is needed to transport the glu-

cose into the cells so that it can

be used. If there is not enough

insulin around, or if it does

work properly, the body is una-

ble to utilize the glucose as fuel.

If the cells are unable to take in

the glucose, glucose will build

up in the blood or stored as fat.

Having high levels of glucose in

the blood then can cause dam-

age to the tiny blood vessels in

your eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

Some believe that this rise in

obesity and thus diabetes is the

direct result of the change in the

dietary guidelines that came out

in 1977. (DiNicolantonio, 2014) These

dietary recommendations,

which are still in place today,

recommend the Americans

should eat less saturated fat

while increasing the amount of

carbohydrates that we eat.

When dietary fats are removed

from foods, to improve taste,

The rate of diabetes has

been increasing at an

alarming rate. In the Unit-

ed States it is estimated

that 29.1 million people

currently have diabetes and

worldwide that number is

approximately 170 million

people, which is expected

to reach 366 million by the

year 2030. Diabetes is a

serious chronic health

problem. Having diabetes

increases your risk for mul-

tiple other medical condi-

tions such as peripheral

neuropathy, visual loss,

kidney damage, limb am-

putation, high blood pres-

sure, heart disease, strokes

and even Alzheimer’s de-

mentia. People who have

diabetes can also have up

to 10 years shorter life span

than individuals without

diabetes. (Westman E. , 2016)

There are two types of dia-

betes.

1. Type 1 diabetes, which

is also called insulin

dependent or juvenile

diabetes. The body is

not able to produce

enough insulin. The onset is typically seen

in kids.

2. Type 2 diabetes, which

is also called adult

onset or insulin re-

sistant diabetes. Type

2 diabetes is more common, accounting

for approximately 90-

95% of all cases of

diabetes. In type 2

diabetes, the insulin

that is present does not

function as well. (Al-

Khalifa, 2009)

The carbohydrates and sugars

that we eat are broken down

into glucose causing a rise in

blood glucose. When blood

glucose increases it causes

insulin to be released. Insulin

Type 2 Diabetes and the Ketogenic Diet

TYPE 2 DIABETES & THE

KETOGENIC DIET 1

HERB OF THE MONTH ~ NETTLES 2

FOOD AS MEDICINE: BEETS 2

TYPE 2 DIABETES & KETOGENIC DIET

CONTINUED 3

MUSCLES OF THE MONTH ~

TRICEPS BRACHII

4

AURORA THEATER ~

STEEL MAGNOLIAS ~ MARCH 3-APRIL 16

HARBOR PLAYHOUSE ~

MADAGASCAR ~ MARCH 10-APRIL 23

PORT A THEATER ~ YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU ~

MARCH 3-4

SUNFLOWER SUNDAY ~

MARCH 12 AT LOTUS DREAM TEAS

FARMER’S MARKET ~

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS DOWNTOWN CORPUS

CHRISTI 5-8 PM EVERY SATURDAY AT EVERHART &

HOLLY CORPUS CHRISTI 9-12

March 2017

~ T H E R A P E U T I C M A S S A G E & H E R B A L H E A L T H ~

Inside This Issue:

Upcoming Events:

This newsletter is brought

to you by Chiron Holistic &

Sparky’s Spa, 505 S. Water

Street in Corpus Christi.

Our passion is bringing

therapeutic massage, herbal

health and well being to

you. Call or text (361) 877-

6900 for an appointment

today!

Brain Fog? Fatigue? Tips for a Better Brain

The Medical and Neurological Benefits of Being in Ketosis

Saturday, March 18 10:30 a.m.

Dr. Deborah Carver-Hodges

At Ann Carver, PT

2222 Airline, Suite A9 Corpus Christi, Texas

Continued on page 3

My first encounter with

Stinging Nettles was bush-

whacking through the forests

in Colorado in a pair of

shorts. It felt

like a million

fire ants were

biting my legs!

