“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Pitiful
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We cut the pumpkin into scary, fun, goofy images
for Halloween and mash it up for a Thanksgiving pie! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
is playing with the pumpkin’s quandry and confesses
to liking the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its edible, healthy features for our
McHenry chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supporting families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Appreciation for the pumpkin keeps growing! The well recognized pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is hot tolerant and resistant
to insects and disease…as well as the most common ingredient for tasty
pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its being nutrient-full
and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is said to be a potent
source of proteins, metabolites, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, tryptophans, sterols, and
more. Some of its most promising functional
properties known 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 beautiful
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns that young
and old alike appreciate…including OrthoIllinois Chiropractic and our McHenry
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is of importance in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the
young and ripened stages – proved to have the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest
antioxidant activity, and the highest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging generates more and more
molecular harm to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
The right intake of antioxidants is important
as we age. 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 consumed daily! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers found a bunch of beneficial
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases precipitated
by oxidative stress. (6) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is all about
protecting cells and the well-being of our McHenry
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes the importance of controlling
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Make your McHenry chiropractic
appointment today. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic respects
the pumpkin for all its nutritional value. And we still look
forward to the annual cutting, decorating, and cooking!