Optimizing Sleep for Peak Performance: My Proven Routine and Tips for Better Rest

This morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and energized, ready to tackle the day. I was so motivated that I set out for a long run before dawn, just in time to catch a beautiful sunrise. This level of energy is only possible because of a streak of high-quality sleep, which starts with having a system in place. Here’s what works for me, but the key is finding a routine that suits your body’s needs:

1. Consistent Bedtime: I aim to nod off around 9:30 PM every night. Consistency is crucial for regulating your body’s internal clock.

2. Comfortable Setting: A light comforter, a high-quality pillow, and a gentle breeze in a room set to 70°F create the perfect environment for restful sleep. Order the pillow I recommend here.

3. Mental Relaxation Routine: I spend an hour before bed winding down. I enjoy playing cerebral games like Wordle, Connections, Mini Crossword, and my favorite, the NY Times Word Search Stands. These activities help drain my brain battery without completely depleting it, easing me into a relaxed state. Try the NY Times Games here.

4. Supplements: Magnesium glycinate has been my go-to for years; it helps convert glutamate (an excitatory neurotransmitter) to GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter), which calms and relaxes the system. Recently, I’ve switched to DHH-B, which has shown a greater impact on my heart rate variability and sleep score. I take it about 40 minutes before bed. Get my sleep optimization supplement recommendations here.

5. Sleep Latency: The time between hitting the pillow and falling asleep varies, but it usually doesn’t take long, as I’m often at the point of exhaustion. If you struggle with sleep latency, gaze stabilization exercises like “Yes Yes” and “No No” can be excellent for tiring the brain and easing you into sleep.

6. Monitoring: For years, I’ve relied on Garmin to track my sleep. Its sleep tracker, HRV monitor, breath rate, and body battery metrics are essential for assessing sleep quality. With its long battery life, I can wear it overnight without needing to charge it daily.

Following this plan, I’ve earned the Sleep Streak badge three out of the past four weeks, all while increasing my work and exercise load.

If improving your sleep is a priority, start by getting a tracker and logging your baseline. Then, implement changes gradually to see what works best for you. Keep what works, and don’t be afraid to ditch what doesn’t. Remember, adjustments may become valuable later on as your system adapts and needs new inputs to continue improving.

Return to Normal After COVID

It’s been a little over a month since my onset of COVID and I feel that an update is needed. During this time, I’ve had many patients approach me about their experience. I’ve listened to how the it affected their health from fevers to shortness of breath. Fortunately our innate healing ability limits most of the response to short-term effects, but the life altering effects of long-haul COVID symptoms are especially touching. Dealing with continuous brain fog and chronic fatigue leads to days if not weeks of missed work, altered relationships, and loss of joy. For those dealing with these issues, my hope is that this will help you seek wellness methods to strengthening and improving your system.

My last article was written just shy of three weeks post infection. My system was depleted, but recovering at a healthy pace. I shared data that showed how my stress and body battery were altered and how my system remained weaker than before the infection. Over this three weeks time, I knew to rest and carry on with the therapies of red light, microcurrent, oxygen therapy, gentle stretching, and mental stress management. I have not deviated from the holistic nutrition plan I laid out in the last article. In fact, I’ve had a number of patients start up similar plans to help improve their recovery.

As I sit here sipping on Pine Needle tea, I am happy to report just a few days after I released the last article I began to feel like myself again. Energy levels came up, sleep improved, stress stayed low, and brain fog evaporated. At the time of writing, it has been a little over four weeks. I’ve managed to make two ten-hour driving hour trips, spend all day at a football game, attend a continuing education conference, and resume regular moderate intensity exercise.

With this increased activity and a more intense work schedule, it is interesting to see that the overall trend of stress has significantly dropped. Prior to infection, my stress level averaged 26. Immediately after onset there was a spike then a drop due to medications and artifacts (I removed my watch for several hours) followed by an elevated stress response. From early September on you can see a slow drop in the daily stress level from mid 40s to 26, my typical baseline.

Like many of you, there are still limitations that I am experiencing since the onset. I fatigue more easily at work. My running capacity is reduced; running three miles is more of a challenge than it used to be and I’ve not been motivated to push into a long run. My active heart rate is higher and I’ve lost a point on my VO2max (how well the body utilizes oxygen). I’m confident these will return back to normal with proper training and time.

