Earlier this year, I wrote about cultivating good health, how the daily choices and the investments you make in your health are similar to planting a garden. I had a patient come in recently and talk about how many cucumbers she was harvesting this summer. I asked her if she had a secret to her success. She admitted that she just did the basics — weeding, planting right, watering, and making sure she planted where the sunlight is not too much or too little.
So now, I want to talk about the other end of cultivating — the harvest. Specifically, your health harvest. Or in other words, the quality of health that you experience in your golden years. Healthy aging doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of years of consistent healthy habits and preventive healthcare. Some of you are not in that season of life yet and may think that it’s too early to worry about your health harvest. Others of you may think it is too late to turn things around. The good news is that it’s never too late to make healthy changes!
Research continues to show that many chronic health conditions don’t suddenly appear later in life. They have roots early in our lives. The early stages of osteoporosis begin to show up, especially in women, in their 20s and 30s. The roots of Alzheimer’s — which is heavily affected by lifestyle choices — start in the 30s and 40s, possibly even earlier. Our health as 20- to 30-year-olds is highly predictive of our health in our later years. Type II diabetes, which is another reversible disease, also shows up early on, and more and more teenagers are being diagnosed with that metabolic disease all the time.
Think of it this way: how many gardeners get less than ideal results, but do things just the same the next year? If you are at all serious about gardening, you would change it up, try something new — a new seed, a new plot, maybe new fertilizer. The really good ones will respond and react even quicker. If they see a poor start to their garden, they may even change things up right away. More water, less fertilizer, they may even get advice from someone who knows what they are doing.
Since you don’t get a new body and can’t completely reset your health, you are forced as a human being to make changes on the fly if you see things are not going well. And while many people don’t, I’ve been privileged to be a part of many people’s changes of direction in their “body garden.” We change their diet and improve their sleep habits. We find and correct nutritional deficiencies. We identify and correct hormonal imbalances. We incorporate chiropractic into their regimen because the nervous system controls every organ, muscle, and tissue in your body. When your nervous system functions better, the rest of your body operates better, too. We have seen some amazing changes, like improved energy, reduced inflammation, better sleep, and an overall healthier quality of life that supports healthy aging. Many people comment about how they even feel younger after making these changes.
It’s Never Too Late to Support Healthy Aging
If you are already in the harvest season of life — let’s say 50 years old and above — please know that it is never too late to correct unhealthy habits. We have 80- and 90-year-old patients mowing their own lawns, living on their own, and enjoying robust health. Many of these seniors comment on how their memory improves even if their health focus is something else! Many of these golden agers started focusing on their health later in life and turned things around after they realized that the things they do now will pay off later There is an old Chinese proverb that states, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Whether you’re 25 or 85, today’s choices shape tomorrow’s harvest. Every healthy meal, every good night’s sleep, every walk around the block, and every chiropractic adjustment is another seed planted for your future health to support healthy aging. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t guess. Seek good advice from someone who can guide you. Harvest season is coming. Are you ready?
Dr. Burtis, D.C., M.S., CFMP, DACBN has been providing natural healthcare to the Fairmont area at Burtis Chiropractic Center for over 35 years. He uses a combination of chiropractic, nutrition, and functional medicine to help individuals restore and maintain health and healing through individualized care plans. The mission of Burtis Chiropractic Center is to provide transformational healthcare that takes an individual’s life to the next level. We strive to be a solution for families to experience transformational healthcare and help create vibrant and resilient lifestyles that can be passed to future generations.