“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Poor
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We carve
it into scary, fun, silly looks
for Halloween and mash it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Back And Neck Care Center
is making light of the pumpkin’s quandry and confesses
to liking the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its tasty, healthy aspects for our
Severna Park chiropractic patients who are being treated for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin keeps growing! The commonly known 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. A few of its most favorable functional
properties recognized 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 enjoyed by young and old…including Back And Neck Care Center and our Severna Park
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is significant in the lifespan
of the pumpkin and the human! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the
young and ripened stages – had the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings more and more
molecular harm to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease issues.
A key to proper diet as we age is an adequate
intake of antioxidants. The cucurbita fruits (types of pumpkin/squash)
are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even suggested that these should be eaten daily! (5) Our aging cells would appreciate that! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers discovered a treasure trove of beneficial
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to the prevention
of age-related diseases precipitated
by oxidative stress. (6) Back And Neck Care Center is in favor of
protecting cells and the well-being of our Severna Park
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Back And Neck Care Center
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.
Schedule your Severna Park chiropractic
appointment soon. Back And Neck Care Center respects
the pumpkin for all its nutritional value. And we still look
forward to the annual carving, decorating, and baking!