Why Raw Chocolate is Wholistically Delicious

     Our fascination with Chocolate as a race began in Central America with the Olmecs.  It spread through Mayan and Aztec cultures to Europe and then the world. 

     This amazing substance is rich in nutrients, including Antioxidants, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Potassium, Manganese, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, and Pantothenic acid.  Sadly, most of these nutrients are reduced in effectiveness and absorbability as nutrients when altered by the heat and chemical treatment subjected to them by modern commercial chocolate manufacturers. 

     Whenever chemical bonds are heated and subjected to reactive chemicals, they can be altered and rendered unusable and possibly toxic.  A perfect example is how cooking oils are degraded by heat. Cocoa butter, the essential oily part of the whole cacao bean, is altered and partially removed by the use of heat and pressure in the industrial process.  Hence, the essential beneficial aspects of the whole raw cacao bean are degraded and deleteriously altered by the many processes it is subjected to when commercially and industrially produced.

     Bovine milk is often added as well, with the concomitant intermediate substances produced.  Because bovine milk is best suited for baby cows, its combination with chocolate at a heated temperature is a recipe which will not be in its essence beneficial for the human body.

     Raw chocolate is high in Phenylethylamine.  This marvelous substance is bioavailable in good quantity when chocolate is not heated and mistreated.  When there is a deficiency of this substance in a person, depression is often found.  An excess causes no apparent side effects.  It does not produce tolerance either.  Thus there is a biochemical reason why chocolate consumption has a substantial effect on depression and naturally makes us feel good.

     Raw chocolate also contains the naturally occurring nerve hormones Anandamide as well as Anandamide breakdown inhibitors.  Daniele Piomelli at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego discovered this in 1996.  Anandamides stimulate the receptor that is also sensitive to THC.  While the Anandamides do not have the same effect, there is a feeling of improved mood created by the Anandamides and the breakdown inhibitors.  This combination causes the Anandamides to last longer, extending their effects.  Heating these substances causes a breakdown of them.

     The beauty and wonder of raw chocolate now becomes evident.  It is typically organic.  Its essential nutrients are typically never heated above about 100 degrees.  It is low in caffeine and often sweetened with a low glycemic impact.  It is brimming with nutrients and antioxidants that are beneficial, not to mention its rich and variegated flavor, often augmented by natural spices. Thes Phenylethylamine and anandimides contained in it serve to relax us and make us feel good.  Extensive testing over the years has repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of these substances to the emotional well being of people.  It often lifts the spirit and puts us at ease from the mélange of benefits it offers.

     February is often a month of Chocolate loving for many.  Why not seek out some nutritious raw chocolate or learn to make it for someone you love.  It is a great way to nurture yourself rather than engaging in the self destructive act of eating sugary processed chocolate candy.  

How to Buy Vitamins

I confess to being an amateur nutritionist in the 1970s when I first became a vegetarian.  The food selections were poor and there was little information available and Al Gore hadn’t invented the internet yet.  As a consumer and as a DC, I have learned a little here and there.  

            The big secret about vitamins and supplements is to never presume that ingredients are wholesome, fresh, and nutritious.  In Arizona, vitamins and supplements are usually shipped in a non-airconditioned, very dark brown truck which is often subjected to heat in excess of 100 degrees.  Many substances begin to break down when subjected to these temperatures.  These substances are often subjected to cross country trips as well.  When I purchase a supplement I am aware of its source and shipping method. As a consumer you are not.  I strongly suggest smelling and tasting tablets by crushing a small amount of it.  The same should be done with oil based substances by puncturing the capsule with a pin and tasting.

            Many vitamins and supplements use inferior ingredients and some don’t report the amount of substances accurately and correctly.  The list and details on this are rather extensive, so you would be best advised to find a knowledgable person to help guide you through this jungle.  I do nutritional consulting for my patients only.  

Medicare Hijinks

Those of you that are Medicare patients are aware of the difficulties I have had in the last year getting your Medicare reimbursements for you.  Regretfully, one of the sources of this problem has been the difficulty of retaining help long enough to teach them the intricacies of billing to a government agency.  The other has been a new form where the rules have repeatedly changed.  In any case, I have begun to electronically bill, which decreases the turn around from several months to several weeks.  It is also simpler to do, with fewer rules of transmission and self correction in the program itself.  By the time you are reading this, we should be caught up.  If you have any outstanding bills and haven’t received a copy of a computerized resubmission, please contact the office so we can catch up.  

HEALTH IS WEALTH

          Many of you realize the health challenges I have been through since November of 2005.  Through much clear focus on diet and blood sugar monitoring I am pleased to be off medication and still carefully monitoring normal blood sugar after a serious Diabetes type 2 diagnosis.  I have learned quite a bit about Diabetes from the inside looking out and I’m more attentive to the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

RHIANNON, MY GRANDDAUGHTER/DAUGHTER

          I started with one whole day as a grandparent.  After an unfortunate tragedy, I was called upon to raise Rhiannon from 3 weeks old to 16 months old.  When Rhiannon was about 2 years old, her parents marriage dissolved.  They were both unable to single parent her, so I adopted her.  I always said I wanted to have more kids, and I guess this proves the ancient Yiddish adage, “Man plans and G!d laughs .”

GARDENS AND CHIROPRACTIC 

           Gardens are my best friend and my worst nemesis.  While I love all those pretty flowers, veggies and faeries, I find many patients worshipping the Back Goddess after a stint or two in the garden.  If you haven’t used those muscles in a while, think about 30-60 minutes and then a break instead of several hours of work without a break.  Frequent stretches and changes of position help.  Remember the Henny Youngman rule.  If it hurts to do it, then don’t do it.