Are You Stressed?

10 Ways to Chase Away Stress

• Take deep breaths.
• Take a walk outside the office.  Get some sun!!
• Say no to what you don’t have time to do.
• Leave work on time.
• Lower demands you put on yourself.
• Take a yoga class.
• Take care of taxing tasks in the morning to get them out of the way.
• Look at large projects as a series of steps to complete one by one. 
• Laugh at least once a day!
• Live for Today.  Don’t dwell in the past or worry about the future.
• Take care of yourself……Visit your chiropractor, exercise and EAT RIGHT! 

As part of our Miracle Year of Wellness, here is our new patient special! 100% donated to local charities!

It's our Miracle Year of Wellness

 

 

Trick or Treat?

 Treat yourself to the good feeling of being in excellent health with chiropractic care.  Chiropractic uses the body’s own powerful self-healing mechanisms to achieve health.  With proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and a properly functioning spine, the body easily overcomes many health problems.  Tricking your body into thinking it feels good by masking the symptoms of poor health with aspirin and other pain killers or drugs only covers up the symptoms temporarily leaving the cause of the pain unresolved.

    Over 100 years ago, it was discovered that many painful conditions could be relieved by adjusting misaligned vertebrae back into normal alignment.  Since then it has grown into the 2nd largest health care provider in the world because it works for so many people.  Chiropractic care helps your body keep itself healthy.

Prevention: The Best Cure

The most significant diseases we face today are, for the most part, self-perpetuated. In other words, if we get sick, chances are it was our own fault. Places like the American Heart Association, The Texas University Cancer Prevention Institute, the National Institute of Health, and The Center for Disease Control are finding that the most effective treatment for prevention or recovery of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes is lifestyle. As much as 85 percent of these conditions can be prevented through properly caring for your body. Exercise is an excellent start. It not only improves body function, but it also helps to balance metabolic activity and significantly boosts immunity. The most common excuses for not exercising are lack of time, boredom and pain. As little as 10 minutes of exercise per day will allow your body to function better and increase metabolic processes with benefits lasting up to 24 hours. So, you see, It’s just a matter of taking some time for yourself durring the day. See if you can grab some time before work or even try to sneak over to the gym on your lunch hour. A regular exercise routine will pay off in healthy dividends for years to come!!

Childhood Obesity: An epidemic?

Obesity is obviously something that in recent years has become more and more prevalent among not only our adult American citizens, but our children as well.  In fact, in the past two decades the incidence of childhood obesity has more than tripled what it once was.  Overweight and obese children are not only faced with increased health problems, but are also likely to suffer from low self-esteem and depression as a result of their weight.  Thre are a few simple steps that parents can take to make sure their kids avoid this disturbing trend.  The first step is to cut down on the amount of sugar your child consumes from soft drinks and fruit juices, and replace them with water.  Next, you should incorporate a diet of healthy whole, nutritious foods rather than the processed ones found on most grocery store shelves.  Exercise is another extremely important factor.  Fifty years ago, you could open your door and hear the sound of birds chirping, and kids riding their bikes and playing in their back yards.  Now a days, all you would hear are the birds chirping because the kids are sitting in front of the television sets playing video games.  And remember, children learn their eating habits from those closest to them, so it’s important that parents are also eating well and exercising.  These tips will not only help to conquer the obesity epidemic, but will also provide a simple strategy for improving the health of everyone in your family.

Knock Out Heart Disease with Lifestyle Changes

Consuming fast or processed foods, being overweight and heavily stressed, as well as living a sedentary lifestyle has seemingly become the norm in today’s society.  As dangerous and scary as heart disease has become, it is largely preventable and can actually be reversed simply by replacing bad habits with good ones.

 

A recent study published in the journal of the American Medical Association found that 90 percent of people who had a heart attack also had at least one major risk factor for heart disease such as cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure.  Contrary to what you hear on the news, it is not the saturated fat in the foods we eat that is causing all of this heart disease, but rather, and far more, it is the excess carbohydrates from our starch- and sugar-laden diet that is making people fat and unhealthy, and leading to epidemic levels of a host of diseases such as diabetes and later, heart disease

 

Americans need to reduce their intake of grains, including corn-based foods, and all sweets and potatoes, dramatically. Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates generates a rapid rise in blood glucose and then insulin to compensate for the rise in blood sugar. The insulin released from eating too many carbohydrates promotes fat and makes it more difficult for the body to lose fat, and excess weight is one of the major contributors to heart disease.

 

Omega 3 essential fatty acids, along with vitamin K, are both very necessary components of an anti-heart disease diet.  The best source of omega 3’s are found in oily fish and fish oils, while vitamin K is readily abundant in leafy green vegetables, and to a lesser extent, eggs.

 

However, the most common contributing factor to heart disease is unresolved stress.  Even the best diet in the world is not likely to overcome the damage created by lingering emotional stresses.  Remember, you don’t have to get heart disease. Regardless of what stage your health is at right now, you can make major improvements by changing your lifestyle to one that promotes health rather than discourages it.

10 Ways to Chase Away Stress

Take deep breaths.

Take a walk outside of the office.

