nervous system

FDA Is Warning People NOT To Use This Dangerous Antibiotic

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side effects of antibiotics

Are you aware of the harmful side effects of antibiotics ? Well, the FDA is now warning against using a popular class of antibiotics as they may cause sudden serious and potentially permanent nerve damage. Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics that are commonly used to treat a variety of illnesses from respiratory infections to urinary tract infections. Their use is very prevalent and in 2011 alone, these drugs were prescribed to more than 23 million people.

Medicines Include:

In fact, doctors are now saying that side effects of these drugs far outweigh any benefits provided when it comes to treating sinusitis or UTI infections.

peripheral neuropathy

One Of The Worst Side Effects These Drugs Can Cause Is Peripheral Neuropathy.

Side Effects Of Antibiotics

Extreme damage can be done to the nervous system and spinal cord when using these antibiotics. Thus causing interference and interrupting signals to your brain that are being sent to the rest of your body. As such, it can cause debilitating;

  • Numbness
  • Tingling
  • Burning
  • Shooting pain

Scarier still, these symptoms may be irreversible. Furthermore they can become permanent. Therefore it may not be reversed just by stopping the antibiotics. Also, the symptoms tend to begin very rapidly after beginning treatment.

Other serious side effects can include;
  • Tendon rupture and damage
  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Pins and needles in your extremities
  • Confusion and hallucinations
medication side effects

Think Those Symptoms Won’t Happen To You?

Well, sadly enough they have happened and often. In fact so often and to enough people that back in 2008 the FDA required a boxed warning (the most serious type of warning) to be added to the medications. All this to alert patients of the risk of tendon damage and rupture.

Remember, every single time you take a medication or an antibiotic, you are putting yourself in danger. Opening yourself up to the possibility of experiencing terrible side effects that may not be reversible. However, even if you don’t experience negative side effects, you have to heal twice. Once from the illness and once more from the medication. Also, for some, healing from the medication can be much more difficult.

10 Natural Antibiotics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZRKm6mzwyQ

Choose Natural Options To Avoid The Side Effects Of Antibiotics

Work with your natural health practitioner. Find a natural, non-toxic solution to your illnesses. Essential oils are amazing in helping to heal sinusitis and respiratory inflammation. Also, D-Mannose and probiotics are excellent ways to heal a bladder infection.

What Else Can You Heal Naturally?

Almost every single illness has a natural solution or natural prevention. Allowing you to avoid the toxicity associated with conventional pharmaceuticals. Do your own research. Be informed and an educated owner of your own body. Feel empowered to ask the right questions and make your own choices when need be!

Adrenal Fatigue? 7 Tips to Fight Back Naturally

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adrenal fatigue

Everyone has felt stress at some point in their lives.  That feeling of being so overwhelmed and overworked that you can’t eat or sleep.  Unfortunately, stress has become ingrained in our culture.  We associate it with hard work and success, assuming that we can’t have one without the other.   Though some stress is necessary, we often bite off more than we can chew.  We fail to realize that the more stressed we are, the less efficient we are.  We ignore the negative effects stress has on our bodies but unnecessary stress can lead to a multitude of symptoms including:

  • Adrenal fatigue
  • Exhaustion
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep disturbances

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adrenal glands

What Are Adrenal Glands And What Do They Do?

The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of your kidneys.  The adrenal glands are hormone producing glands similar to ovaries, testicles and the thyroid.  They are the regulators of your body as they’re responsible for regulating stress responses and play an important role in the maintenance of a healthy immune system.

Adrenal glands are key contributors to:
  • Proper thyroid function
  • Balance of hormones
  • Maintaining one’s ideal weight
  • Stabilizing emotions
  • Controlling cravings

Multiple studies have proven that the health of the adrenal glands will dictate the health and recovery of many types of chronic illnesses.  Since chronic stress is the main cause of overactive adrenals, it’s important that we find a way to control and eliminate stress.

Click here to read, “CFS – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms & Natural Solutions”.

