We are
Americans and Americans suffer from back pain! According to the CDC about 80%
of patients will have back pain at some point. 80%! I don’t know about you but to me that’s a
pretty big number. If you are reading this, that probably means that you or
someone you know suffers from back pain.
Based on these numbers writing about back pain seems like an obvious
topic. The key here is to remember that pain is a warning sign that something
is WRONG, and that treating the source of the pain instead of masking the
symptoms should be the priority.
So what
causes back pain? Let’s use the most politically correct answer that we can
here: “Well that depends!” Other doctors may break down the causes of pain in
different ways, but for the purpose of simplicity lets break it down onto these
five categories. Keep in mind that back pain is rarely caused by just one thing
and these categories are just for discussion and may overlap. This list may
also not be exhaustive.
1.Internal conditions
2.Overuse
3.Trauma
4.Degenerative changes
5.Inflammatory conditions
If you
suffer from back pain it’s a good idea to get in to see your health care
provider sooner than later. Here’s the
deal. Even though many cases of back pain do end up being easily treated, there
are sometimes when back pain can be a sign of something serious going on the inside.
I invite you to learn more about the five main reasons people suffer from back pain. Will you get our free ebook?
*Disclaimer: Please remember that it's impossible for me to diagnose you and treat you just by you reading one of my articles. I'm superwoman it's true, but even that is beyond my capabilities. So before you engage in any health and wellness activities, do consult your health care provider. Please know that we are happy to address your personal concerns, just call us in office to schedule your personal consultation; and thanks ever so much for reading. We appreciate you.
Discussions with our patients often include what supplements they are taking. Some patients complain that they aren't seeing the promised benefits form their supplement regimen and often the problem can be easily pinpointed and rectified!
Here are 5 tips for ensuring that the supplements being taken are doing what they should do and that they are not just a waste of money.
1. Is it really once daily?
Some supplements provide their best effect when taken as a divided dose (twice or even three times daily) while others are easily dosed once daily. Read the instructions carefully and discuss the dosing with your health care provider to ensure safety and efficacy.
2. Is the dose only one pill?
Some supplements, especially whole food vitamins may require a number of pills be taken to arrive at the
correct dose. Many patients are accustomed to one a day vitamins and end up taking far fewer of these pills than would be able to provide the required effect. Check the directions for the correct dosing instructions.
3. Should it be taken with food?
Some supplements cannot be well absorbed unless taken with food. Other supplements may not be well absorbed when taken with food or may have reduced effectiveness when taken with some food or beverages. Talk to your healthcare provider about when best to take certain supplements to ensure the supplement is not loosing effectiveness.
4. Taking it often enough?
Very often patients forget to take their supplements every day. Another common complaint is that patients forget to buy new supplements when they run out and so go for several days without their supplements. Not taking enough may not provide the results needed.
5. Does it work well alone?
Sometimes vitamins and minerals don't work on their own and need to be in combination to ensure their efficacy. Eg: Calcium and magnesium work well together. Vitamin D often is found in combination with K2.
BONUS: Are all those supplements necessary anyway?
Many patients take supplements recommended by friends, family, the internet and other sources. Upon close examination of many supplement regimens there may be unnecessary supplements as well as supplements that may be contraindicated or may interact with other things they are taking. Having your health care provider evaluate your supplement needs is usually the best way to go about starting a supplement regimen.
Getting your nutrients from your food is always advisable however sometimes additional supplementation is necessary. Choosing natural, organic whole food supplements wherever possible is also shown to improve absorption and efficacy of many supplements.
To make it easier for our patients, you can now purchase your supplements on our blog or website. www.saporitochiropractic.com. Just click on the shop supplements link!
For more information or to schedule a Nutrition Therapy appointment, please call us at 860-596-1491.
From as long
as I can remember I always knew I was destined for healthcare but being a
chiropractor is a second career for me.
