Nutrition

Why Nutrition and Chiropractic Care Go Hand in Hand

Nutrition and chiropractic care are inseparable. Whether it’s an adjustment or massage, one of the significant benefits of our chiropractic interventions is increased circulation. Increasing blood flow is critically important because it increases the rate at which waste products are excreted from the body. An example of this is when the muscles are able to let go of lactic acid. This waste product makes the muscles more painful.

The other side of this equation is what replaces lactic acid. Potentially, this could include additional life-giving oxygen or building blocks such as protein. In other areas of the body, other nutrients are needed for creating, maintaining, and repairing the body’s tissues. As a result, the body needs access to a consistent and high-quality supply of nutrients.

There are two main ways we can get these nutrients. One is through a careful plan of supplementation. Nutritional supplements are an excellent insurance policy, but they can never replace option two, which is healthy eating.

Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is the best way to get the nutrition needed for a healthy body. In general, we encourage patients to consume a plant-based diet as much as possible. Plants are rich sources of phytochemicals and other potent nutrients needed to boost energy and enjoy a vital life.

Many of our patients here at West Suburban Wellness used to think that they couldn’t get enough protein without eating meat. This is simply not true. Beans and rice is a simple meal enjoyed all over the world that provides a complete set of proteins.

Eating a healthy diet might result in a slimmer waistline, but it can fatten your wallet. Beans and rice, fresh vegetables, and luscious fruit are all delicious and quite economical. Saved money also helps reduce stress which impacts how fat is stored.

Water is a frequently overlooked nutrient. This nutrient is necessary for a variety of physical processes within the body. Drinking at least 3.7 liters per day for men or 2.7 liters per day for women helps the body run properly.

How Nutrition Affects the Nervous System

Certain nutrients are helpful for the brain and nerves. These are also helpful for the rest of the body. Chiropractic care is about restoring overall health, not just treating isolated symptoms of body parts.

There are, however, a few nutrients that target the nervous system. Eating a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can reduce harmful inflammation and, therefore, boost brain health. Vitamin B is necessary to maintain nerve health.

Above and beyond routine maintenance, some nutrients have anti-inflammatory effects. Excess inflammation can damage nerves, so keeping it in check is beneficial for overall health. Some nutrients besides omega-3 fatty acids that can help with this include acetyl-L carnitine, N-acetyl cysteine, and curcumin.

Why Our West Suburban Wellness Chiropractors are an Excellent Resource for Nutritional Guidance

Here at West Suburban Wellness, our chiropractors have multiple years of academic and practical training in nutrition. In order to become a chiropractor, they first studied chemistry, biochemistry, and other subjects that form the foundational principles of nutrition. They also have specialized training in how the body uses all of these chemicals through training in normal and pathological anatomy and dedicated nutrition coursework.

In addition to formal education, our chiropractors also participate in many hours of continuing education activities each year. These present the most up-to-date information on nutrition and how it relates to chiropractic care. However, working with patients over many years is the primary source of our chiropractor’s nutritional expertise.

Benefits of Nutrition and Chiropractic

While our chiropractors are an excellent resource for advice on nutrition, the benefits of seeing our West Suburban Wellness chiropractors for nutritional status help extend far beyond such information exchange. The most carefully selected foods won’t do anything for the body if they aren’t adequately digested, absorbed, or transported throughout the body.

While the blood vessels carry blood throughout the body, it is the nerves that cause the vessels to move the blood inside of the blood vessels. Therefore, excellent neurological health is essential for good circulation and nutritional delivery. Chiropractic care focuses heavily on nerve health.

Chiropractic adjustments are one important way to restore nerve function. When we perform chiropractic adjustments, we focus on eliminating spinal subluxations. Subluxation is the medical term for spinal misalignment.

Subluxations or areas of spinal misalignment can interfere with nerve function by compressing the nerves. This results in incomplete, absent, or inaccurate messages being sent through the nerves. Since the neurological system travels throughout the body and is the supreme communicator linking the brain and body, such subluxations can result in widespread dysfunction.

Restoring optimal spinal alignment helps restore the nerve function needed for the blood vessels to function properly. When blood flow is restored, nutrients can be delivered throughout the body to manufacture, maintain, and repair tissues. Such nutrients are also needed for various hormones and many bodily functions.

West Suburban Wellness Provides Nutritional Care You Can Trust

We love helping our patients eat food that nourishes and helps them grow. If you want to learn more, we’d love to talk to you.