healthy Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Damron Chiropractic & Wellness

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

January 12, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

According to a 2015 study by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), nearly 50% of Americans have type 2 diabetes or elevated blood sugar which increases a person’s risk for developing it. Insulin resistance is associated with type 2 diabetes and lack of production with type 1. This resistance is typically the result of three things: genetics, lack of exercise, poor eating habits, and excess weight. Recently, studies are indicating that by incorporating certain lifestyle changes, a person can reverse their diabetes where medications may no longer be necessary.

The average person with type 2 diabetes spends approximately $85,000 over their lifetime treating their disease and its complications. With almost 50% of the U.S. population is affected by type 2 diabetes, the economic burden on our healthcare system is substantial. We have experienced a 41% increase in healthcare costs from 2007 to 2012. However, there now hope that this trend can be reversed.

Taking proactive steps with one’s lifestyle can positively impact the effects of type 2 diabetes. A small clinical trial of 30 individuals in England revealed that a strict liquid diet put nearly half into remission for 6 months. This select group had lived with the disease for up to 23 years! CNN highlighted a New Yorker recently diagnosed with type 2 who chose to bypass medications and “do it himself.” Through diet and exercise, he was able to lose 40 pounds and keep his glucose numbers below the diabetic range for 2 years (at the time the article was published in 2011). Unfortunately, people do not realize the devastating impact type 2 diabetes has on your health. It causes nerve and kidney damage, loss of vision, heart attack and stroke.

Intervening to prevent, delay, or even reverse this debilitating disease requires commitments.

Exercising regularly.
Eating a nutritionally dense diet.
Maintaining a healthy weight for your height.
Getting sufficient sleep each night.
Lowering your daily stress levels.

Remember, you are not a statistic. Never underestimate the power you have to change your destiny!

Avoid the “Perfect Storm” of Disease-Care

January 5, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

In 2000, George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg starred in the movie “The Perfect Storm”. It is based on the true story of a commercial fishing vessel lost at sea during a storm. This storm was exceedingly rare due to the combination of adverse weather factors. In the chiropractic world, we see a lot of people who got caught in a perfect storm. Negative and unpredictable factors affect their lives in such a way that their quality of life is significantly diminished. Factors such as:

a sedentary lifestyle
car accident
work related injury
smoking
poor diet
diabetes
obesity
chronic pain

Some factors can be self-made, others can be simply bad luck or hereditary. Either way, these factors can create a perfect storm that equates to illness. At Damron Chiropractic & Wellness our goal is wellness for life. We take a person’s perfect storm and work with them utilizing chiropractic, rehabilitation, massage and nutrition.

We hear a lot about disease care with people suffering from chronic conditions. Rarely is there any press on wellness. Wellness means that a person is feeling good and looking good. In our world, being well means the perfect storm is over and that person can get back to doing what they love with a higher quality of life.

Life can give us lemons, and lots of them. But we do have a choice. We can choose to settle for what life hands us or decide to seek help. This does not mean using a band-aid approach either, as tempting as that might be. Rather, it means finding a resolution once and for all by ignoring disease-care. Disease-care actually cares for the disease and not finding out what is causing it in the first place. The presenting symptoms may appear to be coming from the leg, but it is really nerve interference in the spine. Treating the leg pain with disease-care does not address the nerve interference in the spine. Consequently, the leg pain will return. That is not wellness.

If you suspect a perfect storm in your life there is a solution. Life happens, but wellness does not, unless you decide to seek it out.

Good Health Does Not Equal a Diet

December 29, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

One of the most successful women in the world is Oprah Winfrey. From her early days as a talk show host to a producer and actress later. As her career evolved so did her weight. On the television screen we have seen Oprah’s weight fluctuate between the extremes as she tried different diets. Most recently, this legendary woman has done something we can all learn from. She has let go of the hold food has had on her and instead uses it to nourish and sustain her. But, most importantly, she uses it to connect herself with others.

As we approach the new year and the habitual pull of the need to commit to a resolution, perhaps it’s time to change it up. The top resolution for last year, according to Statistic Brain, was to lose weight. While that may not be surprising, what is is the failure rate. Only 8% of those surveyed who made a resolution succeeded. We learned from Oprah’s visibility that a special diet simply does not work in the long run. While weight loss is initially achieved, it is simply not sustainable. Why? Because life happens.

