If you need to shed a few extra pounds, you're not alone. Excess weight is possibly the largest health concern in the United States today. According to the Surgeon General, well over half of all adults in the U.S. were overweight in 1999. The good news is that your chiropractor can help you achieve your ideal weight and stay there. And it won't involve feeling tortured by unrealistic diet or exercise regiments.

Even when hormones, metabolic imbalances or genes play a role, two basic methods are always recommended: increased physical activity and healthier dietary habits. Because chiropractic looks at you as a whole-including nutritional, environmental, emotional and physiological factors-your chiropractor is well suited to help you assess the best ways for you, as an individual, to approach both.

Increasing Physical Activity

According to the Surgeon General, 40 percent of Americans do not participate in regular physical activity. And, despite the multitude of proven health benefits resulting from physical fitness, a recent Mayo Clinic article reported that, sadly, only 22 - 48 percent of patients are advised by their primary care physicians to step up the amount of exercise they get.

Aside from motivating and helping patients to determine the kind of exercise best for them, chiropractic can remove some of the difficult road-blocks-such as pain from old injuries, impaired flexibility, misalignments and the resulting self-consciousness-that stop well-intentioned exercise participants from moving forward. When patients feel good physically, their chances of successfully meeting their weight goals increase dramatically.

You chiropractor may suggest the following: First of all, don't be fooled into thinking that a hard workout is the only workout. Walking is one of the best ways to keep active. Also, it isn't necessary to exercise for one, long stretch of time. Multiple short workouts (e.g. three 10-minute sessions) can be just as effective. And, finally, don't forget to enjoy yourself! Exercise should make you feel good.

Re-evaluating Your Diet

As with physical activity, it's important to implement dietary changes that support you physically and mentally, and that do not go to unsustainable extremes. There are an overwhelming number of diet schemes (and scams) out there, and it can be difficult to navigate a sane path to better eating alone. Your chiropractor, who studied nutrition as part of his or her training, can offer you personalized advice and support.

Because there are a myriad of serious health concerns associated with excess weight-such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke-the decision to lose weight can be a crucial one. Don't hesitate to use your chiropractor as a resource. He or she can provide the necessary care and support for healthy weight loss.

Over the hill at age 65? Ready for the rocker at 70? Not these days. Americans are living longer and making more of their later years. One key is exercise.

"Perhaps the most debilitating influence in people's health as they age is a sedentary life," said Dr. Jerome McAndrews, national spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). "Exercise of some type is all but mandatory."

Otherwise, an individual may set him or herself up for broken bones, circulation problems caused by atrophying blood vessels, and a myriad of other physical problems associated with aging.

"Exercise, however, can improve a person's mobility, digestive processes and circulation. It can also reduce anxiety. Add proper nutrition and you have the makings of a naturally healthy lifestyle," said Dr. McAndrews. "Following a healthy diet is another way of extending your golden years as long as possible."

Here are some general guidelines to help seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle:

Walking

• Walking improves elasticity in blood vessels, which makes them less susceptible to formation of aneurysms or rupture.
• Start with one-third of a mile per day - one-sixth out and one-sixth back. (Measure the distance with your car.) Do that three days a week for a month, then double the distance, working gradually up to at least one mile a day, three days a week.
• Expect a little soreness in the thighs and calves for the first week or two. If you experience more than soreness, check with your chiropractor.

Stretching

• The average person should stretch to prevent the bowing or stoop caused by shortening of ligaments. A stoop can inhibit normal breathing.
• Stretch the groin muscles by sitting on the floor and bending one leg to the side and back as far as possible. Or sit Indian fashion on a cushion and watch television. A relaxed stretch is the goal.
• Stretch the back leg muscles by putting your hands on a wall, one foot flat on the floor behind you. Then lean into the wall. Or stand up straight and bend over. Or sit with one foot on an ottoman and bend forward.

