Looking for some healthy yet elegant ways to enjoy seasonal fruit?  Apples and pears are high in fiber and readily available this season.  Check out the two recipes below.

Baked Apples

Ingredients
5 apples (Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji or Honeycrisp)
5 tsp. honey
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2.  Place the raisins in a small bowl and pour about 1/2 cup of boiling water over them.  As an alternative, juice, rum or cognac can be used to soak the raisins for added flavor.
3.  In another small bowl, combine the raisins, walnuts, honey and cinnamon and set aside.
4.  Wash and dry apples.  Using a paring knife or apple corer, remove the stem and seeds and hollow out the middle section of each apple.  Make sure to preserve the bottom 1/2 inch of the apple so that the filling does not fall out.
5.  Place the apples on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and stuff them with the raisin-walnut mixture.
6.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until apples are tender but not mushy.
7.  Serve as is or with a little cream or vanilla ice cream.

Poached Pears

Ingredients

4 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
4 cups water
2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Zest from one orange
6-8 ripe pears

Directions

1.  Place all ingredients except pears in a large saucepan over low heat.
2.  Wash, peel and core the pears.  Use a small melon baller to scoop out the core from the bottom of the pear.
3.  Place all the pears in the saucepan, making sure that all the pears are fully covered with liquid.
4.  Bring the pot to a simmer for 30 minutes.  When the pears are soft but not mushy, remove from liquid and serve.

The flu prevention homeopathic remedy called Flu Nosode is back in stock for the 2019-2020 flu season.  This remedy is meant to be taken on a schedule throughout the fall, winter and spring to prevent the most common strains of the flu.  Please call us for more information or if you would like us to set a bottle aside for you!

Is your digestion less than optimal?  Do you suffer from bloating, gas, pain, constipation or diarrhea?  Are you not sure that you are effectively absorbing nutrients from your food?  Would you like to understand how digestion affects the rest of your system?  If so, please join me tomorrow evening, Tuesday September 24th at 5:30 pm at Aspen Grove Physical Therapy at 310 S. 9th St. in Montrose.  We will spend an hour discussing optimal digestion and nutritionally oriented tips for how to achieve it.  Please join us!  

I continue to enjoy seeing patients at DCMH Family Medicine in Delta once per month.  My schedule there for the rest of the year is below.  Please schedule ahead of time through that office by calling 970-874-5777 as my day there often fills up quickly.  This is an ideal option for those of you who live in Olathe, Delta, Cedaredge, Hotchkiss, Paonia, Crawford, Grand Junction and even Montrose! 

October 11th from 9-4 
November 8th from 9-4 
December 13th from 9-4

All services that I offer in Ridgway are available in Delta as well.  Please call my Ridgway office at 970-626-3188 if you have any questions.

It is that time of year again!  I am already seeing patients with colds, coughs and sinus infections in the office now that school has started and the weather is beginning to change. 
I am now carrying Cold Dx, a Chinese herbal formula from the same company as Aller Dx which has been amazing for addressing cold and flu symptoms very rapidly.  Like Aller Dx it is non-drowsy and stimulant-free.  
For those who seem to get sick frequently or work in an environment where they are exposed to many people such as teachers and health care providers, I love A-Biotic from Protocol for Life Balance.  This immune supportive formula has been remarkably effective at preventing infection if taken daily throughout the winter.
Additionally, I continue to carry all of your general immune support favorites such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, Bromelain, Berberine and Probiotics.  
Please contact us if you have any questions about the products I mentioned or would like us to set some aside for you!

I am very excited to announce that I will be offering a free lecture series this fall at Aspen Grove Physical Therapy at 310 S. 9th St. in Montrose.  The schedule is below:

Optimal Digestion on September 24th at 5:30 pm 
Modulating Inflammation Naturally on October 24th at 5:30 pm 
Healthy Bones At Any Age on November 12th at 5:30 pm

Please call 240-4015 or 626-3188 to register in advance.  I look forward to seeing you there!

I will be out of the office from August 14th to the 25th.  I will be back in the office August 26th.  Kiva will be at the front desk on August 19th and 20th while I am gone to assist you with supplement refills, appointment scheduling and anything else you need.  Keep in mind that you can also refill most supplements and schedule appointments through my websitewww.drabigailseaver.com.   

Molly Willard will be seeing clients in my office for Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy sessions on Friday August 16th.  Please contact Molly at 970-250-7066 to schedule an appointment in Ridgway or at her studio in Olathe.

I have a CSA membership with Circle A in Montrose and always receive an abundance of green leafy vegetables each summer that I get to find creative ways to use!  Here are some recent ways to enjoy greens…..

