The realization that you’ve been rear-ended comes all at once. From one second to the next, you go from sitting calmly in traffic to both your car and body lurching uncontrollably and uncomfortably forward. In the immediate aftermath, you’re probably able to discern that your vehicle will need repairs. However, one thing that might not be certain right away is whether or not you suffered one of the most common injuries that can result from a traffic collision: whiplash. Whether or not the accident gave you whiplash might not be apparent until a few days later. If you’ve never had it before or you don’t know much about it, let’s cover some of the basics. KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT THIS COMMON INJURY Did That Accident Give Me Whiplash?
HOW INTUITIVE EATING CAN HELP YOU QUIT DIET CULTURE
The concept of mindfulness has fully saturated mainstream culture at this point. Though it’s more likely to conjure up an image of someone sitting cross-legged with closed eyes than sitting at a table looking wide-eyed at mealtime, it’ll serve you just as well on your dinner plate as it will on your yoga mat. What is intuitive eating? Eating mindfully, also known as intuitive eating, is trending in the health and wellness world. But it couldn’t be more different from fad diets or other trends like fasting and cleanses, which have restrictive lists of rules and foods to eat or avoid. Intuitive eating starts by simply tuning in to your body’s needs and cues, but it goes further than that. As a Harvard Medical School article put it, “In essence, mindful eating means being fully attentive to your food — as you buy, prepare, serve, and consume it.” And that includes focusing on how different foods and eating habits make you feel, both physically and mentally. While this may feel … intuitive ... it’s easier said than done in a culture with consistent and often confusing messaging around what constitutes healthy eating. Even the tried-and-true method of calorie counting has raised doubts in recent years due to inaccuracies in calorie calculations for the nutrition labels and research on how calorie restriction can backfire by changing your hormone levels and even slowing down your metabolism. Kristen Smith, a registered dietitian and the spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says it’s also linked to disordered eating habits. Intuitive eating may just be the antidote. Singer Demi Lovato, who has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder and body-image issues, credits a more mindful approach to eating with helping her overcome harmful eating patterns. How does it lead to better health outcomes? Having a regular exercise routine and eating well have long been known as the two pillars of physical health. When it comes to the latter, intuitive eating helps you create healthy and sustainable eating habits. The upshot is that when you eat better, you’ll feel better. Being attuned to that connection is the foundation of mindful eating. Most of us know that we should eat whole foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables, but feeling the outcome of increased consumption of these foods will help you stick with and build the habit.
Whiplash is the term for an injury in the neck and surrounding tissues that is caused by a sudden back-and-forth movement of the head while the rest of the body stays relatively secure. The medical terms for this back-and-forth movement are hyperextension and hyperflexion, respectively. The specific injuries that fall under the whiplash umbrella include dislocated cervical vertebrae, herniated discs, pinched nerves, and strained or sprained muscles. The unsavory symptoms that you
might experience in the short run as a result of these injuries include stiffness in your neck and shoulders, headaches, dizziness, and ringing in the ears. You might think that a vehicle needs to rear-end yours at high speeds for you to suffer from whiplash, but the truth is that a majority of auto accident-related cases of whiplash are from accidents where the back car was only going 6 to 12 mph. Many cases of whiplash result from accidents where vehicles were going even slower! All this is to say that even if it doesn’t seem like you’ve suffered any injuries from an accident beyond general soreness, make sure to see a medical professional as soon as you can. At the same time, if you want to make sure you’re not footing the bill for an accident that wasn’t your fault, call South Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyers today at (404) 476-6414 for a free consultation.
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