This time of year brings plenty of changes to normal day-to-day activities. We eat more and move less. But it is possible to stay on track while still enjoying the holiday festivities. The key is to balance healthy choices, stay aware of stressors, make a plan for staying healthy and get the whole family involved. The CDC recommends focusing on four areas to maintain family health: physical activity, nutritional habits, sleep, and screen time.
Family Health
Striking a balance between being active and having fun will help to create a more enjoyable and relaxing holiday experience.
Get The Whole Family Moving
Physical activity develops stronger muscles and bones, improves heart health, increases blood circulation, and lowers body fat.
Children ages 3 to 5 years should be active throughout the day.
Children ages 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
Look for ways to blend fun and physical activity as a family.
If you can get outside, play games like basketball or touch football, walk the dog, or take a nature walk.
Everyone has go-to foods, treats, and drinks they enjoy during the holidays. Restricting or avoiding these pleasures completely isn’t good, as it can lead to binge eating.
The holidays are a wonderful time to gather with family and friends and celebrate. However, it can be a time of overindulgence and overeating. Managing holiday eating habits is achievable by having options to help you make better choices so you can indulge and enjoy the festive food and drinks without overdoing it. Here are a few techniques to be successful.
Managing Holiday Eating
Many individuals overeat during the holidays. It’s understandable as the holiday season means letting loose, relaxing with friends and family, and enjoying the moment are major factors in overeating as auto-pilot is engaged. The next thing you know, the plate is clean, and more food is being added. It’s all about maintaining a healthy balance. Here are a few ways to manage holiday eating.
Adding superfoods to your holiday nutrition plan to help balance food indulgences. These are foods with high levels of vitamins and nutrients, dietary fiber that helps reduce cholesterol, and antioxidants that fight free radicals.
Nutrients
Vitamin A – Protects against infections and promotes eye and skin health.
Vitamin C – Helps heal wounds and aids in iron absorption.
Vitamin K – Supports healthy digestion and blood clotting.
Superfoods include dark leafy greens, nuts, fruits, dark chocolate, olive oil, and oily/fatty fish. Here are a few superfoods you can enjoy:
Sweet Potatoes
Rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, and potassium.
Beans
They are high in fiber and protein, magnesium, and potassium.
Pumpkins
High in fiber and vitamin A.
Pomegranates
Rich in flavonoids and tannins are a healthy source of folate, potassium, and vitamin K.
Cranberries
Contain antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Kale
Low in calories.
High in vitamins A, C, and K, manganese, potassium, and fiber.
Brown, Tanya, et al. “Have a Food-Safe Holiday Season.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics vol. 117,11 (2017): 1722-1723. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2017.08.123
Díaz-Zavala, Rolando G et al. “Effect of the Holiday Season on Weight Gain: A Narrative Review.” Journal of obesity vol. 2017 (2017): 2085136. doi:10.1155/2017/2085136
Lobo, V et al. “Free radicals, antioxidants, and functional foods: Impact on human health.” Pharmacognosy reviews vol. 4,8 (2010): 118-26. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.70902
Preparing for the holidays is exciting but can generate intense stress and anxiety. This can cause individuals to feel tired constantly, which can lead to other issues like sleep problems, brain fog, digestive issues, and musculoskeletal disorders. Chiropractic care can return the body to optimal function, increasing circulation, restoring spinal alignment, re-energizing the mind and body, and preventing future fatigue and exhaustion.
Exhaustion and Fatigue
Primary causes of fatigue and exhaustion are stress, overworking, school work, lack of sound sleep, excessive caffeine or other energy boosters, and the holidays.
Stress Reduction
Stress is a leading contributor to fatigue and exhaustion.
Stress causes the muscles to contract, restricting blood circulation.
Chronic stress causes the musculoskeletal system to be in a state of continued constriction.
Constant muscle tension can cause injury and chronic conditions that can lead to secondary disorders like tension headaches and migraines.
Quality Sleep
High-quality rest means falling asleep naturally, staying asleep through the night comfortably, and waking rested and refreshed.
