Every opportunity we should stretch to positively engage the muscles.  All too often we are sitting each day in front of a computer.  Our society has created a cubicle contained workforce that is bound by a mouse.  Not only do we not move as much, we also are in a flexed position that tends to stress our lower spines.  Over time muscles at connect the legs to the trunk shorten and lead to unwanted health issues like back pain.  90% of the population experience low back pain in the lives. Often it can be managed with stretching and chiropractic. 

One of the first steps to increasing flexibility through stretching is: Create a base line for your flexibility.  Sit on the floor and place your feet against the wall.  Hold a ruler and see how far you measure from the wall or feet when reaching for your feet.  Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Slide you hand down the side of your leg until you feel a comfortable stretch and then note where you hand is on your leg.  Do this for both sides.   In the mirror stretch your neck to the left and right and note the distance from side to side.  Interlock your fingers behind your back and move your hands upward stretching the chest. Note the distance in a mirror. 

Now that you have a baseline.  Let’s start stretching. Pop into the office and pick up your customized packet of stretches today!

Lately I realized that I’ve stopped stretching as much as I used to.  Somewhere in my forties I started running (really walk/running) and have experienced that “complete” feeling that runners have after an hour of cardio activity.  After a good, intensive run, I feel fantastic and often forget to take time to stretch.  Consequently my joints have gotten very stiff and tight and my posture feels off.  Now I know how my runners get that way!  

My new commitment is to stretch each and every day.  I keep a yoga mat and foam roller behind a chair in the corner and I pull it out as soon as I get home. Either before or after dinner I get down on the floor and do as much stretching as I have the time or energy for.  

Here’s my routine:  (Pop in the office for a copy!)

1)     Lie on the foam roller vertically reaching the arms out to the side to open up the chest.  Reach overhead with both arms, palms together.  Grasp one arm with a hand above the elbow and pull gently as if you are pulling the entire arm out of socket.  (This feels better than it sounds!)

2)     Lie on the foam roller horizontally and roll firmly up the spine and back down several times.  Arch over the foam roller lifting up the pelvis.

3)     Lie on my side with the foam roller under my armpit—leaning firmly into the muscles between the shoulder and shoulder blade.  (Ouch!)

4)     Lie on my side with one leg crossed over and roll up and down the side of the leg over the foam roller.  (Double ouch!)

5)     Sit on the foam roller (horizontally) and roll my hamstrings up and down, leaning forward.

6)     Lay on the foam roller (horizontally) face down and press firmly into the quads rolling up and down. 

I used to sit on that old couch and talk with my husband or kids and time was just ticking by.  Now I’m getting some exercise and working out the stress of the day instead.  Sometimes I’ll even whip out some push-ups or abdominal exercises.  I always sleep better for it!                                             

To your health,

Dr. Kathleen Sherwood

Chiropractic adjustments influence the body on a cellular level. Recent research shows that a chiropractic adjustment decreases the cytokines.  Cytokines are responsible for regulating immune cells, inducing fever and inflammation.  Specific adjustments reduce Subluxations consequently it has been noted to decrease cytokine resulting in decreased inflammation, fever and cell death.  When cytokines are decreased in the body, it functions at a higher level of efficiency.  Ultimately your immune function is better (you get sick less) and risk of serious diseases can be decreased considerably.  

Even if you feel that you are “fit as a fiddle”, we recommend that you have your spine checked for subluxations to ensure optimal health!

 This comes as a surprise to many who have seen chiropractic care merely as a natural therapy for back and neck problems. And no wonder! The back and neck house the “super information highway” of the nervous system that connects the brain to every cell, tissue, organ and system of the body. So, while the emphasis appears to be on the twenty four moving bones that cover the spinal cord and nerve roots, the real interest of today’s chiropractor is in the integrity of the nervous system. 

While you may have sought chiropractic care for headaches, low back pain and other seemingly related spinal health problems, the relief of these conditions is merely the happy result of a more normally working spine and nervous system. Yet, chiropractic isn’t passive, like when we get a haircut or have our car serviced. Chiropractic care produces the greatest positive effects when there is a partnership between chiropractor and patient. Assuming an active role in your chiropractic care saves you time and money, and brings optimal wellness into reach.

