Mahaiwe Chiropractic, Health & Nutrition Services

The more years we are in practice, the more amazed we become aware of the power of food; not only for nourishment but also its ability to heal and restore health in profound ways. Miracle nutrients and supplements seem to come and go weekly. Yet as time and experience consistently demonstrates, food remains the constant that can affect us more powerfully than most interventions. Poor quality and unhealthy food is powe... Read more...

Osteoporosis today affects approximately 10 million people aged over 50 years in the United States and with another 30 million or more at risk. Osteoporosis is disease of the bones that leads to an increased risk of ... Read more...

From HeartWire-May 12, 2010-- A randomized trial testing two somewhat unconventional add-on components as part of an integrated cardiac-rehabilitation program in Germany has found that an individualized yoga program can produce large reductions in blood pressur... Read more...

From Medscape Medical News-- The June issue of Pediatrics includes a research study done with a representative sample of US children where they looked for pesticide metabolites (breakdown products) in the group's urine. Each 10-fold increase in the concentration of t... Read more...

From WebMD Health News "Grievous harm" from carcinogens in the environment has been "grossly underestimated" by the U... Read more...

A small, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry (2006; 163(6): 1098-100), looked at supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and its effect on childhood depression. The subjects of the study were 20 children between the ages of six... Read more...

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Dear readers, saw this today in the New York Times:  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/?8ty&emc=ty I know I've become more sedentary in the past few years and it helps to explain the struggle I've been having with that steady creep up of the scale.  Reading this gives me more incentive to keep moving throughout the day. Happy moving! Dr. Jan    ... Read more...

By now most everyone is fairly familiar with the term osteoporosis and know that it is a loss of bone density leading to increased fracture risk. Many people associate osteoporosis with a lack of calcium, but there are many other nutrients necessary for strong bones- magnesium, Vit D, C, K, bioflavinoids, riboflavin, folic acid, strontium, boron, etc. When these nutrients are deficient they can cause visible signs and sym... Read more...

This week there was an article in the Eagle about how new statistics indicate that where you live plays a role in your health. This comes from a new report that ranks health factors in each of the nation’s 3,000 plus counties. The report released this week (at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org ) examines county-level health. This new database ties standard measures - general health and the rate of premature death - with more fact... Read more...

Hi, friends.  Here are two links that provides lots of great information about relaxation and stress reduction techniques.  The second one has audio recordings you can listen to and practice with.   Enjoy!   http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/counseling/relax/OnlineRelax07.htm Dr. Jan... Read more...

I heard a fascinating study on the radio the other day (you can probably search it on the NPR website).  I'll summarize the findings.  Two groups of subjects were asked to remember a series of numbers.  One group had to remember only two numbers, the other group had to remember 7 (the same amount as in a phone number).  The subjects were given a seemingly simple task:  to walk down a hallway, go to another office, and tell the person in the office their series of numb... Read more...

Hello, all!  A meditation group takes place each Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until noon.  The location is 10 Cottage Street in Great Barrington, and there is no fee for the group although a small donation would be welcome. Participants can come on a drop in basis, and stay for any length of time.  I attend and it is a very calm, safe environment to practice in.  Come join us! For more information you can contact me, Jan Seward,  at (413) 644 -9827, or Sarah... Read more...

A study was published in the December issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Nutrition & Metabolism demonstrating that the FIrstLine Therapy Lifestyle Change Program lowers cardiac risk factors better than a modified Mediterranean diet alone. "Our results clearly show that highly targeted phytochemicals (selective kinase response modulators derived from hops and acacia plus soy protein, and plant sterols) used in conjunction with a lifestyle ... Read more...

A study from researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences looked at telomeres-lengths of DNA sequences that shorten as cells replicate and age. A ... Read more...

My husband and I recently attended a community discussion about the drug use by young people in our community. While everyone was in agreement that heroin use is dangerous and must be addressed, the opinions about the use of marijuana were all over the map. Some parents expressed that it was just typical teenage behavior to do a little experimenting (as they admitted they did in their youth), some expressed that they knew "productive adu... Read more...

