Why is there no sugar in the clinic?
This is a battle I contend with each day. “Mrs Smith can I get you a tea or coffee” I say, “yes that would be great” says Mrs Smith.
“Would you like milk?” I ask (notice I only offer milk haha), “can I have sugar as well?” she questions.
So why is there none of that white goodness in these 4 walls at West Chiropractic?
Well sugar as we all know is not good for our bodies anyway, you hear ‘too much sugar rots your teeth’, to now ‘that sugar will cause diabetes’. These are both true to a certain extent and need clarification, but isn’t that a job for my GP or Dentist? Why is a Chiropractor sticking his oar in about my dental hygiene? You just focus on my spine and stick to what you are good at (Mrs Smith didn’t actually say this…..but she may well have thought it).
So let’s talk about the different types of sugar. You have refined and unrefined sugars, complex and simple sugars. we often think of sugars as being in sweets, cakes and tea. But there is sugar in in fruit, orange juice and yoghurt’s. The last 3 being things that people don’t necessarily think has sugar in them.
So you are saying that I can eat six bananas but I can’t have a Mars bar? What is the difference?
Well the sugar that is in a Mars bar and cakes say something called simple sugar or unrefined sugar, this this is what we have banished from the clinic. Never allowed in!! I’m just kidding, course we all have a sweet treat now and then; it’s all in moderation and I like to apply the 80/20 rule. 80 good 20 not always good.
The sugar in a banana is unrefined complex sugar which in large doses is still not good for us but provides a different makeup than artificial refined sugar. It is harder for the body to break it down and provides greater energy sources over a longer period. When we eat fruit the unrefined sugar makes us feel fuller for longer.
The refined, simple sugar is easily broken down therefore does not make you feel full and people can eat a lot of it for example a pack of chocolates. It causes a sudden spike in insulin, which is a hormone from the pancreas that is released when glucose levels rise. It stores the excess sugar as fat in the body putting us at risk of obesity and heart disease over long periods of time. It can also reduce the effectiveness of insulin which is what risks type 2 diabetes.
So why does this matter for my spine? Well sugar also has a pro inflammatory effect on the body, which means that have it causes the blood to become more acidic and tissues to be dehydrated. This can cause muscles to come under pressure and discs to become thinner therefore exacerbating back pain. Our job is to get you back fixed and if that means denying you a small bit sugar with your tea, I’m sorry I have to do to help you. I promise I’m trying to help!