Lack of enough sleep strains the nervous system.
Not enough sleep or disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle (that can happen with shift work or traveling work) can cause physiological fatigue.
This causes reduced motor skills, similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1.
Nutrition
Proper nutrition is key to overall health and stress management. An unhealthy diet can be the main cause of fatigue. Just like putting the wrong gas into your car can cause major issues stalling or stopping entirely. The same is true with the body. The body is a complicated engine that requires healthy fuel to work properly.
Macronutrients(fat, carbohydrates, and protein) and Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential.
Chiropractic Care and Functional Medicine
Chiropractic care can be a long-term solution for fatigue and exhaustion.
Spine Realignment
Spinal realignment resets the body through better posture and brain function through the improved circulation flowing through the spinal cord.
Optimal spinal realignment:
Relieves headaches
Alleviates discomfort symptoms
Increases energy
Restores range of motion
Relieve Pressure On The Nerves
Chiropractic releases pressure on the nerves.
The central nervous system’s response to pain, energy levels, comfort, and mobility is impacted by the health of the nerves.
Just a minimal amount of pressure can reduce the strength of a nerve by 90%.
Nerves that are not working correctly have difficulty transmitting messages, often causing pain.
Loosen Tense Muscles
Chiropractic care and massage therapy can help relieve the tension in overworked muscles.
Fatigue and exhaustion can cause the muscles to work harder/overcompensate to try to maintain balance.
Over time, the muscles can’t keep it up and become frozen and tense.
Nervous System Regulation
Chiropractic care can restore nervous system function.
When the spine is not correctly aligned, the electrical impulses are not transmitted properly.
Common side effects include headaches, neck and back problems, and digestive issues.
Chiropractic care can restore the body to a refreshed and rejuvenated state. It can improve circulation, rebalance the body, increase oxygen levels and strengthen the immune system.
Adrenal Insufficiency: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
References
Azzolino, Domenico, et al. “Nutritional Status as a Mediator of Fatigue and Its Underlying Mechanisms in Older People.” Nutrients vol. 12,2 444. 10 Feb. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12020444
Chaudhuri, Abhijit, and Peter O Behan. “Fatigue in neurological disorders.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 363,9413 (2004): 978-88. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15794-2
Evans, William J, and Charles P Lambert. “Physiological basis of fatigue.” American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation vol. 86,1 Suppl (2007): S29-46. doi:10.1097/phm.0b013e31802ba53c
Finsterer, Josef, and Sinda Zarrouk Mahjoub. “Fatigue in healthy and diseased individuals.” The American journal of hospice & palliative care vol. 31,5 (2014): 562-75. doi:10.1177/1049909113494748
Rosenthal, Thomas C et al. “Fatigue: an overview.” American family physician vol. 78,10 (2008): 1173-9.
This is the season of the year that brings special time with loved ones, but it�s also a time when many un-merry mishaps and accidents can happen. From neck and back pain to sprains and strains to serious fractures that can put you in the emergency room. With a little care, preparation and precaution, you can be safe and enjoy the holidays to the fullest, while reducing the risk of experiencing a slip and fall injury.
The Garage
This is where holiday prep, go for tools and the like usually begin. However, the garage can be the first place where danger lurks during this season.
Most of us store the big boxes at the top on overhead storage racks etc. A wobbly step ladder, not enough upper body strength, someone opening the door where the ladder stands and tipping it, etc, is a perfect setup for a fall.
The first thing to ask is whether or not this is a job for you? If not then wait and ask for help from friends and family that can offer added strength and balance.
Plan ahead and prepare ahead so that repacking the decorations, lights, and so on will be a clean safe process.
Proper footwear that can grip a stable step ladder is a must.
Around the Tree
Anything can happen around the tree, ornaments fall and break, wire from the lights shorts out, trip and fall around it.
Just be aware of your surroundings and maybe keep a safe perimeter around the tree so nobody trips, slips and falls around it.