Moreover, proper nutrition, adequate rest, and exercise is also very important. Unfortunately, an astounding amount of people suffer from adrenal fatigue due to lifestyle factors that are often overlooked.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is a common side effect of stress and has three phases:
  1. The Alarm Phase – when the body is acknowledging stress
  2. The Resistance Phase – when the body is trying to fight stress
  3. The Exhaustion Phase – when the adrenals become tapped out.

Depending the phase a person is in, the levels of cortisol (produced by the adrenals) will range from high or low at different points in the day.  Cortisol levels should be at their peak in the morning.  So, when we wake up we feel refreshed and ready to go.  Alternatively, they should be at their lowest at night when it’s time to go to bed.  Any variation of these levels will affect a person’s well-being.  Especially if stress is experienced for long periods of time.  Hence the last phase being exhaustion.

Click here to read, “Bedtime Woe’s? – 5 Simple Tips For Blissful Zzzz’s”.

Other than exhaustion, additional symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Dark circles under the eyes
  • Cravings for salt
  • Chronic infections
  • Low blood pressure
  • Low blood sugar
  • Muscle twitches
  • Lack of libido
  • Light headed
  • Poor concentration
  • Sleep disturbance (typically waking up between 2-4 am)

So what can you do?  There are numerous natural ways to support the adrenals.

adrenal fatigue

Are Your Adrenals Fatigued?

I see the following scenario regularly in my practice.  A busy mom with a demanding career comes in complaining of;

  • Hot flashes
  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of libido
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Feeling low

For the last 15 years she has been dealing with;

  • Work deadlines
  • Kid’s sports
  • Homework
  • Cooking
  • Cleaning

She goes from morning to night with little sleep.  Her adrenals are tired but she pushes through the chronic fatigue and insomnia.  She notices other symptoms such as headaches, inability to lose weight, and mood swings.  This common scenario is what many natural health professionals refer to as, “adrenal steal”.

Unable to function properly due to years of stress, the adrenals are forced to steal key hormonal building blocks from other hormones like:

  • Progesterone
  • DHEA
  • Estrogen
  • Testosterone

Hence contributing to hormonal imbalances and a slew of side effects that come with them.  Keeping the adrenal glands in check is the best way for women to avoid fatigue and keep their hormones happy.

How to Fight Adrenal Fatigue

chiropractor

See a Chiropractor – Chiropractic care plays a crucial role in adrenal health.  Physical, chemical or emotional stressors can cause stress on the spine and nervous system.  The goal of chiropractic care is to balance and optimize the entire nervous system contributing to healthy adrenal function in addition to a multitude of other health benefits.

early to bed

Go to Bed Early – You should be sleeping 7 to 8 hours and preferably going to bed before midnight.  Make sure you allow some time to wind down and relax to help your cortisol level lower before bed.

clean eating

Eat Clean – Avoid processed foods and sugar.  Focus on good fats, moderate protein, and tons of veggies that are phytonutrient rich.  You are what you eat, so feed your body the right fuel.

Take an Adrenal Support Supplement – Consuming whole, organic foods rich in phytonutrients is great for adrenal support.  However, supplementation is sometime needed to support proper adrenal function.

Beneficial supplements Include:
  • B complex
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Omega 3 fatty acids

Also beneficial are botanical adaptogens.  They can be taken to help support the adrenal glands throughout the stress response process.

Examples of botanical adaptogens include:

  • Ashwagandha root
  • Rhodiola rosea extract
  • Suma
  • Schisandra chinensis berry extract
yoga, meditation

Exercise – Regular exercise is known to combat stress, which helps to improve adrenal function.  But be aware that if your adrenals are exhausted, intense exercise may be more detrimental than beneficial.  Try yoga or meditation.

Click here to read, “Put A Little Namaste In Your Life”.

cortisol saliva test

Get Tested! – Measuring cortisol levels can help determine adrenal health.  The Cortisol Saliva Test also know as the Adrenal Stress Test, has become the preferred way of evaluating cortisol levels.