I started out early on thinking just
like I imagine most pharmacologists and aspiring pharmacologists think: that I
was going to be a super hero and develop a super-drug that cured something
huge! I worked in various divisions of three different large pharmaceutical companies and also one university all this for over a decade. Over the years though, you know, through research and interactions with actual patients, it became clear that about the majority of chronic conditions can be managed with lifestyle
interventions.
The more I spent time with actual patients, real people with
real concerns, what stood out for me was that many of them (not all but many,) didn’t
seem to need a new super drug at all. What became obvious was that most needed to learn how
changing their lifestyles would influence their condition and they needed the
tools to help themselves. I would have to say the search for a holistic
solution started there.
I did my research and found out that
chiropractors are the number one holistic health care providers in the
USA.I also remembered the excellent
results that friends and family had with their chiropractors over the years. I
would eventually have my own very positive experience of my chiropractors
helping me with my severe pain, and so my decision was made easily. I finally
came home one day and told my husband that I wanted to quit my well paying job
in pharmacology to go back to school. I knew about how the body functions, about biochemistry and pharmacology, but I needed to learn holistic patient care
I quit my lucrative
job working for the pharmaceutical industry. Like I said, I had been in the industry for over 10 years.
Going back to school as a mature student posed its own challenges but I can
truly say it was worth every moment. Chiropractic school proved to me that
there is a growing movement of people who are willing to try more conservative
options to care before pulling out the heavy hitters – the drugs, the surgery.
Choosing
my specialty was easy.Clinical
nutrition: helping patients to live healthier lives and treating chronic
conditions through nutrition therapy – well that was a no brainer for me,
that’s what I had wanted all along! I have since made a commitment to dedicate
the rest of my professional life to helping people realize that, they can live
healthier pain free lives. And in this age of improper use of narcotic pain
relievers, I offer patients an option for pain relief that is efficacious and
100% natural.
My reminder to you for 2021:
You can live a happier, healthier and even longer life. It is possible for most patients with pain to #bepainfree! I invite you to CLICK HERE to get our Free Ebook:
PS: *Disclaimer: Please remember that it's impossible for me to diagnose you and treat you just by you reading one of my articles. I'm superwoman it's true, but even that is beyond my capabilities. So before you engage in any health and wellness activities, do consult your health care provider. Please know that we are happy to address your personal concerns, just call us in office (860-589-1491) to schedule your personal consultation; and thanks ever so much for reading. We appreciate you.
I know that the last year was truly challenging in so many ways. I just wanted to reach out to remind you that it is January 6th but not too late.
No matter how old you are, no matter where you are in life, It's not too late to live the best version of your health that you can, here and now.
So take a moment, close your eyes if you can, and think about this: If your health was ideal, if you could wave a magic wand and change everything in a snap; what does the picture of your ideal health look like?
I've been talking to a lot of patients about this sort of thing recently. They have been saying things like:
"With the pandemic I've gotten out of my routine, and I just need to get back on track."
or
"I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired."
Is this sounding like you? If it is, you are not alone. Often we feel alone in our trials. I'm here to tell you that it is not just you, you are not alone and you may have options that you never even thought about.
Ok I'll be honest, It's not a diet or a challenge. If you are like me then I know you don't respond well to those things either :) Instead it is an introduction to a totally different way of approaching your wellness.
If you are ready to step fully into a version of you that is healthier, happier and living life more vibrantly with less overwhelm and more energy thenclick here and lets get started.
Over the next 7 days we are going to focus on the foundations of optimal health. You will have the opportunity to determine your optimal health and develop simple strategies for implementation. As a result you will feel excited about the possibilities as you take action. But wait, there's more! After your 7 days, we can talk about your personal transformation.
Let me tell you about one of our patient's, we'll call her Sarah. By the time Sarah came in she had gained significant weight and had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. She was overwhelmed, overtired and over it! She truly felt as though her diagnosis was something she was going to have to live with forever and she came in because someone told her about me, about how I had suffered similarly and had come out on the other side.