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Here's Josh the winner of our "Nano, Nano, who wants an iPod Nano" contest. We now will compile all of the info from the surveys that you all filled out about our services. We'll use this information to see where we should focus our efforts to better meet the needs of this incredible community we have. Thanks to all of you that filled out the ... Read more...

A recent study done at the University of Melbourne in Australia  found that a diet of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and high-quality meat and fish may help prevent mental illness — specifically, depression and anxiety. And conversely, a Western diet high in refined or processed foods and saturated fats may increase the risk of depression. "A large, cross-sectional study conducted by investigators at the University of Melbourne in Australia shows... Read more...

A recent study by the CDC, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has determined that more than two-thirds of US adults are overweight or obese, one-third are considered obese, and more than 10% of children and adolescents are also considered too heavy for their age. ... Read more...

Happy New Year! We hope that you all had a healthy and happy holiday season. We took the week off between Christmas and New Years, and spent the week at home relaxing. Larry was able to do a lot of skiing and Nancy did what she finds relaxing-puttering around the house working on various projects. ... Read more...

December 29, 2009 — More frequent consumption of green tea has been associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symp... Read more...

The Japanese government has instituted laws that require every citizen to have their waist line measured each year. This is being done to be proactive in the fight against obesity and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome, known in Japan simply as “metabo,” is a combination of health r... Read more...

This past weekend, my husband, Dr. Larry Bronstein and I attended a post graduate seminar taught by the chiropractor that treated Lance and the US Postal Cycling team through all of their Tour de France wins. This chiropractor, Dr. Jeff Spencer has also treated many other well known athletes as well. Dr. Spencer utilizes the Erchonia laser that I use every day in practice and feels that it is an indispensable part of his tool kit. In addition to hearing how the team worked together to achieve... Read more...

This past weekend, my husband, Dr. Larry Bronstein and I attended a post graduate seminar taught by the chiropractor that treated Lance and the US Postal Cycling team through all of their Tour de France wins. This chiropractor, Dr. Jeff Spencer has also treated many well known athletes in other sports as well. Dr. Spencer utilizes the Erchonia laser that I use every day in practice and feels that it is an indispensable part of his tool kit. In addition to hearing how the team worked together ... Read more...

This past weekend I attend... Read more...

Why You Need To Take Nutritional Supplements 1) Our food is often produced by agribusiness using chemicals in nutrient poor soil. 2) We are being biochemically being assaulted by the polluted environment we now inhabit. 3) Genetically we all have our own individual RDAs-recommended daily allowances of various nutrients. One person's needs may vary greatly from another due to genetics, lifestyle and health issues. The RDA set by the government is just an average of th... Read more...

Food shoppers can now buy foods fortified with probiotics, calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids, etc. But are these foods actually better for you? This issue was covered very well in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Here are some important highlights and a link to the entire article. "Shoppers can now buy pasta that's enriched with calcium, ketchup that boasts probiotics for digestive wellness and soda that's host to an array of daily vitamins. Japanese exporter EIWA Confectione... Read more...

My husband, Dr. Larry Bronstein and I had the pleasure recently of being interviewed by Dr. Andrew Cort on his program, Spirit of the Berkshires. Dr. Cort describes his show as an interview program where he brings on "people with thoughtful ideas, genuine passion, and significant accomplishments". We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent there discussing our practice, why preventative health care ... Read more...

A recent study that suggested that taking antioxidant supplements-such as vitamin  A. E, Zinc, etc. increased the risk of melanoma has been proven wrong. The new report is published in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology . For the study, a team lead by Dr. Maryam M. Asgari, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, collected data on 69,671 women and men who participated in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study... Read more...

October 3rd and 4th I attended an advanced seminar on the therapeutic use of low level lasers. Yes, 2 laser seminars in one months time. Call me crazy, but my husband, Dr. Larry Bronstein, and I were so impressed with the potential benefits to our patients that I went back for the second weekend and purchased a laser for our practice. Lasers have been shown to speed up the healing of many chronic and acute afflictions like: ankle sprains, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, neck pain, Raynaud's, sur... Read more...