A newer test, the DUTCH test, is another method one can use.  The test involves a urine steroid hormone profile.  This measures hormones and hormone metabolites (called conjugates) in a dried sample.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) technology used by chiropractors, is another way to evaluate stress.  It measures and tracks a patient’s autonomic nervous system state.

Think your adrenals are suffering from adrenal fatigue?  Start by taking an inventory of your life stressors and see which ones you can kick to the curb following the 7 tips above.

What The Neck? Are You Short-Circuiting?

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Have you ever thought about how how much you strain your neck throughout the day?

You look down to:

  • Text
  • Reply to your email
  • Check Facebook
  • Send a tweet
  • Type on your keyboard
  • Read
  • Speak with your children

…And the list goes on and on!  This can potentially add up to several hours each day that your neck is tilted forward and/or down.

Why Does This Matter?

Your neck is the connection between your brain and the rest of your body.  The messages your brain needs to send must travel through your nervous system which is encased by the bones of your spine.  Therefore, if the spinal bones in your neck are continually forced into a forward (or looking down) position, it puts a great deal of pressure on your nervous system.

This interference causes “electrical problems”.  Whereby, the information that needs to flow freely in the nervous system can no longer do so.  It can cause a “short-circuiting” effect in your body.  This is where certain areas of your body develop illnesses or issues because they are lacking all of the information they need to function at 100%.

Additionally, these misalignments can lead to Forward Head Posture.  This is a serious condition that must be addressed by a chiropractor.  The doctor must work on bringing the carriage of the head back into alignment with your neck and shoulders.

alignment

What Is The Proper Alignment For Your Neck?

If we look at you from the side, your ears should be centered on your shoulders.  This gives your cervical spine (your neck) the correct curve to allow your nervous system to function properly.  Free of any misalignments.

However, if your ears are lining up closer to (or surpassing) the front of your shoulders, your neck is no longer in proper alignment.  This means you are experiencing a significant loss of curve in your neck.  Therefore aren’t able to allow the messages to travel properly within your nervous system.

This is a very serious problem, because even a loss of curve by 1 degree puts significant pressure on your nervous system, never mind the potential for a couple of inches.

Misalignment can actually develop into a loss of curve, or even a reversed cervical curve and can put immense strain on your health.

This Condition Can Lead To Experiencing:
  • Migraines
  • Breathing problems
  • Heart disease
  • Various nose, throat and ear problems
  • Learning difficulties
  • Emotional problems

This is such a critical area of your spine that must be free of misalignments to allow your body to express real health.

Have you noticed this problem in your spouse or your children?  It is especially worrisome for children to have reversed cervical spines, as it can compound into many problems throughout their lives.  And as we all know, when problems are left unaddressed, they tend to get worse, not better.

As we are spending more and more time on our devices and computers, the unnatural strain we are putting on our necks becomes even more prominent.

Click here to read, ” Is Today’s Technology Destroying Your Health?”

What Is The Solution?

Find a chiropractor in your area that can help you to express optimal health.  Follow the care plan laid out for returning the proper curve to your spine.  Especially in children as the rate of complete correction can be quite high, as they are growing and developing quickly.

Nervous System – What Conventional Medicine Doesn’t Want You To Know

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nervous system

Your body is a self-healing and regulating organism.  It doesn’t require help from any chemical drugs.  In fact, you were not born with a deficiency of drugs that need to be supplemented for or too many organs that need to be surgically removed.  The master system controlling all your body’s function and healing is your nervous system.  It controls all your muscles, cells, glands, organs, and tissues.  Removing interference to your nervous system and addressing the underlying cause of your problem is the only way to truly heal.

Your Body’s Ability To Heal

Health comes from within us.  We are told by allopathic or conventional medicine that we can’t heal on our own.  That we need pills, potions, and lotions to heal.  Can you remember back to a time you fell on your knees as a child?  You looked down to see your skin was scraped open, smudged with dirt, with a drip of blood starting to form.  What would you do next?  You would remove any dirt or stones that may have embedded themselves into the skin or cut.  Rinse the area clean with water, and then cover it up with a band-aid.  However, the band-aid didn’t heal the cut.  It simply removed the chances of more interference to your body’s ability to heal.  Preventing your pant to rub against it or allowing additional foreign objects to land on your open wound.

