Do You Suffer from Neck Pain?

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Do You Suffer from Neck Pain?

Neck Exercises

One common cause of neck pain is weakened muscles in the front of the neck and overactive, tight muscles in the back.  Stretching and strengthening these muscles  can help to reduce and prevent neck pain. Here are some exercises to try: Begin by lying flat on your back. Tuck your chin to chest and raise your head no more than an inch off your bed or floor. For best results, hold this position until your muscles fatigue (they may even begin to shake a bit). Relax and lower your head to your starting position. Aim for three repetitions of this exercise, once or twice each day. Sit or stand with your neck tall and erect.  Keeping your chin level, jut your head forward. Next, drop your chin to your neck. Now place your hands on the back of your head to gently encourage a stretch of the muscles at the back of the neck. Hold this position for several seconds. Try to repeat this stretch three to fives times, as often as once an hour, each day. As you look straight ahead, tilt your head to one shoulder using your hand on that side to gently pull your head toward your shoulder. Hold the stretch for several seconds. Repeat this stretch on the other side. Try to repeat this stretch three to five times on each side, as often as once an hour, each day.

Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer from neck pain?  If so, you certainly have a lot of company.  Almost 75 percent of American adults will suffer from neck pain at some time in their lives. This is not surprising when you consider our anatomy. Think of balancing a heavy bowling ball on top of set of building blocks. Our necks have the challenging job of supporting our heads and allowing full range of movement, which also makes them vulnerable to various injuries of the joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Fortunately, there are things we can do to protect our necks and minimize the risk of injury. Practicing good posture each day, consistently stretching and strengthening our muscles, and regular chiropractic treatment can help keep us free of neck pain.

What Causes Neck Pain? 

 

Neck pain can be anything from a mild annoyance to severe and incapacitating. Minor neck pain can be triggered by things like poor posture during various daily activities such as reading, watching television, working at a computer, or talking on the phone - especially if you cradle the handset between your ear and shoulder instead of holding it or setting it down and using the speaker function. Watching television can be especially bad for the neck if you tend to watch lying down, with your head at an awkward angle for an extended length of time.  Keeping your head angled downward while reading or while using a computer monitor which is lower than eye level can also be particularly stressful for the neck. By resting and making an effort to avoid repeating the neck stressing behaviors, minor neck pain will often disappear on its own within a day or two.

Neck pain that doesn't seem to go away or keeps coming back can indicate a more serious underlying problem. Subluxations or misallignments of the vertebrae in the neck; whiplash from a motor vehicle accident or other injury; diseases like inflammatory or degenerative arthritis, congenital malformation, meningitis, or tumors require more than rest. A knowledgeable healthcare professional such as a doctor of chiropractic (DC) can help. He or she can determine whether the cause of your neck pain stems from a minor problem and is treatable, or whether the underlying cause is more serious and requires considerably more extensive treatment. Your Millar doctor of chiropractic will perform a thorough assessment and may then recommend chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, natural supplements to reduce inflammation, massage therapy, and/or stretching and strengthening exercises. In some cases, they may refer you to an appropriate specialist for further evaluation and treatment.

Preventing Neck Pain

 

What can you do to avoid the need for treatment in the first place? Step one is to pay attention to your posture each day. If your job requires a lot of time spent on the telephone, consider wearing a headset, or if you work in a quiet space at home, perhaps a high quality speaker phone can be a good alternative. Notice if you tend lie down with your head at an uncomfortable angle or slouch while you're watching television. Instead, try sitting upright in a good supportive chair. When you read or study try using a book stand to hold your book in front of you.  There are many stand options for eReaders and tablets too, including covers that not only protect your device but also have a stand built-in which makes reading and watching videos more comfortable and hands-free.  The objective is to avoid having to spend extended periods of time with your head bent forward.  Similarly, if your computer monitor is lower than your eye level, try placing it on top of a stable tower or shelf for better ergonomics.

