This is What Makes the Health of the Spine Important
A healthy spine enables the rest of the body functions in the manner in which it’s called to. A healthy spine equals a healthy body, a properly functioning body, and a healthy central nervous system.
Imbalances to the spine can cause the body to suffer from sickness, and or disease. The balancing of the spine enables the immune system to operate in its fullest capacity. That keeps the body healthy and well balanced not allowing foreign cells and sickness to enter in.
It’s very important that the spine is focused on and remembered when it comes to the health of the body. Without good spine health, the rest of the body is always sure to suffer. As a doctor of chiropractic, I have a few tips to keep your spine strong.
This is How You Eat to Get a Healthy Spine
Healthy eating ensures a healthy body and more importantly a healthy spine.
Not only does healthy eating ensure a healthy body and spine, but also a healthy weight. Less extra weight on the body takes all the more strain off the back, making there less weight to carry around and be bared by the back.
This is What Makes A Plant-Based Diet Effective
A plant-based diet is key when maintaining a healthy body.
According to the Spine Works Institute, it’s the eating that enables one to have a healthy spine. It’s all about what you take into your body, and a plant-based diet ensures that your body is properly nourished and therefore able to ward off sickness, disease, and pain.
Eating anti-inflammatory foods is beneficial to spine health. Here are a few ideas:
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Berries
- Sweet potatoes
- Beans
- Green tea
These foods when implemented into one’s diet help to keep the spine healthy. A plant-based diet is a diet without meat. All that is being taken into the body is food that has been derived from mostly plants.
Some beans and dark leafy vegetables carry calcium. Calcium also comes in milk and other dairy products. Calcium is good for bone strength, therefore being sure to eat foods rich with calcium ensures the strength of the bones including the bones of the spine.
In order to ensure the body is getting enough calcium, supplements aren’t always necessary, just be sure to have foods rich in calcium included in your diet. When and if a supplement is necessary, it’s best to get that information from your doctor. Too much of anything isn’t good for the health of the body.
Plant-based diets are rid of processed foods which can bring more inflammation to the body, and therefore bringing more pain to the body. A study done through The National Center for Biotechnology showed the correlation between back pain and inflammation being the potential cause.
This is How Sugar Affects The Spine
Though inflammation is a good thing in the light of helping the body to heal, it can also be harmful when it’s brought into the body in excess. Too much inflammation in the body can potentially cause serious health problems.
Some foods, for example fruits, come with natural sugar, but there are cases where sugar is added to foods, and that’s when the potential problems can occur.
According to Healthline too much added sugar is a leading factor to increased inflammation in the body.
This is Why a Little Chocolate Won’t Hurt You
While added sugar can cause inflammation and more pain, dark chocolate is one of the foods that can help alleviate back pain. A healthy spine is free from much pain but when dealing with some pain it’s important to know that there are foods that can help ease it.
Dark chocolate has anti-inflammatory properties. It is rich in magnesium and magnesium is known to aid in relaxing muscles. It is also helpful in the strengthening of the spine. This particular mineral is known to assist with proper bone structure within the body. You can go wrong with this brand of dark chocolate.
Here Are The Tips To A Healthy Back
There are tips that one can take knowledge of that help with the health of the spine. Food is very important and a healthy lifestyle is important, but along with that, there are also some pretty typical aspects that enable good health in terms of the back.
These tips are:
Keeping Active – A healthy exercise regimen is one step that can be taken. Staying active as much as the body can tolerate is important. Exercising 3 to 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes is a great place to start.
If you’re working and not exercising necessarily, then implement a walk in the middle of the workday when taking a break. Be sure to move around and stay active even when working. Don’t stay still for too long, and be sure to change up what you’re doing as often as you can.
Ergonomics – Good ergonomics are vital to implement in workstations, especially to help ensure a healthy spine. Be sure to take breaks when necessary, keep a good posture, and be sure your lighting, mouse, keyboard, and phone are all healthy when being used, not bringing any unhealthy strain to the joints and muscles while working.
Good Posture – When sitting or even standing it’s important that sitting up straight and keeping the head up is performed. A healthy spine and healthy back is pushed along with a good posture that is consistent.
When working at a desk, it’s important to sit up straight but also keep your feet flat on the floor, be sure all things are within a good reach and eyes looking straight ahead not placing any extra strain on the neck or eyes. Be sure all is within a good distance that doesn’t force your eyes to work harder than they should.
Good Body Mechanics – In the journey of ensuring a healthy back, it’s also important to keep in mind body mechanics. When lifting boxes, children, objects off the ground or especially heavy objects of any kind, knees should be bent and if squatting is possible that is a good position to get in before doing the lifting.
This particular tip to body mechanics keeps one from placing any extra strain on the back, and instead keeps the weight bearing within the legs.
About Dr. Brent Wells, D.C.
Dr. Brent Wells, D.C. founded Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab in Alaska in 1998 and has been a chiropractor for over 20 years. His practice has treated thousands of patients from different health problems using various services designed to help give you long-lasting relief.
Dr. Wells is also the author of over 700 online health articles that have been featured on sites such as Dr. Axe and Lifehack. He is a proud member of the American Chiropractic Association and the American Academy of Spine Physicians. And he continues his education to remain active and updated in all studies related to neurology, physical rehab, biomechanics, spine conditions, brain injury trauma, and more.
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