Some adults may wonder why more and more children are starting to see chiropractors. That’s a good question and the answer is simple: whether we have a large spine or a tiny little spine, if that spine is creating nerve distress then our magnificent bodies may not operate smoothly.

The nervous system is the ‘Master Controller’

The nervous system is the master controller of our body and if its communication channels become fuzzy, distorted or damaged then we experience all sorts of communication errors. For babies and children, this ineffective communication may play out as colic or irritability, an inability to suckle and breastfeed, poor sleep, developmental delays, digestion issues, asthma, behavioural problems, low energy, inability to concentrate, headaches, etc – the list is endless. In fact, regardless of what the end result or symptom may be, all roads lead back to  the body’s ability to self-regulate and function at a peak level.

While chiropractic may be able to help with a number of health issues, our focus is not treating or curing ailments; our focus is ensuring the nervous system has every opportunity to work efficiently and effectively.

10 reasons parents take their children to see chiropractic may help:

1. To maximise their child’s neural plasticity (brain and nerve development).
2. To enhance their child’s overall health and wellbeing.
3. To strengthen immunity and reduce the incidence of colds, ear-aches and general illness.
4. To help with colic and Irritable Baby Syndrome.
5. To help with asthma, breathing difficulties and allergies.
6. To improve spinal posture.
7. To improve their child’s ability to concentrate.
8. To assist with behavioural disorders and enhance emotional wellbeing.
9. To help alleviate digestive problems.
10. To assist with bed-wetting and sleep issues.

Your child’s health is their greatest asset. In our household we utilise the skill and knowledge of homeopaths, Chinese medicine practitioners, chiropractors (obviously) and wellness-oriented physicians.  I urge you to explore all possibilites you have to strengthen your child’s health.

 Reposted from Welladjusted Babies

Overworked, underslept and feeling the pressure? There are plenty of ways to find calm, without investing in a four-hand spa massage. All you need is a pair of lungs, your breath and 10 minutes or less.

Here are 2 different breathing exercises to help:

1. Sama Vritti or “Equal Breathing”

How it’s done: Balance can do a body good, beginning with the breath. To start, inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four — all through the nose, which adds a natural resistance to the breath. Got the basic pranayama down? More advanced yogis can aim for six to eight counts per breath with the same goal in mind: calm the nervous system, increase focus and reduce stress, Pacheco says.

2. Abdominal Breathing Technique

How it’s done: With one hand on the chest and the other on the belly, take a deep breath in through the nose, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in the lungs. The goal: Six to 10 deep, slow breaths per minute for 10 minutes each day to experience immediate reductions to heart rate and blood pressure, McConnell says. Keep at it for six to eight weeks, and those benefits might stick around even longer.

Read the additional techniques here.

Working out in middle age can result in fewer chronic diseases, including heart problems, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

We all know that exercise is good for you — it keeps the heart healthy, works out the muscles and prepares you to take the stairs at work without fainting from exhaustion. But does all that activity actually prevent you from getting sick?

According to a study published online by the Archives of Internal Medicine, the answer is yes. Researchers say that people who are more fit when they are middle-aged have a lower rate of chronic diseases, including heart problems, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease, obstructive pulmonary conditions, lung cancer, colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Even more encouraging, says Berry, is the fact that those with the highest fitness levels battled fewer chronic conditions in the last five years of life, meaning they spent more of this time healthy rather than burdened by disease. “The results show that fitness can not only delay morbidity but prevent it,” says Berry.

So get fit and get healthy – get adjusted and start an exercise program. Ask us for details.

Time Article

Children are eating as much salt as adults, according to a new report, and experts are concerned.

Most adults consume too much sodium and that can have serious health implications. Too much salt in a person’s diet can raise your blood pressure; high blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke.

In this new study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that if a child is overweight and eats as much salt as an adult, the risk for high blood pressure goes up dramatically.

So why do heavier children appear to be at higher risk for hypertension or high blood pressure? Scientists can’t explain it fully, but they’ve found that overweight kids tend to be more sensitive to salt’s effect on the body.

Let’s take a quick look at our anatomy to get a better picture. When we eat more salt, we retain more water. Part of the water ends up in our blood stream, increasing the volume of blood and causing the heart to pump harder to move the extra blood. Blood pressure increases as a result.

Over time, the increase in pressure causes wear and tear on the walls of our blood vessels, making it easier for fat-like substances to build up and narrow the vessel. The accumulation of those substances may lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Parents can reduce their child’s chances of developing high blood pressure. Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed or restaurant food.

Whether you eat out or eat at home, make sure fresh fruits and vegetables are the largest part of your child’s meal.

