Hello, everyone! It’s Dr. Bob with Lowcountry Chiropractic. I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe! It’s a beautiful time of year and each day presents a new opportunity to be active and enjoy nature. Good weather and physical fitness are two conditions which can contribute to or subtract from a person’s quality of life. Similarly, brain function is another condition which greatly impacts how people complete their day-to-day responsibilities and respond to stressful situations. After the last year we’ve all had, it’s understandable many of us find ourselves more susceptible to stress. Unpredictable schedules and mass loss have weighed on all of us. However, heightened levels of stress can actually impair the executive function of the brain, which regulates concentration and emotions. Have you noticed you’re having trouble staying focused? Or controlling your emotional response to seemingly innocuous stimuli? Well, this may be an indication of decreased brain function due to stress.
According to a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, nearly half of the respondents said they felt the pandemic had increased their stress levels. For many, this led to unwanted weight gain or weight loss, coping mechanisms such as drinking, and terrible sleep. The less discussed and perhaps more insidious effect of stress is the burden placed on our brain. Excessive amounts of stress can cause us to feel foggy, unmotivated, and scattered. Many attribute this to anxiety and depression, but the truth is: impaired executive function actually precedes these states. Individuals who are struggling to focus on their work may internalize their inability as laziness or lack of interest. In reality, their brain is working quite hard to perform as it once did. The topic is important because, untreated, stress can worsen and have a negative impact on every single part of the body. From our mental health to our physical well-being, keeping brain function operating at a high level is in everyone’s best interest. Therefore, today, let’s discuss a few ways you can improve your brain function naturally. While many turn to stimulants such as caffeine for focus, and suppressants such as drugs for relaxation, these are temporary fixes which can contribute to health problems later down the line. Holistic remedies, like the ones I’ll share with you here, are beneficial in the long-term as well as the short-term. To begin, the anatomy of the human body is anchored by the central nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord, which descends from the neck to the low back. Sixty-two nerves branch out from the spinal cord and these make up the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system supplies organs, glands, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels with coded instructions that create optimal body functions. Now, though each aspect of these nervous systems is vital, the brain is the final say in each function performed by these systems. Think of the brain as the “master control.” It’s the window controls on the driver’s side. It’s the overriding command on a computer system. It’s the breaker box on the side of your home. The brain is able to place “child locks,” per say, on any function within the body. Therefore, it is essential the brain operates with maximum efficiency. For maximum efficiency, the brain must send timely signals through the nervous system to regulate the body’s functions. These mechanical, chemical, and electrical messages prompt necessary processes, including motor function, digestion, and even our heart beat. As well, the brain must intake, sort, and classify various signals from parts of the body. When you bump your leg or have indigestion, your brain must recognize these signals and respond accordingly. For these reasons (and more), ensuring proper brain function should be at the top of your to-do list. There are more than a few ways to do this, but we’ll begin with decreasing stress. This is perhaps the most intuitive of the tips I’ll share today, but can be difficult to implement to effect. Many of us have stressful jobs or home lives, which seem to preclude us from having more than fifteen minutes of peace. As well, there are many others whose peaceful lives were turned upside down from the pandemic. I understand. However, there can be no long-lasting change to brain function without stress management. Instances of frustration are commonplace and to be expected, but existing in a state of low-grade panic is disastrous for one’s health. In order to practice stress management, you must be able to self-identify when you are feeling stressed. This is relative for everyone. The feeling of stress coincides with the release of cortisol (and sometimes adrenaline) within the body. These hormones send the body into a fight or flight response. You may experience tense muscles, aching chest, an accelerated heart rate, stomach issues, irritability, or exhaustion. Many sufferers of chronic stress grind their jaw while sleeping or have high blood pressure, as well. And all of these symptoms are in addition to those mentioned at the start of this post. After you identify your stress response, you can begin eradicating stressors from your life. Taking a step back from work or delegating responsibilities within the home can be hard for some, but just remember you’re doing so for your health. Learn how to say “no” when you cannot handle additional tasks. Learn to distance yourself from those who consistently disregard your well-being and state of mind. Cultivate a peaceful environment in which to work and sleep, free of distractions. Limit news updates if you find these spike your stress levels. Express your feelings readily and communicate when you’re finding something difficult to handle. Take breaks. Take walks outside. Sit peacefully among nature. If you worry you’re wasting time, remind yourself you’re doing the much needed work of returning your brain to its baseline. Physical exercise can be an invaluable tool for managing stress. Research has shown those who are regularly physically active are less likely to experience decline in their mental function and have a lowered risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Now, to enable these benefits, at least 20-30 minutes of exercise is needed per day. Further, research has indicated stress and physical activity are inversely linked. This means people who are highly stressed are less likely to make an effort to exercise, while people who exercise regularly are less likely to be highly stressed. In order to reverse the relationship between the