What's Your Vibe?

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

What's Your Vibe?

Being Present

We're not talking about raising your hand when your name is called.  No, we're talking about "being in the moment" as a way of being more centered and getting more joy out of life.  It's something that requires practice in order to make it your default way of being.  Even at that point, being present still requires a certain amount of ongoing attention for most people. And really, that's what "being present" is all about - paying attention to the present moment. After all, the present moment is all we truly have. We may have memories of the past and thoughts of the future, but the past is over and the future is not yet here.  (And will likely never be "here" exactly the way you imagine it.)  If we're not in the present moment, we're nowhere. The present is where your power resides, and when you're present, people around you can feel your energy.  You are more charismatic when you are present in the moment.  People will see you as authentic and a good listener, which is very appealing.  They'll want to spend time with you. There's no time like the present to begin "being present"

In the story of Snow White, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Bashful were precisely that.  The names of the seven dwarves accurately and literally represented their overall vibe. It doesn't usually work that way for us, but we give off plenty of subconscious signals that let people know who we are and how we're feeling.  The look in our eyes, the tone of our voice, our facial expressions and posture are just some of the clues that let other people intuit what's really going on with us. Often, the vibe we're giving off is a more accurate reflection of our inner being than the words we are saying.

Other people can usually tell what's really going on with us, no matter what we say or don't say.  But when we're communicating clearly and interacting meaningfully, we usually feel less stressed-out. The surprising benefit is that our health improves as a result.^1,2

Here's an easy way to determine whether you're sending out a negative or positive overall vibe - when you visit a friend who owns a dog or pass one on the street, does it growl at you or does it wag it's tail?  Do cats tend to hiss at you or do they instead offer a friendly purr? When someone introduces you to a toddler or baby, does he or she start to cry, or do they usually smile at you? These are all pretty reliable signs as to whether your personal vibe is more negative or positive.

Young children and animals are very perceptive and pick up on the subconscious signals people send out.  Who you are being is very clear to them.  Many of us lose this intuitive ability over time, and pay more attention to what people say than to the subtle clues they give off that can tell us more about how they are feeling in general, whether or not they are being honest with us, and how overall trustworthy they are.

Over time, people often get used to being a certain way, and may not even realize that they've become chronically grumpy, angry or pessimistic.   It's like they get stuck in an emotional rut, and may not even realize the way they are coming across to other people.  If animals and young children react negatively to you, it may do you some good to take stock of the vibe you're sending out.  Being chronically "negative" can also have a negative effect on your health.

Negative and positive vibes can "rub off" on you too, especially if you're a sensitive person.  If you spend time with a friend or acquaintance who is always very negative, and find that you end up feeling down, or angry, or depressed as a result, you would probably do well to limit the time you spend with them.

On another note, paying attention to the "vibe" can also be useful in health care interactions. You may wait for hours to see a doctor, and then even though they say nice words, you might sense that he doesn't really care about your well-being and just wants to finish with you and get on to the next patient. You may sense a similar vibe at the front desk - they behave politely, but you can tell that they're super-stressed and can't wait to get out the door themselves.

Most people will notice a significant difference between the vibe in a typical medical office and the vibe in a chiropractic office.  Chiropractors tend to place a high value on the human component of their interactions with patients. Chiropractic offices strive to be a very welcoming environment.  It is not unusual to hear people say that their chiropractor's office "feels just like home" and that the staff "feels like family".

You can tell that your chiropractor is genuinely interested in both your health and your well-being.  Chiropractors know that it's important to take the time to really listen to your concerns and to make sure you're getting the service and attention you need. Chiropractic is a wholistic healing profession which recognizes that the quality of the doctor-patient relationship is an important part of the healing process.


¹Seedat S, et al: Life stress and mental disorders in the South African stress and health study. S Afr Med J 99(5 Pt 2):375-382, 2009
²Koetaka H, et al: Long-term effects of lifestyle on multiple risk factors in male workers. Environ Health Prev Med 14(3):165-172, 2009

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation

How Chiropractic Can Help You Be More Fit

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

How Chiropractic Can Help You Be More Fit

Chiropractic - Helping Your Body Run More Efficiently

Everyone knows how important it is to get regular vigorous exercise and to eat the right foods to maximize our health. But what happens if you're in too much pain to be able to exercise comfortably or safely? What if your range of motion is limited by stiff joints and chronically achy muscles? By eliminating the chronic backaches, headaches, muscle tightness and nerve interference (which we refer to as subluxations) that result from misalignment of the spine, chiropractic helps to restore proper range of motion and optimal functioning of the body's systems so that you can fully enjoy being more active.

