What Are The 5  Keys to Optimum Health?
1. Exercise
2. Good Nutrition
3. Rest
4. Stress Management
5. Proper Nerve Supply with Chiropractic Care.

Let’s Talk Exercise.
To stay or get fit you don’t have to have a pricey gym membership or special equipment.  Most people have everything they need to get fit; two feet!  Walking is a great exercise and just 30 minutes most days will help get you back on the road to optimum health. Building physical activity back into our daily lives is one of the great public health challenges of this century according to the Department of Exercise at the University of South Carolina.  Their study states that our bodies were designed to be physically active, and we don’t do well with long-term exposure to sedentary living.  Lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for spinal dysfunction in addition to cardiovascular disease and a whole host of other ailments.

Think you don’t have 30 minutes in your day to devote to exercise?  The good news is that you can reap the same benefits if you exercise twice a day for 15 minutes or three times a day for 10 minutes. Here are some ideas to help you get active:

1. Get out the leash and take your dog for a walk.  Dogs make excellent exercise buddies and they are more than happy to help you get some exercise too.
2. Take your child or children for a brisk walk.  Not only are you getting your 30 minutes in but you are being an excellent example of how to stay active. To spice up your walk, explore new neighborhoods or turn your walk into a fun scavenger hunt.
3.  Tune into fitness during TV time.  Reject your inner couch potato.  Walk, jog in place or if you have one use a treadmill and watch your favorite 30 minute show.  If you watch an hour long recorded show and fast forward through the commercials you just exercised 45 minutes increasing your daily goal by 50%!
4.  Park and walk.  How many times do we circle the parking lot to find “the” spot?  If we park farther away we spare ourselves the stress and gain more energy by walking further to our             destination.
5.  Dance!  Who doesn’t love to dance?  Most songs are 3 to 5 minutes long.  Put on some tunes and dance. That 30 minutes will fly by.

If these ideas don’t work for you, find something that does.  Ditching the excuses can be the first step to a healthier you.

Next month we will talk about the 2nd key to Optimum Health; Good Nutrition

The source of our food is critical too.  An apple is not just an apple if it is a GMO apple. We have heard the term GMO but do we really know what that means?  Much of our food source is being modified by containing  genetically modified organisms. What is a GMO? GMOs also known as GEs (genetically engineered) are altered at the molecular level through laboratory processes that take genes from one species and insert them into another to obtain desired traits.  You may think that doesn’t sound bad but when we are told that the safety of GMOs for human consumption has not been assured, a red flag should be raised.  GMO crops require much more pesticides than non-gmo crops. Pesticides and fungicides are actually injected into the seeds prior to germination.  How do we not ingest this when eating these foods? Several studies have affirmed that GMO crops have the potential to introduce new toxins or allergens into our food and environment. Could this be the cause of the rise in allergies we are experiencing especially in our children?  There are no mandatory human clinical trials for GMO crops, no requirement for long-term testing on animals, and limited testing requirements on allergenicity. 
As much as 60-70% of processed foods available in U.S. grocery stores likely contain some GMOs. If you eat something with high fructose corn syrup, there’s a 90% likelihood that you are consuming GMOs.  Most developed countries, including the 15 nations of the European Union, Japan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and China, have mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods, unlike the United States which has no laws that require labeling of GMO foods.  Shouldn’t we know and be able to chose whether or not we want to consume these? In a perfect world we would buy only organic foods to feed ourselves and our families but since it is not a perfect world we need to find ways to obtain foods that help us reach our goals of having optimum health.

