What is Chiropractic?

If you are like most people in America, you most likely think Chiropractic is about back pain and the human spine. This is really only a part of the story. Today's blog post will shed some light on what Chiropractic is all about.

The focus of Chiropractic care is to decrease irritation or interference to your nervous system. This is important, because the human nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) is the "Master System" or "Master Controller" of all your body's systems. In fact, every cell, tissue, organ, or organ system is under control (directly or indirectly) of your nervous system.

Therefore, if your body is going to function optimally, you must have a healthy nervous system free from interference. So where does the role of the spine come into play?

The spine is made up of 24 bones that protect your spinal cord. They support your body, while allowing your body to bend and twist. Between these bones are nerves that supply the rest of your body with a connection between your cells and your brain. Stress on your body, especially in your spine can irritate these nerves, which can impact how well your brain communicates with your cells. This is why Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) work with your spine, to improve the function of your body. It is simply the best place to access and help your nervous system.

If you have back pain, neck pain or symptoms of discomfort in your body, it is probably safe to say that you have irritation in your nervous system. A chiropractor can help reduce or correct these symptoms, but this is not the main focus of Chiropractic care. Your chiropractor will work with you to eliminate your symptoms and will also advise you on how to improve your overall health naturally. This may include education on proper exercise, nutrition, positive thinking or other healthy lifestyle habits.

The Chiropractic profession is also drug-free and non-surgical. This is a basic foundation of Chiropractic. DC's enter the profession, because they want to help patients heal without the use of drugs or surgery. A simple motto used in my practice is; Chiropractic First, Drugs Second, Surgery Last. Chiropractic provides the patient with a drug-free health care option.

In summary, Chiropractic care is about function. The purpose is to increase the function of your body, by removing interference to your nervous system. As these "Subluxations" (irritations of the nervous system) are corrected, your body will be better equipped to deal and adapt to the stresses of everyday life. Chiropractic care combined a healthy diet, proper exercise and a healthy body-mind can improve your overall level of health and increase your vitality.

To learn more about how Chiropractic affects the health of your body, visit the National Guideline Clearing House, which contains a document with references demonstrating positive outcomes in patients with over 300 different health conditions with Chiropractic care.

Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well

What does this blog post mean? The three actions above (Eat, Move, Think) refer to the most important health habits that you can make to prevent or reverse chronic illness and disease. In fact, there is not much else to it. If you want to be healthy or improve your health you must change the way you eat (nutrition), the way you move (exercise and spinal hygiene), and the way you think (mind-body and stress reduction).

It is simple to say and harder to do. The fact is, most people know this, but when they try to "get healthy" they try to change everything at once and after about a week, they revert back to their old habits. A tip for today, is to change just one thing! This could be one thing in each category or just one health habit per day. For example you could change the amount of water that you drink (Eat Well/Nutrition). You could take a walk at lunch today for 10 minutes (Move Well/Exercise) or you could practice positive thinking techniques to help you diffuse stress through out the day. Check out my post on how to have a good day for an easy way to start.

If you change one thing and do it long enough, consistently, you will change your health.

Are You Having A Good Day?

When it comes to your health and wellness, it is about more than just exercise and nutrition. A positive mental attitude is essential in this process. Often times, you may forget that the outcome of your day depends a lot on your mood.

Here is a tip on how to have a good day.

Remember that you can control your mood and therefore improve your day! What do I mean by this? Well let's say that you get up late, hit the snooze too many times, rush out of the house to work, skip breakfast and show up at your job with a frown on your face. Do you think you will have a good day or a bad day? It is like a snowball that gathers up negativity as your day progresses. Instead, try waking up a few minutes early (5-10) and before you get out of bed, say out loud some of the things you are thankful for. Some examples could be your family, your friends, your job, your home, the weather, or even just the fact that you get to wake up today! This will put a smile on your face. Grab some breakfast and skip the local news. They tend to report about everything that is wrong in society, which can increase your negative outlook. If you do this simple routine, I guarantee that your day will be better!

Now this is just one example of how you can improve your attitude each day. Rather than give you a huge list, start with one change each morning and see if it does in fact improve your day and ultimately your health. A positive attitude can help you deal with stress and can help you keep your health!

Employee Enhancement Programs

What does your posture look like when you are at work? Whether you sit at a desk all day, work outside, lift heavy objects, or if you do repetitive motions all day, your posture is key in preventing injuries. At Columbia Doctors Group we are adding Employee Enhancement Programs that can teach your employees how to avoid back injuries, how to maintain a healthy weight, how to have more energy and how to improve their general health and well-being.

As an employer, this can reduce missed days and decrease your health care costs. We provide different levels of service from on-site Back School to webinars and posture screenings. If you are an employer who is interested in having an program at your facility, contact us at 281-4111. If you think your office could benefit and you are not the employer, contact us and let us know who your HR director is!

What We Do

Everyday I try to educate my patients and my community on what it is that I do in my practice. For most people, they think that chiropractors only take care of people with back and neck pain. While it is true, that a number of my patients initially start care in my office for these conditions, it is not the whole story.

Chiropractic is a natural form of healthcare and at Columbia Doctors Group; we provide Greater St. Louis with a drug-free form of healthcare. We do so by focusing on removing any interference that your body may have, to allow it to function at an optimal level. This begins with gentle chiropractic care to ensure that your spine is free from misalignments or subluxations that could be interfering with or irritating your nervous system. If you have nerve system irritation, your body is not able to function as well as it should, which can lead to symptoms.

In addition to chiropractic care, I advise my patients on healthy lifestyle habits, such as diet, exercise and stress management. In the coming months, I plan on adding Healthy Living Webinars that you can view in the comfort of your own home to help you make these changes in your life. If you are looking for ways to increase your health in the meantime, don't forget to join our email newsletter list, which provides easy-to-use information in your inbox each month. You can subscribe by clicking on the icon on the right side of this page.

Stay tuned for further updates...

Drink Water...It is HOT!

Your body is almost 70% water. Your cells and many systems in your body need water to function properly. It is very important that you drink water everyday, but it is even more important to drink it when it is hot and humid outside.

When your body is dehydrated you may experience symptoms of dry mouth, low urine output, inability to produce tears, sunken eyes, lethargy and sunken fontanelles (soft spots on an infants skull) in young children. You may also have trouble keeping food down without vomiting. If you experience these symptoms, you need to have water immediately.

To avoid symptoms of dehydration and to sustain the health of your body, drink plenty of water everyday. If you do not drink water daily, start by adding one full glass each day over what you already consume for the next 30 days. After the 30 days, add an additional glass to that amount. This will make it easy for you to increase your intake.

During a heat advisory, when temperatures are close to 100 degrees, be sure to have a bottle of water with you at all times, if you are going to be outside.

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Have a great day!