Last week I nagged you about ice and when and how to use it. Hopefully it all made sense. Now we are at the excuse making point in our discussion on ice. No Doc, I didn’t ice. I don’t have and ice pack! What can I use for ice? Would ice cubes work? Trust me I have heard it all. I get it, ice doesn’t feel good let alone sound like an awesome idea to do to your low back. But it works! As your Chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I am eliminating one of your excuses.
I know you are all tired of hearing me say it! Put some ice on it…. Makes sure you ice…. Well as you chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I am now making you read why you should. Here is some great information on how and why you should ice.
General comments
Icing may be used along with compression, elevation, bracing, and/or support when treating acute injuries.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can produce a similar effect to icing. However, they may delay healing with acute injuries (like sprains, strains, and fractures). If your doctor recommends medicine, make sure you are aware of the right dosage and when to take it, and if there are any side effects.
The use of ice and heat is just one part of a treatment program. Even if symptoms are relieved, there is usually a need for exercises to restore flexibility and joint motion, strength, general fitness, and sport-specific skills.
Use of ice
Effects of ice: Decreases circulation, metabolic activity, and inflammation and numbs the skin.
Benefits of ice: Decreases pain, swelling, inflammation, and muscle spasm/cramping. Best used after exercise or after pain-producing activity.
Risks of ice: Prolonged use can cause frostbite.
Methods for applying cold therapy: Ice packs, ice bath/ice whirlpool, ice massage. (See “Options for applying ice.”)
When not to use ice
Immediately before physical activity
If area of icing is numb
When the pain or swelling involves a nerve (such as the ulnar nerve or “funny bone”)
If the athlete has sympathetic dysfunction (an abnormality of nerves that control blood flow and sweat gland activity)
If the athlete has vascular disease (such as poor circulation due to blood loss, blood vessel injury, compartment syndrome, vasculitis, blood clots, or Raynaud disease)
If there is skin compromise (such as an open wound; a wound that has not healed; skin that is stretched, blistered, burned, or thin)
If the athlete has cold hypersensitivity, including cold-induced urticaria (hives from cold)
How long to use ice
Two to 3 times per day (minimum); up to once per hour.
Duration varies with technique; usually 20 to 30 minutes per session. (See “Options for applying ice.”)
Ice may continue to be useful in treatment as long as there is pain, swelling, inflammation, or spasm. There is no need to switch to heat after 48 hours or alternate between ice and heat.
3 options for applying ice
Ice packs are best for icing larger areas of pain, swelling, or spasm (like a swollen knee, deep thigh bruise, muscle strain, shoulder tendonitis, or neck or back spasm).
Materials
Small cubes or crushed ice in plastic bag.
Bag of frozen vegetables (such as frozen peas).
Reusable commercial ice pack or circulating “cryocuff” (made specifically for therapeutic icing). Do not use blue ice packs directly on the skin; they are colder than frozen water and can cause frostbite
Method
Place on the affected area for at least 20 minutes per session. Hold in place with a towel, elastic wrap, or shrink-wrap.
Ice bath/ice whirlpool is used to reduce swelling in peripheral joints (such as with ankle sprain, wrist sprain, or severe shin splints).
Materials
Bucket or tub with mixture of ice and water
Method
Immerse affected area for 20 to 30 minutes per session. Do not use an ice bath if there is an open wound, bleeding, or a skin infection.
Ice massage is used to reduce superficial, well-localized inflammation (for example, tendonitis of the hand, wrist, or elbow; heel or elbow bursitis; ganglion cyst; apophysitis; or irritation of a growth plate).
Materials
Ice cube or frozen ice cup (made by freezing water in a paper or Styrofoam cup)
Method
Rub ice in a circular pattern over the affected region for 8 to 10 minutes per session.