If you've been shopping for home appliances in the last few years, you know that efficiency is a major selling-point. And with rising gasoline prices, it has also become an important consideration when buying a car. Smart shoppers are asking the question, "How much energy will this use?" 

If we're buying a used car, we want to make sure that the car was properly cared for and that the owners followed the appropriate maintenance schedule. The applies to our bodies too. Just like it's very important that a car receive its appropriate regular maintenance, getting regular oil changes and tune-ups, it's similarly important to have our spines adjusted regularly.  Really, maintaining our spinal health is much more important because, unlike a car, you can't replace your spine. Good spinal health helps to ensure that all the body systems are fully supported and functioning properly.  This allows us to function better in all aspects of our lives.

Physical fitness is not a precise measurement, but we can think of it as maintaining an overall state of good health that includes being able to perform a wide range of activities with efficiency and ease - everything from participating in a strenuous workout to being able to work at your desk for extended periods of time without discomfort. The American College of Sports Medicine recognizes four interrelated types of fitness that are important for complete health:

• Cardio-respiratory fitness - including the heart, blood vessels and lungs.
• Muscular fitness - including both muscle endurance and muscle strength.
• Body composition - which is the percentage of body fat compared to other tissues such as bones, muscles, organs, etc.
• Flexibility - including ideal range of motion and muscle/tendon elasticity.

The various systems of your body work together, so the fitness of one body system affects all the others.

In order to maximize our health in all of the categories mentioned above for total fitness, it's important for us to eat a good diet, get regular exercise, pay attention to our body's signals, and get enough rest.  It's equally important to make sure we receive regular maintenance by having our spines properly aligned.   Regular chiropractic adjustments can be an important factor in increasing overall fitness. One of the objectives of chiropractic treatment is to balance the various systems of the body - muscles, bones, nerves, glands, and organs - by improving posture and alignment. Regular chiropractic care allows the whole body to perform optimally and efficiently, increasing energy reserves as it decreases the fatigue and stress that usually results from poor alignment.

In fact, many professional athletes depend upon chiropractic care to maintain their peak physical performance. Back in 2002, the U.S. teams for the Winter Olympics were the first to employ an official Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Robin Hunter, and they had one of the best showings ever. Was that purely coincidental? Dr. Hunter has stated the chiropractic care is all about "correcting bio-mechanical faults and misalignments, and treating injuries with hands-on work, so that the athletes can return to play faster and better." John Stockton, a pro basketball player that has turned to chiropractic to better his game says, "It's not just the adjustments, it's balancing muscles and overall health." And after a serious skiing accident, Schwarzenegger remarked, "I had one of those miracle moments when you call a chiropractor, they care for you and then days later you ski again like a champion on moguls."

Though it may feel like a miracle to many people who experience the benefits of chiropractic, the underlying principle is really quite simple. When the body is properly aligned, muscles, ligaments, and joints function together with greater ease. Internal organs aren't hindered, so the heart and lungs are better able to perform their jobs. Perhaps even more importantly, chiropractic care can help to prevent injuries that often result from overtaxing a particular part of the body that may already be compensating for those that aren't functioning as well.

Chiropractic care is like giving your body a tune-up. It helps us to function more efficiently and enjoy a greater sense of ease and well-being.

How would you rate your current level of physical fitness?  Would you like to learn how chiropractic care can help you with your goals?  The doctors of Millar Chiropractic are happy to help!

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation

Our Genetic Heritage

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Our Genetic Heritage

Chiropractic and Your Genes

The genes you inherited from your parents determine all of your physical characteristics, such as your hair color and eye color. Your genetic heritage can also contribute to your personal interests, choice of profession, the activities you enjoy, and even your personality. Your genes are also very closely involved with your state of health and well-being. Of course, there is much more to who you are than just your DNA. The 30,000 genes that are tightly packed into each of your cells is only the beginning point. The ways in which your genes are expressed are also very much affected by diet, exercise,  socioeconomic, and environmental factors. A significant part of the environment we tend to overlook is the nerve system - the guiding system of our internal environment. If nerve signals are blocked or not flowing freely, gene expression may become disorganized and disordered. When the proper information repeatedly fails to get through, health begins to deteriorate. Chiropractic treatment can help to restore proper nerve system function, thereby helping to optimize both cellular function and normal genetic activity.

