Nutrition and Chiropractic Care: What’s Their Connection?
When it comes to treating aching or painful joints, changing and improving your diet isn’t likely the first thing that would come to mind. Chiropractic is the treatment you’d probably think of right off the bat, treating aching joints and the overall musculoskeletal system using physical and hands-on therapy. So, how does it relate to what you eat?
Getting adequate nutrition is crucial health behavior, encouraging optimal musculoskeletal health. These two are interwoven to the point where even the littlest nutritional mishap can adversely affect all the work you’ve done. That’s why when seeking chiropractic care, you must be mindful of how many calories you consume every day.
How Nutrition Affects the Spinal and Nervous System
Although many wouldn’t think of it, nutrition is a very crucial component of chiropractic care. That’s because when people consult with professionals regarding the treatment, most of them seek relief from physical issues in their body. However, most of these are usually the cause of poor nutrition.
For instance, if you consume high amounts of sugars and empty calories every day or find yourself regularly eating processed and junk foods, you can experience severe inflammation in your spinal and nervous system—leading to severe joint pain. Although getting natural treatments can provide relief from swelling, it makes sense that you should deal with the root cause of the issue aside from getting treated.
With that in mind, here’s a brief explanation of how nutrition can impact your spine and nervous system’s health.
When you eat and your body processes the food, it naturally takes the essential nutrients and distributes them throughout your different body parts. The musculoskeletal system, including your spine, usually gets the bulk of nutrients, including vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, and protein. All these are crucial for your muscles and bones’ long-term health, especially those that get manipulated during adjustments and manipulations.
Calcium, protein, vitamin D, and magnesium are elements that essentially work together to improve bone health and stronger muscles. Additionally, they may prevent chronic medical conditions and diseases that may affect the spine and your nervous system. That’s why eating healthy is crucial because if you eat foods without the nutrients you need, your bone and muscle health will eventually deteriorate in addition to the daily wear and tear they go through.
Diet Changes and Its Impact on Chiropractic Treatment
It’s no secret that not getting enough nutrition can affect your overall health, but among other things, it severely affects the body’s muscle density the most. It also affects your body’s ability to repair muscles and the functionality of your nervous system. So, in essence, improvements in your diet will determine how receptive your body will be to adjustments or manipulations.
Several direct correlations between nutrition or diet and recovery are made possible by adjustments, manipulations, and other natural treatments.
These include:
Supports Injury Rehabilitation – Following a diet rich in antioxidants and lean meat can help you fight internal swelling, providing your body with enough resources to repair cellular damage.
Reduces Back, Shoulder, and Neck Pain – Being overweight can place additional strain on your musculoskeletal system, and losing weight by following a balanced diet may relieve this excess pressure on your spine and joints.
Increases Energy and Reduces Fatigue – Processed and junk foods can often leave you feeling exhausted. Making simple dietary changes can make you feel more energized.
Proper nutrition is all about nourishing your body from within and reducing your risk for developing illnesses or injuries—and making simple changes can help you reap the benefits of your treatments better.
A Balanced Diet and Chiropractic Care
Implementing a balanced diet to your treatment plan is crucial, especially if you’re looking to treat your whole body. You’ll likely see the benefits extend beyond your spine and nervous system, helping you experience an increase in energy to decrease other symptoms unrelated to their specific program. Plus, professionals can help you understand how to correctly supplement your diet if you don’t have the means to eat appropriately balanced foods every day.
Although diet recommendations differ per patient, the common goal in nutritional diets in your chiropractic treatment is ensuring a healthier lifestyle long-term and preventing inflammation. You can achieve both by making sure there’s plenty of fiber in your diet. These include eating healthy foods like avocado, apple, broccoli, oatmeal, and pistachios. The suitable amount of fiber you should get is 20 to 35 grams every day, reducing your cholesterol while keeping blood sugar levels at a healthy range—and reducing or preventing inflammation.
Foods to Avoid
Meanwhile, just like with everything else, there are some things that you should avoid, and in this case, foods you need to avoid at all costs. If you’re looking to get the most out of your treatment program, besides eating the right types of food to help you enjoy long-term benefits, certain types can stand in your way.
Prohibited foods are usually those packed with refined sugar or artificial sweeteners and extremely unhealthy additives like high-fructose corn syrup. Not only are these foods bad for your teeth, but they can also contribute to inflammation throughout your entire body, bringing you back to square one. That’s because they can reduce or even stop the beneficial effects of adjustments and manipulation.
Additionally, you should avoid processed foods packed with trans-fat as these are significant contributors to inflammation. This restriction also applies to products rich in hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils like margarine.
Dr. Karl Yentz may have specific recommendations for the type of diet you must follow alongside your initial treatment plan. The difference in the food you eat can be attributed to your particular needs. However, no matter what issue you need to improve, there’s always a nutritional component that can improve your overall health.
He also offers several solutions or services for different conditions, ranging from spinal decompression, headaches, sports injuries to injuries due to car accidents.
Take the advice of Dr. Karl Yentz and begin focusing on your whole health and wellness. In the end, your body will thank you.
