Why Do I Need Maintenance Chiropractic Care?

maintenance chiropractic care

Every day more and more people are reevaluating their options when it comes to health care. They are realizing that wellness comes from within and that the best way to avoid illness and discomfort is to be “health conscious” in their daily lifestyles. In order to accomplish this we must first understand what it is we need to do to get and stay well.

The simple answer is that we need to adopt lifestyle behaviors that promote health – as opposed to those that lead to sickness. Because the truth is there is no drug that can fix our poor diet or remove the toxins from the processed food we eat. There is no drug that can undo our sedentary living or poor fitness – the answer is in our lifestyle choices. One major lifestyle choice we can adopt is to receive regular chiropractic adjustments, often called maintenance or wellness chiropractic care.

Understanding the reason for maintenance chiropractic care mandates an understanding of two major well documented concepts: 1) immobilization degeneration; and 2) the neurology of pain processing. A primary component of a subluxation (misalignment in the spine) is loss of normal motion in that area; and there is an immense body of research to support the ensuing degenerative process that will occur with this loss of motion and the logical conclusion of restoring movement to the spine.

You see, chiropractic is important for our health in many of the same ways that exercise is so crucial for our overall health and well-being. It’s all about movement. Movement feeds the brain, when we become misaligned we lose the normal motion of that spinal segment – which leads to degenerated joints and  decreases these movement- rich nutrients to the brain (proprioceptive signals). Continue reading “Why Do I Need Maintenance Chiropractic Care?”

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”

Weekly Health Round Up

Welcome to True Health Family Chiropractic’s Weekly Health Roundup, where we’ll take a look at what’s making news in the world of health.

Research of the Week

This week we look at the research of Ria Chhabra, a middle school student who after hearing her parents argue about the value of organic foods, was inspired to create a science fair project to try to resolve the debate. The research tracked the effects of organic and conventional diets on the health of fruit flies. By nearly every measure, including fertility, stress resistance and longevity, flies that fed on organic bananas and potatoes fared better than those who dined on conventionally raised produce.

Interesting Articles

Yahoo News has a very cool article that shows how chiropractic care can benefit more than just us humans. It tells the story of Dr. Gene Giggleman, a veterinarian who once thought chiropractors were quacks. Since then, he says he’s straightened out thousands of dogs and cats, not to mention the occasional snake, hamster, gerbil and guinea pig. The vets say any human or animal with a spine-related problem can benefit from an “adjustment.” I agree.

Food for Thought

From food containers and utensils to water bottles, plastic has become a permanent fixture in our everyday lives – but it’s one that comes with serious consequences. All of these plastic chemicals are now finding their way into your body and the environment, where they are accumulating over time. Dr. Mercola offers a guide on how to recognize the plastics that are hazardous to you as well as offering tips on how to cut down on your plastic use.

Blog Posts Worth Reading

From Mashable comes 10 Touching Acts of Kindness at the Boston Marathon. It’s great to see firsthand accounts of people who stepped up to help in a moment of tragedy. As Patton Oswalt wrote after the bombing: “So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, ‘The good outnumber you, and we always will.'”

Time Capsule

A year ago on the True Health blog we looked at a the benefits of breastfeeding to your baby. This has been by far the most popular article on our blog (it’s been “pinned” on Pinterest over 5000 times(!), and has over 250 likes on facebook.) Needless to say, it struck a cord with moms – and for good reason. From the article: “Recently, published evidence-based studies have confirmed and quantitated the risks of not breastfeeding,” the authors stated. “Thus, infant feeding should not be considered as a lifestyle choice, but rather as a basic health issue. As such, the pediatrician’s role in advocating and supporting proper breastfeeding practices is essential and vital for the achievement of this preferred public health goal.”

5 Tips For a Better Sleep Tonight

 

If you are having trouble sleeping at night, you are not alone. More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report they occasionally do not get enough sleep, while nearly 10% admit to experiencing chronic insomnia.

Getting a good night of sleep is one of the cornerstones of health, your body needs this time to repair and heal. Six to eight hours per night seems to be the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, and too much or too little can have adverse effects on your health. Research shows that inadequate sleep can have disastrous effects on your weight loss efforts, impair your concentration, and weaken your immune system.

There is good news though, because starting tonight, you can improve the quality and quantity of your sleep. Here are 5 ways to get back on track: Continue reading “5 Tips For a Better Sleep Tonight”

Weekly Health Roundup

healthWelcome to True Health Family Chiropractic’s Weekly Health Roundup, where we’ll take a look at what’s making news in the world of health.

Research of the Week

A new study finds that over-diagnosis of reflux in infants leads to needless medication, which is generally ineffective and could have long term implications. As I’ve written about before, research shows that parents of infants using chiropractic care for colic reported fewer hours of crying per day and difference was statistically significant. We also know that the addition of probiotics has been shown to help with symptoms of colic.

Interesting Articles

I talk a lot about taking control of your health. The reason being is that today we have infinite possibilities, and and our health can suffer as well as benefit a great deal for it. For example, we have the option of sitting on the couch all weekend watching a netflix marathon, or we can be outside. Here’s a great article that offers 8 tips on how to take control of your health. The article focuses on a excellent concept; health integrity -an honesty to one’s self, a commitment that begins and ends with one’s self, an inner compass that has nothing to do with the outside world.

Food for Thought

Eating fruits and vegetables in season makes sense – they are at their peak freshness and have to travel the least distance to your plate (and they taste better). But how do you know what is in season when? The solution is a food calendar, and Eat Seasonably has created a great interactive one -the pinwheel shows what’s in season by month; the outermost ring shows what’s particularly delicious at that time:

Blog Posts Worth Reading

Blenders and juicers are great tools to help any kid eat more nutrient dense foods. However, lots of parents are unsure as to which is better. This is a great blog post on blenders versus juicers, and which will work best in your house for your kids.

Time Capsule

A year ago on the True Health blog we looked at a natural approach to ear infections. This is one of the most common reasons I see children in my practice –  there is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustments and the resolution of ear infections. Research has shown that close to 80% of children treated with a series of chiropractic adjustments did not experience another ear infection within the six-month period following their initial visits.