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All Posts in Category: Lifestyle

Chiropractic, Immunity & Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The healthier you are the less susceptible you are to all disease. It’s that simple and that’s how chiropractic relates to COVID-19 and all coronaviruses, flus, and sickness in general.

The coronavirus claims daily headlines across the nation and world. The sensational reports tend to focus on tragedies and the ultimate reality that sicknesses can be deadly. Other positive realities and facts exist as well. The coronavirus is a common virus that can cause an infection in the nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most coronaviruses do not accompany the deadly outcomes catching media headlines.

People infected with the coronavirus report coughs, fever, and respiratory issues. Some extreme cases involve pneumonia. Antibiotics do not work against this viral attack on the immune system. Recovery primarily involves the strength of the immune system learning the new virus and developing a way to neutralize it. The best weapon for the coronavirus and the flu begins with building a strong, proactive immune system. As you probably already know the flu vaccine is controversial and it’s efficacy is debated by many health experts. So what should we expect from a new coronavirus vaccine? Attempts have been made in the past to develop coronavirus vaccines with adverse inflammatory reactions too severe to continue.

Our bodies are amazing! One drop of blood contains five million red blood cells, seven thousand white blood cells, and thousands of platelets. These cells work feverishly to heal and defend the body against foreign invaders. The most amazing element of the process comes from the fact that the body adapts and responds naturally and without a conscious decision to do so. The entire process of adaptation and response operates under the direction of the central nervous system.

Scientists discovered the unique connection between the central nervous system and the immune system and continue to compile research and evidence about the process. Chiropractic plays a key role because of the spine’s (spinal cord, central nerve system) relationship with immunity. Research shows that when the spine remains immobile of misaligned, the body operates in a heightened state of stress equivalent to being in battle. Operating in a heightened state of stress weakens rest, immunity, and growth within the nervous system. Gentle Chiropractic adjustments improve immunity by allowing the nervous system to function at maximum capacity for healing and repair. Chiropractic adjustments increase movement and improve alignment while reducing stress. Evidence shows that people who receive regular adjustments report stronger immunity after beginning Chiropractic care.

Research from 2010 determined that patients who received Chiropractic adjustments showed increased levels of a specific signaling molecule in the body called Interleukin-2. Interleukin-2 regulates the activities of white blood cells which are responsible for immunity. The molecule impacts the body’s natural response to microbial infection and helps the body recognize and create specific responses that neutralize foreign invaders. This protein molecule was found to be higher in those who received Chiropractic spinal adjustments when compared to those who did not.

The primary focus of a Chiropractic adjustment does not center on treating a specific symptom or condition. The increased health and function from an adjustment represents an outcome which originates when interference is removed from the nervous system. While other professions focus on changing the environment to suit a weakened body, Chiropractic pursues strengthening the body to suit the environment.

Four Keys to Improving Immunity:
1) Stay on track with adjustments to keep the autonomic nervous system in balance.
2) Consume adequate amounts of Vitamin D, a major immune booster.
3) Add 30-60 minutes of extra sleep to the daily routine. Inadequate sleep depletes immunity.
4) Drink water and remove sugary drinks and snacks from the diet. Sugar drains immunity.
5) Move the body. Exercise increases lymphatic flow and provides significant immune benefits.

 

Chiropractic & Osteopathy September 2010
“Interleukin 2-regulated in vitro antibody production following a single spinal manipulative treatment in normal subjects.”
JA Teodorczyk-Injeyan, M McGregor, R Ruegg, HS Injeya

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Cold Remedies and Flu Remedies: A Controversy Boise Wants Answers To

Isn’t this supposed to be the season to be jolly? Instead, a number of colds, flu’s and a variety of illnesses are upon us. Boise people want cold remedies and need to know the astonishing controversial news about flu shots.

The first thing we can do is to recognize the intimate connection between what they call “this cold and flu season” and what’s going on in our lives during this season. Most people have the misperception that it’s the bugs, the viruses, and the germs that are out there during this cold and flu season that make us sick.

The reality is, it’s our own immune systems that have become depressed due to the holiday stresses that allow us to succumb to the variety of germs that are out there.

My evidence for this is to look at your household or look at people at work. You will see that some people get sick within your house or at work, however other people don’t. Everybody’s exposed to the same germs, however some people don’t have a problem dealing with the germs, while some do.