This was

Stinging Net-

tles (Urtica

dioica), com-

monly called

‘Yerba de Hor-

migas’ or herb

of the ants.

Nettles have

this stinging power due to the

tiny hairs on the stems and

underside of the leaves that

are filled with formic acid,

the same ingredient in ants

that give their stinging bite.

The earliest use of this plant

was during the Bronze Age,

where bodies were wrapped in

nettle’s cloth for death. Nettles

has been used for paper pulp,

cloth and the ancient Romans

used it to stimulate areas for

circulation.

Nettles is very high in nitro-

gen, making it a fantastic ferti-

lizer. It is also host to benefi-

cial insects, fed to livestock to

fatten them up and give a rich,

shiny coat; given to chickens

to promote laying and increas-

es nutritional value of eggs.

One may cook the leaves

(once cooked the formic acid

is gone), which tastes like

spinach. It is rich in vitamins

A, C and K; and minerals such

as iron, silica, potassium,

manganese, sulphur, phos-

phates and chlorophyll.

Nettles will tone and strength-

en the kidneys, lungs, intes-

tines, arteries, urinary tract,

lymphatic and circulatory sys-

tems. It helps restore the ad-

renal glands and is a woman’s

ally during pregnancy, child-

birth and lactation. The roots

are beneficial for the prostate

gland, urinary tract and as a

hair/scalp tonic. The seeds

nourish the endocrine glands

and aids the thyroid.

I love this plant so much, be-

cause of its many uses. I took

home the seeds to grow but in

a cleaning frenzy threw them

out the back door in the snow.

Later that spring, I came out

on the porch to sit, only to get

stung on the back of my legs

… yes, nettles had grown up

threw the slats in the porch to

reach up to bite me in the rear!

Page 2

“TWO ROADS

DIVERGED IN

THE WOODS,

AND I TOOK

THE ONE LESS

TRAVELED BY,

AND THAT HAS

MADE ALL

THE DIFFERENCE.”

- ROBERT FROST

Superb Herb ~ Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica)

Food As Medicine : The Beet Many people either hate the

beet or love it … I love it!

It has this deep, earthy

taste, beautiful deep red

color and it is so good for

you!

Red beets get their color

from betacyanins, a power-

ful antioxidant with cyto-

toxic effects. Beets have

also shown to have anti-

cancer activity, neuropro-

tective and digestion bene-

fits, rids free radical scav-

engers, helps chronic mye-

loid leukemia, and has

shown to lessen tumor

growth. The gold beets are

full of lutein and zeaxan-

thin, two carotenoids bene-

ficial for eye health.

content of all vegetables, high

carbohydrate, so eat in moder-

ation. Be aware that eating

beets can turn your urine red,

this can be related to your

body not being able to absorb

iron.

Beets are high in vitamin C,

fiber, potassium, manganese,

vitamin B folate. The leafy

greens contain protein, phos-

phorus, zinc, fiber, B6, mag-

nesium, potassium, copper,

manganese, vitamins A, C,

calcium and iron. Beet greens

have more iron that spinach.

Beet greens can boost bone

strength, stimulate production

of white blood cells and fight

Alzheimer’s disease.

Eat the Beet!!!

Beets have been shown to pro-

vide anti-inflammatory, antiox-

idant and detoxification sup-

port. They purify the blood,

which is the key to healing any

disease in the body.

Beets support the Phase 2 de-

toxification process, which is

when toxins are broken down,

bond to other molecules in the

body, then are flushed out or

excreted from the body. It

helps detoxify the liver and

assist with glutathione in this

phase 2 detoxification.

Beets contain valuable phyto-

chemicals that help lower

blood pressure, boost stamina,

strengthen immune system,

support brain and bone health.

Beets have the highest sugar

Type 2 Diabetes and the Ketogenic Diet (continued from page 1)

Page 3

the fats are replaced with

added sugars. Unfortunate-

ly, this resulted in a huge

increase in the amount of

sugars that Americans were

eating, which then resulted

in increase risk of obesity.

