If you are like the millions of us who made resolutions to improve your health, how is your progress?
It things are going well, congratulations! If you feel stuck, discouraged, in pain, or that you just don’t have it “quite right”, there is help.
First, have you clearly identified trouble areas in these main health departments?:
- sleep
- diet
- exercise
I always tell my patients “sleep well, eat well, move well”.
I plan to publish 3 weekly posts with tips for improving each of these areas, but I will start this week with diet because I’m sure that is fresh on everyone’s minds after the holidays. Diet is also a critical component for the success of the other 2, sleep and exercise. We need to be mindful that what we put in our bodies needs to be able to replenish and restore. You may have heard the reference of food as fuel. It’s true. Would you go buy your brand new dream car and fill it with low-grade gasoline, or heaven forbid your lawnmower’s gas (aka junk food)? No way! That’s a nice car, a smooth-running machine, something. you have invested a lot in and may be a once-in-a lifetime thing, why would you gunk it up like that? Same is true for the body. It is a beautifully running machine if we maintain and fuel it appropriately. But you know all of this right? So what is the problem?
Would you like a way to know if you have proper nutritional protection? If so, read on…
Seriously, let’s figure it out. If you need help identifying why you may continue to struggle, or if you feel you are fairly good but want better, let’s talk. Specifically if you have pain, are on medications such as birth control, are an athlete, are pregnant or nursing, peri or menopausal, or trying to lose weight, you probably need specific guidance for your body’s needs. I have focused continuing education specifically on diet as it relates to chronic conditions and use this education for every person I see. There are many things we can discuss to make you more well-rounded. It is a critical component for every plan of overall health.
Where to begin? One tip that seems to help the greatest amount of people is to follow the Mediterranean diet. According to (another) study, this time by the US News and World Report and backed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, following this diet rich in plants, and high in color variety, uses flavorful spice, and avoids most refined foods can provide multiple health benefits and give your body the fuel it needs. Is this diet for you?
How do you know if you are getting enough nutrients? How do you know if you have deficits? Are you getting what you thing you are? Are your supplements working? Is your body using or disposing of those expensive pills? How does your stress, lifestyle, medications, affect your absorption of these nutrients?
We can find out. Along with discussion of lifestyle, there’s this…
The BioPhotonic scanner measures the level of antioxidants in your body. Your anti-oxidant network is your body’s defense against free radicals and thus chronic inflammation. Instead of measuring the inflammatory state of your body directly, we can measure the level of your body’s defenses to chronic inflammation. Once you know your number you can then make the necessary changes to improve your number and thus improve your body’s defenses. Simply place you hand on the sensor for less than a minute and get your score. We can use this to help individualize your plan based on areas for improvement, personal preferences, and goals.
One of our goals at our clinic is to help you make better decisions about your health and wellness. That is why we have invested in this scanner and are making it an integral part of our health and wellness programing. This is prevention at its best. As you make the necessary changes we can then retest to see if they are having a positive effect.
Diet is the best way to attain nutrients, including these important antioxidants, but what do you do if you are eating well, but it isn’t enough? What if you don’t have time to get those high numbers of servings of fruits and veggies? What if your kids won’t eat it? Maybe you need supplementation. I have looked through several, and the findings stay true that a good multivitamin is like shoes and mattresses – worth the cost of quality. You can take your cheap grocery store vitamin and if you have higher than average absorption, you may be fine. If not, you may need one more bioavailable to your body. Let’s find out if you need one or if yours is working.
Contact us to get your scanner score, nutritional information, and information on whether you would need supplements that would best benefit your body’s individual needs.
On a personal note:
I made this resolution over 6 mo ago, and began increasing exercise and improving diet. After 5 mo of my beloved nutrient-rich sod smoothies and Pilates a few times a week, I was disappointed to see that my score was only 32,000. As a healthcare professional, I felt ok, but knew I could do better, but life was there too. I have a busy schedule, 2 small children, and frequently grab a “bar” here and there as meals. I skeptically decided to try the LifePak Nano, and like any good researcher, changed no other aspects of life or diet. I re-scanned this morning and was at 57,000! I have also noticed clearer skin, an easier time waking up in the morning, and increased endurance for my workouts. Diet and exercise was good, but not enough for me. I ate well, but didn’t have enough hours in the day to get all of those servings in.
I want to help you feel good, strong, and healthy too. Whether that’s with supplements, diet, exercise, manual therapy, education on diet, behaviors, lifestyle, it is all critical for well being.
Your scanner score is included with all patient visits at no additional cost. I have included it as a routine assessment tool to give us a better idea of the whole picture.
Don’t need a Physical Therapy appointment? If you aren’t an existing patient and/or want a scan score and assessment for a progress program, we offer scanner-only appointments on Fridays. These are $45 for 30 min. and anyone can attend, kids too! See the website or call to set up an appointment.
Let’s be successful this year by choosing the best path to wellness.