Eating Right

• Make sure you have a properly balanced diet. If you take vitamins, take them with a meal. Drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day to help keep the kidneys active, dilute and remove toxins from the body, and replace lost fluids. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics. Don't substitute them for water.)

The health of a child’s spine needs to be taken very seriously.
A healthy spine will decrease their chance of injury, improve their posture,
improve their overall health and help to avoid spinal problems such as
scoliosis. in fact, studies have shown that children who receive regular
chiropractic care are less frequently sick, are able to concentrate better
and are generally healthier. As parents, this is what we want for our kids,
right?

Here are three things that you can do today to help improve your child’s
spinal health:

• Regular chiropractic care. Just as children need good
  hygiene, dental care and sound nutrition, they also need regular chiropractic
  care. Chiropractic care will help to restore and maintain normal spinal
  function, allowing a child’s body to develop optimally.
• Limit backpack weight. One common source of spinal injury
  for children is their heavy backpacks. Limit the weight of their backpacks
  to 10% - 15% of their body weight. For example: A child weighing 50 lbs.
  should carry no more than 7.5 lbs, and a child weighing 80 lbs. should
  carry no more than 12 lbs. If children carry more than this, they have
  an increased risk of injuring themselves.
• Keep kids active. There is an epidemic of childhood obesity
  in this country as more and more children spend their day in front of
  the television and playing computer games. This not only increases their
  risk of developing diabetes and heart disease early in life, it is also
  very stressfull on the spine. More and more children suffer from back
  pain and headaches simply because they don’t get enough exercise.

Every child is different and has unique needs. Your Doctor of Chiropractic
is trained in evaluating and treating the spines of all ages. Give your
kids the gift of a healthy spine by getting them regular chiropractic care.

Ten to fifteen percent of Americans suffer from chronic insomnia. Do you?
Most of us experience an occasional sleepless night, but prolonged bouts
of insomnia can lead to decreased mental function, frazzled nerves, and
lowered immunity. The good news is that you don’t have to pop a pill
or count sheep: Just follow these simple, natural steps to get more Zs.

• Exercise regularly, but don’t exercise within six
  hours of your bedtime. Physical activity speeds up your heart rate and
  metabolism, making it difficult to wind down at night. Try to schedule
  your workouts in the morning, so you can benefit from that extra energy
  during the day.
• Avoid caffeine after noon. Caffeine is a stimulant found
  in coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate. Some people clear caffeine from
  their bodies slowly (you know who you are). These people should avoid
  caffeine completely.
• Avoid alcohol. Many people find that alcohol helps them
  relax at night. Although it may help induce sleep initially, alcohol
  disrupts your normal sleep patterns, leaving you tired and groggy in
  the morning.
• Keep regular sleeping hours. Your body likes routine
  and will respond better to a consistent bedtime.
• Don’t work on the computer or watch television for
  at least one hour before going to bed. These activities stimulate your
  mind at a time when you should be preparing for rest.
• Avoid eating large, late evening meals. Do eat a light
  snack a couple hours before retiring to avoid low blood sugar levels
  in the middle of the night, which can wake you up.
• Decrease light in your bedroom. A dark environment is
  necessary for the production of melatonin, a hormone that encourages
  a healthy sleep cycle.
• Try yoga or meditation to clear your mind and help prepare
  your body for sleep. Like regular sleeping hours, a steady practice will
  yield the greatest benefits.

In addition, if your insomnia is caused or made worse by aches and pains
at night, it may be time for a new mattress and/or pillow—and a visit
to your doctor of chiropractic. Your sleeping surface should support the
entire body— including the spine, neck, head, and limbs— evenly,
with no gaps. For recommendations tailored to your specific needs, talk
to your doctor of chiropractic. Chiropractic can also help promote better
sleep by correcting imbalances and tension in the body, so that you can
relax completely.

