Chiropractor Chapel Hill, NC
People who work in the soil gain exposure to its health benefits. Dr. Oskardmay asks you about your job and extracurricular activities in part to ascertain how much connection you have to this healing potency. Sometimes referred to as `horticulture therapy,` planting plants and digging in the ground provides health benefits on many levels. It can help to improve not only mood and sleep but also hormone production, bone density, and vitamin production. When we seek a connection with the earth through gardening, our health improves.
Working with the soil and plants has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression for a variety of causes. For one, sunlight stimulates the neurotransmitter serotonin, which supports relaxation. Additionally, microbes in the soil interact with our internal milieu, enhancing stomach biome biodiversity and balance. The vagal mind-stomach connection benefits from this improved milieu, and mood improves. Also, we benefit from the joy of caring for a living thing, growing our food, and watching the earth perform its natural bounty for us. When we garden, we can not only save money on food, but we can also have easier access to a wider variety of organic foods and herbs. Ask Dr. Lisa about how to use sunlight to improve mood if you have any questions.
Being outdoors or in a greenhouse where plants grow encourages us to get more sunlight, something many people lack. Morning sunlight, especially, helps to improve sleep, as the hormone melatonin increases. When a person can wake up and experience sunshine in the morning, and go to bed at night with decreasing light activity, this can help to improve sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, tell Dr. Lisa, and she can help you learn how to use natural light to sleep better.
Sunlight is crucial to the production of vitamin and hormone production. When the sun’s rays hit our skin, vitamin D production can occur from cholesterol in our skin-enhancing hormone production, as well. We depend on sunlight to build bone density, and other vital features and gardening can supply us with the sun’s rays. Try to avoid sunlight at the brightest times of day, wear a protective covering, and use the early morning or late afternoon during the summer to be outside to prevent overexposure.
Gardening can be an athletic activity so prepare in advance. Ask Dr. Lisa about stretches and strengthening exercises that can help improve your endurance and stamina while enjoying all the aspects of planting- digging, stooping, twisting, and pulling. Be sure to use good supportive posture while twisting and pulling, especially, to avoid back and shoulder injury. A good hour of gardening is an hour well spent — it counts for daily exercise, and the benefits are numerous.
To learn more about the healing power of soil and sunlight, contact a chiropractor Chapel Hill, NC patients rely on. Contact Acupractic today to schedule a consultation.