In honor of February being heart health awareness month, we at Mount Pleasant Spine Center, have decided to provide you with some tips and tricks on how to keep your heart healthy and happy!

Implement a diet that’s heart-healthy:  studies consistently show that the first steps to a healthy heart include a healthy diet.

Eat more fruits and vegetables: many cardiologists recommend that their patient’s follow a diet plan similar to a Mediterranean diet and there is good reason why!  A Mediterranean diet is full of heart healthy fruits and vegetables. Vegetables and fruits are great sources of vitamins and minerals as well as being low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. In addition, many fruits and vegetables contain substances found in plants that may help prevent cardiovascular disease. A Mediterranean, or similar, diet includes healthy fats as well as promoting whole grains. Whole grains are good sources of fiber which plays a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health. Simply substitute refined grain products for heart-healthy whole grains to help make improvements in your overall cardiovascular health.

Limit unhealthy fats/choose healthy low-fat protein: limiting how much saturated and trans fats you eat is an important step to reduce your blood cholesterol and lower your overall risk of heart disease. In order to ensure heart health try to substitute saturated fat with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil. Polyunsaturated fats, found in some fish, avocados, nuts and seeds, also are good choices for a heart-healthy diet. When used in place of saturated fat, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats may help lower your total blood cholesterol. Choose poultry and fish without skin and prepare them in healthy ways without adding saturated and trans fat. If you choose to eat meat, look for lean cuts and enjoy meat in moderation.

Exercise: regular aerobic exercise is one of the best and most effective things to do to improve overall cardiovascular health. Aerobic exercises benefit your heart, and can be as simple as walking, jogging, swimming or biking. A lot of our patient’s at Mount Pleasant Spine Center enjoy friendly competitions with family, friends, or coworkers using a pedometer or fitness tracker in order to increase their daily steps- remember increasing daily steps and walking is one of the easiest ways to improve your cardiovascular health.

And don’t forget that the American Heart Association consistently informs us that for anyone who smokes, quitting smoking is one of the most effective ways to significantly improve cardiovascular health.

For any questions feel free to call our Mount Pleasant Chiropractic office at 843-416-8012.

With Super bowl 2017 fast approaching this is an ideal time to discuss the role of chiropractic in many elite athletes arsenal. Jerry Rice is one well know proponent of chiropractic care. Having helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl Championships between 1985 and 2000, he is quoted as saying “chiropractic care was key to keeping me in the game.” In 2006 Rice was one of the competitors on the show Dancing with the Stars.  After this experience Rice was quoted as saying “Dancing with the Stars’ was every bit as exhausting and challenging—though not nearly as brutal—as football,” he says “it required many hours of practice. I had aches and pains that I never had before. Again, chiropractic care made the difference—and kept me dancing and in the competition.”

Check out several quotes from other elite athletes regarding their experiences with Chiropractic care.

“The game of life requires the edge that chiropractic care provides.”

– Jerry Rice

“Bodybuilders and fitness people have been using chiropractic very extensively in order to stay healthy and fit. I found it was better to go to a chiropractor before you get injured. We are a perfect team – the world of fitness and the world of chiropractors.”

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I have to have an adjustment before I go into the ring. I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. The majority of boxers go to get that edge.”

-Evander Holyfield

“I’ve been seeing a chiropractor and he’s really been helping me out a lot. Chiropractic’s been a big part of my game.”

– Joe Montana

“I go to see Dr. Bill (Chiropractor) when I get bent out of shape on Sundays. Playing in a football game is like being in 30-40 car accidents.”

– Emmitt Smith

“Being a chiropractic patient has really helped me immensely… lifting weights and seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis has made me a better golfer. I’ve been going to a chiropractor for as long as I can remember. It’s as important to my training as practicing my swing.”

– Tiger Woods

“I do believe chiropractic has really benefited my game.  Over the last three years, I feel I have become more exposed to, and knowledgeable about, the benefits of chiropractic for me and my game.  I realize how your body can get out of balance, and chiropractic care helps me. So many guys on the tour wanted chiropractic care that the tour had to supply a regular chiropractor that travels with us two weeks out of the month!”

-Fred Funk

“I was able to keep the streak of 243 straight games in 16 seasons in the NFL. I was so amazed at what Dr. Buhler (Chiropractor) was able to do with my body and well-being that I recommended him to the Broncos, Raiders and to many high level multi-million dollar athletes.”

-4-time Super Bowl champion, Bill Romanowski

This is just a small sample of the elite athletes who credit chiropractic care for helping keep them in top shape to compete in their sport. For any questions, or to make an appointment, call our Mount Pleasant Chiropractic office at 843-416-8012.