Hopefully, what I see in my data can help you better understand some of the body’s responses to a COVID infection. I empathize with anyone going through the residuals of COVID. My advice to you is:

• Your health should be able to return to a healthy state within a reasonable period of time. If not, the limiting factor needs to be investigated and an individualized treatment plan needs to be developed.

• Expect to have residuals for a while. Your body needs time to heal. Give your innate healing the time and resources it needs during this period.

• Your work, activities of daily living, and exercise performance including walking, may be reduced for a while until you regrow the capacity.

If you need help setting up a plan to reinvigorate your health, please reach out to your provider or schedule a consultation with me at (304) 933-9355.

James Leonette, DC MS

How I Monitored and Treated My Omicron COVID Infection

Three weeks ago, my system finally got weakened to the point that my immune system could not prevent COVID. I laid in bed for days and am still dealing with the effects. As many of you know, this infection is not a joke and the short and long term effects are cumbersome, if not significant. I went from running 10 miles with moderate effort to having high level exertion with just a two mile walk.

Three days before my immune system was temporarily overwhelmed, I ran a half marathon obstacle course. I am fit, take the same vitamins I recommend to my patients, and eat a mostly healthy diet. I’ve come to uncover the cause, long term emotional stress that overwhelmed my system. I will cover this in a future article to help alleviate some stigma around mental health.  For now, I want to cover how to monitor the body systems and treatments to help strengthen your structure, brain, energy, emotion, and nutrition.

I am a huge advocate of monitoring biometics and penned a chapter in Codes of Longevity. I have measured my health statistics for years. Over the past month, the value has been of far greater importance that I could imagine. This data has given me insight into how a body responds to COVID and on how some of the wellness tools can help.

If you will bear with me through this article, I promise not to make it too technical and provide you with insight on how to help speed along your wellness post-COVID.

For the last few years, I have routinely run between 10-20 miles and lifted weights as well as mixed in cardio. I use heart rate variability as a key marker for when to train, sleep, play hard, or rest. I wear a Garmin Fenix biometric watch; their version of HRV is known as stress and is cleverly mixed with sleep information and exercise recovery status to give you a “body battery rating”. It is easy to understand, since it is displayed just like your cell phone battery, 100% and you’re ready to take on the world. At 40%, best not to tackle the day’s workout, and less than 20% just rest!

So let’s take a look at my data over the past month. (Note that the dates aligns with the A in Aug) As you can see below, my body battery routinely hangs out in the 80-100 range upon waking. Post-race recovery on Aug 28 allowed me to charge my body battery to a very low 30. I recovered then quickly tanked on Aug 30. I was fortunate to have great medical care and was given prednisone and anti-viral due to the severity of symptoms and got a bump in body battery. I did not move from the bedroom and slept 16 hours a day, so maintaining a higher charge was doable. Over the past two weeks, the data indicates my system is in no way back to pre-COVID state. Normal day functions like seeing patients, house upkeep, and gentle exercise like yoga and walking is still not as easy as before. It is easy to see that my system does not recover like it did before.  

The stress chart clearly captures the onset of COVID and shows the consistently higher level of stress over the past few weeks. The Garmin stress biometric is basically an inverse of heart rate variability. Less HRV is related to higher mortality. It is critical to get this stress down - which is what we’ll discuss next.

Trends like this are not uncommon. Long term viral, bacterial, and fungal infections can have a negative effect on the body’s health and associated metrics. While I am confident that these levels will improve, it is important to support the body in as many ways as possible. A chronically stressed system doesn’t function well for long periods of time. I am going to present my protocol. I am not acting as your doctor in this case but will be more than happy to help build you a system strengthening program during our doctor-patient appointments. Proceed with caution and get your doctor’s advice.

My practice philosophy has always been to balance structure, energy, emotion, nutrition, and neurology. So let’s approach the protocol in that manner.

Structure - Chiropractic adjustments help to connect the brain and body as well as balance the frame and strengthen the immune system. I have two amazing associates and get adjusted weekly. I have supported my structure with frequent long hold stretching sessions of 30-45 min. Since running has been a challenge, I switched to shorter 20-30 min walking and cardio machine sessions at a lower aerobic zone. For data junkies, I’ve targeted low zone 3 instead of typical zone 4 and intermittent zone 5 training.

Energy - The body needs energy to repair and maintain tissues, especially ones that are infected or damaged. I have run these therapies multiple times during each of the last few weeks.

