What causes heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occur when your body can’t keep itself cool. As the air temperature rises, your body stays cool when your sweat evaporates. On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased moisture in the air. When sweating isn’t enough to cool your body, your body temperature rises, and you may become ill.

What is heat exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot. It can be caused by physical exercise or hot weather. You may experience:

• Heavy sweating
• Feeling weak and/or confused
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Fast heartbeat
• Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration

What should I do if I think I have heat exhaustion?

If you think you have heat exhaustion, get out of the heat quickly. Rest in a building that has air-conditioning. If you can’t get inside, find a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Do NOT drink...

I run into clients that are not regularly eating breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Just like most of you my schedule is hectic and limited. At least two days a week I’m out of the house by 6 am and do not return before 8pm. It’s imperative that I start with a healthy breakfast so keep me going on those 14 hour days. I often start the other 5 days with a 60-90 minute workout heavy on weight lifting. So how do I do it? How do I have time to make such a complete breakfast? What do I eat before/during/after workouts?  I often get asked by clients and friends alike what goes into my protein shake. So here are the answers.

Base: I keep it simple and easy and start with water. Depending on the amount of frozen ingredients I’ll use between 4-6 oz of filtered water. If I’m making the shake for my husband or company I’ll sometimes substitute some of the water for coconut or almond milk – just to mix it up a bit.

Veggies:...

Shopping for the right supplements can be an overwhelming task.  Nearly every store has an aisle from floor to ceiling filled with hundreds of different brands.  Not only are stores carrying supplements, BUT you can buy them off infomercials and individual sales companies.  Where do you start and who do you trust?

Supplements can most definitely help recovery time, improve energy and aid in nearly every function of the body; IF you are taking the right type.  The number one reason I hear in the office for why people stopped taking their supplements is they didn’t “feel” a difference.  Pending on the purpose and the quality of the supplement you will not always “feel” a change within your body.

If you take anything away from this blog post please know that generic supplements aren’t even worth the $5.00 that you paid.  I hate to put it so bluntly, but they are the lowest quality on the market.  The FDA...

Body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat that your body contains. For your body to function properly it is essential that your body contains a certain amount of fat. Body fat helps regulate your body temperature, it cushions and insulates organs and is the main form of the body’s energy storage. It is important for everyone to have a healthy amount of body fat.

When people say they want to lose weight it is implied that they want to lose fat.

Calculating your body fat percentage is a better way to determine what your weight loss goals should be and if they are realistic. Rather than just stepping on a scale and deciding how much weight you want to lose, it is better to determine your body fat percentage and achieve a healthy range. So before you decide you need to lose 20 pounds, first remember that your body weight consists of lean body mass and body fat.

The amount of body fat that you do or do not have can be potentially dangerous to your health. Carrying...

Determine Your Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat that your body contains. For your body to function properly it is essential that your body contains a certain amount of fat. Body fat helps regulate your body temperature, it cushions and insulates organs and is the main form of the body’s energy storage. It is important for everyone to have a healthy amount of body fat.

When people say they want to lose weight it is implied that they want to lose fat.

Calculating your body fat percentage is a better way to determine what your weight loss goals should be and if they are realistic. Rather than just stepping on a scale and deciding how much weight you want to lose, it is better to determine your body fat percentage and achieve a healthy range. So before you decide you need to lose 20 pounds, first remember that your body weight consists of lean body mass and body fat.

The amount of body fat that you do or do not have can be potentially...

When patients come into our office with low back pain or symptoms resembling sciatica one of the muscles we check in on is the piriformis. During the examination we will check on range of motion and strength of different muscles to see if we can narrow down where the pain/discomfort is coming from. It is usually not just one muscle that is tight or restricting but the piriformis is tight in most if not all in our patients.

The piriformis  is a flat, pyramid-shaped muscle that lies parallel to (in line with) the gluteus medius and underneath the gluteus maximus muscle in the hip area.The muscle passes through the greater sciatic foramen (a space in the pelvic bones, on each side of the center) and to the upper part of the greater trochanter (a bone ridge near the top of the femur, or thigh bone). It takes up the most area in the greater sciatic foramen.

It is a small muscle when compared to other muscles of the region. The piriformis helps rotate the hip and works with other...

Inflammation is a word that is used often, yet hard to define.  Most of us have a hard time separating inflammation from an ankle sprain vs. inflammation contributing to heart disease and arthritis.  In order to understand how to fight it, it’s important to understand how and why it occurs!

Inflammation is a very common and innate response to an injury, pain or stress.  It is part of our bodies natural defense system to prevent something worse and/or speed up healing time.

Acute inflammation is the first response to an injury or pathogen.  It’s acute because it should only last several days or less.

Examples of what can cause this:

• Illness (virus, bacteria)
• Trauma (punch, kick, sprain)
• Burn
• Frostbite
• Allergic Reaction

There are a lot of players involved in the inflammatory process, but the basics are: heat, redness, swelling, and pain.  Thus leading to loss of function.  Acute inflammation is an important part of healing.  Follow...

Genetically Modified Organisms, otherwise known as GMO’s, are plants or animals created through genetic engineering.  Basically they take DNA from different species and merge them.  This usually creates an unstable combination.  This has been going on for years in order to create pest-resistant and survive herbicide use.  Crops survive more, make more and feed more.  So what is the downside?

GMO’s are still being researched, and everyone has their own opinion.  It comes down to GMO’s being unsafe due to unnatural DNA. We are eating things that are not found in nature. It may take many more years to know the consequences of eating such food.  The fear is that the food may pass on the mutant genes to our bacteria in the digestive tract.

Until GMO’s are no longer allowed on the shelves, you have to make up your own mind and shop how it is best for you and your family.  Here are some reasons why GMO’s are bad.

1. ...

At our practice we run into numerous patients who think they have fibromyalgia, but have never been diagnosed.  I wanted to take some time to explain what fibromyalgia(FM) is and what options there are if you are suffering.

FM is classified as a chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain and sensitivity to the entire musculoskeletal system.  Individuals suffering from FM have days of pain from moderate to severe in multiple body locations.  Most people also report some level of fatigue along with the pain.  To be diagnosed with FM, a patient will possess a minimum of 11 out of 18 specific tender points on the body.

It is estimated that nearly 2% of the population is suffering from FM and women are being affected 10 times more than men.  FM is difficult to treat because you are dealing with multiple complaints and concerns, and the best treatment is most often holistic.

Although studies are lacking for the benefits of chiropractic on fibromyalgia...

Colostrum is a supplement that has been around for awhile, but new research is coming to light everyday. Colostrum is the first milk produced by cows during the initial days after giving birth. This type is called bovine colostrum. This milk is very rich in immunoglobulins (proteins that help boost the immune system and fight germs). There are also other compounds not found in regular milk such as growth factors, cytokines and nucleosides.

Enough with the science already, let me tell you what it can help with. Studies are showing supplementing with bovine colostrum can help improve:

*Immune System Support

*Athletic Performance

*Gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, etc.

*Fat Utilization

*Serotonin levels in the brain

*AND MORE!

Basically speaking, the immune factors in colostrum support the resistance to colds and the flu, to acute or chronic bacterial or fungal conditions. In turn this will also help your gut repair and improve your nutrient absorption.

Immediately taking ...