Here Comes the Sun and Vitamin D

Here Comes the Sun

Regular Chiropractic Care Helps Build Healthy Bones

Your daily dose of Vitamin D participates in a complex biochemical sequence of events leading to the construction of strong bones and teeth. In order to help achieve these important goals, the vitamin D molecule must be processed by the kidney and liver to yield a metabolically active form. Such processing depends on timely and accurate instructions received from the nerve system and feedback signals transmitted to the nerve system by the target organs. Biomechanical integrity of the spine supports this series of events. As nerve interference will disrupt vitamin D metabolism and function, proper alignment of the spinal column is necessary to ensure appropriate functioning of the nerve system. Regular chiropractic care detects, analyzes, and corrects sources of nerve interference and thus is an essential part of effective utilization of vitamin D. Overall, regular chiropractic care is an important component of a complete program of health and wellness.

Summer is here and, although you may not be actually "dancin' in the streets" as famously proclaimed by the beloved Motown group Martha and the Vandellas, you will likely be spending much more time outside. One of the great benefits of our increased time outdoors is the biochemical activation of vitamin D synthesis triggered by exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight. Of course, in today's world, it's important to make sure we're not exposed to too much ultraviolet radiation. We need to balance the beneficial effects of vitamin D verses the harms of overexposure.

Vitamin D, also known as cholecalciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that is primarily obtained when our skin comes in contact with sunlight. The molecule thus synthesized is inert metabolically and is processed in the liver and kidney to yield the active form, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, otherwise known as active vitamin D3. Problematically, we are exposed to substantially less sunlight than were our evolutionary ancestors. Also, we now understand that overexposure to ultraviolet radiation can cause skin cancer, cataracts and other eye disorders, premature aging, and even suppression of the immune system. Therefore, we must obtain vitamin D supplementation from food sources such as eggs, tuna, salmon, cheese, and vitamin D-fortified foods including milk, yogurt, and orange juice.

As many school-age children are taught, we need vitamin D to build strong bones.1 Vitamin D helps absorb calcium from the gastrointestinal tract and helps osteoblasts (bone tissue) utilize the available calcium in the process of building robust Haversian systems (osteons), the fundamental building blocks of compact bone. Vitamin D may also have a role in immune system function and muscle activity. Vitamin D deficiency leads to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, both conditions involving the presence of soft, brittle bones, bone pain, and weakness. Vitamin D deficiency may also lead to osteoporosis, that is, overall reduced bone mass, resulting in an increased risk of hip fractures and fractures of other weight-bearing structures.2,3

Thus, obtaining our daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is necessary for ongoing good health. At present, evidence-based guidelines recommend 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D per day for children, teenagers, and adults up to age 70. Beyond age 70, guidelines recommend 800 IU per day.  In addition to obtaining our daily RDA of vitamin D, regular vigorous exercise is needed to ensure there is a reason for your body to build strong bones. Our bodies operate on the principle of limited resources. Resources not required in one area will be used elsewhere, stored, or excreted. Regular vigorous exercise creates a demand for ever-stronger bones, and will cause your body to put your daily dose of vitamin D to good use.

Finally, regular chiropractic care helps you obtain the greatest benefit from all your time and care involved in obtaining proper nutrition and sufficient exercise. By helping ensure healthy functioning of the nerve system, your body's master system, regular chiropractic care helps you maximize the benefits of all your lifestyle enhancements.

1. Weaver CM: Nutrition and Bone Health. Oral Dis 2016 Jun 2. doi: 10.1111/odi.12515. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Mousa A, et al: Vitamin D in Reproductive Health and Pregnancy. Semin Reprod Med 2016 May 26. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Ivanova S, et al: Osteoporosis: Therapeutic Options. Folia Med (Plovdiv). 2016 Jul-Sep;57(3):181-90. doi: 10.1515/folmed-2015-0037.