1. 15 min of red LED and infrared therapy while performing deep breathing exercises with oxygen therapy. I also have a home unit that I use for longer duration.

2. 30 min of Low Frequency Pulse Electromagnetic Therapy, often call PEMF has can help with ventilarty threshold. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34300141/ The therapy is still considered investigational, but I have used it clinically and personally for years to help support body energy.

3. Frequency specific micro current. I could run a clinic solely with this device. It is a two-channel electrical stimulation device that has a variety of effects on the body based on the programmed frequency pairs.

4. IonClean detox foot baths assist in the body’s detoxification abilities. The equipment has some interesting studies on effectiveness http://www.ahrfoundation.net/dlfiles/study_results.pdf.

Emotion - there are several ways to strengthen emotional state. I’ve recently taken to yoga/stretching to clear the mind while listening to the Solfeggio frequencies. These are interesting binaural beats (different frequencies in each ear) that ease the transition into meditative states.

I would be remiss to fail to mention, my favorite therapy, ear acupuncture at the Shen Men point. This is one of the most powerful points to reduce emotional stress and in this case, promote healing.

There is often anxiety around speeding along the healing process. I recommend giving yourself the mental freedom to take time to heal.

Brain Health - COVID-induced brain fog is very common. Like many of my patients, I have been hit with this as well. Due to the complexity of assessing and treating brain health, I will limit the advice to keep strengthening your brain. Just like a bicep that no longer curls 50 lb. dumbbells, your brain will weaken given reduced physical and mental stimulation.

Nutrition - Let me be clear that my nutritional needs are not the same as yours. Your genetics and biochemical state have a huge role in what your system needs. If you want to learn about your genetics and blood markers, schedule a consultation with me. That being said, I only recommend professional products that I would personally take. If you look on my supplement shelf in the clinic, these will be familiar.

1. Energy Sport Vitamin by Douglas Labs. This is fantastic multi-vitamin for active people. I upped my dose from 1 to the recommended 3 tablets per day.

2. Quell Fish Oil with EPA, DHA, and Vit D. Rich in omega 3s and fats the brain craves, this is my brain health support.

3. Inno Vita Kardi-Ar. I recently added this product to help with cardiovascular health and performance. I have carried this product for years and seen really good results with it.

4. Results RNA Glutathione spray to help with oxidative stress

5. Metagenics Vit D 10000 IU + K2.

   • This says it all “There are now, to our knowledge, 14 studies that indicate the specific benefit in the COVID-19 pandemic of having a blood level of vitamin D greater than 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L), and a very significant danger of death from infection if the blood level lies below 10 ng/mL (25 nmol/L)” https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/clinmedicine/20/6/e282.2

   • Get your Vit D tested and take the appropriate dose. I can assist you with that if your primary care doctor doesn’t address it on a regular basis.

6. Eat whole and real foods! Nutrition is not found in a box or bottle, but in foods. Eat clean most of the time and don’t dump toxic foods into your system that only stresses it more.

   • I added in Pine Needle and Chaga tea to help with inflammation.

I will continue to support my system and track the biometric well-being process. I am fortunate to have many of the tools to help strengthen my system after COVID and hope to share them with you if needed. If you aren’t dealing with any health issues, please focus on prevention. I don’t wish an infection like COVID on anyone.

If you need healthcare and wellness support, please reach out to schedule a consultation.

James Leonette, DC, MS, FIAMA, FIBFN CND

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P.S. I am a Garmin dealer and am happy to share 20% off coupons with any of my patients, their friends, and family. Please reach out to me for a code.

The Hidden Health Dangers of the Government Shutdown

The Hidden Health Dangers of the Government Shutdown

As a former federal employee, I know firsthand the stress of government work, and as our wellness and chiropractic center is located in an area with many federal employees, I’ve worked closely with government employees and contractors over the years. With the ongoing government shutdown, our center has seen a dramatic increase in health issues in federal workers, government contractors, and their family members.

While most people are aware of how stressful the situation is, being furloughed or forced to work without pay, there are serious health risks associated with this stress.

Dangers of Acute Stress on Federal Workers

Acute stress is short-term stress - it’s the stress we feel when our children are having a difficult time in school, we’re overloaded with deadlines at work, or we’re worried about paying to fix a vehicle. Acute stress triggers the “fight-or-flight” response, which floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol.