Breakfast Salad
1.  Fill a dinner plate with a mix of washed salad greens.  
2.  Top with 1/2 an avocado, sliced and any other desired vegetables.  This could include a dollop of naturally fermented saurkraut.
3.  Dress with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
4.  Top with 1-2 pasture raised eggs cooked any style (poached, fried, hard boiled, etc.)
5.  Sprinkle with sea salt and ground black pepper.  
6.  Enjoy!

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 small red onion, diced
1-2 bunches swiss chard, stems removed and chopped and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

1.  Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the chard stems and the white wine.  Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted.  Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Check out this great opportunity!  Valisha Keough, Certified Rolfer and Registered Nurse will be scheduling treatments with clients in my officethrough September 5th. 

Rolfing, also known as Structural Integration is a systematic bodywork therapy that combines skillful manipulation of the fascia network and movement education.  Rolfing is a progression from one session to the next; each building upon and reinforcing each other.

Call Valisha at 970-318-0415, email her at valisha@alignrolfingtime.comor check out her website www.alignrolfingtime.com for more information and testamonials about her work.  Appointments are available with this talented practitioner many late afternoons, Fridays and weekends for the next month.  

Two of the labs that I use regularly are offering special prices for very helpful tests that are not widely available elsewhere.

1.  Diagnostechs Lab is offering their Adrenal Stress Index Panel for 25% off.  This reduces the price from $150 to $112.50.  The Adrenal Stress Index Panel is one of the most common tests that I order to investigate causes of unexplained fatigue and hormone imbalance.  It includes 4 Cortisol measurements in addition to DHEA, 17-Hydroxyprogesterone, Insulin, Salivary IgA and Gliadin Antibodies.  This price is available for the first 25 people who contact me.
2.  US Biotek Lab is offering their Urinary Metabolic Profile for $150.  The cost of this type of test is typically $350.  This test measures levels of 36 organic acids in the urine to create a unique biochemistry profile for each person that reflects how the body is obtaining and utilizing nutrients.  I typically order this test to help determine the underlying cause of many types of chronic disease.  This price is available through July 31st. 

Please contact me for more information about these tests and how they might benefit you!

I greatly appreciate your referrals to friends, family and colleagues and would like to extend a thank you gift of 20% off your next supplement purchase for each new referral who sees me for a new patient appointment.  You will receive a card in the mail which you can redeem at your convenience for 20% off your next entire supplement order.

Thank you for valuing the services that I provide!

This recipe comes from a fantastic book called “The Healthy Bones Nutrition Plan and Cookbook” by Dr. Laura Kelly.  It is one of many dietary and lifestyle strategies to improve bone density without medications.

Nut and Seed Breakfast
1 Tbsp. ground seeds such as chia, hemp, golden flax, white sesame, black sesame, poppy 
1 tsp. pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. sunflower seeds
1 or 2 dried black mission or turkish figs or 2 fresh figs
1 dried apricot, unsulfured
1 brazil nut
8 nuts total from this collection:  macadamias, almonds, cashews, filberts, pecans, pistachios or walnuts
1 tsp. blackstrap molasses
1/2-3/4 cup milk (this author recommends raw milk) or unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/4-1/3 cup blueberries, raspberries or sliced strawberries

Using a seed grinder, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the seeds.  Put in a breakfast bowl.  Add pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  Cut figs and apricot into pieces and add to seeds.  Add 1 brazil nut and 2 each of four or more nuts.  Add molasses.  Pour the milk over the mixture and stir.  Top with fresh fruit and enjoy!

I will be out of the office from July 1st to July 8th.  My new office manager Kiva will be at the front desk on July 1st, 2nd and 8th to assist you with supplement purchases, appointment scheduling and anything else that you need.  Please call the office as soon as possible if you would like to see me before I leave or if you need to refill any supplements that are not available on my online store.  Have a festive July 4th!

Have you been struggling with seasonal allergy symptoms?  After much searching I have found an herbal formula which works very quickly and effectively with absolutely no drowsiness or foggy feeling.  Aller Dx is a Chinese herbal formula which improves immune system tolerance to the environment.  Within 10-20 minutes, histamine response is calmed and nasal airflow is much improved.  This is the most effective natural treatment for seasonal allergies that I have found.  The company that makes this product also has a very effective cold and flu formula which I will be carrying starting in the fall.  Please contact us if you would like more information!

The perfect easy recipe for July 4th entertaining or just summer dining!

BBQ Chicken with Peach Slaw
Serves 4

5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
3/8 tsp. salt, divided
1 1/2 cups sliced peaches (about 2 medium)
1 12 oz. package broccoli slaw
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1 inch strips
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Step1:
Combine 4 Tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl with a whisk.  Add peaches and broccoli slaw to dressing, toss gently to coat. 

Step 2:
Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat.  Add chicken to pan, cook 6 minutes or until done.  Put chicken in a large bowl.  Add BBQ sauce to chicken and toss.

Step 3:
Divide slaw mixture evenly among 4 plates, top evenly with chicken strips.  Sprinkle with chives and feta and serve.