If you experience neck pain that lasts more than 24 hours, seek the advice of a trained healthcare specialist for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. And remember, because chiropractors specialize in the neuromusculoskeletal system, they are some of the most well-trained healthcare professionals to consult about neck pain.

Summer is a Great Time for a Road Trip

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Summer is a Great Time for a Road Trip

Vacation Closer to Home

Alabama has wonderful state parks that provide everything you need to have a terrific family vacation closer to home, or an enjoyable day trip.  If roughing it in a tent is not your thing, most parks have a variety of options, from rustic cabins and chalets to hotels with all the standard amenities. One of the Alabama state parks closest to Huntsville is Lake Guntersville State Park located on the banks of the Tennessee River and overlooking the beautiful 69,000 acre Lake Guntersville.  The park offers a beach, golf course, hiking, boating, fishing, and nature programs. About forty minutes away from Lake Guntersville State Park is Cathedral Caverns, a great opportunity to take a tour and explore the amazing underground beauty of Mother Nature.  Summer is a great time to go spelunking, because the caves remain a comfortable (or chilly depending upon your perspective) sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Another nearby favorite is DeSoto State Park a 3,502 acre park at the top of Lookout Mountain, which features enchanting waterfalls, hiking and mountain biking trails, an Olympic swimming pool, playground, fishing, golf, and canoe and kayak rentals.  DeSoto offers a resort lodge, rustic and log cabins, motel rooms, chalets and camping.

Although the high gas prices may keep some families at home this summer, many will still find taking a family road trip too appealing to resist.  Most of us probably have fond memories of the trips we took when we were kids, and idealize the adventure of hitting the open road and exploring this beautiful country with our loved ones.

What can you do to make your car trip more enjoyable?  If you have small children, it is important to plan ahead with activities that will keep them occupied and happy.  So many kids today have portable video games, iPads and other gadgets, but technology doesn't always promote interaction and family unity the way more traditional car games do.  You probably remember playing games with your siblings such as seeing who can spot the most of a certain car, license plate, animal etc., or various guessing or memory games in which everyone participates.  If you have a Kindle or a device with a Kindle App, check out this inexpensive eBook - "Are We There Yet?" with over 140 games, riddles and tongue twisters that require nothing more than a pencil and paper.

Buying fast food for the family can be expensive.  Consider packing healthy snacks like carrot sticks and cucumber wedges, and take along some fresh fruit, pumpkin and sunflower seeds to munch on.  One big benefit of fruits and vegetables is that they will help keep you hydrated.  Don't forget to also take along enough filtered water in a BPA-free container.

If you can, take a cooler and pack a simple lunch for everyone, then stop at a rest area for lunch and have a nice outdoor picnic.  It's much more fun than sitting in a fast food restaurant, and a nice way to create fond memories for your family.   It also gives kids the chance to run around and burn off some off their pent-up energy, and an opportunity for mom and dad to get some exercise too.

Speaking of which, make a point to stop at as many rest areas as you can, so you can move around and minimize the stiffness and achiness that tends to result from extended driving.
Many of our patients like to schedule a chiropractic visit before a big trip to ensure they are in tip-top shape for their vacation, and then right afterward to work out any of the "kinks" that develop from physical strain of driving and riding in a car for many hours, and sleeping on uncomfortable mattresses while traveling.

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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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The Wide-Ranging Effects of Anxiety

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website

The Wide-Ranging Effects of Anxiety

Holistic Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care is about much more than bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The focus of chiropractic is on the musculoskeletal system, and yet the benefits of chiropractic care extend far beyond these connective tissue structures. Chronic musculoskeletal tension results in various biochemical changes such as excessive and prolonged build-up of lactic acid in the muscles - a metabolic end-product of muscular contraction. These metabolites, which are accumulating wastefully and unnecessarily, irritate local nerve endings. This nerve irritation leads to increases in local muscle tension, setting-up a vicious circle of muscle tension, nerve irritation, more muscle tension, and more nerve irritation. It is important to realize that these irritated nerves send signals to all the other parts of the body, causing increased levels of activity and unnecessary use of precious resources. When this happens, the person may become irritable, gets tired more easily, has sleep disturbances, and may even develop various diseases. Chiropractic care is a powerful healing method that positively affects many body systems as a result of addressing stresses in the musculoskeletal system.