Species evolve over time as a way of attempting to better deal with their environment.  In many instances, our underlying DNA may stay the same, but our diet and other factors change the functional expression of our genes.  These functional changes are called "epigenetics" and can even be passed along through your genetic line.

The overall objective for a species is survival, and as such, it develops various survival strategies over time.  For example, when a person is exposed to a time of great famine, their epigenetic strategy may adapt to this by changing the function of the DNA so that the body stores more energy as body fat.  That can help a person successfully survive a famine.  The problem arises when this epigenetic tendency is passed along and remains a survival strategy even during times of plentiful food supply.  In this case, a person who carries this epigenetic strategy to survive famine, by way of an overly thrifty metabolism, is at much greater risk for diabetes and obesity.

 

This tendency toward a thrifty fat-storing metabolism gets passed along to the famine survivor's genetic descendants - who then have a survival strategy (store more fat) that doesn't necessarily match up with their current environment and food supply.  If your DNA instructs your body to have a slow metabolism and store more fat, you are very likely to struggle with weight gain issues no matter how much you exercise or how few calories you consume.  In fact, not eating enough or going on a crash diet can make a person with these tendencies even more likely to store (as body fat) most of the calories they consume. 

 

In his book, Change Your Genetic Destiny, Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo labels this thrifty genetic group GenoType 2 - "The Gatherer".  Through his years of research and treating patients, Dr. D'Adamo has found six different "GenoType" (genetic archetype) groupings, each with specific strengths and challenges. He has also developed a unique diet and exercise plan for each type that is specifically geared to each group's genetic tendencies.¹

Human DNA continues to evolve over time, although we remain personally unaware of the process. Our lives are short compared to the length of time it usually takes to notice significant genetic mutations in a species. By looking at archeological remains, we can see obvious differences in the average height and lifespans of today's humans compared to humans of 1,000 years ago. These are just two of the genetic changes that have occurred over the last millennium.

On an individual level we may not be able to alter our actual DNA, but we can often change whether or not we are affected by certain genes by changing our diet or other aspects of our lifestyle and environment.  This is the emerging science of epigenetics, which studies how the environment influences the expression of our DNA. 

 

We can make an effort to strengthen our bodies and to help ensure that our genetic and cellular processes are functioning at their highest level. Cells require the right fuel and the proper metabolic environment in order to function properly. So appropriate food in the proper quantities and the right amount of regular exercise are important. ² Another very important factor is to make sure the nerve system is functioning optimally, because the nerve system coordinates all your body's activities. You can think of the nerve system as the conductor of your own personal physiologic orchestra - making sure that everything works together smoothly and efficiently.

From the point of view of genetics and evolution, an individual human being has an advantage if she is well and healthy. If such a person has children it is likely they will be healthy and well too, especially if she is well-nourished during pregnancy and able to avoid excess stress. She will pass on whatever genetic advantages she has gained, as will her offspring under the same optimal conditions. A healthy nerve system is vital in helping to ensure health and wellness. Chiropractic care helps your nerve system function at peak efficiency, doing exactly what it's designed to do.

Chiropractic treatment works by improving the biomechanical function of spinal vertebrae, which in turn improves the free flow of nerve signals throughout your body. These nerve signals work to coordinate the various body systems so that your cells are able to receive the appropriate raw materials they need to function properly.  Your cells can then accurately duplicate themselves as they divide, and genetic function can be optimized.

Proper flow of instructions and information transmitted via the nerve system helps to ensure health and well-being at the deepest levels. Your genetic advantage is passed on when you're healthy and well. Chiropractic care plays a vital role in making this happen.

 

 

¹D'Adamo, Dr. Peter J.  Change Your Genetic Destiny (Originally published as The GenoType Diet in 2007, hardcover.) New York, NY.  Broadway Books, a division of Random House. 2009.
²Solomons NW: Developmental origins of health and disease. Concepts, caveats, and consequences for public health nutrition. Nutr Rev 67(Suppl 1):S12-S16, 2009

 

 

 

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation

Can We Stay Forever Young?

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Can We Stay Forever Young?

