• Left sided activities/wobble board/balance activities

Get Active-Get Healthy-Get Chiropractic

1. Drink your lemons. Lemon is the ideal food for restoring acid-alkali balance. Drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice in water, or adding it to tea, salad dressings (in place of vinegar), baking or cooking, helps maintain the body’s internal “climate” at a pH which supports healthy bacteria instead of the viruses and harmful bacteria which thrive in more acidic environments. Apple cider vinegar is another great way to improve your body’s alkalinity, but the taste of lemons is much more pleasant! Drink plenty of water. This is almost, but not quite, a given; most headaches occur because despite the number of reminders, people still aren’t getting enough water! Headaches and thirst are both signs of dehydration. You should be drinking, in daily ounces, half your body weight in pounds. (i.e. Body weight in pounds, divided by 2 = number of ounces of water per day.)

2. Give your body an herbal boost. Hundreds of herbal supplements and tinctures exist to give the immune system additional support during the winter. I recommend essential oils (especially my favorite winter blend, Thieves) as an excellent source of immune-stimulating compounds, and the rawest and most natural form of any medicinal plant, but there are other supplements which can be effective. Fresh herbs and whole food remedies are always preferable over packaged herbs or supplements, since they have a much higher potency and frequency and your body absorbs more of their value. See also Essential Oils Fight Cold and Flu. Tea: Warm cup of tea not just refreshes the entire body but also soothes an upset stomach. Herbal teas are even more beneficial in reducing inflammation and relaxation of the stomach muscles. More specifically, peppermint tea and chamomile tea are really helpful in relaxing an upset stomach.
•    Chamomile Tea: Chamomile is a medicinal herbal plant. Chamomile tea has been known to reduce enteric inflammation and soothe intestinal cramps.
•    Peppermint Tea: the calming effect of peppermint on the digestive system. It soothes the muscle lining along the digestive tract, thus reducing cramps. Peppermint also releases and reduces gas in the intestines.

3. Get a full night’s sleep. Everybody’s different: your body may need anywhere from 6 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Whatever your personal sleep requirement is, get it! Sleep has been linked to balanced hormone levels (including human growth hormone and the stress hormone, cortisol), keeping weight down, clear thinking and reasoning, improved mood, and vibrant, healthy skin.

4. Yogurt: it is generally suggested that dairy products are to be avoided when one suffers from diarrhea. However, yogurt that contains live cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifid bacterium bifida) is very good for your upset stomach. These live cultures are the good bacteria and aids in promoting healthy bacteria balance in the gastrointestinal tract.

5. Eat plenty of protein. Protein is a building block for a healthy body, mind, and immune system. Diets low in protein tend to be high in carbs which convert readily to glucose, spiking blood sugar and stressing the pancreas and the immune system. Steamed chicken is extremely bland and rich in proteins. A very good way to replenish the nutrient needs of the body. Only steamed chicken should be consumed while suffering from diarrhea, butter and spices should be avoided.

6. Be smart about drinking coffee. Contrary to recent marketing as a source of antioxidants, chocolate and coffee are two of the worst things you can do for your immune system and your health. Caffeine robs your body of minerals and vitamins, and it dehydrates you. If you drink coffee, make sure you add an additional two glasses to your water intake per cup of coffee. A mineral supplement helps to offset caffeine’s damage, too.

7. Worse yet is the impact of refined white sugar. If you do only one thing to boost your immune system, eliminating sugar will do the trick. You will see noticeable results in your energy levels, weight distribution, immunity and your ability to think clearly when you break the cravings and stop eating refined sugar. Many holistic nutritionists consider sugar a drug for its impact on the human body; I have known practitioners to prioritize eliminating sugar from the diet over recommending that people quitting smoking. Healthier sugars such as agave and stevia do exist, but I avoid artificial sweeteners; they are more toxic than cane sugar.

8. Stock up on raw fruits and vegetables for their antioxidants, vitamin,
minerals, fiber and enzymes. The nutritional content that you receive from
fruits and veggies is unparalleled. Many vitamins, including C, are antioxidants and
will protect cells – including those of your immune system – from damage by toxins
in the environment. Dark-colored produce (berries, kale, broccoli) tends to be higher in
flavonoids, polyphenols and other antioxidants. The perfect source of minerals is
seaweed, which is sold dried, but can often be found raw (dried at low
temperatures to maintain most of the enzymes and nutrients) in health food stores. Blueberries: since ancient times, dried blueberries have been used as an herbal plant for treating diarrhea. Eating dried blueberries or drinking tea made by boiling dried blueberries after squashing it for ten minutes helps a lot. Blueberries are rich in tannins which reduces stomach inflammation as well as secretion of mucus.

9. Spend some time out in the cold. Snowball fight, anyone? Exercise can make a noticeable difference to your health and happiness by releasing endorphins. Most of us spend 90% of our lives indoors, inhaling dubiously filtered air and other people’s germs, so I take any opportunity I can to get outside. Time spent outdoors in the cold also stimulates the thyroid gland.

10. Nurture yourself. Make sure you take time to yourself, spend some time with friends, and indulge yourself in a massage, a hot bath, or an energy work session when you want one. Our bodies respond to our emotions – if you’re feeling harassed and anxious, it can manifest in a sore throat or a cold. Create a space within yourself and your living environment for harmony, self-love and joy (giving thanks, prayer and blessing the abundance in your life and of the world around you helps). Pay attention to warning signs of sore throat or exhaustion so you can keep them from getting worse. I advise taking a “mental health day” every few months to make sure your emotional needs are met. When you’re happy, you’re far less likely to get sick.
11. CHIROPRACTIC! Make sure you are regularly getting your nervous system (spine) checked to make sure your system is balanced and ready to operate to its maximum potential. Many people ask, “How can chiropractic improve my health?” The answer is that your spinal nerves run to every cell, organ, and tissue in your body. Any interference (subluxation) disconnects the communication from your brain to your immune system – including all organs, glands, muscles, and other parts in your body. Chiropractors are the only trained professionals in detecting and correcting vertebral subluxations. Once the interference is removed, your body is allowed to function at 100% and thus increasing your immune system! Many women have reported menstrual cramps lessened, ear infections in kids reduced, dyslexia improved in children, headaches disappeared, while others declare their back or neck pain gone. Either way, chiropractic can help everyone live a drug-free proactive healthy lifestyle.

Many people have subluxations and may not even be aware of it. We encourage everyone to get their spine and nervous system checked prior to pain and symptoms!

Chiropractic is a lifestyle choice, not a “pain management system.” Get active, get healthy, get chiropractic. For all other tips to be effective, chiropractic has to be the foundation. These 11 health tips mean nothing, without the foundation of Chiropractic. If your nervous system is not functioning at 100%, the other tips don’t matter.

Tell others to get their nervous system and spine checked today!