Is Sitting the New Smoking? Part 2

Last week’s article covered the importance of motion in relation to the health of the spinal discs as well as the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid (CSF.) This second part covers the lymphatic system.

If we were to look at the body’s vessels as roads, there would be three roads that work its way throughout the entire body: the arteries & veins that make up the cardiovascular system, and the lymphatic vessels that makes up the lymphatic system.

Lymphatic vessels are the body’s sewage system where waste is picked up from the cells and the CSF and is ushered out of the body. That’s why when people are doing a detox tend to have lymphatic drainage and/or lymphatic massages to help with the process of moving the fluid through the body. Unlike the veins and arteries of the vascular system that’s pumped by the heart, the lymph system relies on the motion of the body itself to pump its content throughout the body. If this doesn't happen, the system builds up toxins that can't be expelled. Hence, exercise and being active aren’t things to be taken lightly by anyone attempting to live a healthy life.

I usually recommend to patients who have desk jobs, to make it a point to get up on an hourly basis and walk to the water cooler or a nearby spot just to get the lymphatic system pumping as well as 30-second structural corrective exercises to engage the postural muscles. Getting a one-hour workout early in the morning and being seated for the rest of the day at work and home is NOT an alternative since the system needs to be in constant motion throughout the day.

Tidbit: Being motionless in a seated position for a prolonged period of time was an ancient ritual meant for the passing of elders. The stagnation of the lymphatic fluid lead to an accumulation of toxins that was credited to the death of the individual. (Cred: Lisa Best, CCN)

Continue

Is Sitting is the New Smoking?

The title of this post has made its way to being a known slogan of sorts in the health field and we at Complete Chiropractic totally agree with it!

Simply put, humans are designed not to be sedentary but, rather, in constant motion. A study from Australia concluded that sitting 8 hours a day increased death risk by 15% and 11 hours a day increased the risk by a whopping 40%!

Motion does several things that benefit the spine as well as the body. For starters,

 motion is the only way our spinal discs get its much needed nutrition and hydration. The medical term for this is called inbibition, which stems from the Latin root word "imbibere" meaning to drink. The spinal disc is an avascular structure, meaning that it doesn't have blood vessels going through it to deliver vital nutrients to keep it alive. When the body is active, it activates the spinal disc in a pump-like motion where the disc expels toxins and used up nutrients while taking in a fresh supply of water and essential nutrients to keep it functioning properly.

Motion also pumps the body’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the lymphatic fluid that are absolutely essential to life in ways that you may have not known!

Have you ever heard of the 80’s rock band Spinal Tap?

 The band’s name was taken from the medical procedure where they extract the cerebrospinal fluid from the lower spine in order to diagnose several conditions such as meningitis, alcoholism, epilepsy, cerebral hemorrhages to name a few. CSF functions range from physical support & excretions, blood & fluid transport to, from and within the brain, known as intra-cerebral transport, as well as regulation of the chemical environment of the entire Central Nervous System! CSF also protects of the brain from sudden blood pressure changes (intracranial pressure).  This fluid moves throughout the spinal cord and the brain by the spine and body’s motion and stagnates when the body is motionless.

The range of motion of the spine is also reduced by a Spinal Shift, which we focus on correcting in our office by our NeuroSpinal Corrective approach. You can always find out more about NeuroSpinal Correction and spinal shifts by coming in for a complimentary consultation or our group presentations.

Tidbit: Before the discovery of the CSF by the medical field, early chiropractors discovered it and its vital role to life and dubbed it liquid light as a way of highlighting its significance.

Click here to read the second part of this article.

Continue

Should you supplement?

A common question I get from patients is if supplementing a diet is necessary or not. Some patients don’t even ask if it’s necessary  but rather know that it’s not necessary due to the fact that our ancestors didn’t supplement  for the hundreds of thousands of years of humanity’s existence.

Good point.

Though some of it got addressed in a previous post here, a little more details on our view on this matter to help clarify the concept.

The only real challenges that posed as a threat to our ancestor’s lives were normally physical in nature (attacked by predators or battles with neighboring tribes) or an issue of sanitation (open wounds, lack of refrigeration, etc). How is it that our hunter-gatherer ancestors have, not only survived, but thrived for all these centuries and, suddenly, a supplement is needed to nourish your body?

Let’s expand on the question: how does the same thing apply to dentistry, chiropractic, gyms, amongst other things that are more of a necessity than luxury for the modern man?

These are very important questions to pose before making a decision.

The answer is simply this: we live in a very different time from our ancestors from the food we eat to level of physical activity we make on a daily basis. When it comes to food,  we have managed to produce quantities of food that did not exist in nature in both abundance and composition.

Abundance:

     One major change that has happened to the human food supply is that it is available in an abundance that is unprecedented in the planet’s history. What our ancestors managed to consume in a day paled in comparison to what we can today. We’ve gone overboard  in terms of caloric intake and are extremely deficient in terms of nutrient density in our modern diets. By consuming much more calories, and expending much less energy, we have set the stage up for conditions ranging from obesity and diabetes to heart conditions among others. To try to combat the resulting problems by searching for cures without addressing the cause is only one part of the solution.

Composition:

     The other change in our diets that make supplementing a necessity rather than a luxury is the very content of the food we eat.

    

and the nutrients available within the food itself is far reduced due to heavy processing and depleted top soil that is the food for the plants, which in turn nourish us and the animals that we consume.

A last part of composition is toxicity. The introduction of synthetic chemicals and compounds that is a detriment to our bodies when consumed needs more energy and antioxidants for the body to flush out of our systems.

As mentioned before, the life we live is unrecognizably different from those who have come before us and we need to address these changes accordingly in order to lead a healther life.

Make sure your supplements are whole food based, bioavailable and as minimally processed as possible to make the most out of your supplementation regimen.

At Complete Chiropractic, we have gone through the rigorous process of digging through a lot of the stuff that is out there to bring what we believe is the best of the best. You are more than welcome to come in and inquire at our office through our Complimentary Consultation.

Continue

Welcome

This blog represents Complete Chiropractic which is located in West Hollywood, CA

The goal of this blog is to make posts relevant in relation to NeuroSpinal Chiropractic, Lifestyle & Wellness. None of the posts are to be misconstrued as medical advice and one should always consult their physician when it comes to incorporating the suggestions mentioned.

NeuroSpinal Correction is an approach which entails the abilitiy to assess and locate Spinal Shifts while considering the person's neurological patterns in order to work with the body in order to deliver a safe and effective adjustment that is tallored for the individual.  

Complete Chiropractic is founded on three principles: 1.) Reliable results 2.) The latest in spinal correction and neurological sciences and 3.) A holistic integration of lifestyle and essential nutrition in order to empower the patient to get well and to keep the results.

Complete Chiropractic was founded in 2014 by Dr. Ahmed E. Korayem after spending four years in the field as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) working with and observing multiple doctors in the the field of chiropractic wellness, chiropractic neurology and structural correction when he finally decided to start out on his own where he can integrate his knowledge and passion into a unique approach called NeuroSpinal Correction.

Sincerely

Ahmed Korayem, DC

We are located within the Pacific Medical Group building at:

7864 Willoughby Ave,

Los Angeles, California

(323) 902-6457

Find us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/completechiroca

IG: completechiropractic

Continue