7 Healthy Tips for the Holidays in Utah

Most of us look forward to the holiday season with all of the fun and festivities and parties, but some dread this time of year because of the increased stress and inevitable weight gain. Here are some helpful tips from a Utah chiropractor that may make it easier for you to enjoy a healthy holiday season.

1. Get plenty of rest. This time of year comes with the busyness of family get-togethers, office parties and shopping. It is easy to sacrifice your sleep to get it all in. One of the easiest ways to make yourself sick with winter colds and flus is to limit your normal sleep. Make sure you are getting your full 8 hours so that your body can regenerate and recuperate. 
2. Don't stress out. Whether you're stressed about not seeing your family for the holidays or stressed about having to sit down at a meal with them, take time to de-stress. Meditation and guided visual imaging are great ways to calm yourself. Some foods that have been shown to reduce the stress hormone Cortisol include: Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin C, low Glycemic Index foods and Dark Chocolate.
3. Find time to exercise. As little as 30 minutes a day, most days per week of some type of cardiovascular exercise is enough to keep you fit and trim. Try to schedule some resistance weight lifting exercise as well. This will help keep the stress down and also help improve joint mobility and function.
4. Hydrate. The cold, dry weather that gives Utah the “Best Snow on Earth” also takes its toll on our bodies, sapping us of our natural fluids. Make sure you are drinking plenty of pure water to fight the effects of dehydration.
5. Limit the snacking and grazing. Just when we are getting rid of all the Halloween candy, we are faced with all the holiday goodies that are delivered to our offices and homes. Find healthier snacking alternatives. Studies show that most weight is gained in the last 2 months of the year. Don't fall in to the trap of saying, “I'll start ____ (losing weight, exercising, eating healthy, etc.) after the new year.” Get a jump start on your New Year’s resolutions by limiting the fudge, candies and cookies.
6. Get outside. When the days are shorter and colder, it is natural to want to stay indoors and sit
   
   by the fire sipping hot chocolate. Bundle up and go for a walk in the snow, go sledding with the kids or grand kids, drive up the canyons and escape the inversion. Being outside enjoying the beauty of winter and letting the winter sunshine hit your face to produce Vitamin D will do wonders for your overall well-being.
7. Get your Chiropractic adjustment. There is no better way to improve your physical and mental wellness than to let the doctors at The Joint Cottonwood Heights align your spine. Adjustments release the natural feel-good hormones, improve joint mobility, and increase blood flow and energy. Take advantage of the benefits of Chiropractic and enjoy your Holidays!

~ Dr. Brad Hendricks

Stay healthier by limiting these 6 white foods

While everyone will not agree on the following 6 foods, it has been my experience as a chiropractor in Salt Lake City, Utah that eliminating or at least avoiding the following foods can improve your health – sometimes dramatically. Here’s my list:

Flour

White Flour is one of the biggest non-food culprits in our diets here in Utah.  I call it a non-food because it is a great imitator of real food and has lead to many health problems and disease. Flour starts as a whole grain which is first stripped of its outer bran layer which contains the nutritious fiber. The remaining portion is ground and chemically bleached, refined, and processed. At this point it is little more than simple carbohydrates that the body digests quickly and easily.  Commercial white flour eliminates all vitamins and most minerals. This is why it needs to be enriched.  This enriching process is the addition of chemical vitamin substitutes, anti-caking agents, and sometimes leaving agents.  The remaining white flour bears little resemblance to the original wheat.

Sugar

White sugars (and the many variations of simple carbohydrates such as high fructose corn syrup) are found in many commercial foods.  Refined carbs are high in calories and less satisfying than good carbs. The body absorbs processed sugars relatively quickly causing spikes in insulin. In an hour or two, you’re hungry again. Sugar is as addictive as heroin and leads to cravings.

Salt

White salt is not good for you in excess. Your body needs some salt to maintain electrolyte (fluid) balance. Nevertheless, a standard Utah diet is too high in salt. The American Heart Association states that excess salt can contribute to high blood pressure. If you read the ingredients of most commercial food, you’ll find salt or at least a salt component listed.

Milk

White milk is not good for you. Now this comes as a surprise to most of my patients in Salt Lake City. After all, doesn’t milk promote strong bones and bodies? Well, no; not really. Many scientific studies have shown the detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption.  Milk assays high in calcium, however we barely absorb the calcium especially if the milk has been pasteurized. To make matters worse, commercial milk consumption actually increases calcium loss from your bones by altering the blood PH balance. But it doesn’t end there. The homogenization process breaks up the fats in milk so the cream doesn’t float to the top. This is good, right? Well, once again, no!  By breaking up the fats so small that they don’t separate in the milk, when we consume the milk, the fats bypass the normal digestion process and enter the bloodstream as foreign particles causing an inflammatory immune response.

Rice

White rice like white flour has also been refined by the removal of the outer bran layer. “Quick” rice has been pre-cooked and is nothing more than dehydrated carbohydrates. Very little nutritional value is left.

Potatoes

White potatoes are a high glycemic food, and eating too many may increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Potatoes may be particularly hard to avoid for Utah residents, but the health risks of overconsumption are real. Many fast foods are potato based, such as potato chips, french fries, hash browns, mashed potatoes.

Do I eat the above foods? Yes - occasionally. But I do try to avoid them as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is, “If God didn’t make it – limit your consumption” and “if it won’t spoil – don’t eat it.” Bon Appétit!

