Honolulu Chiropractor

We, Honolulu chiropractors, are kind of  “maniacs” when it comes to getting our patients to drink a sufficient amount of water each day. The mantra is “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” Water, second only to air, is fundamental for human survival. A shocking seventy-five percent of individuals in this country are mildly and chronically dehydrated, even though drinking a healthy amount of water would seem as instinctive as breathing in a sufficient quantity of air. (Most individuals aren’t breathing enough either, but one issue at a time.) You you cannot maintain or regain good health without drinking an adequate amount of water. Drinking plenty of water assists every cell, tissue, and organ in the human body and keeps all its systems functioning. Water is the foundation for saliva and the fluids surrounding the joints. Water regulates the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. Drinking plenty of water daily has been shown to improve nutrient absorption and toxin removal, and to reduce heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches.

Athletes are particularly at risk when it comes to functional challenges caused by dehydration. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, health, and Human Services.  According to researchers at Indiana State University, a high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts. In fact, 80% of football players exhibited dehydration during pre-season physical examinations.

Wondering how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like most health care professionals, advise a minimum of eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every day for quite a few of our patients, but for our patients who are athletes, or for those who carry around excess weight or exercise or work where it’s hot, we propose even more. There is a fairly easy way for you to know if you’re drinking a healthful quantity water. The color of your urine is a good indicator. You’re well-hydrated if it comes out a light, pale yellow!

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Just the other day I saw an article on sciencedaily.com how caffeine improved memory loss in aged mice raised to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The article started with the angle that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It continued by reporting on coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that demonstrated that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease.

However, before you make a decision to add an extra cuppa to your morning ritual, let me add that also on the website, under “Related Stories,” were a couple of articles about studies that professed to prove the non-beneficial effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

In my experience, I’ve noticed that there are probably studies that will affirm, or at least support, nearly any view point, in particular when it comes to health and longevity. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine certainly aren’t, of course, the only ones. Nonetheless, it did get me to pondering about the likelihood that there will never be any “one thing” that will with absolute certainty aid we, humans, in living longer, healthier lives. We are dynamic, biological beings. We are free to make choices in life. We’re not confined to a cage! And, furthermore, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously none of us has been “artificially induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that is going to reverse or prevent it.

The human body is an exquisite, intricate system that is based on homeostasis or balance. It is likely, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced attitude towards living, rather than our jumping on the bandwagon of the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing under the illusion that it will reverse all of the other excessive and unhealthy things we have done to our bodies.

As a doctor of chiropractic, it is my belief that every single day we have an opportunity to make decisions that will assist us to live longer, healthier lives, healthy choices for our body and mind. When it comes to what is good for us, we know what truly “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, the if you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll think about this. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

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allergies can turn our everyday life into misery. Unwelcome symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash can occur from a simple walk in the park, a play date with Kitty, a shellfish stew, or even something as small as a nut. To make the situation worse, for some of us allergic reactions can go from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as our air passageway constricts and we have a problem breathing. If you have allergies, it may seem that, from time-to-time, your environment is a very unfriendly place and that the world around you is, literally, out to get you!

You may wonder why it is that other people appear to be so unaffected by the environment, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to it It’s a great question. The answer is because some people, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that virtually “freaks out” when they are confronted with everyday substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.

Have you been wondering if your chiropractor can help your allergies? The answer may surprise you. A lot of individuals have noticed that they experience ease from their allergy symptoms after chiropractic treatment, even though chiropractic care doesn’t actually treat allergies. This relief takes place because chiropractic adjustments affect the whole nervous system, including the autoimmune system. When there’s an impedance in the nervous system, in addition to other problems, the autoimmune system, whose task it is to help us adapt and respond appropriately to our environment, can become under-active or overactive. In the case of your allergies, the breakdown is the latter. Because chiropractic manipulations lessen or take away disturbances in the nervous system and bring the body back into balance and harmony, the manipulations provide that same homeostasis to the auto-immune system as well. A healthy immune system responds appropriately to so-called allergens in the environment.