You didn’t have to go to the best doctor in the city to heal. All you needed to do was remove any interference from your body’s natural ability to heal, and it would do exactly that with time. Heal.

Action Steps For Natural Healing

You see, your body has the exact same healing ability as it did when you fell and scraped your knee.  It has the same ability as it did the day you were born but years of physical traumas, emotional stresses, as well as chemical and toxic bombardment has caused interference to your body’s innate ability to heal.  The Family Health Advocacy community is going to continue to remind you of your body’s incredible ability to heal and how to allow it to do exactly that.

What we provide is information on practical action steps to remove the layers of interference in your life so you can bring your body back to its natural state of healing.  For some of you, your trauma’s, stresses and exposures are layers and years deep.  For others, not so much.  Everyone heals on their own timeline, some faster than others.  Click here for a 6-Step Guide To Radical Self-Healing.

Let The Journey Begin

One thing is for certain.  If you do exactly what we recommend in this community, in any of our courses or books to be released this year, you are going to see results!  You will find that one day you are doing the things you thought you would never be able to do again. You will catch yourself smiling and enjoying moments with family and friends that you would not normally be able to enjoy because you were struggling through the pain, just trying to “show up.”  We know this for certain because you are not different from the thousands of other patients we have helped along the way.

If you are willing to put in the work, you will get results.  Don’t be intimidated by the word “work.”  We refer to it as work because this healing journey is going to take time and energy.  However the benefits will repay you one hundredfold in more energy and time for the rest of your life.  Click here for more information on true health and why most of us get it wrong.

The Family Health Advocacy Movement

The Family Health Advocacy community is ALL about healing.  I think it’s fair to say that everyone’s ultimate value in life is health.  Often most people don’t recognize this until they have lost it.  We often explain this to our patients by using the analogy of car keys.  Think about your car keys.  The only time you really acknowledge just how important they are is when you lose them.  Most people have been treating their health the same way.  Until now!

Thanks for joining the Family Health Advocacy movement.

The Brain in Your Gut

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You live your life through your nervous system. Every sound, sight and touch is filtered through your brain so you can make sense of the world. Your perceptions – filtered through your nervous system – are your reality. We hear a lot of talk about your central nervous system – your brain and your spinal cord. But think about the last time you felt sick to your stomach because you were nervous, scared or anxious. This is evidence of a whole other division of your nervous system at work, called your enteric nervous system, which is intrinsic to your gastrointestinal tract. Research is now bringing to light the critical role this system plays in pretty much every aspect of our health and well-being.

Just as we have nerve cells in our brain and spinal cord, we have nerve cells in our intestinal lining as well. In fact, the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system were created from the same tissue during fetal development and they remain connected through the vagus nerve. There are actually over 100 million neurons that line the intestinal walls, which have led scientists to label the totality of them as “the second brain”. Not only is this second brain regulating muscles, immune cells, and hormones, but it is manufacturing 80-90% of the serotonin in our bodies, which is our “master happiness molecule”.

The connection between your gut and your brain is bidirectional. Just as your brain is telling your gut how quickly to digest the food or when to secrete acid in the stomach, the neurons in your gut are also communicating to your brain about the environment they are encountering. When your body is faced with a substance or an ingredient it doesn’t like, it will experience an immune response. Chronic immune activation and resulting inflammation from these stresses can lead to chronic disease, including brain diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis.

We cannot talk about the brain in your gut without mentioning the role of the complex internal ecosystem that exists inside of us, called the microbiome. It turns out that your microbiome is just as vital to your health as your heart, lungs, liver and brain. It is responsible for multiple tasks, such as aiding in digestion and absorption of nutrients, acting as a detoxification machine, and producing important enzymes, vitamins and neurotransmitters. Perhaps the largest role the microbiome plays is in your immune response. Your gut represents 70-80% of the body’s total immune system. This supports what we have known for a long time: your food choices have a tremendous impact on the state of your microbiome and, therefore, the state of your health.