Since obesity is the main

risk factor for developing

Type 2 Diabetes, the rates

of diabetes has also in-

creased. (Westman E. , 2016)

Treatment of diabetes:

Managing carbohydrate/

glucose levels and weight

loss is the recommended

treatment goal of diabetes.

The debate, however, is

which diet is the best to do

that. A low fat/ low calorie

diet is what is most often

recommended for patients

with diabetes. However,

this diet has not been as

successful as we would

have hoped. Other dietary

options include a low car-

bohydrate/high fat diet,

which has been used since

the early 1900’s for the

treatment of diabetes. The

low carbohydrate/high fat

diet recently has become

more popular since it often

associated improved weight

loss. (Feinman, 2015) Dating

back as far as 1863, Dr.

William Banting has been

advocating a low carbohy-

drate/high fat diet for

weight loss. (Westman E. , 2016)

More recently, studies com-

paring eating a low carbo-

hydrate diet to low fat diet

have shown greater im-

provements with the low

carbohydrate diets on numer-

ous endpoints including,

weight loss, abdominal fat

loss, glucose levels along

insulin levels and insulin re-

sistance. (Volek 2008)

Based on these and other

studies showing benefit with

a low carbohydrate/high fat

diet, a study in 2012 came

out comparing a low carbo-

hydrate/high fat ketogenic

diet (LCKD) to a low calorie

diet in patients with type 2

diabetes. This study showed

a beneficial effect of the

LCKD over the conventional

low calorie diet in patients

with diabetes. Specifically

they found that those on

LCKD had significantly more

weight loss and greater im-

provement in the blood glu-

cose levels and HbA1c levels.

The LCKD group also had

improvements in the cardio-

vascular profiles of the cho-

lesterol with significant de-

crease in triglycerides, total

cholesterol and LDL levels

whereas the HDL levels were

increased. (Hussain, 2012)

Studies have also shown that

those eating low carbohydrate

ketogenic diet were able to

decrease the doses of their

anti-diabetic medications.

Some were even able to taper

off as much as 10 units of

insulin per day in eight days,

while maintaining normaliza-

tion of glucose levels. (Westman, 2008) Some individuals

were actually able to

“reverse” their type 2 diabe-

tes. (Westman E. , 2016)

As a summary, lifestyle mod-

ification that includes reduc-

ing carbohydrate intake such

as eating a low carbohydrate/

high fat, ketogenic diet is an

effective treatment option in

patients with diabetes with

the added bonus of weight

loss. These changes have

also been associated with

decreasing the amounts of

anti-diabetic medication and

insulin, and in some cases

being able to get off medica-

tions altogether. If you have

type 2 diabetes and currently

not happy with your control,

the fact that you are always

hungry and continue to gain

weight despite eating a low

calorie/high carbohydrate

diet, then consider trying a

low carbohydrate/high fat

diet. What do you have to

lose, except some extra

weight and possibly some

medications?

For more information about a

ketogenic diet, read my re-

cent blog on ketogenic ba-

sics. If you are concerned

about what eating ‘all those

fats’ might do to your heart,

check out my blog on wheth-

er a ketogenic diet is safe for

your heart.

Dr. Deborah Carver-Hodges

is a neurologist in the San

Antonio, Texas area. She is

also a mom and a personal

trainer. For more infor-

mation go to :