We humans seem to be wired for modest levels of anxiety to act as a fear-arousal warning system. Anxiety can be characterized as fear, worry,  apprehension or uneasiness. Anxiety is a common psychological state in which the basic message is an internal urging to "get away from this situation". The state of anxiety is commonly accompanied by various physiologic symptoms triggered by a surge in adrenaline - including increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased blood flow to the major muscle groups as the body prepares to "fight or flee".

These are all typical responses to environmental threats. The overall process is controlled by the amygdala and hippocampus, two regions of the brain's limbic system which process memory, emotional response, and spatial navigation. With frequent and prolonged anxiety states, a person may begin to respond to perceived threats as strongly as they respond to real threats. This anxiety state may persist and even become the default condition for the individual.

Those with chronic anxiety may experience chronic back pain,^1,2 chronic muscular tension, fibromyalgia,³ headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. Chronic anxiety may cause a person to anticipate the worst, to have ongoing feelings of dread, to be constantly irritable and tense, and some may experience frightening and debilitating panic attacks. Eventually the person may become worn out from the constant drain on their inner resources and a likely outcome is depression. The person simply cannot take any more stress.

Chronic anxiety has a specific impact on the musculoskeletal system. Persistently elevated levels of adrenaline create ongoing tension in the postural muscles of the lower back and the weight-bearing gluteal muscles, pelvic musculature, and hamstrings. The long-term effects of chronic anxiety can include chronic lower back pain, sciatica caused by inflammation of the sciatic nerve, and lumbar disc disease. Of course, any of these health problems create even more anxiety for the person, creating a vicious circle of anxiety, pain, more anxiety, and more pain.

Solutions for chronic anxiety usually require a multidisciplinary holsitic approaches. Nutrition, for example, is an important factor in restoring a person's homeostatic mechanisms. Significantly reducing one's intake of simple carbohydrates - soda, muffins, cookies, cake, fast food, and even juice - will often have a substantial impact. Making sure to have five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day will also provide great benefit.

Magnesium deficiency is extremely common in the US and can cause or worsen anxiety.  Magnesium supplementation can be especially useful taken at bedtime, because it helps relax the muscles and can help a person feel more calm and fall asleep easier.  Magnesium can also help regulate blood pressure and cardiac function.  Good food sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and swiss chard.

Chiropractic care can frequently provide considerable assistance to those with chronic anxiety. By normalizing activity within the musculoskeletal system and reducing muscular stress and tension, chiropractic care helps eliminate an unnecessary source of biochemical and physiologic stress.

¹Newcomer KL, et al: Anxiety levels, fear-avoidance beliefs, and disability levels at baseline and at 1 year among subjects with acute and chronic low back pain. Phys Med Rehabil 2(6):514-520, 2010

²Hurley DA, et al: Physiotherapy for sleep disturbance in chronic low back pain: a feasibility randomised controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 11:70, 2010 [11 pages]

³Silverman S, et al: Toward characterization and definition of fibromyalgia severity. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 11:66, 2010 [9 pages]

Gluten Intolerance?

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website

Gluten Intolerance

Starting a Gluten-Free Diet

A strict gluten-free diet is the first one step in treatment of gluten intolerance and celiac disease.  It is critically necessary to treat the disease, as symptoms of these disorders will only resolve when gluten is removed from the diet. Even minuscule amounts of gluten can reactivate the disease-causing immune reaction mechanism. As little as 20 parts per million (ppm; a standard measure of concentration) can cause symptoms in a person who is gluten intolerant. The very good news is that gluten intolerance and celiac disease are receiving a much higher media profile. The Media are now focusing on these disorders, with featured content appearing frequently in the national press. The result is that gluten-free foods and household products are becoming much more widely available.  It has never been easier to avoid gluten.  Most health food stores and quality grocery stores have created a gluten-free section and continue to expand their offerings.  Many gluten-free foods can also be ordered online. Tinkyada is a brand that offers gluten-free pastas, made from rice, that are a great substitute for wheat pasta. You can even enjoy fresh made pizza at local restaurants, such as Pane e Vino and Mellow Mushroom, which provide the option of choosing gluten-free crusts.

