Michael Schuneman, DC

News of the Ebola Virus epidemic in Africa is everywhere. And now we have some confirmed cases of Ebola in the United States. As a chiropractor, I wanted to give some thoughts about the whole matter. Yes, Ebola is a nasty virus that can be fatal. But there is more to it than just the virulence or how nasty a virus is. The whole other side of the story is the health of the immune system of the individual.

The health of the individual is what I wanted to talk about. Just because Ebola is a nasty disease does not mean we are all going to die from it! There are things that you can do to help your immune system function at its best so that you are less likely to get ‘sick’ from Ebola virus or any other bacteria/virus. And unfortunately from the medical point of view, they usually gloss over this and just focus on how they can ‘treat’ the disease. While treatments are important, I still think prevention is best. It is interesting to note that the CDC website states: “Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive care and the patient’s immune response.”

Now what are some of those things you can do to keep your immune system healthy and have a good immune response? Well I would put nutrition at the top of the list. And personally I think this is one reason why the outbreak in West Africa is so bad because this is a part of the world that is known for food scarcity and often people are undernourished. While Americans do not always eat the best, the majority have access to adequate food. This should make a difference. And as you eat nutritious foods it gives your body the nutrients to have a healthy immune system.

Another basic precaution for preventing many diseases is proper hygiene. Now I don’t mean you need to sterilize everything around you, but washing your hands with regular soap and water can help reduce your exposure to many viruses and bacteria. Again, I believe part of the problem in West Africa with the Ebola Virus is that there are not adequate means to keep contaminated items from infecting others.

A few more things in general with keeping the immune system healthy are adequate sleep and reducing stress. These two really go hand in hand because when you are overstressed it can often affect your sleep, and when you are not getting enough sleep you are stressing your body. So here are some things you can do to help reduce stress in your life. Stop worrying about things that you cannot control, easy to say but more difficult to do, but it really does not do you any good to worry about things you cannot change. Have a way to release stress like regular exercise, talking to someone, or deep breathing exercises.

In closing, I want to say that the Ebola Virus can be a scary thing, but I think it is also being sensationalized by the news as well, like most other news stories. I know people are dying from Ebola Virus and it has the potential to cause serious problems, but creating fear in people is not going to help matters any. I think the best thing is to keep yourself healthy and avoid as best possible exposure to the virus. I truly believe this will do much more good than fast-tracking a vaccine to try and combat it. So use some common sense and support your body’s natural ability to heal.

Reference:

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/treatment/index.html accessed on October 9

Cold and flu season will soon be in full swing. Already there have been several people that I have talked with that have dealt with a case of the cold or flu. As a chiropractor in Colorado Springs, I am often asked “What do you do for a cold or flu?” and my response usually surprises most people. Today I will share with you a few simple things to help prevent a cold or flu and a little of the why behind it.

First off, there are hundreds of different viruses and bacteria that can cause cold- or flu-like symptoms. The symptom pattern of a cold or flu is not limited to one or a few ‘germs.’ This actually is one big reason I do not recommend getting a flu shot, because it very well may not protect you from getting the ‘flu.’ You see, each year the makers of flu shots are guessing what the most active strains of flu will be, but they really don’t know. Under ideal conditions (perfect match of virus and vaccine) it takes 33 healthy adults to be vaccinated to prevent one case of flu-like symptoms. Under average conditions it takes 100 healthy adults to get vaccinated to prevent one case of flu-like symptoms.¹ Not exactly the wonderful results you are led to believe. Also the research does not show any reduction in complications like pneumonia or transmission of the disease.¹ Personally, I will just stick with natural approaches to help keep the body and immune system healthy.

One more thing before we get into some common-sense things you can do to prevent and fight colds and flus. If most cold- and flu-like symptoms are caused by viruses, then antibiotics are useless. So please don’t insist on an antibiotic for something that is likely viral in nature. It just leads to overuse of antibiotics. And as far as medications for colds and flus go, they really just mask the symptoms. Reduced symptoms can be nice, but if symptoms are the body’s way of handling the invader, what does suppressing the symptoms do? If a fever boosts the activity of the immune system, what would happen when you suppress a fever? If a cough or sneeze is to clear out your airways and try and ‘flush out’ the virus, what happens when you take a cough suppressant? In many cases you will likely prolong the disease.