The New Year is here and you’re ready to increase your health, wellness and fitness goals! Along with millions of others, you may have made a resolution to get more exercise and eat healthier this year. Unfortunately, in our office we see many people who have their fitness resolutions interfered with by an over-use or sports injury not long after they begin their new exercise regimen. Anyone can suffer an over-use injury, but people who have been inactive for a long time and then try to do too much too soon, particularly without the proper ergonomics, are increasingly vulnerable. At Mount Pleasant Spine Center, we want everyone to start the New Year pain and injury free and with the right tools to meet their health and wellness goals. Here are a few tips from your Mount Pleasant chiropractor’s to help you stay on track—and pain free—while you work out.

Get a chiropractic checkup.

You may feel healthy and strong enough for regular exercise, but getting a checkup from your chiropractic doctor before starting a new fitness routine may help you avoid serious injury. A new physical activity could aggravate an undiagnosed condition or untreated back problem, leading to pain or increased vulnerability for injury. Your doctor can advise you on the types and amounts of exercise that are appropriate for you as well as provide ergonomic feedback in order to best avoid injury.

Make an appointment with a personal trainer.

Whatever your current fitness level is, a personal trainer can help you develop an exercise program that is challenging and efficient without putting you in danger of injury. You don’t have to commit to a long-term contract; often times a couple of sessions is enough to set-up you up on a fitness regime that is personalized to you as well as coach you on proper ergonomics of how to use specific equipment at your gym or fitness facility.

Mix it up.

Yes, it is boring to repeat the same work-out day in and day out. However, boredom isn’t the only reason to try a variety of activities. Not only do you want to work-out different musculature and areas of the body, but participating in a variety of work-outs and activities help prevent repetitive strain injuries. Repetitive strain injuries are caused by the overuse of a specific set of muscles. For example, tendonitis of the forearm, also known as “tennis elbow,” can be caused by swinging a racket over and over. At Mount Pleasant Spine Center we can treat repetitive strain injuries through chiropractic care, massage therapy, medical acupuncture/dry needling, Graston, ART, and physical therapy.

Get proper nutrition.

This is an important one! In order to have the energy required to meet your work-out goals it is important to provide your body with the good quality fuel and hydration it needs. Think whole foods, and make sure to eat all the colors of the rainbow. Avoid excessive processed foods and white sugar and try to think of fueling you next work-out when making food choices throughout the day.

See your chiropractor.

A properly functioning spine improves your mechanoreceptor response, and therefore, your balance and stability—two important keys to avoiding injury during exercise. It is important to keep your musculoskeletal system healthy as you work towards your health and fitness goals.

To learn more give our office a call at 843-416-8012.

You never realize until you hurt it how much you use your lower back all day long. When your lower back is injured, every movement becomes painful. Simple actions, such as getting out of a chair or bending over the sink, become excruciating, and your daily routine becomes difficult and frustrating.

Back pain affects a staggering 60-80% of U.S. adults at some time during their lives, and up to 50 percent have back pain within any given year. Some of these problems are easily treated and never return, but in 5-10% of patients with low back issues, pain becomes chronic and the person continues to have recurrences and exacerbations. So let’s discuss ways to achieve a stronger lower back in order to ensure that 2017 is your year of no reoccurring low back pain.

Current research and literature indicates that effective treatment of uncomplicated lower back pain involves manual-based treatment in a chiropractor’s office as well as initiating (and continuing!) an exercise/lower back strengthening program. A recent study conducted by the Medical Research Council, a research organization based in the United Kingdom, has found that patients given a combination of spinal manipulation and exercise experienced greater improvement in back function and greater reduction in pain compared to those treated with spinal manipulation or exercise only which is why patient’s in our office receive manual based care as well as exercises, stretches and the tools that they need to strengthen their lower back and improve their mobility and function in their day to day activities.

Often mechanical lower back pain is associated with tight leg muscles and weak core muscles. Leg muscles need to be stretched and core muscles (the muscles surrounding and supporting the spine) need to be strengthened to avoid recurrences of lower back pain. Exercise is a three-step process: stretching, stabilizing and strengthening. There are very specific exercises that can be used to target these areas to improve strength and function.

Core strengthening helps support the lower back. Spinal muscles are not designed to carry your body weight. If your muscles are weak, then your back muscles will be used to carry your body weight, and eventually this mechanical dysfunction will result in a lower back injury. Core strengthening not only helps keep your lower back healthy but also helps maintain good posture.  It’s a win-win for a New Year’s resolution.

To learn more give our office a call at 843-416-8012.