Month: April 2016

Your life can change in the blink of an eye. One moment, you’re driving or riding along in your car, minding your own business and going about your daily routine, and the next, the sound of metal on metal and the crush of impact.

Even if you escape the accident with no broken bones, it can still leave you badly shaken, and aching from head to toe. It’s possible that your pain could begin to fade on its own over time, but it’s more likely that you’re injured more seriously than you imagine yourself to be. Do you really want to take the chance and go it alone?

For most people, the answer to that question is no. Besides, even if the pain does fade on its own, over time, without help and a systematic treatment plan, your recovery is going to take longer, which means that you’ll be stuck living in a cloud of pain for weeks, and possibly months. Even then, you may experience sudden “hitches” where if you move the wrong way, you feel a sharp, intense stab of pain.

The good news is, you don’t have to. There’s another option. A Chiropractor can assess your injuries and design a non-invasive treatment plan that will help you manage, and ultimately eliminate your pain, restore your full range of motion and get you back on the fast track to full health, so you can get back to enjoying life.

The most common treatment types they use are spinal and other musculoskeletal adjustments, therapeutic massage, electro-stimulation, and a series of low-impact exercises designed to gently stretch your muscles to slowly ease the tension out of them. Obviously they can’t promise a miracle cure, or that you’ll feel better after just one or two visits, but they can promise that if you stick with the treatment plan they work with you to design, you’ll start feeling better, faster, and that’s a very good thing.

Many of us have desk-bound office jobs that see us sitting in the same position for hours on end. Usually, this position is hunched over a keyboard and leaning forward slightly to peer at a computer screen. Unfortunately, this poor posture can have serious, long-term impacts on the curvature of our spine, which can lead to chronic back and neck pain, and if left untreated for a long enough period of time, can even lead to permanent damage.

The good news though, is that there’s a simple fix. Simply taking periodic breaks to stretch and move around will help offset the impacts of sitting in that position. You don’t have to take a stretch break every hour, but taking at least a couple a day, even if they’re only a few minutes in duration will go a long way toward relieving tensed and cramped muscles, improving blood flow, and correcting posture.

If you are able, take it to the next level and get up and move. Stretching at the desk is all well and good, but the more you can move during the course of day (especially if you have a desk job), the stronger the effect will be.

The biggest danger here is that by not taking these kinds of “mobility breaks,” you run the risk of muscle cramping and atrophy in the shorter term, and spinal misalignments in the longer, as your back begins to adjust to the “new normal” that is your hunched over sitting position. While these problems can be corrected even if they’ve been ongoing for years, the process of doing so will be longer, and more uncomfortable, possibly even downright painful, until your back has shifted back into its original, natural position and configuration.

While the notion of taking periodic stretch breaks sounds too simplistic to have any meaningful impact, you’d be amazed at the difference they can make. Starting today, try it for yourself and see. You’ll be glad you did.

When springtime comes, are you one of those unfortunate people who spends the entire season coughing and sneezing? Allergies and allergic reactions are no fun. While generally not life threatening, they can make day to day living a misery. Your eyes water constantly. You seem to cough and sneeze at the drop of a hat. You find yourself reaching for over the counter allergy medicine several times a day, and it helps, but only some. Is there anything else you can do?

Actually, yes there is!

Allergies are your body’s way of expelling things that have gotten into your system that it regards as threats. That’s why your body responds the way that it does. Many people who pay regular visits to their chiropractor, however, have reported a generalized (and often dramatic) improvement in their allergy symptoms.

At first glance, that may seem surprising. It shouldn’t really. Chiropractic therapies do a lot more than just crack your bones. That is, of course, what they’re best known for, but this type of therapy has a lot of other benefits besides better musculoskeletal alignment. For one thing, the therapy provides you with better blood flow and circulation. Here, we’re not just talking about the circulation of your blood, but also of your lymphatic fluids.

Even in people with relatively poor circulation, blood obviously still flows, because your blood supply has an advantage that your lymphatic system does not – the heart is its pumping mechanism. Your lymphatic fluids have no pump, relying on the movement of your body to help circulate those fluids, and your lymphatic system is what’s chiefly responsible for keeping you fit and healthy.

In addition to improving circulation though, chiropractic care also benefits your nervous system. When your spine is misaligned, nerves can become pinched. These pinched nerves send signals through the body that may confuse your immune system into action when it’s not needed. This can cause your immune system to jump at any little intrusion, which of course, makes allergy symptoms worse.

Don’t let allergies get the better of you. There’s a good chance that chiropractic case can reduce, and in some cases, even eliminate them. You’ve got nothing to lose by finding out, and everything to gain.

In the United States, the hands-down most popular snack is chocolate. We just can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. Unfortunately, as snacks go, all the sugar and fat make it a fairly unhealthy snack. You’re getting a calorie dense snack with virtually no actual nutritional value, which is what dieticians refer to as “empty calories.” Fortunately, there are some great alternatives to our favorite snack food. You don’t have to do without if you want to be healthy, you just have to shift gears a bit. Here are some better, healthier alternatives:

Dark Chocolate

You don’t even have to say goodbye to chocolate forever, but the dark version is much better for you than regular milk chocolate. Loaded with antioxidants and other things your body needs, it’s got a rich, full flavor that many people prefer. As a bonus tip, some people claim it’s a bit of an aphrodisiac.

Go Nuts!

Some people don’t like the texture, but if you’re a nut lover, you’re in luck. You’ve got a wide range of options here. The unsalted varieties are better for you, of course, but in moderation, even the salted varieties are a decent option. Here, your best bets, in terms of both flavor and nutrient punch are almonds, Brazil nuts, and walnuts.

Seeds

Like nuts, most varieties of seeds are extremely good for you, and packed with a surprising nutrient punch. Here, the best in class are sunflower seeds, flax seeds and surprisingly, pumpkin seeds! Enjoy any of these by the handful!

Fruit

Nearly any type of fruit is a good option, and certainly much better than anything you can get out of a box or a can. Fruits are loaded with nutrients you need, and packed with antioxidants, which have all sorts of health benefits for those who eat them. As a bonus, fruits come packed with fiber. While man cannot live on fruit alone, you can’t go wrong by adding them to your diet in abundance.

While there’s no such thing as a completely guilt-free snack, these come as close as you’re likely to get. Mix and match for greater variety and enjoy these healthy alternatives.