So what can you do to improve the health of your gut?

1) Choose foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, tempeh, sauerkraut or pickles

2) Avoid sugar, embrace high-quality fat

3) Enjoy wine, tea, coffee, and chocolate

4) Choose foods rich in prebiotics, such as raw garlic, raw leek, raw or cooked onion, raw asparagus

When looking at our health, it is important take a holistic approach. We know our body parts don’t work in isolation. All parts of our nervous system work together to determine how well we function. Taking care of yourself through proper nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, and regular chiropractic care is fundamental to living a healthy life.

_______________________________

Blog by Guest Author:

Dr. Lesley EvansDr. Lesley Evans is a chiropractor in Kitchener, Ontario. She is the co-owner of Bruce Street Family Chiropractic, alongside Dr. Adam Brookes. She graduated from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, located in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Lesley is passionate about helping others live the best quality of life that they can through chiropractic care and lifestyle choices.

Website: www.brucestreetfamilychiropractic.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brucestreetfamilychiropractic 

phone: 519 743 6339 

References:

1) Perlmutter, David (2015). Brain Maker. Little, Brown and Company.

2) Round, June & Mazmanian, Sarkis (2009). The gut microbiome shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nat Rev Immunology (May 9 (5): 313-323.

The Brain Adjustment: The Shift You Must Make For Your Health

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The Brain Adjustment

When it comes to health, most everyone understands that it affects every part of life and so the desire is for more and better health.  What most people don’t understand is that every part of life affects health – that health and life are intimately linked.

See, going on a diet generally isn’t good for your health and the reasons are likely many.  For starters, let’s consider the first 3 letters – die… but with jokes aside, the main reason is that they are usually time bound.  One might say for example, “I’m going to eat a certain way until I get to a desired weight,” but once the weight target has been reached they will likely revert back to their previous lifestyle and almost invariably more weight “climbs” back on. 

This is largely because we as a society have become so near sighted and confused cause with effect.  We view symptoms like excess weight, pain, poor flexibility, even cancer as problems that need to be treated rather than symptoms of an underlying approach to living (the cause).  We are far too caught up with how we feel right now, giving little thought to what we’ve done to get there and where this current approach to life is taking us – are you regularly taking some time to consider your trajectory?  Quite frankly, we are becoming less and less responsible – less and less able to respond most effectively to the stressors and strains that all of us face in this life.

Take for example the world’s fastest growing chronic degenerative disease; type II diabetes.  In a nut shell, here’s how it’s caused: a person is consuming excess carbs and sugars so their pancreas produces insulin to convert it to fat and store it. As the excessive consumption of carbs and sugars continues more fat is stored and when their body (that is the amazing innate intelligence flowing through the nerve system) recognizes that they are too fat, it reduces their insulin sensitivity to stop more fat being stored because it doesn’t want the body to be any fatter (this is a protective mechanism just like pain is a warning to protect from further damage).  What most people do, rather than take responsibility and reduce carbs and sugars, is go to their medical doctor who prescribes insulin to help their body store more fat, meaning they take pills or injections to help them get fatter which is the reason the insulin sensitivity is reducing in the first place!

If we want to be healthy we need to be responsible and this requires self discipline – the proverb “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”  This is so true when it comes to health.  Optimal health requires taking a proactive approach to optimizing each area of our lives because we all come under attack from the 3 Ts (toxins, thoughts and trauma) right throughout life.

This makes sense yet why aren’t we as a society more proactive?  We’ve lost or allowed our VISION to be taken from us.  Without vision people will go with the flow and when a symptom or sickness arises they may take a healthier approach to life to get rid of it but that is an ‘away from’ motivation.  As soon as they are ‘far enough away’, there is no motivation to keep on with this healthier approach and they go back to their old way and often end up in a worse state.  Another proverb that rings true “without VISION people perish.”