About 40% of Americans are genetically predisposed to become intolerant to gluten. At least 1% of Americans (about 315,000 Americans) have the very severe form of gluten sensitivity, called celiac disease.  It is possible that the percentage of Americans suffering from celiac disease may actually be much higher reports the NCHS the National Conference on Health Statistics, because most physicians simply do not recognize the signs and symptoms of celiac disease when presented. Celiac disease has been nicknamed the "great masquerader" as the disease often presents with a variety of signs and symptoms.  A person who is gluten intolerant may develop celiac disease after repeated exposure to gluten.

So what exactly is gluten?  It's a complex of proteins that are found in wheat, rye, and barley. When eaten, the human digestive tract is unable break down the gluten proteins into its component amino acids, so the gluten proteins remain  undigested in the gastrointestinal tract until they are excreted. 

The body tags proteins as "self: or "Foreign." In those persons who develop celiac disease, the gluten proteins are identified as "foreign" and their immune systems launch a reaction against these proteins trying to kill them. Infants, children, teenagers, and adults, may have this reaction, and continued exposure to gluten may cause development of celiac disease.^1-2

The Western Diet is made up of significant amounts of Wheat, rye, and barley. Think about the last time you went to a restaurant. They served bread. Almost all breads are made from one or more of these three grains. Then think of our daily consumption of Cerials, cookies, cakes, pizza, bagels, muffins, and don't forget all pasta are just a few of the foods that contain gluten. Additionally, gluten is found in nearly everything we consume from vitamins,  to shampoo, to toothpaste, household cleansers, and even prescription drugs. Wheat-based binders are often used in the manufacturing process of many food and non food items. 

A susceptible person's initial immune reaction to gluten will often worsen with continued exposure. Eventually the immune reaction may damage the lining of the person's small intestine, leading to the classic symptoms of Irritable Bowel - abdominal pain, constipation and/or diarrhea, and abdominal bloating.  Intestinal damage causes these very unpleasant and debilitating symptoms to get worse and leads to Celiac Disease and other serious diseases. One of the major consequences of celiac disease can be malnutrition because the damaged intestinal lining is unable to properly absorb needed nutrients.

Gluten intolerance may be related to a variety of serious disorders. Perhaps surprisingly, research has pointed to neuropsychiatric conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and schizophrenia may be associated with underlying gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Evidence suggests that arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), and psoriatic arthritis may also be related to gluten intolerance. Endocrine conditions, which are so prevalent today, including diabetes, hyper- and hypothryroidism, and Addison's disease are often related to gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Infertility and frequent miscarriages may also be related to an underlying condition of gluten intolerance. What did the Greeks say, "So goes the gut so goes the body."

It is important to realize that gluten intolerance and celiac disease may be an underlying cause of many of these serious medical conditions that have not been treated successfully. It may be critical to consider gluten intolerance as an underlying cause of these various disorders and to take appropriate action. Patient knowledge and increased physician knowledge and awareness are crucial to correctly identifying a hidden problem.³

Your Millar Chiropractor is an expert in nutrition and is trained to identify underlying causes of health problems. Additionally, chiropractic treatment may help restore more normal and more effective immune system functioning. In cases requiring a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, chiropractic treatment is a crucial component.

