Yoga and meditation are great for people of all ages, including senior citizens and their caregivers. In fact, there are a variety of techniques that can be especially helpful to seniors, whether they are a beginner or an expert. Courtesy of Healthways Medical Group, here are some specific ways that yoga and meditation can benefit senior citizens and their caregivers.

Strengthens Bones

For those with osteoporosis or with low bone density, yoga can help strengthen bones through the following ways:

• Helps to slow bone thinning
• Reduces the overall risk of osteoporosis (especially with postmenopausal women)
• Helps to stall or reverse symptoms of bone weakening
• Prevents fractures through improved posture and agility

The value of eating well, daily physical activity, and getting adequate sleep can't be understated as ways to help achieve health and well-being. Your hair, skin, eyes, heart, joints, and muscles will thank you for choosing nutritious food and consuming enough healthy liquids to stay hydrated. Here are some tips to help you look and feel your best.

Eat Better

Nutrition experts recommend eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods every day, including fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, and whole grains. These foods contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and substances to help your body fight diseases and function at its best.

The perimeter of your grocery store is where you can find healthier foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry, seafood, meats without added salt, and frozen vegetables and fruits with no added sugar, salt, or fat. Filling your shopping cart with healthy options will help you plan and prepare meals that both taste good and are good for you. For example, whole grain cereal or homemade oatmeal are powerhouse breakfasts, while a vegetable frittata or yogurt with fresh fruit make for a great lunch.

Some people find it challenging to create an optimal nutrition plan. If you need help outlining a better approach, connect with an experienced nutritionist who can develop and customize a healthy eating plan that fits your lifestyle and health needs.

This month's article is about the importance of potassium in your diet as discussed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

The Role of Potassium and Sodium in Your Diet

Potassium and sodium are electrolytes that help your body maintain fluid and blood volume so it can function normally. However, consuming too little potassium and too much sodium can raise your blood pressure.

Though the words “salt” and “sodium” are often used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. Salt (also known as its chemical name, sodium chloride) is a crystal-like compound that is common in nature. Sodium is a mineral, and one of the chemical elements found in salt.

Potassium is found in vegetables, fruit, seafood, and dairy products. Most of the sodium Americans eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought, and restaurant foods. Only a small amount comes from salt added during cooking or at the table.

Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) is the most common plant-derived omega-3, and the building block for other omega-3s in our body. Only about 3-6% of what we consume is converted to other important longer chain omega-3s like EPA and DHA which are important to health maintenance and disease prevention.

Amongst plant-based sources, Ahiflower is the richest source at 18-20%. All ALA humans consume is converted to SDA before being converted into other omega-3s, so our bodies are very familiar with it. Consuming SDA from plants is the most efficient way to boost your overall omega-3 and, unlike ALA, approximately 30-40% of SDA gets converted to other important longer chain omegas.

Our bodies can make all of these very long-chain omega-3s by ingesting SDA and to a lesser extent, ALA. Collectively they produce compounds to support a healthy inflammatory response and they are associated with improved cognition, joint, skin, immune health, and cardiovascular health.

For women who are trying to gracefully transition into later stages of life, the sheer number of diet options are dizzying — and not all of them are good for your health.

Many women over 50 are looking for diets to support heart or brain function, help control menopause symptoms, or boost their overall health.

The diets in this article were chosen based on the following criteria:

• Easy to follow. Aside from offering clear guidelines and simple shopping lists, the diet doesn’t require supplements.
• Adaptable. You can make changes according to your personal preferences and nutritional needs.
• Not overly restrictive. You won’t need to eliminate large groups of foods from your eating plan.
• Nutritionally balanced. You’ll eat plenty of healthy fats and protein, plus quality carb sources and micronutrients.
• Evidence-based. Scientific studies back the diet’s health benefits.

As a practicing chiropractor for over 20 years, I have encountered countless patients suffering from chronic migraine headaches. Migraine sufferers are very common, and it is a condition that can cause great disability creating loss of work, loss of ability to enjoy life, etc. Migraines can be very painful and extremely unpleasant. Migraine sufferers often need pain medicine to reduce symptoms if they are severe.

Many of the patients I have seen for migraines were very excited to try something new, all-natural, and did not require drugs. Well, I am glad to say that even after 12 years at our current location, I still see some of the same patients that suffer from migraines and they report that although they still get migraines, incidents are less often, less severe and they have less need for medicines. This is good news for people suffering from migraines that have never tried chiropractic manipulation!

This months blog article has been submitted to us by our friends at Arash Law Injury Lawyers. 

Every year, at least two million Americans are injured due to traffic accidents. Car accidents can happen to anyone. No matter how careful you are on the road, you can't tell whether the motorist beside you is just as responsible as you are.

Being involved in a car accident causes a lot of stress and pain for the people involved. Victims are often faced with expensive medical bills and serious injuries that may take time to heal. As a result, they may be unable to return to work for a while recovering.

