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What we have found is that most people have some degree of dehydration, due to:

• Lack of water intake.
• Inability to absorb the fluid due to some inflammatory, toxic issues or poor gut health resulting in bloating, poor kidney function and oedema.
• Too much coffee and or tea.
• Some medications can also affect hydration.

People can drink plenty of water but if you have some toxicity or inflammatory condition your body may hold on to the fluid to try and dilute the toxins or inflammatory condition. Thus water isn’t absorbed into the cells.

70% of our body is made up of water. In order for proper functioning of our cells and organs it is crucial to be hydrated. If not, our cells won’t function at their optimal capacity, regardless of how healthy our diet is. Water intake is necessary in order to flush excess toxins through the kidneys and prevent the negative effects of toxic accumulation. Please note that we can only survive 3-4 days without water.

We depend on water for survival. Every cell, tissue and organ requires water to function optimally. Our body needs water to:

• flush waste
• maintain core temperature
• lubricate joints
• aid digestion
• aid nutrient absorption
• aid circulation
• aid metabolism
• aid weight loss
• promote healthier hair & skin.

We lose fluid by urination, perspiration and breathing. Signs of dehydration are dry mouth, thirst, decreased urine output, constipation, lightheadedness, dizziness and headaches and cracked lips. Severe and long term dehydration can not only affect the above mentioned but also ones blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate & all other body systems.

How Much Water Should I Drink?

The average adult should drink approximately 2 litres of water every day. If you engage in strenuous exercise or are working in the heat you may need to increase your intake accordingly.

What Type of Water Should I Drink?

Do not drink tap water, it has the chemicals chlorine and fluoride added, which has been shown to be detrimental to our health. Instead, buy a good filter that eliminates chemicals and toxins, such as a reverse osmosis filter or another option is to buy water from a reputable water supplier. If you have a rain water tank, make sure that it is fitted with a good filter, that filters out any harmful bacteria. Just do your homework on the internet before investing in a filter.

Other Recommendations:

• Drink a glass of water when you first wake up. This will stimulate organ function and start the hydration process.
• Sip water throughout the day, this will help hydrate the cells and help prevent frequent trips to the toilet.
• Do not drink too much water during meals as this dilutes the digestive enzymes.
• Drink a just before meals (Which helps decrease appetite) and then wait one hour after meals.
• Drinking one glass of water just before you go to sleep, may help prevent stokes and heart attacks, this is due to the fact that the blood is less sticky if well hydrated.

Please note: If you have any preexisting cardiac or kidney function issues, have been placed on a fluid restriction by your doctor or are taking medications please consult your doctor prior to increasing your daily fluid intake.

Some of the most common injuries that chiropractors encounter are caused by incorrect or prolonged sitting positions. With technology use on the rise and more and more jobs requiring 9 to 5 desk time, back pain, neck pain and shoulder pain are becoming extremely common issues. To help remedy these issues, here are some tips from our chiropractors to help you correct your sitting posture.

Get into position

Sit in your chair with your back and shoulders straight, with your buttocks just touching the back of the chair. Bend your knees at a right angle and plant your feet flat on the floor. Your knees should be kept in line with, or slightly higher, than your hips (use a foot stool if needed). Ensure your body weight is distributed evenly on each hip and resist the temptation to cross your legs. Some people find that a rolled-up towel or lumbar roll helps them maintain the natural curves in their back while sitting.

Be posture wise

First and foremost, try to get up and move every 30 minutes, even if it’s just to get up for a drink or pace the length of the office. When leaving the siting position, move to the front of you seat and stand up by straightening your legs instead of bending at the waist. Stretch your back by completing 10 standing backbends before walking around.
When you’re at your desk adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit closer to your work and tilt screens and monitors upwards towards you. Always rest your elbows against your chair or desk and keep your shoulders relaxed.

Do you suffer from back, neck or shoulder pain?

If you are experiencing back, neck or shoulder pain as the result of poor posture, come and visit the Helensvale Chiropractic Centre. Based on the Gold Coast, our experienced chiropractors offer initial care, corrective care and maintenance to ensure optimal musculoskeletal health for all our clients.

