Proper Nutrition & Fitness丨Foundation for Your Spine

It is essential to eat well and exercise to maintain a healthy spine. Nutrition and fitness are necessary for the prevention of injury as well as helping your body heal. Keto Diet can be beneficial for nutrition because it typically consists of high-quality, nutrient-dense foods that will help you function at your best. We want our clients to have a strong core so that their spine won't suffer from injuries or pain.

At Healthsprout Chiropractic and Wellness, we have been teaching the keto diet and its various benefits for over a decade. Focusing on nutrient density while eliminating carbohydrates from your meals is an effective way to lose weight and helps you improve cardiovascular health and cancer prevention. Working out right is a great way to avoid injury. Adults who work at high intensity while developing functional skills can have fewer injuries in their life. With the focus on core strength, our clients also give themselves fewer days off due to pain and reduce their risk of falls that result from sitting too long at work.

Why are Nutrition and Fitness Important in Chiropractic Care?

Nutrition and fitness are essential to chiropractic care because they strengthen your body, which helps prevent future injuries from happening.

Nutrition is essential because it helps the body repair and heal. Proper nutrition means eating a balanced diet, which includes fruits and vegetables. Nutrition also means eating healthy fats like those found on keto diets to give your body energy while healing or repairing itself. Exercise means doing exercises suitable for your fitness level, including walking or lifting weights.

Nutrition and fitness go hand-in-hand in the chiropractic care process because they help your spine heal faster and prevent future injuries from happening. They also improve brain function and mental health - so it is vital to do both.

What Is Keto Dieting?

Ketogenic diets involve eating foods high in fats with very low carbs to "force" your body into burning fat instead of glucose as a source of energy. A keto diet could take some discipline on behalf of those following it, but this type of change might be worth doing if you want to lose weight fast while getting healthy at the same time.

Ketogenic diets are low carb, moderate protein, and high fat-based diets that limit your intake of carbs (typically less than 50g) and replace them with fats that break down into ketones that act as fuel instead of sugars carbohydrates. These diet plans force your body into burning stored fat rather than sugar or glucose, resulting in weight loss without hunger or cravings. A ketogenic approach will also cause an increase in HDL cholesterol levels while decreasing LDL cholesterol levels.

Benefits of Keto Diet

Weight Loss: Keto is a low carb, high fat, and moderate protein diet. It limits the number of insulin spikes that you experience, which helps maintain a healthy metabolism, plus it improves cholesterol by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. Overall, keto encourages weight loss for those looking to lose weight or struggling with health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.

Mental Clarity: Some people find they're more focused on their work when following this diet since carbs can cause fatigue in some people. Also, sugar crashes from chips/cookies may lead one to need another fix, causing them to overindulge. All things an athlete does not want to be doing! Eating fewer refined sugars promotes mental clarity and energy levels.

Keto Diet is well known for its ability to help with weight loss, but it's also been shown to improve mental health in following the diet. It includes improvements in anxiety symptoms and depressive episodes. There have even been studies that show a correlation between following keto diets and reduced frequency of epileptic seizures.

The Approach of Healthsprout in Proper Nutrition

Healthsprout takes a comprehensive approach to nutrition because we know what foods work best for different people regarding weight loss/gain and gastrointestinal health. Still, our primary focus is always to provide an effective and appropriate nutrition plan to help you feel your best.

What is Nutrient Density?

The term refers to the ratio of nutrients in a food item relative to its caloric content. Foods with high nutrient density have more vitamins, minerals, and fiber per calorie.

Foods high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients (plant nutrients) will provide your body an abundance of micronutrients that can reverse many chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

One of the most critical factors in losing weight and getting fit is making sure you're eating a nutrient-dense diet. A food with a high nutritional value will provide nutrients to your body without adding too many calories, carbs, or saturated fats, leading to weight gain.

