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Breathe – The Importance of Breathing

Breathe – The Importance of Breathing

by | Sep 30, 2022 | Wellness

Did you know that about 77 percent of people experience stress that impacts their physical health? Stress can cause heart problems, pain, muscle spasms, headaches, and more. 

When your stress begins to impact your health, it’s a clear sign that you need new coping techniques. One coping technique that’s often overlooked is breathing. 

Are you looking to decrease your stress and feel better? Keep reading to learn more about the importance of breathing techniques for your health. 

The Importance of Breathing Exercises

Using different breathing exercises can benefit you physically, emotionally, and mentally. For example, one 2021 study looked at the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing in patients with GERD. 

The results indicated a potential for using diaphragmatic breathing as a treatment method. Diaphragmatic breathing has also been looked at for its emotional and mental benefits. 

Some other benefits you can get from breathing exercises include: 

  • Lower the effects of cortisol 
  • Reduce your heart rate
  • Decrease blood pressure
  • Increase lung health
  • Reduce pain
  • Decrease stress
  • Relieve anxiety, anger, and frustration
  • Feel happier
  • Increase energy
  • Reduce depressive symptoms

Box Breathing Technique

Box breathing is also called square breathing. This breathing technique can help slow down your breathing. In addition, it can decrease stress, calm your nervous system and mind, and improve focus. 

When you’re doing box breathing, you should stand, sit, or lie down on your back. If sitting in a chair, make sure your back is supported and your feet are on the floor. Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. 

When you breathe, your chest and stomach should rise. If your chest does, but your stomach does not, you are breathing shallowly. 

You’ll start by breathing in and slowly counting to four. Then hold your breath for four seconds. After four seconds, slowly exhale through your mouth for four seconds. 

Repeat those steps until you feel centered. 

Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique

Diaphragmatic breathing strengthens your diaphragm, improves core stability, slows your breathing rate, reduces heart rate and blood pressure, and promotes relaxation. In addition, many studies are still looking at other conditions this breathing technique can help with. 

It’s recommended that this type of breathing be practiced for five to ten minutes and around three or four times a day. 

To start, lie down on a flat surface. Place a pillow beneath your head and knees to keep your body comfortable. 

You’ll place one hand on your stomach, just under your rib cage but above your diaphragm. The other hand, you want to place it on the middle of your upper chest. 

Start by inhaling slowly through your nose. You want to draw the breath down towards your stomach so that your stomach pushes upwards, but your chest remains still. 

Next, tighten your abdominal muscles and allow your stomach to fall downwards while exhaling through pursed lips. Your chest should remain still through this step. 

Start Practicing Breathing Techniques

The importance of breathing cannot be overstated. There are many types of breathing techniques that can help you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Box breathing and diaphragmatic breathing are excellent places to start. 

Are you looking for more ways to reduce stress and pain? Contact us today to learn how we can help. 

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Bags Under Your Eyes – What It Means and How to Fix It

Bags Under Your Eyes – What It Means and How to Fix It

by | Sep 23, 2022 | Wellness

Take a deep breath and imagine that you just rolled out of bed. You meander to the bathroom, look in the mirror and immediately gasp. There are dark bags under your eyes, and you have no idea where they came from!

If this situation sounds familiar, do not panic. According to the Mayo Clinic, dark bags are rarely a reason for medical concern.

In that sense, you don’t have to remove the bags under your eyes for health reasons. However, some people find that there are cosmetic benefits to lightening their bags.

Read on to learn more about what causes bags under your eyes and how to get rid of them. 

What Causes Bags Under Your Eyes?

Have you ever heard the expression “beauty sleep”? The phrase may sound cute. However, when it comes to bags, the expression rings true.

In fact, the most common reason that people develop bags under their eyes is a lack of sleep.

On the nights that you get a full seven hours of rest, your body distributes fluids in the tissue under your eyes.

When you don’t sleep well, this process doesn’t occur properly. The result? Your blood vessels will leak and make a dark color beneath your eyes.

How Can I Get Rid of My Bags?

Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for bags. However, you can improve your bags by improving your lifestyle.

Drink less caffeine, stay hydrated, and aim to sleep at least seven hours per night.

If you struggle with insomnia, try to practice good “sleep hygiene.” You can achieve this by putting away your smartphone and dimming the lights in your house an hour or two before bedtime.

