health and wellness

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Sac City, a small town in Northwest Iowa.

How did you come to choose your career?

For as long as I can remember, my family used chiropractic care as a means to stay active and healthy. From a very young age, I knew I wanted to help others do the same, and to be able to help them do so in a natural manner still excites me.

How do you express the need for chiropractic care to an asymptomatic person?

Pain is the last symptom to appear in most diseases, including those of the spine and nervous system. Going to the dentist after you have pain is like going to the chiropractor after you have pain— you waited too long. The nerves associated with the spine govern nearly every process in the body, so by preventing spinal problems, you can prevent an endless list of other diseases and problems.

Your practice has recently added cryotherapy to your services, which is still very new to Iowa. Tell us about that.

Whole body cryotherapy is a process in which we expose a person to extreme cold for up to three minutes, which causes a shift in their body chemistry and nervous system. The cold stimulus decreases inflammation (the root cause of virtually every human disease and pain), boosts metabolism, enhances the healing process, burns calories and fat, increases norepinephrine (which is shown to improve mental well-being), and, over time, tightens skin. After serving over 2,000 clients, we are very happy with the results we’ve seen, and it’s a much more comfortable alternative to a 20-minute ice bath.

In this issue, we talk about the game of golf. Care to share how a visit to Zimmerman Chiropractic can help improve a person’s golf game?

Your score will improve! I’ve been in practice for over 13 years and my patients who golf tell me that the number one reason they come in for chiropractic care is because it improves their swing and helps them play better golf. I try to go into the science and biomechanics of it, but they usually care only about one thing—their score.

Which organ in my body is the most important?

Everything is in your body for a reason—even your appendix. However, your most vital organ is your brain. Why? You only get one! You can replace or live without any other organ, but you only get one brain.

Your brain is an amazing organ. It controls everything in your body. Your brain controls your heart rate, balance, coordination, what you see, and much more. Your brain uses nerves to send and receive information to every muscle and organ in your body. This constant barrage of input is filtered so you are only aware of the information that is important at the time.

A common example of this is when you hit your thumb with a hammer (usually unintentionally). The first response is almost always to shake your hand or squeeze your thumb. Any verbal reactions are unrelated to this example. By shaking or squeezing your thumb, you are activating pathways to the brain. The brain then shifts your focus and the pain feels less intense. Of course, this does not always work. But it often provides you the opportunity to continue with your day and to focus on something other than the pain.

Take care of your brain. Eat brainhealthy foods, such as spinach, blueberries, and fish (which have omega3 fatty acids). Avoid unhealthy additives, such as artificial sweeteners. Run or walk for 1030 minutes a day, and sleep at least seven and a half hours a night. A healthy brain leads to a healthy body!

Faces Of Waukee: Dr. Chris Zimmerman

Which Organ Is Most Important?

Which organ in my body is the most important?