Enzyme Appreciation

Enzymes are substances that perform two specific functions–they can either start chemical processes or they make them perform more quickly. Every cell in living plants and animals contains enzymes that are responsible for the very functions that keep them alive.
If enzymes are so important to keeping us alive, how come so few people know about them or how they function? Consider this fact: Enzymes are required to perform every single chemical reaction that occurs in your body. If it weren't for enzymes, none of the vitamins, minerals, or hormones in your body could work properly. Seems then there is quite a bit we ought to know about them and what they need to work well!


Let’s look at digestion for instance. Digestion couldn't take place without enzymes. From the time food enters your mouth, enzymes both in the food and in your body are working to break it down into smaller particles so they can be absorbed properly. Raw foods contain lots of enzymes that are necessary for digestion; these are released when these foods are chewed.


Unfortunately, many of the enzymes in food are destroyed by the ways in which they are prepared and processed. Enzymes are destroyed in temperatures higher than 118° F (48° C) and some are destroyed in temperatures as low as 105° F (41° C), so most can't even survive light steaming – a way of preparing food that most people erroneously believe fully preserves the nutritional value of food!


What happens when the enzymes in food are destroyed and the only enzymes at work in your body are those that are made there? Digestive disorders, compromised immunity, allergic reactions, skin problems and mood swings can occur. Eating enzyme-deficient foods also taxes your pancreas and other organs, overworking and ultimately wearing them out. Since your body needs both kinds of enzymes, when only one kind is present, it suffers.


One way to address this problem is through juicing. In fact, juicing is one of the best ways to ingest raw foods as part of your diet. In a world where "fast food" has taken a firm hold on our eating habits, juicing vegetables provides a great way to obtain the enzymes you need to ward off diseases that can rob you of your health and energy.


Understanding that enzymes can also help to heal chronic health problems which often seem to defy medical solutions is important as well. Getting regular chiropractic examinations and adjustments are also an important part of keeping your immune system functioning properly as part of living a healthy lifestyle. When we work together to give our bodies the food and care needed to stay healthy – we all benefit!

Why People Come To Our Office

People have been coming to Atlantic Chiropractic and Wellness Center as an alternative to traditional medicine when that medical care failed to resolve their health problem.

 

After months or even years of having to endure the pain, discomfort and inconvenience of trial and error treatments along with a variety of different medications and/or surgery, people turned to us for answers. They were tired of living with the same health problems day after day. They had enough of expensive prescription medications that caused all types of side effects and they became discouraged with the mountain of medical bills. 

 

Today, individuals and families are coming to our clinic not only for solutions when traditional medical care fails, but to make us their primary health care provider. They simply cannot afford traditional medical care and turned to our chiropractic care for its affordability. 

 

While they may have come to us due to our affordability, these patients are finding they are healthier and do not get sick as often.

 

If you or someone you know has become disheartened with their traditional medical care or is looking for ways to save money on their health care, please give us a call at (386) 492-4881 

  

Yours Truly In Health and Wellness,

The Team at Atlantic Chiropractic and Wellness Center

www.atlanticchirofl.com 

 

P.S. - Please do someone a big favor and share this blog post with a friend, family member or co-worker. It may provide them an answer they have been searching for.

Routine Maintenance

The problem with lifestyle-caused diseases is that the damage happens slowly, often without even a hint of a symptom.


We see this all the time. When the symptoms finally show up and we get the call, the most common refrain is, 'But I didn't do anything.' Sure, bending down to pick up the newspaper shouldn't reduce a grown man to tears. But the countless years of ignoring the nagging aches and pains did the damage. Bending over was merely the last straw.


Ironically, the same people who subscribe to the "don't-fix-it-if-it's-not-broken" philosophy will fuss over their lawns, baby their car with fresh oil and filter and religiously replace their smoke detector batteries. So, why is a simple, "Honey, I think you should go in for a checkup" met with a determined and unexplainable resistance!  We don't wait until our cars are on fire to change the oil, and we should not wait for a major problem to arise in our health before we do something about it.  Let's all make an effort to be proactive in our health!

Your Waste Removal System

The body’s lymphatic system is connected to every other organ, yet few people pay much attention to it unless something goes terribly wrong with it – then it becomes a real cause for concern.
What is the lymphatic system and why is it so important? Just as the cardiovascular system carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body through blood pumped from the heart, the lymphatic system, made up of your lymph vessels and nodes, tonsils, adenoids, appendix, spleen, and thymus gland, is the body's "rubbish collector" that filters out toxins, waste and other debris at the cellular level. If the flow of lymph fluid is blocked in any way, the fluid becomes thick and toxic.