Some victims would choose to ignore their symptoms or shake them off in fear of dealing with expensive medical bills or complicated paperwork. However, it can be harmful in the long run to ignore your symptoms regardless of how minor you think your injuries are.

While it may be tempting to dismiss this discomfort as something that will eventually go away on its own when this does not happen, it may be necessary to consult a chiropractor. Going to a chiropractor after a car accident will assist you in determining the source of your pain and whether or not you require additional treatment.

Knee pain is a common condition that people will experience in their lifetime. Although it is not known to decrease life span, it can affect lifestyle and overall health by limiting a person’s ability to do exercise, be active and enjoy their mobility.

The most common knee pain related to aging is caused by osteoarthritis, which is a condition that causes a progressive wearing down of the cartilage in the knee joint. It is more common in people over the age of 50.

The condition can also be seen in people who are younger for multiple reasons such as if they had trauma to their knee, caused a lot of wear and tear to the knee as with rigorous activities like soccer or repetitive kneeling.

It can also be due to genetics and it is more common with people who are obese.

Fats are a macronutrient (a large group of consumed nutrients) known to provide energy in the human diet. Fats are dense calorie-rich sources of long-term stored energy found in plants and animals.

Fats provide many essential roles in survival. To name a few, they provide extra insulation around tissues and also provide thermal protection.

However, there are many human diseases in modern society that are related to excess fats in the diet. This article is meant to get a simple understanding of fats found in the diet and look at their importance.

(from a patient’s own words)

10. Crick in the Neck – "I slept on my friends sofa and woke up the next day with a crick in my neck, now it hurts to turn my neck!" Also common when traveling or sleeping on a different bed.

9. Shooting leg pain – "I am getting a numbness and a constant pain on my hip and rear end. It also travels into the leg."

8. Back imbalance – "My back has been feeling off and imbalanced and I notice this when I walk or stand."

7. Muscle spasms – "I feel like I have these tight balls in my back that hurt."

6. Arm and hand numbness and pain – "I get pain and/or numbness in my arms and hands after being on the computer for awhile."

5. Medical Rejection – "I saw my primary doctor and he wanted to give me medicine for this pain, but did not really do anything for me."

4. Alternative Medicine – "I have this diagnosis that I have been living with and want to get better naturally and to the best of my ability."

3. Aching stiff joints – "I am getting older and have been noticing a lot of pain in my joints."

2. Accidents – "I got into a car accident! I got hurt at work! I got hurt playing sports!"

1. Better Health– "I like getting my neck and back adjusted because it feels better afterward!"

One of the most common reasons many people come for chiropractic treatment is for treatment for fibromyalgia but what exactly is fibromyalgia and what are the most common symptoms. Over my twenty years of practice experience I have encountered many patients suffering from this common but relatively mysterious condition.

The majority of them had no idea about the cause or the actual disease. This disease causes symptoms in the body such as constant achiness, fatigue and soreness which can negatively effect a person’s well being.

Let me give you the basics of the condition, common symptoms and an understanding of how chiropractic can help you overcome the disease and stay healthy.

Image via Pexels

We have a wonderful article about healthy living written by a guest writer this month, Ms. Jennifer McGregor. Her article is titled "Easier Solutions to a Healthier Life."

The year 2021 is still fresh. There’s still time to make meaningful changes to your lifestyle that can leave you healthier and happier than ever before. But rather than setting out to achieve a complete overhaul of your lifestyle, why not try a different approach this time?

Lasting change often comes from taking baby steps. As you make small-but-significant decisions that benefit your health each day, you can set yourself up for better long-term health and well-being. Healthways Medical Group is always looking for ways to help our patients and audience lead healthier lives. That’s why we’ve listed some realistic habits you can begin working into your life today.

Happy new year everyone, with over 20 years of experience in the field of personal injury, I am very familiar with the rollercoaster of events that can happen when you are involved in an unfortunate accident.

Unexpected accidents continue every year and not only cause physical injury but can also produce emotional and psycological scarring and even death.

It is with that realization that accidents are very serious and victims of personal injury should be provided all the useful information to make the right decisions for their care.

Let's look at an article about a popular, safe and effective sports medicine treatment performed by trained physicians known as PRP. It is used for many different disorders and injuries of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and nerves as well as joint disorders.

We have been performing PRP in our clinic for over 10 years and have had great success bringing people natural healing with minimal side effects and avoiding surgeries year after year. For more information, please contact our clinic.

Inflammation is a key immune response to infection or injury. It means that immune cells are actively helping the body to heal.

But inflammation that persists could be a sign of an underlying health problem. If the body is in a state of chronic inflammation, it is unable to heal properly.

Over time, chronic inflammation could lead to serious conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.

Fortunately, certain vitamins can help reduce inflammation and decrease the risk of chronic disease.