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is produced within the body when sun meets the skin. You can also absorb vitamin D from food products such as fatty fish, mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light and fortified dairy products. During cooler months or for indoor dominated lifestyles, many people turn to vitamin supplements. To learn more about vitamin D, then read through these facts from our team of chiropractors.

What are the benefits of vitamin D?

Vitamin D helps the gut absorb calcium and promotes stronger, healthier bones. Vitamin D also plays a role in reducing inflammation and boosting immune function and cell growth. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that to effectively absorb the vitamin you need to consume it with foods that are rich in fatty oils or find vitamin D supplements that contain these same fats. Also, as calcium and vitamin D work hand in hand, it’s important that you supplement your vitamin D with adequate levels of calcium.

How much vitamin D do I need?

The amount of vitamin D that you need varies considerably according to your age, especially during the younger years. Infants aged 0 to 6 months require an intake of between 400 IU and 1,000 IU per day. Infants aged 6 to 12 months require an intake of between 400 IU and 1,500 IU per day. Children aged 1-3 years require between 600 IU and 2,500 IU daily and children aged 4-8 require between 600 IU and 3,000 IU daily.
For most people (age 9-70) the daily intake is between 600 IU and 4,000 IU daily, with those over 71 requiring 800 IU and 4,000 IU daily. A lack of vitamin D can contribute to a range of diseases and conditions, including dementia, prostate cancer and heart disease.
If you are feeling the effects of vitamin D deficiency, then contact the Helensvale Chiropractic Centre today. Our team of professional chiropractors can help treat a range of associated conditions including bone and back pain, fatigue and tiredness and muscle pain. Based on the Gold Coast, our chiropractors offer the very best treatments to suit your individual needs.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that aids with hundreds of beneficial reactions in our body. Magnesium plays a key role in energy production, muscle synthesis, muscular contraction, muscular relaxation, fatty acid metabolism, and strengthening bones. To teach you more about the benefits of magnesium, read this quick guide from our team of chiropractors.

What’s so great about magnesium?

Magnesium plays an important role in the activation and regulation of muscle use. Mitochondria, the energy centres of our muscle cells, rely on magnesium to lower lactic acid build up and reduce muscular fatigue. This is not only essential for long sessions of physical activity, but also for prolonged periods of sitting or standing. Magnesium aids the delivery of oxygen and energy to our muscles and prevents muscles soreness, stiffness, cramping and spasms.

Are you getting enough magnesium?

Poor diets containing lots of processed foods and poor soil quality of produce both contribute to a lack of magnesium. While it’s always best to gain magnesium from natural sources, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds and leafy greens, sometimes supplementation is needed.

What happens if you have a magnesium deficiency?

A lack of magnesium increases the body’s production of inflammatory chemicals, which active pain receptors. Many studies have suggested that magnesium deficiencies can lead to migraines, fibromyalgia, muscular cramping and chronic fatigue. Magnesium deficiencies are particularly detrimental for athletes, who engage in strenuous physical activity and are prone to muscular injury.

Need help with muscular fatigue?

If you are struggling with muscular fatigue, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, then you may need to introduce more magnesium into your diet. If you are suffering any of these conditions, come visit the Helensvale Chiropractic Centre today. Our expert chiropractors offer natural, drug-free relief for a variety of health issues. Based in Helensvale on the Gold Coast, our team of chiropractors can help you achieve an active healthy and happy life.

Both krill oil and fish oil supplements provide omega-3 fatty acids including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). While both supplements provide similar health benefits, there are many differences in their origin, price and overall benefits. In this blog our chiropractors explain the key differences between the two supplements.

Fish oil

Fish oil is usually sourced from naturally oil fish such as tuna, herring and sardines. Fish oil supplements are typically gold or yellow in colour and are both readily available and reasonably priced. Fish oil has been used as an omega 3 supplement for many years and has a large amount of supporting research regarding its effectiveness in improved heart health and reduced rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

Krill oil

Unlike fish oil, krill oil has a deeper red colour and is sourced from a small shrimp-like animal called krill (usually found in the waters of Antarctica). While krill oil hasn’t been in use for as long as fish oil, krill oil has recently skyrocketed in popularity due to a study that suggested that krill oil’s fatty acids are stored as phospholipids, which can be more readily accessed by the body. The trade off is that you need more krill oil supplements to match the equivalent benefits of fish oil. Krill oil has also been proven to lower triglyceride levels and reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Treating rheumatoid arthritis

Looking for additional natural solutions for rheumatoid arthritis? Call the Helensvale Chiropractic Centre today. Our team of experienced Gold Coast chiropractors service the areas of Helensvale, Arundel, Pacific Pines, Oxenford, Coomera, Hope Island and Upper Coomera. Our chiropractors, can help with mobility, strengthening and supporting exercises, as well as supplementary dietary advice.

