Quote of the Week:

“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.”~ Ella Wilcox

Exercise of the Week

Topic of the Week: Why You Need to Detoxify Your Body

Our environment is increasingly contaminated with toxins – in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Pollution puts enormous stress on our body and compromises our immune system. It is little surprise toxins are linked to several serious health conditions and diseases.

The main detoxifying organ in your body is the liver. It processes hazardous chemicals and exports them to your waste system. However, you have other bodily systems that help with detoxification, including the lungs, kidneys, skin, bladder, intestinal and lymphatic systems.

The Detoxifying Role of Antioxidants
Antioxidant molecules aid your body’s ability to neutralize and flush out heavy metals, pesticides and carcinogens, which spark the production of cell-damaging free radicals.

Glutathione is a vital antioxidant produced by your body that supports other antioxidants. Without glutathione, the therapeutic action of other antioxidants would not be as effective. You can also find glutathione in fruits and vegetables, especially in onions, carrots, kale and cauliflower.

Coenzyme Q10 is another important antioxidant found throughout your body’s tissues. It is a key player in fighting free radicals and repairing damage caused by sun exposure. Organ meat is the highest dietary source of coenzyme Q10, but because this type of meat is no longer widely consumed in Western countries, you may not be getting enough of this antioxidant. Ask your chiropractor if you need to use a coenzyme Q10 supplement.

Vitamins A, C and E are part of the antioxidant family and widely found in many fruits and vegetables. Choose organic produce to limit your exposure to pesticides.

As well as antioxidants, eat lots of fiber; it is important for cleansing your intestinal system of contaminants.

Best Detoxifying Foods
What you eat has a profound effect on your body’s ability to cleanse itself of toxins. Make sure you consume plenty of the following…

Green Leafy Vegetables
These kinds of vegetables are loaded with chlorophyll – a substance essential for detoxifying your body. Load up your grocery cart with more spinach, kale, and arugula.

Cruciferous Vegetables
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower are examples of cruciferous vegetables. They contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol; both are noted for their ability to counteract carcinogens in the body and indole-3-carbinol eases hormone overload that often results from exposure to chemicals.

Citrus Fruits
Oranges, lemons and limes contain abundant amounts of vitamin C and also boost the cleansing abilities of the liver. According to one study, adding citrus juice to green tea increased the power of the tea’s antioxidant polyphenols.

Green Tea
According to a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, green tea was shown to boost GST enzymes, which protect you from cancer causing chemicals.

Garlic
This pungent member of the vegetable family stimulates liver function. New research shows the garlic ingredient allicin produces an acid that attacks dangerous free radicals faster than any known antioxidant substance.

Supplements for Cleansing
These are not the only detoxifiers, but they are among the best.

Chlorella
When it comes to removing toxins from the body, this green alga has a particular gift. Japanese scientists conducted medical research on patients affected by the atomic bomb blasts in 1945 and discovered chlorella binds to heavy metals, PCBs and other toxins and carries them out through the body’s waste system. Unfortunately, chlorella does not have an appealing taste, so most people consume it as a supplement.
Milk Thistle
A member of the daisy family, the milk thistle plant could be called your liver’s best friend, as it protects the organ from toxic damage and enhances its detoxification ability. It is available as an extract.

Lifestyle Important for Detoxification
As well as specific foods and supplements, you should also include appropriate exercise. Working up a sweat actually pushes out contaminants through your perspiration and exercise also aids the digestive and lymphatic systems to eliminate toxins.
For your own well being, consult your chiropractor before consuming supplements or starting a detox or exercise program.

Disclaimer: Information contained in The Wellness ExpressTM newsletter is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. Copyright © - The Wellness ExpressTM

Quote of the Week

“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.“ ~ James Bryant Conant

Exercise of the Week

Topic of the Week: Whiplash Home Care

Whiplash injuries usually involve damage to the soft tissues - muscles, ligaments, fascia - of your neck, and they are most commonly caused by rear-end automobile collisions. Whiplash may also be caused by sports trauma or other physical activities. The “whipping” motion of your neck (i.e., the rapid thrusting of your neck backwards then forwards) stretches your neck muscles, ligaments, and other structures, resulting in microtears in your tissues that may cause pain and swelling. Patients who experience long-term and unrelenting whiplash symptoms, reports a study in the journal Pain, tend to be older, experience more pain immediately following injury, and develop injury-related cognitive impairment.

Managing the pain and swelling in your injured tissues is the principle goal of chiropractic care in the first few days post-injury, which means that your chiropractor will target your treatments to reduce your inflammation and decrease the intensity of your muscle spasms. How you approach your care and your usual activities of daily living within the first 2 weeks following your whiplash injury can affect your recovery, too. A study published in the journal Spine notes that patients who continue to participate in their usual pre-injury activities for the first 14 days after a whiplash injury tend to fare better (i.e., recover more quickly) than patients who take sick leave from work or undergo immobilization during this time.

Remaining engaged in your pre-injury activities (if possible) and adhering to your treatment plan are two important factors in your recovery. So too are home care activities - activities that you can perform or strategies you can adopt to help reduce your pain and speed your healing.