So what can you do for cold remedies and flu remedies? I don’t think the flu shot is the answer…and I’m not the only one. In September, Johns Hopkins scientist Peter Doshi issued a scathing report on flu vaccines in the British Medical Journal. Dr. Doshi, charges that although the vaccines are being pushed on the public in unprecedented numbers, they are less effective and cause more side effects than alleged by the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon echoes these concerns over the safety and efficacy of the flu vaccine. “Not only is the vaccine not safe,” he tells Newsmax Health, “it doesn’t even work.”

What I want you to recognize is that there are things that you can do from a lifestyle perspective that can help strengthen your immune system and are the best kind of cold remedies and flu prevention.

Let’s recognize that, for many people, the holiday season is a time of stress, not just a time of joy. However, it doesn’t have to be, and I believe that great planning going into the holiday season will help.

Try these preventive cold remedies Boise:

  1. Plan your life a little bit better through the holiday season.
  2. Keep on your exercise routines.
  3. Following your meal plan.
  4. Take nutritional supplements like a great multivitamin, fish oil and antioxidant superfoods.
  5. Get adjusted to keep your nerve system and immune system strong.

This will help keep stress reduced and you will thereby have the greatest gift for the holiday season, your health and well being.

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The Nature of Life

This is an article I’ve adapted for you by Dr. Patrick Gentempo who is one of the greatest thinkers in healthcare today. Enjoy! -Dr. Rook

In order to succeed in chiropractic and creating wellness it is critical to have a foundational understanding as to the nature of life. This is especially true with regard to health.

The first thing you need to understand is that you are born to develop, heal, adapt and thrive. You don’t need drugs to do it. You don’t need surgery to do it. You have a life force that directs the whole process. This principle forms the major premise of chiropractic which states “There is a Universal Intelligence in all matter, constantly
giving to it its properties and actions, thereby maintaining it in existence.”

It is also important to understand that life is conditional. This means that if the conditions of life are not properly met, its expression will be limited, and if the condition contains enough severe negative stress, life will cease.

Now, if we look to apply these concepts, it makes sense that we make our best efforts to work with these principles—and that is exactly what the chiropractic lifestyle does.

We take positive action on the things that we know support and enhance life, and we act to eliminate things that take life away. This is no easy task, and I salute you for making this incredible commitment to chiropractic and create wellness in your life, a commitment that should continue as a lifestyle for your lifetime!

Action Step: What I want you to do this week is pay close attention to what you do, and see if it contributes to or takes away from your well-being. This will enhance the health giving quality of your life’s practices.

Now that you have a better understanding of the principles of life, along with the resources Dr. Rook provides, you will begin making better decisions for you and the ones you love.

Thank you for your commitment to Reclaim Your Life, and remember—you are not alone.

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Stress Balls

Why Stress Hurts

As your neighbor’s dog barks well into the night, you lie awake on an uncomfortable mattress feeling the same aches and pains that have kept you awake for weeks. Your neck and back ache like crazy. You might try a massage if you could find the time in your hectic schedule, but your mother-in-law is visiting next week and you still have to finish that quarterly report to the board. Stress has become more than an irritant in your life. Stress is now causing you to suffer, impacting your quality of life.

When we experience stress, our heart rate increases, our muscles grow tight, our blood pressure rises, and we feel nervous and out of control. The immune system breaks down and you are more vulnerable to illness. Stress can also cause your body to feel tight, stiff, and old before its time.

When stress is ignored, you can develop chronic stress which has been proven to raise the risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, stroke, and other illnesses. Chronic stress also results in headaches, ulcers, insomnia, depression, stomachaches, even memory lapses.

In a healthy person, the brain and nervous system are in constant communication with every cell of your body? The body communicates by using a complex system of nerves to all of your muscles, bones, blood vessels, organs and systems to keep you healthy. This is how your body knows when to breathe, how to walk, and how to adapt itself to its environment and alleviate stress. When you ignore your body’s signals of high stress levels, or if your body has a communication breakdown in the nerve system, you may develop more serious health issues like those listed above.

Chiropractors can perform several non-invasive tests that can detect the effects of stress on your nervous system. Examples of these tests include strength tests, weight balance tests and muscle tests. Patients can even opt for Space Foundation certified technology that many chiropractors are now using, which is the same testing that was used to examine the astronauts in the space program.

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