The Fountain of Youth and Chiropractic Care

There is no literal fountain of youth, of course, but there are ways to enhance and extend our youthfulness. Anyone can do this by following a consistently healthy diet, getting regular vigorous exercise, and making sure to get sufficient rest. Additionally, when you add regular chiropractic care to your long-term program, all your efforts provide an even greater yield. Chiropractic care works by optimizing the functioning of your spinal system. The spinal column plays a very important role, housing and protecting the spinal nerves - branches of your central nervous system that carry messages and instructions to all the other parts of your body. When the various parts of your spinal column (the vertebrae) are working well together, messages can flow freely back and forth along the spinal nerves. By helping ensure this free flow of information, chiropractic treatment helps you get the most out of your exercise and nutrition programs.

Do you consider yourself young at heart, even if you're not actually young in years?  Do you wonder if it's possible to remain "forever young" in terms of good health and wellness? Of course, there are positive aspects to getting older that we shouldn't discount in our search for the fountain of youth. Most of us probably wouldn't want to trade our positive life experiences, accomplishments, and the personal growth we have achieved. Our life experiences contribute to our character growth and help us to gain a broader understanding and appreciation of life.

 

There are many positive aspects to getting older, including gaining skills and hopefully wisdom, but is it really necessary for our physical bodies to break down along the way? We may not be able to hold on to the full bloom of youth as we advance in years, but there are a few things that may help us retain much of our youthful glow and vigor as we get older. Perhaps we may not remain "forever young" in the truest sense, but we can certainly embrace the ideas that "50 is the new 30" and "60 is the new 40". Here are two simple suggestions that may seem rather obvious, but can actually be very effective if you implement them consistently over the long term.

 

Suggestion #1: Eat a high quality diet and do not overeat! Each individual has their own metabolic balancing point beyond which extra food, especially excess carbohydrates, will be stored as fat. If you are eating a nutrient dense diet - focusing on high quality protein, fats, and vegetables and keeping your average daily calorie consumption in balance with your energy expenditures - then all the energy in the food you eat will be used to repair your tissues and to support your physical functioning.

 

On the other hand, if you regularly overindulge in excess calories, especially carbohydrates, the excess calories will not be utilized, and will instead be stored as fat. These abnormal fat stores tend to eventually lead to chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. So for your highest likelihood of enjoying long-term health, it's very wise idea to avoid overeating, at least most of the time. Keep in mind that you don't have to be perfect.  If you eat a high-quality diet within your caloric range on six out of seven days each week, you can think of that seventh day as a free day when you can indulge a bit more.  The idea is to make eating well a lifestyle choice that you can maintain over the long-term, helping you to stay "forever young".¹

 

You may have heard the term "Intermittent Fasting" which has become increasingly popular as a way to receive the benefits of calorie restriction without restricting the amount of calories consumed.  Proponents suggest that you can receive all the benefits of "calorie restriction" by not reducing your total daily caloric intake, but instead eating the same number of calories each day during a smaller window of time - thereby fasting for at least 14-16 hours or more, with the balance of the day being your shortened "eating window".  The studies that have been done on this technique look promising except for one huge caveat.  Most of the studies have been done on men, and the few that have included women seem to indicate that intermittent fasting may have the opposite effect for women - causing hormonal disruptions, insomnia and even weight gain and increased insulin resistance.  For women especially, it is prudent to avoid prolonged fasting states, and instead follow the advice above - eating a high quality diet with an appropriate amount of calories - and spacing your meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar and hormones balanced.

 

Suggestion #2: Get more exercise. Did you ever see a competitive swimmer, gymnast, or professional dancer who didn't look fantastic? These young men and women are in such good shape owing to the high volume of exercise they do every week. Do you know any older adults who were gymnasts or professional dancers in their younger days? Isn't that person still unusually healthy and fit? Such long-term fitness results from a lifelong habit of regular exercise. The wonderful news is that even if you haven't exercised in many, many years, you can still derive benefits for years to come by starting to exercise, right now.^2,3 It's never too late to start!  Begin wherever you are fitness-wise, and build up gradually.  Not only will regular exercise improve your waistline, it will also likely improve your mood, enhance your sense of well-being and even help you to have more energy during the day and sleep better at night. The most important thing is to begin and to be consistent.

 

Another caution, because many of us tend to think that if something is good for us, then a whole lot is much better.  We just finished advising you to get more exercise, and for most of us that is just what the doctor ordered.  However, please pay attention to your body.  Start slowly and build up.  It's easy to get caught up in an activity and overdo it.  Try to find activities you enjoy, and get some exercise every day.  Also, it is best to vary both the activities and the intensity. 