Sarah figured, might as well give it a chance. She had a problem. She truly wanted to and was committed to changing. But... I think she truly turned the corner when she surrendered to the idea that there is a different way to approach health. Last time I saw her, she didn't have an appointment, just stopped in to say hi. She looks and feels great and basically wanted to say thank you.
There are so many stories that I can share, I'd love to share your story too some day soon. If you are ready to change the status quo and think about health a different way, then I'm ready too. Lets do this together. CLICK HERE
Happy New Year. We wish you a happy and healthy 2021.
I'm going to be honest with you: 2020 threw me a bit of a curve ball as far as my health and wellness resolutions were concerned. As the year started I did my daily yoga practice and got into the gym a few days a week for spin classes, which I love, and to work out with my trainer, which is also something I enjoy. Then the pandemic hit, we were in lock down, and suddenly I had no more spin classes and could no longer see my trainer! Que Horror!
For many the New Year comes with resolutions to be healthier and that for many may include weight loss aspirations. Many of us are familiar with the dreaded weight loss plateau. It’s not a myth! The weight loss plateau affects almost everyone on a weight loss program at some time or the other! It can be disheartening! You are working so hard at losing weight and suddenly after losing several pounds it seems as though nothing is happening!
Keep reading to learn more about how to continue progressing with your goals!
The initial large scale weight loss seen by many dieters is due to glycogen break down and water loss but eventually as muscle is lost, metabolism slows down and so does weight loss. Here are 5 simple tips which may help you back on the downward slope toward your weight loss goals!
"7 day Launchpad to optimal you" - It is a Health and Wellness Challenge.Are you ready to kickstart your health & wellness for 2021? Are you ready to get back on track? Would you like us to do it together? Join me for free!
1.Don’t stop! Don’t give up!
Studies show that for many patients, a modest weight loss of just 10 lbs improves long term health and well being significantly. Keep this in mind every day as you continue on towards your goal of a trimmer healthier version of yourself. Getting discouraged will only set you back and prevent you from realizing your goal, so keep the vision of where you want to be firmly fixed in your head and know that you CAN do it!!
2.Reconfigure your exercise program
Now that we’ve gotten beyond the pep talk and you are ready to tackle this small hurdle once more, take a careful look at your exercise program. You may feel as though you are doing all you can but there are always ways to get creative in order to get more from your work out. Building muscle is key at this point, as muscle cells have a higher metabolic rate than fat cells which equals more weight loss. Look at your endurance workouts, can you add in more speed intervals and hill intervals in your daily run? Talk to your trainer about increasing the weight bearing and resistance exercises that you are doing.
3.Calories? What calories?
Talk to your nutritionist or healthcare provider about reducing your daily caloric intake by about 200 calories. This may be the kick start you need to get back on track, but be sure that your daily caloric intake remains at a level that is safe for you.
4.Focus on Food: Food from Plants that is!
Even though fruit is nature's candy, in the case of Fruit Vs The cookie, the fruit wins hands down! This is the time to ensure that secret calories are not creeping unannounced into your diet! Fill up on fruits and veggies! At least 12 servings per day of veggies is recommended.
5.Do the math: 50:25:25
Of your daily calories perhaps 50% may be allocated to carbohydrates. Eat high fiber complex carbohydrates like fruits vegetables peas and beans, and if you must have grains, make them whole! 25% of your calories could be low fat protein options. Reducing animal protein sources and opting for lean plant protein options may be the way to go at this time. 25% fat means good fats such as nuts, avocados and olive oil. Generally at this point avoiding processed foods Is a great idea.