I see lots of headaches in my Woodbridge, Dale City VA Chiropractic office. They include migraines, tension headaches and cervicogenic headaches. One of the most common ones I see are cervicogenic headaches. This is that headache that starts at the back top of your neck and radiates into the back of your head. It sometimes makes it to the temples. This type of headache generally doesn’t respond to the common migraine medications. Patients generally notice relief from OTC pain medication but once it wears off the headache comes back. Here is some information on cervicogenic headaches and be sure to consult a chiropractor for them.
Cervicogenic headache is referred pain (pain perceived as occurring in a part of the body other than its true source) perceived in the head from a source in the neck. Cervicogenic headache is a secondary headache, which means that it is caused by another illness or physical issue. In the case of cervicogenic headache, the cause is a disorder of the cervical spine and its component bony, disc and/or soft tissue elements. Numerous pain sensitive structures exist in the cervical (upper neck) and occipital (back of head) regions. The junction of the skull and cervical vertebrae have regions that are pain generating, including the lining of the cervical spine, the joints, ligaments, cervical nerve roots, and vertebral arteries passing through the cervical vertebral bodies.
The term cervicogenic headache is commonly misued and does not simply apply to a headache associated with neck pain; many headache disorders, including migraine and tension-type headache, can have associated neck pain/tension. Rather there must be evidence of a disorder or lesion within the cervical spine or soft tissues of the neck, known to be able to cause headache. Such disorders include tumours, fractures, infections and rheumatoid arthritis of the upper cervical spine. There is debate as to whether cervical spondylosis (age-related wear and tear affecting the spinal disks in your neck) can cause cervicogenic headache.
People with cervicogenic headache often have reduced range of motion of their neck and worsening of their headache with certain movements of their neck or pressure applied to certain spots on their neck. The headaches are often side-locked (on one side only) and the pain may radiate from their neck/back of the head up and to the front of the head or behind the eye. The headache may or may not be associated with neck pain.
People suspected of having cervicogenic headache should be carefully assessed by their doctor to exclude other primary (migraine, tension-type) or secondary (vessel dissection, posterior fossa lesions) causes of headaches.
Nerve blocks are used both for diagnostic and treatment purposes. If numbing the cervical structures abolishes the headache that can confirm the diagnosis of cervicogenic headache and also provide relief from the pain.
Treatment for cervicogenic headache should target the cause of the pain in the neck, and varies depending upon what works best for the individual patient. A very successful type of treatment is chiropractic care. A chiropractor can properly diagnose and treat this type of headache.
TMJ or TMD is a very common problem most people have but they don’t think of it as being the cause of their pain. After all who would think their jaw joint is causing their headaches or their face pain. As your chiropractor in the Dale City, Woodbridge Virginia area I have been trained to look for these problems. Chiropractors are trained to look outside the box to help patients understand what could be wrong.
Does it hurt when you chew, open wide to yawn or use your jaws? Do you have pain or soreness in front of the ear, in the jaw muscle, cheek, the teeth or the temples? Do you have pain or soreness in your teeth? Do your jaws make noises loud enough to bother you or others? Do you find it difficult to open your mouth wide? Does your jaw ever get stuck/locked as you open it?
If you answered “yes” to some of these questions, you may have a temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD. TMD is a group of conditions, often painful, that affect the jaw joint.
Signs may include:
Radiating pain in the face, neck, or shoulders;
Limited movement or locking of the jaw;
Painful clicking or grating when opening or closing the mouth;
A significant change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together;
Headaches, earaches, dizziness, hearing problems and difficulty swallowing.
For most people, pain or discomfort in the jaw muscles or joints is temporary, often occurs in cycles, and resolves once you stop moving the area. Some people with TMD pain, however, can develop chronic symptoms. Your doctor of chiropractic can help you establish whether your pain is due to TMD and can provide conservative treatment if needed.
What Causes TMD?
Researchers agree that TMD falls into three categories:
Myofascial pain—discomfort or pain in the muscles of the jaw, neck, and shoulders;
A dislocated jaw or displaced disc;
Degenerative joint disease—rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis in the jaw joint.