 

Although the vast majority of us don't get enough exercise, there is a small percentage of people that will tend to consistently push their bodies too long and too hard.  Too much intense exercise can actually stress the body.  Exercise creates free-radicals and you can eventually deplete your free-radical scavenging antioxidant stores if you continually overdo it, especially as you age. Just like with your caloric intake, it is prudent to find your "sweet spot" with regard to exercise - getting enough to enjoy all of the many benefits, but not so much that you are taxing your body and creating chronic stress.  Like most aspects of life, it's all about balance.  Exercised should leave you feeling good, relaxed and energized.  If you are feeling depleted or exhausted you are doing too much.  Back off a bit and give your body a break.

 

These two suggestions, eating less and exercising more (within reason), have been known for decades. But in order to reap the many benefits, what's required is to actually do these things. We can be "forever young", by taking these simple actions on our own behalf.

 

 

¹Campbell KL, et al: J Clin Oncol Reduced-Calorie Dietary Weight Loss, Exercise, and Sex Hormones in Postmenopausal Women: Randomized Controlled Trial. 2012 May 21 [Epub ahead of print] 

²Umpierre D: Physical activity advice only or structured exercise training and association with HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 305(17):1790-1799, 2011

³Betof AS, et al: Effects and potential mechanisms of exercise training on cancer progression: A translational perspective. Brain Behav Immun 2012 May 17 [Epub ahead of print]

 

 

 

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation

The Human Body is a Very Complex System

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

The Human Body is a Very Complex System

Your Partner in Good Health - Chiropractic Care

Good health rarely happens by accident.  That is especially true these days, because the typical American diet and lifestyle stacks the odds against us. A very small number of fortunate people will enjoy good health no matter what they do. Perhaps you know one of these rare birds who do all the "wrong" things and in their advanced years, will tell anyone who will listen how they've never been sick a day even though they smoke, drank, ate fried foods etc. But for the rest of us, we need to make healthy lifestyle choices in order to enjoy long-term health and wellness. Perhaps our goal is simply to be consistently well enough that we can live an active life without chronic aches and pains interfering with it, or constantly worrying about our state of health and what might be going wrong. Chiropractic care is an important component of healthy lifestyle. Regular chiropractic care can help ensure that we get the most value out of the other healthy lifestyle choices we make. Regular chiropractic care can help us achieve the long-lasting good health and wellness that allows us to get the most out of life.

The concept of complexity is a useful way of helping us better understand the world around us.  Complexity theory is a scientific concept that has spread rapidly throughout the collective consciousness during the last several decades. Anyone who watches the television show "The Big Bang Theory" has heard various references to complex systems, chaos theory, and emergent phenomena. Perhaps surprisingly, these fascinating topics from the fields of mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry also have special importance for human health and wellness.

Examples of chaos and complexity are prevalent in the natural world. Weather systems are a good example of complex systems, which is why the weather is so difficult to predict, even in the short-term. This is primarily because the basic structure of a weather pattern can change in an instant.  The scientific understanding of chaos theory has been advanced by studying another natural phenomena - avalanches.  Another example in the natural world is the flocking behavior of birds, which demonstrates the ever-variable outcomes of a great number of factors.

An emergent phenomenon is one that cannot be predicted from studying the various parts that make up the whole. Emergent phenomena include the flocking behavior of birds in flight, in which large flocks create beautiful, shifting, dynamic patterns as they fly; the structure of beehives; and the World Wide Web. Even human consciousness may, from a certain perspective, be considered an emergent phenomenon.

From an individual health perspective, the relative health and wellness of any particular person is also an emergent phenomenon.^1,2, For example, fighting off the flu or a common cold is a dynamic process with many complex and chaotic interactions taking place in order to determine the outcome. The individual fighting off the flu or cold may be aware of how things are going in general, based upon how well or sick they are feeling, but they are not aware of each of the specific cellular and subcellular activities that are happening in their body.

Are our white blood cells working together effectively to keep us healthy?  Is their behavior organized? Do they know where they need to be in order to battle the invading forces? Or is their behavior uncoordinated and random causing us to end up sick as a result?

