Vitamin D Deficiency

 

Vitamin D is an important vitamin needed for a healthy life.  It is very easy to get, but approximately 85% of people do not get the recommended daily value, thus leading to deficiency.  Those who do not get enough sunlight, have a dairy allergy, or who are strictly vegan may be at risk of having vitamin D deficiency.  This deficiency can have some scary consequences.



Vitamin D deficiency can affect many different areas of the body.  Some common signs and symptoms of the deficiency include:

Bone & Muscle:
Osteoporosis
Osteoarthritis
Osteomalacia (softening of bone which can lead to deformation of bone in adults)
Rickets (softening of bone which can lead to deformation of bone in children)
Muscle aches & weakness

Psychiatric:
Depression
Schizophrenia

Circulatory:
Hypertension
Coronary heart disease

Pulmonary:
Wheezing

Cancer:
Colon
Breast
Prostate

Other:
Diabetes
Obesity

There are many natural sources of vitamin D, the most natural being sunlight.  Your body absorbs vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight.  That does not mean that you should expose your skin to sunlight unprotected, though.  Always wear sunscreen!  It will not affect the absorption of the vitamin.  Okay, I’m off my soapbox now.  Other sources of vitamin D can be found in foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, fatty fish, cod liver oils, butter, whole grains and fortified cereals.  Of course, you can always take a supplement, however they are rarely absorbed as well as natural sources.  The recommended daily value of vitamin D is 600IU (international units). 

 

There are several benefits of taking vitamin D on a regular basis.  Those benefits include:

·         Supporting a healthy immune system

·         Promotes calcium absorption

·         Linked to weight loss

·         Promotes cell growth

·         Prevention of depression

 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.

 

The Importance of Potassium

Did you know that potassium is vital in the biochemistry of your body?  It can help reduce sodium levels, regulate heart rate and function, avoid muscle tension and even lower blood pressure.  High sodium (salt) diets and low potassium intake influences volume in the vascular system which can elevate blood pressure.  Many doctors will recommend diuretics to offset the increase in sodium, but those medications can further drive potassium levels down…thus exacerbating the problem.  The proper treatment is to increase the intake of foods naturally high in potassium and decrease sodium intake. 

 

What does potassium do in our body?

·         Protect the heart

·         Lower blood pressure

·         Protect the brain

·         Protects against bone loss

·         Allows for proper muscle contraction

·         Promotes proper nerve function

·         Protein synthesis

·         Carbohydrate metabolism (breakdown)

 

 

Hypokalemia: condition in which potassium levels in the blood are low

Signs and Symptoms:

·         Myalgia (muscle pain)

·         Muscle weakness

·         Muscle cramps

·         Respiratory difficulty

·         Constipation

Possible Causes:

·         Diarrhea

·         Alcohol abuse

·         Inadequate potassium consumption

·         Overuse of laxatives and/or diuretics

·         Kidney disease

·         Excessive caffeine intake

·         Over hydrating

 

What foods contain high levels of potassium?

·         Avocado

·         Pistachios

·         Bananas

·         Yogurt

·         Milk

·         Spinach

·         Raisins

·         Baked Potato

·         White mushrooms

·         Clams

 

Do you have more than one of these symptoms or possible causes?  Before you start taking potassium supplements, try upping your intake of potassium rich foods.  If you are really curious, go see your doctor to have blood work done.  It is never a good idea to start supplementing vitamins and minerals unless you know you are deficient because if you aren’t, you can create toxicity in the body which can be more detrimental than deficiency.  Always seek professional advice before starting a supplement programs.  Chiropractors are a great resource because we specialize in alternative methods of treatment such as diet, exercise and nutrition.

 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.

 

 

Are your Hips Aligned Properly? Part 2

Last week, we discussed how to determine if you have misalignment of your hips.  This week, we will talk about a few exercises to help strengthen the hip stabilizers.  Maintaining a stable core and pelvis takes excess pressure off the low back which can relieve low back pain. 

Exercise 1: Pelvic Tilts

Pelvic tilt exercises can help strengthen not only the pelvic girdle, but the core muscles as well.  Activating the core is essential in helping to align the hips.  Without a stable core and pelvis, the low back can become hypermobile and cause pain and dysfunction.  To perform this exercise, lie on the floor with your knees bent, keeping your head, upper back, lower back, shoulders and feet on the ground.  Brace the abdominal muscles and press your lower back into the floor.  Hold for 10 seconds while breathing normally.  Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 2: Prone Hip Extension

Hip extension exercises help not only to activate and strengthen the glutes, but the low back muscles as well.  The glute muscles are major hip stabilizers and when they are not functioning properly or are weak, they can contribute to the misalignment of the hip and associated pain.  To perform this exercise, lie face down on the floor.  Adding a pillow or other padding beneath the hips may make this exercise more comfortable.  Bend one leg to 90 degrees while keeping the other leg straight.  Activate the glute then push the bent foot upwards toward the ceiling in a controlled manner while maintaining the bend in the knee.  Once you feel resistance in the low back, return to the starting position.  Repeat 10 times on each leg.  Continue until you have completed 3 sets of 10 on each leg.  As you progress, ankle weights can be added to increase stability. 