Severe injury to the jaw is a leading cause of TMD. For example, anything from a hit in the jaw during a sporting activity to overuse syndromes, such as chewing gum excessively or chewing on one side of the mouth too frequently, may cause TMD.
Both physical and emotional stress can lead to TMD, as well. The once-common practice of sitting in a dentist’s chair for several hours with the mouth wide open may have contributed to TMD in the past. Now, most dentists are aware that this is harmful to the jaw. In addition to taking breaks while they do dental work, today’s dentists also screen patients for any weaknesses in the jaw structure that would make physical injury likely if they keep their mouths open very long. In that case, they may use medications during the procedure to minimize the injury potential, or they may send the patient to physical therapy immediately after treatment. In less severe cases, they instruct patients in exercises they can do at home to loosen up the joint after the visit.
While emotional stress itself is not usually a cause of TMD, the way stress shows up in the body can be. When people are under psychological stress, they may clench their teeth, which can be a major factor in their TMD.
Some conditions once accepted as causes of TMD have been dismissed—moderate gum chewing, non-painful jaw clicking, orthodontic treatment (when it does not involve the prolonged opening of the mouth, as mentioned above), and upper and lower jaws that have never fit together well. Popular theory now holds that while these may be triggers, they are not causes.
Women experience TMD four times as often as men. Several factors may contribute to this higher ratio, posture and higher heels.
TMD Diagnosis and Treatment
To help diagnose or rule out TMD, your doctor of chiropractic (DC) may ask you to put three fingers in your mouth and bite down on them. You may also be asked to open and close your mouth and chew repeatedly while the doctor monitors the dimensions of the jaw joint and the balance of the muscles. If you have no problems while doing these things, then the problem is not likely to be TMD. Your DC can then look for signs of inflammation and abnormalities. Sometimes special imaging, an x-ray or an MRI may be needed to help confirm the diagnosis.
If you have TMD, your doctor may recommend chiropractic manipulation, massage, applying heat/ice and special exercises. In most cases, your doctor’s first goal is to relieve symptoms, particularly pain. If your doctor of chiropractic feels that you need special appliances or splints (with the exception of the “waterpack” and other guards against teeth grinding), he or she will refer you to a dentist or orthodontist for co-management.
In addition to treatment, your doctor of chiropractic can teach you how to:
Apply heat and ice to lessen the pain. Ice is recommended shortly after the injury or after your pain has started. In the later stages of healing, you need to switch to heat, especially if you are still experiencing discomfort.
Avoid harmful joint movements. For example, chomping into a hard apple is just as bad as crunching into hard candy (some hard candies are even called “jawbreakers”—for good reason). And giant sandwiches can cause the mouth to open too wide and have a destabilizing effect on the jaw.
Perform TMD-specific exercises. Depending on your condition, your DC may recommend stretching or strengthening exercises. Stretching helps to loosen tight muscles and strengthening helps to tighten muscles that have become loose. Special feedback sensors in the jaw can be retrained, as well, if needed.
As a chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I have tons of patients with scoliosis. Some who knew they had it coming and wanted relief from associated problems and some who had no clue. Both can benefit from chiropractic care.
Scoliosis is a condition resulting in the sideways curvature of the spine and it impacts approximately 2-3% of the population in the U.S. (6-9 million people). Scoliosis is generally diagnosed in children 10-15 years old and females are more likely to be diagnosed than males.
There are four main classifications of scoliosis: * Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common—it accounts for 80% of scoliosis cases—and leaves some mystery regarding the cause. While a cause is not easily identified, it may be due to hereditary and/or familial reasons.
Neuromuscular scoliosis is caused by disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and muscular system. Muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy are diseases that contribute to neuromuscular scoliosis.
Congenital scoliosis occurs when birth defects impact the spine and vertebrae.