Consistent, long-term health and wellness emerge from a variety of prerequisites, including proper nutrition, sufficient rest and regular exercise. These activities are considered healthy lifestyle choices because they promote good health. Because the body's functions and the interactions with its environment are very complex, it is impossible to guarantee a specific outcome. But we can make an educated prediction based on historical data and analyzing the facts. It is clear that the outcomes we want - long-term health and wellness - are most likely to result from a set of healthy lifestyle choices that are made consistently over the long-term.

 

¹Koonin EV: Are there laws of genome evolution? PLoS Comput Biol Epub August 25, 2011

²Jayasinghe S: Conceptualising population health: from mechanistic thinking to complexity science. Emerg Themes Epidemiol 8(1):2, 2011

 

 

 

 

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation

Performing Complex Movements

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

 

Performing Complex Movements

Wall Push-ups for Beginners

Performing a regular push-up correctly and effectively requires a large amount of coordination and strength. If you are significantly overweight and/or haven't exercise in a while, regular push-ups performed on the floor may be too challenging, even if you do the easier version with your knees bent. You can work up to those more advanced push-ups by performing standing push-ups against a wall, until you build your strength.  Also, wall push-ups are often a better choice for people with back problems, because standard push-ups can stress the lower back. To perform wall push-ups, stand facing a wall and place your hands on it, slightly wider than your shoulders.  You should be standing far enough from the wall so that your hands touch the wall with you arms comfortably outstretched but not completely straight.  Your fingers should be pointing upward. Keep your tummy pulled in, and inhale while you bend your elbows and lean your body toward the wall. Exhale while you slowly push yourself back to your starting position.  Make your movements slow and controlled and make sure you're not arching your back.  Repeat several times until you can do a set of 8-12 repetitions.  As you get stronger, you can take a short rest and then repeat one or two additional sets. A wall push-up is a compound exercise because it helps to strengthen several major muscle groups, when performed correctly, including your arms, pectorals and core.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mao Asada not only won a silver medal in Ladies Figure Skating, she also landed three triple axels during that competition which was a feat that no competitor had previously accomplished.  While all figure skating spins, jumps and other technical elements have varying levels of difficulty, the triple axel is especially challenging. A triple axel consists of many moving parts, which must all be perfectly coordinated in order to complete the requisite rotations in the air before landing safely on the ice.

How does a figure skater assemble all the various parts of this daring and beautiful element? Certainly not by thinking about them. The timing of this entire feat happens in a matter of seconds, while the individual moving parts of a triple axel happen in a fraction of a second. Therefore, if the skater tries to think about what is coming next, they will most likely end up falling instead.

Well-executed triple- axels, salchows, and flips combine exquisite beauty, athleticism and grace. Double and single jumps are also very impressive, requiring a very high level of coordination and skill.^1,2 A skater learns how to perform these elements by training, honing their ability to focus, and countless hours of practice. The months, and years of training result in these moves becoming second nature to a skater. At this point, generally speaking, thinking plays no part in performing these "tricks", because we can't think at skating speed.

So how can we bring a skater's level of excellence to our own training? Whether we're riding a bike, running, doing yoga, walking, swimming, dancing, or playing basketball or volleyball, a high level of commitment is necessary in order to excel.³ A half-hearted effort will not get you significant results. If we truly want to increase our health and well-being, it is necessary to commit to a regular exercise schedule. In order to do this, we need to plan and use our time efficiently, making sure that we set aside at least 30 minutes each day for our daily exercise activities.

We need to make sure that we optimize our exercise time to get the best results. The main objectives of exercise are to tone and strengthen our muscles, increase our aerobic capacity and increase our flexibility and the range of motion in our joints. In order to do this, it's important for various parts and systems of your body to communicate with each other efficiently, otherwise some of your effort will be wasted. The most effective way to ensure optimal functioning of all our physiologic systems is to make sure our nerve system is operating at full capacity. Chiropractic health care focuses on fulfilling this need.

Regular chiropractic care helps to restore and maintain optimal functioning of the all-important nerve system. This helps all the various body systems function effectively so that you can derive maximal benefit from your exercise efforts. Your body becomes smarter and able to perform at higher levels. You are supported in developing new physical skills and abilities. You may also notice an improvement in your sleep resulting from a better functioning nerve system, and perhaps even an increase in creativity and joy in your life.



