I just read an interesting article in the health section of newyorktimes.com about the “financial” benefits of protecting your joints. As a chiropractor, when it comes to the health of the joints of the musculoskeletal system, protecting the joints from injury and unnecessary wear and tear are key to preventing painful and often debilitating problems as our body ages. As I mentioned in past articles, degenerative arthritis can be appreciably decreased and even avoided with proper education, exercise, and treatment. However, I have found that, unfortunately, it’s hard for people to “get motivated” now to do something about potential problems. But, adding a financial incentive may just do the trick!
Did you know that more than 400,000 people a year have one or more hips or knees replaced? And, did you know that the cost for a new hip or knee is $30,000 to $40,000? Even if you have insurance, your out-of-pocket expenses can still be quite substantial, especially when you include the cost of days off from work.
The article offered several “preventative measures” that might help your joints to stay healthy longer. And, with the exception of its suggestion that glucosamine and chondroitin “probably are of limited benefit,” I am in agreement with the article’s joint protection suggestions.
control your weight
stay active in “low impact” exercise and sports
try to avoid injury
get fit
be skeptical*
The article in its entirety is well worth the read (and implementation), even if your current motivation is a only financial one. Click on the link for more information.
* I have witnessed the highly beneficial results of glucosamine ahd chondroitin supplementation.
Aah, Springtime! The fragrance of daffodils, lilacs, and hyacinth fills the air. However, for some people it's "Achoo!" Springtime because, unfortunately, along with the lovely fragrance of spring blooms comes pollen and other materials that ride on the sweet air currents as well! Seasonal allergies can make your everyday life miserable. Rather than relaxation, a walk in the park can produce itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or even a skin rash.
Fortunately, if you're one of those people whose immune system virtually "freaks out" when spring is in the air, chiropractic treatment may help to relieve your allergy symptoms. How? Well, even though chiropractic care doesn't actually treat allergies, per se, chiropractic manipulation affects the entire nervous system, including the autoimmune system, which is the source of your allergic responses. When the detritus of spring floats your way, your autoimmune system, whose task it is to help you to adapt and respond appropriately to your environment, becomes overactive. Since chiropractic adjustments can lessen or even completely eliminate disturbances in the nervous system and bring back balance and harmony to the whole body, along with a variety of healthy corrections, chiropractic adjustments provide homeostasis to the autoimmune system as well. A healthy immune system responds appropriately to so-called allergens in the environment, including pollen.
So, if you want to get back into harmony with birds and the bees and the flowers and trees, give your chiropractor a call. Springtime should be nothing to sneeze at!
As a San Diego Chiropractor, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. What’s an extra pound or two? Over the years, those pounds can add up to a surprising number of health issues from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back challenges and joint degeneration. Even a few additional pounds put excessive stress on organs, like the heart, as well as on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62%) of men and women in the U.S. are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant percentage and a sizable problem (no pun intended).
It is likely no surprise to you to learn that the human body was not designed to carry around excess weight in the form of body fat. Just 20 or 30 extra pounds can literally overload and even overwhelm the joints and muscles of the body. Excess weight in the belly, for example, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This shift creates compression in the joints of the low back. Painful inflammation results as this joint compression impinges nerve activity. Most men and women that have a “spare tire”experience low back pain generated by a pinched sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that restrict nerves as a consequence of weight-bearing stresses. If ignored, misaligned vertebra in most cases develop into new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as persist in irritating the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a moderate body weight is required in order for the musculoskeletal system to act and respond in the way it is meant to. Chiropractic treatment can not only help to decrease pain generated by excess weight compensation, but it can aid in weight reduction. Here’s how. Chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve impingements in the vertebral column and assist in getting mobility back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the low back, hips, and knees. And, obviously exercise and physical activity will be a lot easier, and more beneficial for the body, when the the joints have good mobility and the spine is aligned. The added benefit of exercise the, in addition to helping with weight reduction, it can actually reduce degenerative changes as over the years.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can advise you regarding your diet and exercise options. In addition to assisting people suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors can provide trained advice on the type of lifestyle modifications that can help a person to stay healthier, more vigorous, and more active through the years. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that arthritis and immobility are an unpreventable part of the aging process. The structure of the human body is intended to carry a person through an entire lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if you’ve been thinking that a few extra pounds won’t hurt, think again! As your chiropractor in San Diego, and someone who cares deeply about your overall health, I’d like to help you to make healthier choices. Make an appointment today!