It is said the majority of all diseases, up to 80% are caused by what we put in our mouths and expose our bodies to.  Genetics and/or predisposition are only 5 to 15% responsible for disease.  This is mind blowing when we think that we could prevent most diseases.  It is not easy, but this article explains ways that we can feed our family and ourselves good nutritious foods that actually improve our health and quality of life and not just sustain it.  Whole foods are what our bodies require for optimum health.
Think about our grocery stores.  It is true that if we shop the perimeters we will get most if not all the foods required for a healthy diet.  Grains are the only thing I can think of that we would need to venture into other isles for.  But do we really need those grains? Turns out studies are showing that grains are not as good for us as once thought.  Whole grains have been marketed as a good source of fiber.  True they do have fiber, but that fiber is the type that causes inflammation when the body tries to process it.  Some grains that are not as inflammatory are brown and wild rice and quinoa, good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.  If we eat the washed peels of our apples, skins of potatoes both sweet and white etc we are getting fiber that our bodies can digest and utilize without causing inflammation.  
We are bombarded daily by dietary information.  Some good and some not.  As a result the misinformation we receive could slow down our goal to reach optimum health.  Remember the Food Pyramid that had grains and other high carbohydrate foods being the foundation of a “healthy diet” and formed the pyramid base?  Fats were to be restricted and were found at the top of the pyramid.  Turns out this is not how we should be nourishing our bodies. Unfortunately, those recommendations couldn’t be further from the ideal path.
Here are 7 top “fatty foods” that a healthy diet (in moderation) should include, whole eggs, nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts and cashews), seeds (such as sunflower seeds and flaxseeds), avocado, olive oil, coconut oil and fatty fish (such as mackerel, tuna and salmon, sardines and anchovy).  All of these “fattening” foods help to improve satiety, the feeling of fullness after a meal.  These “fatty foods also have many other unique health benefits which our bodies and especially our brains need.  For example, egg yolks are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  This makes the myth about only eating egg whites to stay healthy is completely false.  Avocados and olive oil are rich in heart-healthy acids which boosts their healthful properties.  Many species of fish are a great source of inflammation reducing omega-3s.  Coconut oil is a prime source of medium-chain triglycerides well known for their appetite regulation, energy, and immune benefits. A diet high in wheat and other grain products inevitably leads to inflammation, high blood sugar (diabetes), high blood pressure (hypertension) and weight gain (obesity).  When we understand how to choose the right fats, replacing high-carbohydrate items in our diet such as bread, bagels, muffins, other baked goods and pasta with more of these fat-burning, healthful “fatty foods”, we’ll be on our way to better nutrition.
We would also do well restricting or eliminating processed sugar and excess salt from our diets. This is not an easy task since most processed foods are made with large amounts of sugar and salt to give flavor which is appealing to our taste buds.  Trying to eliminate sugar from a diet that is high in sugar leaves us feeling “hangry” a new term used when we are hungry and angry.  Three days into a sugar free diet will have you feeling more energetic and the craving for sweets is almost totally gone.  Give it a try and see how good you can feel when your body is not doing overtime trying to process excess sugar and processed foods.
   There is so much information on nutrition it is difficult to cover it all in this article. Let’s take that grocery store challenge and see if we can keep to the perimeter aisles for all our food needs.  Better yet, with summer coming check out the fantastic farmer’s markets in surrounding towns for a wonderful assortment of colorful good for you foods.  If we try our best to eat whole healthy foods and avoid processed, synthetic foods (ie artificial anything!) we are giving our bodies the best fuel to live which will hopefully be a long healthy life.  

What about me? Do Children need chiropractic care too?

If your child was born with a spinal column then the answer is YES!  If you’re asking “What could my children have wrong with their spine that they would need to see a chiropractor?” The answer to that question is a child’s daily life.  From the time they are are born their spinal health is at risk.  Studies show that a normal vaginal delivery of your child can exert 40 to 80 lbs of pressure on their cervical spine just from the birthing process.  More often than not babies are literally pulled out of the birth canal by their heads and then the neck is twisted to deliver the shoulders.  This has the potential to cause great spinal trauma.  Even in cesarean births the obstetrician tries to make as small of an incision as possible, thereby having to pull the baby out much like in a vaginal birth.  We suggest having your baby checked by a chiropractor soon after birth to be sure their spines are in correct alignment. Infant Torticollis (twisted neck) is a condition that can happen due to positioning in the womb or after a difficult birth.  The baby holds it’s head to one side or has difficulty moving their neck from side to side.  There is usually an uneven hair pattern on the back of the baby’s head due to this. Chiropractic can correct torticollis.

