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Archive for Spine Health

Improving Brain Health

by DrGroz
May 18th, 2012

This is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. My paternal grandfather died from Alzheimer’s almost 20 years ago and my 90 year old maternal grandmother was just recently diagnosed as being in the early stages. I think Alzheimer’s is one of the worst diseases that humans face today. It’s horrible for the person’s family and friends, as their loved one slowly slips away mentally. I used to joke that it’s easy for the person with the disease. They just forget everything. But my grandmother knows that she can’t remember many things. It’s very frustrating for her, especially since she is still in great shape physically. Her physical health can put many 40 year olds to shame.

I’m always researching ways to improve my brain health. I don’t know how hereditary Alzheimer’s is, but I have it on both sides of my family so I’m not taking any chances. More and more studies and research are coming out showing that we can improve our brain health. I’m attaching a link to an amazing article by Dr. Mercola, giving nine tips for a smarter you.

I also talk about this article in my podcast, so if you haven’t already, please go to the home page and subscribe in the top right corner. My podcast gives simple tools and tips for a healthier you.

Here are Dr. Mercola’s Nine Tips for a Smarter You…

1. Exercise

2. Animal Based Omega-3 Fats

3. Sleep

4. Coconut Oil

5. Vitamin D

6. Optimize Your Gut Flora

7. Vitamin B12

8. Listen to Music

9. Challenge Your Mind

Now, these simple things are good for so many other things, besides just brain health. So I encourage you to incorporate them into your daily life, if you haven’t already. You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/17/good-brain-health-tips.aspx?e_cid=20120517_DNL_art_2

Categories Chiropractic Referral, Diseases, Fitness, Spine Health, Wellness
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Stress Management Tips

by DrGroz
May 2nd, 2012

Let’s face it: we live in a stress filled world. There’s not a whole lot we can do about that. But there is a lot we can do to deal with and manage that stress. Did you know that chronic stress is at least a contributing factor, if not THE primary cause, of over 90% of all illnesses and diseases? It is also the cause of vertebral subluxations, which interfere with the proper function of the nervous system. When the messages coming from the brain get scrambled going to the body, all kinds of negative effects can happen, from pain, numbness and muscle weakness to heart disease, digestive issues, and cancer. Stress truly is a killer. So what can we do about this killer? Here are some simple tips that you can do every day to help manage your stress level…

1. Take a few deep breaths. Oxygen getting into the body is an immediate stress reducer.

2. Smile!!! Robert Cooper, Ph.D., author of The Power of 5, says that “smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional center in the brain, tilting the neurochemical balance toward calm.” Not a fake smile, either, but a genuine smile. Plus, smiles are contagious. If you smile at someone, they will, more than likely, smile back, thus reducing their stress level as well. Win Win!

3. Make sure you’re getting adequate rest! Seven hours of sleep minimum at night is essential for good health and stress management.

4. Drink plenty of water! A good rule of thumb is to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of pure, filtered water each day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water a day. More if you are exercising or if it’s hot outside. Water nourishes the body and calms it down.

5. Avoid violent TV, internet, news or books, especially before bed. Those violent, negative thoughts and images add stress to our bodies and minds. Negativity breeds more stress.

6. Homeopathic remedies, especially Rescue Remedy by Bach’s, help reduce stress. I use it whenever I feel stressed.

7. Aromatherapy. Many essential oils help reduce stress. These include anise, basil, bay, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, rose and thyme. Place some rock salt into a small vial. Add a few drops of oil and take a whiff a few times during the day. The rock salt absorbs the oil, so there’s no chance of spilling.

8. Put fun time in your schedule every week. The old adage, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, holds true. Also makes Jack totally stressed! Do something that you find fun every week! Go for a hike, get outdoors, have a game night. Whatever you find fun. Your body needs to be recharged at regular intervals to manage the day to day stress that we throw at it.

Hope this gets you started. Next time, I’ll have more. Make it a great day!