Say no to what you don’t have time to do.

Leave work on time.

Lower demands you put on yourself.

Ask questions and communicate with coworkers.

Take care of taxing tasks in the morning to get them out of the way.

Look at large projects as a series of steps to complete one by one.

Laugh at least once a day.

Live for today.  Don’t dwell in the past or worry about the future.

Take care of yourself.

 

Source:  www.chiropractictruth.com

Can Exercise Control Back Pain?

George Kolettis, MD

Most people know regular exercise will improve their appearance and general health, but few realize the positive effects that good physical conditioning can have on their low back pain. Many studies show dramatic improvements of low back pain in individuals who are physically fit. In addition, the person in good physical shape is much less likely than the average person to injure their back during work or daily activities.

 

The benefit of exercise for your low back depends on three key principles. First, you must attain satisfactory aerobic fitness. Second, you should focus part of your work-out on the muscle groups that support your back. Third, you must avoid exercises that place excessive stresses on your back.

The ideal aerobic exercise involves the large muscle groups of your body (arms and legs) in a smooth, cyclical fashion. Recommended exercises include swimming, fast walking, cycling, and using a ski machine or elliptical exerciser. You should achieve the appropriate heart rate for 30 minutes at least three times per week. Of course, you should consult your family physician and review your aerobic program before getting started. He/she can give you the appropriate target for your heart rate during aerobic exercise. It is always optimal to approach your aerobic goals slowly, especially if you have not recently worked-out.

Part of your work-out should stretch and strengthen the muscles of your low back, abdomen, pelvis, and thighs. Flexibility in these areas will greatly decrease the chance of further injury to the back. By strengthening these muscle groups, the body’s weight distribution and posture are improved, resulting in less stress on the low back. It is best to perform these exercises after a good warm up, such as your aerobic routine. Ask your health club staff or physical therapist for instructions on specific stretching and strengthening exercises for these areas.

While the merits of good conditioning cannot be overstated, the wrong type of exercise may actually worsen your low back problem. Activities that impart excessive stress on the back—such as lifting heavy weights, squatting, and climbing—are not advised. In addition, high impact exercises such as running, jumping, and step aerobics can aggravate a low back condition.

When walking, wear well-cushioned shoes with good arch supports and use a treadmill or a track made for athletics. Cycling on a recumbent stationary bike can relieve stress on the back.

With the help of your physician, physical therapist and health club staff, you can achieve proper physical fitness. Your low back pain may be decreased and your lifespan increased!

 

source:  www.spineuniverse.com

Water: It does the body good!

The human body is made up of 75% water.  Water is needed as a solution in numerous chemical reactions that take place in the body.  Our body needs water almost as much as it needs oxygen.  Beyond being refreshing to drink, soothing to listen to and fun to splash in, water plays many vital roles in our lives, including the following:

• Water is required for breathing – lungs must be moist to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
• Water helps convert food into energy.
• Water carries nutrients from food, and oxygen from air to our body cells.
• Water helps to regulate body temperature.
• Water helps the body metabolize fat.
• Water is needed to carry away body wastes.

Statistics and research regarding water: 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
(Likely applies to half of the world population)

1. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
2. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
3. One glass of water eliminated midnight hunger for 98% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington Study.
4. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
5. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
6. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
7. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 75%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
8. Injection with sterile saline near an acupuncture point in the sacroiliac region has eliminated back pain during labor for some pregnant women. . .Choose water instead of drugs!

www.chiropractictruth.com

Can Eating Help You Lose Weight?

Achieving healthy weight isn’t so much a matter of eating less as eating smarter.  True, the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in.  But you don’t have to starve yourself.

1.    FILL UP ON FIBER.  Fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and bran make you feel fuller faster on fewer calories.  Plus, they also tend to be loaded with disease fighting nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.
2.    LOAD UP ON CALCIUM.  Researchers believe this important nutrient may suppress hormones that help retain stored fat.  In one new study, high calcium, low calorie diets helped obese mice lose weight at rates double those of mice given low levels of calcium.  Good sources:  lowfat dairy foods, calcium fortified orange juice, leafy green vegetables, and tofu.

3.    DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST.  You’ll help prevent binge eating later in the day.  Try starting out with high-fiber cereal, whole-grain bread, or fresh fruit.
4.    HANG OUT IN THE KITCHEN MORE.  Cooking at home is the most effective way to make sure your food is the healthiest — you control the portion size as well as fat and salt content.
5.    MAKE EATING ENJOYABLE.  French people consume more fat than Americans, yet have much lower rates of obesity.  Recent studies on the “French paradox” reveal one possible reason:  The French savor eating, while Americans are more likely to rush through meals.  Why not try playing soothing music during the dinner tonight to slow down the pace?
6.    TREAT YOURSELF!  Cutting out favorite treats can backfire, dietitians say.  Try simply eating less of what you love.  Examples:  Go out for ice cream now and then – but have one scoop, not two – or have one piece of fancy chocolate – not three or four.  You won’t be depriving yourself, and you’ll still be working toward your goal of a healthy weight.

 

Source:  www.chiropractictruth.com