Degenerative scoliosis is typically a result of trauma, surgery, or illness such as osteoporosis or arthritis. There are several different treatment options for scoliosis and they vary based on multiple factors, including:
Age
Likelihood of future bone growth
Severity and shape of the spinal curve
Type of scoliosis (idiopathic, neuromuscular, congenital, degenerative)
With mild cases of scoliosis, the treatment program will include observation for changes in the spine curvature. In moderate to severe cases the treatment may be more invasive and generally includes spinal bracing and surgery options.
You may be wondering—how does chiropractic care fit into a scoliosis diagnosis and treatment plan?
Chiropractors may be the first line for diagnosing scoliosis. Chiropractors are alignment specialists and are likely to be first to notice any atypical spinal alignment issues in a patient. Additionally, chiropractors are specially trained to locate and correct areas of spinal subluxation.
Many of the symptoms associated with scoliosis, including pain in the shoulders, rib cage, spine, and hips, are readily treated by chiropractic manipulations. While chiropractors are not presently able to “cure” scoliosis, they are able to provide relief to patients suffering from many of the symptoms of scoliosis. A 2011 study found that after a thorough chiropractic rehabilitation treatment program, the patient group reported improvements in pain, even 24 months after the treatment. Numerous case studies show chiropractic adjustments can significantly reduce the angle of the scoliosis curve and a small-scale 2016 study recently confirmed that chiropractic techniques were effective at
reducing the curvature of the spine in idiopathic scoliosis in as little as four weeks. Chiropractic treatment methods include soft tissue massage and spinal correction techniques. While the ability for chiropractic treatment to treat the physical curvature of the spine is still undergoing research on a larger scale, the current results are promising.
Together with a chiropractor, a patient can develop a specific treatment plan that may include observational monitoring, chiropractic adjustments, at home exercises, and /or a physical therapy program. Treatment for scoliosis, particularly mild scoliosis, does not have to be scary, invasive, or involve extensive down time. Chiropractic care may assist with lessening painful symptoms and reduce the curvature of the spine over time.
I get tons of patients in my Woodbridge, Dale City VA Chiropractic office with neck and upper back pain. The crazy thing is a lot of the time it is coming from their chest muscles being too tight. Stretching the chest muscle can sometimes take the pressure off the upper back and allow those muscles to rest and decrease their waste production. That usually cuts down on the numb spot or that burning spot in the upper back area. Here is some great information from Kenneth Miller MS on upper cross syndrome.
If you’re like the millions of people who use electronic tools such as a cell phone, tablet, laptop or desk computer, you’ve probably spent hours upon hours looking at the screen with your head jutted forward. Other situations that might have you holding your head forward of your shoulders include reading books, significant time behind the steering wheel or watching TV. Whatever the cause, the migration of your head to this forward position can ultimately lead to overactive muscles and a complementing set of underactive muscles. This postural distortion pattern, known as upper crossed syndrome (UCS), can result in imbalances of muscle tone or timing, often leading to poor movement patterns, and in this tech heavy society, increased stress on the head, neck and shoulder joints.
Poor posture at any level may lead to muscle imbalances. This can have a trickle-down effect into the rest of the body, not just in the local areas of the neck and shoulders. An associated sequence of muscle imbalances in the hip region, referred to as lower crossed syndrome, can oftentimes be observed in conjunction with upper crossed syndrome. When looking for long-term success in relieving UCS, identifying and addressing postural issues that could exist elsewhere in the body will also be needed. This total-body approach will relieve tensions through the entire kinetic chain, while also enhancing desired results.
Crossed and Countercrossed
The “crossed” in upper crossed syndrome refers to the crossing pattern of the overactive muscles with the countercrossing of the underactive muscles. When viewed from the side, an X pattern can be drawn for these two sets of muscles. The overactive muscles form a diagonal pattern from the posterior neck with the upper trapezius and levators down and across to the anterior neck and shoulder with the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and pectoralis major. The other side of the X now depicts the underactive muscles, with the deep cervical flexors down toward the mid/lower trapezius, rhomboids and serratus anterior. As we continually assume the seated, forward head postures driven by electronic devices or poor exercise selection and technique, this X pattern of muscle imbalances will increase.