¹Tanguy SG, et al: Are otolithic inputs interpreted better in figure skaters? Neuroreport 19(5):565-568, 2008
²Lockwood KL, et al: Landing for success: a biomechanical and perceptual analysis of on-ice jumps in figure skating. Sports Biomech 5(2)231-241, 2006
³Rinne M, et al: Is Generic Physical Activity Or Specific Exercise Associated With Motor Abilities? Med Sci Sports Exerc February 13, 2010 (Epub ahead of print)

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation

Maximizing Your Health Account

Maximizing Your Health Account

Deposits and Withdrawals from Your Health Account

In terms of your health and well-being it's very important to not to "overdraw your health account". Withdrawals should never exceed deposits. The trouble is that sometimes we don't even realize that we're making a withdrawal, or we forget to make sure we've had enough deposits to cover a big withdrawal. When this happens, we tend to get sick. Stress can cause a very large withdrawal from your health account. Your body will expend a large amount of resources as it tries to cope with stress. The result is the same whether the stress is psychological, emotional or physical - all types of ongoing stress result in ongoing withdrawals. When we are under a lot of stress, it's especially important to pay close attention to our health accounts. Proper nutrition, sufficient rest, and regular exercise become even more important when we're under increased stress. The trouble is, heightened stress levels go hand in hand with chronic exhaustion - so we tend to feel like we just don't have the energy necessary to do the things that will keep us healthy. We tell ourselves that we're too stressed out and we don't have enough time to workout or make an effort to buy and prepare healthy food. But the thing is, that's when it really is most important to make the effort and take the time to do what's best for our health.  Even if we don't really feel like it. Take the time now to pad your health accounts, so that you will have the necessary health resources down the road when you really need it.

Everyone wants to increase the balance in their bank accounts. The health of our finances is largely determined by the level of our resources. The more money we have in the bank, so to speak, the more secure we feel overall. If our resources are nicely diversified among liquid assets, property, stocks, and bonds, we are apt to feel even more secure.

We can similarly use this type of fiscal accounting as a metaphor for our physical well-being and health. The more resources we are able to accumulate in our "health account" the healthier we will likely end up being. To take it one step further, if we're able to diversify the assets in our health accounts, as it's prudent to do with our financial accounts, we're more likely to experience better outcomes with regard to our long-term health.

You may notice that your physical resources probably fluctuate as often as your financial resources.  With the metaphor of health accounting, we can still think in terms of income and expenses. If your "income" is greater than your "expenses", you will likely enjoy overall higher levels of health.  Of course, the opposite is also true - when expenses are greater than income, health tends to deteriorate.

What kinds of things can we use to pad our health accounts? The most obvious and crucial aspects are food,¹ exercise ² and rest.³  With each of these, quality is more important than quantity - especially when it comes to the food we eat.  Eating a large quantity of poor quality food will eventually lead to being overweight or obese.  On the other hand, when you focus on quality - enjoying a diet that primarily consists of high-quality protein, high-quality fats, and plenty of fresh vegetables and some fruits - you will usually become more fit and naturally lean.

When it comes to getting adequate rest, most people usually do best with seven to eight hours of sleep each night. There are exceptions, but for most people, getting less than six hours of sleep per night long-term will eventually deplete their health account. In rare cases, getting too much sleep long-term can also lead to negative effects. Just like with food though, quality can be more important than quantity (or at least equally important).

There are many additional sources of "income" that can increase the balance of our health accounts. Close and loving personal relationships with family and supportive friends, interesting and stimulating interests and activities, exploring new places and learning new skills all help to grow our health accounts, enhancing our long-term health and increasing our overall sense of well-being.

Chiropractic care is another wonderful source of "income" for our health accounts. Receiving regular chiropractic care can help a person maximize the value - on a physiological basis - of the food, rest and exercise they are getting. Chiropractic care assists people in getting the most out of their health resources, by optimizing their physiology and thereby improving their health and increasing their well-being.


¹Greenwald P, Dunn BK: Do we make optimal use of the potential of cancer prevention? Recent Results Cancer Res 181:3-17, 2009
²Jackson AS, et al: Role of lifestyle and aging on the longitudinal change in cardiorespiratory fitness. Arch Intern Med 169(19):1781-1787, 2009
³Smaldone A, et al: Sleepless in America: inadequate sleep and relationships to health and well-being of our nation's children. Pediatrics 119(Suppl 1):S29-S37, 2007

Click Here to Request a New Patient Appointment or Free Consultation