The autonomic nervous system is hardwired into the lymphoid organs such as the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow that produce the body’s immune response. Growing evidence shows that immune function is regulated in part by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.  Chiropractic works specifically with the nervous system.  Subluxations in the spine can interrupt the relationship of the immune system and the nervous system.  Regulate your nervous system and improve your immune response.  Come in for a complimentary consult.

Since I’ve become a chiropractor I’ve found the simplicity of the chiropractic solution to be incredibly effective and refreshing.  A quick mini-lesson for those who are new to chiropractic:  Your spinal cord is a continuation of your brain and runs all the way down to the small of your back so that your brain can communicate with your entire body.  Nerves extend out from the spinal cord to your organs, blood vessels, bones, muscles, joints and ligaments, all the way to your little baby toe—nothing is missed.

Thankfully, the nervous system is so well protected!  Twenty-four, segmented bones called “vertebrae” house and protect the cord.  Vertebral bone shift out of position while we go about our business being the highly active, habitual and complex creatures that we are.  When spinal segments aren’t aligned properly, the nerve flow is directly impacted and your health is compromised.

When your spine is adjusted, function to the nervous system is restored and your body can return to its normal, optimal state as intended!  Isn’t it a relief to know that chiropractic “Just makes sense”?  Don’t settle for anything less than a pain-free, flexible, fully functioning nervous system.  It’s your birthright!

Its 3 am in the morning and your newborn is crying for the 2^nd straight hour.  The Pediatrician says that there isn’t anything physically wrong with him/her, and that it’s probably colic.  You’ve tried the anti-gas treatments and teas- with little to no relief. What is a parent to do?

It’s stressful to try to sooth a colicky baby for hours on end. Unfortunately, this frustration can interfere with important bonding time for mother and baby.  There is no known cause for colic.  This can make treating it difficult.  Some ways to avoid a colic episode in your little ones are: don’t overfeed, dilute juices, be aware of food allergies, decrease emotional stress, and chiropractic care. 

Newborn baby’s nervous system is quite immature. Most part of the day he/she spends sleeping, and only awakes because of hunger of some other feeling of discomfort, like cold, wet diapers, stomach ache, etc. the face expression of a healthy baby is calm, his/her mimicry is vivid, his/her cry is loud and emotional. Baby’s taste is developed from the first days of his life, but his/her smell, eyesight and ear are not developed completely yet. 

Babies are lovable bundles of growing nerves and tissue with an insatiable appetite.  If some of those nerves are blocked from a subluxation (misalignment placing pressure on nerves interfering with normal function) then the baby is going to have unwanted health problems like a slow functioning GI tract or reflux.  Recent studies have shown that 94% of colicky babies improve through chiropractic care. The study was conducted on 314 children and over a 3 month period.  Improvements were noted after an average of 3adjustments in 2 weeks.  The only means of communication a baby has is its crying.  Listen to your baby and get him/her check for vertebral subluxations.  You’ll sleep better for it. 

Healthfully yours,

Dr. Cranmer

Here are some basic ways of decreasing blood pressure: 

• Exercise – incorporate a consistent cardiovascular/weight training program.
• Decrease sodium intake – aim for a less than 1500 mg/ day regiment
• Maintain a healthy weight – calculate your BMI Body Mass Index (email me if you don’t know how to do this at dr.cranmer@mindspring.com)
• Limit alcohol – decrease the amount of alcohol to a glass of red wine a day
• Don’t smoke – nicotine injures the arterial walls and increases arterial hardening
• Manage stress – stress releases hormones and increases fight or flight response which increases blood pressure.

 Two specific alternatives to reduce blood pressure are diet and chiropractic care.  Diet is a vast subject, but we recommend eating a whole food based diet.  Increasing your consumption of vegetables, fruits, dietary fiber, reducing fat, and staying hydrated will markedly decrease your hypertension.  Interestingly, beet juice has been studied for the reduction of HBP.  Studies in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal show that the nitrate in beet juice is effective in reducing high blood pressure significantly.  As little as 250ml of beet juice can bring hypertensive patient to healthy blood pressure levels in as little as 24 hrs!