One of the best ways to keep the lymph fluid moving properly through the body is to exercise. Physical movement helps the lymph system to keep from becoming “sluggish.” A sluggish lymphatic system may cause illness, pain and disease, including heart disease, sinusitis, viral/bacterial infections, fatigue, loss of energy, eczema, and even cancer.

In today’s world, many people have become sedentary. Because there is no lymphatic “pump,” like the heart, the lymphatic system relies on muscle contractions, the result of movement and exercise, to push the lymphatic fluid throughout the body. Any exercise that incorporates major muscle groups and deep breathing assists lymph flow.

Walking, jumping on a small trampoline (rebounder), running, swimming or any type of aerobic exercise helps contract muscles and increase lymph circulation.

Here’s an exercise that you can do almost anywhere to stimulate lymph flow in the chest and underarm area:

Stand in a relaxed position with your feet close together. Hold your arms out to the side, palms down, parallel to the floor. Rotate arms in small circles; forward 10 times, then backwards 10 times. Repeat, rotating in medium size circles and then again in large circles. Do this two to three times several times during the day.

Take care of your lymphatic system, and it will take care of you!

No More Ear Aches!

The constant crying and sleepless nights take as much of a toll on the parents as they do on the child. Ear infections (acute otitis media) are one of the top reasons for pediatrician appointments and about 50% of all children experience their first one before they even reach their first birthday!
The symptoms of ear infection may include pain, fever, irritability, and loss of appetite. Pulling on the ear or shaking their head is usually a sign that your child has ear pain.

Sometimes the pressure causing the pain in the middle ear builds to a point where the eardrum bursts, and blood and pus are discharged from the ear, giving you real cause for concern. Relax, generally you child will feel better once this has occurred and the hole in the ear allows any remaining fluid to drain.



Many pediatricians treat ear infections with a round of antibiotics. Chronic ear infections? The doctor will usually recommend insertion of ear tubes to “keep everything working properly.”
Research over the past decade or so, however, shows that a conservative approach is often the best response. In fact, recurrent ear infections often result from medication given to your child for the first ear infection, including chidren's pain relievers and decongestants!


Some believe that allergies, particularly to dairy products which increase mucous production, may cause chronic ear infections. Once removed from your child’s diet, the incidence of ear infections may drop significantly. Breastfeeding, particularly during the first few months of life, is associated with fewer ear infections in babies; it also gives added protection against other types of infection.


Many parents have discovered that chiropractic care not only relieves ear infections but can help prevent them. One study found that 93 percent of all childhood ear infections improved with chiropractic care. Seventy-five percent of the cases showed improvement in less than 10 days while 43 percent improved with only an adjustment or two! All this without drugs or surgery! Do you have - or know - a child we could help?

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

 

The holidays can be a tricky time if you want to avoid holiday weight gain. There are so many tempting treats, you need to be proactive to stick to good eating habits.   That means having a battle plan:


At work, where the parade of chocolate, cakes and cookies seems endless, tell yourself: “If I’m going to eat something, it really needs to be fabulous and worth the splurge.” “Flavanol-rich dark chocolate is one of the healthier choices," says Jamieson-Petonic. "Research shows it may help to control blood pressure and protect the heart."

Before the party: “When you're hungry and your blood sugar is low, you start to crave foods that are carb-rich and fatty, which can contribute to weight gain. A good defense is to have a small snack of carbs and protein before leaving home. Try apple slices with a tablespoon of peanut butter, or a few crackers with low-fat cheese.”
 
At the appetizer table, be conservative: “Avoid anything deep-fried, creamy or saucy, since these foods tend to be loaded with fat and calories; for example, cheese balls, pigs in a blanket and mini quiches. Opt for appetizers that appear closer to their natural state, such as veggies with herbs, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruit, grilled chicken skewers with a sweet and sour sauce, which is lower in fat and calories than a cream sauce, and grilled shrimp with cocktail sauce.”

At mealtime, choose an entrée you really want, and savor a small portion of it. Another tip: Instead of a large dinner plate, use a small, appetizer-size one (shoot for a diameter of six inches) to control your portions. Fill half of the plate with fruits and veggies, a quarter with protein, such as fish, poultry or meat, and a quarter with carbs, such as brown rice or whole grain pasta.