Exercise 3: Hip Abduction

Hip abduction is moving the hip away from the center of the body.  This exercise helps strengthen and stabilize the gluteus medius muscles which play a very important role in hip stabilization.  Start by lying on your side with your head resting on your arm.  Bend the bottom leg slightly for added support.  To begin, slowly lift your upper leg toward the ceiling 45 degrees.  Return to the starting position.  Repeat 10 times on each leg.  Continue until you have completed 3 sets of 10 on each leg.  As you progress, ankle weights can be added to increase stability. 

Adding these three simple exercises to your current exercise routine can help stabilize the hips and decrease back pain.  Don’t forget to incorporate consistent chiropractic care into your routine as well.  Chiropractic adjustments will help maintain full spine alignment and allow your nervous system to fuel your muscles properly to ensure optimal performance. 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.

 

Are Your Hips Aligned Properly?

A common cause of low back pain, and even knee pain, is misalignment of the hips.  What can cause that misalignment?  Well, there are a few things actually.  First, you could have a leg length difference.  There are two types of leg length issues: anatomical and functional.  An anatomical short leg cannot be changed.  Your body just grew that way.  Maybe you had an injury to a growth plate in your leg as a child, or had a devastating injury as an adult like breaking your femur, or maybe your legs just grew in at different lengths.  A functional short leg results from an unstable pelvis that continues to tip anterior or posterior (front or back).  Most anatomical leg length issues can be corrected with the use of a heel lift or custom orthotic, while a functional short leg can be corrected with consistent chiropractic care.  Here are some ways you can determine exactly what is causing your pain…

Step 1: Confirm that your hips are misaligned

Go see a chiropractor and have x-rays taken of your low back.  These x-rays will show both an anatomical and a functional leg length discrepancy if one or both are present.  This information will help the doctor narrow down what needs to be done to correct the problem. 

Step 2: Assess your pain

Hip misalignment tends to cause pain in one or more of three areas:

- Hip joint: when the hips are misaligned, more stress can be added to the side that has dropped which can decreased the joint space of that hip causing pain.
- Low back: misalignment of the hips or pelvis is often associated with hyperextension of the low back, tightness in the muscles of the low back and weakness of the abdominal muscles.
- Knee: stress is added to the knee when the hips or pelvis are misaligned causing the body weight to shift primarily to one side.   When that happens, the added weight can cause strain on the medial (inside) knee and cause pain.

Step 3: Assess your posture

Here at Pro Chiropractic, we have state of the art technology to help screen your posture and point out any abnormal areas.  This tool helps the doctor determine where you may be out of alignment and give us clues on how to fix it from the ground up.  The posture screen shows misalignments at the ankles, hips, ribcage, shoulders, and head when viewing from the front.  It will also analyze when viewing your profile.  It will tell us how far you may be bearing your weight forward or backward which can cause excess pressure on the different regions of the body.

Step 4: Figure out what can be causing the misalignment and correct it

- Stretch: after a brisk warm-up, make sure you thoroughly stretch the quads, hamstrings and glutes to make sure your muscles are on an even playing field before you start your work out.  If you don’t stretch properly, you can cause overcompensation issues during your workout that may lead to hip misalignment.
- Posture: try to be conscious of your posture.  If you notice you’re slouching, activate your core and sit up straighter.  This will help realign your entire body…as well as your hips.
- Heavy bags: wearing a heavy shoulder bag on one side can lead to body shifts which can throw off your hips and pelvis.  Switch to a double strap backpack or downsize your bag and the contents.
- Footwear: not wearing the right shoes or not having enough support for your feet will definitely lead to hip misalignment, especially if you have a leg length issue.  See your chiropractor about getting a custom fit orthotic to help keep everything aligned.
- Chiropractic care: receiving consistent chiropractic care will set you on a path to correcting your misalignment for the long term…not just hip misalignments, but full spine misalignments.  Chiropractic care is relatively painless and inexpensive (compared to chronic care with a medical doctor).  Call today to find out for yourself!

 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.