Given the amount of time we spend on our feet, it’s no wonder foot, ankle and heel pain are extremely common. It can be difficult to know when the pain is normal and just needs rest, or when to seek help. Here are some common abnormalities and dysfunctions that can occur in this area of the body, which may help you to have a better understanding of whether or not you should see help for your pain.

Pronation

This is a natural movement, in which your foot rolls in as you walk. There is a healthy range of pronation (15 degrees) that helps to stabilise the foot in order to push off the ground. It is when this natural pronation becomes excessive that you may experience foot, knee, hip and spinal discomfort. TO determine if you over-pronate as you walk, examine the insoles of your shoes. Over-pronators will have wear on the inside edge of your shoes, rather than the typical heel-toe wear.

Supination

A common contributor to outer-knee pain, supination is an insufficient inward foot motion during gait. It is typically found in those with excessive arch height, as they will unevenly distribute pressure onto the outer edge of their feet as they walk.

Hallux Valgus

This is what it is called when your big toe deviates inwards. Also known as Bunion, and in more severe cases will require surgical intervention.

Before treating foot, ankle or heel pain, it is wise to have a chiropractor do a complete case history evaluation, physical examination and X-Rays if clinically indicated. If the foot, ankle or heel pain is die to musculoskeletal issues then the chiropractor will adjust to re-establish movement. This may also entail some muscle work and stretches.

Call or visit Helensvale Chiropractic at any of our Gold Coast centers to discuss your foot, ankle or heel pain concerns.

Staying inactive for long durations, such as sitting in an office chair, is a very common factor when it comes to inflexibility and joint stiffness. Here are five quick tips to help you improve your flexibility.

1. Weight Training

When trying to increase your flexibility, strength and resistance training are important. These exercises will increase the strength of your muscles through range of motion.

2. Stretching Post Workout

Especially after weight and resistance training, make sure you are stretching. It will help to reset the muscle fibres to their resting position as well as remove toxins like lactic acid in order to improve your muscles rate of recovery.

3. Stretch Differently

Don’t just stretch the same way every time. Often hamstring tightness is linked to lower back and pelvis dysfunction. Try new stretch routines that will stretch out both the hamstring and lower back, as well as hip flexors and quads.

4. Sleepy Stretch

Stretch in the morning right after you wake up. It will get your muscles moving, and remove any stiffness from a night of immobility.

5. Static Stretching

Research shows that the best and most effective type of stretching is static hold stretching. This is what it is called when you hold your stretched position for a length of time. The key to this stretch is to apply subtle tension to your muscles and hold, not hold at full stretch.

Utilising chiropractic adjustments plus simple corrective spinal stretches and exercises designed specifically to improve your posture, flexibility and get you out of pain. Whether you are just starting out, workout regularly, or recovering from an injury we will design a safe, but effective stretching and exercise program specifically for you. We also give you helpful tips that you can use every day to improve your posture and flexibility.

To consult with a chiropractor about a stretching and exercise program, call or visit Helensvale Chiropractic at one of our Gold Coast centres.

We spend roughly one third of our lives sleeping. It is what allows us to restore our energy, consolidate our thoughts and memories, release hormones and aid proper growth and repair keeping our minds and bodies healthy. So, what happens when we aren’t getting enough of it, and how do we fix it? A good night’s sleep depends on both the quality and the quantity. Here are some top tops to help you enjoy a longer, better quality sleep.

1. Regulate Your Sleep Schedule

Going to sleep and waking up at the same time each and every day will help regulate the amount and quality of you sleep. Your body enjoys habits and will fall easily in line with this one. The repetition will teach your brain to shut off each night allowing you to rest soundly.

