Dangers of Opioids

Did you know that 90 Americans die every single day from opioid overdoses? Out of those 90 people, 60 people die from prescription drug overdoses?

With the growing number of people in this country, and other countries around the world, who are addicted to opioids, I want to provide a holistic solution to manage your pain.

Still wondering what an opioid is? An opioid is a class of legal and illegal pain killing drugs. Legal opioids include Hydrocodone and Vicodin. Illegal opioids include drugs such as Heroine. Opioids have an extremely high rate of dependency. That means that by 3 three of taking the opioid, you body has already adapted to the drug and now needs a higher dose, or a second opioid in order to get the same effect. 

Instead of upping your dose, or taking more pills to manage your pain, we can offer you a safer solution. At our office, we use our hands to help people manage their pain. After checking someone's spine, we can see if they have a bone out of alignment to see if that is what is causing their pain. 

Chiropractic has helped so many people end their addiction to opioids and help manage their pain naturally and holistically. 

If you are looking for an alternative to using opioids to manage your pain, please come and give our office a try and take full advantage of the benefits of chiropractic care. 

Sources:

Opioid Overdose. (2017, August 30). Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epid...

Tao, P. L., Law, P. Y., & Loh, H. H. (1987). Decrease in delta and mu opioid receptor binding capacity in rat brain after chronic etorphine treatment. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 240(3), 809-816.

​Tao, P. L., Lue, W. M., Lee, C. R., & Chang, L. R. (1995). Alteration of the interaction of mu-opioid receptor and G protein after chronic PL017 treatment in rats. The Chinese journal of physiology, 38(3), 193-199.

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7 New Year's Resolutions for a Healthier Life in 2018

As 2017 comes to an end, we start to brainstorm how we can make 2018 an even better year. In order to be happier with our bodies, we must start at the basics of health. Here at Davis Family Chiropractic and Massage, we can help you get on the right track of creating a healthier life for yourself in 2018. Here are 7 New Year’s Resolutions that you can make that we can help you keep.

1. Incorporate Exercise into Your Lifestyle

If you can incorporate as little as 30 minutes a day of any exercise to increase your heart rate, you will experience many positive benefits. These benefits include lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease, more nights of a good night’s sleep, and you will even experience the reduction in neuro-musculoskeletal issues such as back pain and migraines.

2. Improve Your Posture

Did you know that over 100 million Americans work a desk job. Sitting for 8-9 hours a day can cause a person’s posture to go downhill quickly. Bad posture can lead to back pain, neck pain, and even headaches. If you are someone who sits in front of a computer for the majority of your day, we suggest that you look into ways to help prevent poor posture. Here are some ways that you can improve your posture at work:

• Desk exercises
• Have a standing desk
• Have standing stations in your office
• Treadmill desks
• Take frequent office laps
• Engage in active meetings with your colleagues

 
3. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Vegetables such as broccoli and kale are referred to as cruciferous vegetables, and they are rich in calcium. Cruciferous vegetables can reduce your risk of getting osteoarthritis later on in life. Vegetables such as lentils and spinach are high in magnesium and have been proven to benefit people with chronic back pain. Fruits are nutrient dense and they provide our bodies with vitamin and minerals to help us from getting sick.

We know that it can be difficult to incorporate the suggested amount of fruits and vegetables into your daily life, so we provide our patients with the product Juice Plus+ to help you obtain those recommended daily amounts.

4. Lose Unnecessary Weight

Carrying extra weight on your body every day can put pressure on your spine and joints. This pressure can lead to sciatica, disk herniation, and osteoarthritis. It is important to keep your  Body Mass Index (BMI) in the normal range so that you can reduce your risk of getting high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and organ failure.

5. Get More Sleep

It is common knowledge that a good night’s sleep is 8 hours. 40% of Americans are getting less than that recommended amount. If you are included in that 40%, you should turn off your devices, turn off the lights, and go to bed at least an hour earlier than you normally do. Some benefits of more sleep include:

• Better health
• Less pain
• Lower risk of injury
• High levels of energy
• Better mood
• Better weight control
• Clearer thinking
• Stronger immunity

So go to bed earlier or take a nap, and don’t feel guilty about it!

6. Practice Breathing and Meditation

Contrary to popular belief, health is not just the absence of illness. Health is the balance of mind, body, and spirit. When you take just 10 minutes out of your day to stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing, your mind, body, and spirit can become more connected and you can experience significant health improvements. Some of these health benefits include:

• Stress and anxiety reduction
• Insomnia reduction
• Lower your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Counteract irritable bowel syndrome
• Become more likely to engage in other healthy activities

All it takes is 10 minutes of your day. You can close your eyes and breathe right when you wake up, before you go to bed, or even when you park your car before walking into work.

7. See a Chiropractor
​
Did you know that you are 67% less likely to become injured if you are in proper alignment? Seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis to stay in alignment can improve your life in ways you didn’t even think of before. Here are some benefits of regular chiropractic adjustments:

• Back pain reduction
• Improve headache occurrence
• Improved mental clarity
• Improved blood pressure
• Scoliosis reduction
• Surgery prevention
• Improved organ function

This is only a short list of how regular chiropractic benefits can improve your life. Our favorite part of chiropractic care is that it is a drug-free holistic way to reduce pain and improve your life. We wish that everyone in the world would see a chiropractor on a regular basis so that everyone can life a healthy and happy life.

If you want to make a New Year’s resolution that will improve your lifestyle in 2018, please feel free to ask us how you can get on the right track.

Sources:
Faulkner, J. (2017, December 6). How Meditation Improves Our Health As We Get Older. Retrieved December 28, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lifetime-daily/how-meditation-improves-o_b_11978220.html

Griffin, R. M. (2011, December 27). 9 Surprising Reasons to Get More Sleep. Retrieved December 28, 2017, from https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/9-reasons-to-sleep-more#1 

Health Risks of Being Overweight. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2017, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/health-risks-overweight 

Herrrera, U. (n.d.). TOP 10 REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO EAT FRUIT. Retrieved December 28, 2017, from http://creativeandhealthyfunfood.com/top-10-reasons-why-you-need-to-eat-fruit/  

Jones, J. M. (2013, December 19). In U.S., 40% Get Less Than Recommended Amount of Sleep. Retrieved December 28, 2017, from http://news.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-recommended-amount-sleep.aspx 

Kerkar, P. (2017, March 7). Impact of Sedentary Desk Jobs on Posture and Consequences. Retrieved December 28, 2017, from https://www.epainassist.com/articles/impact-of-sedentary-desk-jobs-on-posture-and-consequences 

Weiner, R. (2015, February 21). What Percentage of Americans Work Desk Jobs? Retrieved December 28, 2017, from https://www.quora.com/what-percentage-of-americans-work-desk-jobs

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