Value of Nutritional Counseling

When you think of chiropractic care, you probably only think about spinal adjustments which are the most well-known technique used by chiropractors. However, they actually represent just one of many different treatments that can be offered by your chiropractic practice. 

The purpose of chiropractic care is to help patients achieve whole-body wellness, which it does through balancing the musculoskeletal system. This is the network of bones, muscles, and connective tissues responsible for enabling us to stand and move. Since the spine, which is a core component of the musculoskeletal system, houses the spinal cord, which in turn is a key element of our central nervous system, it is easy to see how important the role of the musculoskeletal system is. What you may be surprised to learn is that what you eat could be affecting the health of this crucial body system. As such, chiropractors also offer nutritional counseling as part of the complete package of care that they can provide.

 

Why Should I Consider Nutritional Counseling?

Many people think that nutritional counseling is only necessary for patients who are overweight, underweight, or those who have eating disorders. However, the truth is that most people could do with being better educated about their diet and the effects it has on their bodies. This is particularly the case if you have been diagnosed with a health condition since sometimes small dietary changes are just as effective as medicine in reducing the effects of your illness. Prime examples of this include diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol. 

One of the main ways in which poor nutrition can affect you is by having a negative impact on your immune function. When you don’t receive the right combination of vitamins, minerals, etc, your immune system doesn’t function optimally, and this can make it harder to fight off contagious diseases. Research has also shown that a poor diet will also increase your risk of developing chronic health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and more. You are also more likely to become overweight or obese – which again increases your risk of experiencing health problems. 

When you attend nutritional counseling, your chiropractor will ask you what your diet is usually like. You may even be asked to keep a food diary as often, we don’t necessarily remember or realize exactly what we eat during the course of a day. Using this information, your chiropractor will use their training and experience to make recommendations for adjustments that you can make that could improve your health. For example, certain changes to your diet could help to reduce inflammation in your body – something which is a key contributor to conditions like arthritis and degenerative disc disease. 

Another important way in which nutritional counseling can help is by helping you to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Being underweight can cause health problems but being overweight or obese is a disaster where our health is concerned. This is because carrying excess weight dramatically increases our risk of illness – both in terms of passing, contagious diseases, and long-term chronic conditions that can have a serious impact on our quality of life. Your chiropractor will be able to advise you what sort of diet you would benefit from, including giving you information about any supplements that could support your health. They will also support you in making and sticking to nutritional changes in order to help you achieve improved wellness. 

Studies have found that when nutritional counseling takes place alongside other chiropractic services, it can substantially improve the health and wellbeing of the patient. If you would like to find out more about how nutritional counseling could help you or schedule an appointment, please contact our offices in Sherman Oaks, CA, Arcadia, CA, Woodland Hills, Ca, or West Hills, CA today.