Home Care
Performing the exercises you learned in your chiropractor’s office is one of the most important home care strategies you can adopt following a whiplash injury.

To help decrease your pain and inflammation, you can apply ice to your injured area. Apply a package of frozen peas or corn, or an ice pack, wrapped in a towel to your neck (both front and back) for no more than 15 to 20 minutes per hour every 2 to 3 hours. Do not let the cold source directly contact your skin, as this could cause ice pack burn, or frostbite. Using a heating pad on a low or medium setting for 15 to 20 minutes per hour every 2 to 3 hours may also be helpful in reducing your discomfort.

If you were given a soft foam collar by your chiropractor, wear it while performing your daily activities for the amount of time recommended by your doctor. This advice applies for TENS units as well. TENS units are commonly prescribed to whiplash patients and they help reduce both acute and chronic pain. Continue performing your activities of daily living to what degree possible between visits with your chiropractor, but consider avoiding activities that require you to lift objects or tilt your head backward for more than a few seconds at a time. Also avoid strenuous arm, shoulder, upper back, and neck activities, as such activities may worsen your injuries.

Pillow and Sleeping Positions
The proper pillow can significantly reduce the pain you feel upon waking. For many suffering from neck pain, water-based pillows promote a higher quality and less painful sleep than other pillows. According to a study published in Advances in Physiotherapy, the optimal pillow for neck pain should be soft, yet possess sufficient support for your neck’s lordotic curve.

Such a pillow, notes the researcher, can help decrease neck pain and headache and encourage heightened sleep quality. Your chiropractor may have various pillow samples available in his or her office from which to choose.

Please remember to avoid sleeping on your stomach during the early phases of your care, as this can provoke further damage to your injured tissues and delay the healing process. Consider sleeping in a slightly upright position with your head and neck bent forward a few degrees. It is important that you find a tolerable position for your head and neck – a position that does not place any additional strain on your injured tissues.

Symptoms and Warning Signs
The pain, inflammation, and muscle spasms you may experience with a whiplash injury will continue for several days post-accident as your injured tissues begin the healing process. You may also notice the following symptoms: headache, dizziness, impaired memory or concentration, and visual disturbances. These symptoms are common after whiplash injuries, and you should anticipate experiencing at least some of them during the acute phase of your injury, depending on the severity of your injury. If any of the following signs or symptoms arise, however, please contact your chiropractor immediately: numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arms or legs, personality changes, swallowing or breathing difficulties, severe pain, severe headache, clumsiness when walking, loss of consciousness, nausea or vomiting, seizures, or pupils that appear different in size.

Disclaimer: Information contained in The Wellness ExpressTM newsletter is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. Copyright © - The Wellness ExpressTM

Quote of the Week

Exercise of the Week

Topic of the Week: Why Watching Less TV Can Extend Your Life

You have often heard that watching TV is bad for you but did you know it may shorten your life?


According to a series of studies done within the last five years, watching television boosts your risk of developing a number of serious health problems –from depression to type 2 diabetes and yes, TV appears to abbreviate life span.


In this issue of the Wellness Express, we investigate the research about how television impacts your health.


Watching TV Means Not Watching What You Eat.
A steady diet of TV influences what you eat and how much. Studies indicate watching television boosts your consumption levels of empty calories – foods high in energy but low in nutrition.


The American Journal of Preventive
Medicine published a review of 53 studies on this topic. It found watching TV is linked with increased eating of fast food and decreased intake of fruits and vegetables among children, teens and adults.


One of the review authors commented that many people consume a substantial amount of their daily caloric intake while viewing TV programming.


The distracting nature of watching television also makes people less aware of the type of food they are actually consuming. A Canadian study from the University of Alberta on college students found those who watched TV for a minimum of four hours a day ate more energy dense snacks compared to students who watched one hour or less of TV daily. The study authors also noted: "The exposure to the advertising seems to stimulate a desire to eat that particular food product.”


This effect of TV food advertising should not be underestimated, as several studies on children show what an influence television has on their food choices.


The University of Liverpool conducted what they called “the first study to demonstrate that children with greater previous exposure to commercials (high television viewers) seemed to be more responsive to food promotion messages than children with lower previous advertising exposure.”


Overall, exposure to TV food ads revealed a food consumption increase of 134% for obese children, 101% for overweight children and 84% for normal weight kids. The children were also prone to choose high fat and high sugar foods.

A study that appeared in the European Journal of Public Health noted if unhealthy food advertising was reduced “that from one in seven up to one in three obese children in the USA might not have been obese in the absence of advertising for unhealthy food on TV.”


As well as reducing overall TV viewing, you should turn off the television during meals. A study on adolescents who watched TV while eating during family meals showed they had poorer dietary quality compared to kids who didn’t watch TV during these times.


TV Linked to Depression
TV seems like an ideal diversion from our problems and should make us happier but research supports the contrary. A study in the Journal of Economic Psychology revealed chronic TV viewing is linked to less happy feelings. The researcher authors also noted that heavy TV viewers suffer from higher levels of anxiety.


