Tag: Mind

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Sharpen Your Child’s Mind

It’s October – which means Back to School time is in full swing, so what better time to talk about children, learning, and behavior. If your child is having difficulty concentrating at school, often seems lethargic, or is constantly frustrated with trying to learn, the following tips can help you address the cause and offer natural solutions.

Food for the Brain

When it comes to food preferences and snack time, many parents will give in to a whining, screaming, or bargaining child. Now, of course this is acceptable in moderation (and sometimes a necessity for one’s sanity), it’s when this becomes the norm and sugary processed foods take the lead over natural foods we begin to see a problem.

The brain is a very demanding organ, requiring a lot of energy to function well. Food choices have a great deal to do with alertness, mental agility, and ability to focus. Food allergies or intolerances can cause symptoms such as attention and learning difficulties. Continue reading “Sharpen Your Child’s Mind”

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Is Your Spine in Line?

Is Your Spine In Line?
15 Warning Signs of an Unhealthy Spine:

  1. Your Heels Wear Out Unevenly. This can be due to uneven leg length or stress along the length of the spine.
  2. You Can’t Take a Satisfying Deep Breath. Subluxations in the upper back and ribs can cause restricted breathing and/or expansion of the chest.
  3. Your Jaw “Clicks”. This can be caused by neck misalignment and severe tension in the upper neck.
  4. You Have to “Crack” Your Neck, Back, or Other Joints Often. This is your body telling you that something is out of alignment. It can be caused by areas of your spine that are locked or jammed.
  5. You Can’t Twist or Turn Your Head or Hips to Either Side Easily and Equally. Reduced range of motion comes from misaligned vertebrae.
  6. You Are Often Tired. An unbalanced spine drains your energy.
  7. You Have Poor Concentration. Misalignments in your spine affect the Brain-Body connection.
  8. You Have Low Resistance to Disease. Chiropractic adjustments to reduce nerve pressure have been shown to help increase white blood cells throughout the body. Studies show that every time you get adjusted, your Interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels go up immediately. IL-2 is what your body uses to kill viral and bacterial assaults. Continue reading “Is Your Spine in Line?”
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Who Should Be Taking Probiotics?

If you’ve read my post on the Core Four nutritional supplements, you know that I recommend that everyone should take a probiotic supplement. The main reason being that 80% of your immune system resides in your intestines, and by keeping the ratio of healthy bacteria (intestinal flora) in proper balance – it can have a profound impact on your health and well-being.

The good thing about probiotics is that they don’t even need to be taken every day. Once the healthy flora has been introduced into your gut (usually after several weeks), they tend to multiply and flourish easily on their own. The benefits of taking a probiotic include: improved digestion, strengthen immune function, and better nutrient absorption.

Now, new research is giving us more reasons to take a probiotic supplement. Probiotic bacteria have the potential to alter brain neurochemistry and treat anxiety and depression-related disorders according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to Science News:

“Mice fed broth fortified with a type of friendly intestinal bacteria called Lactobacillus rhamnosus behaved less anxiously than mice fed broth without bacteria. Those behavior changes were accompanied by differences in levels of a brain-chemical sensor and stress hormones.

In addition, ingestion of the bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone. These findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the communication between the gut and the brain, and suggest that certain probiotic organisms may prove to be useful adjunct therapies in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

This is the first time that it has been demonstrated that potential probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry – it is something that defintely warrants more research. So, if better digestion and a stronger immune system weren’t good enough reasons to add a probiotic to your daily routine- you can now add happiness to that list.

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How to Grow Your Brain as You Age

Research now shows that our brain and nervous system are not rigid or unchanging like we once thought but are “neuroplastic”, or capable of adapting and re-wiring.  This means that what we once believed – that our brain was fixed in form and function, and only changed through deterioration as we got older, is not true. With this new research in mind…

Here are some suggestions to grow your brain as you age: Continue reading “How to Grow Your Brain as You Age”
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Chiropractic Adjustments Improve Creative Thinking

A recent study reported in the Chiropractic Journal of Australia has found that chiropractic adjustments may enhance creativity and divergent thinking. Ten subjects between 10 and 62 years of age were assessed for spinal misalignments and adjusted. The majority of subjects received both cervical and thoracic adjustments, while some also received jaw, upper extremity, and lumbar adjustments as well.

The main outcome measurement was performance on the “alternate uses test” both before and immediately following one treatment session. The majority of the subjects were found to have enhanced scores on the post-administered test indicating a short-term improvement in creativity. A number of possibilities exist to explain why these subjects performed better following an adjustment, including: reduced anxiety and emotional stressors, as well as enhanced blood flow to specific regions of the brain with mild ischemia (ischemic penumbra).

As Chiropractors, we realize that misalignments of the spine are linked to interference with the nervous system’s ability to  function. Creativity of the Mind is a primary component of the nervous system’s functional capacity. If your nervous system is functioning optimally, you are better able to think creatively – its that simple. I look forward to future studies with more rigorous methods and larger samples, and it would be interesting to see long term changes as well. Nonetheless, another good reason to keep your nervous system functioning at its best with Chiropractic adjustments.

References:

Chiropractic Journal of Australia 2010; 40: 57-62