The world is full of fear and we are being told to wear masks, socially distance, limit travel, avoid groups, and close contact. These may be effective measures to limit the transmission of coronavirus but it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get it. As more businesses are opening back up, the majority of people will have to go back to work, and kids back to school. Realistically we have to come to terms with the fact that life must press on, albeit in the safest way possible. Whether you are working from home or having to get out more, most people are likely to come close or actually come in contact with this virus at some point in the future. So here are the ways to stay healthy during a pandemic that they are not telling you about.

This might come as a surprise to some people but you should be supporting your immune system the same way as you would if there were any other virus or bacterial infection risk out there. (pssst, which there always is)

Gut Health

70% of your immune system resides in the gut! Read that again! Did you know that your gut is the pathway in which most of your nutrients and vitamins are absorbed from what you eat and drink and from there are transported to the rest of the body? This makes the gut the most important player when it comes to immune health.

So this means that the 1000mg Airborne vitamin-C tablet you just took does absolutely nothing for you if your body doesn’t absorb it.

Your gut has what is called a “norma flora” which is basically a collection good bacteria that line the intestines. Think of it as the “gatekeeper” to what is allowed to pass between the gut lining. It keeps the bad stuff out and the good stuff moving through. If you’ve ever heard of “leaky gut”, that happens when your flora and the gut lining is now permeable to the bad stuff and the good stuff doesn’t get transported.

So what decreases your normal gut bacteria? Eating or drinking items that your body is sensitive or allergic to will certainly do it. The most common culprits here are dairy products, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and more. Certain medications can decrease your norma flora. For example, antibiotics will wipe your gut clean of all of that good bacteria. This would be a good time to double up on dosages in order to re-populate. Not eating enough prebiotics for the bacteria to live off of will de-populate. Alcohol use, lack of exercise and sleep also decrease good gut bacteria.

There is a supplement that will help you keep up with a healthy functioning gut, it’s called a probiotic and you can learn all about it in one of my previous blogs! http://www.ezellchiropracticllc.com/the-one-supplement-everyone-should-be-taking/

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin along with A, E, and K. What makes vitamin D different is that we primarily make it on our own, rather than relying on food sources. Vitamin D is stored in the liver and in fatty tissues.

The way that our body makes vitamin D is by converting sunshine into D3. D3 is made as the sunshine is converted by the cholesterol in our skin. Vitamin D becomes a hormone in the body. It impacts our skeletal structure, blood pressure, mood, brain function and most importantly, IMMUNITY!

Most people believe (or have heard) that the best way to get vitamin D is by drinking milk, eating fish, eggs, or taking supplements like cod liver oil. While these foods do have some vitamin D, the best way is still by direct sunlight exposure. There are 2 types of supplemental vitamin D: D2 and D3. The type that our bodies make naturally is called cholecalciferol which is the D3 version. D3 is readily absorbed and up to 4 times more effective. D2 is only partly absorbed. D2 is made from vegetarian sources while D3 is animal based. Unfortunately, most products fortified with vitamin D (milk, etc) contain the D2 type and therefore are less absorbable and convertible.

How much vitamin D should you be getting daily? 

• Adult patients shoot for 5,000 IU daily (pregnant women included)
• Ages 5-10 need 2,500 IU daily.
• Children younger than age 5 need 35 IU daily

Of course, the only way that you would really know exactly how much vitamin D to take is by way of a blood analysis, but for reference, in the midwest here like Missouri, you’d need close to 45 minutes to 1 hour of full sun on arms, legs, and face to get this amount for an average adult. One of the major reasons why more people get sick in the winter time is due to the lack of sun exposure and therefore the lack of vitamin D, causing weakened immune system function. This is why it is extremely important to take a vitamin D supplement in the winter months if it gets cold where you live.

Lifestyle Activities

This one goes without saying. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, proper work/rest balance, chiropractic adjustments, yoga, stretching, meditation, and many more things keep you at the top of your game and in a round about way will absolutely effect your immune system either in a positive or negative way depending on how you use (or don’t use) them.

Can you use to tune up your immune system? Share this with a friend that could use to learn about the ways to stay healthy during a pandemic that they are not telling you about!

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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You may have heard about a growing epidemic occurring among today’s youth and even into the adult population called “text neck”. It’s caused largely in part due to the desire and necessity to use smartphones, tablets, and computers in this day and age. I refer to it as forward head posture in my practice. Call it what you will, but it’s leading to serious health issues.

When you look at the neck from the side position, it should form a C-shaped curvature. This is sometimes hard to notice without visualizing it on an x-ray. This curve is known as a “lordosis” and is essential in the normal functioning of the neck and the spinal nerves that exit there. Keeping the head and neck in a downward position for an extended period of time can have serious consequences.

