations that fight to prevent disease seems to be that we all need to significantly increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables have been shown to provide phytonutrients which help reduce the impact on our bodies from free radicals and oxidative stress.  Below, please find research articles that we have found beneficial in helping people to make healthier choices when it comes to their diet. 

• Four week supplementation with mixed fruit and vegetable juice concentrates increased protective serum antioxidants and folate and decreased plasma homocysteine in Japanese subjects - Tokyo Women's Medical University

• Supplementation with Mixed Fruit and Vegetable Juice Concentrates Increased Serum Antioxidants and Folate in Healthy Adults - Medical University of Vienna

• Systemic inflammatory load in humans is suppressed by consumption of two formulations of dried, encapsulated juice concentrate - University of South Carolina

•  β-Carotene and α-tocopherol in healthy overweight adults; depletion kinetics are correlated with adiposity - Georgetown/UCLA

• A Mixed Fruit and Vegetable Concentrate Increases Plasma Antioxidant
  Vitamins and Folate and Lowers Plasma Homocysteine in Men - University of Sydney

• Availability of micronutrients from dried, encapsulated fruit and vegetable preparations: a study in healthy volunteers - King's College, London

• Supplementation with fruit and vegetable extracts may decrease DNA damage in the peripheral lymphocytes of an elderly population - Brigham Young University

• Immune Function in Elderly Smokers and Nonsmokers Improves During Supplementation with Fruit and Vegetable Extracts - University of Arizona

• Immunity and Antioxidant Capacity in Humans Is Enhanced by Consumption of a Dried, Encapsulated Fruit and Vegetable Juice Concentrate - University of Florida

• Changes in plasma carotenoid, alpha-tocopherol, and lipid peroxide levels in response to supplementation with concentrated fruit and vegetable extracts: a pilot study - University of Texas Health Science Center
  
   

Here are other key websites for your reference to major organizations:

American Heart Association

My Life Check

American Cancer Society

American Diabetes Association

United States Department of Agriculture - Choose My Plate

American Medical Association

The Struggle to Eat Right

Although we have heard it time and time again, now finally we have the science to show us why we need to eat more fruits and vegetables.  They are the basis for a healthy diet and help reduce your risk of these horrible diseases that affect so many of those we love.  Knowing it is easy. It's doing it that is so hard. Since we know most of us could never afford or physically consume 9-13 fruits and vegetables each day, we need an insurance policy.  People often turn to vitamins and other nutritional supplements to improve their diets. Although nutritional supplements are also critical as has been recommended by the American Medical Association, unfortunately, our diet and vitamins alone can't begin to replicate the thousands of different nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Click here to learn more about a great solution we have found to help you ensure a better baseline of fruits and vegetables rich in phytonutrients by adding it to your daily routine.  Whether you already eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables or you have hit rock bottom and need to make a massive change, JuicePlus+ can change your life forever.  It is juice powder concentrates from 17 of the fruits, vegetables and whole grains richest in phytonutirents and anti-oxidative properties in capsule form. You can also learn what some amazing people from all walks of life are doing with their lives by "Living Life to the Plus!"

JuicePlus+ is so committed to the community, that children ages 4-18 can receive their JuicePlus for three full years for free when signed up with a sponsoring adult.  Click here to learn more about their Children's Health Study or their Children's Foundation. 

Take Multivitamins Urges American Medical Association

Reversing a long-standing anti-vitamin policy, The Journal of the American Medical Association today is advising all adults to take at least one multivitamin pill each day. Click Here for full article.