By Dr. Jon Thomas, DC, PSc.D, Board
Certified Chiropractic Physician.
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| Courtesy of Danny Murphy |
Halloween has come and gone. Now, The
Agricultural Fair is in town. From candy corn to cotton candy to deep fried
Twinkies, some of the things that people eat at this time of year are
absolutely spooky! I urge people to think about what they’re consuming and to
avoid things that will have negative health consequences.
As people age, many face health
challenges that they never had to think about when they were younger. The good
news is that there are things a person can do to avoid many of the health
problems associated with aging. The even better news is that help is available.
With that in mind, here are some of the scariest health problems people face as
they grow older.
General decline in health leading to
inability to take care of oneself
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| Courtesy of Vibrant Life Health Center |
Many people take their health for
granted until something goes wrong. As people age, there can be a tendency for
more and more to go wrong. The bad habits, unhealthy diets, and lack of
exercise begin to take their toll in the form of serious health problems.
Eventually, many who have taken care of themselves and others for decades get
to the point where they can no longer live independent lives.
Since most people enjoy having the
ability to take care of themselves, losing that ability is very scary. The good
news is that if you establish a plan with long term and short term goals you
can maintain a healthy weight, enjoy the ability to exercise, and keep your
body in top shape! You can maintain an optimal level of health right through to
the end, or very close to it.
Loss of memory and mental acuity, Alzheimer’s Disease
As people age, many do lose their mental
sharpness and their ability to remember things. Many people have family members
or friends who appear to be losing their memory a little more each day. When
someone you’ve loved for your whole life forgets who you are, it’s truly
frightening. The prospect of that happening to oneself is truly terrifying.
Consuming the right nutrients and
staying physically active are two of the keys to maintaining mental fitness. Sitting
on the couch, eating potato chips, and watching whatever shows up on the screen
will not keep a person mentally healthy.
For optimal mental health, it’s very
important to stay in the game by continuing to learn new things. Nourishing the
mind is just as important as eating the right foods. The more people do that,
the less likely they are to see a decline in their mental capabilities.
Being overweight and being unable to
lose excess weight
Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion
and remain healthy. If you don’t believe it, check out a few videos of Jack LaLanne,
the godfather of fitness. Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest and pack on the
pounds. If you don’t believe that, take a look at some of your neighbors, family
members, or friends. For most people, body metabolism changes as they age. When
people reach their 30s, 40s, and 50s, they usually don’t burn calories as fast
as they did in their 20s. This is why it becomes more difficult for most people
to lose weight as they age.
When people begin the NutriMost Weight
Loss program at Vibrant Life Health Center, we measure their weight and we
measure their bodies in key areas. One other thing we measure is metabolic age.
We do this at the beginning of the program and then again at the end.
Invariably, after successfully completing forty days in the program, a person’s
metabolic age has been substantially reduced, usually by a decade or more.
This is very important because losing
weight is only part of the equation. To achieve permanent weight loss, a person
needs to learn the in’s and out’s of their personal metabolism. Patients who go
through our Programs weather its Life in Balance, NutriMost, or even Functional
Medicine we show people this key component to long term health and vitality!
Taking a decade or more off one’s metabolic age is one of the keys to keeping
the weight off. Taking the weight off and keeping it off is also one of the
best things a person can do to avoid many conditions associated with age, including
diabetes, arthritis, and many other diseases.
Heart attack, heart disease, stroke
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| Courtesy of NutriMost |
A healthy cardiovascular system is an
essential component of good health. When heart disease sets in, the body can’t
function properly. When the blood is carrying things that can build up in the
form of plaque in blood vessels, a person can suffer a stroke which can cause
brain damage and disrupt the nervous system in such a way that parts of the
body cease to function properly. A heart
attack caused by hardening of the arteries can maim or kill.
The foods we consume have an enormous
impact on cardiovascular health. They can help to keep things flowing properly
or they can create blockages. It’s so important to keep this in mind as we
choose what to eat and what not to eat. Also, exercise is extremely important
for heart health. A good fitness program can certainly contribute to keeping a
heart strong and extending a person’s life expectancy.
Loss of balance resulting in falls and
broken limbs
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| Wikimedia Commons |
The thought of falling and not being
able to get up is one of the scariest things of all. Remember the commercial? A
good sense of balance that keeps one from falling is certainly one of the
things people take for granted until they take a tumble. As people age, they do
sometimes lose the sense of balance they had when they were younger. To make
matters worse, bones can break more easily as we get older, and when they do it
takes longer for them to heal.
Maintaining a healthy weight and staying
fit can definitely help a person to keep his or her sense of balance throughout
life. Another thing that is very important for maintaining a sense of balance
is musculoskeletal health. The bones and muscles not only affect the way we
move it also plays a key role in brain/body communication. While many people
think of chiropractic care primarily as the answer to injuries, routine
adjustments can provide a tremendous health benefit.
Life In Balance
At Vibrant Life Health Center, we now
offer a program that brings all the key components for wellness together under
one roof. Our Life In Balance Program addresses weight and nutrition, fitness
and exercise, musculoskeletal health, and more. Our goal is to help patients
get their lives into balance and to give them all the tools they need to stay
in balance. If you have any questions about the Life In Balance Program and
you’d like to find out how it can help you, please call to set up an
appointment.
Call to schedule a Free Tytron Scan at
Vibrant Life Health Center this November.
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| Courtesy of Vibrant Life Health Center |
Vibrant Life Health Center is currently
offering free Tytron scans through the end of November. See for yourself how
this amazing device works and how it can help you to get your body back into
balance. If you have acute or chronic pain and you’d like to find out how chiropractic
can help, set up an appointment with Dr. Thomas at the Vibrant Life Health
Center.
If you’ve been struggling to lose
weight, let Dr. Thomas explain how the NutriMost program has helped many people
lose twenty to forty pounds or more in just forty days. And if you’d like to
check out the Life In Balance plan which can address every area of a patient’s
health, call Vibrant Life to set up an appointment.
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In this article, I have discussed some
of the scariest health problems people face as they grow older. I’ve also
discussed the various ways people can reduce their risk of health challenges
many people face as they age.
If you have a comment about this article,
please leave it in the comments section below. If you know of someone who might
benefit from the information in this blog, please share it with your friends
and colleagues, and also on social media.
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media sharing buttons are below.
At Vibrant Life, we address all of the
key elements to add vibrance and vitality to your life. This includes
nutrition, Chiropractic care, and fitness. If you need to consult with a
chiropractor about your neck, back, or any other health concern, please contact
our office to set up an appointment.
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| Courtesy of Vibrant Life Health Center |
Dr. Jon Thomas is a
Board Certified Chiropractic Physician. His practice, The Vibrant Life Health
Center, is located in the Mandarin section of Jacksonville. His interest in
health and fitness started early, and his athletic pursuits have included BMX
racing, Professional Snow Skiing, Water Skiing, Baseball, Weightlifting, and
Martial Arts. After studying and learning from some of the top health experts
throughout the world, Dr. Thomas dedicated his life to helping people of all
ages to transform their lives. The objective for each patient is to initiate
the body’s healing and to work progressively toward a body that functions
optimally. Dr. Thomas is seen regularly on TV on First Coast Living, where he
discusses the transformations of his patients. He also speaks at events
throughout the community and writes informative articles to improve the health
of residents throughout Northeast Florida.