Once the baby is born there are several things that compromise their spinal health.  When changing your baby’s diaper it is a normal practice to lift the child by their ankles in such a way that only their upper back and shoulders are on the changing table.  This is hard on their low back and tail bones.  The better way would be to roll the baby towards you while you clean their bottoms.  If this practice is done it would become routine and you and the baby would get used to it.  No spinal trauma is caused by this method and it gets the job done.   Be sure to instruct other caregivers of your baby to do it this way also.

When your baby starts to toddle and learn to walk there are many falls.  Any fall has the potential to cause spinal trauma.  As they grow think of how many times, they fall off their bikes, the swing-set or any playground equipment for that matter.  A fall from a bed, a sudden stop in a car or any significant unsupported movement of the head and neck in an infant can induce excessive movement in the spine causing a vertebral subluxation (misalignment). Children love to climb and just being a normal active child can cause spinal trauma.  Maybe not the debilitating kind but surely the kind that if left uncorrected could lead to problems as they grow.    Just as many concerned parents take their children to the dentist for regular check-ups, so it is that many parents who are already chiropractic patients themselves are bringing their children to chiropractors to have their spinal development checked. (Click here to read more)

Unless a child has an obvious problem, it can be difficult for parents to recognize when a child has spinal subluxations. It is not always easy for someone other than a chiropractor, highly trained in evaluating the spine, to determine if the child has a problem, just as it is difficult for someone other than a dentist to determine if a child has cavities. Both cases take the skill of a trained specialist to perform a thorough evaluation.

There are some signs however which parents may look for which can be an indicator of a child with a spinal problem. Common indicators of spinal problems may include the child’s head consistently being tilted to one side; restricted head or neck motion to one side; disturbed sleeping patterns where the child sleeps for only an hour or two at a time; feeding difficulties in the very young infant; the infant may have difficulty nursing at the breast on one particular side.

Common childhood disorders can also sometimes indicate a spinal problem. Persistent sore throats, colic, headaches, growing pains, constipation, frequent earaches, ear and/or sinus infections, allergies, asthma, tonsillitis, croup and bed wetting are all conditions that can successfully be treated with chiropractic.

How Are Children’s Spinal Problems Treated?

The first thing your chiropractor will do is to conduct a careful and thorough evaluation of your child’s spine. Most chiropractors are trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems and will use gentle, specific skills to identify, evaluate, and treat any involved spinal areas.

What Does the Treatment Involve?

Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light finger-tip adjustments to correct malfunctioning spinal structures. A light spinal adjustment, using no more than two pounds of pressure, is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference with the normal function of the nervous system. Most adjustments make a “popping” sound when the spinal joints are moved, however this sound is not always heard when children’s spines are adjusted.

Does It Hurt?

Generally, no. However, very young infants sometimes have momentary fright at the sudden movement, and may cry for a few seconds.

How Many Treatments Are Required?

Children’s spines are a lot more mobile than those of adults and as a result, usually require only a few adjustments to restore normal function. The actual number of adjustments, however, may vary depending on the length of time that the condition has been present.

What Risks Are Involved in Having My Child’s Spine Adjusted?

The risk of a child suffering a permanent injury from a spinal manipulation is extremely rare. Chiropractors have been adjusting children’s spines for most of the 100 years since chiropractic was first established, and has an excellent safety record.

So should your child see a chiropractor?  The answer again is an emphatic yes! If your child is experiencing any of the conditions mentioned in this article Chiropractic can help! Please call us for an appointment today.

Feb 18, 2015

This current measles outbreak is at the very least extremely suspicious, not significant, and almost completely engineered by a coordinated effort of drug industry advertising and media. It has nothing to do with safety, or health, or immunity, or protection. And everything to do with market creation and political mileage. Dr. Tim O’Shea
It’s time to separate the Sheeple (those who follow blind faith) from the educated researchers.  Every year measles outbreaks occur in 98% to 100% vaccinated communities and don’t get the press it has received this year.  So why now?
Measles is a mild illness typically self resolving in a week conferring lifelong immunity.  It was considered a milestone illness spurring on brain development and immune system development.  No vaccine was ever necessary as measles was 95% eradicated by 1978 before MMR vaccines were ever administered do to public health measure in sanitation, nutrition, refrigeration, and hygiene.  The measles vaccine actually spurred on Manmade atypical measles which tends to be more virulent and responsible for the majority of the new cases.  There is a blatant misrepresentation of facts by the news media and health officials.
There are several agendas at play here.