So the key for health is having a VISION for your life!  Here are some examples; enjoying life with your grandkids, playing golf/tennis when you are 80, serving your community in your retirement or travelling the world if you want to.  Having a vision will enable you to do the less desirable thing and forgo the instant gratification (eat more of the spinach and less of the ice cream) and achieve a much greater reward.  Having a VISION, with targets along the way and a plan to carry you through is vital for the best life.  A final warning, the quick fix is far more costly… consistency is the driving force behind positive change and remember, your health will never exceed the VISION you have for your life!

_____________________________

Blog by Guest Author:

Dr. Thomas EganDr. Thomas Egan – Gonstead Chiropractor.

Established Peninsula Chiropractic that is now located on East Main Street in Welland in April 2013 – a patient centered family practice with a loving caring team consisting of Lisa, Melissa and newest addition Jessica.  Lives in Welland with his wife Sarah, 1 year old son Malachi (who is brother of a yet to be determined boy or girl).  Born and raised in Australia and from there graduated as a chiropractor in 2004 from RMIT.  Practiced in Melbourne until 2013 before migrating to Welland, Canada.  Has been practicing the Gonstead method since July 2000 (half way through 1st year university) – a method geared around getting to the root cause of the problem and making the most specific correction/adjustment toward normal (vastly different from a manipulation) to help the person get as good as possible as quick as possible and doing it in a way that helps them stay that way for as long as possible.  Believes chiropractic, when applied in the most principled way, is gospel re-enactment on a physical level pointing to the ultimate adjustment given by Jesus who restores the relationship between the head (God) and the body (us). 

You Can find Dr. Egan at:
[email protected]
727 East Main Street Welland, ON. L3B 3Y5
www.peninsulachiropractic.ca
https://www.facebook.com/PeninsulaChiropractic

 

10 Desk Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

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9 Desk Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

A sedentary lifestyle has recently been coined the new smoking.

Can you imagine! The negative effects of sitting for a living are now rivalling the known health dangers of regularly inhaling deadly poisons! Wow. Let’s do something about it!

Yes, many of us have jobs that require us to sit long hours at a computer, driving, sitting in meetings, sitting at our desk, or sitting on the subway or train.

Let’s take a few minutes every hour or two, to move, stretch, and get our blood flowing. It will not only help your body feel better, but your mind will also reap the benefits of added oxygen flow and feel the joy of movement and stretching!

It is important to be mindful of your posture while at your desk or sitting in various positions. Try to sit up as straight as possible, and don’t lean in toward your computer.

If you are straining to see your monitor, make the font larger or reposition it, as the very last thing to want to be doing is tilting your neck forward to see your screen.

Over time, this can cause your neck to begin to curve forward and create a ‘forward head posture’. This is incredibly problematic for your body because your brain must be able to send all of the information your body needs to be able to function through your central nervous system. If your bones in your neck have shifted forward out of alignment from straining to see your screen, it puts an immense amount of pressure on your nervous system (which is encased by your spinal bones) and makes it very difficult for the information to get to all of the places it must reach to have your body function and heal at 100%.

Focus on stretching your neck and back muscles, arms, shoulders and legs when you take a few moments regularly to move that body! Get your coworkers involved, as they are in the same position as you – hunched over your screen for hours on end!

