Tag: Stress

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Be Your Own Guru

When it comes to your health and happiness, YOU know best.

We often forget this especially when it come to our health – turning to every expert we can to find the answers. But remember, we are all born with an innate ability to heal. In fact, that’s what chiropractic was founded on back in 1895 – the idea that your body needs no help, just no interference to it’s own healing ability. In short, that we all are designed to function, heal and re-create from the inside out.

Today that interference comes from many sources: external stressors (physical, chemical, emotional), poor nutrition, lack of movement, environmental toxins to name a few.

So what can you do? Look at all aspects of your lifestyle.

Are you getting enough sleep? Is your work fulfilling and do you have time to relax, or are you stressed out and overworked the majority of the time? What foods may be causing an imbalance? Are you moving your body enough each day or are you sedentary for endless hours?

You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can diagnose yourself and prescribe positive changes that will lead you towards optimal health.

Nowadays, there are so many books and blogs and supplements. Too often we get caught up in rules and restrictions that leave us unable to follow our own body’s wisdom. Teachers, guides, mentors, they’ve all got value – so yes – by all means, focus on the teachings – but not so much the teacher.

At True Health – we want you at your best. Engage with us (read our blog, like our facebook page / instagram page /twitter page for health tips and articles) and we will walk you down the path to your best life. It is only getting better and better.

And remember, the greatest guru is your inner self.

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Anti-Hustle for Your Health

Passion, goals, and a desire to better yourself are all good things. But the reality is constant hustle can be exhausting, stressful, and downright damaging to your health. Plus, the more we glorify the hustle, the more we feed the beast of busy –  and the more we praise the pursuit of personal goals above all else. We’ve talked before about the downside of multi-tasking, which has seemingly morphed into this grind, attack it, hustle mentality that is all the rage.

The problem with this mentality is that everything begins takes on the harshness of the hustle – not just your work, but your food, your self-care, your hobbies, your relationships. We rush until we wear ourselves down.

What if betterment means listening to your body more, like going for a walk outside at lunch instead of answering emails or returning calls. After all, what you don’t get done today can always happen tomorrow.

As another Monday arrives, remember – the best kind of hard work comes from a healthy, well-rests place. That’s healthy hustle.

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The Genetics Excuse

A lot of people that I come into contact with truly believe that within their family history lies their fate. In other words, because in their family history there are instances of  heart disease, arthritis or cancer, there is nothing that they can do to prevent themselves from getting these diseases.

While it’s true that some of us carry genes that make us more susceptible to cancer, heart disease,and diabetes just to name a few, it is also true that for these genes to cause disease, they must be turned ON. In fact recent research has shown that genetics contributes only about 30% to disease susceptibility while an individual”s environment contributes upwards of 70%. So, as long as these genes are turned OFF, you are safe.

Now, you might be asking yourself, what is it that turns these switches “ON”?

The answer is several factors contribute:

  • STRESS
  • PHYSICAL TRAUMA
  • ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS
  • NUTRITION

At True Health, we address all of these factors with our patients from the initial visit. Through specific chiropractic adjustments, we correct and restore normal structure/function to your spine and nervous system resulting from years of repetitive stress, tension, and countless traumas. Through our purification program, we eliminate toxins stored in your body from the air that we breathe, the food that we eat, and the water that we drink. And finally, we offer easy to implement nutritional advice and high quality whole food supplements.

The truth is that our genes are being changed moment by moment by the environment of our thoughts and feelings as well as the environment of our families, homes, work, friends and where we live. We assign mental and emotional meaning to facts that are as important to gene activation as the facts themselves. Even the thoughts you are having about the coming week are wired into your brain and act as stimulus for genetic expression.

Environmental changes that make it easier for people to overeat, and harder for people to get enough physical activity, have played a key role in triggering the recent surge of preventable disease. So, if we become more aware that our environment – the physical, social, political, and economic surroundings – greatly influences how much we eat and how active we are. We can continue living our life the same way, or we can make a change now to ensure good health for years to come.

The Bottom Line

What science tells us is that healthy environments and lifestyles can counteract any gene-related risks.

What you can do:  maintain normal structural alignment coupled with a healthy lifestyle so that your body is the best it can be to throw off potential illness.

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5 Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving

healthy thanksgiving

Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, or simply showing up to eat, the holiday’s can be stressful for the health-minded individual.  The good news: We’ve got 5 excellent tips to keep your holiday the way it should be – filled with family, relaxation and health!

 

1. TURKEY TROT: Start your day off with a brisk fall walk (or run!). Starting your day with exercise is a great way to boost your confidence and keep your health at the forefront of your day (chances are there is a 5K kicking off first thing in the morning in your neighborhood). It’s also important to have some non-food related activities planned (after dinner walk, playing catch, etc.) instead of eating as the sole entertainment.

2. ADD GREENS: Get some color on your plate! Adding delicious, colorful salads and leafy greens to the table before and in addition to turkey time will satisfy your body’s craving for nutrients and prevent over-eating during the main event. Use caution around the junk carbs that your family may push on you – like stuffing, dinner rolls, and pies.

3. SHOW SUPPORT: Support others who are practicing healthy habits during the holidays- don’t sabotage your family or friends by guilting them into over indulging. Be thankful and grateful for what you do have in your life and share with others.

4. DON’T STRESS: No matter how many quality ingredients you put on the table, if you’re weighed down with STRESS during the holidays, you’re not functioning at optimal health! Adjustments help you to better adapt to the stress of the holiday season.

5. DRINK UP: Don’t get too excited – we’re talking about water, it’s important to balance any alcohol intake with water consumption. Plus, staying hydrated is one of the best ways to keep from overeating.

Happy Thanksgiving from True Health Family Chiropractic!
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New Insight on Headaches

Headache

Headaches are a secondary condition almost everyone can attest to experiencing. But why are they so common?

Headaches are the number one reason for purchase of over-the-counter drugs. Understandably, these medications offer a temporary solution to get through the day, which is sometimes necessary in this fast-paced world. Unfortunately, it does not take care of the cause of the headaches.

There are four main types of headaches: tension, migraine, cluster and rebound. Tension is the most common, accounting for 90% of all headaches – these result in contraction of the muscles in the neck and skull, and are due to stress, poor posture and Anterior Head Syndrome (AHS). When it comes to migraines, there are often known triggers, such as dehydration, caffeine, red wine and chocolate – but avoiding these may not always help. We are now realizing why: many migraine sufferers have headaches that stem from the nerves in the neck.

A recent article at CBS News explains what structural chiropractors have always known – dysfunction in the joints of your neck (a structural shift) can irritate nerves and lead to all sorts of symptoms (including migraines). Dr. Houman Danesh of Mount Sinai Hospital explains, “Essentially the joints start rubbing against each other, and that irritates the nerve that goes from the back of your neck to the back of your head, and can offset and trigger a nightmare.”[pullquote]”Essentially the joints start rubbing against each other, and that irritates the nerve that goes from the back of your neck to the back of your head, and can offset and trigger a nightmare.”[/pullquote]

Medicine is now starting to recognize the science behind chiropractic. The difference is the medical answer to this is to inject anesthesia into the area and temporarily reduce symptoms, which can help BUT it can also lead to further degeneration and damage of the joint since it’s not addressing the underlying cause – a structural shift in the spine.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to just restore normal function to the shifted segment of the spine and alleviate the nerve irritation causing the symptoms? Good news – that’s what we do everyday at True Health through a specific, gentle chiropractic adjustment.