Focus on stability on a ladder if you have to add, adjust, the tree/ornaments, lights and what have you.
If the tree starts to lean, make sure reinforcements are there just in case when you’re ready to straighten it out.
Maybe Get Off the Floor
Wrapping gifts on the floor doesn’t pose the greatest risk for a spine injury, but it can increase chances for a�muscle�strain and sore back and neck. Hours just hunched over on the floor is a sure-fire set up for back pain.
Again plan ahead and knock out the trimmings and trappings little by little so there is plenty left in the tank when it’s time for the main event.
Maybe set up the wrapping station at a table and sit for a bit, stand for a bit,� take plenty of breaks, and move around and stretch out.
Sitting in a chair will help posture and prevent slouching.
On the House
As a spine injury specialist, I can tell you falls from the roof while hanging lights are real, and can be life-changing. From severe spine injuries to paralyzing fractures.
Safe Equipment is of the utmost importance!
Make sure the ladder you�re using is sturdy and on solid ground.
Only hang the lights from the eaves, so you can stand on a ladder.
Maybe think about using one of those projection kits that project various displays onto your house without the risk of injury.
No matter how you choose to decorate and entertain this holiday season, safety is priority one. From our team here at�Injury Medical and Chiropractic Clinic Happy Holidays!
El Paso, TX Chiropractor Personal Injury Attorney Recommended
NCBI Resources
The connective tissues in and around the spine can get:
Pulled
Strained
Sprained
Small tears in the disc can also contribute to back pain.
Basically, any number of activity and non-activity can cause damage to the spinal discs depending on the movement.
Manual tasks performed in an awkward posture
This includes:
Lifting boxes with the back and not bending the knees
Lifting something too heavy
Moderate physical activity
Vigorous physical activity
High intense strength training, long walks at the stores, handling people or animals, and picking up children can cause injury.
If you are experiencing any of these situations, then you might have the holiday blues.
For many people, the holiday season can bring out the chaos, stress, and anxiety in anyone. Even though this time of year is where everyone shows gratitude and peace, it is also the busiest time as well with a never-ending list of things to do that seems to overtake the sense of peace and calm that everyone wants in the holiday season. The occasional anxiety is always around and expected to be part of everyone’s life and is not alarming, like long-term stress. When the body is in a constant fight or flight mode all the time, and a person is running around in a state of chronic stress, it can take a tole of the body and can negatively impact every system, especially in the endocrine system.
HPA Axis Dysfunction
When physiological and emotional stressors are triggered, they release an abundance of cortisol into the body’s circulation that stimulates the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis. When the HPA axis is overactive from a large amount of cortisol, it can wreak havoc on the adrenal glands, thus leading to harmful factors in the endocrine system. Some of the harmful factors include:
Hormone imbalances
Inflammation in the gut
Adrenal exhaustion
Blood sugar dysregulation
Decrease in neurocognition
When these harmful factors cause physiologic imbalances in the body, they may lead to being diagnosed as mood disorders like GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) or even more severe conditions like Addison’s disease. With any of these harmful factors, they can elevate glucocorticoid level to critical levels and impacting the production and signaling of two neurotransmitters: GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and serotonin.
Stress Symptoms
There are many characteristics of anxiety and panic disorders that can be manifest in different ways, depending on the person. Some of the common signs and symptoms include:
Tensed muscles
Being irritable
Insomnia
Shortness of breath
Panic attacks
Being tired constantly
Even though there are ways to lower cortisol levels, antidepressant medications like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are usually the first line of treatment in conventional biomedical health. Studies show that even though these medications can help a person, the results are underwhelming due to that antidepressant medication is ineffective when the condition is long term and can cause physiological imbalances to the body. The effects can deplete the nutrients while causing deleterious and unwanted adverse effects that the body does not need.
