Dr. Judd Lowrey's Sports and Wellness Chiropractic Blog

February is the month for romantic cards, boxes of chocolates, and bouquets of roses. And, it’s also American Heart Month. While it’s ok to give your heart to someone you love, it’s also important to keep it healthy so that you can enjoy many more Valentine’s Days to come.

While the number of individuals being diagnosed with heart disease is steadily decreasing thanks to better detection and treatment of related conditions such as high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes, heart disease remains America’s leading cause of death.

The good news is that there is much you can do to combat heart disease, even if you have a family history of the condition. By incorporating these healthy strategies into your daily life, you can greatly reduce your chances of getting heart disease. These same strategies will also help you feel and look your best for yourself – and for that special Valentine in your life.

Adopt a Heart Healthy Diet
Ok, for lovers of rich, calorie-laden food, this might sound scary, but it really isn’t. By just adding a few more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains into your daily diet and minimizing the saturated fats and sodium, you can cut your heart disease risk significantly. At lunch, substitute a fresh salad for the cheeseburger. Choose fresh fruit over ice cream for dessert. How about a warm bowl of oatmeal instead of grabbing for that doughnut? Making these simple choices can really make a difference!

Get Moving!
Your heart needs exercise just like any muscle. By raising your heart rate, even slightly, by walking, biking, swimming, or other type of exercise, you will build your heart’s strength. And the extra perks from exercise include weight loss, toned muscles, and better sleep. No, you don’t need to start training for a triathlon. Just 30 minutes on most days of the week is all that you need. But, once you start incorporating exercise into your daily routine, you’ll probably want to ramp it up because it does really make you feel great!

Stop Smoking
Smoking remains one of the biggest causes of heart disease and cancer. What’s really left to say about this? Smoking is terrible for your health and it’s just a bad habit. If you’re a smoker, make 2013 the year to stop for good.

 Be Proactive with Your Healthcare
Regular doctor’s visits are a must for checking cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and for possible heart irregularities. Schedule an appointment if it has been more than a year, and give yourself the gift of good health. Prevention saves lives, so take advantage of it!

Minimize Stress Levels
Stress can certainly be a big factor in the development of heart disease. Keeping it under control is a must! As part of a healthy lifestyle, stress reduction should be a focus. From balancing work and down-time to finding a few minutes each day to meditate or pray, there are many ways to keep stress at bay. Chiropractic care can definitely be an important component of overall stress reduction. Upper neck adjustments can help lower blood pressure and overall heart rate, and massage can instantly cut tension. Scheduling time on a regular basis for your own physical well-being is one of the best stress relievers available.

So, make this month dedicated to the heart your best month yet. Start incorporating these strategies into your daily life, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier you!

Want to learn more about how chiropractic can help relieve stress in your life and improve your overall well-being? Schedule a new patient exam today by calling 916-941-7508.

Dr. Judd Lowrey, D.C.  |  Lowrey Chiropractic  | El Dorado Hills & Folsom Chiropractor

(916) 941-7508

Have you made your resolution yet? Will you resolve to exercise more, eat less, quit smoking, stop drinking, or just take better care of yourself?. While most of us start the year off with ambitious intentions, the reality is that 65% of new gym memberships are cancelled in the first two months! Making health a priority takes discipline and focus, but the rewards of your efforts make it well worth it!

Why wait until something happens to your health to make a change?

You may know someone who had a recent health scare or may have seen firsthand the toll that not being fit takes on your life. Or, perhaps you saw former President Clinton change from a cheeseburger junkie to a health crusader after his recent quadruple bypass surgery. Simply put, being sick takes over your life. Being healthy is a lifestyle choice.

The payoffs from placing a priority on your health do not end immediately after a workout out or a healthy meal. Everything works better when you are healthy. Your body feels fewer affects from added weight and stress. Looking good and feeling good boosts your self-esteem and overall sense of well-being. You can wake up every morning to a better you!

Keys to Lifelong Success
Making health a priority is vital to long-term success. It can’t be treated as a short term solution to a long term problem, or you are destined to fail. Starting to focus on a few key areas in your life will help you along in your journey to better health.

• Eat Healthy – this does not mean diet. Depriving yourself of a specific food or food group is not sustainable over time. Learn about healthy food and eat it.

• Exercise – 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Do whatever you enjoy, just get out and get active.