Identify Imbalances
When working with clients or performing your own workout routine, attaining and maintaining ideal posture is paramount to a safe and effective program. In order to address postural or movement imbalances, the less-than-ideal posture has to be identified and a corrective exercise strategy developed. This corrective program can have two applications. First, it can serve as a stand-alone phase of training that will help the client achieve better postural control and endurance. Second, it can be applied as the movement preparation for a workout. In the first application, the client may be in a post-rehabilitation situation and need a program that incorporates flexibility with local and integrated strengthening. The second application will most likely be for the client looking to move better and improve coordination before applying speed and increased force during their workout session.
The first step to improving any postural distortion pattern is being able to identify the condition. Upper crossed syndrome can be observed from different vantage points with different motions. Some basic assessments that can be implemented to identify distortion patterns are gait observations, overhead squat, pushing and pulling motions, and static posture analysis. With any postural assessment—static, dynamic or transitional—UCS can be observed by watching head position relative to the shoulders, and the arms and shoulder blades relative to the ribs.
By using the landmarks of the ears, shoulders and the glenohumeral (GH) joint, a static posture assessment can identify UCS by observing if the ears are forward of the shoulder. You might even say that this person is slouching.
Observations for the shoulder blade and the upper arm can be seen from the front and side views with the overhead squat, pushing (pushup) and pulling (cable row) motions. The movements to note during an overhead squat assessment for possible signs of UCS include
Arms falling forward or to side during the descent
Head migrating forward
Elevating or elevated shoulder blades
Elbows flexed or challenged in keeping arms straight
Depending on the extent of the distortion, someone may exhibit one or more of the listed movement compensations. Combining the different assessments can also confirm findings. This helps in prioritizing the corrective strategies during program design. Call Doroski Chiropractic to have this problem evaluated and to get some possible home exercises to help it go away.
As a chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I get asked a lot if it is ok to adjust a child. The answer is almost always yes. With that being said the visit is very different than the parents. One concern I am sure everyone reading this who has been to a chiropractor would be are you going to squish my child. Children don’t have the same muscle development so they adjust so much easier. So don’t worry about them being squished. Here is some information about child adjusting you may find interesting if you are thinking about it.
According to Dr. David Sackett, the father of evidence-based medicine, there are three prongs to the evidence-based decision: clinical expertise, scientific research and patient preference. While chiropractic has more than 100 years of clinical expertise from which to draw, our profession is still quite young when it comes to its base of scientific research—a state that is even more so for one of our youngest subspecialties, chiropractic pediatrics. Dedicated researchers are working hard to fill in these gaps. Recent studies are beginning to confirm what our century of clinical experience has already shown—that chiropractic care for children is not only safe, but also effective for a variety of pediatric conditions.
Dr. Joyce Miller and her colleagues at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in the U.K. have contributed much to our knowledge of chiropractic pediatrics in the past few years. Here is a brief summary of some of their latest studies:
Safety study: Miller et al. examined 781 pediatric patients under three years of age (73.5 percent of whom were under 13 weeks) who received a total of 5,242 chiropractic treatments at a chiropractic teaching clinic in England between 2002 and 2004.¹ There were no serious adverse effects (reaction lasting >24 hours or needing hospital care) over the three-year study period. There were seven reported minor adverse effects, such as transient crying or interrupted sleep.
Nursing study: Miller et al. also performed a clinical case series of chiropractic care for 114 infants with hospital- or lactation-consultant-diagnosed nursing dysfunction.² The average age at first visit was three weeks. All infants in the study showed some improvement, with 78 percent able to exclusively breastfeed after two to five treatments within a two-week period.