Even our best intentions cannot stop life from happening. Our schedules change at the last minute, we get sick, sustain an injury, travel for business. Non-sustainable diets reveal themselves because we don’t have what we need when we need it, leaving us to find something else to eat. We cannot live in a vacuum. Oprah teaches us that our relationship with our wellness is an intimate one. Food is an essential piece of our overall health. It is the fuel that sustains us, ideally for the long haul.

However, probably even more important than Oprah’s food message is her new perspective on her own health. Being healthy is not about being skinny. It is not about losing weight for the sake of losing weight. Rather, it is about honoring you. Honoring your uniqueness and not trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Being active, eating a healthy diet, getting sufficient sleep, being joyful, not smoking and drinking in moderation are all important steps in living well. Healthy does not equal skinny. It actually equals a lifestyle.

In this new year, change your perspective on what it means to thrive. Feed your soul, nourish your body. Treat it as the temple it really is. With honor and respect.

Challenge the Status Quo

December 20, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Hindsight is 20/20, right? You know that because you’ve heard people say, “if only I knew then what I know now.” Many times our own ignorance prevents us from considering other options to make a better decision. We are content with the status quo. In the field of chiropractic, it’s those hindsight people who find themselves seeking care from a chiropractor. These individuals realize that they initially let their preconceived ideas lead them down the wrong path of care. The price paid for this choice was a misdiagnosis, money, time, and experiencing pain longer than necessary.

The point of this post is to emphasize a basic fact of human nature. We are much more cynical than we realize. Take, for example, the presidential debates. It was obvious that no one was listening to the other. There are many “great divides” out there from:

political parties
religions
schools
countries
medicine

Depending on how we were raised and our life experiences, we may significantly limit ourselves by sticking with what we know rather than challenging the status quo. Imagine if the status quo was never challenged as we look back over history. The New World would never have been discovered, electricity would not have been invented, man would never have landed on the moon nor taken flight. Not accepting the status quo, or majority thinking, means dealing with people who oppose what you are doing. It means taking what is known and dispelling what was believed to be true. Imagine how much courage it took to continue on anyways.

Chiropractic is a field many consider to challenge the status quo. Modern medicine dominates our lives. While modern medicine has done incredible things, it has also completely overshadowed the benefits of other forms of health care. This dominance has created a mindset that accepts modern medicine as the status quo, questioning anything that is conflicting, like chiropractic. But just like Christopher Columbus, Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, and Neil Armstrong, the world became a better place. Mankind’s quality of life improved. Benefits were gained that were not realized before. The field of chiropractic is the same type of scenario.

More and more people recognize the need to advocate for themselves. Doing so changes their mindset on what it means to be truly healthy. Challenge the status quo when it comes to chiropractic care and you can change your world.

How Fear Keeps the Extra Weight On

November 29, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Fear. It comes in different forms. There’s the fear you feel when watching a scary movie. Or the fear you have of being stung by a bee. Fear can also be somewhat healthy, like the fear in making that big presentation at work. However, there is another type of fear that holds us back. Prevents us from living our best life. That fear is difficult for many of us to even admit. Because if we do, then we are admitting we are aware of our situation yet have denied its existence. A great example of this type of fear is with our weight.

There is absolutely no denying that a majority of us are not healthy. Statistics validate this fact time and again. Many times the trends in data show an increase in the number of people who are overweight and obese. This extra weight causes several weight related conditions, too, from type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and inflammation. If we know this to be true, why does the trend continue to grow? In one word, fear.

It is difficult to admit that there is a problem. If we do admit that there is a problem then that means we must do something about it. Otherwise, we look and feel worse. We may think that people perceive us as failures or that we let them down by acknowledging we need to lose weight but don’t. Revealing our health issues to others and ourselves means we accept responsibility for our current state of affairs. We look awfully foolish if we own our obesity yet continue with life as if we never did.

The fear of admitting to ourselves how unhealthy we are creates a ripple affect that can be overwhelming. So, rather than deal with the problem, we bury ourselves in life. We pretend we are fine with our body. Fear can keep us stuck exactly where we are. But that fear can rob us of a longer life. It can also rob us of living pain-free. Choose to look at your current health as an opportunity to become the best version of yourself and put your fear in a corner. Today.

What Are Good Fats?

November 1, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Fats always get a bad rap. Remember the low-fat, fat-free craze of the 90s? Seemed like every product on the shelves had little, if any, fat in it. There were SnackWells cookies, fat-free Fig Newtons, Lay’s WOW chips, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter margarine, and fat-free cheese. It took some time, but eventually people have begun to realize that it’s a fad that doesn’t work. In fact, people not only gained weight, but also consumed a ton of unhealthy chemicals including high fructose corn syrup. So, what’s the deal with fat? Can it be healthy for us? And if it is, how much and what kind is?

