The Fires Within: Inflammation

Let’s talk about inflammation. In the short-term, inflammation is your body’s intelligent healing response to an injury. The pain and stiffness associated with inflammation after you stub your toe forces you to protect your foot from further injury while the tissues heal. When inflammation becomes systemic and chronic, it damages your body. In 2004, Time magazine published a special issue about inflammation. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic pain, thyroid disease, autoimmune conditions, even brain conditions like depression and Alzheimer’s disease have all been linked to chronic inflammation.

Why is chronic inflammation bad? It damages your cells. Chemical signals created during the inflammatory process are called cytokines. When cytokines are elevated, they interfere with normal cellular communication. They can go even further and damage your cellular membranes, which starts you down the path to organ dysfunction and illness.

Would it surprise you to know that what we think of as a “healthy diet” is pro-inflammatory? Doctors, magazines, and websites typically recommend avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol, eating pro-inflammatory polyunsaturated seed oils, and eating grains. Grains, even “heart-healthy” whole grains, contain the pro-inflammatory sugar amylose. In fact, an excess of sugar drives inflammation, which plays a part in developing type 2 diabetes. Sugar is known to feed cancer cells, and it is the damage from high levels of sugar in blood that causes plaque to form in the arteries. So we should really get the message to focus on eating low-sugar, not low-fat!

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified family chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.

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The doctor in the mirror

“The whitecoats say you have allergies, asthma, sleep apnea, depression, chronic fatigue, GERD and fibromyalgia.  They say you’ll be on a dozen different medications for the rest of your life.  But what does the doctor looking back at you in the mirror say?  

The doctor in the mirror says you have an innate wisdom inside, capable of RE-CREATING a healthier version you.  A ‘you’ without allergies, asthma, sleep apnea, depression, chronic fatigue, GERD or fibromyalgia.  That doctor is just waiting for you to remove the roadblock.

Health is your birthright.  Health is your natural state.  Health is what you get when you have a clear nerve system.  Don’t be imprisoned by the whitecoat’s diagnosis, it’s merely a temporary state.  Find a Chiropractor who works for the doctor inside of you and you’ll leave sickness and dis-ease behind in the dust.”

Thanks to Dr. Rob for sending out this logical message!

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.

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Well-being, the Brain, and Chiropractic

Torque Release Technique is a “tonal” chiropractic technique. That is, it is concerned with relieving tension in the deepest layers of the body. In addition to the spinal joints, TRT addresses the tension (tone) within the skull, spinal cord, and protective coverings (meninges) of the brain and spinal cord. When these body systems are functioning properly, communication within the nervous system occurs smoothly and efficiently. This creates optimal function of mind, body and emotions.

TRT evolved out of a 1996 university-based study to test the impact of chiropractic care on participants’ ability to complete a 30-day residential addiction treatment program. The astounding results of this study were printed in Molecular Psychiatry, a publication of the prestigious scientific journal Nature. What happened? All of the residents (100 percent) undergoing Torque Release Technique chiropractic care were able to complete the program. Traditionally, the completion rate is about 56 percent. Participants receiving TRT care also reported significant decreases in anxiety and visits to the nurse.

People with addictive and compulsive tendencies can experience improved states of well-being from TRT care. This gives a hopeful alternative to adults and children affected by depression, anxiety, ADHD/ADD, and substance abuse. Between 2003 and 2010, additional case reports noted significant positive changes in people affected by autism, ADHD, depression, and traumatic brain injury.

Like other chiropractic techniques, TRT can also benefit people with pain, stiffness, and fatigue. TRT protocol recommends that a person be adjusted differently every visit. This breaks the nervous system out of its unhealthful patterns and creates the potential for continuous improvements in body function and state of well-being. The body continues to correct and realign itself in the time between adjustments. TRT chiropractic care leads to profound neurological changes that can benefit every body system. It is an excellent, economical approach to developing vibrant health.

www.vitallifechiropractic.com 

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