6.Bonus
As I mentioned, I am on my own journey to be healthier. This year I am going back to including more exercise, reducing food from animals and increasing plant based foods in my diet. I am looking forward to seeing improvements in my numbers that we can all see with improved lifestyle choices:
1)Improved Metabolism
2)Improved cardiovascular health
3)Improved blood sugar levels
4)Weight loss of on average 28 lbs in 10 weeks
5)Reduction of body fat by over 6%
In 2020 I managed to get on my yoga mat every morning which was good for my mind as well as my waistline but have been missing my time in the gym. Add to that all the pandemic binging - yes I also had my share of that- and you realize that 2020 was not an ideal situation; And so for 2021 my resolution has to do with crafting and doing my workouts at home. I have an app, I have a trainer that I can work with virtually, I have some new equipment and I have a plan.
I'll let you know how it's going and I invite you to join me for the:
"7 day Launchpad to optimal you" - It is a Health and Wellness Challenge.
Are you ready to kickstart your health and wellness for 2021? Are you ready to get back on track? Would you like us to do it together for free?
I continue on my own journey I will keep you posted.
*Disclaimer: Please remember that it's impossible for me to diagnose you and treat you just by you reading one of my articles. I'm superwoman it's true, but even that is beyond my capabilities. So before you engage in any health and wellness activities, do consult your health care provider. Please know that we are happy to address your personal concerns, just call us in office (860-589-1491) to schedule your personal consultation; and thanks ever so much for reading. We appreciate you.
If you’ve read anything I’ve ever written, or if you have
met me, you know that it is my fervent desire to always be focused on
happiness. My happiness to be sure, but also to use my platform as a way of spreading
happiness, joy and …love… and all that airy fairy stuff.
Well guys, here we are in the middle of something that we
couldn’t have predicted a year ago. We are social distancing; all but essential
businesses are shut down; we are cloistered in our homes; we may be running out
of toilet paper; and hand sanitizer hoarders are now a real thing. Those of you
who have been preparing for the zombie apocalypse are probably doing the “told
ya so dance” right now.
For someone like me who’s always talking about happiness,
how do I even deal with this level of crazy that we are finding ourselves a
part of right now? I deal carefully, thoughtfully and deliberately. What I know
for sure is that we can maintain our happiness in this troubled time. I’m not
talking about putting a happy face sticker on a terrible situation. What I mean
is reaching for inner peace instead of panic. I’m not suggesting we spend our
days LOLing at those hilarious quarantine memes and gifs, even though they are
super funny. What I am suggesting is being able to reach for inner joy in times
of crisis and being unshakable in our determination to think the best thoughts
we can in each moment no matter what each moment brings.
That sounds difficult. How does one even go about doing
that?
Please know that I’m not in any way simplifying the reality
of this and for those adversely affected I want you to know that my heart goes
out to you in this time. What I have found is that in times of good and plenty
and in times of adversity, sticking close to these 5 steps for happiness has
been sustaining and life giving for me. I am writing this in the hope that it
may bring someone some peace in this time.
1)What do you believe?
It took me a long time, many years in fact
to come to this way of thinking. I grew up in a very traditional sort of family
and so I was never taught that we create our own existence. Sure I learned that
if you put your mind to it you will succeed and that hard work results in
success, but at no time was I taught that thoughts become things. That what we
focus on is what manifests. It took me seeing that first hand and even playing
with the manifestation process to actually realize that what we are putting out
there energetically is what we get back. I’d tried all the other ways of being
that I was taught and I wasn’t seeing the results and so I decided, ok, this
screwy idea sounds…well… screwy but I might as well try being happy and
focusing on inner peace and watching to see what happens. I had in the past
just had emotions based on what was showing up in my life. If things were great
and the sun was shining, then I’d have a big smile and if things were going to
the dogs, then my mood would be too. This ground breaking idea of not letting
the circumstances of your life be the reason you feel the way you feel just
seemed crazy to me, but reading book after book by guru after guru saying the
same thing encouraged me to at least give it a 30 day money back trial. That
was many 30 days ago. And TBH there have been ups and downs on this journey.
Every day is a new day with this and that leads me to step 2.
