Magnesium, are you deficient?

Magnesium deficiency is present in nearly 80% of Americans, which is a scary fact when you realize magnesium plays an important part in the body’s most metabolically active organs such as the brain, heart, liver and kidney.  The body needs a 1:1 ratio of calcium vs. magnesium to function correctly.  Most multivitamins typically have less magnesium than the body actually requires. Unless you are eating whole, natural foods such as tofu, legumes, seeds and green leafy vegetables you are most likely not gettting enough magnesium from refined and processed foods.

Calcium causes our muscles to contract and magnesium causes them to relax. This means an incorrect ratio of these two can cause your muscles to be tighter, go into spasm and are often the cause of those terrible “charlie horses” in the calves. Although calcium gets all the headlines, magnesium is far more important for many people.

Low levels of magnesium in the diet and in your body increases susceptibility to a variety of diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones, insomnia and menstrual cramps. Signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency are fatigue, irritability, weakness, muscle cramps, problem in muscle contraction and predisposition to stress. It is recommended the average person consume 300-400mg daily of magnesium.

A supplement I highly recommend to people is CALM made by Natural Vitality. Its a powder form of magnesium that is put into water and ingested typically at the end of the day. It is not a sleep aid, however it does relax the body and sleep is often reported as being improved.  Again, that is magnesium working in conjunction with calcium to calm and relax the muscles.

By Dr. Dana Laridaen, D.C.
Need a Santa Monica Chiropractor? Consider seeing me for a chiropractic visit on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica.

For more information visit our website and profile on Google+.

www.o2chiropracticandwellness.com
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Essential for Individuals Who Work Out and/or Have Soft-tissue Injuries

Fibrin rescues us whenever our bodies are injured. Fibrin, shaped like long threads, interlaces together to form a barrier over the site of injury.  This barrier is critical for preventing wounds from deteriorating even more and allows the skin to become healthy again.  Imagine you are cut, fibrin is what binds the wound back together to prevent further bleeding.

Once the wound is healed, our body will naturally clean up the fibrin from the site.  This clean up process uses proteolytic enzymes to get rid of the excess fibrin on the soft tissue.  However, our bodies aren’t working in perfect conditions and such clean up is minimal.  These tissues stiffen and form masses that interfere with our normal range of motion and function.  This is when we begin to feel pain, inflammation or re-injure ourselves from the accumulation of fibrin tissues, also known as scar tissue.

Luckily we can support the clean up process by increasing our intake of proteolytic enzymes.  These enzymes break down fibrin masses, increase blood circulation, reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system.  Unfortunately, your regular diet alone won’t overcome the drop in natural enzyme production as you age and even the best naturally occurring proteolytic enzyme food sources are not a significant part of our normal diet.  Our bodies naturally produce these enzymes yet when we eat predominantly processed foods and lack a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, or simply not chew food well, our bodies rarely have the ability to produce enough enzymes.  Therefore, most people will benefit by supplementing their diet with these enzymes.

My best recipe to conquer scar tissue is to take enzymes and use the foam roller (see blog post here).  When you use these supplements in conjunction with the foam roller you will break up fibrin built up around overused muscles and increase tissue turnover.  We stock these enzymes and foam rollers here at the office, so come by and pick them up.

By Dr. Dana Laridaen, D.C.
Need a Santa Monica Chiropractor? Consider a chiropractic visit to see me on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica.

For more information visit our website and profile on Google+.

www.o2chiropracticandwellness.com
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Wellness Care Means Optimum Health

Wellness care is a general term we all have heard but I’m going to explain what it really means. This type of care begins by you taking responsibility for your own health. Everyone has their own unique needs in order to experience optimal well being. This being said, some people need to correct diet and weight issues, while others need to become more physically fit and exercise more. Other people have diseases that are genetic such as heart disease, diabetes, back pain, headaches, etc., and some just want to slow the aging process as much as possible.

The point I want to get across to you is that there is no “quick fix”.  Below I will discuss a list I have compiled of factors you need to look over and see how they are addressed or not addressed in your own life.

1. Education– Know why you are having pain, discomfort, problems sleeping, weight issues etc.

2. Mobility – If joints and muscles of the body are not operating in their full, normal range or if muscles have become soft from disuse, optimal energy cannot be experienced. These issues are to be addressed by specific training or exercise that can be taught and performed in a home program.

3. Diet- This means eating well, not less and finding the correct balance for you.

4. Vitamins- The American Medical Association came right out and said that “Everyone needs extra nutritional supplements”.  This is important considering many prescription medications produce loss of specific vitamin combinations. Many people have also chosen to remove certain foods from their diet but have not considered the need to supplement for the missing nutrients.

5. Body Movement-  Do something you enjoy that requires body movement. This doesn’t mean you have to join a gym. Just get out there and move! There is not one activity worse for you than smoking tobacco, but the consumption of excess food and alcohol can become the second worse activity you choose.

I enjoy talking with patients during their visits to find out what they are missing in their life in regards to activity, nutrition, vitamins and sleep. Everyone has unique lifestyles so I enjoy helping each patient find ways to make small changes or modifications to their life to improve it.

By Dr. Dana Laridaen, D.C.
Need a Santa Monica Chiropractor? Consider a chiropractic visit to see me on Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica.

For more information visit our website and profile on Google+

www.o2chiropracticandwellness.com
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