Guest column: You can grow a new body

Submitted by: Dr. Mindi Miller-Jentes

We have been taught to believe that pain and discomfort are just a normal part of aging. Disease is to be expected as we get older, right? Wrong! While pain, discomfort and disease are common, they are not normal. Normal cellular function is the definition of health. While abnormal cellular function is the definition of discomfort and disease.

Did you know that your body has incredible regenerative abilities? Surgeons have long known your liver can completely grow back within two months if 80% of it is removed. The heart can renew itself every 15 years, bones every two years, lungs and skin every few weeks, and intestines can replace all their cells in just three days. Nerves can regenerate at a speed of an inch a month, and the brain can generate new cells at a rate of 1,500 per day. Throughout your lifetime, you could potentially grow six new bodies!

Aging happens when your body loses its ability to replace sick and dying cells with healthy, new ones. However, you can encourage new growth by simply changing your diet and lifestyle — the foods you eat, exercise, mindset, sleep and rest.

Your current biological age is just a number. What you choose to eat and how you choose to live determine how old or young you look and feel. Every day, you make choices that affect your body's health and longevity. I’m sure you’ve been told if you want to feel better cut out stress. What does that mean? Let’s break it down.

A patient’s chronic condition stems from one or a combination of three stressors: traumas, toxins and thoughts. These stressors lead to chronic inflammation in or around the brain and spinal cord — the central nervous system. When left unaddressed, this inflammation causes cellular breakdown, leading to the degeneration and functional changes that result in discomfort. Ultimately, this process can lead to the development of diseases. Stress, stemming from traumas, toxins and thoughts can catalyze physical, mental, emotional or spiritual dysfunction. Keep this in mind the next time someone suggests you need to cut out stress.

When you begin to notice something isn’t quite right, that is the time to address the change in function. Don’t just live with it and chock it up to "getting older." That is like turning off the smoke detector when it sounds an alarm, and then going about your day while your house goes up in flames.

Holistic physicians look at the patient as a whole being not just individual systems. They spend a significant amount of time with their patients discussing positive changes to their diet and lifestyle that go well beyond pain and symptom management.

When your labs return with borderline results, it's important to address the underlying processes that may be pushing the numbers toward an abnormal range. Holistic physicians help patients do this. Addressing new symptoms and maintaining normal function is an ongoing process. Regular maintenance care is crucial for living a long, healthy and vibrant life. Here are some simple daily steps you can take to begin to cultivate a healthier lifestyle:

• Drink at least 64 ounces of filtered water.

• Get at least 15 minutes of sunshine (without sunscreen).

• Incorporate 30 minutes of brisk walking.

• Practice meditation and visualization to promote a healthy mindset.

• Engage in spiritual habits such as prayer, reading and worship.

Dr. Mindi Miller-Jentes is a board-certified holistic chiropractic physician, author of “Pain to Peace: Setting the Songbird Free,” watercolorist, speaker and mother to four adult children. She is the CEO and co-owner of Brio Wellness Center — a holistic, family-operated chiropractic clinic in Selma, where she lives with her husband.