Colic: Browning et al. performed a single-blinded randomized comparison trial of the effects of spinal manipulative therapy and occipito-sacral decompression therapy on infants with colic.³ Forty-three infants younger than eight weeks of age received two weeks of chiropractic care. Two weeks and four weeks after beginning treatment, the infants in both treatment groups cried significantly less and slept significantly more than prior to receiving chiropractic care.
Long-term sequelae of colic: Research has shown that children who were colicky as infants suffer from poor behavior and disturbed sleep as toddlers. Miller et al. performed a survey of parents of 117 such toddlers who had received chiropractic care as infants vs. 111 who had not received chiropractic care.4 They found the treated toddlers were twice as likely not to experience long-term sequelae of infantile colic, such as temper tantrums and frequent nocturnal waking. In other words, colicky infants who had received chiropractic care were twice as likely to sleep well and to experience fewer temper tantrums in their toddler years.
That is just a sampling of some of the great work that is being done by the dedicated and hard-working researchers focusing on chiropractic pediatrics.
References:
Miller JE, Benfield K. Adverse effects of spinal manipulation therapy in children younger than 3 years: a retrospective study in a chiropractic teaching clinic. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2008;31(6):419-422.
Miller JE, Miller L, et al. Contribution of chiropractic therapy to resolving suboptimal breastfeeding: A case series of 114 infants. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2009;32(8):670-674.
Browning M, Miller JE. Comparison of the short-term effects of chiropractic spinal manipulation and occipito-sacral decompression in the treatment of infant colic: A single-blinded, randomised, comparison trial. Clinical Chiropractic 2008;11(3):122-129.
Miller JE, Phillips HL. Long-term effects of infant colic: a survey comparison of chiropractic treatment and non-treatment groups. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2009;32(8):635-638.
I could hardly believe my eyes but I actually saw a back to school ad! I am thinking didn’t school just end. As your chiropractor in the Woodbridge Dale City VA area I want to share some tips from the BC chiropractic association.
Proper backpack use is often taken for granted and the effects of this could be drastic on our growing children and youth.
The body is a very sensitive and complex organism that adapts to the stressors we place on it. If we continually place undue and uneven stress on one of the most important parts of our body, the spinal column, we could end up in trouble later on in life! Examples of poor backpack use can include but are not limited to: muscle strain, headaches, back, neck and arm pain, improper growth and development and even nerve damage.
This being said, it’s imperative that we understand how to properly use backpacks in a way that they don’t place negative and uneven stress on our spine in an attempt to promote healthy growth and development!
Here are some great tips from the BC Chiropractic Association Backpack Safety Program, PACK IT LIGHT, WEAR IT RIGHT! that will help your family with proper backpack use:
Lighten up your backpack by ensuring you only have the essentials for the day. Things like shoes, old lunch boxes, old clothes and books for other courses don’t need to be carried around endlessly throughout the week.
If you’re carrying more than 15% of your body weight then you need to, lighten your load! For young and small children 10% of their body weight should be the upper limit!
Carry the heaviest items closest to the body! If you have a waist strap, USE IT!
Choose a backpack that has lots of pockets and areas to store things as this will make the load seem lighter.
When loading your backpack, do it on a table or a ledge that is at least waist height.
When putting your backpack on, keep it on the table and place BOTH straps on one at a time. Using both straps is essential to evenly distribute the weight being carried. Uneven weight distribution could lead to unwanted curvatures and abnormalities in the developing spine and musculature, respectively.
Inflammation can be as obvious as a twisted ankle. That is the most common type of inflammation we think of. Dunk it in a bucket of ice wait three days and it is gone. That is the easy on. But there are other types of inflammation that we deal with that we can’t see but can really cause problems for us. As your chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I want to share with you some information from Harvard Medical School.
Your immune system attacks anything in your body that it recognizes as foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical. The process is called inflammation. Intermittent bouts of inflammation directed at truly threatening invaders protect your health.
