Aging does not have to be painful. There are ways to prepare for long-term wellness including exercising, maintaining good nutrition, keeping a postitive attitude, getting quality rest and having a healthy nervous system. Chiropractic care will help.
Does regular chiropractic care help to slow the degeneration of the discs in the spine?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Yes. After the age of about 20, there is no longer a direct blood supply to cartilage anywhere in the body, including the discs. The way the nutrients get into the discs is by movement of the bones. That’s really how the nutrients are drawn into the discs. Really to preserve the health of the discs, we really need to make sure we’re maintaining maximum motion within those joints. Chiropractic adjustments are key for being able to do that.
How does proper alignment of the spine help with balance and coordination?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Think of your automobile. If the front-end alignment of your automobile is off, that means more of the weight of the car is on one side versus the other. Instead of the car driving straight, it’s going to pull to one side. Ultimately, instead of the tires wearing evenly, they’re going to wear unevenly. The same thing is true in our body. If we look at our spine from front to back, it should be perfectly straight which would then divide our body weight evenly from side to side. But if the spine is out of its normal alignment, or what we call subluxation, it’s going to cause a person to put more weight or pressure on one side. It’s going to eventually start to affect possibly the foot, the ankle, the knee, the hip, but ultimately the spine. That can definitely have a major effect on balance and coordination.
How can chiropractic care help alleviate pain from arthritis and other joint pain?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Most people think of chiropractic care as only for back pain, but we have so much success with adjusting all the extremities, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, hips, ankles, and even the temporomandibular joint. When dealing with degenerative arthritis, the more motion in the joints, really the greater range of motion and the greater flexibility we’re going to maintain for that person.
What benefits do you see in seniors who receive chiropractic care?
Dr. Scott Gardner: There are so many benefits but the main ones are really an overall increase of flexibility and movement, less pain, less use of medication, and definitely better overall health.
What advice can you give young people to proactively prepare for long-term wellness?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Wellness really comes down to five key factors.
Number one is going to be exercise. When we’re talking about exercise, we’re really focusing on cardiovascular exercise, including walking, biking, jogging, and swimming. You want to really have a minimum of three times a week for 20 minutes.
The second key factor is going to be nutrition. It’s not about diets because diets don’t last. They’re only temporary fixes. It really has to be about proper choices and really taking the time to learn what works best for the person’s body when it comes to nutrition.
Third is a positive attitude. Negative thoughts and beliefs can absolutely affect our physical body.
The fourth is going to be getting quality rest, and the highest quality sleep always occurs before midnight. We want to make sure that we’re getting to sleep before midnight.
The fifth one is the glue that really holds this all together and that’s a healthy nervous system. We know the brain and spinal cord and nerves really control the way our body works including every cell tissue and organ so it’s vital that that nervous system be working at its highest level so that we can take these other four factors and really get the maximum effect for our overall wellness.
Learn More
If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Scott Gardner visit www.gardnerfamilychiro.com or call 973-614-9256 to schedule an appointment.
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