Thanks for your time. Your health and long life is important to us.
Dr Greg Millar, DC CCEP
And the Doctors of Millar Chiropractic Clinics

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Millar Chiropractic - Madison AL
Millar Chiropractic - Huntsville AL (Downtown)
Millar Chiropractic - Huntsville AL (Jones Valley)
Millar Chiropractic - Decatur AL
Laser Neuropathy Center - Huntsville AL
Alabama Laser Spine Decompression

Mini Workouts While You Work

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic

Mini Workouts While You Work

What Do You Eat at Work?

The vast majority of us sit throughout the day at work. Exercising regularly - even if it's just a few minutes at a time throughout the day - helps to keep a person's metabolic rate, at an optimal level and therefore the muscles continue to burn calories even while sitting. Conversely, when we sit for hours at a time without getting up to move around, our metabolic rates drop.  That is why taking short exercise breaks often throughout the day may be even more beneficial than performing a longer workout once a day - if it means you barely move for hours at a time during the rest of the day. You can help keep your metabolism revved up and your blood sugar and energy levels balanced by making an effort to bring your own healthy lunch and snacks to work. It takes some effort to prepare your own food in advance, but the benefits are well worth it. If you prepare a healthy dinner, try making a bit extra and bring the leftovers with you to work for an easy lunch.  A salad can be a simple solution, adding some grilled chicken or turkey for protein. Whole milk organic yogurt is a good choice for a snack that will satisfy your hunger longer than anything out of the vending machine. Bring zippered plastic bags containing organic cheddar or other cheese, and an organic apple, banana, or other fresh fruit - preferably something in season. Energy bars can also be a good choice for a snack at work, but make sure to read the ingredients and avoid anything with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or sucralose (Splenda).  Ideally they should have at least 30% protein to keep your blood sugar level.

Are you like most typical office workers who sit for hours on end in front of a computer screen?  If so, probably one of the most important things you can do for your health is get up and move around every 30-60 minutes, even if your exercise break is very brief.  Fitting in exercise doesn't have to be a big interruption during your day.  Just walk around your home or office for a few minutes, or even just march in place or do a quick stretching routine.

This is also a good time to give your eyes a break.  Your eyes become fatigued when you look at something at a static distance for too long.  Make a point to look out a window if you can and focus on the details you see.  Look around your house or office and focus on items at varying distances to exercise the lens in your eyes.  Looking at trees outside and other natural surroundings are not only pleasant and relaxing, but can also help your mind be refreshed and energized.

Stand up straight, making sure your knees and shoulders are relaxed, and tighten your abdominal muscles for a strong core while you do the following stretches:

• Inhale while you sweep your arms out to your sides and then up over your head, and exhale while you bring them back down to your sides.
• Inhale while you reach one arm over your head and gently lean to the opposite side to stretch, and exhale while you return to center bringing your arm back to your side.  Repeat on the other side.
• Inhale while you sweep your arms in front of you, and exhale while you bring them back, stretching the chest muscles. 
• Keeping your arms straight out at your sides and your breathing relaxed, gently rotate your torso to one side and then to the other.
• Continue taking nice deep breaths while you roll your shoulders forward and then backward.  Then place your hands on your shoulders and circle your elbows around very slowly - as if you are drawing the biggest circles possible with your elbows - stretching out the muscles of your upper back and shoulders.
• Stretch your neck by gently tilting your head forward and back, then gently tilt your ear toward each shoulder, and finally gently turn your head from side to side.  Make your movements slow and relaxed and be careful not to push too far.  Just stretch to the point where it feels comfortable.
• Warm up your legs a bit by bending your knees into a partial squat, and then come back to standing, then up on your toes.  You can add in the arm lifts we started with, lifting your arms above your head while you raise up on your toes, and lowering your arms as you lower your body.

