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Exercise Is Key to Healthy Aging

November 4, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

There is a stereotype that exists regarding senior citizens or the elderly. The image that typically comes to mind when we hear one of those words is more than likely a grandparent. This person is sitting in a chair, resting or watching television. Perhaps there is a cane or walker nearby. How many of us would think of a grandparent running a 5k? What about playing tennis or bike riding? The reality is that the lifestyles of the older population can run the gamut. But as we age, we play an active role in determining how well we age by how active we remain.

Essentially we are in the driver’s seat when it comes to controlling our aging process. We cannot avoid getting older and the physical changes that take place such as graying hair, wrinkles, and thinning hair. However, we can slow down the overall aging of our body through something as simple as exercise. Yes, it is true!

There are many benefits to the body and aging through exercise:

improved memory and thinking
improved spacial memory
formation of new neural pathways, brain cells, and blood vessels
decrease of inflammation
decrease in stress and anxiety
better moods, sleep, circulations and digestion
improved bone density
improved muscle mass, strength, and power
better balance
higher energy levels

Studies show that older adults that continue to exercise and remain active can be just as competitive as their younger rivals, except, of course, at the elite level. At a fundamental level, we know the importance of exercise regardless of our age. We know the significance of being fit and maintaining a healthy diet. Yet, we continue to engage in unhealthy lifestyles. The question is why? Is it because we feel we can put it off until a tomorrow that never comes? Do we feel okay so therefore we are physically okay? What about excuses we give ourselves that we simply don’t have time, we are too busy? What needs to change within us to accept responsibility for our health? The decision of course is up to you. How one ends up aging comes down to a series of decisions that are made each and every day, starting right now.

Combating Stress Overload

October 27, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Living in such a fast paced society we may find it difficult to know what it really feels like. It is our norm, the only thing we have been exposed to. Yet, our body is not designed to function in this way. While it would be nice to have an owner’s manual for our body. Something that explains the warning signs (or indicator lights) when if there is a problem. Imagine how easy managing our health would be then! Have a question, check out the owner’s manual!

Unfortunately, life is not designed this way. Because we do not have an owner’s manual it is completely up to us to know our body. Know what it feels like to feel good, to suspect there is a problem, understand how each system is connected to the other. We need to learn how to identify symptoms, causes, and effects. Most importantly, we need to know how our body optimally functions so we can provide it with the care it needs to thrive.

Modern day society has led us to believe that stress is normal. To be successful in life means pushing ourselves harder and longer. However, this comes with a high price. The price we pay is not immediate, but rather a series of symptoms, or indicator lights, that add up over time. Eventually, our body simply quits on us, leaving us with a major health crisis.

Below are several symptoms to help you determine whether or not you are stuck in stress overdrive:

Food cravings – Our craving for salty or sweet foods intensifies when we are under stress because it provides energy and replenish our systems. Have your cravings increased?
Negativity – Stress causes us to be more judgmental and irritable. Have you been cranky lately?
Sleep deprived – Being over-stressed makes sleeping soundly more difficult. Do you wake up in the morning feeling exhausted?
Belly fat – High stress creates higher levels of cortisol in our body. This excess contributes to extra weight around our middle section. Have you been frustrated with your inability to lose weight?

It is possible to reverse this stress cycle if we make the effort. Here are a few ideas to offset the stress in our lives, especially if we find ourselves in stress overload:

Take time each day to breathe slowly and deeply for at least 5 minutes.
Go outside and walk or simply sit and enjoy the scenery.
Enjoy a relaxing bath.
Try yoga.
Create space in your home for meditation and practice quieting your mind for 10 minutes.
Call a good friend.
Get a massage.

Remember to be aware of your body’s indicator lights. When given the warning, be proactive and don’t let stress take its toll on your body unnecessarily.

Commit to Your Health

September 22, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Bringing a child to the grocery store is challenging. A battle typically ensues that is a balancing act between food that promotes good health and food that does not. When we grow up things are no different. We battle ourselves over how much we should indulge ourselves and how well we should eat. As an adult the difference is there is no one telling us ‘no.’ We are left to make decisions for ourselves; countless ones, each and every day.

