Top 10 Things To Do To Reduce Carbon Foot Print. Plus Health News of the Week

The buzz around climate change is huge.  Negative and positive view points from a scientific and political perspective are expressed on a daily basis. Discussions on how to help our environment revolve around driving automobiles and fuel economy, home energy efficiency, agriculture and food consumption, water conservation, recycling plastics, glass, paper and metal and how carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions from many different activities of daily living are affecting climate change.  Articles that I have recently read from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration both say that by adding more Co2 to the atmosphere, people are increasing the natural greenhouse gas effect causing global temperatures to rise. In addition, NASA says that Co2 in our atmosphere warms the planet causing climate change and human lifestyle has raised the Co2 levels by 50% in less than 200 years.

That being said, I came across an article reporting on a recent lecture from William Happer, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of physics at Princeton University and former scientific advisor to President George H.W. Busch and President Donald Trump. According to Happer, Co2 is an essential gas necessary for life.  He goes on to say that our bodies are made of carbon and we breathe out Co2 all day just by living.  Humans breathe out about 2lbs of Co2 per day.  Multiple that by 8 billion people, 365 days per year and Co2 from breathing is a significant contribution to the atmosphere.

Since we can’t stop breathing, here are 10 ways to reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment.  1. Stop buying water in plastic bottles (use a reusable water bottle). Also, plastic is being found in our water.  Researchers were able to detect 110,000 to 370,000 particles of plastic in 1 liter of water.  2.  Walk or bike on your short trips (If you’re visiting your neighbor down the street, take a stroll instead of the car).  3. Turn off lights if you are not in the room.  4.  Keep your car tires inflated properly for fuel economy.  5. Eat locally grown food (cuts down on shipping).  6.  Use cold water in your clothes washing machine (also shorten your dishwasher cycle.  We cut ours down from 2 hrs. and 30 minutes to 59 minutes and the dishes are clean!).  7.  Set your thermostat in your house to 78 degrees during the day in the summer and 67 in the winter. (We keep ours at 70 when home during the day and 64 at night while asleep.  8.  Drive your car slower, lol – speed limit, cost to a red light when you see it.  9.  Keep your stuff out of the landfill.  Bring to a thrift shop or donate to charity.  10.  Turn off the water in your sinks when not is use rather than keeping the faucet on (i.e. brushing teeth).

Periodontal disease is now being linked to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.  Bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease increases inflammation in the body which is linked to chronic illness.  A recent study of 40,175 middle aged adults with no history of stroke or dementia found that poor oral hygiene increased markers for higher levels of brain chemicals associated with brain matter disease or injury.  Failing to brush teeth at least twice per day increases the risk of dementia by 65%. 

Ginger root, 5000 years, ago was an expensive luxury item for kings and queens.  Ginger can be eaten fresh, pickled, preserved or candied.  The skin on the ginger root is also edible (clean it) and contains a high amount of nutrients and fiber.  It is scientifically well known that ginger is an anti-inflammatory and can help with arthritis and joint pain.  New research finds that ginger is good for your gut micro bacteria diversity and stimulates stomach emptying which helps with acid reflux and heart burn.  Studies also suggest that use of ginger root suppresses long-term weight gain.  Ginger is also helpful with nausea, pain from menstruation and migraine headaches.  Even helps with delayed onset muscle soreness from working out.

Omega 3 fats with EPA and DHA have been shown to help thin the blood, lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack as well as lowering triglyceride levels, blood pressure and inflammation.  Omega 3 fats aid the energy producing mitochondrial cells in the body.  The average American has 4% to 5% EPA/DHA ratio in their red blood cells.  The target level for optimal health is 8% to 12% which is basically 1000mg of EPA / DHA per day.  Sources of Omega 3 fats with DHA and EPA are fish (fish oil), walnuts (walnut oil), chia seeds and flax seeds.

Chiropractic Care for Health and Wellness.  Chiropractors take care of a condition called vertebral subluxation. This is a spinal condition where the boney joints of the spine become stuck and fixated effecting the proper alignment.  I like to tell my patients that subluxations are an abnormal condition that exits normally in all people.  The reason I say this is because the majority of subluxations come from lifestyle and since we all have to live our lives; it is normal to have a stuck or fixated spinal bone. Other sources of subluxation come from muscle trauma due to injury such as trauma or strains and sprains.  As I said, lifestyle subluxations are the most common and they occur from daily activities such as walking, standing, sitting, exercise, posture and repetitive motions performed on a daily basis.  All of these examples can tighten the back and neck muscles which pulls on the spinal bone causing the fixation.  Most of the time, these spinal subluxations do not cause symptoms until they have been there for a while.  After a bit of time, symptoms appear and then that’s when a chiropractor is sought out.

This is the main reason why chiropractors recommend periodic spinal check-ups when you feel good.  It’s damage control.  If the chiropractor locates the fixated spinal bone before there are symptoms, we prevent the body from having painful episodes that require repetitive treatments.  In addition, when a person has a subluxation with zero symptoms the fixated spinal bone still has a negative effect on the body.  Fixated and stuck vertebra cause wear and tear on the joint surface.  This is called arthritis.  Most importantly, when the spinal joints are not aligned properly, the joint space is altered where the spinal nerve comes off of the spinal cord.  This causes pressure on the nerves which leads to a decrease in neural impulses.  The nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system in the body.  Decreased neural impulses lead to decreased performance in the body which can then contribute to ill health.

Periodic spinal adjustments by your chiropractor once every 4-6 weeks makes sense.  Locating and correcting the subluxation will balance muscle stability helping to lesson or prevent aches and pains. The chiropractic adjustment will free up the spinal joints reducing the chance of boney degeneration and lastly and most importantly will improve nervous system function which can help you to be healthier.

If you would like to discuss these topics, we have three locations to serve you.  The Smithville section of Galloway Township at 48 s. New York Rd.  3137 Fire Rd in Egg Harbor Township and inside Wolf Fitness on Tilton rd. in Northfield, NJ.

My name is Dr. J Zimmerman and I have been in practice for over 30 years specializing in chiropractic health and wellness care.  Dr. JC Carr is my associate chiropractor who handles many different chiropractic cases not only including health and wellness, but sports performance, sports injuries, pregnancy prenatal care and pediatric care.

Author

Dr J. Zimmerman, Chiropractor Dr. Zimmerman is a practicing chiropractor from Galloway, NJ with 30 years of chiropractic practice.