You don't have to do all of these during each break, unless you would like to.  Pay attention to which exercises feel good to you and which areas of your body have the most tension.  Usually just a few repetitions will be sufficient, and taking regular mini-breaks throughout the day can make a big difference. It only takes a few minutes to get your circulation going and your joints and muscles loosened up. 

Mini-exercise breaks also give your mind a rest, and you will probably find that you have renewed mental vigor and greater clarity when you get back to work.  Exercise breaks are especially helpful when you are struggling with a problem.  You may notice that giving your mind a break while you perform a short bout of exercise is just what you need to come up with a solution.

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Flourishing - Living from Abundance

Flourishing

Chiropractic Care and the Possibility of Flourishing

Health issues often interfere with the ability to participate fully in life. For example, ongoing lower back pain can make a person irritable and anxious. Lower back pain reduces a person's activities, wastes valuable metabolic resources, and saps energy. The affected person's emotional range becomes restricted as she is continually compelled to be aware of her body's limitations.  Chiropractic care may provide substantial benefit in the case of lower back pain and many other physical ailments. Gentle chiropractic care helps reduce pain by restoring mobility and reducing inflammation of affected muscles, ligaments, and tendons. As the person's pain resolves her interest in daily activities begins to grow. Reducing pain is associated with increasing involvement in life. As good health is restored, the person's ability to thrive and flourish is restored as well.

Chiropractic patients at Millar Chiropractic Clinic are encouraged to flourish in life's opportunities, regardless of possible back pain or stress. How do you determine whether your life is going well? Whether you're happy and fulfilled vs. merely going through the paces? Whether you're growing and developing as a person vs. merely expressing more of the same old, same old? In short, when the alarm goes off in the morning does the prospect of a new day cause you to be filled with excited anticipation and a sense of being actively engaged? Or do you wish you could bury yourself beneath the blankets and put off your daily routine for as long as possible?

"Flourishing" is a term long-used by philosophers to describe a state of ongoing positive engagement with life.^1,2,3 When a person is flourishing she is not only interested and participating, but also widening and expanding her range and her scope. Most of us are familiar with the concept of flourishing as it relates to our plants and gardens. A flourishing tree sports many new branches, many new twigs, and many shiny new leaves. The bark of a flourishing tree has deeper and richer shades of brown. The greens of such a tree's leaves are moister and wetter, reflecting the aqua tones of the rivers, streams, and sky. All the flourishing tree's semi-moving parts are joyously turned toward the sun.

A flourishing human being expresses many similar phenomena. When describing the characteristics of well-balanced individuals, psychologists and sociologists have historically used the term "happiness". But "being happy" seems a fairly passive state of affairs. It's good to be happy, certainly, but what's being referred to is more of an emotional, subjective state of being. You're happy in response to a circumstance or series of events. In contrast, when you're flourishing you're actively taking part. You are the initiator rather than the responder. You're in the driver's seat. You get to say how things are going to go.

How do you achieve a state of flourishing? As always, it's the journey, not the destination, that provides the biggest payoff - in this case, a joyous, fulfilling life. Flourishing as such is not an endpoint - it's a moving target. We need to be proactive to replenish, reinvigorate, and revivify our continuing cycle of 24-hour allotments. One of the ways we teach our patients to Flourish is to visualize and think of all you have... abundance. Then when we compare our abundance with others less fortunate we see that we are truly blessed. We want to live, rather than merely exist. Living requires imagination, invention, interest, and action. Flourishing and living with abundance is an outcome of playing full out, of active participation in life, of living life to your potential all the while knowing that you have so much to give.