While moments of acute stress are natural, continued feelings of acute stress can wreak havoc on your health with symptoms including:

• Emotional distress, including short temper, anxiety, and depression;

• Insomnia or difficulty sleeping;

• Stomach and digestive upset, including acid reflux, heartburn, and nausea;

• Muscle tension which causes headache, back pain, and increased likelihood of injuring tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

We’re seeing an increase in these symptoms at our center, and it’s not surprising! Missing paychecks, working harder to make up for increased call offs, wondering how the bills will get paid - these are all serious causes of acute stress.

How Acute Stress Becomes Chronic Stress

As the government shutdown drags out, the acute stress and ensuing health problems become more severe. With a stalemate in government and some people suggesting the shutdown could last for months, the stress federal workers face will likely become chronic. Chronic stress is the unrelenting, unceasing stress caused by long-term trauma or difficulty. Extended unemployment, poverty, caring for someone with illness - those are all causes of chronic stress, and long-term job and financial insecurity caused by the shutdown falls under these causes.

With chronic stress, the body continues to release adrenaline and cortisol at a near-constant state. Adrenaline causes your heart rate to speed up and boosts your energy, while cortisol triggers excess glucose release. Over time, these excess hormones damage your immune health, gut health, and cause chronic inflammation throughout the body.  

While the symptoms of acute stress are dangerous, the health conditions stemming from chronic stress are life-threatening. Chronic stress leads to:

• High blood pressure

• Chronic inflammation

• Cancer

• Heart disease

Surviving Stress During the Government Shutdown

Even while you’re experiencing high levels of stress due to the government shutdown, it’s important to put your health first and do what you can to reduce your stress levels. This will help to ease the debilitating symptoms of stress and reduce the likelihood of chronic illness.

At-Home Tips for Reducing Stress

• Regular physical activity will allow you to channel your adrenaline and cortisol.

• Get at least seven hours of sleep at night to help your body heal.

• Connect with your friends and loved ones.

• Eat healthy, nourishing meals with whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables.

While these tips can keep you healthy and help mitigate stress, many people respond positively with professional wellness assistance. At the Enliven Center, we offer a wide variety of services designed with both physical and mental wellbeing in mind.

Professional Services to Reduce Stress

• Chiropractic services to ease the tension and relieve pain in your body while aligning your parasympathetic system to reduce the adrenaline and cortisol in your body;

• Stress reduction therapy in a customized relaxation room that blends light therapy with binaural beats to relax the mind and body. Our Mindspa shows to increase serotonin and endorphins while reducing acute and chronic stress.

• Nutrition services to end chronic inflammation, boost your immune health, and keep you feeling energized and focused during the shutdown.

Contact Enliven Wellness for Stress Reducing Health Services

If you need assistance with the physical and emotional effects of stress due to the government shutdown, reach out to us at the Enliven Center. We’re here to help you restore and maintain your wellness through holistic and chiropractic treatments.

We understand that during this time, you may be struggling with finances, and we don’t want your copays or deductibles to stand in your way of your health, we will defer payment of copays and deductibles until the government reopens and workers begin receiving their paychecks.

To make an appointment, reach out to us at (304) 933-9355 or fill out our contact form, today!

2019 New Years Resolutions

Stay motivated throughout 2019 with these easy to follow resolution system.

Check out the full blog found on my sister company’s website: HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED AND NOT GIVE UP YOUR RESOLUTION

Chiropractic for Babies

Babies benefit from chiropractic care. At Enliven, we strive for gentle, safe and effective care. I routinely see babies and children for colic, frequent bowel gas, constipation, recurrent ear infections and general crankiness.

Benefits of Forest Bathing - ShinRin Yoku

Go outside! I heard these words almost daily from my parents growing up. I remember swinging from our oak tree and wiping the sap off my arms when we climbed up our large pine. Who know that science would eventually document the health benefits of spending time outside, breathing the smell of fresh grass and resting your eyes on the colorful leaves.

Wondering about the brain and nootropics? https://alphaemerged.com/journal/defeating-brain-fog-with-nootropics

Beware of Probiotics

Gut bacterial are beneficial and have a variety of uses. They assist with breaking down foods, protection from ingested pathogens and manufacturing vitamins and neurotransmitters.

Probiotics are not for everyone. In fact, recent journal articles suggest that they can be a detriment after antibiotic treatment by slowing the return of you normal flora by 6 months.