We can face making too many bad choices over a long period of time. Things like too much fast food, not enough water or exercise, eating processed foods, and skimping on sleep. At some point in our life we second guess our bad choices. We want to change, but change can be difficult and it take time to see results.

However, change can happen if we are committed to ourselves. After awhile, poor lifestyle choices ultimately have a domino effect on our bodies from weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. It can even then lead to conditions like chronic pain in places like our back, neck, and legs.

A healthier life means surrounding yourself with others that have the same wellness goals as you. That doesn’t necessarily mean joining a health club (although those are fantastic places to find those people) but rather doing simple things like:

walking with a friend.
heading to the local farmer’s market and talking to the farmers about their produce.
packing a lunch for you and a co-worker instead of going out to eat.

It’s amazing how surrounding yourself with the right people in the right environment can inspire you. At Damron Chiropractic & Wellness (DCW) we work hard to create an environment of wellness. We work hard to be a positive influence in people’s lives through weight loss, alleviating pain, strength training and healing gut issues. We are committed to your health, but are you committed too?

The Truth About Stressors

August 30, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Stress has become normal in today’s society. In fact, we have become so accustomed to living with it that we take it with us on vacation. Do we mistakenly believe that the level of stress in our life equates to how successful we are? Or that there is nothing we can really do about it? Perhaps we believe it really isn’t harming us because everyone is living this way. Maybe it’s time to seek the truth about stress, understanding the causes of it, and it’s impact on our body.

Stress is a natural response to something we find difficult, scary, worrisome, frustrating, or demanding. It is a survival mechanism that is physical in nature. However, it was never intended to be a constant state of being like it seems to be today. The adrenal glands, located on top of each kidney, allow our body to cope with the effects of stress through the release of hormones. One of the most important hormones released is called cortisol, because without this our body is unable to deal with the effects of stress.

You might be asking yourself, “what type of stress can cause problems?” Listed below are some of the more common stressors:

Chronic conditions such as fatigue, illness, infection, and pain
Excessive behaviors such as exercise, sugar consumption, and caffeine
Sleep deprivation
Late hours
Surgery
Depression

When faced with stressors, the body responses by stimulating the production of cortisol. You may recall the term “fight or flight.” The cortisol provides the energy necessary for the body to deal with the stressors. Over time, the continual release of cortisol exhausts the adrenal glands, yet cortisol is still produced. Our body is designed to help us survive, so this is the one hormonal system that does not shut down, especially during prolonged stress. This is not a good situation for our body and here’s why:

A consistently high cortisol level creates reduced insulin sensitivity which over time can lead to diabetes.
A lowered ability to fight infections.
An increased loss in bone mass which can lead to osteoporosis.
Increased fat around the waist.
Increased water and salt retention which can lead to high blood pressure.
Higher levels of estrogen which is linked to breast cancer and uterine fibroids.

The next blog post will focus on the progression of adrenal fatigue as a result of our chronic stressors.

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!

Lifestyle Excuses

May 24, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Remember as a kid thinking about using the excuse “the dog ate my homework” when you forgot to do it? While you may have been one of those kids who absolutely loved homework and studying, I would venture to guess that the thought at least crossed your mind more than once throughout your school days. In fact, you probably even thought about pretending to be sick just to get out of a test. It seems this mentality continues as we age. Excuses we make to get out of exercising, to rationalize being lazy or overweight. Why do we allow this mentality of excuses to permeate our culture? Why do we choose one lifestyle over another?

Many times, unless we are faced with a life-threatening illness, we do not change our ways. But why should it take a situation like that to create a lifestyle change? Why can we not take control of our lives and live healthy? Is contentment more preferable than wellness? Is it because we cannot see the havoc our poor choices are having on our body that we seem to think we are okay? It is easy to say that if given an ultimatum we will choose the option that helps us. But if it’s not an ultimatum we tend to gravitate towards what we want, what makes us feel good, what is easiest.