¹Menk OL, et al: Exploring measures of whole person wellness: integrative well-being and psychological flourishing. Explore (NY) 6(6):364-370, 2010

²Bunkers SS: A focus on human flourishing. Nurs Sci Q 23(4):290-295, 2010

³Fosha D: Positive affects and the transformation of suffering into flourishing. Ann NY Acad Sci 1172:256-262, 2009

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Swing for the Fence

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Swing for the Fence

Chiropractic Care and Peak Performance

You exercise regularly and eat a wide variety of nutritionally balanced foods. You get sufficient rest. Your work is personally meaningful. You enjoy spending time with family and friends. This sounds like an ideal healthy life toward which many of us strive. A key action step that would help ensure overall health and wellness for this person (and us) is getting regular chiropractic care. Chiropractic care identifies and corrects spinal misalignments, restoring balance, harmony, and normal function to your body's mechanical center and core musculature. Chiropractic care enables all the body's systems to work well together, working from the inside-out to improve a person's health and well-being.

Swing for the fence. Game-changing plays in any sport and at any level are tremendously exciting. Whether we're watching T-ball, little league baseball, middle school recreational soccer, high school basketball, or Major League Baseball, an extraordinary athletic play makes us stand up and cheer. If our team takes the lead as a result, it makes us feel good about ourselves and our team.

Attempting to make a game-changing play is known as swinging for the fence. But forcing the action in everyday health and wellness is not always a good idea. People who want to be healthy and well can gain value from considering the contrast between swinging for the fence vs. staying the course, tried and true.

For example, if you've played any team sport for any length of time, you know a little bit about what this feels like. Bottom of the ninth, your team is two runs down. You're at the plate with two runners on base. What's going through your mind? Hit a home run, that's what. One swing, game over. Forget situational hitting, you're swinging for the fence.

Or you're the quarterback of your football team. Your team is behind but the score is close or tied. You know you need to make a momentum-shifting play. You've got years of mental images in your head of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady using the vertical part of the field, going down-field, way down-field. You call the play, take the snap, drop back three steps, and heave the ball toward your wide receiver racing to the corner of the end zone. The Hail Mary pass you've just thrown is the football equivalent of swinging for the fence. But your wobbly deep pass could just as easily be intercepted instead of resulting in the difference-making touchdown. You over threw your ability. 

The analogy holds true in all sports. The game-winning penalty kick in soccer. The thundering, momentum-shifting slam dunk in basketball. The dominating volleyball kill shot which drains the spirit from the opposing team. Each key moment is a sport-specific swing for the fences. Again, the opposite result could just as easily occur.

We can see that striving to make a big play is often a mistake and can easily lead to a loss. Forcing the action never works. Smart athletes stay within themselves, letting the game come to them. The best athletes are able, more often than not, to rise to the occasion when an opportunity presents itself. Then, in the context of the flow of the game, you'll see the baseball flying over the fence or the beautifully arcing touchdown pass floating into the hands of the receiver.

This is especially true regarding exercise and health. When it comes to exercise, slow and steady wins the race.1,2,3 Trying to do too much usually results in an injury, which sets you back and wastes precious time in the recovery process or takes you out of your game altogether. In strength-training, for example, lifting big weight is not the goal. Progressive, incremental gains are what build lifetime fitness. Aerobic exercise is similar. Going for a five-mile walk is a bad idea if you haven't walked at all in six months or more. Going for an eight-mile run when you're used to running three miles is another bad idea. Gradual increases in time and distance are what works.

Swinging for the fence is great when it happens. In exercise and fitness, achieving a personal best is cause for celebration. But in exercise and fitness, personal bests result from much effort and preparation. When you have a long-term, solid base of fitness, you can swing for the fence with confidence. You can achieve your dreams. 

¹Schellnus MP: Cause of exercise associated muscle cramps - altered neuromuscular control, dehydration or electrolyte depletion? Br J Sports Med 43(6):401-408, 2009

²Gyurcsik NC, et al: Is level of pain acceptance differentially related to social cognitions and behavior? The case of active women with arthritis. J Health Psychol 16(3):530-539, 2011

³Dumke CL, et al: Relationship between muscle strength, power and stiffness and running economy in trained male runners. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 5(2):249-261, 2010