 Chiropractic can reduce hypertension by regulating the nervous system.  More specifically when the upper cervical region of the spine is subluxated (nerves placing pressure on the nerves that affect function) the vagus nerve is often affected.  The vagus nerve influences heart function, GI function, and many other autonomic functions.  When the impingement on upper cervical nerves is released, the body can heal many problems including high blood pressure.  In 2009 a double blind study was conducted on 50 patients by the University of Chicago. The patients that received the adjustments had their blood pressure decreased significantly; it was equivalent to taking two medications.  This type of care has help patients reduce if not eliminate the use of prescription medications which have unwanted side effects such as dizziness and sexual dysfunction.  It’s always far preferable to take an “inside-out” approach to health and healing. 

I would love to talk with you further about your specific health concerns and help you to have the healthiest year yet!   

You can minimally influence the muscle pain with stretching, but unless the underlying spinal misalignments are corrected, the pain and spasm will return. Our approach is to correct the underlying spinal condition by adjusting the lumbar spine. Patients report that they can stretch further than before and are instructed to take regular breaks from the computer. We teach them how to do lumbar extension stretches using fulcrums and to strengthen the opposing abdominal muscles regularly. Many patients are surprised to learn that the same nerves that are transmitting pain dive deep and innervate important organs such as the lower gut and reproductive organs.

The important question is: Would you rather achieve optimal health by correcting the problem or find yourself in a quagmire of chasing pain? Call today and we’ll talk more about your health concerns and focus on correcting the cause!

Healthfully yours,

Dr. Cranmer

We find that when you are subluxated in the lumbar region, QL can create unwanted health problems. For example, the QL will decrease torso range of motion, increased tension, spasm and pain in the area. Additionally, the lumbar nerves innervate many organs and tissues as well i.e. the lower gut and reproductive organs. A chiropractic adjustment dramatically reduces the tension of the QL and other health related issues stemming from the lumbar spine. You can manage the pain with stretching, but if you want to get to the source of the problem- lets address the subluxation first.

A good exercise and stretching regiment is essential for a long healthy life. One QL stretch that can help hold a chiropractic adjustment is the kneeling QL stretch. Kneel on the floor with your hands and arms extended together and your hands on the ground. Then you slide the hands to the left or right reaching and tucking your between your arms. This is only one of the many helpful stretches we offer at our office. Come in for a thorough demonstration of this stretch, and discuss your health issues with Dr. Cranmer or Dr. Sherwood.

The Iliopsoas as it is often referred-is actually two muscles which connect the lumbar vertebrae, Ilium, and your femur. These two muscles are responsible for lifting the upper leg to the torso,or flexing the torso towards the thigh (as in a sit-up). When the nerves in the lumbar  region are pinched they can overexcite the  iliopsoas which can lead to low back pain. Once we take the pressure off of the nerves the muscles have a better chance to relax.

Those people that have jobs that require them to sit for long periods of the workday have a tendency to shorten these muscles-over time. Then as we stand or lie in bed-the muscle will stretch and pull on the vertebrae and hips; often weakening an already troubled area of the spine. To accelerate progress and hold chiropractic adjustments, Iliopsoas sufferers must get more active. First and foremost get adjusted. Second, start stretching these muscles. One very effective stretch is the one legged lunge. It helps relax the to get you to  better health. There are many variations of the stretch. Come in to have this stretch properly demonstrated, by our helpful staff.

In Part 1 we discussed getting the body moving first as a method of stimulating the brain into action.  Most of us probably get this intuitively because we’ve witnessed it in kids who are like kinetic little hummingbirds all the time.  To use walking as an example, you walk upright and your nervous system works through the spinal cord which extends from the brain all the way to the small of your back and the bony spinal column houses and protects it.  Nerve signals travel down from the brain to every inch of your body, including organs, muscles, and blood vessels.  Information has to get back up to the brain as well, of course, relaying info back about the position or your joints, tension of the ligaments and tendons, pressure, temperature and about a million other pieces of information that is processed constantly between brain and body, body and brain.

Obviously you don’t want any of this information to be anything less than perfect because this will throw the system off. Chiropractic adjustments bring alignment to the vertebrae, which frees the nervous system to function optimally.

