Tag: Balance

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Chiropractic & Running

chiropractic and running

Chiropractic adjustments help ensure that the body functions as efficiently as possible, which can maximize not only performance but healing and recovery from all types of injuries.

When the spine is in its optimal structural position, the nerves are protected and optimal communication exists between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. The vertebra of the spine are susceptible to certain stresses and forces, which can cause them to lose their proper position.

These minor misalignments of the spine cause nerve interference and weaken the entire structure of the spine. Athletic training can often jar and misalign the spinal column, because the spine is at the center of the body. Impact to the legs, feet, head, shoulders and torso often radiates to the spine. Because of its ability to maintain optimum health and structural balance, chiropractic care has helped many athletes to achieve their goals. 

Runners stand to benefit the most from chiropractic because of the grueling nature of the sport and it’s potentially detrimental affects on the joints of the foot, knees, and hips. Running is a repetitive motion sport that requires your body to undergo wear and tear at a much higher rate than non-weight bearing sports or everyday activities. With each driving stride, a vibration with a force of three times the athletes’ body weight will shock the runner.  Continue reading “Chiropractic & Running”

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What is True Health?

Have you ever thought about what True Health means to you and your family? What is your definition of True Health? Dorland’s Medical Dictionary states that True Health is a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease. In other words, health is not limited to how you feel, but rather refers to your level of function and performance as a whole individual.

In simple terms, the premise of chiropractic is that, if the body’s frame is in alignment, then the nervous system – the brain, spinal cord and the millions of nerves extending throughout the body – can function at its best. And the nervous system, medical science now readily admits, is the master controller of all other bodily organs and systems. Having known that since 1895, chiropractors have always had a holistic approach to health care.

As Peter Senge, the leading exponent of systems thinking, says about the “crisis state” of today’s health care: “The need in health care is very simple. We need to think about health. Health is a systemic phenomenon. What makes you or me healthy is not just what diseases pop up. We need to think about the totality of health – how we live, how we work, what we eat, it’s our exercise – the totality of how we live.”

Chiropractic care views all areas of life as equal contributors to promoting or detracting from optimal health. So, we incorporate practical help and education about “how we live, how we work, what we eat” and how we exercise. Spinal alignment coupled with a healthy lifestyle means that body is the best it can be to throw off potential illness. That’s prevention, pure and simple. But that optimum condition of the body also means the best chance for optimum development – in the mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of our lives. The chiropractic perspective even heightens a person’s awareness of the critical importance of environmental health because if the environment is sick – we will be too.

In short, chiropractic offers the systemic, holistic, broad-view approach that facilitates getting better, staying well and realizing one’s full potential in life. Now that’s True Health.

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The Importance of Motion

movement is lifeOne of Albert Einstein’s well known quotes is, “Nothing happens until something moves.” Motion is life. Lack of motion is death. Movement is a vital nutrient to your body, just as much as food, water or oxygen.

It feeds the brain, producing essential nutrient stimulation (called proprioception). It’s also a foundational reason why chiropractors adjust spines – to restore normal motion to joints, mental impulse transmission through nerves, and subsequently, life throughout your entire body.

When your spine is not moving properly it begins to degenerate and become inflamed. The spinal joints begin to send stress signals to the brain that can lead to stress hormones being released (cortisol and catecholamines). Lack of proper motion results in a decrease in proprioceptive messages being sent to your brain. This can also (but not always) lead to pain. High levels of stress hormones in the body will lead to fatigue, illness and ultimately – early death.

This is why – regardless of disease or symptoms – a healthy, properly moving, aligned spine is so essential to our health. By restoring motion to the spine (via the chiropractic adjustment), changes will begin to occur, such as: decrease in stress signals and stress hormones, decrease inflammation, and pain (if present) will subside. Most important of all, it results in a healthy body-brain neurological communication which is essential for overall health. This is why we often see patients who will have significant changes in their health, in areas that they were not expecting at all (digestion, sleep, etc…) when they began care. By restoring motion and removing this stressor on the body – you can begin to function how you were designed to.

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10 Steps to Regain Your Health

It goes without saying that the start of 2013 marks the beginning of all the resolutions you set out to achieve for yourself and your loved ones. If you are like most Americans, health is the most important aspect of your life that needs improving. Without adequate health and your well-being, you can kiss most of your other resolutions goodbye. Declining health and vitality robs you of precious energy to achieve your personal or professional goals.

With that in mind, I’ve created a series of simple practices into your life – the more of these you add, the better and more in charge of your life you’ll feel.

  1. Move more. As humans we are made to move,  this doesn’t mean running around on a daily basis but rather spending a good portion of our days walking, standing and moving in general. If we don’t our bodies rebel and health declines. It’s not only good for your cardiovascular health, but also for your mental health. Do some form of exercise that significantly raises your heart rate for 30 minutes at least four times a week. Remember also to break up your sitting and move frequently during the day.
  2. Get more sleep. Sleep is often the single most undervalued behavior in our lives and the one with the most immediate power to improve our experience in every waking moment. If you’re getting 6 or less hours of sleep, aim to get just one more hour of sleep a night – it will leave you feeling more physically energized, emotionally resilient, and mentally clear.
  3. Eat less, more often. Food is fuel, and real food – lean proteins and vegetables/fruits (complex carbohydrates) – are high-octane fuel. You’re best off when you eat in small doses throughout the day, beginning with breakfast. Continue reading “10 Steps to Regain Your Health”
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Chiropractic During Pregnancy

Chiropractic care is an important part of prenatal care. Often times, preexisting but unnoticed imbalances in your spine can become stressed during pregnancy – resulting in an uncomfortable pregnancy for many women. Did you know that the American Pregnancy Association promotes chiropractic care during pregnancy?

Some of the benefits are:

  1. Relieve and even prevent the common discomforts experienced during pregnancy
  2. Restore balance to pelvis resulting in an easier, quicker, safer delivery
  3. Reduce nerve system stress, improving your body’s ability to function naturally
  4. Supports natural, non-invasive birthing procedures

According to recent studies, chiropractic care may result in easier pregnancy including increased comfort during the third trimester and delivery and reduced need for analgesics (pain medication). In one study, women receiving chiropractic care through their first pregnancy had 24% reduction in labor times and subjects giving birth for the second or third time reported 39% reduction in shorter labor times. In another study, the need for analgesics was reduced by 50% in the patients who received adjustments. In addition, 84% of women report relief of back pain during pregnancy with chiropractic care.

It is not just the mom who benefits from chiropractic care, it can comfort the baby as well. If your pelvis is out of balance in any way, the ligaments which attach to the uterus can become torqued and twisted, which may restrict the baby’s movement. Specific chiropractic adjustments (The Webster Technique) can correct sacral misalignment, balance pelvic muscles and ligaments which in turn removes torsion to the woman’s uterus, its resulting constraint to the baby, and allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth.

Chiropractic is a natural approach to health that helps an expectant mother gain confidence – in herself, her body, and her baby. You deserve to have the best chance at a successful pregnancy and childbirth, and you can only do that with a nervous system that is running free and clear of interference.

Did any of you visit the chiropractor when pregnant or plan on doing so?