Family Life Chiropractic Center

09/03/2025

🌿 Wellness Wednesday: Your Vitamin A, B, C's
Welcome back to our Wellness Wednesday series where we break down the basics of essential vitamins.

● What Do B Vitamins Do?
The B-complex is actually a group of 8 different vitamins that work together to keep your body running smoothly. They help with:
⚡ Converting food into energy
🧠 Supporting brain and nervous system health
💪 Red blood cell formation (important for oxygen transport)
💤 Regulating mood and reducing fatigue
🌱 Supporting metabolism and healthy skin, hair, and nails

● What Happens If You’re Deficient?
B vitamins are water soluble, so your body doesn’t store them well. This means, it is very important to get a regular supply. Deficiency symptoms can vary depending on which B vitamin is low, but may include:
Fatigue or weakness
Anemia
Tingling in hands/feet (nerve issues)
Mouth sores or cracks at the corners of the lips
Brain fog or mood changes

● Good Food Sources:
Each B vitamin is found in slightly different foods, but overall:
Animal-based: meat (especially liver), fish, poultry, eggs, dairy
Plant-based: legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, leafy greens
Fortified foods: cereals, nutritional yeast (especially important for B12 if plant-based 🌱)

● Recommended Daily Intake:
Needs vary by vitamin, but here are a few examples:
B1 (Thiamine): Men 1.2 mg, Women 1.1 mg
B6 (Pyridoxine): Adults ~1.3–1.7 mg
B12 (Cobalamin): Adults 2.4 mcg

💊 Pro tip: Since B vitamins are water soluble, your body flushes out the excess. However, deficiencies, especially B12, are common, so check with your healthcare provider if you suspect you’re low!

08/06/2025

🌿 Wellness Wednesday: Your Vitamin A, B, C's

Welcome to our new Wellness Wednesday series where we break down the basics of essential vitamins. Today we’re starting at the top of the alphabet with Vitamin A!

What Does Vitamin A Do?
Vitamin A plays a major role in:
👁 Supporting healthy vision (especially night vision)
🛡 Strengthening immune function
🧬 Promoting cell growth and repair
🪖 Aiding skin health and mucous membrane integrity

⚠️ What Happens If You’re Deficient?
Vitamin A deficiency isn’t super common in developed countries, but it can still happen in individuals with poor diet or gut absorption issues.
Signs include: Night blindness, dry eyes or skin, frequent infections, and delayed wound healing.

🥕 Good Food Sources:
Animal-based (preformed Vitamin A): liver, eggs, dairy products, cod liver oil
Plant-based (beta-carotene, converted in the body): carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, red bell peppers, mangoes

Pro tip: 🫒 Vitamin A is fat-soluble, so pair your veggies with a healthy fat (like extra virgin olive oil) to boost absorption!

✅ Recommended Daily Intake:
Men: 900 mcg
Women: 700 mcg (Higher needs during pregnancy & breastfeeding)

💊 Always check with a healthcare provider before starting any supplement. Too much Vitamin A (especially from supplements) can be harmful over time!

05/28/2025

🌿 Wellness Wednesday: Cold Laser Therapy
Ever heard of Cold Laser Therapy (also known as Low-Level Laser Therapy or LLLT)? It's a modern, non-invasive treatment that uses low-intensity light to stimulate healing at the cellular level.

🔬 How It Works:
Cold laser therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to pe*****te the skin and interact with tissues. The light is absorbed by mitochondria (the energy powerhouses of our cells), which boosts ATP production (energy), reduces inflammation, and speeds up cell regeneration. All of this leads to accelerated healing and pain relief without any heat or damage to the skin.

👐 Common Conditions We Treat with Cold Laser:
✅ Spinal pain (neck, mid-back, lower back)
✅ Osteoarthritic joint inflammation (shoulders, knees, wrists, ankles)
✅ Disc herniations & sciatica
✅ Soft tissue injuries like sprains, strains, or overuse injuries
✅ Tendonitis, bursitis, plantar fasciitis
✅ Nerve conditions such as carpal tunnel or peripheral neuropathy

📅 Interested in Learning More?
Contact our clinic to find out how cold laser therapy can be part of your personalized treatment plan!

04/23/2025

😴“Go With Your Gut... to Sleep!” 🌿
Ever feel like your gut is trying to tell you something? Turns out, it might be whispering, “Let’s get some sleep!”
Recent research shows the trillions of microbes living in your digestive tract (aka the gut microbiome) plays a surprisingly big role in how well you sleep. Here's the scoop:

🧬 Your gut bacteria aren’t just hanging out, they’re working overtime to produce compounds like these that help you catch those Zzzs:
Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs): Made from fiber, they help regulate sleep.
Serotonin: A mood booster and sleep rhythm helper (bonus: 90% of it is made in your gut!).
Melatonin: The OG sleep hormone.
GABA: A calming chemical that helps quiet your brain for bed.

🥗 Want better sleep? Feed your gut:
Fiber-rich foods (veggies, fruits, whole grains) = happy microbes
Healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, fish) = gut diversity
Polyphenols (berries, tea, dark chocolate) = microbial magic

🔁 Here’s the twist: bad sleep messes with your gut microbes, and an unhappy gut messes with your sleep. Just another reason to make sure to get those 7–9 hours a night!


Source:
Sejbuk M, Siebieszuk A, Witkowska AM. The Role of Gut Microbiome in Sleep Quality and Health: Dietary Strategies for Microbiota Support. Nutrients. 2024 Jul 13;16(14):2259. doi: 10.3390/nu16142259. PMID: 39064702; PMCID: PMC11279861.