Most commonly these consequences will include neck and upper back pain, tightness, stiffness, numbness, tingling, headaches, and migraines. If text neck is left untreated, this can lead to irreversible damage. This includes premature spinal degeneration (arthritis), weakening of the disc, and even nerve damage.

Research shows that each inch that your head moves forward from the center of your shoulders will double the weight of what your head normally weighs. That creates a tremendous amount of tension, pressure, and compression on the neck and upper back.

The longer this problem persists, the worse the consequences will be. It is nearly impossible to return the neck to a normal position without the aid and advice of a medical professional like a corrective care chiropractor. We have had great success in correcting these issues and restoring proper health in our office. I look forward to helping you and your family achieve your health goals.

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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There are 3 common conditions that St. Charles chiropractors treat. Chiropractors are most notably known for their work with the spine. As more and more people seek to find a natural healthcare provider that is genuinely concerned about the long term effects of the treatment they prescribe, chiropractors are becoming widely accepted and utilized over traditional allopathic models for musculoskeletal conditions.

1. Back Pain

Back pain, usually low back pain, is likely the most common condition that people see chiropractors for. Certain conditions such as stiffness, arthritis, scoliosis, disc degeneration, and more have been treated by chiropractors in St. Charles.

2. Neck Pain

Neck pain is becoming more and more of a problem with the desk working and adolescent populations. The more technology that we are dependent on, the more mechanical stress we are placing on the neck and upper back as a result of poor posture and poor ergonomics. These types of problems usually lead to tightness, stiffness, arthritis, nerve irritation, muscle spasms and more.

3. Headaches

Headaches are also among the 3 common conditions that St. Charles chiropractors treat. Headaches can come in a variety of different forms and fashions. There are migraines, tension, cluster and many others. Headaches can be felt in common areas such as below the skull, temporal, frontal, and top of the head. The most frequent are below the skull area. These headaches have a high tendency to be created from a neck problem that needs to be addressed.

If you have been experiencing any of these three conditions, chances are, you may be best treated by a chiropractor. If you have questions about your case, let us know! Check out this write up about neck and back adjustments

http://www.ezellchiropracticllc.com/neck-and-back-adjustments/

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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That headache that lasts all day and is just getting worse. You know the feeling. To top it all off, you have a million things to do, and no desire to do any of them. This article will explain all about headaches and how to deal with them naturally.

Most people with headaches reach straight for over the counter (OTC) pain medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). These medications provide short-term relief of the symptoms. If your headaches are becoming more frequent and/or severe, that is your body’s way of telling you that there is something wrong. Here are some of the top ways to help alleviate your headache without drugs.

Chiropractic

I have yet to find a headache patient without a misalignment of the bones in the neck. These misalignments of the vertebrae cause the nervous system to become overwhelmingly stressed. What happens next? The muscles tense up and spasms may occur. These people will have likely started the inflammatory process which leads to swelling and more pain. All of this because the nervous system wasn’t communicating properly.

When your chiropractor performs an adjustment, he/she is resetting the pain cycle by moving the bones and restoring proper biomechanics. This sends a signal through the nervous system, to the brain and back out to the body, telling the tissues to relax.

Ergonomics

It’s important to maintain proper body positioning when it comes to preventing headaches. Many times it starts with sleeping habits. As a rule of thumb, sleeping on your back is the best position for your whole spine. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst. Try to sleep with only one pillow to keep the neck in a more neutral position.

Your desk or workstation needs to be evaluated as well. The biggest contributing factor to headaches in the workplace is an improperly positioned computer screen. Your screen should be at eye-level so that you are not straining the neck by looking down or up for extended periods of time. Sitting upright in a supportive chair will help to maintain spinal alignment. Keeping the arms at 90 degrees and supported will cause less stress to the upper shoulders (trapezius).

Exercise

When performed correctly, posture based corrective exercises will help to stabilize the spine and reduce the risk of recurring headaches. Exercise also reduces emotional stress which often times accompanies headaches. As a rule of thumb, if there is a muscle in your body that is already too tight (most commonly the muscles in the back of the neck, upper traps), do not attempt to strengthen these muscles as you are making the problem worse.

Nutrition and Diet

We’ve all heard of allergies before. But what I’m about to explain is not just the kind you get when the seasons change or when it rains. We’re talking about sensitivities. This is an allergy, but only on a smaller scale. For example, the feeling you might get after eating a meal with a lot of gluten, dairy, or artificial ingredients in it (bloating, headaches..etc). This is very common in today’s age and by choosing meals that are not processed and by staying away from sensitivities, we can avoid many of these symptoms.