2)Practice
What I can absolutely say is that I’m still
a work in progress every single day. Like I said, I didn’t learn this way of
being growing up. What I learned and what was modeled to me was: There are some
things that are just beyond your control. What I know now is I always have
control over my emotions and how I choose to feel in any given situation. That
doesn’t mean that unpleasant things don’t happen at all or that I look at the world
through rose colored glasses. It means that because I am practicing every day
to maintain my inner peace, on the days when I need it most I’ll be better able
to weather the storm. It’s just like anything else.
I remember when my baby
(now 5 years old and in kindergarten) was learning how to creep. That little
sweetie made me laugh so hard! He could only creep backwards. He was determined
though, if he wanted to go get something, he would calculate its location in
his little baby brain and then back his way towards it. I’m pretty sure that in
11 years when he goes for his driving test he will ace reversing! Anyway, he
kept trying to go forward, and one day he got a little green talking dog
stuffed toy named SCOUT. Scout had been programmed to say his name, it had
flashing lights, and it could sing songs for him that included his name and all
kinds of features that are catnip to babies. When he saw Scout for the first
time, his desire to creep forward had never been greater, he had tried and
tried, he had practiced, sometimes getting a few inches forward before moving
backward again, but this time all his practice paid off: he moved forward all
the way across the room, grabbed Scout (who promptly went into his mouth,) and
he hasn’t looked back since.
I’m constantly sharing stories of my crazy kids
and their shenanigans but I share this to say that reaching for inner peace
during a crisis may not come easily, but we have this overwhelming desire to
feel better when things are at their worst and so it’s probably the perfect
time to practice. But how? You can practice emotions. True story!
Let’s try
this: close your eyes and think about something for which you are truly
grateful. It could be hugs from your kids, amazing support staff or a lovely
life partner. Whatever it is that is meaningful for you, close your eyes and
focus in on the gratitude you feel. The object of your desire may not have been
in the room with you while you visualized your gratitude, but that did not stop
the warm feelings from flowing into you did it? We can do this with almost
anything, it just takes knowing how, focus and practicing.
3)Morning and daily routine
I’m going to share with you what worked for
me; What helped me to build my happiness muscle. And I’ll say again, we are all a work in
progress, especially me, but I’m better today than I have ever been. This was
recommended by one of my most trusted mentors and I have to say this may have
been the game changer, no, life changer for me.
a)Morning Routine
There is a little space in the morning when I wake up, when I know I’m
awake but before I start planning my day and going off on all my tangents. I
try my best to get control of my thoughts in this space and consciously project
thoughts of appreciation and gratitude. Appreciation for another day, for
health, for my family, for my internal plumbing working the way it should as I
rush off to the bathroom. Once I’m squared away, I try to introduce some
movement / exercise. Usually yoga works well for me at this time and then I spend
a few minutes meditating. I do a spot of journaling and then I listen to
something inspirational to help set the tone for my day. This means for me that
I have to get up a bit earlier so as not to be disturbed by my little ones but
the time is worth it, and I notice that on the days that I miss incorporating
this routine, that navigating challenges is a little harder. I also avoid all
media, social and otherwise during this time. The emails will still be there
when I’m done!
b)Daily Routine
One of my mentors is a coach and teacher of universal law. She introduced
me to deciding how I want to feel before I move into each different portion of
my day. For example walking into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for my kids
before getting them on the bus, I want to feel efficient and in flow; As I
drive to work I want to feel safe and secure; As I treat patients I want to
feel in flow and knowledgeable; when I return home to my family I want to feel
love and joy …and patient; going to bed I want to feel relaxed and in
gratitude. You can break this down into even smaller chunks of time, but what
this ensures is that you are at all times paying attention to how you feel.
c)Don’t beat yourself up
There are days when my morning “glow, “lasts longer than others. On some
days I’m rushing so much that I’m not paying attention to how I want to feel
and wander into uncomfortable emotional territory. On some days, things just
overwhelm me. That’s ok. Let us please not beat ourselves up for not being
happy enough! Every day we have an opportunity to continue our practice and
every day our happiness muscle builds and gets stronger, helping us handle the
toughest situations with ease calm, peace and grace.