Examples of Foods with High Nutrient Density:

• Salmon

• Kale

• Garlic

• Potatoes

• Sardines

The Importance of Exercise & Core Strength

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life. Along with a proper diet, exercise has been shown to have many benefits, including improving mood, reducing stress and anxiety levels (or even preventing them), strengthening bones and muscles, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improving circulation - all while boosting self-confidence.

By incorporating exercises that work all of your abdominal muscles equally, you can help ward off back pain. Your core should be made up of the major muscle groups in your abdomen, including internal and external obliques as well as transverse abdominals.

Why Are Workouts Important For Your Spine?

Exercise has long been known to help improve blood flow and provide your spine with the necessary mobility it needs. When you don't have enough training, your body will start storing fat along your spinal column, leading to an increased risk of injury.

Workout for Spine Conditioning: You should do this type of exercise if you are experiencing pain in your low back, as it could help reduce that feeling by strengthening your core muscles that support the spine.

Exercise has a significant positive impact on spinal health, providing relief from chronic back pain and neck pain by strengthening core muscles that support the spine. Exercise helps strengthen muscles that work with the spine, such as core strength and pelvic floor muscles. Exercise also increases bone density, which can help support your back if you have osteoporosis or arthritis in the future.

The Approach of Healthsprout in Proper Fitness

Strong core muscles are essential for maintaining a healthy back! Abs & lower back should be stronger than the upper back because they take on more movement throughout any given day. We are committed to a fitness lifestyle that is both personally and professionally engaging, as we believe in the importance of staying active throughout life.

Importance of Core Strength

A strong core decreases the likelihood that discs in the lumbar region become herniated or bulging from excess pressure due to weak abdominal muscle support. Moreover, a resilient core can directly help to prevent herniations.

The importance of having strong core strength lies in its ability to help protect and stabilize the lower back region where most spinal injuries occur and keep our bodies upright and prevent slouching, which can lead to poor posture over time.

Increasing the core muscles can stabilize your body to have a stable platform for other muscle groups to work against. Research from Sports Medicine found that strengthening these major abdominal and back muscles in healthy, trained people positively affected physical fitness and athletic performance compared with traditional training methods such as weightlifting or running.

Neglecting the core could also increase your risk of injury, especially when making more powerful motions with the body. Core training provides stability and balance for movements like running or jumping that can cause injuries if weak, such as a sprained ankle from landing awkwardly on an uneven surface.

Core strengthening exercises are important because they keep your pelvis appropriately aligned so that pressure isn't put onto the discs between vertebrae in your spine. The stronger these muscles are, the less likely you will experience pain from bad posture over time.

Exercise also helps strengthen your joints, muscles, bones, ligaments.

Numerous studies have found that being sedentary increases one's risks of osteoarthritis by promoting inflammation in the joint cartilage.

The body is a complex system of systems that needs to be treated holistically. Nutrition and fitness are just as crucial for your chiropractic care as adjustments, massages, or any other treatments you may receive from an expert like Dr. Eric Richards at Healthsprout Chiropractic in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. There are many different diet plans out there – some better than others. If you're looking to improve the way your spine feels and functions, specifically by losing weight with a keto diet, we can help! We will work closely with you to find what works best for your health goals. Schedule an appointment today and begin your transformation with us.

Comprehensive Guide to Decompression Therapy

At Healthsprout Chiropractic and Wellness, our team of dedicated chiropractic and wellness professionals has been providing decompression therapy for the residents of Woodstock, GA, for years.

Understanding Decompression Therapy

Decompression therapy is a form of treatment that helps relieve pressure in vertebrae and discs, reduces nerve pain caused by compression, and can help the body heal from injury. Decompression therapy is often used for back injuries or any other condition where pressure on the spine has been building up over time.

Dr. Eric Richards can do this type of therapy at many different levels. At the same time, he moves your spine around an inch at a time. Chiropractors who provide adjustments using their hands or instruments like decompression tables or traction devices, physical therapists who use various exercises to reduce discomfort in the lower back area. Even doctors who prescribe medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce inflammation and pain. However, pharmacological interventions pose several side effects and disadvantages.