¹Selimolu MA, Karabiber H: Celiac disease. Prevention and treatment. J Clin Gastroenterol 44(1):4-8, 2010
²Setty M, et al: Celiac disease: risk assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring. Mol Diagn Ther 12(5):289-298, 2008
³Schuppan D, et al: Celiac disease: from pathogenesis to novel therapies. Gastroenterology 137(6):1912-1933, 2009

                               

It's Your Life...Live it Well

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website

 

Envision Your Future

Chiropractic Care and Your Next Ten Years

Can you have a rewarding, fulfilling life when one's health is not good? Sure, but most people would agree that good health, or at least improving health, helps to make life much easier and enjoyable. With good health one has more energy, and with more energy one can do more things.  Chiropractic care addresses several  components of good health and encourages a person achieve good health from a more holistic perspective. Chiropractic care primarily focuses on the spinal column and nerve system. By improving a person's spinal biomechanics and optimizing their nerve system function, chiropractic improves energy levels throughout the body. Chiropractic care also helps reduce pain, so you can be more active in your everyday life, and get more out of whatever forms of activities and exercise you do. Chiropractic care also helps makes rest more efficient, maximizing your body's restorative powers, so you can get more benefit from your time spent resting and sleeping. The many benefits of chiropractic care assist you in achieving increased levels of health and well-being. Chiropractic care also helps support all your other activities and endeavors as you strive for optimal wellness.

What does your future hold in store for you? None of us can know for certain how long we are going to live, but some predictions are possible. Stock market indexes and hemlines will invariably fall. Then everyone will hope that they will rise again. Then in a couple of years they rise once again.  We've all heard that change, death and taxes are the only sure things you can count on in life.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  The French even have a saying for all this - "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."  Many would agree that in the last ten years, we've collectively experienced more change than ever. It is difficult to even remember life before the computer, internet or cell phones. In the United States an African-American man was elected president. Longstanding dictatorships were toppled in the Middle East. The world map changing almost daily. 

We know that things don't remain the same for long. But the pace of change is growing ever faster. The next ten years have the possibility of being even more gloriously impactful.^1,2,3 The great news is that 70 is the new 55. That's right. Since we're living longer we can do more in life. Just think, actress Betty White has reinvigorated her career at age 89. Jeff Bridges won a Best Actor Academy Award at age 61, highlighting a 40-year career. The 2010 Best Original Screenplay Academy Award went to the 73-year-old first-time winner David Seidler.  Now, it's never too late to follow your dreams.

In the next 10 years, anything is possible. But in order to create a healthier, more satisfying life, we need to change our thinking and lifestyle and move beyond the "same old, same old". Simple changes such as giving up drinking sodas, walking and getting more exercise and limiting fast food can pay big dividends in your health over the years. So can getting regular chiropractic care. As a Chiropractor we have many older patients that get adjusted to maintain their health and wellness.

It is also important to pay attention to your thoughts and notice if you have any that are habitual and negative.  Ask yourself, what underlying beliefs support these negative thought patterns?  Our thoughts and beliefs create who we are and what we experience, and can have a profound effect on our physical bodies.  If you think your "old" and are expecting to "fall apart" at a particular age, your subconscious mind and your body will almost certainly fulfill that expectation. On the other hand the opposite is true.

As a Chiropractor we teach our patienrs to follow the acronym "DREAM." Diet is anything you eat. Rest is not only quality sleeping at night but getting enough rest to continue your activity. "E" stands for exercise. We all must have exercise. "A" is for activity and adjustments. We want our patients to be active. Do something, dance, golf, tennis it really doesn't matter just do it. Then get adjusted on a regular basis to keep you body aligned and ready for the future. And finally "M" is for that mental state that we talked earlier about. If you think your old you are. Get a check up from the neck up and quit that "stinkin thinkin."

There are many people in the public eye who set a great example for remaining youthful and active late in life.  They can be a great source of inspiration as we envision what we want in the rest of our own lives. The old saying, "if it's going to be, it's up to me", remains true today. It's important to make an effort on our own behalf, making choices that will further our growth and development and the growth and development of our loved ones. In doing so, we can create a wonderful next ten years.

