Inflammation and pain. Living healthy and eating well. Neurodegenerative
disease and obesity. These are some combos!
Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office sees these every day in our
Groton chiropractic practice, explains the
connections, and urges the exploration of new and
different-to-you ways to improve health via nutrition like the
Mediterranean diet to manage obesity and neurodegenerative
disease.
NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES AND OBESITY
The benefits of a Mediterranean
diet for patients with neurodegenerative diseases are just getting
clearer…as are symptoms they share like
inflammation (which also affects back pain sufferers). Such a
diet of natural products delivering antioxidants, fiber, and
omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids could avert cell death and even
restore function to injured neurons. (1) Neurodegenerative
diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s and obesity
are associated with low grade inflammation which can lead
to concerns like neuronal inflammation, brain atrophy and
cognitive decline. With obesity impacting almost
30% of people globally, any connections that can affect
inflammation and fight obesity like diet and physical activity are hopeful.
(2) We can all appreciate that!
“WHAT CAN I EAT WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET?”
US News & World Report ranked the
Mediterranean Diet as the #1 Best Heart-Healthy Diet, Best Diet for Bone
and Joint Health, Best Diet for Diabetes and Best Diet for Healthy Eating in
2024.
Core foods are trouble-free: fruits, veggies, whole
grains, beans, herbs, spices, nuts, and healthy fats. (Think: olive
oil, avocado oil.) Add in fish and seafood twice a week with dairy, eggs, and poultry occasional. Skip the red meats and sweet goodies except for special occasions. The Mediterranean Diet
Pyramid
(Think of it as a re-organized USDA food pyramid so
many of us remember from our younger years.)
consists of red wine (in moderation) and water
(lots of that!).
It also includes dining with friends, dancing,
exercising, being physically active!
(3) These are the fun
activies in life!
PRAISE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
Mediterranean diet researchers and advocates
record multiple benefits: improved
brain function, longer life, certain types of cancer
prevention, heart disease/high blood pressure/”bad” cholesterol decrease,
diabetes security, weight loss/management support, depression prevention,
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s avoidance, rheumatoid
arthritis and eye health improvement, improved
breathing, improved infertility, healthier babies, and more!
(3) Most everyone may benefit from the Mediterranean diet! Neurodegenerative diseases share
a loss of neuronal structure and function in addition to
progressive dysfunction. Neurodegeneration has many
different pathological processes that natural products – especially
the ones that have bioactive compounds that have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier - are vital as
neuroprotectors. Some such natural products are better recognized
than others: quercetin (tomato, capers, green tea,
black and red wine), luteolin, Reservatol (nuts, fruits, grapes), apigenin (flavonoids), genistein (isoflavone), Hesperidin
(grapes/citrus), etc. (4) Our Groton chiropractic patients are manytimes
prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, so our back pain patients
may also benefit from this type of low
inflammation diet. The Mediterranean Diet allows so
much variety of natural goods!
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox about the role of inflammation in back pain and spine pain
and neck pain on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the benefits of
The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Groton chiropractic
appointment soon. Eating well is not that hard and
is so good for our Groton chiropractic friends, especially those carrying
a few extra pounds and/or experiencing neurodegeneration-related
issues.