It used to be that osteoporosis was considered a disease that affected
only the elderly. We particularly associated osteoporosis with older women
whose backs were slightly hunched over or those who could no longer stand
up straight. Today, the truth is that an estimated 20 million American
women suffer from osteoporosis, and 80 percent of them don't even know
it.

Osteoporosis is a chronic, progressive condition that steals bone from
the body, leading to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. Older people
can suffer disability and even death from osteoporosis-related fractures.
Alarmingly, one in two women and one in eight men will suffer from an osteoporosis-related
fracture in his or her lifetime.

Many people confuse osteoporosis with arthritis, and wait for swollen
joints and discomfort before being tested. Even though osteoporosis is
painless until a bone fracture occurs, it is important to find out how
healthy your bones are now and if need be, adjust your lifestyle to avoid
this brittle bone disease. The American Chiropractic Association recommends
the following tips to maintain healthy bones:

• Start a regular exercise program. Walking, skipping rope, jogging, playing
  racquet sports, swimming and aerobics are all helpful in reducing the
  risk of osteoporosis. Exercising for 20 minutes, three times a week,
  is helpful.
• Although weight lifting exercises are generally recommended, the National
  Osteoporosis Foundation says those suffering from osteoporosis should
  consult their health care practitioner before beginning a weight lifting
  program because excessive strain on the bones could result.
• Those with severe osteoporosis and who have suffered from fractures may
  find Tai Chi, a form of martial arts, to be a beneficial strength training
  exercise system.
• People suffering from osteoporosis should be careful when bending and
  lifting heavy objects, including grandchildren. Bend from the knees,
  not the waist, when lifting, and try to avoid hunching while sitting
  or standing.
• Be sure to include calcium in your daily diet. The National Institutes
  of Health's recommendations are 1,000 mg/day for post-menopausal women
  taking estrogen; 1,500 mg/day for postmenopausal women not taking estrogen,
  and 1,500 mg/day for men and women over 65 years of age.
• If you are looking for a calcium supplement, try one that's highly absorbable,
  such as microcrystalline hydroxyapatite concentrate (MCHC), or one of
  the malates, fumarates, succinates, glutarates, or citrates. But don't
  overdo it. Taking more than the recommended amount of calcium may cause
  kidney stones.
• Consider taking additional nutritional supplements, such as vitamin D,
  C, magnesium, zinc and silica after consulting with your doctor of chiropractic.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet, including fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts
  and seeds. Try broccoli, kale, collard greens, cabbage and turnip greens.
  Experiment with tofu, salmon, sardines and grains. Low-fat milk and/or
  yogurt are good sources of calcium. (A glass of low-fat milk and a cup
  of yogurt add 600 mg of calcium to your daily diet.)
• Drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day (herb teas, juices and coffee
  are not a substitute for water.) Avoid caffeine, carbonated sodas, alcohol,
  baked goods and junk food.
• Watch your animal protein intake.

During a graduate nutrition course at the University of Minnesota, a professor
posed a challenge to the class: Construct a 2000 calorie-per-day diet that
at least met the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for vitamins and
minerals without the use of supplements. Most of the graduate students
thought that this was going to be a simple assignment. After all, we had
been told over and over again that people can get all of the nutrients
their body needs simply by eating a well-balanced diet. Well, the professor
was putting that statement to the test.

To everyone's surprise, no one was able to come up with a sustainable
daily diet that met the minimum RDA requirements. The graduate students
discovered that it is impossible to get everything that you need from the
food we eat. But how could this be? Certainly people have lived on this
planet for a long time and must have been able to get everything they needed
from their diet. The answer has to do with modern farming techniques, fertilizers
and environmental stresses.

Following the Second World War, chemical manufacturers were sitting on
huge stockpiles of phosphates and nitrates that were initially intended
for use in explosives. They discovered that when they spread these same
phosphates and nitrates on the soil where plants were growing, the plants
grew bigger and looked healthier. Thus began the boom of the fertilizer
industry.