For dessert, put a small bit of cake or pie in a wine glass; if the dessert has a crust (for example, pumpkin pie), leave the crust behind. Not only will your dessert look pretty, you’ll cut down on your portion size and the calories you consume. It also helps to cut back on your calories and fat earlier in the day, so you can enjoy dessert now.

Along with the holiday eating, engage in plenty of physical activities to burn off extra calories: make a snowman with the kids, go out caroling, play a game of table tennis, dance and volunteer. If possible, walk to your holiday parties.

Finally, remember the real joy of the season is spending time with friends and family, not food. When you focus on your loved ones, you’ll be happier, not plumper!

IS MY PAIN SERIOUS?

How do you know whether your pain needs to be evaluated by your chiropractor? This is the age-old question. The answer needs to be specific to your particular problem, rather than a one-size-fits all solution. But there are good guidelines that everyone can follow.

First, is your pain deep and boring (that is, does the pain feel like it's boring into you)? Deep and boring pain usually means something is seriously wrong. If you're woken up at night by this type of pain, a visit to your chiropractor or family physician is in order. Kidney stones and inflamed gallbladders are common causes for deep, boring pain that causes a person to awaken from sleep. Severe heartburn is in this category, too, and should be evaluated by your doctor.

But these types of problems are easy to categorize. You'll probably know, instinctively, that something is wrong. Musculoskeletal pain is rather more difficult to analyze. For example, you lean over in a twisting motion to grab the glass of water on your nightstand and you feel a sharp pain in your lower back. Next morning you have great difficulty getting out of bed. Your lower back is stiff and sore. What should you do?^1,2

Your best course of action will be based on a self-assessment. If you're experiencing pain that radiates down your leg, or numbness or tingling sensations traveling down your leg, you should call your chiropractor's office and ask to be seen right away. Or, if you don't have any radiating pain, but sneezing or coughing does provoke a radiating sensation, take the same action. Similarly, the amount of pain you're having will determine what you do. If the pain is severe, see your chiropractor.

If none of these criteria are present, decision-making gets a bit murky. How you handle your problem will depend on your tolerance for pain. If you have low tolerance, make an appointment to see your chiropractor and get some expert treatment. If you have a higher pain threshold, you might still call for an appointment just to make sure that nothing is seriously wrong. Certainly, if you haven't improved at all after 48 hours, you need to see your chiropractor.

There is another important scenario. If you have a medical condition such as cancer, an endocrine disorder, or a systemic infection, a sudden occurrence of back pain needs immediate attention, regardless of how or why you think the pain occurred.³ This is not to be an alarmist, but rather the recommendation is based on precaution. If there is an existing problem, then new issues need to be looked at closely, just to be sure.

These guidelines provide a sound basis for decision-making, but please remember they are just that - guidelines. Each person needs to be comfortable with their own process. And, of course, it's always much better to be safe than sorry. Your chiropractor is always available to help you sort out these kinds of problems.

 

 In the field of medicine, the term pain management is code for drugs and intraspinal steroid injections. Pain management drugs are almost always opioids such as Vicodin, OxyContin, and morphine. Intraspinal steroid injections are at best a temporary fix, are often based on best guesses, and can have devastating side effects if done incorrectly.

On the other hand, chiropractic pain management always uses conservative methods of care. Chiropractic care does not introduce foreign substances or instruments into the body. The power of chiropractic care lies in its ability to facilitate the body's own healing mechanisms. In essence, based on a systematic analysis of the person's biomechanics and physiology, chiropractic care removes roadblocks to normal functioning of the nerve system. When the nerve systems pathways are free and clear, the body can begin to heal itself from the inside-out.

Your body is very smart. For many problems involving pain, all your body needs to heal itself is a freely functioning nerve system. The goal of chiropractic care is to enable such normal functioning.

¹Smart KM, et al: The discriminative validity of "nociceptive," "peripheral neuropathic," and "central sensitization" as mechanisms-based classifications of musculoskeletal pain. Clin J Pain 27(8):655-653, 2011

²Arendt-Nielsen L, Graven-Nielsen T: Translational musculoskeletal pain research. Clin Rheumatol 25(2):209-226, 2011

³Casazza BA: Diagnosis and treatment of acute low back pain. Am Fam Physician 85(4):343-350, 2012