How's it going? Did you enjoy the snow? Will there be more? Are you ready for Spring yet? Is Tom Brady coming back for another round or will he retire? (Sidebar: Moments after I wrote this, he announced that he is indeed retiring.)
Hmm...so many questions.
To be completely honest, personally, 2022 has gotten off to a rough start for me. I lost my grandma and one of my best friends in the same week. Thankfully, as a Christian, I grieve with hope, knowing I'll see them both again in Heaven someday. Their memorial services were both out of state and on weekdays, but I am so thankful I could attend. On top of that, my family and I got ill in the middle of it all. So, I apologize for not being at the office much over the last week. Thanks for understanding and being flexible (also thankful for Dr. Bridges and my hard working team). If you're a regular, you know I don't make it a habit of not being at the office seeing patients. It's a happy place for me. And I'm ready to be back. |
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Grandma meeting Ellie for the first time in Spring of 2021. Grandma passed after years of battling dementia.
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Sitting high on a Colorado mountaintop Fall of 2020 with good buddy, Seth. He passed away after a short and brave battle with colon cancer.
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Moving right along...
How about a heat-check on the New Year Resolutions - How are the 2022 goals coming along? This is about the time that things tend to start fading to black.
Don't stop! Get it! Get it!
Seriously. It takes a good 90 days to turn that goal into a habit, which eventually becomes a lifestyle. I'm still going strong with my 90-day fitness challenge (goal of working out/exercising a minimum of 30 minutes per day; 5+ days per week; over a 3 month time period). Life hasn't been easy this first month. I am just finding a way. 30 down and 60 to go! It doesn't have to be exercise. Maybe it's eating less sugar. Maybe it's adding more veggies. Maybe it's reading more. Maybe it's creating more family time. Maybe it's committing to a little spinal maintenance care. There are many things we can do to help decrease the stress effect and increase health potential. It takes consistency. And it's never too late to start!
Someone that has clearly been consistent for 22 seasons in the NFL: Tom Brady. One thing we know is that he consistently "lives the chiropractic lifestyle." Exercise, diet, getting adjusted, etc. The dude proves it year after year. Crazy stat: Brady, 44, is still capable of putting up MVP-like elite numbers. He led the league in both passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) this season.
Change of topic, but still relative since it appears everyone is getting sick this season.
What can you do to give your immune system an internal bump? Well, diet, exercise and sleep are key ingredients to a healthy immune defense. Make tweaks where needed (hint: decrease sugar and processed foods, increase water intake, fruits and veggies). Adjustments are also known to stimulate the immune system and keep it humming (you know, the whole central nervous system connection thing). Washing hands with soap has always been and always will be a good immune system practice. What about supplements? Do they really help? Glad you asked. Supplements do not trump the importance of how/what you eat; nor do they replace your exercise or sleep habits. But they can "supplement" (compliment or enhance) some of our low spots.
My personal recommendations to help prevent from getting sick and/or help you heal quicker when you're feeling ick:- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
- Multi-Vitamin
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Probiotics
- Elderberry
- Colloidal Silver (when you're feeling ick)
- Bone Broth
- Hot teas: green, echinacea
- Essential Oil Steamer: Oregano, Peppermint, Lemon, Tea Tree
- Essential Oils to Diffuse: OnGuard, Breathe, Lemon, Oregano, Eucalyptus
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!! (water and electrolytes, if needed)
For those of you dealing specifically with Covid and its ongoing variants, my recommendation are tweaked just slightly:
Take the above list with these exceptions/additions: - Stop taking elderberry. While a good immune booster, once you actually have Covid, it can promote the cytokine storms.
- Add Quercetin at onset of symptoms
- Bump vitamin C intake to as much as your body can handle
- Green Tea - studies have shown that green tea extract can help calm down the cytokine storm
- Vitamin A
- NAC
(You can find many of these items in our office OR you can shop our online store for even more supplements that can be shipped directly to your home for FREE.)
Other important things if you have Covid:- Go on small walks throughout the day, even if you feel completely ick.
- Do not lay on your back. Sleep on your side or stomach. This helps prevent pneumonia from developing in your lungs.
- Spend some time "proning" - laying on your stomach/chest for 5-10 min throughout the day
- Check your oxygen with a pulse oximeter and make sure your oxygen saturation stays in the 90s. Below this is where you need to seek additional medical attention.
- If you have multiple comorbidities, you may even want to consider researching nebulizing - Dr Mercola has a great recipe. Google it.
- Gargling with typical Lysterine mouthwash has been shown to decrease the viral load.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to my staff as they would be happy to assist further.
Here's to a good month ahead with strong immune systems! Keep moving, keep grooving!
Yours in health,
Dr. Mason |
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