Enhance Your Health
Health Tip of the Week: Coconut Oil and Astaxanthin
In past health tips, I have written about the benefits of organic coconut oil for improving overall health and specifically brain function.
Coconut oil is high in healthy saturated fats that have different effects than most other fats in your diet. These fats can boost fat burning and provide your body and brain with quick energy. They also raise the good HDL cholesterol in your blood, which is linked to reduced heart disease risk.
Coconut oil has been shown to have positive effects on improving cognitive function in people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Speaking of Alzheimer’s disease, after you read this week's Health Tip you can add Astaxanthin to that very important list of nutrients that have shown benefit to people suffering from senile dementia and Alzheimer's type conditions.
Astaxanthin occurs naturally in certain algae and causes the pink or red color in salmon, trout, lobster, shrimp, and other seafood.
Astaxanthin is an extremely powerful antioxidant. It is a fat soluble nutrient responsible for giving flamingos and salmon their vibrant pink color.
This nutrient has properties that easily cross the blood-brain barrier, helping to prevent neuro-degeneration associated with cellular damage. Basically, Astaxanthin becomes an essential brain food, helping to preserve the brain's many thought processing areas.
In addition, Astaxanthin has been shown in clinical studies to increase skin moisture, moisture retention, elasticity, as well as promote skin smoothness, decreasing fine lines and wrinkles.
Astaxanthin has incredible UV-blocking properties, which helps to assist the skin in protecting itself against sun-related damage (it makes perfect sense for Brigantine Islanders to supplement with Astaxanthin).
Besides Astaxanthin and coconut oil, other key approaches to prevent and reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and dementia include a healthy diet, regular exercise (including physical and mental exercises), eating enough B vitamins, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E and Omega-3 fats from fish, krill and walnut oils.
Thought for the Week
Pain of mind is worse than pain of body. ~ Latin Proverb
Chiropractic Thought for the Week
How do you know when you are "done" with your chiropractic care? It all depends on what your goals are.
Some people only want their pain to go away. Once the symptoms are resolved, then it is time for the case to be released.
Others want spinal correction. This is the care that goes past symptom relief to make more lasting changes to the spinal alignment. Sort of like straightening teeth at the orthodontist's office.
And lastly, some will use chiropractic for its health and wellness benefits and visit the chiropractor for periodic spinal check-ups to remove nerve stress, balance musculature and reduce degenerative friction on their spinal bones. These people will use chiropractic for the rest of their lives on a preventative basis.
Remember the choice is always up to you. You don't have to go to the chiropractor the rest of your life, unless you choose to!