Categories Back Pain, Children, Chiropractic Referral, Diseases, Fitness, Special Offers, Spine Health, Stress Management, Wellness
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Five Pillars of Health

by DrGroz
February 28th, 2012

Health – “A state of complete mental, physical and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organization)

Carefully read that definition again. It’s a different way of looking at health than what we are normally taught in society. It says that there is much more to being healthy than just “feeling good.” Drug companies, however, would have us believe that if we are feeling good, then everything is OK; meanwhile, we are chronically stressed, tired, out of shape and stuffing ourselves with all kinds of processed food.

There are actually 5 pillars to health; these are 5 main areas that are intermingled to such a degree that if any one of these is below optimal, it affects the other four. The 5 pillars of health are:

1 Proper nutrition

2 Adequate rest

3 Good, consistent exercise

4 Positive mental attitude

5 An optimally functioning nervous system

Did you notice that there is nothing in that list that takes care of how you “feel”? And there’s no mention of drugs or surgery! So why does our “health” care system put so much emphasis on them?

 

 

 

Categories Back Pain, Children, Diseases, Fitness, Spine Health, Stress Management, Wellness
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Drugging Our Children?

by DrGroz
August 10th, 2011

Are we drugging our children? We always hear “Just Say No” to drugs, but are our actions overruling our words? Look at this scenario:  A child has chronic ear infections as a baby/toddler and he is given antibiotics to feel better…  As the child becomes an adolescent, he acts out in school or can’t stay still and is given ADHD drugs to act better… This child becomes a teenager and is depressed or sad, so he takes antidepressants to feel better.  Now… what happens when this child, now in middle or high school, hears from a classmate, “Hey, feeling blue? Take this and you will feel better.” If that child has been conditioned his entire life to take something to feel better, what is the difference to a teenage mind? I’m not saying that taking medicine as a child always leads to drug abuse.  Not at all!  This is just something to ponder…

Here are some staggering statistics about prescriptions or refills dispensed to children and teens in the U.S. in 2009:

Asthma drugs: 45.388 million

ADHD drugs: 24.357 million

Antidepressants: 9.614 million

Antipsychotics: 6.546 million

Antihypertensives (high blood pressure treatment): 5.224 million

Non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes: 424,000

Sleep aids: 307,000

Statins (treatment for high cholesterol): 94,000

Most of these conditions are not normally associated with children. Chiropractic, especially if started at an early age, removes interference to the nervous system, allowing the body to function at its maximum potential, reducing the need for medications, especially those that need to be taken long term.  It’s safe, effective, and there are no side-effects. Kids need chiropractic too…

 

Categories Children, Diseases, Spine Health, Wellness
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Back Pain Prevention Tips

by DrGroz
August 8th, 2011

There’s an 80 percent chance you’ll suffer back pain during your lifetime, for which your medical doctor will likely recommend over-the-counter pain medication or prescription medication to relieve the pain temporarily.  Depending on your doctor’s assessment and how you respond, they may consider you a candidate for spine surgery at some point, an increasingly likely (and dangerous) option.  Then there’s chiropractic, which research and experience show is the safest, most effective option for most cases of back pain.

On the Top 10 list of diseases in America, “back pain” stands at #8, which according to Forbes.com costs over $40 billion annually for treatment costs alone!  Back pain sent over 3 million people to emergency rooms in 2008 at a cost of $9.5 billion, making it the ninth most expensive condition treated in U.S. hospitals.

Here are some tips to help prevent back pain:

1. Maintain a healthy diet and weight at all times.

2. Keep active under the supervision of your chiropractor.

3. Avoid prolonged periods of inactivity or bed rest.

4. Warm up or stretch before exercising or other physical activities, such as gardening.

5. Maintain proper posture.

6. Always wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.

7. Sleep on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any curve in your spine.

8. Lift with your knees, keep the object close to your body, and do not twist when lifting.

9. Quit smoking, which impairs blood flow, depriving the spinal tissues of oxygen and nutrients.

10. Work with your doctor of chiropractic to ensure your computer workstation is ergonomically correct.

 

Categories Back Pain, Diseases, Fitness, Spine Health, Wellness
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