1. Constantly keep the population in fear of their own health with relentless bombardment of new epidemics/pandemics (that never materialize) but are effective nonetheless at creating hysteria

Examples. SARS, Flu, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, West Nile, Ebola, Measles etc.

2. Take the focus away from the ineffectiveness of vaccines and their side effects (from Autism, ADHD, Autoimmune, Allergies, Asthma and Death) and recommend more vaccines
3. Take away your right to choose by imposing new laws (revoke your medical freedom)

Exempting one’s child from vaccines has always been a path chosen by a small percentage of the most educated people. The militantly uneducated will always accept as many vaccines as they are told. That will never change.
The failures of modern medicine are apparent all around us. We have the worst overall health of any industrialized nation. Our children receive twice the number of vaccines than any other country on earth. Those are scientific facts, and they are undisputed.
This new wave of greed and mind-control, ushered in by an irresponsible media representing an amoral drug cartel with unlimited resources – has the potential to weaken the genome of the American people to its lowest level in the country’s history.
Measles vaccine does not prevent measles. It causes it.  Dr. Tim O’Shea
According to the CDC and VAERS there have been no measles deaths in the U.S. in the past 10 years however there were 108 deaths from the measles vaccine with VAERS admitting that the actual reporting of adverse events is 1% at best.  While the news media is attempting to discredit MMR autism link there are more than 100 studies showing direct causative effect (this is not the only cause, but do your own research). Vaccines do not activate the proper part of your immune system TH1 (T Helper 1) response provided when you get an infection normally through oral nasal passage and only activate a TH2 (T Helper 2) response because vaccines bypass our normal lines of defense and are injected directly into the blood.  This does produce antibodies but not long term immunity as it is not the correct part of your immune system and more like a histamine response which is why vaccines are associated with an increase in asthma, allergies, autoimmune, and neurological disease. There is only one MMR vaccine available in the U.S. through Merck containing aborted human fetal tissue, bovine serum, monosodium glutamate, gelatin, neomycin, sodium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, sorbitol, sucrose, potassium phosphate, potassium chloride, measles virus, mumps virus, rubella virus.  Merck is currently under investigation for vaccine efficacy fraud for this same vaccine (why didn’t that make the news).
Please understand drugs and vaccines do not create health, good nutrition, exercise, proper hygiene, public sanitation, refrigeration, and a properly functioning nervous system are the keys to health. Upset by the article, please do your own research to try and discredit it, you may be surprised what you find.
Click below for You tube videos

Silent Epidemic; The Untold Story of Vaccines Movie

Dr Andrew Wakefield tells his side of the story in the MMR Vaccine causes Autism debate

If You Think Your Kid’s Vaccines are Safe, DON’T Watch This!

How Vaccines Harm Child Brain Development – Dr Russell Blaylock MD

Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners may be doing our bodies more harm than good. Recent studies show that these chemically modified sweeteners can damage the way our bodies naturally process sugar, making us much more susceptible to overeating. Because of the increasing public health warnings, food companies are now using obscure names to hide these artificial sweeteners in their products. Too much sugar is not good for us, but hidden artificial sweeteners are definitely bad for us.

Products are not being labeled to tell us there is artificial sweeteners in them.  Case in point there are several popular instant hot cocoa mixes that have sucralose in them. No where on the packaging except for the very long ingredient list do you find sucralose listed.  Only the most observant consumer would notice this since sugar is the first ingredient. The reason they add sucralose is because it is 600 times sweeter than sugar. This allows them to make a less bulky product and which saves the manufacturers money while selling us chemicals that could have damaging side effects.

For the past few decades, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been hotly debated.  Being able to eat and drink without worrying about the calories or the cavities was advertised as a great thing.  But what else happens when we consume artificial sweeteners?  To find out, let’s take a look at aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose, three of the major artificial sweeteners.

