Health and Fitness Articles

Posts Tagged ‘O’ Fallon’

We certainly live in stressful times. It is not easy to assess whether our era is the most stressful, but we do have plenty of daily stress. The job, the home, the kids, the relatives, and the economy - all these stresses add up and yet we wonder why we have so many aches and pains.

So many ailments are stress-related. Americans are notoriously overweight. Overeating is a stress-coping mechanism.1 Headaches and backaches are often associated with increased stress. There’s a strong correlation between high blood pressure and stress, ulcers and stress, and even cancer and stress.

What can we do? The external stresses in our lives are not going away. Our activity-filled lives are busy and complex - there’s always going to be stress. The key is to help avoid or ease the physical effects of stress. Interestingly, chiropractic treatment can be of great assistance in reducing the effects of stress on the body.

In general, stress causes muscles to tighten. This is an unconscious reaction. Tight muscles cause a cascade of further muscle tightening, shortening of muscles and ligaments and, as a result, a decrease of mobility in joints, particularly shoulder joints, hip joints, and joints of the spine.2,3

This overall mechanical effect of stress has a number of additional consequences. All the extra unconscious muscle activity wastes precious nutritional resources and uses up energy needed for critical body functions. Lactic acid accumulates, irritating nerve endings and further increasing muscular tightness. And, importantly, the losses in spinal joint mobility lead directly to increased levels of pain. This, of course, leads to more stress.

This vicious circle of stress, muscular tightness, and pain can be relieved and reduced by chiropractic treatment.4 Chiropractic therapy is specially designed to improve joint mobility of the spine and pelvis. This gentle, effective treatment gradually restores maximal spinal motion. Muscle tightness is alleviated, metabolic processes begin to return to normal, and nutrients become more available to help maintain healthy functioning. Levels of pain are reduced, and we become better able to withstand the physical effects of stress.

Your chiropractor will explain the many benefits of treatment, and will provide instruction in stretching techniques and specific exercises that will help maintain the positive results of therapy.

There will always be stress. And we can learn how to reduce the physical effects of stress, and become stronger, healthier, and happier in the process. ——————————————————————————–

Take a Break! A few quick tips -

Get up out of your chair or leave your workbench and walk over to an open window. Change your point-of-view. Breathe some fresh air. Go for a five-minute walk, either in the corridors of your building or out-of-doors. Call a friend and chat for five minutes. Close your eyes, and clear your mind, and take an imaginary vacation - relaxing on a warm beach, deep-sea fishing on a beautiful yacht, or skiing down a gorgeous mountain.

Taking these short, focused breaks will help reduce muscular tightness and physical stress, and also help your brain recharge so you can be more creative and productive!

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1Marchesini G, et al: Psychiatric distress and health-related quality of life in obesity. Diabetes Nutr Metab 16(3):145-154, 2003 2Weickgenant AL, et al: Coping activities in chronic low back pain: relationship with depression. Pain 53(1):95-103, 1993 3Burns JW: Arousal of negative emotions and symptom specific reactivity in chronic low back pain patients. Emotion 6(2):309-319, 2006 4Hurwitz EL, et al. A randomized trial of chiropractic and medical care for patients with low back pain. Spine 31(6):611-621, 2006

For more information on health and chiropractic please contact Dr. FowlerDr. Jason Fowler at www.lakestlouisdc.comwww.lakestlouisdc.com

Renewability, sustainability, and energy conservation are all over the news. Every newspaper’s front page and every television nightly news program features sustainability daily. These are important issues, not only for the health of our planet, but also for our physical health and well-being.

Our physical health depends on how we maximize our available energy resources - how we use our body’s stores of energy, how we replace and renew that energy, and how we practice conservation of our physical energy.

The interaction of all the elements of our human physiology is exactly analogous to the interaction of ecosystems in the global ecology. It’s an interesting and powerful comparison.

