A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in trans fat can protect you from developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

5 Ways You Can Fight Inflammation

Numerous studies have established the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet. While it won’t cure diseases caused by chronic inflammation, what you eat can help you reduce inflammation. Here are a few simple changes you can make to your diet — changes that can also contribute to improved mobility and overall health.

1. Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables. Doctors have long extolled the virtues of fruits and vegetables, and not just because they’re full of vitamins and fiber. They also contain a powerful mix of anti-inflammatory substances. Eat tomatoes, cherries, leafy greens, blueberries, and strawberries to get a healthy dose of these substances.
2. Fats Matter. Saturated and trans fats can boost inflammation, so switch to olive oil, nuts, and fish for sources of healthy fats.
3. Don’t Be Too Refined. Highly refined carbohydrates like white rice and white bread cause a spike in blood pressure, which in turn causes your body to produce more cytokines. Cytokines are proteins, some of which cause inflammation in the body.
4. Easy on the Alcohol. Having an alcoholic drink lowers levels of C-reactive protein, another protein linked to inflammation, but take it easy: levels go back up after drinking too much.
5. The Spice of Life. The way you season your food can also quell inflammation. Try adding turmeric and ginger, which both fight inflammation.

The Mediterranean Way of Eating

The Mediterranean diet is a well-known example of an anti-inflammatory diet plan. During the 1960s, residents of that area had among the highest adult life expectancies in the world, as well as low incidence of heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.
Based on the traditional eating habits of residents of Crete, Greece and Southern Italy, the diet generally includes lots of fruits and vegetables and fewer servings of meat and dairy products.
Cuisine in the Mediterranean starts with olive oil, since olives are cultivated there. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which are considered a healthful dietary fat. The diet also emphasizes foods rich in polyphenols, antioxidants, and fiber. Selectively eating complex carbohydrates such as whole grain pasta and avoiding refined carbohydrates like white bread is healthier than cutting out carbs altogether, according to dietary research.
The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are backed by research. In one study, men with prostate cancer had a significantly higher chance of surviving the disease if they followed the Mediterranean diet.

Staying Close to Nature

Eating foods that are closer to their natural state, like fresh vegetables and fruit, and avoiding highly refined or highly processed foods are likely to make you feel better and help you fight inflammation, according to research. An anti-inflammatory diet may protect you against diseases that decrease your quality of life and your life expectancy. Whether you follow the Mediterranean diet or make a few simple dietary swaps, reducing inflammation is an important step to overall wellness.
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Chiropractic may have a positive impact on hypertension
Really!! High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) affects 1 in 4 Americans.*  You or someone you know probably has it. Now, am I suggesting that Chiropractic is a cure for high blood pressure/hypertension?  No, no at all.  Should you stop taking your medication and go to the Chiropractor for your hypertension problem?  Definitely not.  However, recent research out of the University of Chicago suggests that Chiropractic adjustments to a specific area of the neck can lower specific types of  blood pressure an average of 14 mm/hg systolic (the top number) and 8 mm/hg diastolic (the lower number).**
“How is this possible?” you may ask.  Medical Textbooks teach us that the brain and nervous system control every function of the body.  The base of the brain/top of the spinal cord controls much of the pressure regulation mechanism of our circulatory system among other things.  The first bone in the neck, called the “atlas” (or C1) can put pressure on the base of the brain and spinal cord and create dysfunction of the vascular system causing an artificial pressure increase.  When the bone is moved (micro millimeters) by a Chiropractic adjustment, pressure is taken of the brain and spinal cord and normal function resumes according to the study.
This kind of research isn’t as far-fetched and surprising as it may seem if we think more about it.  Chiropractors work with headaches, neck pain, upper back pain, low back pain, sciatica, hip pain, and numerous other conditions in the same basic manner as the Doctors in the blood pressure study.  Chiropractors treat patients every day with the understanding that the nervous system does indeed control and coordinate every function of the body.  That is how we have consistently achieved the great clinical outcomes over the last century.  This research piece shows that very relationship at work.
In the same breath,  that in no way means that every condition is a Chiropractic case.  However, a healthy nervous system will always contribute to overall well-being no matter where you stand on the health continuum (aged, young, sick, well, etc.)  Every day, more and more research is showing a consistent relationship between a healthy nervous system and a better functioning body.
So, when under chiropractic care, it is essential to follow recommendations through your care plan for maximum benefit.  In addition, as you have read, it can also play an important role in affecting other systems of your body and help with overall health and well-being.  Continuing with wellness care is your choice and can most definitely affect your quality of life in a positive manner for years to come!
*Harvard Health Services
**“Chiropractic Cuts High Blood Pressure”, Journal of Human Hypertension (2007) 21, 347-352.

Estimates of 75%-97% of Americans are “chronically dehydrated.” So does this mean that Eight 8-ounces of H20 isn’t enough? Well-Yes! (unless you weigh 128 lbs and don’t exercise-I’ll explain later.)
So how much water do you need? This is a daily conversation in my office. We have always been taught that adequate water consumption is 64 ounces or eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. But even this seems like an astonishing amount of water to consume for some people. So let’s see how much water you need each day.
First, take your body weight and divide by 2 (or half your body weight). This number represents the amount of water that you need in ounces. Let me show you an example. Take an individual who weighs 180 lbs. That person would need 90 ounces of water daily. DAILY? Yes, daily!
At first consuming this amount of water will force you to use the restroom 5-10 times a day. But don’t worry, your bladder is partially muscle and will be trained to hold larger amounts of fluid without sending the signal to race to the nearest restroom.
The best way I have found to track my daily progress is to do the calculation of needed water daily and fill a jug of water with that amount. Each day drink from that container and monitor your intake. The first week or so, it may be difficult. Believe me, every cell in your body will benefit from this added hydration.
Do you need to consume an additional amount of water when exercising? Yes, you do and the amount of water is dependent on the type and intensity of the exercise. Generally, the water that you sweat will need to be replaced and so monitor your exercise accordingly.
As for the rest of the story:
I prefer drinking spring or filtered water over tap/bottled water. Next, if you have a glass container, use it. Glass has been shown to be the least toxic for long term storage of fluids. Room temperature water will be better than hot or cold fluids. Drinking higher quantities may improve your metabolism. Water is a basic building block to wellness, and staying hydrated will not only help you perform at your best but will also keep your body in top shape!