As far as identifying ideal probiotics for individuals, fecal samples have also been found to be unreliable. I don’t discount that probiotics have some good effects, but it would probably be more prudent to spend your resources healing the gut and addressing the underlying cause of why you needed an antibiotic in the first place.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2178860-probiotics-are-mostly-useless-and-can-actually-hurt-you/

Check out the source journal article:

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)31102-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867418311024%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Dr. Leonette

Acute vs Chronic - Whats the difference?

Last week, I experienced a serious low back injury. Admittedly, I was dead lifting weight beyond my maximum and didn't succeed. I felt a pop, my back tightened and I couldn't move well for almost 3 days; it took nearly a week to get back to normal thanks to wonderful chiropractic care by my two associates, Dr. Mason and Dr. Show. This weekend was much different, I was able to move, bend and performed a rigorous dead lift routine, a run and 2 additional training sessions.  How was I able to go from nearly incapacitated to a full workout in less than a week? Thankfully this was a first time acute injury. 

All the potential patients that I interview for care fit into one of three categories, acute, chronic or an acute exacerbation of a chronic injury or disease process. Its either an injury/condition that is due to an abrupt recent onset (acute) or longer term issue (chronic). Most people present with an acute exacerbation of a chronic condition; think "I must have slept wrong". 

ACUTE

True acute injuries tend to resolve quickly if treatment begins very early after the injury. In my case, I was adjusted and had FSM therapy within 2 hours. I've had patients that showed up for treatment with 40 minutes of being in a car wreck; those cases respond so amazingly that I am routinely amazed. Getting treatment before prostaglandins (pain secreting substances) are produced, we can usually speed the recovery time significantly. 

Chronic

Chronic conditions are the major source of most health issues. Modern day stress assaults our bodies and minds with artificial chemicals, poor quality foods, blue light from digital screens,  long work hours and abnormal postures. We can adapt and adapt again, but each modification from baseline leaves micro-traumas. The accumulation of toxins affects your liver or thyroid. Prolonged sitting targets the low back discs. Frequent computer use disrupts your brain cycles. I can go on and on, but all of these non-natural lifestyle choices ends up causing to low levels of constant chronic stress that leads to chronic health concerns. 

The time it takes to address chronic conditions is related to the time it has been present and how significant the damage has become. First, together we need to stop the offending cause and second stimulate your natural healing ability. Generally, a month or two for every year it has been going on is our rule of thumb. 

From Brain to the Heart, How We Are Wired

Our human body design is amazing. Trillions of cells working in unison, keeping the body alive and healthy, fighting invaders, healing wounds. We are wired better than a super computer, able to coordinate a vast array of body functions without conscience control. 

When this wiring system is affected, lack of health results, we often call this dis-ease or disease. Over a prolonged time, the input into the brain gets altered and brain's neural network gets distorted. On the body level, the lungs are prone to bronchitis, gall bladder gets frequent stones, blood pressure rises, children wet the bed. 

There is an American made health care system designed to fully address this dysfunction; its chiropractic. Let me start with chiropractic will not cure these conditions of disease. What Chiropractic can do is more important; a specific adjustment will remove interference between the brain and the affected organ and allow the body to heal the way it was designed to.

The nervous system of your body is like our highway system. From the brain, nerves bound for the heart are bundled in the spinal cord and then exit at the thoracic (mid-back) at T1-T5. Each organ has a specific pattern of connection to the brain. Check out the photo below for a map.

Poor posture and repeated stresses can cause the passageways that these nerves pass through to misalign and swell, thus causing pressure on the nerves. A specific Chiropractic adjustment will re-align the passageway and clear the pathway between the organ and the brain. Maintaining this alignment will keep the brain signals flowing freely and allow the organ to heal.

Meric Chart

If you are dealing with health problems, consider Chiropractic and a holistic approach for a new perspective on how to improve your health.  Call me at (304) 933-9355 to schedule a consultation to see if Enliven Wellness in Bridgeport, WV is the right choice for you and your family.

Dr. James Leonette | Enliven Wellness | Bridgeport, WV

Empathy for Low Back Pain

Empathy for Low Back Pain

Very few times in my life have I experienced low back pain. Friday at 11:09 am that changed. Terrible pain ripping through my lower back. Unable to stand up; an ice pick wedged in my left pelvis and a burning low back. Ugh! How do people live with this?

