Staying healthy is a topic that’s on everyone’s minds lately, and it’s no surprise. With the pandemic nearing the eight-month mark, people are looking for ways to keep their bodies safe and functioning at their full potential. One way to do this is to boost your immune system. The main role of the immune system is to protect our bodies from infectious organisms. When it’s functioning at its best, we can avoid getting sick — but when it’s not quite at its peak, it leaves us susceptible.
In today’s blog from Flex Chiropractic of Lexington, we want to discuss five easy ways that you can boost your immune system — and you might be surprised to learn that regular chiropractic care is on that list. Most people don’t think about chiropractic care and the immune system being correlated, but it’s true. In fact, there are many unexpected benefits of receiving chiropractic care. Keep reading to learn more about it and get plenty of valuable tips on other ways to keep yourself healthy.
Re-evaluate Your Diet
The world is starting to realize that food may offer many more benefits besides supplying energy to our bodies. In fact, many would now say that eating the right foods can have a significant impact on overall health. This statement sounds like a huge generality, but when taken to heart, you might find out how true it really is. Beyond the basic carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, food contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and health-promoting compounds that we are only just beginning to understand.
If you want to give your immune system a boost, you start by making a few simple diet changes. Focus on eating more whole, unprocessed foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Enjoy a wide variety of these foods in as many different colors as possible. Incorporate more immune-boosting ingredients like garlic and onions into your diet, and read up on ways to enhance gut health through eating more pre- and probiotics.
Make Lifestyle Changes
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t exercise as much as you should and you probably don’t get enough quality sleep each night. Both of these habits are key for staying healthy and warrant being made a priority.
There never seems to be enough hours in a day to get everything done that you need to without trying to squeeze in time for exercise. However, your health depends on it. Not only do people who regularly exercise tend to get sick less often, but they also have a reduced incidence of other types of illness and disease.
Sometimes it seems like the only way to get everything done is to stay up late until everything is finished. Unfortunately, this isn’t a good plan. Your body requires a certain amount of quality sleep each night, and without it, it can become more prone to illness If you try to go to bed early but just can’t get to sleep because your mind is racing, try creating a bedtime ritual at least an hour before you go to bed to get your body ready for sleep. You can take a bath, drink a cup of tea, or listen to some calming music. Choose whatever relaxes you best.
Minimize Stress
Cortisol is what is known as the stress hormone. If you’re under prolonged periods of stress (and who isn’t?) your body will produce an excess amount of cortisol. Over time, elevated cortisol levels are thought to have a variety of negative consequences including raising blood sugar, contributing to weight gain, and reducing your body’s ability to fight off infection.
That’s why it’s so important to reduce stress if you want to boost your immune system. If you’re dealing with a particularly stressful situation at work or home, find ways that you can cope with the stress in a healthy way. Take a walk, stop to meditate, or confide in a friend. All of these simple things can help reduce stress and help you stay healthy.
Wash Your Hands
By now, everyone is probably tired of washing their hands and applying sanitizer, but it really is one of the best ways to prevent infection. When you don’t wash your hands, your body is constantly having to deal with the bacteria and viruses it picks up from everything you are handling throughout the day. Eventually, your body may lose the battle. Stay safe, prevent the spread of germs, and keep washing your hands.
Visit Your Chiropractor
While the above suggestions may not have been a surprise to most, chances are you probably didn’t think about chiropractic care as a factor in boosting your immune system. To understand how it works, we have to believe that all of the systems in our body are connected. A problem in one area may affect another. This is particularly true when it comes to your immune system and your nervous system. Both are interconnected. The brain can use nerve cells to communicate directly with the immune system and trigger an immune response.
Chiropractic care can boost your immune system by removing any interference in the nervous system that may prevent your body from functioning optimally. When your nervous system is functioning at its best, that means the rest of your body can follow suit.
Schedule an Appointment with Flex Chiropractic and Stay Healthy!
Considering how important our immune systems are, it makes sense that we would want to do everything we can to give them a boost. Fortunately, most immune-boosting recommendations are pretty easy to follow through with — eat a healthy and balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, and get regular chiropractic care.
If you’re looking for a chiropractor in the Lexington area, contact Flex Chiropractic to make an appointment. We not only offer chiropractic adjustments, but we provide a wide array of other holistic health services such as ultrasound, cold laser therapy, and electrical stimulation. Visit our services page or give us a call to schedule an appointment. Here’s to your health!
The goal of any doctor should be to get a patient healthy and keep them healthy. Better yet, following a doctor’s advice can help someone stay healthy so that they don’t get sick or injured in the first place. That’s one thing we’re here to tackle as your local chiropractor: helping you stay healthy after you see us.
We love to see our clients at our Lexington and Columbia chiropractic clinics, but we also want to make it so that they come in for standard chiropractic health instead of lumbering in with some sort of injury. Here are a few New Year’s resolutions you might want to consider so that you don’t need extreme chiropractic care.
Replace That Mattress
Old mattresses can lead to a host of problems with the body. Once a mattress starts to fail, it can lead to low spots and offer considerably less support than when it was new.
Unfortunately, many people will put off buying a new mattress for years. In most circumstances, a mattress doesn’t just give out overnight. It’s a slow decline; there’s not a specific day where it’s fine and then it’s no longer usable. That makes it very easy to put off looking for a new one. But if you’ve been having back problems with no clear reason why, it might be a good idea to replace your mattress with one that offers more support.
Be Careful of Your Devices
Guess what humanity didn’t do for thousands of year? Look down at phones and other electronic devices.
