Wellbeing & Diet

Wellbeing

Over time, most Patients who follow the advice below will not just improve their symptoms but they will regain their health...in all areas.

There are three basic ingredients for good health: Food, Attitude and Function (FAF). There are no more or less ingredients...just these three. Food, including drinks, is the building blocks of everything you are made from. “You are what you eat” is a common phrase, and whilst not entirely correct, it is a good basis to consider that if you eat rubbish, you become unhealthy. The reason why it isn’t entirely correct is because of the other two ingredients: Attitude and Function. If your digestive system doesn’t function correctly, then the food you eat won’t be absorbed easily, and only the food that the digestive system can absorb will become the building blocks of your future body. And what lies behind the function of your digestive system? ...your nervous system of course!

SOT Chiropractors are the Doctors of Functional Healthcare, a statement made outside our profession by those capable of recognising what SOT Chiropractors achieve every day in our offices. But we would be stopping short of giving our Patients the fullness of our knowledge if we didn’t educate them on nutrition and diet. Food and Function, working together, will grant our Patients the very best of health.

Mental health issues can also be changed by improved diet and correct bodily function. Attitude is related to diet and function more than most people believe. You will be able to read testimonials from people I have treated who have been taking Antidepressants for many years, and who now no longer need them, due to better body health as they get treated functionally and as they change their diet. Medicine does not treat the root problems of mental health Patients, especially depression...instead it covers over the symptoms so that the Patient is no longer aware of how they truly feel. It is my understanding that most people who present to me with mental health issues are primarily suffering from functional and diet controlled problems...these are the root causes of the majority of mental health issues. I must qualify at this stage though, that these mental health issues are those that have usually evolved slowly over time, rather than those related to structural disorders of the brain.

II look forward with most of my Patients to see where they will be in ten/twenty years from now, in terms of their health.

Where body function is stressed, and remains stressed (like a twisted spine that remains twisted), the result is osteoarthritis...and the end point is usually a premature hip or knee replacement.

If a person does not modify a poor diet, and they remain in a state of malnutrition, the end result is disease...and the end point is usually cancer or heart problems.

If a person wants to remain active in their retirement, fit enough to walk and travel, play golf, garden, enjoy sex, have flowing conversations, and overall have a sense of ‘life’ , then their body needs to be functionally precise, like any moving-component machinery, and made up of original materials that withstand the degeneration process...nutrients from the right sources.

The Wise Patient will want to look forward and adjust their today to help their tomorrow. Nobody lives forever. Most of us will not have 100 years...but my oldest Patients tell me, often too late, that quality is better than quantity. 70 years of a full healthy life in a capable, adaptable body, is very achievable. Even 90 years is capable if you apply a little knowledge early enough. My oldest patient is 94 years old living in Rotherham, and all she wants me to do for her is to keep her moving...not too fast!...but movement is of high importance as we age, and it all relies on our FAF now!

Diet

Basic rules for a better diet:

1. Eat what is natural. Maybe a better way to think about this is to imagine yourself living in bygone times, when the food we ate came from farmers and markets and it wasn’t altered by scientists.

2. Eat Organic foods where possible. Whilst it is not always provable, the foods that are less contaminated with pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers, flavouring, preservatives, colourants, and E-numbers are the ones to choose as the human body doesn’t tend to like toxins much! If Organic products are not possible, or too expensive, then choose the most natural product on offer. Usually the product with the least ‘ingredients’ is the best...so compare the labels.

3. Eat Fresh The best food is the food that is straight from source, with its life still in it. If you can source food from a farmer, do it, and eat it the same day. Pick your own as seasons change, either from the local fields or your own garden, and consume that day. The less time on the shelf or in transport, the higher the nutrient value and the less decay is found, giving us the most value for life.

4. Reduce Cooking times Eat raw when possible. Vegetables and fruit are great raw, as are nuts and seeds. Heating destroys enzymes which are required by the human body to break down the food into its smallest formula for absorption in the guts...so less gets in and the nutritional value of the food falls.

5. Grow your own food, or buy from local farmers directly. Use Supermarkets less. Some produce in supermarkets has been shipped from the other side of the world, then stored for days to weeks, and then sitting on the shelf for days. And you will never really be able to trust what has been used by the farmer to bring a high yielding crop. Remember, they are in it for the money, not the nutrient value. Buy from as trustworthy a source as you can find.

6. Eat slightly less than usual, rather than slightly more. People who eat less live longer than those who eat too much. Eat slower and your body has more time to let you know when you are satisfied, thus limiting your intake. You will be leaving things on your plate more often if you eat slower and chew more...which also aids digestion.

7. Don’t avoid the naughty things but balance them. There is always room for the naughty foods...do not deny yourself anything as cravings may increase and you will become negative in life when it comes to enjoying food. If you walk past that bakery, eat the cake you like...and enjoy it!

8. Drink less alcohol, or at least have full days with no alcohol at all. When the Liver is trying to clear alcohol, it really doesn’t like doing anything else. So if you drink alcoholic drinks all the time, your Liver will not be performing its correct duty with the good nutrients being absorbed. Consume less alcohol...or at least have some dry days every week.

9. Drink more water. 2-3 litres per day...just water. If you buy bottled water, look at the labels and buy water without fluoride, minimal chloride, and the highest pH level (more alkaline water is better for body healing speeds and decreased inflammation. pH 8 is about the highest)

10. Vary your diet when you have the chance. Eat a wide variety of good food. The wider choice will always give your body a better chance of getting the things it needs. Try all foods, especially different fruits and vegetables.

For more information or a personal consultation contact our clinic on 01709 828928