If you are experiencing headaches and would like to know how to deal with them naturally, all our office and Dr. Ezell will be happy to help.

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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8 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Chiropractor

Your chiropractor needs to be someone who you can trust. Someone who has your best intentions in mind and will give his or her best recommendations to you, at all times. Here are 8 important questions you should ask before choosing a chiropractor as a new patient.

1. Can the chiropractor help me with my goals?

What health goals are you searching for? Are you looking for help with a sports injury, pain relief, or wellness care? Does the chiropractor treat babies, adults, or people with medicare? Are you seeking treatment following a motor vehicle accident or a work injury (these will often require different forms of paperwork than normal new patients to the office)? Are you seeking nutritional advice, acupuncture or rehabilitation? Do you prefer a certain type of chiropractic adjustment? Be sure to find a chiropractor that can meet your specific health goals.

2. Does the doctor have positive and satisfied patient testimonials?

One of the best ways to check on the chiropractor’s credibility is to read reviews and testimonials from people who have been seen by the doctor before. A great source of reviews are found online. Google Places, Facebook, Yelp and others are among great places to check for.

3. What types of examinations does the doctor take?

Granted that all chiropractors are required to examine a patient before initiating any type of treatment, some are better than others. Depending on what type of problem that you have also dictates where the direction of the examination should go. So where I am going with this? You want your doctor be very specific in deciphering your complaint and determining the cause of the problem. Some questions include: Does the doctor take x-rays? Does the doctor have enough time to discuss and examine all of your complaints? Does he utilize any other instruments to make his recommendations?

4. Does the doctor network with other doctors of specialty?

While chiropractic treatment is beneficial to most people, some require treatment from other providers. This is usually done collaboratively to reach a common goal. Your chiropractor should not be afraid to send you to someone who can more appropriately handle your problem, if need be.

5. How does the chiropractor track my progress?

Both you and the doctor need to be on the same page regarding how treatments are coming along and what lies ahead. Your chiropractor should be notating how you are feeling each visit by asking you directly and using clinical skills to determine the future care schedule. Some chiropractors do re-exams at a certain point to check for improvements, some will utilize objective findings on x-rays, and some will use tools and instruments. Your chiropractor should be able to gather enough information to add to clinical experience for progress analysis. In the case that you are regressing, your doctor should have a plan to figure out if he needs to change his treatments with you or refer back to question 4 and refer you to someone else who can help.

6. Is the doctor in good standing with the state boards?

A quick search online to any chiropractic state board should be able to tell you if the chiropractor has any complaints filed against him.

7. Does the office have a no (or minimal) wait policy?

Who likes to go into a doctor’s office, on time, and still have to wait an hour to finally get in to see the doctor? People these days are busy. You have things to do and places to go. Your chiropractor should be on time and respectful of yours.

8. Does the chiropractor offer preventative solutions/exercises for at home?

Speeding the healing process is often achieved with home care recommendations. Preventative recommendations present a way to minimize the chances of these problems reoccurring in the future.

These questions are some of the best questions to ask before choosing a chiropractor. There are also many others. Here in our office we love questions as they are part of the education process!

Learn more about the types of chiropractic care we provide here→ Types of Care

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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What Happens When You Crack Your Own Spine?

You’ve seen people do it, maybe you even do it yourself. Cracking your own spine. Grandmothers everywhere will tell you that it gives you arthritis. Some of you are what we would call, “addicted to crack”. Bending yourself over the back of a chair or twisting your own neck. All of these may help you feel better, but ask the majority of people who do this and they will tell you that it feels like it needs to “pop” again within a short period of time. So what actually happens when you crack your own spine?

This is likely the case because the joints that are actually making the popping noise are the ones above and below the main restriction, which are what we call “hyper” mobile joints. They are actually moving too much in order to compensate for the restricted joint in between. It may feel good temporarily but will usually not last long.

You see, there are 24 moving vertebrae in your spine (7 neck, 12 mid back, 5 low back). You can consider a group of 2 or more of these vertebrae to be a “motion segment”. Cracking your own spine helps the “motion segment” move a bit more, but the original restriction likely will remain, causing relapse of symptoms and allowing future problems to occur.

The other reason for this short term relief is that we are not able to impart the right forces at the right angles on ourselves to fully clear the joints of the restriction, you might get a pop releasing some of the gas in the joint but it did not fully move.

Are there any potential risks involved with cracking your own spine?

Yes there are. Let’s start with the obvious being that chiropractors have studied and practiced for years the art, science, and philosophy of the spinal adjustment and is at the heart of what most of us do, making us the experts in this field. Knowing when, how, where, and why to adjust is extremely important.