The problem with modern fertilizers is that they don't replace soil
trace minerals, such as chromium, zinc and copper, as do cow manure and
other natural fertilizers. Over time, these trace minerals become more
and more depleted from the soil and, consequently, our food supply becomes
more depleted as well. The bottom line is that in order to get enough trace
minerals in our diet to at least meet the minimum RDAs, it is necessary
to take a good quality supplement.

How to Select a Good Multivitamin

All vitamin supplements are not created equal. Supplements are just like
anything else- there are some good ones out there and a whole lot
of supplements that are not as good. Here a few keys to determining whether
a particular vitamin is good:

• In general, supplements sold through a health care professionals are top
  quality. They tend to be a little more expensive than the supplements
  you find at your local drug store because the ingredients that go into
  them tend to be of a higher quality.
• High quality vitamins have chelated minerals. This makes a huge difference
  in how well the minerals are absorbed by your body. If you have any questions
  about specific supplements that you are taking, be sure to ask your chiropractor.
• Most high quality vitamin formulations require that you take more than
  one capsule or tablet per day. This is simply because high quality ingredients,
  such as chelated minerals, take up more space than their cheaper counterparts.

The Bottom Line

Taking supplements as part of your overall daily health regimen is a simple
and inexpensive way to ensure that your body has everything it needs to
be healthy. When combined with regular chiropractic care, taking a high
quality multivitamin will help to slow the aging process and decrease your
risk of a number of degenerative diseases. Be sure to talk to your chiropractor
to determine which multivitamin formula best fits your individual needs.

Stress, sleep deprivation and fatigue have been no small component of
Dr. Michael Benson’s life. As a fetal surgeon, Benson is often up
for 24- to 36-hour stretches at a time looking after patients. He has little
time to rest or eat regular, healthy meals. It’s no wonder he has
suffered from migraines for years.

Benson is not alone. It’s estimated that 28 million
Americans suffer from migraines. As anyone who experiences these intense
headaches can tell you, they can be extremely debilitating. Acute pain,
possible visual disturbances and nausea, as well as sensitivity to light,
sounds and odors can render a person incapable of going about everyday
responsibilities, much less performing complicated tasks like surgery.

In order to cope, Benson has used Ibuprofen and heat to manage the pain,
but sometimes it doesn’t work. “I used to keep a preloaded
syringe of Toradol [a strong, anti-inflammatory pain reliever] in my medicine
chest,” he admits, “because once my headaches get really bad,
I get nauseated and can’t take anything by mouth. It saved having
to go to the ER.”

Having trained as an M.D., Benson confessed that chiropractic treatment
wasn’t in his knowledgebase or on his immediate list of pain-relieving
measures. In fact, if he hadn’t been visiting his brother, a doctor
of chiropractic, when a bad migraine hit, he may never have received chiropractic
care. “The Ibuprofen didn’t work, so my brother offered to
examine me and adjust my neck,” he says. “When you’re
in pain, you’re willing to try anything.” Within 10 to 15 minutes
of the adjustment, his migraine had disappeared.

It’s likely that Benson’s body reacts to stress by tensing
muscles around the cervical joints in the neck, causing nerves in his neck
to become impinged and triggering his migraines. Chiropractic adjustment
alleviates this pain by relaxing muscles and promoting a full range of
motion in the neck, allowing the headache to subside. And Benson’s
positive experience isn’t uncommon. Recent studies at Duke University
found that spinal manipulation was almost always immediately effective
in relieving headaches originating in the neck and provided longer-lasting
relief than commonly prescribed pain medications.

Benson’s migraines probably won’t go away completely without
substantial lifestyle changes— changes that could be tough to implement
with his profession. Once migraines are an established pattern, they are
very difficult to get rid of, explains his brother. But he can work
to minimize them with chiropractic care— a solution that doesn’t
carry the potential side-effects of over-the-counter and prescription pain
medication. Whenever a potentially incapacitating migraine hits and Benson
gets an adjustment from his brother, “It always works,” he
says.