Wellness

"Wellness” has become a buzzword among the public, health care practitioners, and legislators alike. But what exactly does it mean, and how can people benefit from it? The dictionary defines wellness as “an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.” More and more attention is being given to our health care system, and with this focus comes more attention to the importance of wellness, staying healthy, and lowering health care costs related to long-term diseases like heart disease and diabetes. The time has come! It’s time for people to understand the power that they have over their health, their lifestyle, and their future. It’s time for us to realize that decisions today will affect how we spend our golden years—active, traveling, and well, or something less than that. The concept of wellness is an individual one also. Each person has specific aspects of their life that he or she would like to change. Whether it’s smoking, high cholesterol, weight loss, or high blood pressure, it needs to be addressed on a personal level. There are no identical lifestyles, and ,therefore, no identical solutions. Finding a wellness coach A good place to start, if you’re interested in health and wellness, is with a chiropractor. While chiropractors are best known for back pain, neck pain, and headaches, they are also great sources of information on other approaches to wellness. By nature, chiropractors tend to “think” differently when approaching a health problem. There’s a bigger picture involved, and if a patient is interested in exercises, diet, and other aspects of getting better, a chiropractor is a great coach. Wellness is more than simply screening for diseases and making sure all your tests are ‘normal.’ Don’t get me wrong—it’s tremendously important to make sure your blood tests and other exams don’t show any problems. However, instead of waiting for the problems to show up, and only addressing them at that point, much valuable time and quality of life can be lost! A chiropractor, on the other hand, will screen you for diseases, but he or she also will talk to you about your lifestyle and behaviors that may put you at risk for injury or illness. It’s important to note that chiropractic’s approach is drug-free; instead of writing a prescription, a DC offers spinal adjustments, rehabilitative exercises, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle modifications to move patients toward optimum function and wellness. Typically, when a new patient visits a DC, one of the first things the doctor will assess is functional capacity. The DC will focus on decreasing pain and returning the patient to normal daily activities, including exercise. In the intermediate stage, a chiropractor will continue therapeutic care, but also begin to address factors that may have led to the patient’s pain by recommending lifestyle modifications. An example of intermediate care might include managing the patient’s obesity with counseling on diet and exercise. In the final stage of wellness care, a DC will help the patient take responsibility for his or her own health through patient education, enabling the person to independently maintain and even advance the level of wellness achieved. Adjust your attitude Research has shown that coping skills and the ways that people deal with stress can be huge factors in whether or not someone is well. The mind-body connection must also be addressed. Your body, to a certain extent, will only do what your mind tells it to, so if there are doubts or other emotional issues, it is paramount that they be addressed. The first thing you must know is that you CAN be healthier! You can boost your attitude in a variety of ways: enjoying nature, looking for humor in life’s mishaps, listening to relaxing music, and creating a support system of people to whom you can turn in times of trouble or stress. Start moving Want to know how to solve our health care problems? It can be done with a single word: movement. Our bodies are designed to move. Whether it’s walking, crawling, playing with grandchildren, climbing trees, lifting weights—our bodies thrive on movement. Americans today take significantly fewer steps than previous generations, and they spend a great deal more time in sedentary positions. Simply taking a 30 minute walk each day is a great way to recoup the steps that are missing from your day. Experts generally agree that to be considered “active,” adults should take about 10,000 steps each day. Wearing a pedometer is an easy way to track your progress. Food for fuel And then there’s nutrition. It’s the single most important aspect of your health. If you only make one change in your wellness plan, make it the food you put in your mouth! Everything you eat has either a positive or negative effect on you. Choose wisely, and focus on fruits, vegetables, grass-fed meats, and plenty of water!