Okay so what can you do to prevent a cold or flu? Well the short answer is to keep your immune system functioning at its best. Many of the things I will share with you are probably not very surprising. So let’s get into it.

1. Wash Your Hands

Yes, helping to prevent a cold or a flu can be as easy as washing your hands. Now you don’t need to be extreme about sanitation and disinfect everything, but the simple act of washing your hands with regular soap (not antibacterial) decreases your chance of ‘catching’ a cold or flu. Now the reason being is that you are less likely to introduce a virus into your body with washing your hands after possibly coming in contact with the virus. Now this does not strengthen your immune system, but it does cut down on the load of viruses and bacteria that it needs to respond to. So it will not get overwhelmed by those viruses that it does have to respond to.

2. Reduce Stress

I believe stress plays a huge role in how sick we are as a country. Constant stress leads to a weakened immune system, which leaves you more susceptible to a cold or flu. Finding ways to reduce stress is great for your health overall and really is a topic of its own. Following are a few things you can do to help reduce stress.

• Stop worrying about things you cannot control
• Take a little time to plan and schedule your day
• Talk to someone about your stress
• Use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, meditation, etc.
• Exercise

3. Eat Healthy

This probably does not come as a surprise either. If you are eating poorly, your body does not have what it needs to fight off an infection. So eating a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits and limits highly processed foods will help give you the needed nutrients to keep your immune system healthy. Part of a healthy diet also includes adequate water which helps to flush out invaders and speeds the rate at which the immune system can respond to an invader.

A quick side note is that there are some that believe the cold/flu season is during the winter because of decreased levels of vitamin D from decreased sun exposure during that time. It makes some sense that this could be a contributing factor, since vitamin D does have many roles including how the immune system functions.

Conclusion

While there are many other things that can help prevent a cold or flu and strengthen your immune system this will get you started. If you do have any questions about health feel free to stop by or give us a call.

References

1. Jefferson T, Di Pietrantonj C, Rivetti A, Bawazeer GA, Al-Ansary LA, Ferroni E. Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD001269.

The short answer is ‘NO’ you cannot get too much vitamin D from sun exposure. I occasionally hear this question or incorrect statements to the contrary. Vitamin D has recently become a ‘vitamin superstar’ with research showing it has effects on many different processes in the body. There are many that think most people have low-level vitamin D deficiencies and should supplement. However, I will leave that to you to decide for yourself. In today’s post I want to review a little about vitamin D: what it does, why it is so important, and give more detail about how awesome our bodies are and why you cannot ‘overdose’ on vitamin D from sun exposure.

Vitamin D

First off, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, along with vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K. This means that it easily dissolves in fat, but not as readily in water. So when it is transported in the blood (water) it needs a carrier protein of some sort, but it can easily pass into cells to be used. Vitamin D is also special because it can be classified as a hormone and acts more like a hormone than a ‘vitamin.’ In fact, vitamin D is made from cholesterol in the body, like other steroid hormones. The fact that the body can produce vitamin D also makes it different from most vitamins as well. There are basically two forms of vitamin D: Vitamin D₃ that our bodies make or get from animal sources and Vitamin D₂ which is from plant sources.

What Does Vitamin D Do?

Vitamin D has a variety of effects on the body. Receptors for vitamin D have been found on a number of different cells throughout the body and vitamin D can affect cell growth and proliferation as well as muscle strength. However, vitamin D is most famous for its role in calcium absorption and strong bones. In the case of calcium absorption the active form of vitamin D goes to the cells of the intestine and increases the production of a protein named calbindin. Calbindin increases the amount of calcium that is able to be absorbed through the intestines therefore increasing the amount of calcium in the body. This increased calcium absorption is necessary for adequate bone mineralization. A deficiency of vitamin D in children is known as rickets and can lead to bone deformities (because the bones become soft) as well as a number of other health problems.

