Chiropractic | - Part 13

April 26, 2012April 27, 2012

Why You Want a Strong Core

Your core – the muscles around your abdomen and pelvis – is a pivotal area of the body to keep in shape. Why? Because the core is a key player in whole-body health, pure and simple. Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body.

Not to mention, most physical activities depend on stable core muscles, which, in turn, promote balance and stability. Without a stable core, your low back, hips, pelvis and abdomen are more prone to dysfunction and injury. Unfortunately, a typical day for most people includes sitting in the car on the way to work, sitting at a desk all day at work, sitting in front of the television at night, and then laying down to go to sleep.

When you become more sedentary, you inherently become less flexible. Your muscles shorten and become weak from inactivity, making you prone to injury. In addition, weak or inflexible core muscles can impair how well your arms and legs function (remember it’s your central link). This will in turn drain power from many of the moves you make. Properly building up your core makes all of your daily movements easier. A strong core also enhances balance and stability. Thus, it can help prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities. In fact, a strong, flexible core underpins almost everything you do: Continue reading “Why You Want a Strong Core”

April 9, 2012April 12, 2012

How to Sleep Well Naturally

Getting a good night of sleep is one of the cornerstones of health. After all, sleep is when your body is able to repair and heal. However, sleep deprivation is such a chronic condition these days that you might not even realize you suffer from it.

Our inability to disconnect – from cell phones, tablets, laptops, television, music players – all can result in a lack of rest. Science has now established that a sleep deficit can have serious, far reaching effects on your health. For example, interrupted or impaired sleep can; weaken your immune system, accelerate tumor growth, impair your memory, and decrease your performance on physical and mental tasks. When your circadian rhythms are disrupted, your body produces less melatonin and has less ability to fight cancer (melatonin helps suppress free radicals that can lead to cancer). This is why tumors grow faster when you sleep poorly.

What can you do to help get a better night of sleep? Continue reading “How to Sleep Well Naturally”

March 29, 2012March 29, 2012

Germs + Chiropractic = Healthier Childhood

There’s a growing body of research showing that children exposed to lots of germs early in life are less likely to develop allergies, asthma or autoimmune disorders as they grow up.

A recent study done in the Journal Science shows that exposure to microbes during early childhood is associated with protection from immune-mediated diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma. The reason being that when these microbes enter the gut they keep a rare part of the immune system reined in. When there are NO microbes present, the immune cells run rampant in the lungs and intestines, increasing the risk of asthma and colitis. Add in the microbes, and cells in question, invariant natural killer T cells, retreat. Continue reading “Germs + Chiropractic = Healthier Childhood”

March 12, 2012March 12, 2012

Ear Infections: A Natural Approach

Otitis media (more commonly known as an ear infection) is a generic name for several conditions that can affect the middle ear, including inflammation of the middle ear, ranging from acute to chronic and with or without symptoms.

Acute otitis media (AOM) is characterized by symptoms of pain and fever. Otitis media with effusion (OME) is typified by the presence of fluid in the middle ear without signs or symptoms of infection. Ear infections account for over 35% of all pediatrician visits in the United States. Antibiotics are not always effective and may even lead to a recurrence of ear infections. Continue reading “Ear Infections: A Natural Approach”

February 21, 2012May 2, 2012

Study: Antibiotics Will Not Help Your Sinuses

Sinus infections are the fifth most common reason antibiotics are prescribed for adults. Unfortunately, they are of no help for most sinus infections – this according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Not only are we facilitating the growth of drug resistant bacteria by over prescribing these antibiotics – the research shows it doesn’t even provide symptom relief. Even more disturbing, the numbers show that fewer than two percent of sinus infections are bacterial. Which means the overwhelming majority of sinus infections are viral – of which antibiotics are no help.

The study used a total of 166 adults diagnosed with acute rhinosinusitis, who were randomized to either amoxicillin or placebo treatment group. Among patients with acute rhinosinusitis, a 10-day course of amoxicillin compared with placebo did not reduce symptoms at day 3 or day 10 of treatment. Continue reading “Study: Antibiotics Will Not Help Your Sinuses”