“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 spooky, fun, goofy images
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Minster Chiropractic Center
is making light of the pumpkin’s quandry and admits
to enjoying the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its tasty, healthy features for our
Minster chiropractic patients who are being treated for back pain or neck pain and their supporting families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin grows
and grows! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the most common ingredient for great
pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its being nutrient-dense
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 promising functional
properties known today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, and more.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color attributes 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 that young
and old alike enjoy…including Minster Chiropractic Center and our Minster
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is of importance in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the
young and ripened stages – exhibited the greatest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging generates increasingly more
molecular harm to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
The right intake of antioxidants is key
as we age. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash)
are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even suggested that these should be consumed daily! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers found a treasure trove of useful
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases precipitated
by oxidative stress. (6) Minster Chiropractic Center is in favor of
protecting cells and the well-being of our Minster
chiropractic clients.
CONTACT Minster Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the importance of containing
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Minster chiropractic
appointment now. Minster Chiropractic Center appreciates
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still anticipate the annual cutting, decorating, and baking!