Aspartame is branded as Nutra-sweet and Equal and an ingredient in most diet pops, gum, candy, and some condiments totaling over 9,000 products found in the grocery store.  Aspartame is by far the most dangerous of all artificial sweeteners as it breaks down into methanol (wood alcohol), formic acid, and formaldehyde.  It is a known excitotoxin (Excitotoxins are a class of chemicals (usually amino acids) that overstimulate neuron receptors. Neuron receptors allow brain cells to communicate with each other, but when they’re exposed to excitotoxins, they fire impulses at such a rapid rate that they become exhausted.causing neuron and brain cell death.)  Aspartame carries carcinogenic properties linked to an increase in brain and liver tumors which were known at the time of FDA approval. The use of aspartame is linked to headaches/migraines, dizziness, nausea, weight gain, muscle spasms, depression, fatigue, insomnia, heart palpitations, vision and hearing problems, anxiety attacks, vertigo, memory loss and joint pain, Emotional Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Brain Tumors, Brain Cancer, Diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Epilepsy, Birth Defects and Mental Retardation.  Aspartame remains the number one complained about product to the FDA.
Saccharin also known as Sweet N Low has been around for more than 100 years.  Studies indicate that saccharin causes cancer in the urinary bladder, lungs, ovaries, uterus, and other organs in animals and also increases the potency of other cancer-causing chemicals.
Sucralose, branded as Splenda advertises it tastes like sugar because it’s made from sugar.  However the chemical composition more closely resembles Chlorine pesticides such as DDT than sugar or sucrose.  These chemicals have been known to accumulate over decades causing severe toxicity.  Research has shown the following side effects from sucralose: chest pains, irritability, confusion, fatigue, shrunken thymus gland (up to 40%), enlarged liver and kidneys, rreduced growth rate, decreased red blood cell count, enlargement of pelvis, miscarriage, decreased fetal body weights, changes in mood and diarrhea.
The bottom line is that there are no safe artificial sweeteners.  While we should all limit the amount of sugar in our diets to a minimum, you can’t do so by replacing it with artificial chemicals without consequences.  One safe no calorie alternative to sugar is stevia.  This is a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant that is then dried and available at most grocery and vitamin stores in the dietary supplement area, not the sweetener aisle.  If you must choose between artificial sweeteners and sugar, choose sugar.  Sugar only contains 15 calories per teaspoon or 4 calories per gram.  Most products stating diet or sugar free contain artificial sweeteners and are best left on the grocery store shelf.  A wise consumer will have to do some label reading to ensure they are getting a product absent of harmful chemicals.

The Effects of Stress and How Chiropractic Can Help

Millions of Americans feel the negative effects of stress every day. In fact, many Americans suffer from chronic stress. Chronic stress can lead to severe health problems such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, headaches, muscle tension and bowel problems. We perceive stress from three basic sources: our environment, our body and our emotions. Environmental stress includes noise, weather, physical threats, time pressures and performance standards. Body stress includes disease processes, organ malfunction, poor nutrition, poor sleep, and physical injury. Emotional stress is more difficult to define. It encompasses our reactions, in thought and emotion, to environmental and physical stressors. In many ways, however, we are each in control of how much emotional stress we will feel. If you are stressed, it’s important that you do whatever you can to avoid the negative effects.

Thankfully, there are also many ways to help relieve stress. One important way to relieve stress is with chiropractic adjustments.

Benefits of Receiving Chiropractic Adjustments:

• Reduced stress with regular adjustments
• Lower blood pressure with chiropractic adjustments
• Facilitate proper bowel functions
• Relief from pain