How Does the Body Make Vitamin D?

Vitamin D in the body is made from a form of cholesterol (7-dehydrocholesterol). The 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin undergoes a change when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun to form previtamin D. The previtamin D then undergoes another reaction to become vitamin D but in an inactive form. This vitamin D needs to go to the liver and have a hydroxyl group added to form 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (AKA 25-hydroxyvitamin D or calcifediol). Although the name sounds impressive, we still are not to the active form of vitamin D yet. The 25-hydroxycholecalciferol then would need to go to the kidney and have another hydroxyl group added to form 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (AKA calcitriol) and this is the active form of vitamin D.

What Happens to Prevent Too Much Vitamin D?

In the skin when 7-dehydrocholesterol is turned into previtamin D and also the inactive form of vitamin D, there is another reaction that will take place to prevent too much vitamin D from being created. If you are exposed to further ultraviolet light the previtamin D will undergo another change to one of two other forms that are inactive: tachysterol or lumisterol. This prevents too much vitamin D all at once. The cool thing is that when levels of vitamin D drop, tachysterol and lumisterol can then be converted back into previtamin D which then could go on to form vitamin D.

Things That Prevent Vitamin D Synthesis in the Skin

There are things that will prevent vitamin D from being made in the skin from sun exposure. Obviously anything that blocks the ultraviolet light will prevent this process from happening. This could include being indoors, being completely covered with clothing, or even sunscreen will prevent this process from taking place. Also those who have darker skin require more exposure than fairer skin individuals to produce the same amount of vitamin D because the pigment in the skin absorbs some of the ultraviolet light. Also in older adults this process does not work as efficiently as well and it takes more exposure to create adequate vitamin D. This is thought to be because of decreased production of the 7-dehydrocholesterol in older individuals. One other thing that I will mention is where you live and time of year. Above or below 40 degrees north or south latitude there may not be enough ultraviolet light during winter months to allow the process to work properly. For us in Colorado, 40 degrees north latitude will cross in the northern part of the greater Denver area. So, north of this area during some of the winter months vitamin D synthesis through the skin will be decreased.

Conclusion

So in short, no it is not possible to ‘overdose’ on vitamin D from sun exposure. Our bodies are amazing and intelligent and will regulate the production of vitamin D so this will not happen. I love learning about the processes of the body and being able to help my patients unlock the healing potential of their own bodies.

Although chiropractic treatment is known as a valid method of treatment for musculoskeletal concerns, much of Colorado Springs and the world are still unaware of the greater sense of wellness that chiropractic care can afford. At Life Symmetry Chiropractic, we find that the initial expectations for new patients often only include having their backs ‘cracked’ to gain pain relief and provide comfort. However chiropractic offers so much more.

The idea behind chiropractic treatments date far back into history but modern chiropractic has its roots in the late 1800’s and is founded in principles of wellness and wholeness. We at Life Symmetry Chiropractic in Colorado Springs apply these valuable tenets to modern living. This not only changes our approach to healing, but also changes our perspective about wellness and the importance of lifestyle.

Force, matter, and intelligence all play an integral part in chiropractic treatments. Underneath these key ideas is understanding that a balanced person needs to be balanced within their body. Our intelligence knows, consciously or subconsciously, when part of life is ‘out of alignment.’ This misalignment will lead to a physical manifestation in the body. Pain, and even illness, is due to the natural organization of the matter of the body being compromised in some way.

Of course, outside forces can tangibly contribute to physical misalignments. This can be seen from injuries that occur through acute or long term actions. One thing we like to discuss with our patients is the ability to see that imbalances can also arise from intangible forces.

One of the easiest correlations is the idea of stress. Being in a state of stress also affects the mind and the perception of oneself. This ‘force of thought’ then dictates the posture of the body. People who come in for chiropractic treatment at our clinic in Colorado Springs will often have a classic stance that includes misalignments within the shoulder and neck area. The obvious interpretation is that tension is caused by the upper body hunching forward, and the activated fibers of the trapezius muscles are creating strain on the cervical spine and shoulder girdle.

