Chiropractic Help With Obesity

You may not think of your chiropractor as being helpful with obesity problems, but he could be your best ally with weight problems. Obviously, the traditional medical field does not have the answer, or we would not have an increasing obesity problem in America.

Except for obesity conditions caused by extremely rare glandular problems, people become obese for one reason and one reason only - consuming more calories than they burn. To lose weight you just need to consume less calories than you burn. That's it - it's that simple. Either eat less, exercise more, or do both

There are many reasons why you might be overeating:

Stress
Boredom
Food/comfort issues
Malnutrition

Of these reasons for overeating, the most common physical reason is malnutrition. Your body is getting plenty of calories, but can still be deficient in one or more nutrients. When your body is deficient in any nutrient your hunger center continues to be activated, so you keep eating, trying to obtain that nutrient. Because your body is continuously trying to consume specific nutrients, you eat more than you should and put on weight. When most people try to lose weight by eating less, they may become even more deficient in nutrients, which only increases their hunger sensation.

This increased deficiency in nutrients causing increased hunger makes it extremely hard for people to simply cut down on the amount of food that they eat, and is the reason most diets fail.

Your chiropractor is an expert in nutrition and can help you to determine which specific nutrients you require for good health. He will advise you on the supplements that you require to make up this deficiency. It is this emphasis on nutrition and micro-nutrients that distinguishes your chiropractor from dietitians. Dietitians and the medical field are mainly concerned with macro-nutrients, and calories.

Once your body has sufficient amounts of all nutrients, then your hunger center shuts down, and you no longer feel hungry. Once your hunger is under control, you can much more easily control the amount of food you eat, and you can begin to lose weight.

It is mainly emotional reasons that comprise the other reasons for overeating. Many people have strong emotional ties with food. Whether it be as comfort food, (chocolate, sweets, or baked goods for example) boredom relief, (rummaging through the refrigerator) or stress relief;( high calorie snacks for quick energy) the cause needs to be addressed in order for you to manage your eating habits. Your chiropractor can access the reason for your emotional-food disorder and help you address the cause or refer you to the proper expert to help you handle the situation. This may be a therapeutic massage therapist, counselor, or stress management professional.

The other factor in the equation for losing weight is exercising more to burn more calories than you consume. Here, again, your chiropractor can help make this easier for you. If you are not exercising because of pain or no energy, your chiropractor can help with both these problems.

Chiropractors are the experts at eliminating the causes of pain, not just masking the pain with drugs. Through chiropractic adjustments, your chiropractor can restore your body to normal alignment, thus reducing the physical causes of spinal stress and return it to normal function.

If low, or no energy, is the reason you are not exercising as much as you should, your chiropractor will examine the cause for this also. It may be a nutritional deficiency, lack of sleep, stress, or other physical problem. Together, he and you can find the cause and eliminate or treat the cause. With more energy, it will easier to get out and exercise, allowing you to burn more calories and help the weight loss process.

The bottom line is that obesity problems can be addressed, but you need to take the first step and want to do something about the problem. Together, your chiropractor and you can solve the problem.