-Michael Lindstrom, D.C.

  Chiropractic Physician

Can a Chiropractor Treat Children?

I frequently get asked if it possible or even a good idea for a Salt Lake City chiropractor to treat children. I always answer with a very resounding YES! In fact, not only is it possible, I feel it is the most important part of caring for our children. Why? because first of all, many of the degenerative diseases and health problems that we experience

 as adults and even teens are quite easily preventable. Over the years I have had such a great opportunity to treat children of all ages, form a few days old experiencing colic, gas, vomiting and even fevers, to toddlers and even teenagers suffering from bed wetting, nose bleeds, allergies, asthma, and even the beginning stages of scoliosis (the unnatural side

curving of the spine).

I remember when I was younger and my mother would take me to the doctor for various conditions, on one occasion I was having some neck and back pain and aches, so my mother again took me to the doctor and I remember him telling her that I "would grow out of it, it's probably just growing pains". When she asked if there was anything to do for it he said "just keep an eye on it and if a crisis happens then bring him back in". Many of us from earlier generations and even today are continually taught to wait until the crisis happens before seeking help.

While I was in my college studies I finally realized that this "wait until a crisis" attitude was nothing more than the doctor saying he really didn't know what to do for it or how to prevent it. If you were to spend 'a day in the life' of a child, youwould very quickly realize that no other group of people, athletes

included, fall down, bump into things, lift things nearly their own body weight, crash their bikes, jump off of things, sleep in the most unnatural positions and places, etc, etc, than a child. These day to day events and situations create imbalances and compensation patterns in the child's hips, spine, knees, feet and other joints. these imbalances and compensation patterns over time start to manifest in neck and back pain, neurologic pattern changes, and even organ dysfunction i.e. asthma, bed wetting,

nose bleeds, headaches, weakened immune system, and digestive problems. I have 7 children of my own and I can guarantee you the "wait until a crisis" is NOT good enough for our family. I treat my family at a minimum weekly and often several times a week if needed.

By checking the children frequently and making corrections as they grow and develop helps to ensure that the nervous system, and joints are functioning at their best. This not only helps to correct problems early, but more importantly prevents many problems from ever getting started. The reason so many individuals have to see their Salt Lake City Chiropractor for such a long time and for so many visits is because we have this tendency to "wait until our crisis" occurs before getting checked. We ASSUME that if we don't FEEL a crisis, there must not be one. So we wait until we FEEL neck and back pain, numbness, tingling, digestive disorders, etc, then as a last resort we try the Salt Lake City chiropractor. The problem is that by then the degenerative processes have begun and it takes much longer, if even possible to correct. It's so much easier to prevent these problems than to correct them!

Who's more important than our children, to start out healthy and prevent the problems that you and I have had to suffer through?

So when people ask me, who should see a Salt Lake City Chiropractor? I tell them, ONLY those with a spine! If asked what joints should be checked and adjusted? I tell them ONLY the ones they want to KEEP! And the SOONER/YOUNGER they get checked and treated the better their overall health outlook is for life!

~Dr. Steve Lewis

Preventing Back Pain

Many people experience back pain due to injury or strain.  A great number of these can be avoided by proper lifting and regular exercise.  By maintaining an active lifestyle, you can strengthen your muscles ensuring your bones stay in the proper alignment.  Exercise also helps you lose or maintain weight.  Extra weight can be a strain on the body causing unnecessary pain in your back.  You should always try to stand up and sit up straight to avoid slouching.  Improper posture can create strain on your body causing you undue pain.  Our Chiropractic clinic in Salt Lake City see many patients for back pain that could have been avoided.  

It is important to see your doctor if you experience tingling, numbness, or extreme pain in your back that can not be relieved by over the counter pain relievers.  The Joint Chiropractic Clinic in Salt Lake City can help you determine the cause of your pain and the available options to alleviate that pain so you can live a healthy life.  Chiropractic is the recommended first line of treatment for back injuries and back pain.  By realigning your body, we help patients reduce or eliminate the pain they are experiencing so you can feel normal again.    

Find out more about the joint here!

Foods That Promote Healthy Living

Many people know that the foods you eat can have a profound effect on your health.  The Standard American Diet (SAD) is filled with saturated fat, preservatives, and sugar.  at The Joint, our Chiropractors in Utah recommend changing your diet.  By eliminating saturated fats, preservatives, and sugar, you can promote a healthy lifestyle.  Choose lean proteins such as poultry or fish.  Beans and nuts are an excellent source of protein for those who are vegetarians.  Avoid sugary drinks such as soda and switch to water.  Vegetables should be included in every meal are a huge source of vitamins, minerals, and healthy carbohydrates which the body needs to function.  Choose leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, and collard greens which are rich in vitamins K, C, and E as well as many of the B vitamins.  They also contain the necessary minerals calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium.  

Eating healthy also helps your chiropractic health by strengthening bones reducing the probability of fractures and strains.  Your body needs calcium for strong bones, and iron for strong muscles.  Together, strong bones and muscles help keep your body frame in the erect position in which it was intended to be.  Choose fruits in a variety of colors to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.  Pick healthy carbohydrates like whole grains and eliminate sugary  unhealthy empty carbohydrates.  Dairy also plays a role in our health.  There are many choices of low fat dairy products on the market including, cheese, and yogurt.  Our Chiropractors in Utah can help answer any questions you may have on getting started with healthy eating.

Find out more about The Joint here!