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November is Diabetes Awareness Month! What Can Your Chiropractor do for YOU?

We don’t usually think about chiropractors when we hear the term “diabetes.” Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month, I wanted to take a few minutes of your time and let you know what chiropractic care in Oak Lawn, IL can do to help people with diabetes both manage their blood sugar and potentially reduce their dependence on oral or injected insulin.

First, let’s chat just a minute about diabetes. More than 25 million Americans (adults and children) currently have diabetes, and another 79 million have already been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Diabetes is an enormous burden on our healthcare system and is predicted to cost us around 3.4 trillion dollars over the next decade, which of course will trickle down to you and me. Cases of diabetes continue to rise and it’s the 5^th deadliest condition in our country.

Type 1 diabetes is not necessarily preventable. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin and most cases are diagnosed during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is highly preventable.

When you eat, blood glucose levels rise and insulin is released into the bloodstream to “unlock” the cells to allow blood glucose in so cellular energy can be produced. If the energy is not needed, the glucose is stored as fat. When we eat too much, especially overly processed foods high in sugar and low in nutrients, and have consistently higher than normal levels of blood glucose, insulin becomes resistant and can no longer keep blood glucose levels at a manageable level.

What becomes important in the treatment of diabetes is managing these high blood glucose levels. Blood that has too much glucose is very sticky and causes all sorts of problems in the body such as clogged arteries and poor circulation. It’s difficult for your heart to pump this sticky blood through your body, so your heart becomes worn out sooner than necessary. Coronary artery disease is common amongst diabetics as well as macular degeneration which can lead to blindness. It’s also common for the poorly circulated lower extremities to become infected, which can lead to amputation. Of course, diabetes is also taxing on the renal system and eventually, renal failure can occur and dialysis or a kidney transplant becomes necessary.

Changing dietary habits and reducing weight by a mere 5 pounds can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58%! In this light, chiropractors are well prepared to give you advice on proper weight loss methods, dietary habits and supplements that can help you lose weight and manage blood glucose.

In addition, studies have shown that some diabetic patients who underwent vertebral subluxations were able to stabilize their blood glucose levels and reduce their dependence on oral or injected insulin! At the heart of chiropractic care lies the concept that a healthy spine lends to a healthy body. When the spine is misaligned, nerves that extend from the spinal cord are not able to function at optimum levels, which can lead to other health problems.

Call your Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor today, Dr. Jeff Hoekstra, to see what our caring staff can do to promote overall wellness and help you prevent diabetes or diabetic complications!

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Interrupt This Holiday Season

The holiday season is daunting enough for people without chronic back pain: extra shopping, extra cooking, extra travelling and of course decorating, wrapping presents and STRESS. All of these “extras” during the holiday season can truly cause additional suffering for those with chronic back pain.

Your local Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor has some tips for you on how to minimize the negative effects of the holiday season on your chronic back pain!

1. Begin a weight loss plan and beat the holiday 5 (or 10 or more) pounds! Extra weight, especially around the midsection can cause and or aggravate chronic back pain.

2. Stay hydrated! We often forget to drink plenty of water when the temperatures drop. Keep those discs fluid-filled and joints well lubricated by making sure you get at least 2 liters of fluids per day.

3. Wrap presents on a table or counter that allows you to maintain proper posture. Stooping and bending to wrap presents can be very hard on your lower back.

4. Take time for YOU. Stress can aggravate current back pain, and it may even be a cause of some chronic back pain cases. Make a relaxing bath or a 20 minute walk a part of your daily routine.

5. Have a cookie exchange instead of trying to bake a million things for the holiday season. When you are in the kitchen, make sure you take time to stretch and rest your back. Standing on a hard surface while rolling out or decorating cookies can lead to more back pain.

6. If you are travelling this season, make sure you allow extra time so you can stop to get out of the car periodically and stretch your back and legs.

7. Staying with relatives? Let them know ahead of time that you need to have a firm mattress. Now is not the time to get stuck on someone’s lumpy old couch! Your loved ones may be able to rent or borrow an extra mattress.

8. Get some help with the decorating and don’t try to do it all in one day. If you have a few extra dollars to spare, you might hire at least the outdoor lighting. Unpack those heavy tubs as you go instead of trying to move the entire tub.

9. Make sure you stick with your chiropractic maintenance plan. You may be busier than ever, but missing treatment for your chronic back pain could make you lose loads of time later!

Above all, take time to enjoy this holiday season. A few less presents, a few less treats and a little more time to observe and take in the holiday spirit! Joy, laughter and smiles are always a great cure for any chronic pain!

Does Your Smartphone Breathe for You?

Have you been accused of relying on your smart phone too much? It’s your computer, calendar, message center, information gatherer, YouTube watching, FB posting… everything. (Oh, and it makes phone calls too.)! Well, now, when someone asks you if that “thing” breathes for you as well, you can say… why yes, it does!

A new app for your Blackberry, iPhone or Android will help you find your perfect breathing rate to maximize your heart rate variability and find inner peace. Okay, maybe inner peace is a stretch unless you can get service bars in Tibet, but increasing heart rate variability is an excellent way to lessen the negative effects stress has on your overall health or ability to heal from an injury. Remember, too, that stress can exacerbate many health conditions such as chronic neck or back pain.

What is heart rate variability? When you are stressed, your heart rate stays at a consistent rate (even times between beats). When you are relaxed, your heart rate will vary with each breath. Instead of lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub… it may be lub-dub, lub-dub…lub-dub…lub-dub, lub-dub. The best way to increase this variability is to breathe slowly and deeply, and that’s where the new smart phone app comes into play.

The app uses an ear clip to measure your heart rate and determine what breathing rate allows you to be in the most relaxed state. It goes on to walk you through slow-breathing techniques via animated instructions so you can work towards achieving maximum heart rate variability. By doing so, you will decrease the negative effects of stress and even minimize your perception of stress. It’s long been known that people who practice meditation can decrease their stress load simply by being able to remain calm.

Stress has a huge negative effect on your overall health. Stress can actually cause back or neck pain and although all the breathing in the world won’t fix a herniated disc, it may just help you avoid one by minimizing the damage excessive amounts of cortical** (stress neurotransmitter) has on your body such as increased inflammation and free radical damage that can lead to early degeneration of spinal components.

Being “stressed out” can also lead to poor posture and overeating, both of which can certainly have a negative effect on your spinal health. Most importantly, finding ways to decrease your stress neurotransmitters and increase pain-relieving, calming neurotransmitters such as serotonin can help reduce pain from chronic back or neck problems.

Contact your local Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor today to find out how you can find the quickest path to being pain-free!