Energy resources in our body consist of nutrients obtained from food, oxygen, and stored energy in the form of sugars (glycogen) and fats. We gain energy by eating good food and balancing our nutritional choices from all the major food groups.1,2 We gain energy by having efficient and well-toned cardiovascular and respiratory systems. We gain energy by having strong muscles. And we can gain energy by getting sufficient rest.

How we use these resources depends on instructions from the nerve system. Being able to use these resources efficiently depends on the underlying tone of our cells and tissues, which in turn depends on normal flow of information in the nerve system.

Hyperactive nerve systems and sluggish nerve systems - due to a variety of causes - create imbalances up and down the line.3 Systems perform abnormally. Your metabolism slows down or speeds up. You do not digest your food properly. You use too many or too little resources for a given task, and the job doesn’t get done properly. Muscles get tight. Joints get stiff. You have pain. You get sick.

In these cases you are using more energy - due to inefficient systems - than you’re taking in. You’re not sustaining your resources, you’re depleting them. Sooner or later, your entire system will begin to breakdown. You have chronic pain, you’re tired all the time, you toss and turn when you should be sleeping, and you’re irritable during the day.

Energy is not being renewed. Your body’s out of balance, physically and metaphorically.

Chiropractic treatment directly addresses these energy concerns. Chiropractic care is all about your energy management and conservation of resources. Gentle chiropractic treatment focuses on restoring balance to nerve systems, muscular systems, and physical structure. Energy begins to flow to where it’s needed most, chronic pain begins to resolve, and you begin to sleep more restfully. You have a greater focus and get done the things you want to get done during the day. Your relationships with family and friends are more enjoyable, and life itself becomes much more fun.

Your chiropractor - your energy conservation specialist - is an important natural resource for your well-being and your family’s well-being.

1Katona P, Katona-Apte J- The interaction between nutrition and infection. Clin Infect Dis 46(10):1582-1588, 2008 2UNESCO, Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific: Population, nutrition, and health. Bull Unesco Reg Off Educ Asia Pac 23:260-268, 1982 3D’Melllo R, Dickenson AH: Spinal cord mechanisms of pain. Br J Anaesth April 15, 2008

Americans spend more than $2 billion each year on sleep-aiding medications. Sleep is supposed to be a natural process. What is going on? There are many issues in the way of getting a good night’s sleep. Daily stresses - work problems, financial difficulties, family challenges - can all keep a person up at night.1 We rehash what was said over and over again, or we endlessly review the problems confronting us, creating more anxiety and worry while the minutes and maybe even hours tick away.

Eating late at night - particularly fat-filled foods and snacks - may also interfere with the ability to fall asleep and sleep restfully. Late night meals engage all the resources of your digestive system - your body is actually doing a lot of work when it’s supposed to be resting. Not good. And, of course, a lot of this late night food is stored as fat, creating additional problems.

Not enough exercise also contributes to lack of restful sleep.2,3 When you are doing vigorous physical work, your body needs to recover. Sleep allows your body to repair and rebuild, getting stronger in the process. Regardless of one’s stresses and worries, vigorous exercise makes a physical demand on your body that will put you right to sleep. If you’re not exercising regularly, this strong physiologic need for deep rest is missing, and you’ll likely be tossing and turning the night away.

Old, soft, lumpy mattresses are another potential sleep-disturber. But too-firm mattresses may also cause problems. A good mattress is supportive and comfortable - it “gives” in all the right places and provides a balanced, springy platform for a restful night’s sleep. The solutions are straightforward and none of them involve medication. Regular exercise is the key ingredient. With consistent exercise, your body’s need for sleep will win out over your conscious mind’s automatic mechanism of repeatedly processing the day’s events.

Chiropractic care may be another key ingredient. Gentle chiropractic treatment ensures that all your body’s systems are talking to each other and the right messages are getting through. Chiropractic treatment ensures clear communication from one body system to another. Late at night, systems shut down when they are supposed to and the result is a good night’s sleep. Your chiropractor will be glad to provide you with important information on customized exercise and nutrition programs that will help you continue to be healthy and well.