The human head is heavy, and when we look down at our phones we’re putting strain on our necks. No matter whether we’re standing or sitting, leaning the head forward makes the head feel heavier and causes the neck to work harder. A head looking straight ahead weighs about 10 pounds, but if you’re leaning forward at a 60-degree angle, it’s the equivalent of 60 pounds of strain on your neck! (If that sounds weird, hold a 20-pound weight at arm’s length. Then bring it in and hold it against your chest. Now you can see how the center of gravity of a weight can affect how much strain is put on your muscles.)
Unfortunately, all of this pressure isn’t just affect your neck muscles. It’s also putting pressure on the discs of the spine. So this year, resolve not to get “texting neck.” If you are using your phone, lift it higher instead of looking down at it. Or better yet, resolve to simply look at it less.
Get Active
We don’t have to tell you that “getting more exercise” is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Americans as a whole don’t get enough exercise, and it’s starting to show up in the nation’s health report.
How does this relate to chiropractic care? As you exercise, your muscles are getting stronger. And if your muscles are doing most of the work, you’re putting less stress on the spine itself. Strengthening your back and core muscles is one of the best ways to avoid emergency chiropractic treatment.
Commit to Proper Lifting Techniques
One of the most common ways that people hurt their backs is by lifting something. Sometimes the object is too heavy, while other times they twist as they lift.
At one point or another, we’ve all been told what to avoid when lifting. But many people simply don’t listen, never imagining that they could be the ones who get injured. And before you know it they are in need of bulging disk treatment. If you’re looking for a way to protect your back in the new year, resolve to put your ego aside and commit to proper lifting techniques.
Lose Weight if Necessary
Have you ever seen an overweight dachshund, aka wiener dog, with a belly that drags the ground? It might seem cute at first, but all of that extra weight is severely hurting the dog’s spine. Extra weight on the animal pulls the spine into strange positions, which can have lasting effects for the dog.
Unfortunately, the same can happen with just about any creature, humans included. And the thing is, greater weight on any part of the frame is going to affect the way a person walks. Overall weight pulls a person down, putting more pressure on the spine and the discs between the vertebrae. Weight that’s carried out in front — the typical beer belly — can cause a person to compensate by leaning back and putting undue pressure on the spine.
If your doctor has told you to lose some weight, whether it’s your primary care physician or your local chiropractor, you should listen to them. Not only will your heart be much healthier and you’ll avoid health problems like diabetes, but you’ll also be helping to reduce the amount of weight your spine has to carry around.
Get A Massage
Massage therapy is a great way to help your body recover from an injury, and it can also be an excellent complement to chiropractic treatments. Massages can help to relieve sore muscles and rid the body of lymph.
But it’s not all about the muscles themselves: massage also provide relaxation. Endorphins (feel-good chemicals) are released by the brain due to the human touch we receive and the pleasant feelings of the massage itself. In other words, getting a massage isn’t just about the physical sensation, but the mental relaxation it offers. Getting a massage will simply make you happier in the new year.
If you’re in need of a massage — and most people are — we offer massage therapy at our Columbia chiropractic office. Click here to learn more about our services.
Visit Your Local Chiropractor
If you’ve been in for a chiropractic visit before, you know just how good it can feel when it’s time to go. If your musculoskeletal system isn’t feeling right, or if you’ve injured your back or neck in some way, your local chiropractor can help discover exactly what’s going on and suggest ways to fix it. Click here to choose our Columbia or Lexington chiropractic office and discover what we have to offer!
Are you dealing with chronic pain? Having trouble sleeping? Experiencing more headaches than usual? If so, you may be wondering whether it’s time to see a chiropractor. While only a professional can give you a definitive answer, there are some telltale signs that it might be time for a visit. If you’re experiencing any sort of pain or discomfort, it’s always a good idea to see a doctor or medical professional. But did you know that seeing a chiropractor could also help relieve your symptoms? If any of these applies to you, don’t hesitate to book an appointment with a chiropractor in your area. Here are four signs that it might be time to visit Flex Chiropractic. Learn more and get in touch with us today!
Headaches or Migraines
If you find yourself reaching for the ibuprofen on a regular basis, it could be a sign that you need to see a chiropractor. Headaches and migraines are often caused by tension in the neck and shoulders, which a chiropractor can help to relieve. If you suffer from frequent headaches, there could be an issue with your spine or neck. A chiropractor can help to identify the source of the problem and provide relief.
Chronic Body Pain
Chronic pain is no joke, and if you’ve been dealing with it for a while, it’s time to seek professional help. A chiropractor will work with you to identify the source of your pain and develop a treatment plan to help you find relief. If you’ve been dealing with pain for more than a few days or weeks, it could be time to see a chiropractor. Our Lexington chiropractor can help to identify the source of your pain and develop a treatment plan to address it.
Improve Your Overall Health
In addition to helping with specific conditions, chiropractic care can also improve your overall health and well-being. Even if you’re not experiencing any specific pain or symptoms, seeing a chiropractor can still be beneficial for your overall health and well-being. Flex Chiropractic offers holistic care that takes into account your whole body, not just your current symptoms. If you find yourself feeling stiff and sore, it could be a sign that your joints are not functioning properly. A chiropractor can help to improve your range of motion and reduce discomfort.
You’ve Been Injured
If you’ve recently suffered an injury, whether it’s from a car accident or a fall, it’s important to see a chiropractor. They can help to rehabilitate your injury and prevent further damage. If you’re looking for an alternative to surgery or medication, chiropractic care may be right for you. Chiropractic care can oftentimes provide relief without the need for invasive procedures. Whether you’ve suffered a sports injury or been in a car accident, visiting Flex Chiropractic can help you recover more quickly and prevent future injuries.
If you’re experiencing any of these signs, contact Flex Chiropractic today to schedule an appointment at our Lexington or Columbia office. We’ll work with you to develop a treatment plan that’s right for you and help you achieve optimal health and wellness! Contact us today to schedule a chiropractic appointment to start feeling your best!
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