If you look around yourself throughout the day, chances are you will see people who look incredibly healthy and those who have made excuses and don’t look healthy. Which would you rather be? Choosing a lifestyle of health and wellness means no more excuses. It means not waiting for that ultimatum, or life-threatening illness, to force you to change your ways. It means taking control of your life. Yes, looking good and feeling good requires discipline. It requires awareness and better choices. But you are also rewarded with countless benefits:

better sleep
more energy
improved moods
weight loss
lower stress
increased muscle mass

The next time you feel the need to make an excuse to remain sedentary, eat unhealthy, or make other poor choices, stop yourself. Ask yourself this question, “Do I want to tempt fate and wait for that ultimatum to make a change, or do I want to take that first step today because I value myself and my quality of life?”

The Cervical Spine

May 6, 2016 By Pam Rezai

There are four distinct parts of the human spine – cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and the sacrum/coccyx. Each of these parts contains the nerves responsible for specific functions of the body. For the sake of this blog post, the focus will be on the cervical spine, or neck region, of the body, and the possible symptoms indicating a potential problem.

There are seven vertebrae in the cervical spine. Each of these vertebrae are labeled with the letter C and a number between one and seven. For example, C1 is called the Axis and contains the nerves that provide the blood supply to the head, controls the pituitary gland, scalp, the bones of the face, brain, inner and middle ear, and sympathetic nervous system. When there is a misalignment of the vertebrae and disc in the C1, irritation can occur. This irritation can cause a multitude of symptoms such as:

headaches
nervousness
insomnia
head colds
high blood pressure
migraine headaches
nervous breakdowns
amnesia
chronic fatigue
dizziness

Remember, there are 7 vertebrae in the cervical spine and the symptoms listed above are only for the first vertebrae. You can see how the spine is like the main thoroughfare, where everything in the body is connected. Can you see how if you simply treat the symptom, like taking aspirin for a headache, how it is only a temporary fix if the vertebrae are not in alignment? Yes, the aspirin makes the pain go away, but the problem still exists. Yes, the sleep aids help you to control your chronic tiredness, but the true problem has not been addressed. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. If you knew that you could prevent your headaches from happening in the first place, or lower your blood pressure without the aid of prescription medications, or sleep better at night naturally, would you pursue that means?

Chiropractic adjustments realign the spine so the vertebrae are not putting pressure on the nerves that control the various parts of our body. Chiropractic adjustments correct the spine from the wear and tear we put our body through each day. It allows our body to function as it was intended to. It allows us to improve our quality of life and live pain-free. It gives our body the maintenance it deserves.

Our Pavlov Response

March 15, 2016 By Pam Rezai

In the early 1900s, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov accidentally discovered classical conditioning while working with dogs. Classical conditioning involves an unconditioned stimulus and response. Then replacing the unconditioned stimulus with a neutral one in order to get the same response. Using dogs, Pavlov found that the dog began to salivate (unconditioned response) to an unconditioned stimulus, the food. He then realized he could turn a neutral stimulus,such as a bell ringing, into a conditioned response. In other words, the dog would begin to salivate when the bell rang, just as it did when it saw food. Our response to many things in life is really no different than what the dogs experienced in Pavlov’s experiments. We, too, have our own Pavlov response, especially when it comes to health and wellness.

Commercials and advertisements would like us to believe that what they are promoting is the solution to what we are searching for. All to often we believe that what they are promoting is the solution, as well. Heck, who doesn’t want their problem to disappear, especially those that involve our health and wellness? So, the unconditioned stimulus is the solution being promoted. Our response is the hope brought about by the possibility of a solution. Advertisements use various means to get our Pavlov response. They are looking for an action from us – a purchase!

To achieve sustainable good health and wellness, we need to change our stimulus. We have been conditioned for far too long to believe that improved health comes in the form of a pill or latest trend. Changing the stimulus means reconditioning ourselves to find the solution elsewhere:

whole food nutrition
exercise
adequate sleep
lower stress
meditation
chiropractic care
massage

We can change the outcome if we are aware of how we have been responding. We can train ourselves to respond in a better way. One that truly addresses the root of our problem versus opting for the band-aid approach that does nothing more than keep us exactly where we are.