It’s been shown that in some cases the chiropractic adjustment presents a cost-effective method of treatment. Since, it’s usually non-invasive and can increase your overall health, making your body better able to fight off other ailments. Often your Chiropractor will suggest lifestyle changes that could include switching to ergonomic furniture and tools such as a Chiroflow water pillow which helps keep your neck in  correct alignment while you sleep. In addition to regular chiropractic adjustments it is important to maintain a proper diet and rest.  These help keep your body free of physical reactions to stress.
Stress can kill us! Many studies of people who have been subjected to chronic stress have found evidence of the negative health effects of stress. These effects include high blood pressure, damage to muscle tissue, diabetes, infertility, damage to the immune response, and slowed healing from disease and injury. Stress reactions are also at the root of disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and stress has been linked in human and animal research with cardiovascular disease. It is vital that we limit and control the stress in our lives. It is important to recognize your body’s reactions to stress and find ways to limit and cope with it.
Chiropractic Treatment and Stress
Chiropractors work primarily with the spine, the root of the nervous system through which nerve impulses travel from the brain to the rest of the body. One effect of chronic stress is prolonged muscle tension and contraction. This muscle tension creates uneven pressures on the bony structures of the body, often leading the misalignment of the spinal column, known as subluxations.
Chronic stress also leads to nerve irritation. The adjustments of a chiropractor release muscle tension, and that helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state. Adjustments also reduce spinal nerve irritation, and improve blood circulation. These changes may be enough, in many cases, to convince the brain to relax, beginning the process of healing. A healthy and balanced spine is one key to effectively managing stress.
Chiropractors are trained in nutritional and other therapies for stress. Several nutritional supplements, including B vitamins, help the body cope with stress. It is also beneficial to learn relaxation techniques, correct posture and make necessary environmental changes to help recovery from chronic stress. A chiropractor cannot make a job less stressful, or create a quieter, calmer world. What chiropractic treatment can do is help you develop healthy responses to stress, reducing potential physical damage.
Chiropractic is based on the concept that given the opportunity, the mind and body can heal itself. In relieving some of the effects of chronic stress, chiropractic care provides just such an opportunity.

Chiropractors work primarily with the spine, the root of the nervous system through which nerve impulses travel from the brain to the rest of the body. One effect of chronic stress is prolonged muscle tension and contraction. This muscle tension creates uneven pressures on the bony structures of the body, often leading the misalignment of the spinal column, known as subluxations.

Chronic stress also leads to nerve irritation. The adjustments of a chiropractor release muscle tension, and that helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state. Adjustments also reduce spinal nerve irritation, and improve blood circulation. These changes may be enough, in many cases, to convince the brain to relax, beginning the process of healing. A healthy and balanced spine is one key to effectively managing stress.

Chiropractors are trained in nutritional and other therapies for stress. Several nutritional supplements, including B vitamins, help the body cope with stress. It is also beneficial to learn relaxation techniques, correct posture and make necessary environmental changes to help recovery from chronic stress.  A chiropractor cannot make a job less stressful, or create a quieter, calmer world. What chiropractic treatment can do is help you develop healthy responses to stress, reducing potential physical damage.

Chiropractic is based on the concept that given the opportunity, the mind and body can heal itself. In relieving some of the effects of chronic stress, chiropractic care provides just such an opportunity.

In honor of National Chiropractic Month we would like to remind you why it is important to see your Chiropractor.

CHIROPRACTIC:

#10:  Alleviates Pain

#9:    Prevents Other Conditions

#8:    Boosts Productivity

#7:    Improves Cognitive Function

#6:    Boosts Immunity

#5:    Reduces Stress

#4:    Care Encourages Increased Physical Activity

#3:    Reduces Dependency on Medications

#2:    Improves Sleep Quality

       And the #1 reason to see a Chiropractor is…

#1:  Chiropractic Adds Life and Improves Wellness.

#10:  Chiropractic Alleviates Pain – Chiropractic addresses the underlying cause of pain disorders, headaches, low back pain and sports injuries by treating the cause, not covering the symptoms. Quite often those painful conditions are linked to dysfunctional areas in the spine known as vertebral subluxations – where movement is restricted or spinal bones are misaligned.  Chiropractors adjust vertebral subluxations and this alleviates the pain.

#9:    Chiropractic Prevents Other Conditions – Disorders that may be helped by chiropractic range from infantile colic, ear infections and behavioral problems to PMS, acid reflux, numbness/tingling in extremities, high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease.  It is well understood that vertebral subluxations affect nervous system functioning.  Along with the brain, the spinal cord is the main component of the central nervous system, which controls nervous system functioning throughout the body and supplies nerve energy for all the body structures and organs.  Many patients who present to Chiropractors for treatment report positive changes in other areas of their health as well.