www.DrDebBrainFitness.com

Bibliography

Al-Khalifa, A. (2009). Therapeu-tic role of low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in diabetes. Nutri-tion, 25, 1177-1185. DiNicolantonio, J. (2014). The cardiometabolic consequences of replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or omega 6 poly-unsaturated fats: Do the dietary guidelines have it wrong? Open Heart, 1-3. Feinman, R. (2015). Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes manag-ment: Critical review and evi-dence based. Nutrition, 31, 1-13. Hussain, T. (2012). Effects of low-carie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes. Nutrition, 28, 1016-1021. Volek, J. (2008). Dietary carbo-hydrate restriction induces a unique metabolic state positively affecting atherogenic dyslipidemia, fatty acid partition-ing, and metabolic syndrome. Progress in lipid research, 43, 307-318. Westman, E. (2008). Has carbo-hydrate-restiction been forgotten as a treatment for diabetes meli-tus? A perspective on the AC-CORD study design. Nutritional Metabolism, 5. Westman, E. (2016). Ketogenic diets as highly effective treat-ments for diabetes mellitus and obesity. In S. Masino (Ed.), Ketogenic diet and metabolic therapies (pp. 362-375).

The medical information on this

site is provided as an infor-

mation resource only. This infor-

mation does not create any pa-

tient-physician relationship, and

should not be used as a substi-

tute for professional diagnosis

and treatment.

triceps brachii become huge!

When he gets off of the ster-

oids, his muscles deflate and

he is left with lots of excess

skin … batwings. He’s

standing at the window,

staring out at the blue sky

and lifts up his arms, and

flies away on his batwings.

LOL

The triceps brachii is a

large muscle on the back of

the upper arm, it is the

“three headed muscle of

the arm”. We ladies like to

call them “batwings”. They

are the principal extensor

of the elbow joint, used for

straightening the arm.

There are three different

bundles that comprise the

triceps which are the long,

lateral and medial head.

The origin of the long head

is the infra-glenoid tubercle

In an episode of the Family

Guy, Stewie decides to take

steroids and his biceps and

of the scapula; the origin of

the lateral head is above the

radial sulcus; and the origin of

the medial head is below the

radial sulcus. The insertion

point of all three is the olecra-

non process of the ulna or

elbow.

The actions of the triceps

brachii is to extend the fore-

arm. The long head extends

and adducts the arm and ex-

tends the shoulder. The antag-

onist to the triceps is of

course the biceps.

As a massage therapist, work-

ing the triceps, as well as its

antagonist the biceps is bene-

ficial with any shoulder/

scapula issues, as the long

head pulls on the infra-

glenoid. It will also benefit

any issues with the elbow (i.e.

tennis elbow) as all three bun-

dles attach here as well.

Muscle of the Month ~ Triceps Brachii

505 South Water Street

Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Phone: 361-877-6900

E-mail:

chironholistic@yahoo.com

Check us out on Facebook Sparky’s Spa

Chiron Holistic, LLC is an herbal apothecary and therapeutic massage studio. Susan ‘Sparky’

Sparks began studying medicinal plants some 30 years ago. She incorporated massage into

her practice in 2001 after studying with Dr. Rosita Arvigo, who developed special massage

techniques from Don Elijio Panti, a famous shaman from Belize. She makes herbal products

with certified organic herbs or they are ethically wildcrafted with love and prayers. Sparky

combines 16 years of massage experience in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports, Shiatsu, Jin Shin

Do, Tsubo, Foot Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Myofascial Release, Myoskeletal, Maya Ab-

dominal, Maternity, Burn/Scar, Onocology and Medical Massage. She is a member American

Bodywork & Massage Professionals, American Botanical Council, American Herbalist Guild

and South Texas Botanical Gardens. She is a Qi Gong Level I Instructor and Master Garden-

er. Chiron Holistic is dedicated to providing a pathway towards holistic health. We are here

to assist you on your journey towards wellness.

C H I R O N H O L I S T I C ~ S P A R K Y ’ S S P A

The best way to eat a beet is raw, with the skin, which contains the nutritious phytochemicals. The more one cooks the beet, then it

loses its nutritional value.

Beets have been shown to improve cirrhosis of the liver and various cancers.

Phytochemicals in Foods – 8 Health Benefits of Betacyanins by Kyle Norton 3/12/12

Beets – The World’s Healthiest Food whfoods.org

Benefits of Beets, 1/25/2014 articles.mercola.com

Conquering Any Disease, by Jeff Primack pg 55