What You Eat Is Your Foundation: Nutrition Tips for Aging Patients

If you've been coming to Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn for back pain or neck pain treatment, you already know that chiropractic care is about more than just your spine — it's about your whole body working well together. Yet one of the most powerful tools for keeping your long-term health is one that rarely comes up in the treatment room — what you eat every day. What you eat has a big effect on how your spine, muscles, bones, joints, and nerves function every single day and help you get around Ashburn and Herndon.

AGING AND NUTRITION

The irony of ageing is that our need for key nutrients increases at the same time our bodies become less efficient at absorbing them. Research published highlights that older adults face unique physiological challenges when it comes to micronutrient absorption and utilization. Decreased stomach acid production, changes in gut motility, and decreased kidney function can all impair how effectively the body processes vitamins and minerals — even when dietary intake seems adequate. (1)

NUTRITION AND BACK PAIN

This matters enormously for back pain. Vitamin D and calcium are critical for bone density, and deficiencies are directly associated with increased fracture risk and osteoporosis-related spinal compression. Magnesium plays a key role in muscle relaxation and nerve transmission, and low levels can contribute to muscle cramps and tension that make back pain worse. B vitamins support nerve health, and antioxidants like vitamins C and E help fight the chronic inflammation that drives many musculoskeletal conditions.

Importantly, the midlife years are the ideal time to take action — not after symptoms worsen. A study by Yu and colleagues (2) found that educational interventions aimed at midlife women significantly improved both knowledge and self-efficacy around healthy ageing, including the preservation of what researchers call "intrinsic capacity" — the physical and mental reserves that keep us functional and independent as we age. Nutrition is a foundation of that capacity.

Unlike many aspects of ageing, your nutritional status is something you can actively improve — and even modest changes to your daily diet can have a meaningful impact on how your body responds to care and heals between visits. We at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn encourage every patient to think of nutrition as an extension of their chiropractic care. The strength of your spine ultimately reflects the health of the whole body surrounding it.

CONTACT Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he talks about a common spinal condition, disc degeneration, that tags along with aging and how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management helps.

Schedule your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractic appointment now.