Woman's Health

If you’re overweight, I don’t have to tell you that losing weight seems, at times, an insurmountable goal! As a Dallas weight loss specialist, I speak with many people who are in a daily struggle to lose weight. Simply saying to someone to stop overeating is ridiculous, and can even be, if good nutritional counseling is not offered as well. Losing weight should be far more than a simple cosmetic issue. “Looking” good is of little value if a person isn’t “feeling” good, or if his or her body isn’t getting what it needs to function properly. When our body is not healthy, no matter what our weight may be, the quality of our life is affected, including our work performance, our family participation, and our social life. Living at a “healthy” weight means living a healthy lifestyle that includes a nutritious diet, plentiful hydration, and getting regular exercise.

Losing weight is essential, then, for healthy participation in all areas of your life. But, I’d like to take a moment to focus on one particular region of the body that is frequently the most visible evidence of excess weight and obesity. You may have already guessed that I’m speaking of the body’s midsection. Though Santa Claus may have been jolly once a year, with that extra weight in his belly he most likely suffered from painful musculoskeletal problems the majority of the year! It might be helpfu, at this point, to tell you that I’m also a chiropractor. In my years of experience I have met many people who, just like Santa, tote around too much weight in their stomach area, frequently endure back pain that is moderate to severe.

You may be wondering why so many overweight people suffer from back pain. First of all, the spine was not intended to bear excessive weight. Now, don’t get me wrong, the spine is elegantly designed. But, part of its function, as it is in every other internal system of the body, is to compensate when asked to work in ways that are repetitive and/or “unnatural.”  As the spine becomes stress by excess poundage, it begins to distort and compress. This “reconfiguration” creates a lot of pain and discomfort. And, due to the spine’s extraordinary compensating features, eventually the excess weight will force the pelvis to tilt forward as a counterbalance. Such repositioning may pinch the sciatic nerve. In fact, most people who are overweight suffer from lower back pain that is frequently accompanied by sciatic nerve pain.

Weight loss takes the stress off of the spine and allows it to function normally. But, relieving back pain and sciatica, though fine reasons to lose weight, are just two of the many healthy reasons to shed those extra pounds. As a healthcare professional, I am convinced that it is crucial that weight loss and weight maintenance take place in a natural, nutritious, and healthy way. But, as I previous stated, I understand, as a weight loss Dallas specialist, that losing excess weight is both difficult and, if done in a healthy manner, takes time even with the best of intentions. The good news is, you don’t have to lose it alone. There are centers like mine, and doctors like me, in many areas around the country, who have the expertise to help you lose the weight you need to lose in a way that will help you to feel good as well as look good. Remember, every day your body is compensating for those extra pounds, so don’t wait to lose that weight! Your health is at risk. Don’t let excess weight keep you from living your life fully.

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Do you suffer from painful tension headaches? Dr. Gerald Helwig, the best Oak Lawn Chiropractor, understands that life can be a pain from time to time. Sometimes the pain is due to an accident or injury. Sometimes it can be the result of the cumulative effects of bad posture and poor gait. Sometimes it can occur from degeneration due to aging. But, many times pain, especially headache pain, can be the result of everyday stress.

Are you sidelined by your tension headaches? Are you ineffective at work, or worse, forced to stay home from work? Do they disrupt your family and social life? Most people have experienced more than one tension headache in their life. If you are someone who has had tension headaches, then you know that the pain usually feels like an intense, but dull ache in your head. Such pain is often accompanied by a feeling of tightness or pressure along the forehead or on the sides and back of the head. Occasionally, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and every now and then you might experience a loss of appetite or even nausea.

Though the severity of pain varies from one person to another, and can vary in intensity from one headache to another in the same person, most tension headaches are usually defined as mild to moderate intense. Do your headaches occur frequently? Headaches are considered chronic if they occur fifteen or more days days a month for a minimum of three months.

The good news is that if tension headaches are interfering with your life occasionally or chronically, chiropractic treatment can help. For over twenty years Dr. Helwig has been helping the Oak Lawn Community to get out of pain, whether an individual is suffering from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, and headaches. That right! Chiropractors don’t just treat back pain. They treat the entire musculoskeletal system!

So, if tension headaches have been holding you back from living the life you want, call Dr. Helwig, your Chiropractor in Oak Lawn, Illinois today. Get back to living fully again!

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