1Richardson GS: Human physiological models of insomnia. Sleep Med 8(Suppl 4):S9-S14, 2007 2Lee YC, et al- Lifestyle risk factors associated with fatigue in graduate students. J Formos Med Assoc 106(7):565-572, 2007 3Li F, et al: Tai chi and self-rated quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc 52(6):892-900, 2004

The New Food Pyramid The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently released a new, more individualized, food pyramid called MyPyramid. The USDA is offering many tools and tips on www.mypyramid.com. The traditional food groups include grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat and beans. An important new category, Physical Activity, has been added to the overall pyramid. Sample menus, vegetarian diets, and tips for eating out are part of the informative and fun materials provided by the USDA. “MyPyramid for Kids” reminds kids to be physically active every day and to make healthy food choices. “MyPyramid for Kids” posters and coloring pages are available for downloading on the MyPyramid site. “Steps to a Healthier Weight”, dietary guidelines, and detailed information for pregnancy and breastfeeding are included, as well as steps for outlining personalized MyPyramid Plans.

People often wonder about taking vitamins. Should I bother? Are vitamins worth the money? Which ones should I take? In order, the answers are yes, yes, and ask your chiropractor to recommend the brand best for you.

Why take vitamins at all? The purpose of supplementation is to cover all bases — to make sure they’re covered. How can you be sure your diet contains all the cofactors and trace minerals needed to make your metabolism work correctly? And what about all the antioxidants that fight free radical formation and the phytonutrients that seem to have so much benefit in cancer prevention?

Likewise, it would take a lot of effort to be certain that your diet contained sufficient iodine, magnesium, selenium, chromium, folate, and vitamins B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12 (cyanocobalamin).Taking supplements guarantees that these requirements have been met. It’s simple, safe, and efficient in terms of both time and cost.

Which brand of supplementation is best? There’s no right answer here, it’s more of a practical decision. You’ll know if a specific brand is right if you feel healthier and more energetic after taking it regularly for four to six weeks. You chiropractor will assist you by providing expert information and recommendations. There are no peer-reviewed, hard statistical data suggesting that one brand is superior. “Results” here are qualitative, not quantitative. The important point is that vitamin/mineral supplementation is necessary to ensure optimal metabolic functioning and physical well-being.

What about using specific supplements for specific things, such as taking calcium supplements after a bone-density study has revealed loss of bone mass (osteoporosis)? Is this an effective therapy? Well, in the postmenopausal setting if you’re not exercising, the calcium you take will simply be excreted. Completely useless. On the other hand, if you are exercising or begin an exercise program, the additional calcium will be useful in providing raw material for stronger bones, built in response to the stress of exercise.

What about calcium supplementation for younger women? Again, exercise is the key to forestalling osteoporosis2. Of course, this includes taking sufficient daily calcium. The recommended daily requirement for calcium is 1000-1200 mg. So, a vitamin/mineral supplement supplies 500 mg. A cup of yogurt adds another 250 mg. A glass of skim milk or a piece of low-fat cheese adds another 250 mg. Non-dairy sources of calcium include calcium-fortified orange juice, spinach, turnips, and sardines (with the bones). Dietary sources plus your vitamin/mineral supplements provide close to the recommended dose.

Taking additional calcium tablets or pills can make up the difference.

Vitamin/mineral supplements are important for busy people. Supplementation ensures a consistent, optimal dose of necessary nutrients. Balanced nutrition, in combination with regular exercise, will help provide vibrant, glowing good health.

1Rosen CJ Clinical practice. Postmenopausall osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 353(6):595-603, 2005 2Swanenburg J, et al: Effects of exercise and nutrition on postural balance and risk of falling in elderly people. Clin Rehabil 21(6):523-34, 2007 3Speckerr B, Vukovich M: Evidence for an interaction between exercise and nutrition for improved bone health during growth. Med Sport Sci 51:50-63, 2007