• Take 15 minutes in the morning to Ground yourself.  Examples would be:  Spend 5 minutes writing down 5 things that you are grateful for, spend 5 minutes breathing in calm and breathing out peace. Spend 5 minutes reading something inspirational. Before you interact with anyone/begin your workday remind yourself that life being life, there will probably be some bumps in the road that day.  Think of a lake during a storm.  You can be the calm beneath the choppy surface
• Schedule relaxation. Write it down in your planner and stick to it. Make time at three times per week to do something you love–something that refreshes you. Maybe that’s a game of tennis, spending an hour alone with a good book or taking a yoga class.  Pour yourself a cup of herbal tea. Many varieties of hot tea have calming effects on the body and can help lower blood pressure. Try green tea, (which contains the relaxant L-theanine), or herbal teas containing chamomile and lavender.
• Take a deep breath. Try deep breathing for a few minutes every day. Tighten and release muscles. Hum to release nitric oxide and improve blood pressure.  During the day, remind yourself to keep your head where your feet are to keep in the present moment.

Start working these in right away and we’ll have more next week!

Human beings are creatures of habit.  The benefit of this is that we create structure for ourselves that allow us to get things done and to have a certain level of predictability in our lives.  But we also need to keep ourselves engaged or stimulated.  Here are some ideas for trying something new in the weeks ahead:

Connect with others. Making time for social connection is very important and restorative. Social connection is what makes us a part of something larger than ourselves and our worries. It gives us perspective.  Align yourself with a church, synagogue, temple or community group that already serves others so you don’t have to  find something on your own to align yourself with.

Make a vision board. Cut out pictures and post them on a board with motivational sayings where it can be seen every day. One way to do this is split the board into how you want your life to look spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Ask yourself what is most important to you in your life.

Vision Board

Track your commitment to self-care.  One way to do this is keep a notebook of your self-care goals.  Each day keep a column for the things you did for yourself and a column for things you did that prevented you from reaching your goals.  We’re all human!  This will help you to see all the ways that we spend time on things that don’t serve us.  Figure out how to bump the bad habits into the “good” column.  Example, “ watched 2 hours of junk TV but stretched on a yoga mat for one hour instead of laying on the couch”.  “Ate after 8 pm but chose a bowl of cereal with soy milk instead of potato chips”.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
~Wayne Dwyer

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, she asked, “Is the jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then she reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, and poured it down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then she smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time, the class was on to her. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” she replied. And she reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. She started dumping the sand in, and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more she asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted. Once again she said, “Good!” Then she grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then she looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!” “No!” the teacher replied. “That is not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

Without the big rocks, or bedrocks, we can’t achieve health.

So, here some of the bedrocks:

Eat a whole food based diet. On your next visit, ask us for our whole food/low inflammatory hand-outs.  Commit to eating a minimum of 7 fruits and veggie servings each day.  If you have kids, start having them keep track each day.

Exercise regularly, 4-6 times/week. Regular exercise helps expel built-up tension, stress hormones and clears the mind. Exercise helps to release endorphins, the brain’s natural feel-good chemicals.  We can’t afford not to commit to regular exercise!  It can be done.

Cultivate regular sleep. Staying up late to get more done robs you of your total productivity. It dulls your mind, increases stress, promotes weight gain and contributes to depression.   Most people benefit from being in bed no later than 10 pm if they have to wake up at 6 or 7 am.

Yours in health and healing!

Picking up where we left off last week, here are several more steps that address the cognitive aspects of what contributes to a stressful day.  Most of us are aware that our thinking is driving our happiness or lack of happiness.  Paying attention to our thoughts can be a pretty revealing way of getting to know ourselves.  Those of us who are “helpers” have a harder time because we tend to take on other people’s “stuff” as well as our own.

4.    Ask yourself, “Is this mine to do?”  Sometimes this can be hard to identify, especially if we’ve been over doing.  If you are asked to do something during your day, and you can’t bring yourself to say  “no”, try saying “Let me get back to you on that.”  Your value does not depend upon how much you do for others at the expense of your own time, relationships and health.