#8:    Chiropractic Boosts Productivity- Since Chiropractic care keeps you healthier, you will also find that your efficiency at work increases.  For instance, Chiropractic care rids lower back pain associated with sitting hour after hour in ergonomically incorrect chairs.  Sitting causes the pelvis to rotate backwards and causes a reduction in the lumbar curve and knee angle.  Treatment also causes an increase in muscle effort and disc pressure.  Low back pain can lead to work absence and higher medical costs.  Studies prove that employees receiving workers compensation due to low back pain who are receiving spinal adjustments experienced greater reduction in pain and disability.  This translated into lower therapeutic costs and a faster return to work.  Chiropractic care effectively restores proper spinal alignment and reduces lower back pain.  Missing appointments however, may foster a “one step forward, two step back” scenario.

#7:    Chiropractic Improves Cognitive Function- Mapping of brain activity before and after chiropractic adjustments of the spine and the neck reveals that chiropractic care stimulates cognitive function.  In a study involving 500 adult volunteers, researchers used cutting edge technology to create maps of functioning in the cortical portions of the brain before and after chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine. Researchers found that “cervical adjustments activate specific neurological pathways” in the brain, potentially stimulating cognitive function.  The study showed that Chiropractic adjustments also enhances response mechanisms in the brain.

#6:    Chiropractic Boosts Immunity – Scientific research reveals that regularly scheduled chiropractic care may boost the body’s immune response.  And a powerful immune system is a key component of chiropractics all-natural approach.  Your Chiropractor can also give good sound advice on nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplements that boosts immunity too.

#5:    Chiropractic Reduces Stress – Chiropractic care reduces stress by allowing the body to achieve a balance.  In addition, chiropractic helps keep patients free of the impairments which can prohibit regular exercise, which is key to reducing stress and preventing stress-related anxiety and depression.  Chiropractors do not treat depression but research demonstrates that chiropractic adjustments may ease depressive symptoms by increasing endorphins.  It has been long speculated that chiropractic interventions may affect mental health problems.  Investigators followed 15 adult patient who were both clinically depressed and had cervical spine subluxations.  Before and after receiving an adjustment, the subjects completed a standard assessment for depression called the Beck Depression Inventory.  Results revealed a marked reduction in depression scores following treatment.

#4:    Chiropractic Care Encourages Increased Physical Activity – New patients frequently find that chiropractic care jump starts them toward a more wellness oriented lifestyle, simply because they can move more and with less pain.  For instance, many chiropractic patients report improved function and with that, an increased ability to stick to a regular exercise program.

#3:    Chiropractic Reduces Dependency on Medications – Individuals who maintain regular chiropractic care are far less likely to overuse medication, which all have dangerous side effects.  Even OTC pain medication may cause problems in the gastrointestinal system.  In addition, long term use of pain medication can actually worsen the very symptoms they were intended to reduce – a  “rebound” reaction.  “Rebound” headaches are relatively new, and describe a long standing, “unnamed” and largely unrecognized condition caused by taking painkillers daily or on a regular basis for migraines or other headaches.  Remember, these conditions are common, they are not normal.

#2:    Chiropractic Improves Sleep Quality – Chiropractic patients often enjoy improved quality of life, including sleep quality.  This is due to a reduction in pain and anxiety which often interferes with sleep patterns.  Improved sleep enhances immunity and your ability to fight disease.

And the #1 reason to see a Chiropractor is…

#1:  Chiropractic Adds Life and Improves Wellness – Regular chiropractic care instills patients with a sense of “health-confidence”.  Patients learn to take charge of their own well being , and in turn, increase their longevity and add a heightened quality of life.

So, the question isn’t, “Do you see a chiropractor?”, but…

“Who’s YOUR Chiropractor??”

