For growing bodies, calcium is vital. From birth until about age 18 bones are forming and growing. Calcium in essential for this process. As children grow, it is equally important that their diets remain calcium-rich. The calcium provided to bones early in life helps to determine how well they will hold up later in life.

Kids should have their calcium everyday without fail. Especially with the onslaught of processed carbohydrates and sugars depleting their calcium and magnesium levels. Note that in most cases calcium enriched milk, or other similar products will NOT meet the calcium needs of a growing body no matter what the marketing says.

My office stocks several forms of calcium. Your child can be tested for the right form of calcium for his or her body. This is important because calcium supplements are not all the same – there can be wide variations introduced by different sources. Call (727) 446-1141.

Adjusting a child is not a difficult procedure. In fact, in most cases, a child’s spine is much easier to adjust than an adult’s. They have not had the long- standing subluxations of older bodies, their muscles are usually not as tense and they are usually more relaxed in general than adults.

Not only are kids easier to adjust, but also in most cases, they hold their adjustments for longer periods of time and their corrective adjustment plans are almost always significantly shorter than the average adult. However, with the falls, accidents and the generally active lives most kids experience, regular check-ups are vital.

Chiropractic adjustments are generally painless. Children may, on the first visit or two, be somewhat reluctant. However, they rarely hesitate to get on the table to be adjusted, especially when they see that visiting the chiropractor is a family affair. When they see Mom, Dad and their brothers and sisters getting adjusted, they are usually more than willing to be checked for subluxations too.

The care of children and teenagers is my special area of interest. I love kids and it’s great to see them happy and well. If they have never had an adjustment before, I will talk to them and put them at ease. In fact, in a very short period of time, most kids really look forward to their regular chiropractic visits. So go ahead and schedule a check-up for your child with the office at (727) 444-1141. And did you know, I also deliver school physicals as needed?

At some point in your life you have probably experienced back pain of some nature. Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office and recently the number one reason for missed work. Most cases of back pain are mechanical and can be alleviated with a chiropractic adjustment.

Dealing With Back Pain

The back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments*, and muscles. You can sprain ligaments*, strain muscles, rupture disks*, and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain. While sports injuries or accidents can cause back pain, sometimes the simplest of movements, like picking up a pencil from the floor, can have painful results. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and stress can cause or complicate back pain.

Back injuries are a part of everyday life, and the body is quite good at dealing with these often "pulled" muscles. These very minor injuries usually heal within 1 or 2 days. Some pain, however, continues.

Common reasons may include stress, mood changes, bad diet, lack of exercise and even the fear of further injury that may prevent you from being active. In addition, sometimes a painful injury or disease changes the way the pain signals are sent through your body, and, even after the problem has gone away or is inactive, the pain signals are still being sent. Chiropractic adjustments would assist in restoring proper communication by relieving irritation or choking of nerves caused by misalignment of the spinal joints.

What Can You Do to Prevent Long-Term Back Pain?

In addition to any other measure a chiropractic adjustment will give you relief. Together we can also work on reversing negative conditions to actually improve the condition, rather than just relieve it. Your pain will often result from mechanical problems that I can address. Many of my patients with relatively long-lasting or recurring back pain feel improvement shortly after starting chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic spinal manipulation is a safe and effective treatment. So there is no reason to put it off and live with the pain. Early treatment can help prevent degeneration and arthritis.

How Can You Prevent Back Pain?

1. Don’t lift by bending over. Instead, bend your hips and knees and then squat to pick up the object. Keep your back straight, and hold the object close to your body.
2. Don’t twist your body while lifting.
3. Push, rather than pull, when you must move heavy objects.
4. If you must sit for long periods, take frequent breaks and stretch.
5. Wear flat shoes or shoes with low heels.
6. Exercise regularly. An inactive lifestyle contributes to lower-back pain.

How to Get That Body Working the Way You Need It To!

So you need some of the basics to get your metabolism working with you. Well, let’s go over some basic information on metabolism.

Every time you swallow a bite of sandwich or sip a protein drink, your body works hard to process the nutrients you’ve eaten. Long after the dishes are cleared and the food is digested, the nutrients you’ve taken in become the building blocks and fuel needed by your body. Your body gets the energy it needs from food through a process called metabolism.

What Is Metabolism and What Is Its Function?

Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body’s cells. Metabolism converts the fuel in the food you eat into the energy needed to power everything you do, from moving to growing. Specific proteins in the your body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions. In fact, thousands of metabolic reactions happen at the same time – all regulated by the body – to keep your cells healthy and working.

Here’s an example of how the process of metabolism works in your body – and it begins with plants. First, a green plant takes in energy from sunlight. The plant uses this energy and a molecule called cholorophyll (which gives plants their green color) to build sugars from water and carbon dioxide. This process is called photosynthesis.

When you eat plants, or animals which have eaten plants you body takes in this energy (in the form of sugar), along with other vital cell-building chemicals. Your body’s next step is to break the sugar down so that the energy released can be distributed to, and used as fuel by, the body’s cells.

In this way, the process of metabolism is really a balancing act involving two kinds of activities that go on at the same time – the building up of your body tissues and energy stores and the breaking down of your body tissues and energy stores to generate more fuel for your body functions.

SUSTAINABLE METABOLISM METHODS:

So how can you help your body metabolize food?

1. Eating foods high in sugars, refined carbohydrates and starch are only useful for short bursts of energy. In the long run these foods run your body down. Try eating a chicken salad for lunch instead of a sandwich, avoid bread and pasta and eat more vegetables and protein foods such as eggs, meat, yogurt, etc.
2. If you feel hungry when you cut down on the sugars and starches try increasing your water intake. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day will help you sleep better and help your body function better. Drinking water helps you eat less if you are overeating. (It is optimum to NOT drink with the meal but to rather drink the water separately.)
3. Try a basic enzyme product to help your digestion. An example of a good enzyme supplement is included in the next article.
4. Get regular exercise. If you think you don’t have time maybe try walking to lunch instead of driving. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Try eating lunch at a place slightly further from work than usual and walk there briskly.
5. And last but not least, keep your nerve flow and communication to vital organs in your digestion system functioning by getting a chiropractic adjustment. Subluxation, the irritation or choking of nerves at the spinal joint due to misalignment, can cause vital messages between your nervous system and organs to be inhibited and cause digestive failures. I recommend a monthly adjustment to keep your nervous system functioning and in communication.