Smith Chiropractic and Nutrition

I know I have written about this particular topic before, but it is so important I want to expand on it some more.  Healthy balance is not just good for the elderly.  It is vital for all ages!  Improving balance helps keep us from running into things as we are much more aware of where we are in space.  It also makes falls less likely and injuries might heal faster because less damage is done. The Dorsal Columns are the areas of your nervous system that control position sense .  This is the system that helps you touch your finger to your nose with your eyes closed.  The medical term for this is proprioception .  You use a combination of memory and proprioception (position sense) every time you drive your car.  How else can you look ahead at the road and still be able to find the pedals at your feet without looking?!  When this part of your nervous system is weak people have a greater problem balancing , have increased incidences of ank...

Fall is around the corner and with it comes cooler weather.  Some people have skin that has a tendency to dry out.  Instead of reaching for a lotion with who knows what in it, go to your kitchen!  Olive oil and coconut oil are wonderful moisturizers and very healthy for your skin.  (Dr. Smith actually washes her face with just olive oil and a washcloth!)

We live in a busy, busy world!  The challenge with all this “busy” is that it starts to wear on our bodies.  One of the organs particularly sensitive to all this stress is the Adrenal gland. You may have heard of Adrenal Fatigue already.  Some of the common symptoms include: Excessive fatigue, especially in the morning (hard to get going…) Inability to concentrate Nervousness and irritability Mental depression Apprehensions Excessive weakness Lightheadedness, especially upon standing up quickly Faintness and fainting Insomnia Frequent infections Intolerance to stress One of the phrases I often read that describes adrenal fatigue is “wired but tired.”  What concerns me is not only the number of patients I now see with varying degrees of adrenal fatigue but also the kids that I am now seeing with these symptoms!  I have an 8 year old patient that came in showing signs of adrenal fatigue.  E...

A way to help your body detoxify is with a simple detox bath.  Pour about a cup or so of both Epsom salts (or sea salt) and baking soda into your bath.  You can also put your favorite relaxing essential oils and then enjoy a soak for about 20 minutes.  On a smaller scale, you can do a foot soak with the ingredients scaled back to fit the size of your container.  This works especially well for smelly feet!

Have you ever wondered about personal care items like soaps, hair care, shaving cream, or make up?  Cleaning up your body by cleaning up what you put on it can be important.  Some of our bodies are very sensitive.  You can start by looking for the ingredient list on these items just like you do foods and see what’s in them.  You can also go to Skin Deep’s website and see how your items rate for health safety at http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ .  Another way to see if your body likes something you are using is to bring it in and get muscle tested for it!

How your skin is doing can give you a really good look into your overall health.  Here are a few symptoms that may show up on your skin and what it could be telling you about your health. If you have recurrent infections such as cold sores (fever blisters), shingles, and warts it could be telling you that your immune system is not functioning well.  You may have too much stress that is causing increased susceptibility to infections.  If you are consuming sugar you also end up taxing your immune system.  Sugar will decrease your immune system’s response by 50% for 4-5 hours!! If you have hives, eczema, or rash you are likely experiencing more of an allergic reaction.  No, this doesn’t have to mean an anaphylactic reaction, but you still want to find out what is causing it so you can eliminate the stress on your body.  Common things that can cause theses are medications, foods, food additives (including oils), temperature extremes, stress, irritants ...