Remember, your bed should be a comfortable place for you to rest. Don’t be afraid to invest in a great mattress, some soft blankets and high-quality pillows.

Creating the right sleep environment will help you get the rest you need to prevent bags from forming in the first place!

Back Pain and Bags

Improving your lifestyle might seem simple for some people. But, people with back pain know that getting a good night’s rest is not an easy task.

In fact, over 50 percent of back pain patients struggle to sleep through the night. That means that your back pain could literally be interrupting your beauty rest!

Luckily, you can solve this problem by seeking proper treatment. By booking a session with a chiropractor, you can reduce your back pain. As an added bonus, you can eliminate your bags as well.  

Book Your Session Today

Are you struggling with eye bags due to a lack of sleep? If so, you should book an appointment with one of our chiropractors. 

Proper chiropractic treatment can help you sleep through the night. In the long run, this will help you feel better and get rid of the bags under your eyes for good.

Click here to set up an appointment. Our treatments will help change the way you look and feel.

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How Your Feet May be the Cause of Joint Pain

How Your Feet May be the Cause of Joint Pain

by | Sep 8, 2022 | Wellness

Did you know that the average person walks anywhere from 5000 to 7000 steps per day? That equates to around 2.5 to 3.5 miles per day, and if you’re physically active, those numbers might be much higher. 

However, if you’re struggling with joint pain, you may be doing everything you can to stay off your feet while looking for solutions. This can impact your health and worsen the pain as you shift to a sedentary lifestyle. 

If you’re interested in finding the cause of your joint pain, it’s important to start at the source, your feet. Keep reading to learn how your feet might be the reason behind your pain. 

The Shape of Your Feet

Your joint pain can come from the shape of your feet. Keep in mind that how you walk impacts the rest of your body, and the shape of your feet in part determines how you walk. 

If you have excessively pronated feet or “flat feet” when you walk or run, there is an excessive internal rotation of your lower leg while your upper leg rotates in the opposite direction. This forces your knee to absorb the twisting forces. 

Ultimately, your knee can become injured because of strain. 

Abnormally high arched feet can also cause problems. This causes your feet to roll out excessively. Because of that, you won’t have normal knee flexion when you’re walking. 

Misalignment in the Feet

Beyond the shape of your feet, a misalignment can also cause pains in joints. Stand up straight and face forward; when you’re standing like that, your ankle bone should rest over the front edge of your heel bone. 

That creates a space called the sinus tarsus. The sinus tarsi can collapse or become compressed when your feet are misaligned. 

A few factors that can cause misalignment of the feet are:

  • Wearing the wrong shoes
  • Untreated injury
  • Poorly healed injury
  • Arthritis
  • Overuse
  • Genetics

How Are These Factors a Cause of Joint Pain? 

It makes sense that your feet and ankles might hurt because of misalignment or the shape of your feet. However, can it really cause joint pain in other parts of your body? Yes! 

Because misalignment and the shape of your feet impact how you walk, it impacts how the rest of your body responds. You can see a ripple effect that starts in your feet and travels up to your back. 

When your feet aren’t functioning as they should, your ankle, knee, and hip joints overcompensate. This puts pressure on your other joints. 

If you allow it to go on for a long time, it will do more and more damage. 

Joint Pain Solutions

If you believe your joint pain originates in your feet, you should see a doctor. Your doctor can evaluate your feet and pain and help you find solutions. 

One potential solution they might discuss with you is custom orthotics. This can help correct problems with your feet and, in turn, decrease joint pain. 

Decrease Your Pain

Misalignment and the shape of your feet could be causing joint pain for you. Fortunately, finding the right solutions can help you feel better and live your best life. 

Do you believe that your feet are the cause of your joint pain? Contact us today about custom orthotics, and let us help you walk easy. 

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Paleo vs. Primal: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

Paleo vs. Primal: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

by | Sep 1, 2022 | Advice, Diabetes, Weight-Loss, Wellness

Picture yourself in the world about 10,000 years ago, long before Great Grandmama and Richard III and even agricultural farming. It’s lunchtime for cave-you, and you’re on the hunt.

With a club in hand, you’re scouring the ancient plains and creeks for… a Twinkie? 

That doesn’t seem right, and many evolutionary biologists would agree. This article will explore modern-day primal vs. paleo diets, the differences between each, and how you can benefit from getting back to basics. 