Businesswoman stretching herself or exercise while working at office - office syndrome concept
Stretch your arms and shoulders.
Portrait of a young smiling woman at the desk with books on her head, sitting straight, looking at the camera. Education concept photo
Can you do this? Can you balance a book on your head and continue working? This will help to train you to sit up straight and correct your posture.
Young attractive woman at modern office desk, with laptop, stretching, getting a little exercise during the day, office workout, completing difficult task, time for lunch. Business concept illustration
Stretch! Move your arms, reach for the ceiling and feel your blood circulating.
Young attractive woman at modern office desk, with laptop, stretching, getting a little exercise during the day, completing difficult task time for lunch. Businesswoman against white isolated background. Business concept illustration.
Arch your back and stretch your arms up, reach your neck back and up and hold for 10 seconds.
Young Happy Businesswoman Doing Fitness Exercise On Yellow Pilates Ball In Office
Stretch your arms and use your chair to rest on, extend your legs and feel a stretch.
male office worker,exercising during short break in work at his desk in office
Stretch your arms out and forward, and let your arms reach back to stretch your shoulders and expand your chest with your breath.
The image of business woman doing exercise at the office
Move your body side to side and let your spine move freely and stretch.
Portrait of smiling executive exercising in office
Stretch your legs and hamstrings with the support of your desk and feel the blood reach down to your toes.
Young Businesswoman Sitting On Chair Meditating In Office
Take a moment to centre your thoughts with a mini meditation over lunch. Focus on your breath and bring your thoughts back to your breath when they flit about to other ideas.
Portrait of young smiling woman wearing suit sitting at home office desk in front of laptop stretching with enjoyment after the work is done looking at screen with happy expression
Stretch your arms and wrists regularly throughout the day and remember to smile often! 

 

Cracking Open The Biggest Myths About Chiropractic

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Cracking open the Myths of Chiropractic

Have you ever heard someone say,

“ohhh I go to the chiropractor, but I don’t let him/her touch my neck.”

Or, “I would never go to a chiropractor, they crack bones!”

Well let me “crack” it open for you and dispel any myths about chiropractic that you may have heard.

First off, let’s define what an adjustment is and what the benefit is to the body.

A chiropractic adjustment is the manual manipulation of the vertebrae of the spine to correct structural alignment and improve the body’s physical function. When the bones of the spine are not in proper alignment (also called a subluxation), pressure on the nervous system can result, leading to health problems, pain, and diminished information flow from the brain to the rest of the body.

Now that we understand what a subluxation is, let’s examine four of the most common myths of chiropractic.

Myth 1: An adjustment to the neck causes stroke

Based on current data, the chances of having a stroke after having a chiropractic adjustment to the neck is 1 in 8 million. However, the benefit of removing subluxations in the neck region is to provide a clear path for the brain to be able to communicate with the rest of the body via the spinal cord. As blockages occur over time, the messages from the brain are not able to travel as efficiently to the rest of the body, so removing these blockages is crucial to maintaining health.

Myth 2: Getting an adjustment hurts.

The most common response of a chiropractic patient is relief and relaxation. Taking the pressure off of the nervous system allows the body to function better and that leads to a feeling of comfort. Occasionally, a patient will report muscle tenderness after an adjustment that can be likened to muscle soreness after a workout.

Myth 3: Once you go to the chiropractor, you will have to be a patient for life.

Once you truly understand the benefits of chiropractic care, you will want to be a patient for life! Most people begin seeing a chiropractor because they are experiencing a particular complaint (ex. back pain, headaches, frequent illness). Once that complaint is under control, it is up to the patient to decide how they want to proceed with their care. It is important to understand that continuing on a maintenance plan will help to diminish the effects of a stressful lifestyle, repetitive movements at work, and can help to boost the immune system, energy levels and overall level of health, while preventing illness and problems in the future.

Myth 4:  Chiropractors Crack Your Bones

Yes, the sound that is made during a chiropractic adjustment does make a cracking noise. But the reality is that your bones are not being cracked, but rather as the joints of the spine are moved back into proper alignment, the fluid around the joints releases a gas, which makes a popping sound. Remember, eggs get cracked, your bones get adjusted!

If you have further questions about chiropractic care, feel free to discuss your questions and concerns with your chiropractor, they are experts in their field.

If I go to the Chiropractor, do I have to go forever?

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Burdock root, burdock root benefits, benefits of burdock root, burdock root tea, burdock root tea benefits, burdock root oil, burdock root issues, what is burdock root good for

Have you ever been adjusted? Or are you terrified of going to a chiropractor because they will make you go forever?

Here, we’re going to break down what chiropractic is, how it can help your body, why you would go in the first place and if there are any legitimate reasons for going ‘forever’.

Let’s start off by explaining what the whole point of chiropractic is.