Women who watch 3+ hours of TV daily were 13% more likely to suffer depression.


How much television you watch as a teenager may also influence the chances of developing depression as an adult.


The University of Pittsburgh and the Harvard Medical School investigated adolescent TV habits and uncovered that for every hour he or she watched television, the teenager’s risk of depression in adulthood increased 8%.


Diabetes, Heart Disease & Death Two of the most prevalent health problems in our society are heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Your risk of developing these conditions increases from 15% to 20% if you watch two or more hours of TV each day, according to a large review of TV and health research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The same review also revealed that your overall risk of premature death jumped by 13% if watching over 2 hours of daily TV.


Engaging in sedentary activities like watching television equals less time spent on calorie burning activities like exercise. Don’t let a passive lifestyle turn you into a dangerous statistic. Talk to your chiropractor about setting up an exercise plan for you and your whole family.

Disclaimer: Information contained in The Wellness ExpressTM newsletter is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. Copyright © - The Wellness ExpressTM

Exercise of the Week

Quote of the Week

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Topic of the Week: Foot Care the Chiropractic Way

Your chiropractor understands the importance of healthy feet on the function of your lower extremity joints and tissues, as well as on your spine and posture and will work with you to maintain or restore your foot health. Foot care, the chiropractic way often involves more natural methods of treating foot and ankle ailments and it is a conservative, noninvasive approach that recognizes and respects your body’s inherent integrity and design. Many chiropractors believe the foot, like the spine, can heal itself when proper structural alignment and tissue tone are restored.


Chiropractic foot care strategies encourage long-term foot, ankle, knee, hip and spine health which may address the underlying cause of many common foot and shin ailments. The chiropractic approach to foot care also seeks to prevent chronic musculoskeletal health problems, such as knee osteoarthritis, which may be associated with faulty footwear and excessive joint loading. Restoring natural foot strength, flexibility, and function are core principles of chiropractic foot care.


Your chiropractor will examine your feet, perform any relevant tests and suggest in-office and at-home treatments that are both corrective and preventive.


Your chiropractor may also offer advice about the best footwear for you and how certain commercial foot products may support or inhibit your body’s structural health. Foot care the chiropractic way is a safe, simple and cost-effective alternative to foot surgery, pharmaceutical drugs and other conventional approaches to help you regain your natural foot form and function.


Foot Form and Function
Your foot and ankle joints are the first links in a kinetic chain that begins at your toes and travels up through your body to your skull. A solid and stable platform, or foot, is essential for the proper functioning of this chain, for ensuring that your body segments work together in harmony to generate efficient and healthy movement. A structurally healthy human foot provides just such a platform, and it should be widest at the ends of the toes for optimal support.


A foot that possesses excellent toe splay and is widest at the ends of the toes may improve your balance, protect you from over-pronation (i.e., excessive inward rolling of your foot and ankle) during weight-bearing activity and successfully absorb and disperse the forces experienced during gait, states Portland, Oregon-based sports podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan.


Natural, Noninvasive Treatments
Your chiropractor is a musculoskeletal health expert who may use several natural, noninvasive methods to treat your foot problem. Chiropractic foot care strategies differ, though, depending on the nature of your injury or ailment and your chiropractor’s treatment preferences. Common chiropractic foot care methods to address recent foot or ankle injuries include P.R.I.C.E. (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation), foot manipulation, or adjusting, therapeutic taping procedures, soft tissue mobilization using the hands or tools, appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises and physical therapy modalities, such as ultrasound or cold laser.


Many chronic or long-standing foot complaints may benefit from these therapies, too, though long-term foot problems may best be treated by restoring normal, healthy foot anatomy and removing the factors, especially improper footwear, that cause foot and toe deformation and dysfunction over time. Some chiropractors may also recommend specific foot pads, shoe inserts, or custom footbeds to address your individual foot needs.


Important Footwear Considerations
The feet of people who have grown up in barefoot cultures or who have worn minimal footwear for all or most of their life such as in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world appear markedly different from the feet of shoewearing individuals. These people, in many cases, have excellent toe splay, strong and sturdy foot arches and incredible foot dexterity. The widest part of the foot in these individuals is at the ends of the toes, not at the ball of the foot, as is common in shoewearing, people. According to a study in the Journal of the National Association of Chiropodists, unshod individuals may experience a significantly lower incidence of common foot problems, including hallux valgus, hallux rigidus, arthritis, and fungal infection.

Wearing footwear that encourages proper foot anatomy and function is one of the most important considerations in treating numerous foot and ankle problems. Four design features commonly included in conventional footwear may contribute to foot and toe deformation or discomfort and should be considered when shopping for shoes or boots. These features include: tapering toe boxes, heel elevation, toe spring (i.e., the upward ramping that is built into the ends of many shoes) and rigid, inflexible soles. Tapering toe boxes and heel elevation may be the most problematic shoe design features of all and you should consider searching for flat shoes with a toe box wide enough to accommodate natural, healthy toe splay.

Disclaimer: Information contained in The Wellness ExpressTM newsletter is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. Copyright © - The Wellness ExpressTM