Double Indemnity for A Wonderful Life

Double Indemnity

Chiropractic Care: Short-Term and Long-Term Benefits

Let's say you make a choice to start taking control of your health. You want to leave as little to chance as possible. You acknowledge that you could get something out of doing some exercise. You're willing to admit that you could eat a healthier variety of foods, including fresh fruit and vegetables. You are going to begin doing the things that years of scientific research have shown to be related to long-term health and well-being. Your partner in this journey to good health is your chiropractor. We like to say you need a medical doctor and a chiropractor. 'You need a medical doctor in sickness and a chiropractor in health. For Chiropractic care is a key component of a complete return-to-optimal-health. With regular chiropractic care, your body is primed to make the most out of the positive actions you're taking, particularly regarding exercise and nutrition. Let your chiropractor be your guide through the maze of vitamins, supplements, exercise and nutrition. To get all the way to good health, all of your body systems need to be online and available. That's what chiropractic care makes possible.

In the classic 1944 film, "Double Indemnity", stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance saleman, Barbara Stanwyck as a provocative housewife who wishes her husband were dead, and Edward G. Robinson as a claims adjuster whose job is to uncover phony claims. The term double indemnity refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that double or more the payoff in cases of accidental death.  In Life not many things payoff double. And if they do we rarely get to enjoy the extra. 

But,  Surprisingly double indemnity or double payoff works very well for Health Care. Diet -  healthy nutrition, Rest, Exercise, regular Adjustments, and a Good Mental State can pay off, not only double, but often in many multiples. However, before we begin reaping these benefits, we have to know where to look and how to make use of this goodie we all get for free.

Out in the world, insurance policies pay us a benefit when problems arise. Car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and health insurance are all financial instruments that compensate people (in some degree or other, more or less) when things go wrong. Inside our bodies, double indemnity is double payoff just the opposite. When we do things that are good for our health and well-being, our built-in "banker" pay off double, sometimes triple, and sometimes in ways that cannot even be calculated.

Let's consider a person who is overweight, possibly seriously overweight. That person decides, much like Howard Beale in the multiple-Academy Award-winning film "Network" (1976), that he is "not going to take this anymore". He declares to himself that he will begin to lose weight. He makes a commitment to start exercising regularly and eating nutritious food. Change takes time, and sooner rather than later he loses a few pounds. Then he loses a few more. After three months he's 12 pounds lighter, and after six months he's more than 20 pounds lighter than when he first chose to live a healthier life.

By now his body's double indemnity clause has started to pay off. He began doing some things, began engaging in a healthy new lifestyle, and he begins to reap the other benefits. Owing to his new exercise program and his new diet, his blood pressure begins to go down. His insulin levels begin to stabilize,¹ rather than spiking and falling off drastically throughout the day. His blood glucose levels become steadier, too, and his cells, organs, and tissues (particularly his brain) are beginning to receive consistent supplies of oxygen and other precious nutrients.² His immune system gets stronger.³ As a direct result, his stress levels are going down and his heart rate is steadier. His sleep is more restful and he has more energy throughout the day. There are many other benefits, too, known only to him and his loved ones. And then you might say he has "A Wonderful Life."

Our built-in double indemnity clause is primed for action. It is ready to kick in and begin an open-ended flow of good health and well-being. All we need to do is begin taking consistent actions that will enable our innate powers to function in the ways they were designed to function. So the choice is truly yours to live "A Wonderful Life." 

Call Huntsville Chiropractor Millar Chiropractic for your appointment today at 1-800-GoChiro or toll free 1-800-462-4476.

¹Bloem CJ, Chang AM: Short-term exercise improves beta-cell function and insulin resistance in older people with impaired glucose tolerance. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93(2):387-392, 2008

²Ahmadi N, et al: Effects of intense exercise and moderate caloric restriction on cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation. Am J Med 124(10):978-982, 2011

³Walsh NP, et al: Position statement. Part one: Immune function and exercise. Exerc Immunol Rev 17:6-63, 2011