• Stop Smoking – Isn’t it enough of an incentive to quit when you know that one out of every two smokers will die of their habit?

• Get regular checkups – Pick a day, the same day every year and go. As your mother probably told you, better to be safe than sorry. Knowing your “total health picture” will help you make better decisions about what you eat, what types of exercise you choose, and what exactly your body needs.

• Reduce stress – yes, this is a difficult one. Take time for yourself, make time to do the things you enjoy with the people you enjoy doing them with, take a vacation, visit a spa, get a massage, or even take an occasional “mental health” day away from work. Sometimes, small things work wonders.

• Regular Chiropractic Care - Your spinal cord is made up of bundles of nerve fibers that integrate virtually every aspect of your body, called the nervous system. By balancing your nervous system, your body is able to perform and work at its optimal level. Chiropractic adjustments not only correct fixations that develop in your joints from every day use but it also helps increase range of motion and allows your discs to function better by receiving more nutrients. When the nerve becomes irritated, it can cause many problems including sciatica, headaches, muscles spasms, and pain. Since pain is often the last thing to tell your body that something is wrong, it is important not to wait for it. Be proactive and get your spine and nervous system checked to increase your overall wellness.

Exercise, a sensible diet and regular chiropractic care will help you enjoy the best of health well into the future. Make health a priority this year!

Did you know that the most common injury from an automobile accident is whiplash?  In fact, whiplash can occur in a collision at speeds a slow as 5 mph. 

Whiplash most commonly occurs to the driver or passenger of a motor vehicle that is struck from behind by another vehicle.  What happens in a whiplash injury is that the passenger’s head is rapidly pulled back by the force of the collision and then is thrown forward and then back again.  Because this happens in milliseconds, the muscles, tendons and ligaments are stretched beyond their normal physical limitations.  This extremely rapid extension and flexion is the cause of whiplash, leaving soft tissue structures damaged and needing up to needing months to heal!

The now stretched muscles, ligaments and tendons are hyper-mobile allowing the bones in the spine to move past their normal limits causing nerve root and disc irritation, but might not be noticeable for weeks or even months.   Unlike a broken bone where a simple x-ray can validate the presence of the fracture and standards of care can direct a health care professional as to the best way in which to handle the injury, whiplash injuries involve an unpredictable combination of nervous system, muscles joints and connective tissue disruption that is not simple to diagnose and can be even more of a challenge to treat.

While whiplash may be the most common injury, it may not present itself immediately. These complex injuries can manifest in a wide variety of ways, including neck pain, headaches, fatigue, upper back and shoulder pain, cognitive changes and low back pain.  Since many factors can play into overall whiplash trauma, such as direction of impact, speed of the vehicles involved, as well as sex, age and physical condition, it is impossible to predict the pattern of symptoms that each individual will suffer.  Additionally, whiplash symptoms commonly have a delayed onset, often taking weeks or months to present.

The one sure thing about whiplash is that chiropractic care can help identify and treat whiplash.  Seeing a chiropractor immediately after a collision can speed your road to recovery.  Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae.  Manipulation involves the chiropractor gently moving the involved joint into the direction in which it is restricted.  It is by far the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, especially when coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities.

If you have been in an accident, make a chiropractic appointment as soon as you can. Details of your accident will help your chiropractor offer proper care for your whiplash injury, and speed your recovery so that you can get back to feeling your best.

Call our office at (916) 941-7508 to find out more information on how chiropractic care can help you.

Dr. Judd Lowrey, D.C. | Lowrey Chiropractic | El Dorado Hills & Folsom Chiropractor

(916) 941-7508

Young children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previous generations, and the use of overweight backpacks is a contributing factor, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). Loaded with binders, textbooks, and now even laptops, children’s backpacks are often tripping the scales at over 30lbs. Lugging this amount of weight can certainly lead to significant back, shoulder, and neck injuries.

Here are few helpful tips:

• Backpacks should not weigh more than 10 percent of body weight. With a heavier backpack, children tend to bend forward to support the extra weight.
• Wear both shoulder straps is key! Lugging the backpack around by one strap can cause the disproportionate shift of weight to one side.
• Backpack should hang less than four inches below waistline.
• Choose a backpack with individualized compartments to redistribute weight effectively.
• Wide, padded and adjustable straps are very important. Non-padded straps are uncomfortable, and can dig into your child’s shoulders.