Drinking water helps to keep your lower back healthy by removing waste and carrying nutients to the area. But are you getting enough water on a daily basis?

Over the years you may have heard different suggestions as to how much water you need to drink. The "golden standard" today is half of your body weight in ounces of water. Additional fluids besides water can count towards your needed amount, but aim for a least half of your daily fluid intake to be water.

Be careful thinking excess fluids can be healthy. Generally speaking there is no significant health benefit. But excessive fluid intake can result in health complications for individuals with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or swelling in your lower legs.

An additional benfit of increasing your fluid intake is that water is a natural diuretic. If you don't hydrate enough you body will retain  excess fluids. This is the primary reason older adults have to make multiple bathroom breaks during the night while sleeping.

Hopefully this advice will help you drink enough water every day; which in turn can keep your body and spine healthy and happy.

An often overlooked treatment that is highly successful for slipped or herniated disc is available in our office. This is a non-surgical alternative procedure for relieving low back, neck, arm and leg (sciatica) pain.

Treatment is directed towards relieving pressure on structures such as nerves and disc that may be a major source of pain. It can relieve the pain associated with bulging, herniated and degenerative disc. If you or someone you know have any one of these conditions have them call and schedule an appointment to see if they are a candidate for spinal decompression. Chiropractic first, Drugs second and Surgery last!

"Doctor, why do I need an adjustment once a month? I'm feeling fine!" For an answer, let's start with an examination of the human body, which is composed of several hundred trillion tiny cells.

Some of these cells are joined into groups which makes up organs. Some make up bones, some hair and so forth. These systems may work independently of each other or they may work in conjunction with each other. They work, however, only when ordered by the central nervous system.

Your body, like an electronic computer, does what it is told to do by either internal or external stimuli.

As an electronic computer must have an air conditioning system to filter the air in which it works, so must your body. Your built in air conditioning sytem is geared to maintain your normal temperature of 98.6 degrees day and night.

More interesting facts: Your body contains approximately 100,000 miles of blodd vessels, some trillion red blood cells and 232 million nerve fibers. Your heart pumps about 3,000 gallons of blood every 24 hours.

I think that after marveling at these facts performed by your body, you will decide that it makes sense to maintain the central nervous system which controlls all the other systems. We see to it that our car has regular oil changes, grease jobs and tune-ups. Why not do the same for your irreplaceable body? Remember, we can install new parts for a damaged car or simply relegate it to the junk yard. But the body has no trade-in! Let us help keep yours in mint condition with a monthly adjustment. It pays to maintain good health.

The Spine Journal (2018) has just published a study that points to spinal manipulation therapy being the most effective way to treat lower back pain when compared with other methods. The effectiveness and safety of some different mobilization and manipulation therapies were examined. It was concluded definitively that spinal manipulation produces a much more significant effect on the lower back than a mobilization option. Spinal manipulation therapy can be applied appropriately by a Doctor of Chiropractic. Key findings were:

• 57 percent of patients that took part in the study experienced effective relief of chronic pain occurring in the lower back. 78 percent of the same patients also experienced a reduction in disability. This happened when spinal manipulation therapy was compared to other treatments.
  
• When comparing spinal manipulation to the use of physical therapy, 79 percent of these patients reported that spinal manipulation was most effective at relieving symptoms of both pain and disability.
  
• It is worth noting here that both mobilization and manipulation therapies tested in this study are considered safe to use as treatments. 
  

Back pain is more common than you think. In the U.S. alone, 84 percent of the population suffers from some sort of back pain. Within this percentage, roughly 23 percent experience back pain that is chronic, and half again are actually disabled by this severe pain. What are you waiting for? Contact your local chiropractor today and start working with them to find relief from your chronic back pain.

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. You might see exercise as a great addition to your lifestyle, but you need breaks from your training, too.  Noam Tamir of TS Fitness New York City explains that your body goes through trauma when you exercise.  So how do you know when to take a break?

• You're constantly sore: delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, is normal. However, you shouldn't feel this all the time. Allow 24-48 hours in between each workout session.
  
• You're always tired: moodiness and tiredness are signs of working out too much. This is because cortisol is produced by exercise. Too much of this can take a toll on your mental health.
  
• You have an abnormal heart rate: check your heart rate regularly. If your resting heart rate is higher than average, then it's not ready for your next workout session yet.
  
• You're always stiff: if you continue to be stiff long after a workout, your body is going to start changing the way it moves naturally. This can become permanent and potentially cause injury.
  
• You've got dark yellow pee: looking at the color of your pee is the easiest way to figure out if you're dehydrated or not. The darker your pee, the more water you need to drink. 
  

Growing Attuned to Your Body for Optimum Health
Because you actually create micro-tears in your muscles when you exercise, they need time to repair, which will help them grow stronger.  The more you exercise, the more you strain your body. If you're not giving your body the breaks it needs, you could be doing more harm than good.  Take a day of rest between workouts and you’ll be stronger, fitter, and happier than ever!