Chiropractic Care and Weight Control

By John R. Greensfelder, DC

A person's spine is designed to carry the body's weight and to have this weight distributed properly. Excess weight forces the spine to absorb the burden, which can then lead to back pain, damage, injury and Sciatica.

Weight control is an important part of having a healthy body. Healthy bodies come in different shapes and sizes. Eating low-glycemic foods along with the proper amount of exercise with some behavior modification works well in achieving weight loss. Successful weight-management plans require strong discipline to control eating urges and adhere to exercise strategies. New habits need to be learned and many bad habits need to broken.

Obesity is a medical condition that describes the body's storage of excess fat. It's normal for the body to store fat tissue under the skin and around joints and organs. Fat is essential for good health because it provides energy when the body demands it, and provides insulation and protection for vital organs. The accumulation of too much fat causes many health problems, including diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease and arthritis.

A primary concern of obesity is the risk of developing disease. Obese people are twice as likely to develop high blood pressure and over 70% of heart disease is linked to excess body fat. Obese women are twice as likely to develop breast cancer and 40% more likely to develop colon cancer. Close to 80% of Type II or non-insulin dependent diabetics are obese.

An exercise program can be the most important part of the weight-management program because it will provide so many other added health benefits. Exercise will also improve some of the medical conditions associated with obesity, which includes high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. Many studies show a direct correlation between physical fitness and mental achievement. It can be said that a physically fit person is also a mentally fit person.