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:
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
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