Our whole body approach of chiropractic treatment in Colorado Springs also considers the manner in which mood and disposition, or ‘intelligent force,’ can influence such a situation. From a psychological perspective, stress generates a hypervigilant state which induces the sense of a need to protect oneself. Depression can also result in a feeling of smallness of self. The hunched posture that is common to stress can be seen as a direct response to both these feelings.

When you hunch forward, you are protecting your chest and your heart space, thus effectively shielding it from possible threats. The curving inwards is also an attempt at making oneself smaller and more compact, and is a manifestation of the depressive state.

Through chiropractic treatments, Life Symmetry Chiropractic is dedicated to the idea of not only correcting the physical results of these manifestations, but also helping patients release the ‘emotional intelligence’ that perpetuates them. The result is a progressive form of healing, which allows for physical relief, but also utilizes the principles of force, intelligence, and matter in order to educate patients about personal habits that can facilitate the path to wellness.

I know that I have blogged about gratitude before, but it is a message that bears repeating. And I saw something recently that brought it back to my attention, so I wanted to revisit the subject. Gratitude is powerful in maintaining a healthy outlook in life.

The practice of gratitude is as old as time. Gratitude has an amazing ability of helping us not just to be happy but in many aspects of our life. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may know about gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. It is in our nature’s to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. Just like obtaining any trait that we do not already have, it takes work.

Remember gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Bad things happen in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. When you turn on the news, you hear enough about the bad things and rarely about the good. So to truly be balanced we need to specifically seek to find and remember the good.

There are many things to be grateful for and they can be big or small: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, flowers, our health, family. What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Practice Gratitude

• Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
• Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.
• Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine to say something you are thankful for.
• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
• When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
• Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, and express thanks for gratitude.

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work. And in turn this leads to a healthier life as well!

Pain is the primary way the body tells you that something is wrong. But did you know that an ache or pain may appear somewhere other than directly where the issue resides? Understanding what the body is saying is key to finding the right healthcare approach to help with the problem. Life Symmetry Chiropractic looks at all of the body’s symptoms to narrow down the possible locations.

Neck and Upper Back

Pain does not necessarily show itself right over the spot in the body that’s injured. Due to the interconnection of muscle and nerves, the pain someone feels may be indicative of an injury somewhere else. For example, headaches could be the result of upper neck strain or injury. This is one of the most common causes of headaches in a work setting. An accident that jars the neck or poor posture while doing desk work can cause the nerves in the cervical spine (upper neck) to become irritated. The result is interpreted as a headache. Treatment of the muscles and nerves in the neck make the headaches go away.

Back Pain

Thoracic and upper lumbar back pain can indicate stress on one or more of the cushioning discs between the vertebrae. A sudden twisting of the back can bring this on. Sitting for long periods with bad posture can weaken the back muscles leading to easier strains. Age and some illnesses can affect the ability of this cushion to act as a shock absorber for the back. Nerves surround the spine and any injury can trigger a pain response up and down the back. The pain can radiate away from the spine making diagnosis challenging. Pain in the shoulder and down the arm can indicate an issue in the spine.

Lower Back Pain

This is one of the most debilitating and variable types of pain. Large groups of nerves take off from the lower spine into the pelvis, hips and legs. Aching or sharp pains can occur due to lower back stress or injury. A sharp pain radiating down one leg can indicate a “slipped disc” in the lower back pushing against the nerves going down that leg. Now truly a disc cannot “slip” but it can bulge or herniate out and press against nerves. As a chiropractor in Colorado Springs, this is one of the most common conditions seen. It is often the result of a lifestyle that requires sitting for long periods. Back muscles are forced into non-ergonomic positions and become strained. This does not give the low back the support it needs and can lead to a disc injury.

Pay Attention to the Pain

While it may be tempting to “tough it out”, ignoring back and neck pain can result in more damage and longer recovery times. The next time you have a headache or sharp pain anywhere along your spine or down your legs, stop and pay attention. Find out where the pain is really coming from and get it treated before you end up incapacitated for days or weeks.