As a doctor, I see a lot of patients with similar back issues. I admit at times its hard to fully relate as I have extensive first hand knowledge and experience with neck and head issues and almost no back pain ever; most people seem to be either a low back or neck pain type. A lot of people may find my personal lack of low back pain interesting considering I've dedicated my energy, time and resources into being a chiropractor

Back pain is one of the leading causes of missed work and common causes of medication. NSAIDS and opioid derivatives get prescribed at an alarming rate affecting the entire body and not fixing the underlying issue.

Looking for the cause, there is always one of three issues, a physical trauma, emotional trauma or chemical imbalance as the cause of lumbago. Most common is chronic repetitive stressors that cause many micro-injuries; these are the ones that you wake up with and say to yourself "I must have slept wrong" (hint - its not the sleep). Second is acute trauma - this was my cause - I was dead-lifting a little above my one rep max and didn't make it. Third in this category is physical trauma associated with poor visceral (organ) health. Since unhealthy organs don't have pain receptors, your body needs you know something is wrong and reflexes to the back or shoulder or arm as in a heart attack.

Digging into the more complicated emotional aspects - some people have associated their identity around low back pain and find it hard to let go. It can be protective (Oh, I can't work long hours or lift that!) or unreleased tension from a significant emotional event. Believe it or not, treatment for this is within the scope of chiropractic as it is one of our developer's major thesis points. BJ Palmer states causes of subluxation (vertebral injury and malposition) are due to thoughts, traumas or toxins. 

This brings me to the final cause - toxins. Simply put, eat a rotten bag of deli meat and tell me in a few hours if your back hurts. I'm sure it will. Longer term toxin build up can have the same effect. Yes, this is within the chiropractic scope to assist you in this area of health.

Back to my poor back. Thank goodness Enliven has been built into a full functioning chiropractic and holistic health center with the resources to quickly address a dysfunctional back. I am fortunate to have a wonderful team and chiropractic doctors that met me after hours to adjust, traction and set me up on therapies. Two days later, I'm back at the gym lifting free weights and ready to start helping patients on Monday.  

I think its good to have a health set back every once and a while. In chiropractic world, we call it a stress-response effect. While I've shifted my clinical focus to more complicated holistic healthcare and neck issues over the past couple of years, I feel acutely more aware of the help I need to provide to low back pain cases.

Dr. Leonette

Valentines & Vitality

Chronic stress and low energy can wreck your Valentines day and love life. There is hope to get the spark back, naturally. Schedule a free 10 min video consultation with Dr. Leonette to see if we can help you. 

Boost Your Immune System - Address Mono & Fatigue

Lately, I've received many questions about natural treatments for mono infections. There are holistic treatment options available at Enliven that will support your immune system and get your biochemical energy back to fighting state.

Acupuncture Now Offered at Enliven

We proudly offer acupuncture in Bridgeport, WV. Our first visit includes an AcuGraph electronic meridian analysis and needle or needle-less treatment. 

Foot Pain and Plantar Fasciitis Help

Get help for sports injuries, walking difficulty and PLANTAR FASCIITIS! 

Dr. Show and Dr. Matt Mason discuss back pain treatment options

Spine Strength Comes from Endurance Not Force

Prevent spine injuries at Enliven Chiropractic. A healthy back is build for endurance, not strength. To prevent injuries, a trained abdominal core is necessary. Dr. McGill is one of my favorite sources for spine and core training. I have studied his work for many years and appreciate the high quality research he is publishing.

If you need assistance in selecting core endurance and strengthening exercises needed for your body, please call me to schedule a time at 304-933-9355.

Enliven Chiropractic is conveniently located in downtown Bridgeport, WV. We are focused on reinvigorating your health through balancing the nervous, muscular and supporting systems.

Dr. James Leonette | Enliven Chiropractic | Bridgeport, WV

Help for Migraines without Drugs

MIGRAINES ARE DEBILITATING

Migraine headaches can be one of the most debilitating condition. The Migraine Research Foundation found:

• Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households includes someone with migraine.
• Over 10% of the population - including children - suffers from migraine. That's more than diabetes and asthma combined!
• About 18% of American women and 6% of men suffer from migraine.
• Migraine tends to run in families. If one parent suffers from migraine, there is a 40% chance a child will suffer. If both parents suffer, the chance rises to 90%.

Attacks last 4-72 hours and can have a host of accompanying symptoms, including throbbing pain on one side of the head, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, extreme sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, and tingling or numbness in the extremities or face.