two, you must commit yourself to being the latter. Once you’ve learned to manage your stress, the other tips have the most beneficial effect on your brain function. Now, we’ve discussed subluxations and their impact on the nervous system before on the blog, but it’s important enough to say again. Misaligned vertebrae within the spine are called subluxations and these can impair nervous system function, as they compress nerves and impede signals from the brain. Obviously, with chiropractic care, these subluxations can be resolved. However, chiropractic care doesn’t just have an effect on the parts of the body which are targeted by the peripheral nerves. According to a study conducted by the Spinal Research Foundation, chiropractic adjustments increased brain activity by quite a lot! Participants underwent a brain scan before and after adjustment; and, after adjustment, they’re brains showed increased activity in the prefrontal cortex. Higher learning and cognition take place in the prefrontal cortex, and this area of the brain is responsible for: behavior, goal-directed tasks, decisions, memory, processing pain, eye movements, spatial awareness, and so much more. It’s normal for chiropractic patients to leave an adjustment feeling spry, awake, and able to take on the day. Now, we know this is more than just a feeling. It’s backed up by scientific evidence--chiropractic adjustment alters brain function by almost 20% on average. This increased brain function leads to improved coordination, muscle strength in lower limbs, control of pelvic floor, and mental agility. These findings are great news for individuals suffering from brain fog, an inability to focus, and trouble sleeping. Likewise, a healthy brain and well-performing nervous system bode well for the immune system, digestive system, reproductive system, and endocrine system alike! We here at Lowcountry Chiropractic are here to help. Send us a quick email or phone call. I’ll perform a thorough analysis of your situation. I hope this information was helpful to you! I look forward to seeing you and remember: I’m Dr. Bob and I have your back covered!
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The current state of the world is the hot topic that everyone is talking about right now. It's a topic I have been discussing, and I have some more tips and suggestions to keep you and your immune system healthy and strong.
Hey everybody! It's Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic. We're in the middle of this coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic. It's sweeping through the US right now, as you know. I wanted to re-reiterate some points from my previous blogs about the coronavirus that I have been talking about over the last couple of weeks. These are a few things that you can do as an individual to keep your immune system healthy so that you can better combat this virus. If your immune system is healthy, you may still get the virus, but your symptoms are going to be less severe. The risk of anything serious happening is going to be minimized. I wanted to reiterate a couple of things. The frequent washing of your hands, not touching your face and covering your mouth when you cough are all practices that we should be adhering to. In addition there are two supplements we need to be taking and sharing with others as much as we can! Our health, remember, is our responsibility and not somebody else's. So while you need to be listening to the government and local officials about social distancing and all of that, you still need to be worrying about your body as a whole. You need to be helping your body's immune system stay healthy and strong. IMPORTANT VITAMINS Vitamin D3 is produced by the skin when exposed to the sun. It is not plentiful in foods, so you have to take it as a supplement or be out in the sun to get it in your body. It's very inexpensive and I would recommend everybody start taking this supplement right away. I will tell you what I am taking right now. Normally, I take 5000 IU every day, but right now for added protection I am doubling that to 10,000 IU. The general rule of thumb is to take 1000 IU for every 35 lbs of body weight, or more if you are deficient. In my opinion, everyone should be taking a very strong dosage of D3. It has proven, in my body, to be amazing with my immune system. It helps defend against colds, flu, and allergies. If I were telling you guys what to do, that would be the first thing, vitamin D3! You can get it at any local vitamin shop, pharmacy or even Walmart. WELLNESS FORMULA If you do start developing symptoms of a cold, the flu, and so on, the next supplement you need to look into and start taking is The Wellness Formula. It's an amazing concoction of all kinds of vitamins like D3, echinacea, olive leaf extract, zinc, copper, elderberry extract, and more. It's amazing. It will get your immune system into hyperdrive to fight whatever it is that is attacking your body, including helping with symptoms of the coronavirus. CHIROPRACTIC CARE I want to emphasize that you need to get your body to a chiropractor. Why? Because chiropractic care has been proven to increase immune health by removing nerve interference in your body (since your nerve system directly controls the immune system). Enhanced immune function is the key to staying healthy. So what can we do practically to enhance our immune system so we can better defend against outside agents trying to attack our bodies? Chiropractic care! I hope these three tips help. I don't want people to go out there and panic. This is not a panic situation. You just need to take some practical actions. For as long as I have been taking vitamin D3, I have been talking to all of my patients about it. You will be amazed at how few people know about this amazing vitamin. But, I can guarantee if you take it, your immune system will thank you. If you are suffering, if you're hurting, or you just want to be protected, please do all the things I've suggested, and please come see me. We can get your spine right which will get your immune system healthier. Everybody take care out there. I'm Dr. Bob and I'll talk to you next time! Follow the links below to order some Vitamin D3 and Wellness Formula online! https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/vitamin-d3-5000-iu-100-softgels/vs-2823 https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/source-naturals-wellness-formula-45-tablets/sr-4041 We are still open for business and are considered essential. I also have a few tips and suggestions on how to keep your immune system healthy, so you can be as healthy as possible right now!