¹Fosha D: Positive affects and the transformation of suffering into flourishing. Ann NY Acad Sci 1172:252-262, 20093

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

³Culbertson SS, et al: Feeling good and doing great: the relationship between psychological capital and well-being. J Occup Health Psychol 15(4):412-433, 2010

Turning Back the Clock on Memory Loss

Turning Back the Clock on Memory Loss

Cognitive Function and Chiropractic

One of the theories for why  regular exercise improves mental functioning relates to changes in the amount of blood reaching the brain.  A proposed mechanism involves changes in the strength, structure and function of the brain's own blood vessels. The ability of regular exercise to encourage the growth of new blood vessels and strengthen and improve existing blood vessels depends, in part, on a properly functioning nervous system. Your system of nerves supports the activity of all other body systems. It needs to be operating at optimal levels in order for all other systems to operate at their optimal levels. Regular chiropractic care helps ensure the integrity and proper functioning of your nervous system, including your brain, spinal cord, and spinal nerves. By achieving this, chiropractic care helps you get the highest benefits from your exercise.

Many individuals notice occasional problems remembering things as they get older. Every so often, it may become frustratingly difficult or even seemingly impossible to recall a particular person's name or a specific word or number. One might commit a telephone number to memory and then immediately forget it. Of course, everyone is familiar with the sinking feeling associated with the critical question "where did I put my keys?", or perhaps after a day of shopping: "where did I park my car?".  For most people these are minor glitches, and nothing else. However, for approximately 10-20% of older persons, these lapses represent mild cognitive impairment.¹ And for a proportion of these people, mild cognitive impairment will progress to Alzheimer's disease.

As a Chiropractor we treat the entire body. We help our patients with longevity and aging issues. Normal aging may include occurrences of subtle forgetfulness such as having difficulty remembering certain words, not recalling where you put an important document, or perhaps leaving a full carton of milk on the kitchen counter overnight. But the memory loss associated with mild cognitive impairment represents an actual condition or disease entity. This type of memory loss is more significant and troublesome. People may forget important information such as meaningful telephone conversations, recent events that would normally be of interest, and dates and times of important appointments.

In the early stages it can be hard to tell the difference between mild cognitive impairment and the normal effects aging. Some suspected cases of impaired mental activity may be the result of treatable conditions such as depression or the symptom of an underactive thyroid.

It is common for people experiencing the significant memory problems associated with mild cognitive impairment to decline by about 10% each year. Risk factors associated with more rapid decline include a low metabolic rate in regions of the brain associated with memory and processing of information. More rapid decline is also associated with reduced size of the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure located in the center of the brain which is critical in memory, spatial memory, and navigation.

The good news is that people can take action  to improve and preserve their cognitive function. Many recent studies have shown that regular exercise provides a significant benefit in people with memory problems.^2,3 For example, walking just 50 minutes a day, three times a week resulted in long-term improvements in cognitive function. People exercising for 150 minutes each week had better delayed recall and they performed better on cognitive exams. Additionally, people doing moderate exercise had lower Clinical Dementia Rating Scores. In one study, a 6-month program of physical activity resulted in improvements which persisted over an 18-month period.

As a Chiropractor the message is obvious. In order to live long and live well during our advanced years, exercise is critical, and has a wide range of benefits for the mind and body. We now know that exercise can not only improve a person's physical health, but it can also help them maintain and improve their cognitive abilities. Getting regular exercise is a smart choice, and it also helps us stay smart through the years. We encourage you to start at your level whatever that level may be in balance, flexibility, range of motion, strength and endurance. 


For those with mild cognitive impairment we also recommend that you stay alert and active by doing crossword puzzles, math puzzles and even learn a foreign language. So our recommendation is to exercise the brain and the muscles.

¹Petersen RC: Clinical practice. Mild cognitive impairment. NEJM 364(23):2227-2234, 2011

²Lautenschlager NT, et al: Effect of physical activity on cognitive function in older adults at risk for Alzheimer disease. JAMA 300(9):1027-1037, 2008
³Prohaska TR, et al: Walking and the preservation of cognitive function in older populations. Gerontologist 49(Suppl 1):S86-S93, 2009