Vitamin D, Your Best Defense Against The Flu
Have you had your flu shot yet?  This is a question that will be asked over and over again from now until the end of the current flu season. We strongly recommend NOT getting your Flu shot and will explain below.  Taking a flu shot actually weakens your immune system, predisposing you to the flu.
Studies have proven that increasing your Vitamin D intake during flu season is more effective than taking a flu shot to prevent catching influenza.  A lack of Vitamin D weakens your immune system.  This is what usually causes sickness during cold and flu season.  The flu vaccine has some ingredients in it that are concerning and known not to be good for us.  A few of the ingredients are Mercury, Aluminum and Formaldehyde.  The flu vaccine is made to combat only three strains of flu.  There are over 500 flu viruses that we can come in contact with.  The best way to really prepare our immune system to combat the flu bug is to  fortify ourselves with good nutrition, adequate sleep, exercise and additional Vitamin D.  It is recommended that each person needs 35 IU (international units) of Vitamin D per pound of body weight.  This is about 4,000 to 6,000 IU per day for most adults.  We sell Bio-D Mulsion Forte which is a high quality vitamin D drop which gives you 2000 IU in each drop.  Dr. Brian recommends taking 3 drops daily during cold and flu season.  Also Zinc, Black Elderberry and Echinaeca supplements are immune boosting.  These are best purchased from a reputable health food store.  If you feel you are coming down with the flu it is important to boost the amount of Vitamin C you are taking in addition to taking Vitamin D.  This will help your body fight off the virus and get you back to feeling well soon.  Chiropractic adjustments also help our immune systems so instead of subjecting you and your family to a painful injection why not fight the flu the natural way?  Increase your vitamin D and get an adjustment.

Do you suffer from Text Neck?

The need for chiropractic care has significantly increased with advances in technology, and the reality that the public at large is constantly “connected”. Over the last couple of years more and more people of all ages are seeking chiropractic care with similar complaints.  They may experience neck pain, chronic headaches, shoulder pain, and/or numbness and tingling into the upper extremities. Do you experience these symptoms?  If you do and you spend a significant amount of time with your head down reading your mobile device, you may be suffering from Text Neck!

Imagine sitting on your ankle sideways for 10 minutes. It would feel stiff and sore when you returned it to it’s natural position. Think about all the time your neck is bent in this downward position. That is what people are doing to their necks.  Some people get in their car, drive to work, work on a computer all day, play on their mobile phones on their breaks, drive home and work on their computer and their phone again in the evening. Studies show we can spend up to 7 ½ to 10 hours a day with our necks in this unnatural position while we are using our computers and handheld devices for texting, checking and sending emails,  surfing the internet and reading novels on our e-readers.   We are not built to be hunched over screens.

This position causes a condition called  forward head posture (FHP). FHP is a reversed or flattening of the cervical curve which often is accompanied with mild to moderate degenerative changes. This is also affecting our youth.  They are getting cell phones now at younger ages and if you look around you you will see their heads are also buried into their phones much like adults and sometimes for longer periods of time.  This can cause the degeneration of the spine to begin at a much earlier age.  FHP is not a condition based on age it is based on one’s posture.

Fast Facts: The Consequences of Forward Head Posture

• Long-term forward neck posture leads to “long-term muscle strain, disc herniations and pinched nerves.” (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 2000)
• The human head weighs on average 10-12 lbs. “For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 lbs.” (Kapandji, Physiology of the Joints, Volume 3)
• “Loss of the cervical curve stretches the spinal cord 5-7 cm and causes disease.”(Dr. Alf Breig, neurosurgeon and Nobel Prize recipient)
• FHP has been shown to flatten the normal neck curve, resulting in disc compression, damage and early arthritis. (Roentgenographic findings of the cervical spine in asymptomatic people. (Spine, 1986;6:591-694)

OK, so you think you suffer from Text Neck, now what?  There are several things you can do.  If we could eliminate our handheld devices that would help a lot, but since we know that is not going to happen here are a few tips to help.

1. Getting regular chiropractic adjustments helps by reducing the strain on the spine. Adjustments keep your spine in correct alignment which keeps the discs and nerves in good condition.
2. Be mindful of your posture while using these devices.  Try to have your head up and shoulders back.
3. If you can’t limit your use then you can bring your device up to eye level.  This will not only be better for your neck but will give your arms muscles a little workout.  
4. Be sure to strength your neck and chest to offset the tightness that occurs from poor posture.
5. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day to increase strength and flexibility.

We strive to help you get to your optimum health.  Which includes correcting spinal misalignment as they occur which prevents spinal degeneration.  We recommend being proactive about your health which will maintain wellness.  If you feel you suffer from Text Neck, sit up straight and give us a call today.