Durham Family Chiropractic

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Autumn Harvest

Leaves are turning gold, the air is feeling crisp, and our thoughts are turning to bonfires, pumpkins and Halloween. For astronomy fans, Autumn also means it’s time for the Harvest Moon. This is the name given to the first full moon that takes place closest to the Autumn equinox. The name Harvest Moon comes from when farmers would need to start gathering in crops to prepare for the winter months. They used the bright moonlight to extend the working day. This year, it will take place on 1 October 2020

So what’s in season this Autumn?

Fruit: Apples, Blackberries, Damsons, Elderberries, Pears, Plums, Quince and Sloes

Vegetables: Beetroot, Carrot, Celeriac, Mushrooms, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Marrow, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Rocket, Sorrel, Squashes, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes and Watercress

Not only does it make economic sense to eat seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables that are more readily available, but it has health benefits too, because foods in season contain the nutrients and trace elements that our bodies need at particular times of the year. For example, butternut squash and apples are packed with vitamin C, which boosts our resistance to winter colds. [Read more…] about Autumn Harvest

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Walking Fit

Whether it is a walk in the park, or hike in the hills, enjoy the health benefits of walking and make every step count!

So, whatever the weather, get yourself and your family outdoors to enjoy our beautiful countryside. Not only is walking simple and free, it is also one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight (if needed) and become healthier. Walking is ideal for all age groups and all levels of fitness, what a great way to spend some healthy familytime!

According to the NHS, “Regular walking has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and some cancers.”

 It is recommended by the NHS that you start slowly and try to build your walking regime gradually. To get the best health benefits from walking, it needs to be of moderate-intensity activity. In other words, it needs to be faster than a stroll.

Set yourself a goal and try to walk 10,000 steps a day, if you would like to track this and don’t have a smart watch, there are some fun apps available as a free download.  [Read more…] about Walking Fit

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Sun Sense

Not only does sunshine make us feel good, but sunshine is vital for our bodies to produce Vitamin D. Did you know that Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones, teeth and muscles?

 We need vitamin D to help the body absorb calcium and phosphate from our diet. These minerals are important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Vitamin D is also linked to blood sugar regulation. Sunshine is said to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. According to the NHS, a lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain in adults.

During the spring and summer months, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. So this being said, what about the dangers of too much sun? Sun exposure has links to premature skin aging and skin cancer. Sunbeds are no safer. “Over exposure to UV light, either from sun or sunbeds is the main cause of skin cancer,” says Cancer Research UK. [Read more…] about Sun Sense

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Vitamin D, C, Zinc and Echinacea and Immune Function.

This is part 1 of 2 (2 will be posted shortly).

Although not coronavirus related, it doesn’t hurt to help support normal functioning of your immune system. This article will focus primarily on the common cold and upper respiratory tract infections.

We all hate catching a cold, but did you know that there are several ‘natural’ (non-pharmacological) ways to help reduce the impact of a cold or even prevent it from taking hold in the first place ?

What is the common cold?

The common cold is a conventional term used for mild upper respiratory illnesses, which comprises of self-limited diseases caused by numerous viruses and is the most frequently encountered human diseases worldwide (Grief, 2013). The intake of certain nutrients and botanicals has been shown to significantly influence several components of immunity (Nahas, 2011).

The information in this blog is taken from the following article:

Self-Care for Common Colds: The Pivotal Role of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea in Three Main Immune Interactive Clusters (Physical Barriers, Innate and Adaptive Immunity) Involved during an Episode of Common Colds—Practical Advice on Dosages and on the Time to Take These Nutrients/Botanicals in order to Prevent or Treat Common Colds.

Vitamin D

Several studies have been done on Vitamin D and its role in maintaining immune defence. Maintaining the immune defence system within a normal healthy state lowers the incidence of infection and/or lessens the severity of symptoms and/or shortens the duration of common colds. The immune system is an intricate network of specialised tissues, organs, cells, and chemicals protecting the host from infectious agents and other noxious insults.

Clinical trials demonstrate that 400 IU per day of vitamin D supplementation is needed for the prevention of respiratory infections. Vitamin D supplementation has been found to decrease the events related to respiratory tract infections. In particular, vitamin D is useful in prevention of these types of infections, assuming dosage of vitamin D ranging from 400 IU per day to 2000 IU per day.

Epidemiological studies have found high vitamin D levels to be associated with lower risk of infections of the upper respiratory tract (colds). 4000 IU per day of vitamin D supplementation is found to significantly increase the probability of staying infection free during the study period and represents a safe daily disease to help keep cold at bay.

Vitamin C

Regular supplementation of Vitamin C (1 to 2 grams per day) may help to reduce the duration of the common cold in adults by 8%, in children by 14% and reduce the severity.

Zinc

Many studies have agreed that supplementation of zinc is helpful in reducing the risk of pneumonia and common cold and the incidence of respiratory tract infection, specifically in the elderly and in children. Zinc supplementation may also shorten the duration of colds by approximately 33%. Common cold patients may therefore be instructed to try zinc within 24 hours of onset of symptoms.

Echinacea

Echinacea is a useful complementary treatment of respiratory tract infections. Prophylactic treatment with Echinacea extracts (2400 mg/day for prevention and 4000 mg/day during acute stages of colds) over 4 months appeared to be beneficial for preventing/treating the common cold.

Conclusion

Vitamin D, C, Zinc and Echinacea have pivotal roles of three main immunoreactive clusters (physical barriers, innate and adaptive immunity) in terms of prevention and treatment (shortening the duration and/or lessening the severity of symptoms) of common colds. The current evidence of efficacy for vitamins D, C, Zinc and Echinacea is quite strong and that common cold patients may be encouraged to try them for preventing/treating their colds.

The next blog will cover more information on Vitamin D, C, Zinc and Echinacea include higher dosage etc.

References

1. Rondanelli, M., Miccono, A., Lamburghini, S., Avanzato, I., Riva, A., Allegrini, P., Faliva, M.A., Peroni, G., Nichetti, M. and Perna, S. 2018. Self-Care for Common Colds: The Pivotal Role of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea in Three Main Immune Interactive Clusters (Physical Barriers, Innate and Adaptive Immunity) Involved during an Episode of Common Colds—Practical Advice on Dosages and on the Time to Take These Nutrients/Botanicals in order to Prevent or Treat Common Colds. Evidence-Based Complement and Alternative Medicine.
2. Grief, S. N. 2013. Upper respiratory infections, 40(3):757–770. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2013.06.004.
3. Nahas, R. and Balla, A. 2011. Complementary and alternative medicine for prevention and treatment of the common cold, 57(1):31–36.

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Health Benefits of Gardening

Protect your back whilst enjoying the health benefits of pottering in your garden.

 

It is that time of the year that the sun is starting to shine and the surrounding countryside is full of  golden daffodils, fragrant blossoms and bouncing lambs. Just the motivation needed to get ourselves outdoors and start think about our own gardening needs and jobs. [Read more…] about Health Benefits of Gardening