Did you know that Chiropractic care can add years to your life? I’ve been working a lot on a new workshop series I am kicking off in the fall. Part of the preparation requires I snuff up on the latest research and statistics relative to the topics I will be presenting on. Some of the most shocking stats I came across have been from the CDC. According to the CDC 25% of Americans have a disability by age 50, and 36% at age 65 and older. Of the 65 and older group 28% said they would rate their health as fair to poor. This is eye opening, since a subjective rating is often lower than the actual number…like patients when you ask how often they drink alcohol…usually not the most accurate or honest assessment.

Now I’m all for the old Latin saying “Carpe Diem” which roughly translates to “make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.” However, when it comes to your health and with a bit of forethought, you’ll realize everything you do today will have a price to pay tomorrow. Another stat I went to revisit was the leading causes of death in America. Sadly 4 out of the top 5 causes of death are lifestyles diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer and liver disease. Now taking care of yourself and your body in an optimal way is not easy, and I’ll be the first to admit I love a slice of pizza and a beer every now and again. The difference between indulging in you vices every now and again and indulging on a daily or weekly basis is what the long-term consequences will be. Do you want to pass away of a lifestyle disease at a far too early age or live to be a healthy 100 years old and gracefully pass away in your sleep? I’d prefer the second option.

So where am I going with this? Well the obvious of course, which is to take care of your body because it is a sacred temple, of which you only get one! No matter how advanced our surgeries and drugs get nothing will beat prevention when it comes to health! Of course, you need to exercise at moderate intensity on average 3 hours or more per week, eat lost of veggies, less meats, eat as little process and fried foods as possible and limit your alcohol consumption. Oh, and don’t forget to take care of that brain too! More and more research is coming out every year on the benefits of mindfulness and mediation. But one of the coolest things I came across in my research and has long been a chiropractic saying that “Chiropractic adds years to your life, and life to your years,” meaning the QUALITY of your life is improving, not just your lifespan (living in assisted living for a long period doesn’t sound like a great option). This saying was recently backed up by a study that showed that Chiropractic care can INCREASE telomere length.

Telomeres are depicted as the yellow tips on the ends of the chromosomes which contain DNA.

What is a telomere? Well long story short, they are part of your DNA compositing and the longer they are, the more life you have left in you, the shorter they get the effects of aging are seen and life expectancy deceases. This is also correlated with a optimal HRV (Heart Rate Variability) score. This is exactly why we use HRV at Koru Chiropractic, it shows both acute and wellness practice members what the effects of stress are on their bodies and how chiropractic care is help with that! Pretty cool right!? HRV has nothing to do with pain, or stiffness, but directly related to aging and quality of life. Nothing makes me happier that seeing the HRV score sliding up with each reevaluation. HRV is becoming more and more accessible to the public, with app on smart watches and sleeping monitors, but unless someone has a keen understanding of the data and how to make positive changes is can still seem very foreign. Our HRV software gives a great simplified explanation of the results and track the changes over time. If you’d like a neurological evaluation where we do not just the HRV but 2 other advanced neurological evaluations give us a call and we can check your CORE Score and your health for you objectively! No guessing, no gimmicks, just objective results!