The winter weather is finally among us; we don't know if we're in for a long or short winter, but regardless, let's go through some effective steps you can take to support your immune system in Maple Grove and guard against cold, sickness, or simply a case of the sniffles. At our Maple Grove chiropractic office, we not only see patients have improved with more traditional musculoskeletal problems such as headaches, neck pain, and back pain, but also with non-traditional problems as allergies, asthma, high blood pressure, and weakened immune systems.
Your immune system is an amazing system that essentially acts as a "bodyguard for your body"; it is your body's force-field. It keeps us healthy and strong and allows us to fight off and respond to the invaders that attempt to break us down and make us ill. During the winter months, when we deal with more stress, lower Vitamin D levels, and an ever-changing environment, it's more important than ever to take the proper steps to maintain a high-functioning immune system. So let's take a look at some of the simple things we can do to boost our body's defenses and enjoy a higher level of health.
EXERCISE in Maple Grove
With the world, we live in and the environment in which we're constantly surrounded, it's easy to see how people can get caught up in a sedentary lifestyle. There are computers, TV's, iPads, video games and countless other things that make it easy for us to forget that we need to get up and move; combine this with long hours of sitting at work and we can find ourselves more and more susceptible to a life void of any significant physical activity.
Exercise is a key component of any healthy lifestyle. Exercise provides a number of benefits physiologically that maximize our health. Movement stimulates the mechanoreceptors near the spine that provide much-needed stimulation and nutrition to the brain. Proper exercise and mobility, particularly spinal mobility, decrease stress on the nervous system, allowing our body to self-heal and self-regulate. Exercise also increases lymphatic and blood circulation which helps our body eliminate toxins.
There are literally hundreds of ways that we benefit from exercise, both in how our body works and also how our body looks and feels. Engage in both cardiovascular and resistance training activities, with high-intensity and functional movements at the core or your program.
NUTRITION
A healthy diet should always consist of real, unprocessed foods. There are truly two types of foods; God-made foods and man-made foods. Eat as much God-made food as possible and stay away from highly processed foods that don't provide the proper nutrients that our body needs and craves.
maple grove chiropractor, chiropractor maple grove, maple grove chiropracticAdditional vitamins and supplements can be a resource when we're unable to meet the nutritional demands of our body simply through the foods that we're eating. Supplements such as vitamins D, C, and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc are all essential for proper immune function. A high-quality multi-vitamin from a company such as Standard Process or Ancient Nutrition is a great start to incorporate some of the essential nutritional components.
Many of these vitamins act as antioxidants that help protect our cells from the free-radicals that are produced from the normal oxidation process that occurs within our bodies. A stronger body at the cellular level leads to an overall higher level of health on a larger scale.
PROPER REST
Sleep allows our body to enter a state of repair at the cellular level. Increased cellular immunity provides the building blocks for a well-functioning nervous system. Vital immune-boosting hormone also occurs while at rest and plays a large factor in boosting your immune system.
POSITIVE THINKING
Staying positive releases immune-boosting hormones and allows our nervous system to maintain a state of balance. Reducing the stress response within the body means lower levels of immune-suppressive hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Laughter and happiness also boost the number or antibody-producing cells and enhance the effectiveness and strength of the T-cells within our body. Stay happy and stay healthy!
CHIROPRACTIC
Boosts in immunity are obviously the result of a number of factors, and chiropractic care can also provide a huge benefit as well. A study performed by Dr. Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University, showed that chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than those people who had not received chiropractic care. They also had 400% greater immune competence than individuals diagnosed with cancer or other serious diseases.
Going to the chiropractor and receiving regular chiropractic care helps your body deal with and interpret stress, reduces the stress response within the body, increases mobility and flexibility providing higher nutrition and stimulation to the brain, and improves our body's ability to self-heal and self-regulate by optimizing the function of the nervous system.
At Total Spine Health and Injury Center, our massage therapy and chiropractic care programs are designed to not only get you feeling well but also to correct any underlying problems and boost overall health. Our goal is to increase your quality of life by strengthening your body, immune system, and nervous system from the inside out!
Visit one of our Maple Grove chiropractors to learn more about what chiropractic treatment can do for you!