Fat is one of the key building blocks our body needs to sustain metabolic functions. These functions range from keeping our nerve safe to hormone production. Eliminating or significantly reducing fats presence in our body has a negative impact on our health as evidenced by the dual impact our society is experiencing with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, it has taken far to long to figure this out due to bribery and misleading studies instigated by a sugar-industry trade group (JAMA Internal Medicine, September 2016). If we add this to the fact that it takes a long time for the winds of change to take effect, then one can see the ramifications involved.

With the recent trends toward shopping local, holistic health care, and whole food consumption, the tides are turning. Yet people still question if fat is good. The short answer is that overall fat is indeed healthy for us. However, there are several variables to consider to help you make the best decision.

There are three types of fats:

Saturated
Monounsaturated
Polyunsaturated

All can be healthy, if care is given when choosing. Examples of saturated fats include coconut oil, butter, and the fat in red meat. Monounsaturated fats can be found in olive oil, avocados, and raw nuts. Polyunsaturated fats include flaxseed and walnut oils.

Not all fats are created equal, either, for example, Big Mac fat is not the same as that found in an avocado. One is natural, the other highly processed. So what can you look for when determining which route to go with your fat intake?

Go with fats that boost omega-3s such as wild salmon, winter squash, leafy greens, and pecans.
Avoid heavily processed oils like canola, corn, and soybean. These oils are high in the bad omega-6 fatty acids which cause inflammation to our body.
Use oils that smell like where they are from. High quality olive oil should have a good flavor and smell.
Purchase high-quality grassfed butter as this is considered good animal-based fat.
Treat your fats like a buffet, opting for variety.
Always opt for high-quality, organic fats.
Avoid high-heat cooking.

Toss out your old fears and misconceptions about fats and learn the truth. Your body needs it to thrive.

Maintaining Good Health Is Not a Luxury

September 27, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Luxuries in life include many things from exclusive vacations, exquisite dining, a day of pampering, to a sporty new car. We treat ourselves to these luxuries as a reward. The reward could be for hard work, getting through a difficult time, or celebrating a special occasion. Sometimes we treat things as a luxury even when it really isn’t. We experience it sporadically and lose interest when it isn’t fun anymore. A great example of this is with our health and wellness.

Gyms across the country are filled with people looking to get in shape and lose weight. They are decked out in the latest technology, shoes, and apparel. All too often this is not their first attempt at wellness. What makes this time any different than the others? Will this be the next attempt in a series? Why are we treating our health and wellness as if it were a luxury?

Being fit and in good health should be the standard, a priority. It should never be something we think about during the Holidays or just before bathing suit season. At the gym, personal trainers find that people are not interested in investing in their professional help. They have decided they will “do it themselves.” because their money was spent on technology, shoes, and their brand new apparel. Without realizing it, the person is sending a message that this “workout thing” is simply a luxury to them. Looking good on the surface is more important.

It’s time to set the bar higher for ourselves. Good health and overall wellness should never be considered a luxury that we occasionally partake in. It is a priceless asset that raises our quality of life. It is a commitment we make to ourselves every day, not as a reward, but as an essential foundation to our living.

Injury Prevention in School Sports

August 12, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

School and sports. They go hand in hand. Our kids start out young playing a sport like soccer. Head to a park on a Saturday morning in the spring or fall and you will see countless fields of kids playing soccer. School gyms are a busy place during the school year with team sports such as volleyball and basketball. Find a baseball field in the spring and early summer and chances are you can catch a game. You will also find lots of parents too lining the sideline or sitting in the bleachers, too. Adolescence means school and sports. But, it also can mean so much more.

If we make the big leap to college level sports, we know that there is a big difference in competition and intensity of play. There is also a big difference in how the players are treated too, especially the ones that have scholarships. Those athletes are given priority in terms of conditioning, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. But before they arrived at that level of play, what type of priority treatment did they receive at the high school level in terms of conditioning, rehabilitation, and injury prevention? What about at the grade school level?

As a child grows their body develops and changes. So does everyone else’s. If playing football, the tackles become harder as the opponents grow in size and weight. In basketball, the intensity of the players increases as does the contact. What is available to these athletes to help them stay healthy and injury-free throughout their season? Do they have the proper resources available to them for personalized conditioning and strength training?