Hey everybody, it's Dr. Bob Salamon here at Lowcountry Chiropractic. By now all of you know that we are all going through some very difficult and stressful times. Emotionally and economically difficult times. So, I wanted to get a little preachy on you in this blog. Not too preachy, I just want to hopefully help you guys get through these trials that we are going through in our lives right now. We are all in this together, and that is one of the good things. No one's immune to this. We are all dealing with this. There is a scripture in the bible that I like, and it is very appropriate right now. It says, "In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose." What does that mean? Does that mean that every day we wake up it's going to be a good day? No. Does it mean that nothing bad is going to happen to us? No. It doesn't mean that at all. But, what I believe it does mean is that in the many different trials of our lives, that there is something good that God will use that trial for in our lives and in our communities. He will turn the bad into good. Unfortunately, sometimes we can't see that because we're not God, we are just human. But ultimately, at the end of it, we will see that there will be good things that come out of it. A couple of good things that are coming out of it right now are families growing closer. Parents are spending more time at home with their kids. There is more time to be a family unit. That's a good thing! Maybe that's what God is trying to do. He's wanting us to really get back into our community and get back into our families. The other good thing that is coming out of this is the support of the community. We just gave a bunch of food out at my church. People drove up and were given supplies. We are doing that every Tuesday morning from 9 AM to 11 AM at The Dream Center at Seacoast in North Charleston. If you need anything, please come. We have opportunities and should look to find opportunities to help or to serve somebody or do something good right now. All we are hearing right now on the media and in print is a lot of negative. I just challenge you all to do a few things.
The second thing I want to talk about is how do you defend yourself in these times? How do you ensure that you're as healthy as you can be? If you're as healthy as you can be, it doesn't mean you're not going to get infected. But, the odds are going to be a lot less. Even if you do get it, and you're in great health, you're going to get over it a lot quicker. We've talked about this before, and I will continue reiterating these things. But, I think it is always important enough to say it again that your health is your responsibility and no one else's. It is in your hands. So, you've got to do certain things to improve your immune function, especially now.
![]() The world, the media, and our daily lives have been deeply impacted by the coronavirus and the threat that could be heading towards the Lowcountry. With the panic and worry that comes from these types of situations, I wanted to take a moment to put the virus and the current state of things into perspective for you. Let's just take this one day at a time. Hey everybody, Dr. Bob here from Lowcountry Chiropractic. Today we are going to talk about a very hot topic; the coronavirus (COVID-19). What I want to do today is explain a little about it, about viruses, infections in general, and what you can practically do to protect yourself so you don't get infected. The coronavirus is a respiratory infection and is very similar to the flu. I want to start by saying that there is a lot of hype about the coronavirus. There is a lot of panic out there, and people are very worried about this situation. What I want to do is to try and be practical about all of this and put your fears to rest. I'm not trying to minimize how you might be feeling about it at all, but I want to put everything that's going on right now into perspective. How I plan on putting everything into perspective is by comparing coronavirus to the flu virus that we get in the US every year. Right now, roughly, there are about 140,000 coronavirus cases worldwide with 5,000 deaths. Just to put that into perspective, this year so far 35+ million people have been infected by the flu virus in the US alone and 20,000+ people have died. In the United States, the coronavirus has infected 1,800 people and 40 people have died. If you put all of this into perspective, the flu virus we get every year that no one really talks about anymore that has a vaccination, is much more deadly than what we are seeing so far with the coronavirus. I want to urge everyone to stay calm and to take precautions and that is what we are going to talk about today. What can you do to put yourself in the best place possible so you don't get infected? The CDC has a bunch of practical advice for anyone looking to prevent and prepare. I'll go through those points quickly with you. I'm sure you've heard all of these recommendations before, and many of them are no brainers.