Decompression therapy is a type of treatment that helps address various back problems, including sciatica and herniated discs. This form of care uses a table in which the patient lies on their back. The patient is strapped in, and the table will pull or decompress the spine at the specified levels, at a specific weight of pulling, and a certain amount of time.

Decompression therapy can be an effective alternative to other forms of care for patients suffering from conditions such as sciatica and herniated discs. This form of care can help provide relief by decompressing the spine under pressure. Dr. Richards will assess what needs adjusting before making any adjustments involving gentle movements explicitly designed to help relieve chronic pain symptoms experienced in a person's neck, upper back, lower back, or hips.

Spinal decompression is a standard procedure used to treat back pain and other symptoms that can arise from damaged or herniated disks. It may also be helpful with the following conditions:

• bulging discs,

• spinal stenosis,

• degenerative disk disease,

• injured nerve roots (radiculopathy), and

• sciatica.

In contrast, to compression therapy, Healthsprout Chiropractic and Wellness does not limit their chiropractors in treating merely the mentioned conditions. Through proper assessment and health evaluation, Dr. Richards can provide other chiropractic treatments to address any health conditions. With decompression therapy, any adjustments or maneuvers involving gentle movements are explicitly designed to help provide relief and improve overall health for patients experiencing pain in their neck, upper back, lower back, or hips.

Benefits of Decompression Therapy

Decompression therapy is a type of physical therapy that focuses on the spine and back. Dr. Richards can use it to treat various pain conditions, including sciatica, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis. Furthermore, the following are some of the benefits of receiving decompression therapy:

• Decompression therapy is a form of conservative care that helps bring relief from chronic pain to the patient.

• Decompression therapy sessions are fast and can be done in one visit instead of other forms of treatment such as surgery which may require multiple visits with an increase in cost.

• When the vertebrae are decompressed and gently stretched, fluid is allowed to flow back into them. As this happens, a vacuum effect occurs inside discs as they are separated from one another by gentle stretching--pulling some of the spinal water that has leaked out due to compression with it.

• Non-surgical spinal decompression can help relieve pain and restore more natural function by reducing the pressure on your spine.

• Spinal decompression is safe chiropractic treatment for all ages.

• Reduces nerve pain caused by compression and can help the body heal from injury.

• Spinal decompression therapy has the potential to prevent or postpone spinal surgery, including fusions and discectomy. In fact, many of our patients are surprised by how well this non-surgical treatment alleviates their lower back pain. Some patients even experience relief after just one session; however, ongoing care is typically required for optimal benefits!

• Spinal decompression is a non-invasive, relatively painless method of treatment. It lasts for about 45 minutes and has been known to provide relief in as little as one session! This innovative technique might be your best bet if you are looking to avoid surgery while still experiencing tremendous benefits from the procedure.

• Spinal decompression therapy is an innovative procedure that helps relieve pressure on your spine by relaxing and laying down. If you are in any pain, a pillow under your knees will help make the experience more comfortable. This technique also promotes fluid circulation so nutrients can reach damaged or diseased areas of the body much more accessible than before!

What Happens During Decompression Therapy Session?

One of our chiropractors will assess your condition before determining where adjustments need to be made. They will mainly focus on pressure points or areas where there seems to be discomfort caused by muscle spasms, tightness, or strained joints due to constant strain over time without adequate rest between activities. Once the assessment has been completed, they would use gentle movements explicitly designed to relieve chronic pain.

The Decompression machine gently massages the patient's back in a controlled decompressing motion. The harness is fitted to each individual, and they lay down on the table where it will be programmed for an extended treatment of up to 45 minutes.

Patients can also use their discretion with a safety switch if necessary. Still, many patients find that this appliance helps them relax more efficiently than traditional methods like massage therapy or chiropractic care.

