Walk It Off

It finally feels as if Spring has sprung in my neck of the woods. The temperatures are warming up, the flowers are in bloom and the landscape is turning from brown to green. This is the time of the year that I notice a change in people's moods too. The doldrums of winter have passed and people smile more and you notice a lot more people taking part in outdoor activities.

When Spring rolls around you notice that many people can have allergies to pollen and grasses. It also seems that many people in the country are allergic to exercise as well. I am not sure why that is. There are so many benefits to exercising. Exercise helps to release endorphins in your brain which can make you happier and feel better about life. Exercise can help to give you more energy, lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, burn fat, build muscle, and lower your risk of diabetes to name a few.

People lead very busy lives and we are connected more now than ever before. I feel that people think there aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything they need to get done and exercising becomes a non-priority. It essentially becomes the bottom man on the totem pole. But, what people don't realize is that exercise doesn't have to take a lot of time. My workouts at the gym and my daily jogs are roughly 45 minutes long. All in all, on a day that I exercise I spend a little over an hour of my time. And that 70-75 minutes includes getting ready, working out, showering, etc.

The Mayo Clinic has recently come out with some interesting facts. When we exercise we burn oxygen, which causes our bodies to burn stored fat. But the interesting tidbit from the Mayo Clinic is that walking 4 miles a day, 4 times a week, can burn up to 1600 calories a week. If an individual chooses not to change their diet, and walks that distance for a period of six months, they will lose about 12 pounds. If you walk that distance for one year, you can lose up to 24 pounds!!! Take a step back for a second to process that.....Walking (not running, but walking) 4 miles a day, only 4 days a week for a year, without making any changes to your diet, will allow you to lose up to 24 pounds. That is only exercising 4 hours a week!

People are always looking for a quick fix to lose weight. By spending 1 hour a day, 4 days a week, you can lose the weight you have been looking to lose, plus get all the added benefits that exercise has to offer. On top of that, you get to spend time outside in the fresh air, enjoying nature, all while you become healthier! Who could ask for more?

Allergy Season Survival Guide

Spring is right around the corner and I can't be any happier! It was a long, cold, snowy winter and I am ready for some warmer weather, leaves on the trees and colorful flowers. The problem is that allergy season is right behind the leaves and flowers The Northeast always seems to be a hotbed for allergies and it seems that many people are affected by the microscopic allergens that float around in the air. Some people get a simple runny nose, while others tend to get sinus or upper respiratory infections. Minimizing the effects of these allergens on your health will help to minimize your chances of secondary infections. Here are some of the actions that you can take to minimize your exposure to allergens.

• Keep your car's ventilation system on re-circulate. This will prevent some of the pollen from entering the vehicle. Some cars even have a pollen filter!
• Change your in-home furnace filters to the HEPA type. These filters should be changed several times during the pollen season.
• Purchase a HEPA filter and let it run continuously during the pollen season.

Sometimes seasonal allergies may result in other respiratory complications. Sinusitis and bronchitis may result from opportunistic bacteria in the nose and lungs that tend to attack when your body's immune system is stressed. Allergies can also trigger asthma attacks.

Food sensitivities and allergies can compound airborne allergy reactions, which can make your allergy response that much worse. This entire group of allergens keeps the body in a systemic, elevated immune state, which can also exaggerate airborne allergy symptoms. If you are bothered by allergies all year long you may consider eliminating common allergenic foods such as wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs and soy. Eliminate these food sources for a few weeks to see if your symptoms resolve.

It is difficult to remove yourself from all allergen sources, and when you are dealing with allergies, the adrenal glands (they sit on top of your kidneys) are constantly stressed and inflamed. Rather than taking an over the counter pill, whole-food nutritional supplements and herbal formulas can help reduce your body's response to the allergens. These whole-food supplements may help with adrenal support, fatigue, runny nose, watery eyes, congestion, bronchitis, sinusitis and asthma.

If you would like more information on what products could help help your seasonal allergies, don't hesitate to get in touch with our office. We offer a wide supply of natural, whole-food supplements that can help you enjoy the spring, rather than dread it.

Are All Fats Bad?