Many times what is offered is not player specific, nor is it truly meant for injury prevention. Coaches and parents will want their kid back on the field or court as soon as possible. Why? To win and to increase their odds of being seen by a recruiter. Yes, kids are resilient. Yes, kids recover quickly. But at what cost?

At DCW we see student athletes. We understand the desire to get back in the game and play. But we also know that if that student athlete is not 100% they run the incredible risk of re-injury. We also know that there is player specific conditioning and rehabilitation that will help offset the risk of injury, too. So, until your kid makes it to the college level of play and receives the individualize treatment, let DCW ensure they receive it today for the sake of tomorrow.

Salmon

July 21, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Not all fish are created equal. Some are more healthy and sustainable options than others. Even those in the same family like salmon where you find:

Atlantic
Chinook
Sockeye
Pink
Coho

With all these choices available to us, how do we know which to select while out grocery shopping? Did you know that the term Atlantic salmon is misleading? Or that “fresh salmon” on a restaurant menu is more than likely not entirely true? “Atlantic” is put on the packaging and refers to farm-raised fish. Not fish caught in the Atlantic ocean and brought to your table.

The truth is that the wild Atlantic population has been severely depleted due to over-fishing. And despite aggressive conservation efforts, the numbers remain extremely low. So, to compensate for this Atlantic salmon farming began. In the last ten years, to respond to more demand, aquaculture has increased over 400%. This has had a significantly negative impact on the environment because of the dumping of fish excrement, uneaten food, and various chemicals into the oceans. Farming requires the use of commercial feed that contains antibiotics and potentially other contaminants which the fish retains. This is what we, in turn, eat.

There are better choices for our health. The first is to stay away from Atlantic, wild, and farmed salmon. Look for wild caught fish from Alaska such as Chinook (or king), coho, pink and sockeye. This is deemed the best as it is filled with nutrients, sustainable and approved by the animal welfare experts. Frozen tends to be less expensive than fresh, plus still retain the flavor with the flash-freezing that occurs on fishing boats. If canned salmon is your preference, look for the word “wild” on the label.

Bottom line, salmon is exceptionally healthy for you. It is a great source of protein, vitamin B12, selenium, omega-3, and the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin. If you make the better choice in terms of salmon type, the benefits only get better.

Teenagers and Sleep

June 21, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Why is it the older we get the more we crave sleep? And the younger we are the more we think we can get away with little of it? The truth is that sleep is essential to our well being, it allows our body to refuel each day. A lack of sleep is cumulative. One night will not make up for several weeks of inadequate sleep, yet we seem to think that is the case. Just think about how much teenagers sleep.

It’s probably no surprise that a chronic lack of sleep has a severe impact on a person’s health. It has been increasingly documented that not getting enough sleep contributes to an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. But why is this the case? While we are asleep our body has the opportunity to perform necessary repairs that can only happen when the body is quiet. This occurs in our digestive, respiratory, central nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems. Sleep allows our body:

to rest the neurons in our brain so that new pathways can be built.
to build up our immune system defenses to keep us healthy.
to prevent respiratory illnesses like a cold and the flu.
to prevent weight gain.
to control our appetite.
to repair itself.

Now, what about teenagers? Studies are showing that teenagers are more at risk for chronic sleep deprivation. It is not surprising that teenagers are typically sleep deprived, especially during the school year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently published a study that indicates teens who get less than 7 hours of sleep a night are more prone to dangerous behaviors. These behaviors include texting and driving, drinking and driving, riding with someone who has been drinking, or not wearing a seat belt. This is all compared to a teen who gets 9 or more hours of sleep a night.

Encourage enough sleep in your home. Consistency is key. Maintain a routine for bedtime. Be careful with napping, as 20-30 minutes is the ideal, otherwise one might have trouble falling asleep later. Get plenty of exercise each day. 30-60 minutes is a good range. Make healthy food choices. And, lastly, make sure that the bedroom is quiet, dark, and comfortable.

Good night!

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

Avoid the “Perfect Storm” of Disease-Care

Good Health Does Not Equal a Diet

Challenge the Status Quo

How Fear Keeps the Extra Weight On

What Are Good Fats?

Maintaining Good Health Is Not a Luxury

Injury Prevention in School Sports

Salmon

Teenagers and Sleep

OUR TEAM

Dr. Andrew Damron, Chiropractor

Dr. Greg Washam, Chiropractor

Brooke Snyder, Operations Manager

Nicole Foreman, Licensed Massage Therapist

Erika Pantona, Insurance Specialist

Amy Faris, Patient Care Coordinator

Hours

Contact information