Year: 2016

A Guide to Inflammation: Turning Down the Heat

Written by Mason Morris.  Published by ScienceBasedChiropractic.com

Inflammation is a vital part of the body’s defense and reparative mechanisms. However, if present in excess, it becomes a leading cause of chronic disease. It is important to be conscious about the body’s inflammatory state and to know how the foods that we consume on a daily basis affect inflammatory markers. This article explains the fundamentals of inflammation and how to regulate optimum levels to maintain health and prevent disease.Read More

INTERVAL TRAINING: MORE RESULTS IN LESS TIME

Written by Mason Morris.  Published by ScienceBasedChiropractic.com

Time is valuable.  With only so many hours in the day, and countless priorities that are all competing for your attention, it can be difficult to make time for physical fitness.  Lack of time is one of the most frequently used reasons as to why people are unable to be physically active.  Whether the goal is losing weight and getting healthy, or aspiring to increase endurance or sports performance, it is important to find exercises that can achieve these goals as efficiently as possible.  High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a style of exercise in which the participant performs short bursts of all-out effort followed by a rest period, and then repeats this cycle for the desired number of sets or designated timeframe.  This intense style of training is capable of packing an impressive amount of work into a short timeframe. Read More

Counting Sheep Or Losing Sleep?

Written by Damon Hendrickson. Published by ScienceBasedChiropractic.com

Do you ever have trouble falling asleep? How about staying asleep- tossing and turning throughout the night? Have you ever stepped out of bed in the morning feeling stiff and sore? If you are experiencing any of these all too common symptoms your mattress may be to blame.

 Musculoskeletal pain –aches and pains stemming from muscles, joints, or connective tissue- is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In most cases back pain is caused by non-organic, mechanical type disorders – meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer. Both the amount of sleep you get each night as well as the quality of your sleep play a large role in the health of your spine and the likelihood of developing back pain. [1] We all know that buying a good mattress is important, and that our bodies need rest. Waking up stiff and sore is a good indicator that your mattress may be to blame. Independent and consumer research has consistently demonstrated that the type of mattress you choose will have a large impact on your aches and pains, especially back pain. [2]

 But what is a “good” mattress? With so many options, buyers often suffer from choice paralysis and end up buying either the first bed they come across or the cheapest option in the store. The size, shape, firmness, support level and design materials play a large role in determining the overall sleep quality you will receive with your new mattress. In this article I will explain the differences between each type of mattress and exactly what to look for the next time you head to the big box store.Read More

Read The Labels

Written by Hanna Inskeep. Published by ScienceBasedChiropractic.com

According to the CDC data, in 2015 there was not one state in the whole of the United States that had an obesity rate less than 20% [1]. Additionally, approximately 17% of children in our country are obese [2]. These are absolutely staggering numbers and reflect a huge crisis of nutrition education and consumption of healthy food in our
country.

While there are a number of radical changes that need to be made to the system, individuals who are attempting to improve their diet may feel overwhelmed when trying to change lifelong habits. It may seem almost impossible to keep up with the constantly changing dietary recommendations and completely reconstruct the kitchen cupboards.

The key to making successful, long-term changes is to make small, consistent adjustments to your planning, preparation, and consumption of food. A lot of these changes start in the grocery store; bringing healthy food into the house and keeping unhealthy food out is a considerable step in the right direction. An extremely simple way to do this, which often gets overlooked, is to read food labels.Read More

Turning Back The Clock: The Effects Of Exercise On Aging

Written by Mason Morris.  Published by ScienceBasedChiropractic.com

Aging brings with it many benefits. Life experience, wisdom, and cherished memories all accumulate while we progress through life. However, there are also some less advantageous effects of the aging process. Growing older is accompanied with changes in cardiovascular health, body composition, bone health, and balance, just to name a few [1,2]. Part of the problem is the decline in physical activity as we age. Many people over the age of 60 spend as much as 80% of their waking day in a seated position [3]. This sedentary lifestyle accelerates the deterioration of the musculoskeletal system and leaves the body in a week and fragile state [4]. Although it is not possible to stop the aging process, it is most certainly possible to slow it down through exercise and physical activity.  

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