How To Strengthen Your Immune System

Our immune system is constantly working and fighting to keep us healthy.  When we get sick or injured, we know that our immune system is working in overdrive to bring us back to "homestasis" or back to good health.  We often don't think about our immune system when we feel good.  However, taking precautions to prevent illness is often overlooked until its too late.  Your immune system needs proper care so that your best defenses can be sent in when illness sets in.  You want your immune "soldiers" to be so well equipped that the virus or bacteria that enters your body doesn't stand a chance to make you sick!  Like many of our body's functions and processes, our immune system is controlled, governed, and regulated by our nervous system.  To optimize our immune response, we need to optimize our function of the nervous systems.
What are some things to consider to strengthen your immune system?  Neurologically-based chiropractic care will help the nervous system function better.  Think of it like your car; your nervous system is the gas pedal that sends the signal to the engine to make the car move.  If you don't have a gas pedal, getting the car to move is not likely to happen!  Chiropractic adjustments trigger an activation within the neuro-immuno-endocrine systems (see diagram above).  One chiropractic adjustment boosts the body's immune response by 200%!  Other things that are just as important as regular chiropractic adjustments to help build our immune response are eating fruits and vegetables (getting vitamin C), sunshine (getting vitamin D), drinking plenty of water, relaxing the mind (meditation), washing your hands (just plain hygiene), and exercising.  Move your body daily to promote a healthy immune response, even if its getting out for a 20 minute walk over lunch.  Keep sugar intake down as sugar depletes the immune cells' response to bacteria and viruses.  We also suggest to support gut health by taking superfoods to maintain proper gut function (we suggest an algae like chlorella and spirulina).
Our body works hard for us daily, so we need to make sure we work hard to equip it with the proper tools it needs to keep us healthy and happy!
Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV

How Your Nervous System Effects Depression

Effects of Depression in your Body

For over 260 million people, depression exhausts their bodies both mentally and physically every day.  Often times, symptoms brought forth by depression can seem endless and trying to overcome those symptoms with different methods of treatments is tireless.  Recent research has demonstrated decreased adaptability of the body's nervous system in those patients suffering with depression.  A 2019 study assessed the effects of depression in patients that did not utilize antidepressant medications as well as a control group of patients.  The studies' results showed a connection between heart rate variability (HRV) and depression.  Heart rate variability is a measurement used to indicate nervous system function.  Chiropractic care removed any interference to your nervous system to allow it to function properly.  The study also showed a correlation between the patient's level of severity of depression symptoms and HRV measurements.  Meaning, the worse the heart rate variability, the more intense of depression symptoms were felt.  If HRV and depression symptoms are connected, then changing your heart rate variability performance can have a positive effect on your depression.
Neurologically based chiropractic care has been proven to have a positive impact on heart rate variability.  This is done by removing interference (subluxation) in the neck, spine, and extremities.  Overall improvement of the neurological system is a common result with only a few chiropractic adjustments.  When a misalignment is found, HRV is also found to be lower.  When that misalignment is removed thru an adjustment, HRV improves indicating a healthier nervous system.  Heart rate variability is just one tool that chiropractors use to help measure the overall health of the nervous system.  For patients suffering with depression, their symptoms can also be tied to a poorly functioning nervous system among other things.  We are the experts at finding and removing interference to your nervous system thru x-ray driven, gentle, effective chiropractic care, let us help you find your way to health!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV



Hartmann, R., Schmidt,  F. M., Sander, C., & Hegerl, U. (2019). Heart Rate Variability as Indicator of Clinical State of Depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9. doi:10.3889/fpsyt.2018.00735

How Chiropractic Care Can Help with Hypothyroidism

 

 Your thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that is responsible for producing thyroid hormones which has many different effects in your body.  It is estimated that 20 million Americans have a thyroid issue, with 60% of those being undiagnosed or unknown to the patient!  Women are 8 times as likely to develop a thyroid issue than men in their mid to late 50's and beyond.  Our thyroid gland is essential to regulating our bodies and ensuring balance to our hormonal/endocrine system.  Symptoms of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) include weight gain, depression, body aches, hair loss, itchy or dry skin, intolerance to cold, constipation, swelling of the face and neck, among many others!  While hypothyroid medications are typically prescribed for an underactive thyroid, there is a natural way to help support our thyroid while determining what the best course of treatment is for you.  

