Resolution Check

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Resolution Check

Now that we are a couple months into the new year (that flew fast didn’t it?), it’s time to check on the resolutions you set for the new year. Take a minute (or five) to reflect on your goals and the actions steps you have been incorporating to reach those goals. As you reflect, ask yourself three main questions:

1. Is my goal still the same? If so, then continue to focus on achieving that goal. If not, then focus your attention on what matters to you today. Perhaps you’ve already reached your goal – if so, then build on that success by shooting for something even better.

2. What is working well? What isn’t? If something is working well, then by all means keep up the good work. Also take a moment to reflect on why it is working well. By determining the why, you might be able to translate that success into other areas of your life. If something isn’t working, then now is the time to make an adjustment.

3. Is there anything we can do to help?  For years we’ve been helping folks improve their health through chiropractic care.  If there is anything we can do to help (even if it’s only a few words of encouragement), let us know and we’ll be glad to do everything in our power to help.

We want you to succeed! If the goal just isn’t panning out the way you thought it would, talk it over with Dr. Mark on your next visit.  Maybe he can help you make adjustments or get you moving a little faster towards that goal.  Don’t give up!

Dr. Mark Holliman and Staff

Protect your heart, protect your brain

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Protect your heart, protect your brain

What helps your heart can help your brain, too. Following a heart-healthy lifestyle can lower your chances of having a stroke, and it can also make a big difference in your mental abilities as you age.

In fact, getting plenty of physical activity, eating a healthy diet and other behaviors that strengthen your heart can have a profound effect on the way you think, how you act and what you remember.

“Most people don’t understand the connection between heart health and brain health, and as doctors we’re learning more every day,” said Ralph Sacco, M.D., chief of neurology at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and past president of the American Heart Association. “New studies have shown that the risk factors that can lead to heart disease and stroke, such as physical inactivity and obesity, also contribute to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss and cognitive dysfunction.”

Here’s what happens: Those unhealthy behaviors can lead to narrowing of the blood vessels. That reduces blood flow to the brain, and leads to hardening of the arteries of the heart and the brain.

When your brain doesn’t get the blood flow it needs, it can begin to malfunction. As a result, Sacco said, you could experience problems thinking, trouble with memory, difficulty finding your way from place to place and deterioration in cognitive function. If blood flow to the brain is abruptly blocked, you could even have a stroke.

“People often associate memory loss with Alzheimer’s disease, and they think it can’t be prevented or treated,” said Sacco, the first neurologist to serve as president of the American Heart Association. “But controlling your risk factors for heart disease can make a difference in slowing its progression.”

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Stroke ranks fourth, and it is also a leading cause of severe, long-term disability.

“Most of the time, like heart disease, it takes years of uncontrolled, unhealthy habits to wreak havoc on your brain, so it’s important to think about healthy habits as early as childhood and maintain them through adulthood and middle age,” Sacco said. “Many of these unhealthy behaviors translate to high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated cholesterol by the time you’re in your 50s.”

Regular chiropractic care has been found helpful in relieving pain patterns associated with a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and other lifestyle related diseases. 

While chiropractic treatment for neck and back conditions help reduce pain and restore biomechanical motion, the treatment also improves the function of your nervous system.  Additionally, research has shown that chiropractic treatments can be beneficial towards stabilizing or lowering high blood pressure.  Take a running start at improving your overall health by contacting our clinic for a complimentary consultation at 901-821-9312.