Keeping hydrated does several things for us:

It is the primary cooling agent we have. 80% of our effort goes into cooling.Chilling!

Second,  it is the limiting factor in distance and performance. You can run all day without food. Not water!

How do you know if you are not drinking enough in an event? The first sign of dehydration is mental- Irritability. Later, muscle cramps from electrolyte loss can occur. Next,your performance can decrease or a slow rise in pulse for the same pace means your heart is working harder with less blood. Where did my blood go?- Fluids for sweat are pulled from your blood. Salting up on your clothes or face means your in trouble too. Start drinking right away. The latter signs are worse: Nausea and feeling hot means your close to heat exhaustion. Now your red-lining!

 Consider these facts:

An athlete can sweat  off 1 to 1.5 liters per hour. A mere one percent weight loss could impede performance.

 Two hours of sweating could be a 25 % reduction in cardiovascular performance.

Convinced yet?

The challenge  is replacing it. So, here are the basics.

                                             1. Find a fluid that  you like. Gatorade, Performax, Infinite,… the list is enormous.

                                             2. Try to intake 70-80 grams of carbs per hour in your fluid. You will get better at drinking with effort.

                                             3. Protein, chromium, and vanadium inprove insulin action during performance. So, if these are in your drink, it is even better. Protein in a one to four ratio with carbs is ideal but it has to go down easily. Modify one element at a time.

                                            4. Weigh before and after exercise keeping a log of the other factors: temp, humidity, wind, effort…This will help you adjust your intake.

                                            5. Plan your hydration: look at your log and compare this exercise / race with previous similar ones that have similar temperatures.  Come up with a plan. ” I need to drink two bottles in 90 min.” or “I can get three bottles down on the bike.”

When you get it right, you’ll feel good, recover well, and race great!

Obviously this is not easy. Give it some distinct effort. If you still have trouble, come on in and we’ll problem solve together.

There are many ways to help yourself reduce the throat burning and bad taste in the mouth. As long as it is an acid over production and not an improper enzyme production, these will help:

• Eliminate water or fluids during a meal. This is the number one issue. If a chunk of food shows up in your stomach and needs to be broken down, water dilutes your stomach acid floats enzymes off the food.
• Chew each bite extensively. Aim at twenty to twenty-five times per mouthful. This gives the stomach a huge assist by breaking food down mechanically, and using saliva enzymes, thus reducing the stomach acid needed.
• Don’t lie down after a meal for at least one hour.
• Reduce your simple carbohydrate intake. Try to cut it by 20%.
• Avoid spices. They  make it worse.

We have herbal digestive aids that are outstanding at helping your gut process foods properly. Call us if you would like to get advice:630-322-9522

Here are the tips for all you road warriors to keep your back out of trouble while you are driving:

• Keep your backrest upright. It should be close to a 90 degree angle  with the seat. It keeps you from “turtle-ing” your head forward.
• Keep the curve! Put a water bottle or a rolled towel behind your low back just about at belt height. This will keep your low back curve that protects your disks and muscles.  And,”No” , your fancy lumbar support mechanism in the car seat is not enough.
• Lift ‘em high! Adjust your seat to have your seat higher than your knees. This is more difficult in a sport coupe, easy in an SUV. It will improve your dispersal of pressure across your fanny.
• Keep the change! Modify your position often to keep blood flow from pooling.
• Give it a break! Stop and get out to do your stretches every 90 minutes or so. For example: Put one straight leg up on a stair or the bumper and lean forward (hamstring).  Then, try a heel to butt pull on your quad muscle. Also, try a lunge on one leg at a time to stretch out the hip flexors .

You will be much happier when you get there. So, have a great time and a healthier trip! Call if you need some personal instruction on these stretches. 630-322-9522

Think of gardening as a sport.

• Prepare for your “event” by planning your gardening: don’t get into four hours of gardening on your first outing. You need to build up your endurance! Plan for 45 minutes to start.  Rotate jobs – don’t do one thing in high repetition. I know there’s a lot to be done. I am trying to make sure you enjoy it tomorrow.
• Stretching your muscles will really help minimize the stress. Especially the muscles around your low back and hips. (There are great ones under the stretching section of this website).
• Don’t lift those forty pound bags of dirt, mulch, chips …Use a shovel and cut them open. Shovel them into a wheel barrow. Break it into small loads. Bending is where most of the damage occurs. Carry a load to the garden then disperse it before going and reloading. It will give you more recovery time. This will disperse the stress through other areas and avoid one muscle getting overdone.
• Proper tool use is important. Use the tool as it is meant to be used. Only use a tool that is in good working order.  Keep yourself close to your work. Don’t reach far away to lift, dig, pull or pry. If you can make a work surface to pot or mix on, you will save so much effort. A workbench or old door across fence corners will do nicely.

