NEWSLETTER

Your heart is an important symbol of love and life, and a critical part of the human body to sustain life. An open heart chakra is said to allow you to feel deeply connected, a harmonious exchange of energy with everything around you, and an appreciation of beauty. As we walk through the shops during the lead up to February it strikes us that love is most definitely all around!

The origins of Valentine’s day began in Ancient Rome where the Romans celebrated a spring festival, the feast of Lupercalia, to celebrate spring, fertility, the ancestors, and love. Women would put their names into an urn and each bachelor would pick out a name and they would spend an entire year together. This practice continued in France and England, with the bachelor drawing a heart on his sleeve – which is where the phrase “wearing your heart on your sleeve” comes from. Later, the holiday was moved to the 14th of February to celebrate Saint Valentine. Your heart is a magnificent organ that regulates, controls, and consistently supplies your body with the nutrients it requires to work seamlessly. This powerful organ begins to work from fetal

development and commences beating well before the brain is formed. Your heart will then continue to beat at an average of 86,000 times a day and pump blood through a network of vessels over a distance of 100,000kms in a single day. This conveys the appreciation for the raw power of this amazing organ. This organ alone could not function without your brain and nerve system. Research shows that your heart has 40,000 sensory neurons which have the role of sending important information to the brain. This means that our heart has a close relationship with how our brain perceives and processes information. The interconnectedness of the brain and heart is what makes your heart more important than what many people may realise. As an example, your heart is constantly adapting the pace at which it beats depending on your mood, activity, and what types of food you consume. Your heart almost has a brain of its own. Dr. J. Andrew Armour introduced the term, “heart brain” in 1991. Armour demonstrated that the heart’s complex nervous system qualified it as a “little brain.” The heart brain, similar to the proper brain, has intricate networks of neurons, neurotransmitters, proteins, and support cells. These networks allow your heart to act independently from the cranial brain as well as having extensive sensory capacities. Scientists at Heartmath Institute researched into the heart-brain connection and found that the heart sends signals to the brain that can influence perception, emotional expression, and higher brain function.

In This Issue:

• Live life from your heart

• HeartMath® Appreciation Tool ™ and Exercises

• Welcome to our new team members

• Farewell from Susan

• Peppermint Chocolate Truffles

Live life from your heart

FEBRUARY 2018

FEBRUARY 2018

Did you know that when your heart beats it creates its own magnetic field that can be measured several meters from our body! This magnetic field can change based on our emotions. It has been proven others can detect the quality of your emotions through the electromagnetic energy emitted from your heart. The Heartmath Institute found heart rate variability and rhythms stood out as being the main indicator of internal emotional states. Negative emotions play a large role in creating distortions in heart rhythm, and in contrast to this, positive emotions restore more balance in the autonomic nerve system. These effects explain how thoughts can change your heart and in turn influence mental clarity, creativity, and personal effectiveness. Did you also know that when a couple is in love their heart rates have the ability to synchronise? When you are involved in a romantic relationship your heartbeat mimics your partners, and this is known as co-regulation. Look at how intelligent your body is! A key factor that affects your heart is your body’s function. Data from the 1999-2000 study of general practice in Australia illustrated that high blood pressure is the most common problem managed by doctors, accounting for 6% of all complaints. A report by the Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle study found that more than 3.6 million Australians over the age of 25 had high blood pressure or are medically managed for the rest of their lives. This is where chiropractic comes into play. A chiropractor’s main objective is to restore nervous system function to allow the body to operate optimally. In a study performed by Budgell and Polus, reported in The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (2006), they demonstrated that chiropractic spinal adjustments were linked with significant lowering of normal heart rate values and influenced the autonomic output of the heart. This illustrates that a shift in the neurological communication of the nervous system prompts the heart to slow or normalize. So what are some steps you can follow for a happy, healthy heart?

• Come in and get checked! When your nervous system is working free of dysfunction, your organs – including your heart – work at their optimum. Simple!

• Move! Aim to be active every day. It is fine to start small and build up! Regular, moderate physical activity is great for your heart health.

• Eat well! Eating a balanced diet full of healthy fats, lots of fibre, protein and good carbs is critical to heart and overall health. Hug often! When we embrace someone, oxytocin is released allowing us to feel happy as well as promoting the feeling of trust and bonding. Hugs are also great for your physical health. Whilst hugging, your skin activates pressure receptors which send signals to the vagus nerve, an area of the brain responsible for lowering blood pressure, amongst other things. Embracing also reduces the amount of the stress hormone, cortisol, that is produced in our bodies. Win-win!

Our challenge for this month is to ensure we give ‘Heart to Heart’ hugs, that is hugs with our hearts touching. Often we hug loved one’s liver to liver. By instead leaning to the right and having our hearts touch, our energy fields expand. Muscle testing shows your body strengthens with a heart to heart hug. Fun fact! Did you know that chiropractors in Australia are not allowed to hug people without consent? That is right! Luckily we have the CCK ‘Consent to Hug’ form available to you! Our hearts have travelled across the Tasman to join the community at CCK. We look forward to serving you and seeing your lovely smiles around the office. Eat well, move, get adjusted, and live life from your heart. ~ Joseph and Emily

HEARTMATH® APPRECIATION TOOL ™ AND EXERCISES

FEBRUARY 2018

Source: https://www.heartmath.org/resources/heartmath-tools/heartmath-appreciation-tool-and-exercises/

FAREWELL FROM SUSAN

FEBRUARY 2018

Dear Coast Chiropractic Kawana tribe,

It’s with an enormous heart, filled with love and gratitude as I say goodbye to you this month.