Our bodies are naturally made to make thyroid hormone and when there is dysfunction in doing so, we need to take a good look at what is happening internally to see where the body is failing.  A recent journal article highlighted the benefits that a 52-year old woman recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism found thru chiropractic care.  The patient was taking thyroid medication at the start of the study for an under active thyroid as well as experiencing hip, back, and knee pain.  She went consistently to her doctor of chiropractic as well as her endocrinologist for 9 months and at that time no longer had pain to report.  Her doctor reported improvement in her blood work that indicated she no longer needed to take the prescribed thyroid medication!  Six months after stopping her thyroid medication, her blood work showed no traces of hypothyroidism, and therefore, still no need for medication!  While chiropractic care does not replace thyroid medication, working together with multiple disciplinarians of health allowed for this patients body to return back to proper functioning.  Chiropractic adjustments help eliminate interference to the nerves that send signals from the brain to the thyroid gland, and as a result limited the amount of external help (i.e. medication) that she needed! 

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV


Reimer, C. (2019). Resolution of Hypothyroidism & Improved Cervical Curve in a 52-year Old Female Undergoing Chiropractic Care for Vertebral Subluxation: A Case Study & Review of the Literature.  A. Vertebral Subluxation Res, 171-174.

Take Care of Your Heart by Taking Care of Your Nervous System

With February just days away, heart health is the topic of the moment.  We will see a lot of information speaking to the importance of eating right and exercising, as well as mental health exercises that all help improve our overall heart health.  However, there is another factor to our healthcare that is just as important of a factor to improve our cardiovascular function.  Researchers have been looking at a measurement called heart rate variability (HRV) to gain a better understanding of how our nervous system impacts our heart health.
Heart rate variability measures how our cardiovascular system responds to stress over a given amount of time.  Better scores in HRV means our nervous system is controlling the appropriate adaptations of our heart when under stress.  The communication pathway that our brain sends to our heart via our nerves are clear and free from interference.  A study published in The American Journal of Cardiology in 2019 followed 85 patients with suspected angina (meaning pain in the chest, neck, shoulders, or arms due to inadequate blood supply to the heart).  This research article showed that those patients with a lower heart rate variability score had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. 
Cardiovascular disease is the global leading cause of death.  Since our nervous system controls the function of our heart, it only makes sense that taking proactive health measures to improve heart rate variability will improve our overall health.  Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to increase heart rate variability measurements by removing interference to the nervous system.  Getting your spine and nervous system checked regularly by your doctor of chiropractic should be viewed just as importantly as eating right, exercising, and meditation.  When your nervous system functions properly, it allows for all other body systems to function at their optimal levels!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV


Girolamo Manno, Giuseppina Novo, Salatore Novo, Egle Corrado, Giuseppe Coppola, ALTERATION OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY AS AN EARLY PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS: A LOOK AT CURRENT EVIDENCE, The American Journal of Cardiology (2019), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amcad.2019.12.010

60% of Veterans Report Chronic Pain and How Chiropractic Can Help

Chronic pain can make our lives difficult by interfering with our activities of daily living.  When patients turn to medication to manage chronic pain, it may relieve symptoms by masking the pain, however it does not address the cause of the pain.  Side effects of pain mediation include drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, depression, increased suicidal ideations, weakened immune system, addiction, and can have negative effects on how other systems in the body function.  Unfortunately one group of people often deal with chronic pain: our nations veterans.  In fact, 29%-44% of military members deployed to conflict zones in Iraq or Afghanistan reported chronic pain.  According to the Veteran Health Administration, 48%-60% of their primary care patients suffer from chronic pain.
Veterans returning from duty are at an increased risk for depression and suicide and these issues are also linked highly to chronic pain.  Opioid addiction and overdose numbers have continued to rise in veterans since 2010 each year.  As a result of this increased need, non-pharmacological treatments for chronic pain is a necessity to help our veterans after they have sacrificed so much for our country.  Among these treatments are chiropractic adjustments!  Research of active duty members found that those soldiers who sought chiropractic care more often reported that when they did feel their pain, it was mild and less frequent in occurrence.   Chiropractic care offers safe, gentle, specific adjustments to the neck, spine, and extremities to align the body so that it may function at its best ability.  When it comes to those who sacrifice so much by serving in the military, it should be our service to them to ensure that they are well taken care of!  Our veterans deserve more than just masking their symptoms, they deserve full relief of the cause of their pain!


Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV


Emary, P. C., Brown, A. L., Cameron, D. F., & Pessoa, A. F. (2019). Chiropractic integration within a community health centre:a cost description and partial analysis of cost-utility from the perspective of the institution. J Can Chiropr Assoc 2019, 63(2), 64-79.

Everybody Poops! But not often enough...

Bowel movements shouldn't be complicated-they are a standard process for the human body!  Our bodies are designed beautifully and intricately; all processes interact with one another and have very specific functions.  However, sometimes our bodies "wires" get crossed in our nervous system, which leads to a lack of optimal functioning.  Current research is highlighting the importance of the "gut-brain relationship."  Meaning, the health of your gut is in direct correlation to your brain health.  Diseases are being traced back to our digestive tract and it appears that as we clean up our gut health, issues begin to fade or even become non-existent.
The number one most common thing in all patients that I see on a daily basis is constipation.  Even when patients state that they "go regularly," it is apparent on x-ray analysis that the intestines are backed up with feces, and they don't even know it!  Bowel movements should happen at least once per day, with the stool consistently being soft yet formed with easy elimination (no straining).  Approximately 8-9% of the over 2 billion people that suffer from constipation have functional constipation.  This  means that there are no specific factors found from a medical standpoint as to why they are constipated.  Other causes of constipation include medication side effects, not enough water intake, low activity level, chronic stress, low fiber in your diet, and neurological interference.  When subluxations are present in the neck and spine, the signals sent down the nervous system to the gut are interfered with, and dysfunction results.  Gentle, specific chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and specific adjustments to the sacrum all remove interference to those nerves that send the signals that regulate bowel movements. 
Chiropractic care can help relieve constipation in people of all ages.  Often times in infants, it only takes one adjustment to the pelvis for them to have a bowel movement and often it is instantaneous! Chiropractic adjustments are safe and effective for everyone!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV

More Chiropractic Care Means Less Opioid Use

Opioid medications act on our bodies opioid receptors to produce a pain-relieving effect. While there are times when opioid medications are necessary, a crisis has emerged in our country for opioid abuse.  Most physicians try to only prescribe opioid medications for moderate to severe pain, however it is estimated that over 191 million prescriptions are written per year, meaning that approximately 58.7 per 100 people are receiving opioid mediation!  When our bodies are in pain, it is common to seek the most effective and immediate relief to be able to keep functioning for our daily lives.  While opioid medications can provide immediate relief, drugs all come with side effects, as well as a highly addictive tendency associated with these types of medications.  With such enormous risks that are associated with these drugs, are there other alternative healthcare options?
A 2019 case study followed patients with chronic neck and back pain to determine if their prescription needs for opioid medications could decrease with chiropractic care.  The results? An astounding reduction of 85% reduction in pharmaceutical costs for these patients!  Those seeking chiropractic care first before medications had a 64% chance of not needing opioid prescription at all!  Gentle, specific chiropractic adjustments gets to the root cause of the pain instead of masking its symptoms.  Chiropractic care is safe, effective, with no side effects or addictive outcomes.  Looking for answers for your chronic pain?  We can help!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV

 Corcoran,K.L.,Bastian,L.A.,Gunderson,C.G.,Steffens,C.,Brackett,A.,&Lisi,A.J.(2019).AssociationBetweenChiropracticUseandOpioidReceiptAmongPatientswithSpinalPain:ASystematicReviewandMeta-analysis.PainMedicine.doi:10.1093/pm/pnz219