Now, if you do get hurt, don’t avoid the issue. Get ice on the area quickly to stop swelling and reduce pain. Rest. Chiropractic adjusting will promote the body’s natural healing as well. Enjoy!

Linda: “I am doing great. Thanks! I am going to refer my friends to you.”

Stanley:” I don’t know how people can get along without Chiropractic care. It’s a lifesaver!”

Mary: “ I love coming to the office. It is so peaceful.”

There are some great websites for help with getting gluten free.

theglutensyndrome.net looks very helpful.

celiacdisease.org is good too.

There is an incredible prevalence of gluten sensitivity. It has been implicated in the most obscure, previously misunderstood diseases. Mayo Clinic came out with a list of the diseases potentially associated with the exposure to gluten. In  Heptology , Vol. 46, No. 5

They list:

 cryptogenic cirrhosis,

 autoimmune liver disorders such as primary biliary cirrhosis, auto immune hepatitis type 1 & 2, autoimmune cholangitis

primary sclerosing cholangistis

chronic hepatitis C

hemochromotosis

non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

acute liver failure

and hepatocellular carcinoma

regenerative nodular hyperplasia

all these are associated with Celiac disease!

Also well known associations are migraine headaches,fibromyalgia, and autoimmune reactions of many kinds!

Roughly 30% of patients do not respond to becoming gluten free. They need additional help: Such as lymphocyte calming and repair of the damaged tissue before feeling better. We have the right stuff to help you repair!

If you have been suffering with a problem that seems dietary sensitive but you have been unable to diagnose it or find relief… come in and let us test you for sensitivities or gluten allergy.  630-322-9522.

]Where can we get this fiber? Fruits have it as do most vegetables. Psyllium husk is the most commonly used source, but flax seed, or flax meal (slightly ground seed) is even better. It contains omega-3 oils as well. Oatmeal, rye, wheat, millet, quinoa, and brown rice are good grain sources.

What does fiber for you? It is helpful to your gut by assisting the removal of toxins, fats and waste. It can bind cholesterol, fatty acids and old hormones. It can help regulate blood sugar, helping diabetics. It can comb through the gut to help the lining , preventing colon cancer and diverticulitis. It is even linked to lowering breast cancer. Fiber generally pulls water to itself and thus keeping the gut moving by bulk action. It collects waste like a broom and ushers it out of the gut.  So, either constipation or diarrhea can be improved with it.

According to the American Heart association, 29 grams a day for females and39 grams per day for men would be a good dose. If you decide to add a fiber supplement, start slowly. Build up over several weeks.

Still skeptical? Many patients use fiber to help with their health and then report weight loss! It helps you feel full cleans and adds stability to the colon health. Come in for a consultation to help address your concerns. 630-322-9522

Bed forward at the hips, dangle the injured arm down loosely. If  instructed by Dr. Bowers, hold a weight in your hand as well.  Sway your body around to get your arm swinging in small circles. Continue for a minute in one direction then reverse the direction (swinging around the circle in the opposite way). The intent is to have a passive arm and let the weight pull the arm “longer”.  This routine is done several times a day and 3-4 days in duration. You may hear small noises or feel little shifts. They should not be painful. If you run into painful clicking, contact  Dr. Bowers.  

After your pain reduces, you will be moving to the Diagonal exercises aka ” the sword and the beer”. You’ll find these on our website as well.

Stay consistent! Press on. Let’s get this arm better!

These are the key checkpoints you must hit:

1. Pain free at rest

2.   90% the range of motion can be achieved without pain.

3. Stretching of the area completes the missing range of motion.

4. Mild exertion is achieved without pain or instability.

Now you can try some activity with it! Build your strength now. You may still need to brace it during your activity, so talk to Dr. Bowers about your goals and schedule @ 630-322-9522.