Do you need to use nutritional supplements?

by Dr. Ed Chicoine

I have been a health care practitioner for 31 years and people often often ask for my opinion about whether or not it is beneficial to take nutritional supplements.

When this topic is debated or discussed, a wide range of viewpoints emerge, including some of the following comments that I have heard personally from my clients:

• You should be able to get all your vitamins and minerals from the food you eat.
• If I eat well why should I require vitamins and minerals in supplemental form?
• If you take nutritional supplements you will have very expensive urine.
• It’s very expensive to take nutritional supplements on a regular basis and only rich people can afford it.
• My grandfather/grandmother lived well into his/her nineties and never took a nutritional supplement.
• There are so many products out there, what are you supposed to take?
• There are so many research reports on a large number of supplements, sometimes conflicting, and you are left confused and frustrated. Who do you believe?
• It is very difficult to be consistent and disciplined with taking any kind of nutritional supplement.

These are all relevant questions and comments and I agree that it definitely leads to confusion, especially with all the information that is now available on the Internet.

The following is my impression on this subject and a glimpse of what I do personally when it comes to taking supplements. Many years ago I set a goal for myself, my family and my clients to keep abreast of the latest scientific information pertaining to living a long and healthy life, where your health span equals your life span. In other words, to live as long as possible, while feeling as young as possible.

Of course I do my best to eat well and exercise regularly as this is essential to good health, but beyond that it can get a bit confusing.

Agriculture has become an industry where sales and profits, not necessarily healthy nourishment, are the main priorities. Processed foods have become staples for many people in North America and around the world. The overuse of herbicides and pesticides that is characteristic of mass agricultural practices have depleted soils of their minerals and nutrients. When we consume genetically modified foods we may be ingesting modified organisms that are foreign and potentially detrimental to our body.

It seems to me that you cannot be guaranteed that you are getting good quality food anymore like you were able to many years ago.

I purchase life insurance so that my family will be well looked after in the event that I die; I always thought they should call it death insurance. For me real life insurance is investing in my health now while I am still alive and well. What does that mean specifically?

Let’s look at some basic body functions. The body needs energy to stay alive and it is constantly working to maintain some kind of balance or equilibrium to ensure the best function possible. This is called homeostasis. It’s very important to realize here that your body can only work with what you give it and it has to adapt to the stresses you impose upon it.

One definition of ageing that I like is that it is the gradual decline in the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis or to adapt to the stresses imposed upon it. The following are some of the normal physiological changes that occur as we get older, whether we like it or not:

• peak hormonal performance is at age 25 and declines thereafter
• muscle mass declines a certain percentage every decade
• nitric oxide levels decline after we reach forty, greatly compromising our cardiovascular function
• hydrochloric acid production in our stomach declines after age forty, compromising our ability to digest food properly
• blood vessels lose their elasticity
• sexual function declines

And the list goes on. I think you get the picture. For those of us in our sixth decade of life it has become abundantly clear that our physiology, as well as our requirements, are changing.

Personally, I choose to use certain supplements in response to these changes. In my next blog, I’ll explain what I use and why.

The Golden Years: New Beginnings

by Dr. Ed Chicoine

Many people believe that the older they get, the less beneficial it becomes to drop bad habits and start good ones. This is simply not true. It is never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Whether your body is two or 82 years old, it will always function at its maximum efficiency when you eat well, exercise regularly, and keep your nerve system free from interference caused by vertebral subluxation.

Aging causes the structures which hold the spine in proper alignment to undergo change. The muscles which support and move the vertebrae of the spinal column begin to lose their tone. This can result in a greater tendency for spinal vertebrae to subluxate, or “slip out of line”, losing their normal mobility, and interfering with the free flow of energy through the nerve system which is so vital for good health.

The prime objective of chiropractic care is to coordinate and improve the functioning of the body’s systems. Your chiropractor can design a treatment program based on your specific needs. It is this versatility which makes chiropractic care one of the safest and most effective approaches to natural health care. No one is too young or too old to begin receiving chiropractic care—and to start experiencing the many benefits.

Chase your passion, not your pension
For those entering their golden years, prevention is the best strategy. Many seniors find themselves with time on their hands after long and productive careers, only to be restricted in their freedom to pursue long-planned dreams as a result of illness or lack of mobility.

Chiropractic care does more than simply treat lower back pain—it is an approach that can ensure that your life is enjoyable during those years when you have the time to chase your passions.

Remember, it is never too late. As the baby boom generation approaches its golden years, the ranks of the senior citizens will swell, placing a strain upon an already over-burdened health care system. Now is a good time to make lifestyle changes to reduce your reliance upon this system. Chiropractic is the best approach to ensure that you remain healthy as you grow older.

Correction or prevention?

by Dr. Ed Chicoine

Baseball legend Yogi Berra once said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Fortunately, your options are much clearer when it comes to choosing the correct path to health: you can choose relief care or corrective-preventive care. Each approach is associated with a distinct lifestyle. Which one will you choose?

Attack the symptoms
The conventional medical approach emphasizes relief by eliminating symptoms using surgery or drugs. This is effective in relieving pain or uncomfortable symptoms, but does little to promote long-term health. After all, you don’t take an analgesic to prevent a headache, or chemotherapy to prevent cancer. These drugs do not correct the causes of the serious underlying problems.

It is your lifestyle choices, not drugs, which can strengthen your immune system and prevent disease. Drugs are powerful chemical agents that radically alter bodily functions, yet only address the symptoms of disease. Many people believe that sickness and disease arise suddenly; they also believe that drugs are a quick fix to their problems. A proactive approach, which involves a lifestyle including exercise and a proper diet, is better in the long run. Waiting for symptoms to develop, then reacting to them, is dangerous: a symptom only appears after damage is done.

Correct and prevent the problems
The other path available to you is that of correction-prevention. Regular chiropractic adjustments are a safe way to remove interference to the nerve system without unwanted, long-lasting side effects. Chiropractic care is non-invasive. An adjustment simply allows the body to function at an optimum level. Unlike drug use, getting a large number of adjustments can never be lethal. In fact, health levels improve when we get adjusted regularly. A healthy lifestyle which includes sound nutrition, regular exercise, proper rest, a positive mental attitude, and regular chiropractic adjustments, is the best path that you can take to prevent illness and maintain a high state of health.

Choose the right path
The choices are clear: drugs and surgery to correct problems which will persist, tossing you into a spiral in which you end up taking more and more drugs to relive never-ending symptoms; or, the path of correction-prevention, which gets to the root of the problems and enables your body to function at its peak potential. At the end of the path is a strong, healthy body for life.

Which approach will you take?

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