Decompression therapy is a pain management technique that is both effective and comfortable with minimal discomfort. With only 30 minutes of treatment per session, it lasts for 20-25 sessions over four weeks or six weeks, depending on the needs of the patient. There's about a 71% success rate in reducing any given person's chronic back problems by decompressing their spine through gentle tractioning techniques as well as exercise programs designed specifically for each case study they have reviewed thus far.

Decompression Therapy in Healthsprout Chiropractic and Wellness

Our goal is to provide you with relief from pain so that your body can heal itself naturally without medication, surgery, or other invasive therapies. Decompression Therapy works on the principle of restoring proper joint range of motion, which reduces muscle tension and alleviates nerve pressure at the point where they connect to the spinal cord. It has been proven effective for relieving back, neck pain, sciatica (pain radiating down one leg), headaches/migraines, and more!

We use chiropractic techniques because it's much faster than waiting for your next appointment with us by utilizing the studies performed and skills learned during training.

Our chiropractors can accomplish this by sitting in the right chair with a pillow under your head to allow for an upward tilt of your neck to release pressure on nerves as you stretch out both legs for relief from sciatic pain. To reduce back pain while driving, we recommend that you sit up tall without slouching or leaning forward too much, which will decrease upper body tension and increase trunk stability. With proper ergonomics, you can prevent severe complications from developing.

We have seen great success reducing anxiety through decompression therapy because it provides quick stress relief, promotes relaxation, balances moods and energy levels due to oxygenation enhancement during treatment sessions.

Our goal is to provide you with relief from pain so that your body can heal and function at its best. Decompression therapy is a branch of chiropractic that helps to decompress your spine, which relieves pressure on nerves in the neck or lower back. Sometimes this can also help with pain caused by inflammation from arthritis or other conditions affecting joints such as fibromyalgia, tendonitis, and bursitis. We are committed to providing you relief from chronic health problems so you can live your life without limitations!

After a long day, your body and brain need time to decompress. Dr. Richards' decompression therapy is an innovative approach that helps the body relax after stressful events or repetitive movements like working on computers all day and addressing more specific conditions. To learn how Healthsprout Chiropractic and Wellness can help with decompression therapy for stress relief, contact us today!

The Dangers of Sitting

We have been preaching STAND UP, for years.  I have reaped the benefits of moving back and forth, from table to table, for 18 years of practice.  Maintaining activity as well as metabolic function (moving my body and joints, and burning calories), even if at a low level, it has been functional.

Image from Harvard Medical Review

Now, the Harvard Medical Review is supporting the story we have been screaming from the rooftops for nearly two decades… STAND UP!

Check out this cool article – Move More Sit Less

The text from the emailed article is below :

The dangers of sitting

When you’re in pain, it may be hard to make yourself get up and move. But consider this: A growing body of evidence suggests that spending too many hours sitting is hazardous to your health. Habitual inactivity raises risks for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome. Sitting can also increase pain. Even if you’re reasonably active, hours of sitting—whether reading a book, working on the computer, or watching TV—tighten the hip flexor and hamstring muscles and stiffen the joints themselves. Overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings affect gait and balance, making activities like walking harder and perhaps even setting you up for a fall. Plus, tight hip flexors and hamstrings may contribute to lower back pain and knee stiffness, scourges that many people suffer with every day.Researchers aren’t sure why prolonged sitting has such harmful health consequences. But one possible explanation is that it relaxes your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take up very little glucose from the blood, raising your risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Given the research, breaking up long blocks of sitting to flex your muscles seems like a wise move for all of us, so try to build more activity into your day. Set a timer to remind you to get up and move around every so often. Take your phone calls standing up. Try an adjustable standing desk for your computer. Instead of sitting in an armchair while watching TV, sit on a stability ball, which makes you use your muscles to stay upright. And, yes, do our joint pain relief exercises.

For more advice on ways to stay mobile and pain free as you age, read The Joint Pain Relief Workout, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

Thanks for reading, and for getting up off of your butt!

Be well and be blessed! – Dr. E