Time Article

As many new mothers can attest, the muscle strains of pregnancy are very real and can be more than just a nuisance. The average weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds, combined with the increased stress placed on the body by the baby, may result in severe discomfort. Studies have found that about half of all expectant mothers will develop low-back pain at some point during their pregnancies.

During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity almost immediately begins to shift forward to the front of her pelvis. Although a woman’s sacrum-or posterior section of the pelvis-has enough depth to enable her to carry a baby, the displaced weight still increases the stress on her joints. As the baby grows in size, the woman’s weight is projected even farther forward, and the curvature of her lower back is increased, placing extra stress on the spinal disks. In compensation, the normal curvature of the upper spine increases, as well.

While these changes sound dramatic, pregnancy hormones help loosen the ligaments attached to the pelvic bones. But even these natural changes designed to accommodate the growing baby can result in postural imbalances, making pregnant women prone to having awkward trips and falls.

How Can Your Doctor of Chiropractic Help?

Before you become pregnant, your doctor of chiropractic can detect any imbalances in the pelvis or elsewhere in your body that could contribute to pregnancy discomfort or possible neuromusculoskeletal problems after childbirth.

Many pregnant women have found that chiropractic adjustments provide relief from the increased low-back pain brought on by pregnancy. Chiropractic manipulation is safe for the pregnant woman and her baby and can be especially attractive to those who are trying to avoid medications in treating their back pain. Doctors of chiropractic can also offer nutrition, ergonomic, and exercise advice to help a woman enjoy a healthy pregnancy.

Chiropractic care can also help after childbirth. In the eight weeks following labor and delivery, the ligaments that loosened during pregnancy begin to tighten up again. Ideally, joint problems brought on during pregnancy from improper lifting or reaching should be treated before the ligaments return to their pre-pregnancy state-to prevent muscle tension, headaches, rib discomfort, and shoulder problems.

Original Article from the ACA

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans suffers from high blood pressure and more than half don’t have it under control, says a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the report, most people with uncontrolled high blood pressure have health insurance and had actually seen a doctor at least twice in the previous year, yet their condition remained unmanaged.

High blood pressure is defined as a reading of 140/90 mm Hg or higher (if either the top or bottom number meets the threshold, blood pressure is considered high). Having high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke: hypertensive people are four times more likely to die from a stroke and three times more likely to die from heart disease than people with normal pressure, according to CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden. Together, those two conditions cause nearly 1,000 deaths a day in the U.S. and account for $131 billion in yearly health-care costs. “[High blood pressure] is public health enemy No. 2, second to tobacco,” said Frieden in a teleconference on Tuesday.

Continue Reading…

Did you know numerous studies have shown Chiropractic adjustments are a safe and effective way to manage high blood pressure? Call our office today so we can determine if you’d benefit from Chiropractic care.

Parents should make a daily check of the how many items their school-age children stuff into their backpacks because the excess weight is causing them permanent damage.

A recent study found that about 76 per cent of the children carried backpacks exceeding 10 per cent of their body weight – “and the experts saying it should not exceed 10 per cent” – while 20 per cent carried more than 15 per cent of their body weight.

Parents should supervise the contents of backpacks of their children. Children have a tendency to collect items in their backpack, and over time these items will add to the weight of the backpack. The key is to carry only what is needed in order to avoid over loaded backpacks and spinal damage in children.

Original Article

It is recommended that your child’s backpack weigh no more than 10% of their body weight. Other recommendations include using a bag that has wheels so it can be pulled, and have us check your child’s spine and backpack – call today for an appointment.

With the physical stresses astronauts experience they are five times more at risk than the average individual to suffer from disc herniation.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) addressed the heightened risk of musculoskeletal injuries threatening astronauts, and discussed its concerns during a Spinal Deconditioning Injury Risk Summit. Among experts invited to the Summit was University of South Florida’s John Mayer, D.C., Ph.D.

“Deconditioning – the breakdown of the spine’s musculoskeletal support system – is a very common and serious condition occurring in astronauts,” says Dr. Mayer.

During the Summit, a multidisciplinary panel of experts addressed various issues including identifying impacting factors – such as microgravity exposure, flight weight and landing forces – and defining potential protection and prevention options. Going forward, NASA expects to develop and test new measures to counteract spinal deterioration in space crews, based on the panel’s recommendations. “Possible options to enhance safety measures for astronauts can include everything from developing new equipment to altering spaceflight exercise procedures to new healthcare practices,” says Dr. Mayer.

Dr. Mayer continues, “using effective specialized musculoskeletal care, such as Chiropractic, will effectively reduce the incidence of injuries for individuals exposed to a variety of physical demands.”

Full Report.