The time has come for me to spread my wings and venture out on my own. My new place of residence is, Palmwoods Chiropratic Centre. Well not completely on my own, Tracey will also be joining me up in Palmwoods. She will be finishing up at the end of Feb.

It’s been an incredible journey here at Coast Chiropratic Kawana and I’m so grateful to have been part of your lives over the past 7 years. I have learnt so much; I have laughed; I have cried; I have been amazed. The experience I have gained has helped shape the chiropractor I am today.

To the chiropractic assistants, thank you for your ongoing support, laughter and encouragement.

To the Chiropractors, thank you for your knowledge, guidance and love.

To Mark and Jackie Postles, thank you for believing in me and for being the invitation to be greater.

To each and every person that has come into this amazing chiropractic office – THANK YOU. Thank you for your love, trust, and acknowledgement. You will be missed.

Love and laughter Susan

37 Main St, Palmwoods

Ph: 5445 9473

Want a regular Coast Chiropractic Kawana fix?

‘Like’ us on Facebook and enjoy regular updates and keep yourself

informed about what’s going on day to day around the office.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS

FEBRUARY 2018

My name is Steven Bowman and I am excited to join the family here at Coast

Chiropractic Kawana as a Chiropractic Assistant. I have been a member of

the extended family for a number of years as I am the husband of Karen, one

of our chiropractors. I have come from a career in 5 star hotel management

and food & beverage operations for the past 25 years.

I enjoy family time and our two boys ensure I am always on the move. I love

all things sport, at present enjoying a pursuit of triathlon which has created a

new hobby and fitness program. I am currently training for the upcoming

Caloundra Triathlon in February and the Mooloolaba Triathlon in March. I’m a

keen Wests Tigers Rugby League and Brisbane Lions AFL fan.

I am currently immersed in training at the practice and loving it. I look forward

to meeting you all over the coming weeks and months.

Thanks for the already warm welcome in my first two weeks at Coast Chiropractic Kawana.

Hello, my name is Emily, a graduate of the New Zealand College

of Chiropractic. I am so excited to be joining the CCK team in

2018!

Born to chiropractic enthusiasts, my chiropractic journey began

when I was days old. By age four, I was playing chiropractor with

my dog, Lucy! Watching people living healthier and happier lives

through chiropractic care inspired my passion for health and well-

ness. I love caring for people of all ages and helping them to

reach their maximum potential.

I am overjoyed to become a part of the community and look for-ward to meeting you all soon!

My name is Joseph. I was born and raised in New Zealand. At the age of 16 I went to a chiropractor just up the road from where I lived and resonated with the hands on healing approach and the positive environment that was the chiropractic office. From a young age I noticed that getting regular chiro-practic checks improved my sleep, energy and mood and my body’s ability to function. I grew to love chiropractic and hoped that others could experi-ence what I had. I attended the New Zealand College of Chiropractic and recently graduated after 5 years of hard work. I haven’t looked back. In my spare time I enjoy the outdoors, swimming, running and cycling. My current philosophy is that life can be short so take hold of each day and express life to its fullest. I am very excited for my next chapter moving to the Sunshine Coast and I look forward to meeting you all very soon.

Emily Grimwood

Joseph O’Gorman

Steve Bowman

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

FEBRUARY 2018

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients

400g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

¾ cup coconut cream (if you can’t have coconut you can use dairy cream instead)

2-4 drops 100% pure peppermint essential oil

2 tbs of coconut sugar

pinch of salt

cacao nibs to decorate

Method

1. Roughly chop 200g of room temperature dark

chocolate, no larger than 1cm pieces. Place in a heat

proof bowl and set aside.

2. Heat coconut cream and coconut sugar over medium

to low heat in a small saucepan, stirring until

cream starts to slightly boil and sugar is dissolved.

3. Remove coconut cream from stove and pour over

bowl of chopped dark chocolate. Quickly stir in cream

until chocolate is complete melted and combined with

cream, creating a thick ganache.

4. Add the peppermint essential oil one drop at a

time, tasting as you go for desired intensity – you can

always add more. Add salt and mix to combine.

5. Cover ganache mixture and put in the fridge to set

overnight. If you are in a hurry you can put in the freezer

for 2-3 hours.

6. Once ganache is set remove from the fridge. Using a

dessert spoon to help you, roll the mixture into balls

using the heat of your hands to get an even shape.

Place on a tray lined with baking paper. Put balls

back into the fridge for 10 mis, or if you are in a really

humid or hot climate, in the freezer might be better.

7. While your chocolate balls are setting, put the

remaining 200g of chopped chocolate on a double boiler

and heat on low, stirring until chocolate

is completely melted. Remove from heat and allow

to cool slightly, the ideal temperature is about

32 degrees (if you have a candy thermometer). If the

chocolate is too hot it will just run completely off the

balls and you won’t get much coverage on the truffles.

8. Remove your chocolate balls from the fridge

or freezer. Using a toothpick or a spiral dipping tool (I

use this, can’t live without it) and dip your truffles in the

the melted chocolate to coat. Decorate with cacao nibs.

Store in the fridge for 1 week in an air tight container…

if they last that long!Best served at room temperature to

get a soft centre when you bite in!

Enjoy!

Recipe from Cooked with Love. For more mouth-watering recipes visit www.cookedwithlove.com.au

Cooked with Love eBook

Do you love the recipes in the CCK newsletter?

Check out the new eBook from Cooked with Love and

start baking some delightful, healthy treats!