Warm Water and Lemon

What you do first thing in the morning is very important. If you make time for at least one morning ritual you can improve your health. Warm water and lemon is part of Chiropractic Health’s practitioner routine as it helps to:

Improve your immune system: Lemons are high in vitamin C which is essential for fighting colds.

Balance pH: Lemons are alkalising for the body. With many processed foods consumed in modern society our bodies turn into an acidic state.

Aid digestion: Warm water stimulates the gastrointestinal tract and lemons are high in vitamins and minerals which help to detoxify the body.

Act as a gentle diuretic: Lemon juice helps to flush unwanted toxins by increasing rate of urination – less stagnation of unwanted materials within the body.

Hydrate: Water is extremely important for body processes. Being dehydrated may lead to body fatigue, constipation, stress and so much more.

Why Exercise

Exercise helps to promote an overall feeling of “wellness“. It helps to develop and maintain lean muscle mass which leads to increased fat burning. It increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR), and therefore, your fat burning capacity.

Exercise improves:

• Circulation
• Bone density
• Endorphin production (regulates pain response and relaxation)
• Blood pressure
• Sleep quality
• Ability to manage stress
• Blood sugar levels
• Flexibility/mobility
• Strength
• Muscle tone
• Energy levels

Here are some exercise tips:

• Aim for half an hour each day
• Generally for fat loss, exercise is most effective first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Eat within 1 hour after exercise.
• Vary your routine – try walking, swimming or cycling.
• Ease into your exercise program – don’t do too much, too soon.
• Remember – “No gain when in pain!” Avoid exercise that becomes painful.
• Don’t forget to warm up before exercising and cool down afterwards.
• Use stairs where you can – avoid escalators/lifts.
• Walk the long way home and utilize hills where possible.
• Invest in a set of 1-2kg dumbbells or resistance bands – you can do a full-body workout with just these simple pieces of equipment.
• Stretching the body will increase flexibility and reduce your risk of injury.

What is stopping you?

• Is your energy low? You may need vitamin or mineral support.
• Are pains and aches getting in the way? You may need a musculoskeletal assessment.
• Do you need help with motivation? Talk to us about diet and lifestyle.
• Do you have trouble finding out which exercise is fitting into the day? We can talk to you about ways to fit it in.

Tummy Time

In 1994, the Back to Sleep campaign was established and recommended that parents place their infants on their back while sleeping. Since then there has been a positive reduction in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, chiropractors are now noting a rise in Plagiocephaly which is flattening of the cranial bones from prolonged back lying.

Unfortunately, it is not an aesthetic issue, chiropractors are seeing the effects of Plagiocephaly such as developmental delays and poor tone in infants.

Parents should note the importance that Tummy Time plays on a child’s development. This ensures they are lifting and turning their head. Chiropactors suggest at every nappy change, Tummy Time should occur for atleast 30 seconds. The lifiting of the infants head aims to stimulate the nerve pathways at the back of their neck improving the messages which travel to and from a part in the brain involved in cognitive (attention and language processing) and motor (muscle strength) development.

Boost Your Immunity

Now that winter is upon us we need to prepare our immune systems for the cold, flu and cough season. Naturopath’s suggest warming foods, hot drinks, supplementation along with plenty of rest.

If your immune system needs a boost, a naturopath will recommend dietary, nutritional and herbal support.

1. Fruits for boosting immunity
2. Immune system boosting vegetables
3. Herbs and other natural supplements
4. In addition, a naturopath may recommend specific vitamins and minerals as immune system boosters.

As well as recommending healthy foods, herbs and supplements, a naturopath will also give advice about substances to avoid. These foods often contain high levels of unhealthy sugars and fats and low levels of nutrients.

Stress also have ruinous effects on the immune system. Stress reductions strategies to boost immunity may include regular exercise, meditation, breathing exercises or just time away from a stressful environment.

Keep Your Iodine Levels Healthy: Critical Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Advice

Let’s face it: pregnancy and breastfeeding can be really hard on our body, depriving us of normal vitamin and mineral levels we take for granted any other time. Your body, after all, is working harder to nourish your child and ultimately, to fuel your child’s physiological development.

One mineral that has been falling to low levels in pregnant and nursing mothers is iodine. So dire has the situation gotten that doctors have been voicing their concerns in papers published in some of the world’s leading medical journals.

From the research conducted concerning the low iodine trend, doctors are coming to a clear consensus.

Iodine supplements are essential for pregnant and nursing mums!

Iodine is absolutely important for growing babies and their mums, because it is essential for thyroid hormone production and foetal neurodevelopment. The thyroid gland helps keep metabolic processes kicking along nicely, and a deficiency of iodine can result in illnesses for you, that can also harm your baby.

Iodine helps babies develop neurologically, and a low level of iodine in pregnant women actually increases the likelihood of retardation in children. Iodine deficiency causes preventable mental retardation all around the world.

So what can you do to increase your iodine?

Although iodine is naturally found in dairy products, seafood, eggs, bread, select vegetables and iodised salt, your body will see iodine levels fall during pregnancy and breastfeeding. That’s why it’s best for you to find a good quality iodine supplement, geared specifically to pregnant and breast feeding mums.

You’ll find what you need by visiting a Naturopath.

The current recommended daily dose of iodine for pregnant women is 220mcg of iodine, so a supplement is definitely your best bet for yourself and of course, your baby.