Not all exercises are created equal. In fact, there is one form of exercise that is better than many others: walking. Harvard Medical School took a look at various exercises and concluded that walking is up there with swimming and tai chi in terms of health benefits. Regular walking can help maintain good cholesterol and blood pressure levels and keep your bones strong and healthy. One study showed that 40 minutes of walking every day helped people reduce blood pressure from hypertension to prehypertension, and then eventually to normal over several months. Walking can even keep many different kinds of diseases at bay, such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition to these physical benefits, walking daily can improve your mood and overall mental health. As simple and straightforward as walking is, it can be difficult for many people to find the time. Most experts agree that you need 30–60 minutes of physical activity per day, but the good news is that you can split those minutes up throughout your day. For example, you can take a brisk 20-minute walk in the morning before work, followed by another one at lunch and one more after dinner. Those 60 minutes also don’t have to be strenuous; they just need to happen. However, the more time you put into walking, the more you will get out of it. If you slowly increase your distance and speed, you’ll end up burning more calories and strengthening your legs over time. The great thing about walking is that it’s not particularly taxing on the knees, and you can move at your own pace. It doesn’t get any better than that! To get the most out of walking, schedule your walks for after mealtimes, especially the ones that come later in the day, like lunch and dinner. It’s a great way to aid digestion and burn calories — which can’t hurt your waistline! THE WORLD’S BEST EXERCISE
WHEN IS IT TIME TO SEE A ‘SPINE SPECIALIST?’
I was at a social event recently and was approached by a woman who knew I was a chiropractor. She told me that she was seeing a “spine specialist” for her long-standing back and leg pain. I asked her how that was going. “You know,” she said, “I have stenosis too.” I asked her again how that was going. “Well I’ve had X-rays, three MRIs over the past several years, several drugs that keep changing, several months of PT exercises, and I’ve just had my third epidural injection this year, and my next step is probably surgery,” she replied. So I asked her again how that was going. “Oh, I’m in pain all the time,” she admitted. I suggested that it might be a good idea to get a chiropractic opinion. “Oh no,” she replied. “It’s too late for me, and besides, I really like my ‘spine specialist.’” Over the past 38 years, I’ve heard some incredible stories of the different ways people have tried to get rid of their pain. I’m happy to say that I’ve helped thousands of people get out of pain, and some with up to four failed surgeries, chronic drug dependence, multiple injections, disabilities, and multiple attempts to get well. So, when is it time to see a spine specialist? First, here’s a little history on our health care system. Most Americans have been conditioned to see their family doctor when they have back pain. Drug therapy is the first option. If that fails, they are then referred to physical medicine or orthopedics. That means X-rays, physical therapy exercises, MRI, injections to the spine, and eventual surgery. Historically, chiropractic care has been outside this health care model. Have you ever recommended chiropractic care and got a negative response? Here’s why. In the 1960s, the AMA (American Medical Association) tried to absorb all therapies not related to drugs and surgery, like D.O.s (osteopathic doctors), or eradicate them, like chiropractic. For nearly a century, they launched a relentless plan to eliminate chiropractic. It was a trade war based on decreasing competition for financial reasons rather than to protect the public from unethical practitioners. Later, federal courts in Chicago stopped this campaign and found the AMA guilty of the most flagrant antitrust violations ever seen. However, some of this bad press stuck. Today, chiropractic is the third largest health care profession in the country behind medicine and dentistry. The AMA printed in its journal that chiropractic is probably the best initial treatment for spinal pain. It’s been proven to be less expensive, safer, and more effective, with a higher degree of patient satisfaction, than other therapies. Hospitals are now opening chiropractic departments. Most spinal pain is MECHANICAL in nature, not CHEMICAL. Look at people. They limp. They’re crooked. They can’t bend. They can’t get out of bed in the morning. They’ve stopped doing what they like because they can’t move like they used to. They feel old. This is not due to a lack of drugs in their blood stream; it’s bones out of place (subluxation) affecting their spine, hips, knees, shoulders, wrists, feet, etc. Unless the mechanics are corrected, how can they get well? When is it time to see a chiropractic spine specialist? FIRST! Please continue to share your success story with your family, friends and coworkers, and refer them to our office for help. They need to know what to do before it’s too late. Thank you for trusting me with your care and following my recommended course of treatment. My first goal is to relieve your pain, correct your condition, and then maintain your health into the future. My second goal is to address other health problems you may have, such as digestive issues, difficulty sleeping, etc. And my third goal is to help you create a healthy lifestyle through education so you’re not setting yourself up to live the last part of your life in pain or disabled. It’s a partnership and I’m always happy to help as needed.
CedarCrestChiropractic.com
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