Health is not a guarantee handed to you on a platter.  It’s the product of the choices you make.  Degenerative conditions like arthritis, Alzheimer’s or diabetes are often the result of long-term, sub-clinical conditions (like poor diet or exposure to toxins.) If you’d like to experience a long, healthy life, start with these tips:

1. Keep Mentally Strong. Learn something new each day. Take a class, play an instrument, speak a new language, or do crosswords.  Challenge yourself and go outside the box.  Make yourself feel uncomfortable, you may find enjoyment in something new!
2. Stay Physically Active. Exercise improves your mood, deters disease, increases energy, promotes better sleep and strengthens immunity.  Fat is stored fuel just waiting to be burned.  If you are having a tough time getting started contact the office and join one of our boot camps or personal exercise sessions.  If pain has you sidelined, go see your chiropractor to start moving better today!
3. Eat the Rainbow. Your plate should be a rainbow of colors at every meal.  Eliminate high calorie, low nutrient snacks and beverages and make smarter food choices.  If you are overweight, portion control your carbohydrates and eat until satisfied but not full.  When you take your first deep breath you should stop eating.  If you are eating out, have the server put half your meal in a to-go container before it hits your plate.  Focus on getting healthier, not losing weight.  When you are healthy you will be at a healthy weight.  Make it a point to eat at least five fresh vegetables and three fresh fruits daily.  One in four bites should be protein.  Meals do not have to be gourmet – try egg salad, raw veggies, fruit and a slice of whole grain bread.
4. Read labels. If you can’t pronounce it you shouldn’t be eating it.  Leave the processed foods, canned or boxed meals, soda, and meal replacements at the grocery store.  Eat out less. You will not only save money, but you will be healthier.
5. Check the Score. Why wait until you don’t feel well to get checked? Prevention is key and is much more cost affordable in the long run.  Waiting for a diagnosis or problem to be bad enough will only cost you more money, and your mental and physical well-being will already be compromised.  Blood is full of information about your health.  Emerging problems appear in testing before the physical signs.  You can have 20% kidney function left, yet virtually no symptoms.  The sooner a problem is found, the easier it is to correct and the less damage it can do.  Get a comprehensive metabolic profile that will show the entire picture versus only spot checking the problems.  We can do a comprehensive testing at our office.
6. Avoid drugs & try the safest options first. It’s important to understand that medications do not “fix” your problem. The underlying conditions which caused the problem will continue to progress resulting in a decline in your health, more doctors’ visits and more medication.  Too often patients come to our office as a last resort.  They’ve seen specialist, taken medications and are still getting worse.  Many conditions can be healed by nutrition, chiropractic, acupuncture, and supplementation.  Did you know you should only be on that proton-pump inhibitor (acid reflux medication) for a two-week period of time?  It is not meant to be a permanent fix and can greatly affect your well-being.
7. Take Vitamins. It is important to “get your score” and have your blood levels checked. This can assist in knowing what and how much one should take.  Not all vitamins are the same and not each person is the same.  Just because one vitamin worked for your sister doesn’t mean it is the right one for you.  The ingredients and the processing determines the quality and how well you will absorb that vitamin.  For example, vitamin D needs to be taken with a meal that contains fat and iron is best absorb with vitamin C.  Our products are both GMP and NSF certified.
8. Go to the Dentist. Oral health affects your overall health.  Gum disease is associated with issued like diabetes and heart disease.  Good oral hygiene and a healthy diet to support oral health and reduce inflammation is key.
9. For Women – Get a Thermogram. There is controversy right now over the use of Mammography and if it is causing more harm than good.  I am definitely not saying to cancel your mammogram, but check into your options.  A thermogram takes an infrared image of the breasts and detects the early signs of breast cancer.  Women ages 18+ are encouraged to have a scan.
10. Relax & Have fun! We all work entirely too hard to not take time to have fun.  Numerous studies show that those who live the longest are optimistic, surround themselves with family and friends and laugh often.  Simplify your life and start finding joy in the little things!