04/09/2025

💧 Wellness Wednesday: Stay Hydrated, Stay Healthy 💧
Did you know that chronic underhydration could be quietly impacting your long-term health? Not drinking enough water triggers water conservation mechanisms in the body that increase water retention and concentrate urine. This cascading impact can eventually lead to other problems in the body linked to higher risks of chronic diseases, premature aging, and even early death.

Over 50% of the global population drinks less than the recommended daily fluid intake. So how much should you aim for?
👉 Women: ~2.7 liters (about 11 cups) per day
👉 Men: ~3.7 liters (about 15 cups) per day
(Includes all fluids, not just water!)

Small daily changes like carrying a water bottle, adding fruit for flavor, or setting reminders can have big impacts over time. As temperatures trend upwards and we start to work outside more frequently, building these habits now is as important as ever!

✨ Drink up, and thrive! ✨


Sources:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-024-00817-1
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

03/31/2025

If you struggle with neck stiffness, pain, or tension headaches, isometric neck exercises and targeted stretching can help! One of the most common troublemakers is the levator scapulae—a muscle that connects your shoulder blade to your neck. When tight or irritated, it can lead to discomfort, restricted movement, and headaches.
✅ Isometric Neck Exercises strengthen the neck without excessive movement, reducing strain and improving posture.
✅ Stretching the Levator Scapulae helps relieve tension, increase mobility, and improve overall neck function.
Try this:
🔹 Isometric Neck Hold – Gently press your head into your hand in different directions (forward, backward, and side to side) for 10-15 seconds each.
🔹 Seated Levator Scapula Stretch – Sit tall and hook one arm onto the bottom of your chair to anchor the shoulder down. Slowly tilt your head to the opposite side until you feel a stretch along the side and back of your neck. For extra stretch, pull the head further down with the free arm. Hold for 20-30 seconds per side.
Incorporate these into your routine to help keep your neck strong and pain-free!

03/05/2025

Wellness Wednesday!
Winter is Ending—Are You Low on Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for bone health, immune function, and calcium absorption. It’s produced when your skin is exposed to sunlight, but during winter, reduced sun exposure can lead to deficiency. An estimated 1 billion people worldwide have low vitamin D levels, putting them at higher risk for osteoporosis, increased falls, and fractures. Some studies even suggest that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and depression.
So how much sun do you need? Even 15-30 minutes of midday sun (between 10 AM and 3 PM) on your face, arms, and legs can help your body begin to produce vitamin D. However, factors like skin tone, location, and sunscreen use can affect how much you actually absorb.
In order to help prevent deficiency when adequate sun exposure is not possible, adults under 65 should aim for 600-800 IU of vitamin D daily, while older adults should get 800-1000 IU. Adding vitamin D-rich foods like fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified dairy to your diet—or considering a supplement—can help restore your vitamin D levels.
Spring is the perfect time to check in on your health and ensure you're getting enough of this crucial vitamin. A little sunshine can go a long way! 🌿☀️

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532266/ https://www.bcm.edu/news/how-to-get-vitamin-d-without-spending-too-much-time-in-the-sun

Vitamin D is vital for numerous bodily functions. While sunlight is the primary source of vitamin D, record high temperatures this summer may dissuade...

02/19/2025

🚨Everyone feels stressed out sometimes, but what happens in our body when stress becomes a part of every day life? Buckle up, it's time for some Wellness Wednesday neuroscience 101! 🚨
🧠The amygdala is a part of your brain that acts like an alarm system. It helps you process emotions, especially fear and stress. When the amygdala detects a threat, whether it’s a real danger, stress from work, relationships, or daily life, it sends a signal to the hypothalamus. This signal activates the stress response system and triggers the release of stress hormones like:
🔺 Adrenaline – Increases heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
🔺 Cortisol – Keeps your body on high alert by increasing sugar in the bloodstream and suppressing non-essential functions (like digestion and immunity).
👉 The Problem? When stress is constant, your amygdala stays overactive, and these hormones remain elevated for too long. This can lead to:
❌ Heart problems (high blood pressure, artery damage)
❌ Weakened immunity (getting sick more often)
❌ Anxiety & depression (brain changes affecting mood)
❌ Weight gain & sleep issues (cortisol disrupts metabolism and rest)
🔹 Bottom line? Chronic amygdala stimulation=chronic stress= serious health risks. Managing stress through relaxation, mindfulness, and exercise helps calm the amygdala and protect your health! 🔹

Further Reading: http://health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

02/05/2025

Today's Wellness Wednesday topic is focused on resolving a problem I see every day in my patients... TENSION. The thing is, many people don't even realize the tension is present until I point it out to them. That's where Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) comes in.

PMR is a simple technique that helps your body shift from stress mode (fight or flight) to relaxation mode (rest and digest). By tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups, PMR helps you reduce stress, relieve headaches, improve sleep, and even boost athletic performance!

✨ How to Do It:
✅ Start at your toes and work your way up (or vice versa).
✅ Tense each muscle group for 5 seconds, then relax for 10 seconds.
✅ Focus on how your muscles feel as they release tension.
✅ Repeat until your whole body feels lighter and more at ease.

Whether you're at work, stuck in traffic, or winding down before bed, PMR is an easy way to calm your body and mind. CONSCIOUSNESS is key when it comes to keeping tension at bay. Give PMR a try today!



Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/progressive-muscle-relaxation-pmr