Given years and years of cracking your own spine, there is a potential to create ligamentous instability which would allow for your spine to be susceptible to a multitude of more serious injuries and permanent damage.

Yours in optimal health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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Reduce Neck and Back Pain At Your Desk

• Working as a chiropractor for years, I have found that there are several specific things that tend to cause pain in most individuals. One of the most common is poor desk and workstation ergonomics. In this post I will share with you some of the best ways to reduce neck and back pain at your desk.

• Your workstation should be set up in a way that is easiest on your body, particularly, your spine. The average american sits for an average of 13 hours a day. That’s a whopping 54% of your day! You’re going to want to make sure that you are sitting and working in the best way possible, otherwise you could end up with chronic neck and back complaints stemming from postural distortions, arthritis, and muscle imbalances.

The best tips to reduce neck and back pain at your desk:

1. Feet flat on the floor. Stay away from propping your legs up on a stool or chair as this will cause strain on your lower back. Crossing your legs will twist the pelvis.
2. Thighs 90 degrees to floor or slightly downward. To change this, you will have to use the elevation function on the chair. For shorter individuals, you may need to use a step stool under your feet.
3. Rock your pelvis forward to sit up tall. When done properly, you will feel as if you are sitting more on your “butt bones”, which will allow for a natural arch in your lower back.
4. Shoulders retracted and down. As stress levels rise, the shoulders tend to migrate up, leading to tightness in the neck and back. Prevent rounding by gently holding shoulder blades together.
5. Forearms at 90 degrees to body. Modified by positioning keyboard and mouse at the appropriate level. Too high and this will cause the shoulders to rise, leading to number 4.
6. Monitor at exactly eye level, straight ahead. The slightest tilt of your neck in a downward position will cause pain in the neck. Your chin should be parallel to the floor. Use books or a stand to prop it up. Do not have the head in a turned position for a long period of time.
7. Use a lumbar support if your back gets fatigued. If your find your back getting worn out from sitting up, purchase a lumbar support that will aid in keeping the natural arch in your back.

Other important factors include taking your wallet out of your back pocket and taking frequent breaks to stretch and get up to move around.

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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If you’re like most people, you know that protein is something that you need to have in your diet to survive. What you’ve wondered is if you should take supplements and if so, which ones to take. You’ve probably also wondered how much to take. Well, today you have the opportunity to learn all about it!

Lets start by explaining what protein is and how it works. Protein is one of the three dietary macronutrients (big nutrients) that our body needs to function. The other two are fats and carbohydrates. These nutrients all work together to keep you on top of your game. In an analogy, these things work like a construction process. Proteins act like the bricks and walls while carbohydrates do the work by cementing and putting everything together and the fats are the managers who are overlooking the whole process, making sure that everything is running smoothly.

Proteins provide the body with the building blocks to make amino acids which are used for building new muscle tissue. Muscles simply would not exist without it.

Benefits of protein include:

1. Muscle growth
2. Better recovery (repair)
3. Optimal immune response
4. Healthy appetite

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is currently at an average of 50g per day. Most would say that this is surprisingly low, though  you have to consider that this is based on the average American. This person is mostly sedentary.

“HOW MUCH DO I NEED”? Great question. If you are sedentary to mildly active and trying to lose body fat for example, I would recommend 1-1.5g per kg of body weight daily. 1kg equals about 2.2lbs. In a 150lb person, the equation looks like this 150/2.2=68, 68×1.5=102g. So a person who weighs 150lbs would need about 68-102 grams of protein daily to fit their needs.

If you are a seasoned athlete, someone who is trying to bulk up, get stronger or just really change your body composition, you should shoot for 2g per kg of body weight. For our 150lb person here, he should consume about 136g protein daily.

Now lets say you are overweight, these recommendations will change (overweight being 20% over body fat percentage in males and 30% over body fat percentage in females). Just take as much protein as your goal weight.

“WHAT KIND OF PROTEIN DO I NEED”? Another great question. Protein supplements are often made from different sources have different ingredients and do different things.

Whey protein is one of the most popular of protein supplements available and also one of the best.

There are three main types of whey; concentrate, isolate, and hydrolyzed. Concentrate simply means that there are more additives and a lesser amount of raw protein. Isolatemeans that the protein has been isolated and filtered for a more pure product. Hydrolyzed protein is made to be absorbed faster.

Casein is a slow digesting protein source and is often taken by individuals before bed.

Egg protein is available to people who enjoy a lactose-free source of protein.

Soy protein is a vegetarian protein source.

Protein is vital for living optimally. Proteins from your raw diet should be taken into consideration and are not to be replaced by supplements.

Yours in health,

Dr. Ezell

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