Primal vs. Paleo Diets

Before diving into the differences between these two biology-based diet trends, let’s consider their similar roots. Both primal and paleo diets focus on human evolutionary biology. While our food sources have changed and evolved rapidly, our bodies have stayed much the same. 

If you could travel back in time to give a caveman a Twinkie, what would happen? Well, seemingly not much. His body would digest the Twinkie in the same way ours would, which is to say: not very well. 

Both the paleo and the primal diet focus on low carbohydrates, high protein and fats, and high vegetable contents. These are the kinds of foods our ancestors would have eaten, and the foods we are still built to eat today. So a Twinkie won’t kill us (or our caveman), but it’s not ideal for health. 

What is the Primal Diet?

The primal diet focuses on foods that our ancestors would have had access to before the agricultural revolution. To figure out what foods fit into a primal diet lifestyle, ask yourself: would my ancestors have been able to find this in nature? 

Acceptable foods on the primal diet include: 

  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fruits, berries, and flowers
  • Vegetables
  • Honey and maple syrup
  • Fish and mussels
  • Meat
  • Wild game
  • Wild eggs
  • Raw dairy products
  • Ancient grains, wild rice, quinoa
  • Tea and sometimes coffee

Foods to avoid include:

  • Grains
  • Beans and legumes
  • Wheat, rye, barley
  • Corn
  • Alcohol
  • Soy
  • Processed oils
  • Sugar
  • Preservatives

People following the primal diet avoid all processed foods. If a food item can safely be eaten raw, it is best to eat it raw to gain all of the nutritional value. Primal diet followers eat fresh and organic food whenever possible. 

What is the Paleo Diet?

The paleo diet follows the same premise as the primal diet. Followers should avoid processed foods and seek foods that our ancestors had access to in nature. The paleo diet is somewhat stricter than the primal diet. 

Acceptable foods on a paleo diet include: 

  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fruits, berries, and flowers
  • Most vegetables
  • Honey and maple syrup
  • Fish and mussels
  • Meat
  • Wild game
  • Wild eggs
  • Ancient grains, wild rice, quinoa
  • Tea

Foods to avoid include: 

  • Dairy
  • Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant)
  • Coffee
  • Grains
  • Beans and legumes
  • Wheat, rye, barley
  • Corn
  • Alcohol
  • Soy
  • Processed oils
  • Sugar
  • Preservatives

As you can see, both diets are relatively similar. The paleo diet is slightly stricter in that it doesn’t allow any dairy, nightshade vegetables, or coffee. These foods would have been hard to access and potentially poisonous for our ancestors. 

Benefits of a Primal or Paleo Diet

Although it is a tricky diet to maintain in our modern highly-processed, fast-food-loving society, primal and paleo diets can have some great health benefits, including:

  • Weight loss
  • Decreased abdominal fat
  • Improved blood pressure
  • Improved heart health
  • Improved cognitive function
  • Lower cholesterol

These are all great benefits of paleo or primal diets. Anybody using these diets should use discretion, however. Technically, one could eat nothing but bacon and eggs on a primal diet, but this wouldn’t be good for your health. 

Cleaning the Plate

Both the primal and paleo diets attempt to realign our current food intake with that of our ancestors. In the debate between primal vs paleo, it’s important to note that not everyone is perfect, and these diets can and should be adjusted to suit individual needs. 

Want to learn more about how you can boost your health and change your life? Check out our other articles on dieting, therapy treatments, and more!

 

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Start Your Day Right: Great Natural Alternatives to Coffee

Start Your Day Right: Great Natural Alternatives to Coffee

by | Aug 25, 2022 | Advice, Wellness

Coffee is Great, But There are Alternatives

Let’s face it, we’ve all had those mornings when it seems like a herculean feat to get out of bed without that morning jolt. Coffee has become such a ubiquitous part of so many people’s lives it can seem impossible to imagine life without it. Coffee isn’t inherently bad, but when you drink an excess of the stuff, it can have adverse effects on your physical and mental health.

But don’t worry, there are so many amazing natural alternatives to coffee that can help you to start your day energized and awake. To find out what they are, read on now.

1. Matcha

Matcha usually comes in powder form. It’s a finely ground combination of processed green tea leaves. While matcha does contain caffeine, it’s in smaller quantities than you’d find in a cup of coffee. 