However, sometimes inflammation persists, day in and day out, even when you are not threatened by a foreign invader. That’s when inflammation can become your enemy. Many major diseases that plague us—including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s—have been linked to chronic inflammation.
One of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation comes not from the pharmacy, but from the grocery store. “Many experimental studies have shown that components of foods or beverages may have anti-inflammatory effects,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Choose the right foods, and you may be able to reduce your risk of illness. Consistently pick the wrong ones, and you could accelerate the inflammatory disease process.
Foods that inflame
Try to avoid or limit these foods as much as possible:
refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries
French fries and other fried foods
soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage)
margarine, shortening, and lard
Inflammation-promoting foods
Not surprisingly, the same foods that contribute to inflammation are generally considered bad for our health, including sodas and refined carbohydrates, as well as red meat and processed meats.
“Some of the foods that have been associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease are also associated with excess inflammation,” Dr. Hu says. “It’s not surprising, since inflammation is an important underlying mechanism for the development of these diseases.”
Unhealthy foods also contribute to weight gain, which is itself a risk factor for inflammation. Yet in several studies, even after researchers took obesity into account, the link between foods and inflammation remained, which suggests weight gain isn’t the sole driver. “Some of the food components or ingredients may have independent effects on inflammation over and above increased caloric intake,” Dr. Hu says.
Foods that combat inflammation
Include plenty of these anti-inflammatory foods in your diet:
tomatoes
olive oil
green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards
nuts like almonds and walnuts
fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges
Anti-inflammation foods
On the flip side are foods and beverages that have been found to reduce the risk of inflammation, and with it, chronic disease, says Dr. Hu. He notes in particular fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, apples, and leafy greens that are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols—protective compounds found in plants.
Studies have also associated nuts with reduced markers of inflammation and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Coffee, which contains polyphenols and other anti-inflammatory compounds, may protect against inflammation, as well.
Anti-inflammatory eating
To reduce levels of inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet. If you’re looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.
In addition to lowering inflammation, a more natural, less processed diet can have noticeable effects on your physical and emotional health. “A healthy diet is beneficial not only for reducing the risk of chronic diseases, but also for improving mood and overall quality of life,” Dr. Hu says.
Summer heat is here and it isn’t really summer! As your chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I can’t say stay hydrated enough. It helps with overall body health but also plays a huge roll in muscle function and muscle spasm. Muscle spasm is something I deal with daily. Here are a few ways to stay hydrated during your busy day!
Many people are so busy that they barely have time to eat, let alone pause for a water break, and you may find you often go hours and hours without quenching your thirst. But staying hydrated has real advantages, including helping you maintain your energy and focus so you can operate more efficiently, so it’s important to give your drinking habits the attention they deserve. Here are some simple ways to make fueling up with fluid throughout the day a little easier:
Always carry a water bottle, and if you have desk job, always keep one at your desk. If you have a bottle within arms reach, it’s very likely that you’ll mindlessly sip from it throughout the day, without having to make a conscious effort.
When you’re feeling frazzled or hazy, grab a glass of cold water. Studies show that people instantly feel more alert after drinking H2O. It’s a simple, healthy way to snap out of a midday slump.
Sip on a mug of herbal tea every evening. If you make this a habit, you’ll add an extra cup of fluid to your tally every single day. On top of that, this relaxing ritual is a wonderful way to de-stress at the end of the day.
Eat a diet rich in whole foods. By eating water-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, and yogurt, you’ll automatically up your fluid intake. On the other hand, processed snack foods like chips, crackers, and baked goods have minimal water content.
If you’re an elderly adult or a caretaker for one, it’s especially important to pay attention to hydration. Aging impairs the body’s natural thirst mechanisms, which makes it easier to become dehydrated. It may be helpful to fill up a big water bottle (at least 1 liter) at the beginning of the day, with the goal of emptying it by the end of the day. The water bottle is a physical reminder to drink even if you’re not thirsty.