2. Turn Off All the Lights

Keeping your bedroom completely dark will go a long way in shutting off your brain, as there will be no distracting sights for it to latch on to. Lights are known to disrupt sleep hormones, making it difficult to get a good night’s rest. This is especially true of any light emitted from a technological device.

3. Keep It Quiet

Neutralise noises. Like the lights, noises will keep your brain active. Remove anything causing noise from your bedroom and enjoy the peaceful results.

4. Take the Time to Wind Down

About an hour before you head to bed, give your brain a chance to relax and wind down. That does not include watching TV, which actually provides stimulation and entertainment for your brain. So, turn the TV off, pick up a book or meditate. Whatever it is, make sure it’s peaceful and relaxing.

5. Exercise Regularly

Getting exercise each day can help you fall asleep and have a better-quality sleep each night. It doesn’t have to be a high intensity workout every day, it can even just be a long walk. The results will benefit not only your bodies health, but your mind too.

If one of the reasons you are having trouble sleeping is due to joint pain, consulting with a chiropractor may help. Helensvale Chiropractic has experienced chiropractors, nutritionist and massage therapists on hand to help you restore your body and mind to its optimal health. Call or visit us at any of our centers located on the Gold Coast.

When it comes to cracking your own back, you should forget it and leave it to the professionals. Here’s why…

When a spinal joint is adjusted they are in essence stretched, and the space between the joints widens. Our joints are not meant to be continually stretched, and if you crack your back on a daily basis or close to, the continual stretching can lead to less stable joints that are too flexible. This can lead to a various range of issues and will require chiropractic attention in order to restore support and strength.

Often when you crack your own back, you are actually adjusting the joint above or below the actual joint that is restricting movement, and not the correct joint at all. The issues of continually doing this are the same as stated above, a weakening of your joints that will require attention to restore.

What you truly need to remember is that we are talking about your spine. A part of your body of which it’s vitality cannot be understated. With so very many critical structures surrounding or running through your spine, such as blood vessels, ligaments and muscles, you should ask yourself if it’s worth the risk? All it takes is one incorrect adjustment to the spine or any of these structures to create damage and lasting side effects.

If you are experiencing back or neck pain, or any other spinal symptoms it is wise to have a chiropractor do a complete case history evaluation, physical examination and even X-Rays if needed. Your chiropractor can adjust your spine correctly to re-establish movement of the fixated vertebrae.

To consult with a chiropractor about your back or neck, call or visit Helensvale Chiropractic at any of our Gold Coast Centers.

n a genetic level, humans REQUIRE vitamin D for wellness. Your body will produce vitamin D naturally when exposed to sunlight. Exposure to sunlight is healthy, it is sunburns that are not. If your body becomes vitamin D deficient, you are at risk of developing bone abnormalities.

There are many benefits and important functions provided by vitamin D, one of the most vital is that it works to regulate your body’s absorption of calcium and phosphorous as well as facilitate normal functioning of your immune system. It is also important to maintain normal bone and teeth growth and development. It even improves your body’s resistance to certain diseases!

Here are the top three benefits of vitamin D:

1. It Fights Diseases!

Vitamin D has been proven to reduce your risk of multiple sclerosis, decrease your chances of developing a heart disease and reduce your likelihood of catching the flu. All of that in one vitamin!

2. It Fights Depression!

Research shows that when your body is exposed to regular sunlight, the vitamin D that is produced can help regulate your mood and prevent depression. Those who experience anxiety and depression are commonly found to have a vitamin D deficiency.

3. It Fights Weight Gain!

In some cases, vitamin D can boost your body’s ability to burn fat and lose weight when combined with a healthy dose of calcium intake. It also improves your heart function and prevents cardiovascular disease, keeping your heart healthy as well as the rest of you.

Maintaining a balanced nutrition and diet is vital to your body’s health and overall function. If you struggle to consume the correct vitamins and nutrition on a day-to-day basis, consulting with a nutritionist may be the best option for you. They can help you get your body back to running on its optimal level and improve your energy, digestion and overall health.

To speak to an experienced nutritionist, call or visit Helensvale Chiropractic at any of our Gold Coast Centres. We can help you get back your health, so that you can get back to focusing on other things.