As you may be aware, NC and the eastern coastal lines prepared for a category 4 hurricane (hurricane Florence). One of the risks of living along the coast is the fact that, on occasion you are going to have to deal with inclement weather. While the majority of the year you are enjoying all of the beauty, peace and relaxation that living on the coast offers, you know that you must be prepared for catastrophic events. My question for you with this week’s health article is, “Are you preparing your body to weather the storms?”

How many times have we heard our mothers’ say to us, “Eat your veggies, they are good for you!”, or “Sit up straight and stop slouching!” We know that a proper diet and proper exercise and good posture is important for our health and healthy aging, but do we often times get lax with these things because we are still enjoying great sleep, high energy, no pain, etc. It is this false sense of security that gets us into trouble.

When I hear someone say to me that they are healthy because they do not have any symptoms, my question back to them is, “When do you feel diabetes?” or “When do you feel heart disease?” or “When do you feel cancer?” The answer to these questions is, not until it is too late. Once you feel the symptoms, your body has already broken down to the point where it can no longer efficiently heal itself.

It is at this time that the storm has already hit. This is when our health takes a nosedive and we can’t think clearly, can’t sleep, gain excess weight, we hurt all over, our bladder has a mind of it’s own and our bowels haven’t evacuated in days. Now we are in full on crisis mode. What do we do now?

The most obvious answer is to follow your mother’s advice. Take care of yourself on a daily basis so as to be prepared for when a crisis occurs. You will be much more likely to defeat the crisis if you have established habits that restore healing. Below are my top 5 habits to focus on daily in order to lessen the chance of having to overcome a serious health crisis.

1. Get Adjusted– Chiropractors take care of your central nervous system which is responsible for all of the functions of your body. If nerves that go to your heart are weak, you will suffer a heart event. If nerves to your pancreas are weak, you are more likely to develop Diabetes. Whatever the organ, if the nerves that supply function are weak, that organ cannot heal efficiently period.
2. Get Rest– Sleep is important to your parasympathetic nervous system. This part of your central nervous system controls healing in your body. Lack of sleep leads to lack of healing which leads to a health crisis.
3. Stay Hydrated– Dehydration leads to poor cellular communication and poor organ function. I recommend that all patients drink a large helping of water EVERY morning. Shoot for 20-40 ounces every morning.
4. Move– Exercise allows your muscles to pump lymph through your lymphatic system to remove impurities from your brain and body. Lack of controlled, specific movement leads muscle wasting and poor health.
5. Eat Healthy and Fast Regularly– Eating healthy is a no brainer. Fasting may be a term that is new to you, however it has its roots since the beginning of man. Fasts allow the body more time to spend its energy on healing your body and recovering from sickness and disease.

Following the above recommendations will help to ensure that you are better prepared for when a health crisis may strike, or better yet, prevent a serious health crisis from ever happening to begin with.

Lastly, in preparing for hurricane Florence, check out these food items that Hannah has listed as must have items in case you lose power or get stuck in doors for longer than anticipated.

At Stanly Wellness Center, we are eager and ready to help you and your families achieve your best health possible. If you are looking for help with your health or you know of someone who is suffering with poor health, call the office of Stanly Wellness Center at 980-355-7600 and schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with Dr. Patrick Ess to see how he can help. Dr. Ess will not waste your time or money. He will let you know if he can help you, and if he can’t, who in the community can.

Our office specializes in nutrition, detoxification and neurological correction. You can also refer to our website at www.AskDrPatrick.com for more information. We accept most major health insurances including BCBS, Aetna, Humana, UHC, Medicaid and Medicare.