In recent years there has been a growing trend and awareness towards health.
It seems that this resurgence has brought a multitude of ideas concerning health, and also a great deal of confusion.
One of the concepts prevalent among young people is that as long as they exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet, they are going to grow healthy and remain healthy.
Yet recent studies show that athletes have the same incidence of chronic and degenerative disease as non-athletes even though their lifestyle seems healthier due to good nutrition, regular exercise and non-abuse of their bodies by indulging in alcohol, drugs or tobacco.
In the sprint of 1980 the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia issued a report stating that joggers and runners have a greater incidence of allergic and degenerative disease than other athletes. This points out that although exercise is a necessary ingredient of the health equation, it is certainly not the key factor.
The key factor in health is function.
As long as the body functions properly we are in a state of health, able to benefit fully from our daily exercise and good nutrition. However, we can eat the best organic food available and exercise daily, if your body is malfunctioning we will not necessarily be healthy. We are not what we eat as the saying goes, we are what we digest and absorb, which is the result of proper function of our G.I. track controlled by the brain via the nerve system.
It is interesting to observe the correlation between jogging and running with the action that these sports have on the spine:
a constant pounding of the vertebrae increasing the effect that small displacements called subluxations have on the nerve system, leading to an early appearance of symptoms. No wonder football pros have the shortest life expectancy among athletes; their spines take such a beating causing more severe nerve damage and subluxations leading to a quicker deterioration of life and health in their bodies.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that good nutrition, daily exercise, proper rest and respect of the body are necessary ingredients to achieve and maintain health, but above all the key factor is function. The nerve system controls function. The spine protects the nerve system. Regular Chiropractic check-up and adjustment insure a neuro-spinal system free of interference. Then your body functions properly, and expresses health.