That's a question I get from a lot of my patients. First things first; eating most foods in moderation is not a terrible thing. An ice cream cone here and there and french fries every once in while is not going to kill you. One thing that people don't understand is that there are certain fats that are good for you. Fat is needed by the body for energy, so it should not be avoided completely. February is Heart-Health Month and I thought it would be a good idea to let people know what fats are healthy and why they are good for you.

Fats are classified as saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats are the fats that can possibly cause health problems down the road and are the fats that come in diary, red meat, snack cakes, desserts, and chips. Things like coconut oil, palm oil and anything "partially hydrogenated" can lead to the blockage of arteries, increased cholesterol levels and other diseases. As I mentioned earlier, eating foods in moderation is not a bad thing, but if you are going to consume saturated fats, make sure they come from a natural source. Foods like beef, eggs, butter or cheese, when eaten with a well balanced diet, should be fine. Any foods that are processed, or not "natural", should really be avoided.

Unsaturated fats are the "healthy fats"; especially Omega-3's. Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) are essential fatty acids, which means that our bodies cannot make them, so we need to ingest them in order to reap their benefits. DHA and EPA are "good" fats, and the best dietary sources of these Omega-3's are from cold water marine animals like tuna, salmon and calamari. Foods such as seeds, nuts, beans, and green leafy vegetables contain alpha-linolenic acids (ALA), also an essential fatty acid, that our bodies can partially convert into EPA and DHA, but the best source is from fresh, cold water fish.

Eating Omega-3's support: cardiovascular health, triglyceride (bad fat) levels in our blood, blood pressure, healthy blood clotting, our immune system, cognition, emotional balance, anti-oxidant availability and skin, nail and hair health. Many surveys show that Americans don't consume enough Omega-3's and that can lead to health problems as we age. It is important to add these fats into your diet, whether it is through eating more salmon, tuna or squid, or taking a supplement. I recommend talking to your health care provider before starting any supplement or vitamin regiment.

Eating right is very important to an individual's overall health. We truly are what we eat. The better the ingredient, the better your body will work and function and the healthier you will feel. This starts with cutting out a majority of the saturated and synthetic fats we put in our body, and increasing the amounts of good fat. So go have some sushi, or a nice salmon steak and enjoy the fact that you are eating healthy!

January's Newsletter

How much exercise is needed to make the difference between fit kids and unfit kids? Want to feel younger? Do energy drinks help with your athletic performance? Learn the real truth behind headaches and more in this months newsletter!

How Important is Exercise?

We've all been there before. Your intentions have been good: "I am going to go for a run tomorrow morning" or "I am going to hit the weights before work". The alarm goes off, and although you are warm and comfy under those covers you can tell it is ice cold in the bedroom and to make matters worse, the sun hasn't come up yet. And it won't be up for another hour and a half. So what do you do? Too many times we roll over and hit the snooze button. Then we hit it again, and again, and again and don't leave ourselves any time to exercise. In fact that is exactly what I did the other day. The winter is a tough time to wake up early in order to get in a workout before work. But I know myself too well and when I hit that snooze button, and tell myself that I will work out after work, I know it will never happen. My day is long and I just want to get home at night. I'm sure many of you can relate to that.

But in reality, exercise is the best thing you can do when you wake up feeling lethargic and lazy. Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your brain and your muscles. In fact, regular exercise helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs are working more efficiently, your whole body has more energy to perform throughout the day. Exercising also stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. Wouldn't it be great to go through the day being in a good mood and not grumpy and irritated? Especially in the winter, when a lot of people are affected by S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) a quick run in the morning can make you think clearer and feel more energetic. I know this is true based on my own personal experiences. On the days that I work out I have more energy throughout the day and I am in a much better mood than on the days I skip my workouts.

Besides making your lung and heart function better, physical activity is now being prescribed by doctors for the purpose of preventing and treating various diseases and physical conditions. In Sweden, healthcare professionals have been prescribing physical activity for many years, so this is nothing new to them.

For the individual just starting with an exercise routine or for the advanced athlete it is important to remember to pace yourself and to work within your own limits. It is also good to know that we have nearly 650 skeletal muscles in our body. With repetitive exercise, muscles can become tight. When the muscles become tight. adhesions can form and this traps chemicals that fire off pain receptors. Chiropractic care can help to restore and maintain proper motion of these muscles and bones to help eliminate and prevent these problems.