A Different Perspective on Wellness

March 1, 2016 By Pam Rezai

Talking about health and wellness seems to be very much like talking about politics or religion. Everyone has an opinion, but no one is willing to listen to the other person. Instead, we are all interested in only what WE have to say, not what the other person has to say. Somehow, we believe that if we do listen, we are indicating that they are right and we are wrong. Well, that way of thinking couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, not only is it wrong, but it also severely limits our ability to learn and grow.

Think about it for a moment. What happens when people start talking about things like not vaccinating their children, not getting a flu shot each year, or even organic food? If it is something completely different than what we believe, we make either a snap judgement about that person or flat out disagree. Either way, we aren’t listening or aren’t interested in learning more about their decision to pursue something different from us. But why? Is it because we secretly like to be right? Is it because we can’t admit that, perhaps, we didn’t do enough research to justify our decision? Is it because we simply took the path of least resistance, because “everyone is doing it” – something like the mob mentality?

Maybe it’s time we started to really listen to what is being said out there about maintaining good health and wellness? Not the advertisements about particular weight loss products or medications, but to what the professionals in the field are saying and living. Take, for example, chiropractors. If schooling for both chiropractors and M.D.s are very similar in terms of classes and length of time, why would one decide to pursue a more holistic approach to wellness? That is the key. Choosing a profession that is vastly different from the norm speaks to passion. It also speaks to a different view on what it means to be healthy and well.

Instead of choosing to stick with what we know as it relates to our own health and wellness, maybe it’s time to start looking through a different lens. A lens that sees the body as intricately connected. A body that is designed to function with proper nutrition, alignment, exercise, sleep, and stress management. One has nothing to lose by learning more about something which we may not know much about. In fact, what we learn could have a significant impact on our quality of life.

Try using a different lens on life. You might be surprised at what you see and how it affects your overall wellness.

Wellness Speed Bumps

February 10, 2016 By Pam Rezai

In an ideal world, events would go as planned, the sun would always shine, and our favorite team would always win. There would be no obstacles in our way. Ever. Unfortunately, we all know that isn’t reality. In the real world, there are ups and downs. Days we wish would never end and days we wish would end already. Likewise with our health, our intentions to work out, eat right, reduce stress, and sleep more may always be our goal, but there inevitably comes a time when we experience those wellness speed bumps.

Think of it as one of those speed bumps you come across in a parking lot or residential area. As annoying as it might be, there is a reason for its presence. It’s telling us to slow down, watch for children, beware of other vehicles. The bumps we experience on our path to wellness are there for a reason as well.

You might be thinking, “what exactly is a speed bump that I might experience on my quest for a healthier life?” Well, a great example falls about 6 weeks after the new year. Six weeks after we state our New Year’s resolutions. We get to a point where our motivation dwindles, we let excuses hinder our progress, or we simply get tired. That would be a wellness speed bump.

When this happens, acknowledge it. Don’t deny the shift in yourself. Maybe this speed bump is telling you that you need to recharge for a day or two. Maybe it means it’s time to mix things up a bit and pamper yourself as a reward for the progress you have made. Maybe it’s just trying to remind you that you are not a robot. Programmed to go through the motions without feeling anything. Either way, there is a message. Listen to what your body is telling you and honor it. Taking a break doesn’t mean you have given up. It only means you need some time to refocus on your goals once again. It happens to everyone. Don’t beat yourself up for being human. The path to a better life is filled with speed bumps. Learning to expect and respect them will help ensure you stay true to your wellness goals.

Exercise Is Key to Healthy Aging

Combating Stress Overload

Commit to Your Health

The Truth About Stressors

Teenagers and Sleep

Lifestyle Excuses

The Cervical Spine

Our Pavlov Response

A Different Perspective on Wellness

Wellness Speed Bumps

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