What’s more, there’s a theory that because of the way it’s released, the caffeine in matcha will leave you feeling less jittery than coffee would. This is down to the presence of the amino acid L-theanine, which slows the release of the caffeine. As coffee alternatives go, it’s pretty healthy.

2. Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate is a type of tea that is commonly consumed in South American countries such as Argentina and Paraguay. It is usually drunk from traditional cups with metal straws. Yerba Mate is a drink similar to tea, and it does contain caffeine, but not as much as coffee.

3. Guarana

Guarana is a plant that grows in the Amazonian rainforest, the fruit of which is used to make a stimulating drink. Guarana is an ingredient that you’ll see in many popular energy drinks.

The caffeine contained in this plant is metabolized slower by the human body. This makes for a less intense and more consistent release rather than the highs and crashes that coffee can cause. This is why it’s one of the best healthy alternatives to coffee.

4. A Cold Shower

If you’d like to kick the caffeine altogether, one of the best coffee alternatives is a good old-fashioned cold shower in the morning. There’s little else that can shock your system and wake you up than plunging your body into cold water when you first get out of bed. As an added bonus, cold showers can also increase endorphins, boost your metabolism, and improve your circulation.

5. Morning Yoga

Any kind of exercise is probably going to help you dust off the cobwebs in the morning. If you prefer to go for a jog or head to the gym, then these are all great options. But there’s something about an energizing yoga flow that gently wakes you up while revitalizing you and getting you ready for the day.

Try These Coffee Alternatives Today

If you’re looking for some natural and healthy alternatives to coffee, why not try some of the above suggestions? Energize your day in a different way with these interesting and exciting options.

If you’re looking for other natural ways to energize and optimize your body, we’d love to help. Get in touch to discuss what treatment options could be right for you.

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4 Easy Ways to Improve Gut Health

4 Easy Ways to Improve Gut Health

by | Aug 18, 2022 | Advice, Wellness

4 Easy Ways to Improve Gut Health

Your gut is made up of trillions of bacteria; most of which are essential to your overall health. Some, however, carry diseases that can lead to major health complications in the future. 

There are many factors that contribute to the presence of harmful gut bacteria, including your diet and nutrition. With a few alterations to your lifestyle, you can promote a healthy gut and good health overall.

Read on for four easy ways to improve your gut health today.

Eat a Balanced and Diverse Diet

With so many different types of bacteria in your gut, it’s impossible to keep them all healthy with a monotonous diet. Each species requires different nutrients to grow and prevent diseases from forming.

The best way to promote a healthy microbiome is to eat a balanced, diverse diet. This means incorporating a variety of foods into your meals, including plenty of:

  • Fruits 
  • Vegetables
  • Legumes
  • Protein
  • Greens

The traditional Western diet is not particularly diverse, so making an effort to introduce a variety of healthy foods into your diet—while consuming less sugar and saturated fats—is essential for strengthening your gut health.

Eat Plenty of Prebiotics

Prebiotics are foods that promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut. They are mainly found in starches and fibers that cannot be digested by human cells—instead, the bacteria in your gut break them down so you can use them for fuel.

While prebiotic supplements are available for purchase, the nutrients appear naturally in a variety of foods. Some foods that contain a high level of prebiotic fiber include:

  • Beans and legumes
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Berries and bananas
  • Oats

A diet rich in prebiotics has been proven to cultivate a variety of bacteria that promote a healthy gut. Additionally, prebiotics are thought to reduce triglyceride, cholesterol, and insulin levels in those who are overweight; this serves to reduce the risk of conditions like diabetes and heart disease, as well as strengthen the immune system overall.

Take Probiotic Vitamins

Similar to prebiotics, probiotics play a major role in your gut health. Probiotics are essentially live bacteria found in certain foods that have numerous nutritional benefits.

When consumed, probiotics can change the composition of your gut microbiome; an improvement for those who are affected by certain diseases. Even without a compromised system, evidence suggests that probiotics can improve the efficiency of your gut microbiome. 

However, the easiest way to make sure you’re getting enough probiotics is to take a supplement. Be sure to consult with a doctor before using any supplements to find the right one for you.

Add Fermented Foods to Your Diet

For a more natural way to improve your gut health, add some fermented foods to your diet. Fermented foods often contain probiotics and other nutritional value, with some popular sources being:

  • Yogurt
  • Kimchi
  • Pickled vegetables
  • Kefir
  • Sauerkraut

Visit Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness to learn more about improving your overall health today.

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