So, let's recap....exercise has been shown to put you in a better mood and help with certain types of depression, makes your heart and lungs work better, and it makes you look and feel better. Once you're done exercising, you can go for your chiropractic tune up to make sure everything in your body is working right. Exercise is not hard, getting out of bed to get started with a routine is the hard part. If you can get past that, you're in for a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Can the Internet Make You Sick?

We live in age where technology is king! Our phones act as mini computers where we can schedule, e-mail, surf the internet and actually talk to other people (although some people manage to avoid human interaction by sending 20,000 text messages a month). Not only do most people use a computer all day at work, but they come home and surf the internet, play on-line computer games and update their social media status, over and over...and over again. Humans are more connected now than ever before and we learn about current events so much faster than in the past. To put things in perspective...when I started college in 1996, it was the first time I was able to surf the internet without tying up the telephone line and no one, and mean no one, had a cell phone. Crazy and wild times!

Some people tend to spend more time on the computer than others, but it seems that overall we are spending more and more time staring at our computer screens. It seems that the younger generation, especially college students, tend to be the group that is most guilty of "computer abuse". Prolonged time at the computer can lead to several physical ailments that can affect your activities of daily living. Overuse of the computer can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS. CTS causes pain, numbness and burning in your thumb, first finger and middle finger. This can be caused by typing too much on your keyboard with your wrists held in the wrong position for extended periods of time. Overuse of the computer can also lead to lower back and neck aches, severe headaches, dry eyes, strained vision and sleep disturbances. Many of these symptoms are exacerbated by the fact that people's work stations are not set up properly. The monitor may be too low or high, the mouse may be too far away, the keyboard too close and even the height of your chair can lead to spinal and muscle pain.

If you are an individual, or you know someone, who is always on the computer and complaining of any of the symptoms that I listed above, chiropractic care or massage therapy can really help. Not only can a chiropractor help to alleviate muscular and joint pain quickly, but most chiropractors are very aware of the proper ergonomics for a desk or one's work station. Even if spending excessive amounts of time on the computer is unavoidable, a chiropractic treatment can help prevent your aches and pains from getting worse and can even prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place!

"No thanks, I don't need to be treated. I'm not having any pain."

The above phrase is one that I can guarantee most chiropractors have heard at least once during their career. Heck, I hear a version of that statement uttered at least once per week. The current medical model in this country involves treating people's symptoms or pain. They are given a pill, or the option to have surgery and everyone expects a quick fix. Over the last few years, wellness or preventative care has started to take root and expand, but for the most part, we are taught from an early age that if we are not feeling any pain, then we are healthy; and unfortunately that is not the case.

Both my father and my grandfather were helped a lot by chiropractic care when I was growing up. They both started care after experiencing a bout of acute pain, but they both continued to receive treatment after their symptoms had dissipated. Watching their success with chiropractic is what really influenced me to become a chiropractor. I had never been treated with chiropractic care before attending chiropractic college. I felt healthy; I didn't have any pain; so why did I need to go? I started receiving regular chiropractic adjustments while attending school and kicked myself for not getting treated sooner. I had always been bothered by migraine headaches (which seemed to go away with treatment), my neck and lower back felt looser and I would feel great, both mentally and physically following a chiropractic adjustment.

So why is it a good idea to get treated when you don't feel any pain? Everyday, the activities of daily living and the repetitive micro-traumas that we put our bodies through cause the muscles and soft tissues that make up the joints of our spine to fatigue and toxic metabolic waste to build up around the nerves. Since we don't like to experience pain, our bodies tend to compensate at first. Over time, our bodies can no longer compensate and we start to feel pain. With chiropractic adjustments, the joints stay moving freely and you can prevent those serious bouts of neck and lower back pain.

Personally, I try to get adjusted at least once a month based on how I feel. If I have done a lot of running or played hockey and I am feeling sore, I may go two times that month. A quick chiropractic adjustment can keep me feeling good for several weeks. Even if you're feeling good, it is a good idea to have your spine checked for subluxations or misalignments, that if left untreated can cause problems down the line. Go find a chiropractor and see what you've been missing!