4)Taking care of you
We’ve all heard that you can’t pour from an
empty cup and that you should put your mask on first before helping others.
These are not just platitudes. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to reach
for happiness, it may elude us because of something physiological. Have you
ever noticed that when you feel healthier, well rested, well hydrated, when you
are fed, you have exercised and when you have avoided negative people places
and things, that you just feel amazing, like you could conquer the world?
Let
me just put on my physician and recovering researcher hat here for a minute to
let you know that yes there is a change in your brain and body chemistry in
response to all these things. I won’t bore you with the details, at least not
in this article. Just look it up on PubMed though, I kid you not, these things
affect how you feel, not just physically but also emotionally. So let’s make
sure we are doing all we can to maintain our health in this time.
Let’s lay off
the quarantine snacks for a minute guys! Now is the time to infuse our diets
with healthy plant based foods, (great news, so far the produce aisles continue
to be STOCKED, there is a run on TP but not on fresh veggies!) Let’s not skip
meals even though we aren’t on our regular schedule. Let’s supplement our
health with key nutrients. In times like these a quality multivitamin, Vitamin
D, Vitamin C, a quality antioxidant, omega 3’s and probiotics, to name a few, can
go a long way. Make sure we are getting quality sleep. With our schedules
upended, we may be tempted to stay up late nights binging streaming TV, or
reading or whatever. That is fine, just make sure you are getting enough quality
uninterrupted sleep. In the colder months we can be tempted to let our
hydration fall by the wayside. Don’t forget however, that we are about 70%
water and we can’t run many of our repair reactions nor can we eliminate waste
successfully without water. So drink up during this time. Try to get about ½ oz
per pound of body weight - that is on average about 64 oz per day.
We might
find that we have more time in our schedule for moving our bodies, so let’s do
it. Exercise releases endorphins as well as dopamine and serotonin in some
cases. These are all chemicals produced by our bodies that can help us feel
better naturally. Doing some yoga, going for a walk in nature, joining a
virtual group exercise class, going for a run or even lifting weights in the
basement all count towards helping us feel better. And as for keeping the
negative influences in life to the barest minimum, well, that’s just good
sense. All that being said, if you suffer from not just situational depression,
but clinical depression, incorporating these ideas as well as working with a
professional counselor can be tremendously beneficial.
5)Community
I’m a firm believer that we don’t have to
go it alone and that everything is easier with a collective of likeminded
supportive individuals. On our journey to improving our lives through this
season that we are currently in and beyond, success is so much more likely when
we can ask the audience or phone a friend. In this time when social distancing
is mandated, let’s look for opportunities for heart and soul connecting. It is
my hope that we exit this crisis better than we were at the very beginning.
That we rediscover what is truly of value in our lives, that we look for the
opportunity and silver linings in all of this and reach for innovation and
deeper purpose.
My offer to you:
I am the curator of “The
Happiness Mastermind.” Most of us go to webinars, listen to talks, read
articles and all sorts of other self help activities, and at the end of the day
we go back to living our lives as usual. For most of us moving forward
successfully is most likely when we have a container of support, and that is
what the happiness mastermind provides.
If you would like to go through the step by
step, exactly how to live a happier life even in times of trouble, and you
would like to have a group of likeminded supportive individuals for
accountability, conversation and support, then I invite you to join us.
Reaching out to all of you with love in this challenging time.
Based on guidelines, we continue to support the community as “Essential Providers.” We are open in office, and available through our tele-medicine portal to support all of our patients.
We are taking every precaution regarding disinfecting and protecting patients. If you need to be seen in person, please call on the phone at 860-589-1491
Thanks so much for your support during this challenging year. Be safe and be well for 2021.
Regards in health
Dr. Davia H. Shepherd
Saporito Chiropractic
PS: For more information about guidelines please click the link below:
