Do you ever feel tired, run-down, or experience low energy and you’re not sure why?? Have you considered what you eat and drink on a daily basis? Because we are so busy, we don’t take the time to think about what goes into our bodies. I am guilty of all of the above. Since I work in the medical profession, I know what I should be doing to take care of my body, but as Salt N Pepa would say, “Girl’s what’s my weakness!! FOOD!” If you ask Dr. Jordan or Dr. Jade they will tell you that there might be some things I can change in my diet. My biggest weakness is drinking pop. I try to not drink it every day, but you can’t have pizza and water!! (I like to tell myself that so I don’t feel guilty.) However, if I’m going to start feeling better, I need to make some changes. Dr. Jade hosted a seminar called: To Detox or Not to Detox, so I decided to stay and learn a few new things, and boy did I ever. After the seminar, I decided to take the 6 day detox challenge to see for myself. Therefore, dur...

September is officially here, and we all know what that means: school is back in session. For parents, this means taking your children to football, dance, cheerleading, swimming, piano lessons, tennis, tutors and much more. Your kids become overwhelmed with homework, reading, working on book reports, and studying for daunting tests. As a result, we are more vulnerable to stress and anxiety. Sometimes we need an extra boost, and luckily, L-Theanine can provide just that.

What is L-Theanine?

L-Theanine is a relaxing and non-dietary amino acid found pretty much exclusively in teas Camellia sinensis (mostly green and black tea) and is known to promote relaxation without sedation. The crucial difference seems to be not in whether the tea is green or black, but how young the tea leaves are at harvest. Theanine is found in highest concentrations in the buds and young leaves of the tea plant (1). It is available as a supplement that helps relieve anxiety. Theanine should be considered as a h...

Now that running season is upon us, it is that time again where our local runners are flocking in the door to get treatment on their legs. The infamous Iliotibial band (IT Band) is working overtime and it needs some help!!

What is iliotibial band (IT band) syndrome?

Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS or IT Band Syndrome) is an overuse injury of the connective tissues that are located on the lateral or outer part of thigh and knee. It causes pain and tenderness in those areas, especially just above the knee joint.  Iliotibial band syndrome is the most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners and bicyclists.

How Does This Muscle Work?

The iliotibial tract is classified as a deep fascia of the body, surrounding and connecting the muscles of the body to surrounding tissues. Like all other deep fascia, it is made almost exclusively of dense regular connective tissue. Dense regular connective tissue is a form of fibrous connective tissue that is extremely strong, tough, and avascular. It...

A good wаrmuр dіlаtеѕ уоur blood vеѕѕеlѕ, еnѕurіng thаt уоur muscles are wеll ѕuррlіеd wіth оxуgеn bеfоrе уоu gіvе them a vіgоrоuѕ workout. It аlѕо rаіѕеѕ thе temperature оf уоur muѕсlеѕ fоr орtіmаl flеxіbіlіtу and efficiency. By ѕlоwlу rаіѕіng уоur hеаrt rate, thе wаrmuр also hеlрѕ minimize ѕtrеѕѕ on your hеаrt whеn уоu start уоur run. 

If you ѕtаrt too fast, you run the rіѕk of рullіng a muscle, twеаkіng a tеndоn, bоnе, оr jоіnt оr gеttіng іntо a расе thаt you can’t ѕuѕtаіn. Thе rеѕult? Yоu end uр ѕlоwіng dоwn аnd burning оut bеfоrе уоu’rе dоnе wіth your workout. Thе worst раrt іѕ that you’re lіkеlу to еnd уоur run fееlіng еxhаuѕtеd, dіѕсоurаgеd, and drеаdіng уоur next workout. 

Hоwеvеr, a smart runnіng warmup gіvеѕ уоur muscles, bones, аnd jоіntѕ a chance to lооѕеn uр; it grаduаllу аnd gеntlу brіngѕ up уоur hеаrt rate, аnd mаkеѕ іt еаѕіеr tо gеt into thе rhуthm you wаnt tо ѕuѕtаіn ѕо уоu саn run—аnd fіnіѕh—fееlіng exhilarated аnd еnеrgіzеd еnоugh to gо longer. 

Below аrе 3 grеаt ...

For the next few blogs, we are going to take some time and let you get to know our staff!  First up is our very own founder, Dr. Jordan Leasure-Reigle.

It’s that time again, here is our second get to know you blog post!  Next up, Dr. Jade Dellinger!

When a person comes into the office as either a new patient or as a wellness visit, I usually ask if they perform any type of exercise at home. Some answer no because they are too busy or do not have the equipment at home. Others will say that they go to the gym and the rest will say they try and work on exercising at home. My next question is if they know what a pelvic tilt is. If the person takes a yoga class or has had some sort of physical therapy in the past this is familiar to them. Some will go into a bridge position and rest give me a blank stare. This lead me to start thinking how many people are doing a bridge instead of a pelvic tilt.

So what is a pelvic tilt? A pelvic tilt is an exercise comprised of very subtle spinal movements that strengthen the support muscles around the low back, particularly the abdominals. They are a good preliminary exercise for those seeking low back pain relief or to help improve your posture. They can be done lying on the floor or standing wi...

We all know as soon as the weather is no longer below freezing you will start to see people running outside all bundled up. As the spring and summer months approach everyone seems to be out versus being in the gym. It’s important to protect yourself all year round if you plan to be getting your sweat on outdoors!

1. Eat Something

No matter if you workout first thing in the morning or after work it should not be on an empty stomach. Food is our fuel and if we do not have anything in our system then we are going to fatigue quickly and not be at our full potential. It can be a simple protein shake, RX bar, banana, or even a healthy nut mix. Something that can be taken easily around wherever you go.  If people push themselves too much they can become dizzy and even faint. It does not matter if the weather is 90 degrees out with sun or 53 degrees and overcast. Food is your friend!!

2. Sunscreen

According to the American Cancer Society, “Melanoma accounts for only about 1% of s...

This weeks blog comes to us from guest contributor, Jan Leasure.  Currently Jan is a Senior Loan Officer in Libertyville, but previously was a teacher and nationally syndicated columnist for over 20 years.

Why was November chosen as “National Gratitude Month”? The obvious reason is because Thanksgiving happens in November and that gives everyone a reason to stop for a moment and visualize the things for which they are grateful.

When I was an English teacher, one of the things that I had my students do was keep a Gratitude Journal. Many students had a lot of ups and downs in their lives so sometimes writing down one thing was a struggle.  What we all learned from this exercise is that there were a lot of intangible things to be grateful for; love, friendship, a sunny day, trading lunches with your bestie, or the fact that Mrs. Leasure did not read your love note over the intercom!  What was the purpose of this exercise? We learned that although there was a lot to complain about in EVE...

When I started this blog and typed in probiotics into Google, I was overwhelmed with how much information there was about probiotics. From the top 10 brands to warnings about probiotics. With all of that information out there how do you know what is right? Does it really matter which brand to get?

As a matter of fact; yes it does matter where you buy your probiotics. You can refer to a previous blog regarding tiers of vitamins as that applies to probiotics as well.  It is imperative that your probiotics along with any vitamins you take come not only from reputable sources, but that the manufacturers are at a bare minimum cGMP compliant.  At our office, we will only recommend physician grade supplements because they are the most highly regulated on the market.  The manufacturers that we utilize test every batch for quality, safety and effectiveness.  Not only that, but they are free of fillers and binders.  

The question we get asked the most often is, “Why are your probiotics in the ...