It is a beautiful fall day in the Berkshires and we are just finishing up our annual Mahaiwe Chiropractic open house. This year we decided to do something a little different. We focused our services offered to children, as we generally donate all of our services for the day to a local organization and this year we chose the Monument Mountain High School Cross Country Booster Club. We offered the following services at a reduced fee of $15:   spinal/scoliosis screening ... Read more...

The FirstLine Therapy program may vary well decrease your weight and your depression! the FLT program advocates eating a modified Mediterranean diet. The research below indicates that you can reduce your risk of depression by 30%. From: Octob... Read more...

My husband, Dr. Larry Bronstein and I attended a Low Level (Cold) Laser seminar this past weekend. We were interested in finding out more about their therapeutic value, as we had heard and read good things about them. We were very impressed with how useful cold laser therapy can be for increased healing of both chronic and acute injuries, wounds and even surgical incisions. They are being used by plastic surgeons to decrease scaring after surgery and after traumatic injury. T... Read more...

Why should all parents of young children come to our lecture this Thursday, Oct 1st? Well, while I am very thankful that we have antibiotics, as well as a number of other medications, they should all be used with caution as this research news below points out.Huffington Post-Sept 29,2009More than half a million U.S. children yearly have bad reactions or side effects from widely used medicines that require medical treatment and sometimes hospitalization, new research shows. Chil... Read more...

What are nutrients? There are two types of nutrients. Macronutrients include proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals found in dietary sources that fuel proper body functioning, such as vitamins A, C, B12, D, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Why is it most of us don’t get enough nutrients? Reason #1:We eat empty calories (foods that contain little nutritional value), such a... Read more...

There was a recent study done at the Department of Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø, Norway. The researchers were trying to see if there was a link between night sweats in post-menopausal and a greater risk of death due to cardiovascular disease . What they found was the opposite-the women with the night sweats actually had a decreased incidence of cardiac death. So maybe that thought will somehow help the next time you have to suddenly throw off all of your blankets (... Read more...

Sept. 2009 There's been a lot of media coverage about the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Watch this short (but very informative) animation to discover what it is and why it is a serious problem. Also the National Institutes of Health publishes a ... Read more...

I had 2 wonderful home births so I was glad to see this news- NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sep 07 - When attended by a registered midwife, planned home birth is associated with perinatal outcomes that are at least as good as those seen with a planned hospital birth, according to a report in the September 15th issue of CMAJ. The findings echo those of a Dutch study published in July that found that a planned home birth is as safe as a planned hospital birth, provided that a well-t... Read more...

Who is Rural Intelligence? Rural Intelligence is the brainchild of journalists Marilyn Bethany, who lives full-time in Columbia County, NY, and Dan Shaw, who lives full-time in Litchfield County, CT. They have both worked as editors and reporters at The New York Times and New York Magazine, where they met 20 years ago. They created Rural Intelligence because they recognized the need for a r... Read more...

From MedScape Opthalmology Published: 09/01/2009 Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a common affliction that presents to the ophthalmologist. The ocular discomfort, burning, stinging, vision blurring, and other symptoms affect more than 7.5% of US men age 80 years and older and nearly 10% of US women age 75 years and older.These symptoms measurably affect activities of daily life, such as reading, using a computer, driving, and watching television. Treatment Mainstays of Dry Ey... Read more...

ALT stands for alanine aminotransferase; it is a substance that is released into the blood when liver cells are damaged. Serum ALT l... Read more...

From Heartwire-August 10, 2009— A new review concludes that there is extensive evidence from three decades of research that fish oils, or more specifically the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) contained in them, are beneficial for everyone [1]. This includes healthy people as well as those with heart disease — including postmyocardial infarction (MI) patients and those with he... Read more...

From WebMD-Previous research has shown that following a Mediterranean diet is protective against a variety of conditions, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers, and is related to a reduction in all-cause mortality in the general population. Previous work by Dr. Scarmeas and colleagues has shown that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk for AD, as well as prolonged sur... Read more...