So, as mentioned above, your chiropractor doesn’t actually treat allergies. You could say, instead, that a decrease in your allergies is clearly a part of a healthy nervous system. If you’d like to get back into harmony with your environment as soon as possible, call your chiropractor today.

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At one time or another, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) disturbs and estimated 90% of women and nearly 20% of those women afflicted experience severe to disabling symptoms. Suggesting to a woman that her PMS is “just in her head” can be not only just plain dangerous, it’s also just plain incorrect! There are physiological causes of PMS in the majority of cases, including one that you might find surprising — spinal misalignment. That’s right. Your back could actually be the “offender.” Spinal subluxations, expressly in the lower back, can frequently cause a diverse variety of female health issues in addition to Premenstrual Syndrome, such as pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, incontinence, and even infertility.

Are you wondering how chiropractic can ease the symptoms of PMS? Chiropractic treatments get rid of nerve restriction in your body. Every cell, fiber, tissue, organ, and system in your body is governed and regulated by your nervous system. Your reproductive system is included in this master regulation. If your reproductive system isn’t performing correctly because of nerve impedance, it can cause a myriad of symptoms such as those analogous with PMS. You would most likely experience agitation, pain, heavy bleeding, or severe cramping if your reproductive system were overactive. Missed periods or infertility can be caused by an under-activity reproductive system. Fortunately, if nerve disturbance is creating your PMS symptoms, then chiropractic management can assist because spinal manipulations restore unimpeded activity to your nervous system and, therefore, help it to function more normally.

Many women experience an improvement in their reproductive health, in conjunction with improved general health, while under chiropractic care. So, if you’ve been thinking that your PMS is just in head, think again! And, make an appointment to see your chiropractor as soon as possible. Chiropractic management provides  an all natural solution for PMS that could assist you in avoiding periodic misery, without medication, and keep you symptom-free and energetic all month long.

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Doesn’t it seem that healthy lifestyle information is everywhere you look these days? There are magazines and TV shows all about healthy foods and beneficial exercises. There are even recipes for nutritious meals in the newspaper. But, even though more Americans today are aware that eating nutritious meals, getting exercise, and keeping their body weight down is essential for health and longevity, a new study reported in the June 2009 issue of the American Journal of Medicine has found that the number of middle-aged and older Americans who have adopted a healthy lifestyle has actually declined substantially in the past two decades. Using data from a large government health survey, researchers found that in 2006, only 26 percent of Americans ages 40 to 74 said they ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. That’s down 16 percent from the 42 percent who responded in the 1988 survey! When it came to exercise, the same kind of decline was reported. Only 43 percent said they worked out at least 12 times per month, versus 53 percent in 1988. Not surprisingly, the rate of obesity in the United States went in the opposite direction, from 28 percent in 1988 to 36 percent in 2006.

The findings were based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a regularly conducted government health survey. Researchers focused on surveys conducted between 1988 and 1994 and between 2001 and 2006, which together included more than 15,000 Americans between the ages of 40 and 74. They looked at rates of five lifestyle factors involved in preventing a range of health risks: maintaining a normal weight, getting regular exercise, eating enough fruits and vegetables, not smoking, and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol.

Though the study cannot tell us why healthy lifestyle habits are on the decline, lead researcher, Dr. Dana E. King, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said that one reason may be that these changes are just difficult to make. “People’s increasingly hectic lives may be making it hard to fit in regular exercise, or to sit down to healthier, home-cooked meals rather than eating take-out.” He suggested some simple steps can make a difference. “It’s not hard, for example, to take some fruit to work with you, instead of going to the vending machine.” (Parking a little farther away from your destination and walking a bit can help, too.) Most importantly, Dr. King stressed that “it’s never too late” for middle-aged and older adults to make lifestyle changes for the better. In fact, in an earlier study, King and his colleagues found that when middle-aged adults newly adopted a healthier lifestyle — including regular exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables — their risk of developing cardiovascular disease or dying over the next several years fell by as much as 40 percent.

If you think about it, there aren’t many things in life that carry an “it’s never too late” guarantee. So, why not start today, no matter what your age may be? Your healthy future is depending on you!

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