Your nervous system consists of your brain and spinal cord, which is protected by the bones of your spine. All of the messages that your brain must send to the rest of your body travels through your central nervous system and out to every single cell, tissue and organ in your body to tell it how to function properly and how to heal.

If there are any bones in your spine that have shifted out of position, from injuries, car accidents, falls, sports, stress, sitting on the couch, leaning forward to look at your computer monitor, and any other daily activity that we participate in, the bones put pressure on your nervous system and the messages can’t reach their final destinations to have your body function and heal at 100%.

A chiropractor locates these interferences and adjusts the bones back into place.

So I have to ask you, for how long would you like your nervous system to be free of interference?

Long enough to get you out of pain?
Long enough to allow your body to heal from the flu?
Long enough to prevent cancer, a heart attack, digestive dysfunction?
Or long enough to keep you living a healthy, thriving life through your retirement years?

So you can go to the chiropractor for as long as you’d like to express optimal health. The choice is yours.

[I’m not sure about you, but I’d like my nervous system functioning at 100% forever, so I have a standing appointment with my chiropractor. And I go more often if I ever get sick or run down, to support my nervous system and allow it to help me heal more efficiently and much more quickly.]

But I also have to ask you, how long are you going to brush your teeth for? For as long as you’d like to keep your teeth, right?

You must care for your body or your body begins to degenerate. Your teeth will rot and fall out if you don’t brush them, floss them, visit your dental hygienist for a deep cleaning and get checked by your dentist.

Thankfully our teeth are visible and easily accessible for maintenance.

But our spines are hidden, both on the back side of our body so it’s a little bit ‘out of mind’ but also on the inside of our bodies, where we can’t actually see the bones. This is why it is so important to find a local chiropractor that you are comfortable with and trust, to care for your most important health asset.

Remember, your body can go weeks without eating, days without water, but it can not function for even 1 second without your nervous system. So take care of it… forever!!

Chiropractic Heals Nothing!

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subluxation

In the mainstream world, chiropractic is thought of as healing the back and neck pain.  However, in reality, chiropractic doesn’t heal anything!!  What it actually does is remove the interference (subluxation) in your central nervous system, which allows YOUR BODY to restore health through its innate healing abilities.  All on its own!!

Your body functions because your brain says it must. Your brain controls every aspect of your body with messages that are sent through your central nervous system which is encased by the bones of your spine.  If any of the bones in your spine become out of alignment, they put pressure on your nervous system.

Misalignments, also referred to as a subluxation, can happen from hunching over at your computer desk, continually looking down at your phone, or repetitive use injuries.  They can also happen due to stress, traumas and toxins.

chiropractic

When your spinal bones put pressure on your nervous system, the nerves are unable to properly send all of the messages from your brain to the rest of your body to allow your body to function and heal at 100%.

This is why it is critically important to have your spine checked regularly by a Doctor of Chiropractic.  They can identify areas in your spine that have shifted out of alignment, and adjust them back into alignment.

Once your bones are trained to stay back in alignment, the interference to your nervous system are removed.  Your brain can now regain the ability to communicate at 100% with the rest of your body.  Thus, allowing function and healing to return.

This philosophy is true of healing back pain and any other health condition experienced.  For example, if you had a subluxation (misalignment) at the area of your spine that allows the messages from your brain to get to your stomach, your stomach would be unable to function at 100%.  You may experience various digestive issues and discomfort.  By removing the interference to the nerves that direct the function and healing of your stomach, health is able to return. For further help with gut help, click here to read, “6 Easy Ways to Improve Your Gut Health”.

What Your Body Wants!

Your body wants to be at 100% health all of the time.  Give it the opportunity to create healing by removing the interference.  These interference’s are generally subluxations in your spine.  However, they can also be emotional stress and toxins you are exposed to.

To support your healing, it is important to feed yourself with care, try:

Have your spine checked to remove the interference’s from your nervous system so that you can express optimal health!  Click here to find a chiropractor in your area.

Remember, the very first subluxation happens at birth, so be sure to have your little ones checked too.