Anyone who is weaned off from the medication might experience a relapse from the antidepressants and might have a higher risk of discontinuation symptoms in their body. A study showed that about 72% of depressed individuals received a “brief dynamic therapy,” and the results showed that they did not experience any depressive recurrences than the 46% individuals who were treated with antidepressant pharmacotherapy. In a research study, it concluded that the common antidepressant drug was ineffective for patients and provided them with no clinical reduction for their depressive symptoms after six weeks of usage and after twelve weeks of usage, thus providing weak evidence of reducing depressive symptoms.
Beneficial Ways to Reduce Stress
There are many stress-management techniques and strategies to help anyone battle the overwhelming holiday stress and provide optimal health for their bodies. During this hectic season, patients can learn by taking deep breaths, practicing mindfulness, and meditation whenever discomfort starts to rise in their bodies. Research shows that brain mechanisms can affect a person’s behavior and anxiety. By bringing patients’ awareness, they will know that everything will get accomplished, they must recognize that they cannot please everyone, or try to be in two or more places at once. Once they realize that these methods work, they will feel more grounded, and then their bodies will shift their nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic.
A recent study showed that regular physical activity could provide beneficial results for anyone that has depression and anxiety while also providing mono- or adjunct-therapy to improve the symptoms. The results showed that a six-week exercise program for college students that are getting ready for finals could adopt a mindful practice once per week to reduce stress and anxiety. In addition to exercise regiment, adding a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory, whole food diet that’s rich with polyphenols and macronutrients is fantastic for the body. For anyone, it is best to avoid fatty foods, refined sugars, and carbohydrates to avoid the stimulants and depressants, since it may increase the feelings of stress and anxiety.
For supplements and vitamins, a review that was published earlier this year highlighted the anxiolytic properties of omega-3, PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), and N-acetyl-cysteine due to their incredible abilities to counter oxidative stress, brain and gut inflammation, and glutamatergic dysfunction while also being a better alternative than consuming pharmaceutical drugs. Taking these supplements is beneficial to the body because it will calm down the body’s stress response, the nervous system, and promote neurotransmitter balance.
Conclusion
Even though it is the holiday system, a person can feel the overbearing stress that comes with the season of giving. There are many ways to reduce holiday stress by finding meditative ways and eating nutritious anti-inflammatory foods to lower down the cortisol levels in the body. When the cortisol levels are high, it can affect the body and the significant systems drastically. Some products are here to help support the body by reducing the effects of temporary stress and offer gastrointestinal and metabolic support.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
References:
Faquih, Amber E, et al. �A Review of Novel Antidepressants: A Guide for Clinicians.� Cureus, Cureus, 6 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6504013/.
Krishnakumar, Divya, et al. �Meditation and Yoga Can Modulate Brain Mechanisms That Affect Behavior and Anxiety-A Modern Scientific Perspective.� Ancient Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4769029/.
Lemay, Virginia, et al. �Impact of a Yoga and Meditation Intervention on Students’ Stress and Anxiety Levels.� American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, June 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31333265.
Lewis, Gemma, et al. �The Clinical Effectiveness of Sertraline in Primary Care and the Role of Depression Severity and Duration (PANDA): a Pragmatic, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomised Trial.� The Lancet. Psychiatry, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31543474.
Maund, Emma, et al. �Managing Antidepressant Discontinuation: A Systematic Review.� Annals of Family Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, Jan. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30670397.
Rosso, Gianluca, et al. �Five-Year Follow-up of First-Episode Depression Treated with Psychodynamic Psychotherapy or Antidepressants.� Psychiatry Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30878853.
Saeed, Sy Atezaz, et al. �Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Benefits of Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation.� American Family Physician, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 May 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31083878.
Santos, Patr�cia, et al. �Anxiolytic Properties of Compounds That Counteract Oxidative Stress, Neuroinflammation, and Glutamatergic Dysfunction: a Review.� Revista Brasileira De Psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999), Associa��o Brasileira De Psiquiatria, 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30328963.
Team, DFH. �Calm Holiday Stress with Supplements.� Designs for Health, 3 Dec. 2019, blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1162.
Team, NIMH. �Anxiety Disorders.� National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml#part_145336.
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