THERE IS HOPE

A recent study published in Journal of Upper Cervical Research documents the effectiveness of correcting the position of a misaligned C1 vertebra in reducing migraines. The study, The Care of a Teenage Girl with Migraine Headaches with the Advanced Orthogonal Procedure: A Case Report, examined the effectiveness of Advanced Orthogonal, a technique I have extensively trained in during and after chiropractic college.

If you are having head issues, including migraines, Enliven Chiropractic may be your source to a better life. Schedule an acceptance interview with me to see if you are a good candidate for the Advanced Orthogonal technique.

Yours in health,

Dr. James Leonette

Enliven Chiropractic | Bridgeport, West Virginia | (304) 933-9355

Enliven Chiropractic is a state of the art chiropractic center in north central West Virginia dedicated to improving the health of entire families. We serve patients from Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown and beyond with a lighter touch. We love the complicated neurological cases, including fibromyalgia, sciatica, migraines, chronic headache and face pain. 

Alternative to Medical Treatment for Strengthening Your Immune System - Autoimmune Info

If you are reading this then there is a good chance this is the question running through your head "I have an autoimmune disease, what are my alternative options to medicine?"

Let me start with you are not alone. Many people have autoimmune disorders. It's scary when you have been diagnosed and then search Google and find out that according to many sources it is not curable. 

Having myself been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, I understand what you are going through. Its always frightful when you realize your body is attacking itself. A war is waging within you that you have no control over. 

Over the past few years, I have tried traditional medicine and abbreviated functional medicine protocols. Nothing seemed to work. Energy kept decreasing and autoimmune antibody titters kept rising. I was no longer able to tolerate any stress. Everything took effort. I knew something was seriously wrong. As my prescription for thryoid medication continued to increased, my symptoms stayed the same. There seemed to be a key component missing. 

I set out to understand the underlying issues and focused my attention on functional medicine training over the past few years. I began to understand my health. Through attending multiple conferences, studying with the best functional med doctors, research, research and more research, I believe I have found the most complete system for treating autoimmune disorders and will be bringing it to Enliven Chiropractic in early 2017. 

On the diagnosis side, we have partnered with the most advanced laboratories in the U.S. We have acquired sophisticated in-house testing equipment to measure biochemical imbalances, autonomic nervous system dysfunction and toxicities. On the treatment side, we have added state of the art equipment and identified the absolute best supplementation to restore your energetic and biochemical balance.  Restoring this balance will greatly aid in your body's ability to self heal. 

If you are ready to experience it for yourself, contact us today to schedule your holistic health evaluation appointment. This will be a separate and unique program from our chiropractic clinic and will require special scheduling. Please call us to discuss if you are a candidate. 304-933-9355.  To learn more visit our Holistic Healthcare Information.

 Our system is all about improving balance not treating specific diseases!

Do Eating Fats Make Me Fat?

Do eating fats make me fat? Does being fat really hurt my health?

These are two questions that I field daily as a holistic chiropractic physician.The answer may surprise you.

If you take a step back from the minutia of intricate body systems, you will see that that we are basically a soul and a meat suit controlled by the brain. So, lets talk about the meat suit known as your body. The majority of it is made up of fluids, proteins and fats. In fact, your brain weighs about 4 pounds and 3+ pounds of that is fat!

Question #1: Do Eating Fats make me Fat?

Fats may turn out to be one of the most important parts, so why do you want to avoid them in the your diet? A recent study examining 600,000 individuals shows that intake of fats is not harmful over the long term. I encourage you to check out this article and read one of my life changing books, Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter. In a nutshell, he recommend a natural gluten free diet, low in carbs and moderate intake of fats.

Question #2: Does Being Fat Really Hurt My Health?

For those trying to identify where they currently are on the spectrum of health in regards to obesity, I strongly suggest that your read The Obesity Paradox: When Thinner Means Sicker by Dr. Lavie. His years of research as a cardiologist indicates that having a BMI between 25-32 and being fit is more protective that being unfit and skinny. 

Question #3: How Do I Improve My Health?

These is a ton of confusing information out there. There are two basic things you can do.

1. Reduce body stress. Improve your diet and get active.
2. Reduce brain stress that leads to body stress.  Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to improve the brain waves and reduce stress.

Call me for a full health consultation at (304) 933-9355. I would love to help you understand and improve your body.

Dr. James Leonette

Enliven Chiropractic is located in Bridgeport, WV and is committed to reinvigorating your health through lighter force specific chiropractic adjustments, brain based wellness and holistic nutrition.