Now, I'd like to talk a little bit about vaccinations. Right now there is no vaccination out there for the coronavirus. Until then, we need to be careful and apply caution. When there is a vaccination, how does a vaccination work? A vaccination is putting a dead virus into your body, causing the body to create antibodies to defend itself against the real thing if you ever come into contact with it. We've talked about vaccinations before. I'm not a big fan of them because at best they are on average about 33% effective. This is because the virus vaccination is made by taking three of the most common strains that we would most probably get, and the vaccination is made out of that. Sometimes a new strain appears that we have no vaccination against, and that is when those death numbers rise. Plus, you're putting a virus into your body, along with bacteria and other things like detergent and other questionable things that are found inside vaccinations. Absent from doing vaccinations in general, what I want to suggest is the fact that you can't kill viruses with antibiotics. They are very resilient. What you can do is get your immune system working better. You can strengthen your immune system and there are a couple of ways to do that! Supplements D3 is one of the best supplements you can give your body. The only place it occurs naturally is from direct sunlight. The only way it can enter your body is from direct sunlight or from taking this supplement. You can't find it in food or anywhere else. This particular supplement is small and inexpensive, and you can take it at a high dosage. What this supplement does is increase your immune system's response to things. It helps to fight off colds and flus, infections, and things of that nature. Right now you can take large doses, even double up on it. That is what I'm personally doing right now (5,000-10,000 IU/day). Taking a double dose won't hurt you. The body will get rid of anything extra it doesn't need or can't use. The Wellness Formula This supplement is chock full of immune building vitamins and nutrients. This you only want to take when you feel like you're coming down with something. You take this for a short amount of time to get your immune system into hyperdrive to defeat whatever it is that you're fighting off. Chiropractic Care Chiropractic care is very important. Why? How does it help in this situation? Remember the nerves in your spine control every organ, gland, blood vessel, skin cell, muscle, tissue, and system in your body among which is the immune system. That's the big one, especially in this particular situation. This is the system that helps keep you healthy. By keeping your vertebra in alignment, and your nerves functioning well, it keeps all other systems in your body working optimally. So, by going to a chiropractor regularly, even if you're not in pain, it's going to help keep your body healthy and prevent things like the flu, colds, sore throats, and other maladies that you might come into contact with. You know, we are all exposed to germs. Some people get sick, and some don't. What's the difference? There is only one. That one difference is how strong one immune system is compared to the other. If you have a strong immune system the likelihood of getting sick is less. Not to say you can't get infected, but it's going to be less than someone whose immune system is compromised. That's why most of the people who are dying from the coronavirus (and the common flu) are the elderly, or people who have a respiratory condition, or have a compromised immune system. The average age of someone falling prey to the coronavirus is around 80 years old. Their immune system is not strong. So if you are healthy and get infected with the coronavirus you will likely fully recover after getting some flu-like symptoms. This is the bottom line. You need to follow the practice steps the CDC has laid out, wash your hands, but on top of all that, the most important thing is to get your immune system working more efficiently and stronger. Following the three steps I provided can help you achieve that goal. I hope this blog has helped. If you feel like your body is not working at 100%, please come see us and we can chat, take a look at your spine, and help you get started to get to optimum health. Chiropractic care is extremely effective and it's all drug-free and surgery-free. I hope that helps! I'm Dr. Bob, and I've got your back covered! |
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Dr. Bob Salamon
8988 University Blvd., Suite 104 North Charleston, SC 29406 843-553-9383 bob.salamon@lcchiropractic.com |
Office Hours:
M, W, F: 10:00AM - 1:00PM & 3:00PM - 6:00PM Saturday: By Appointment Only Closed T, Th, Sunday |