5.    Expel excess adrenaline. Before, during and after stressful situations, walk briskly for 5 minutes, run up a flight of stairs, do backward pushups on your chair, or do 5 minutes of deep breathing. A short burst of physical activity can expel anxiety and give you clarity and calm.

6.    Ask yourself, “how important is this?”  Sometimes our reactivity to a situation gets the best of us and we find ourselves racing around trying to accomplish too many things at a time.   Determine what the first item to complete is and give yourself the gift of breaking a task down.  If possible, refuse (!) to move onto another task until you’ve experienced completion with the one you’ve chosen.  If you find yourself with too many tasks such as cleaning multiple rooms in your house, set a timer for 15 minutes and limit your time to just that—them move on to the next room or task.

Deep breath!  It gets easier as you put yourself first! 

Dr. Sherwood

Your posture is held together by small muscle fibers and ligaments, which if held in an improper position consistently, malposition will be mirrored in your posture- even when you are no longer in the odd body position. Consequently, this will unbalance the body and lead to unwanted health problems. Postural imbalances affect the body’s form as well as its function.  Sherwood Chiropractic Center works with you to correct functional and form issues in the body- by adjusting the subluxations in the spine and retraining the posture.  If left unchecked the subluxations will affect overall health and predispose the spine to accelerated aging and arthritis.

-Dr. Cranmer

We had a successful patient appreciation week recently with special guest, Charli Vogt. www.beyondthemeasuringcup.com It is always fun to do something new in the office.  Whether it be introducing new foods to our patients, reaching out at Health Fairs, Festivals, and Community Events, or our Free In-House Postural Workshops, having a buzz around the office brings a welcome new energy.

Our patients are so amazing, often sharing informative articles and tasty gifts for us to enjoy.  The most exciting buzz is when our patients share the wonderful experience they’ve had in our office with others.  A referral is the greatest compliment that can be given.  Thank you so much!

We have introduced the Pettibon system to patients under care for degeneration. One of the premises of the Pettibon system is retraining these slow twitch muscles using the nervous system.  Once the subluxation is identified and adjusted, the Pettibon system uses a series of specific posture balancing techniques.  These techniques help re-establish the proper balance to the body’s frame.   We have incorporated this system into our office to help stop the decay and degeneration of the spine.

You can have better posture and a stronger frame.  Come in and check it out!

This makes absolute sense to a chiropractor.  When the cervical vertebrae are subluxated they lose their proper position with the vertebrae above and below placing pressure on nerves.  In addition, the vertebral artery runs through the vertebrae which feeds the brain with vital blood.  When the vertebrae are subluxated it can affect the blood flow of the vertebral artery.  Adjustments restore the proper positioning of the vertebrae allowing the nerves and blood to flow more effectively.  This allows the body to heal.

I know firsthand that my patients who suffer with migraines often experience a drastic drop in the frequency and severity of their migraine headaches once they begin regular chiropractic care. It’s a privilege to introduce people to better health and feeling better than they knew they could feel.

Once a person is having an emotional reaction to stress, it can be a tough habit to influence.  Most people who are extremely busy will say that they often have a “hair trigger” response when things aren’t going “their way”.  Reactivity to the day becomes the norm and our bodies pay the price.

The primary way that we help patients shift more permanently out of this cycle is to correct spinal subluxations.  There is a part of the nervous system that revs you up (“flight or fright”) and a part that slows you down (“wine & dine”).  Chiropractic adjustments prompt the nervous system to normalize, returning to a more balanced state.  One way that I like to think of this is that the chiropractic adjustment acts as a “pressure valve  adjustment” that releases stress from our over-wrought systems.

Secondly, if a patient is amenable, we spend ample time talking about lifestyle stressors and challenges, and come up with effective, common sense solutions.  We regularly hand out meditation and sleep inducing CD’s that can retrain our brains to let go.  We have several health modules on various stress topics that we share with our patients. We share our humanness and laugh at the funny things that can happen in a day, which can make a big difference!

Thirdly, we recommend regular, vigorous exercise that will allow uncomfortable emotions to move on through.  Most sedentary patients find it easier to exercise once they’ve committed to chiropractic adjustments and begin to experience more flexibility in their joints and less pain.

Emotional stress can be managed and cognitive improvements are reachable.  In a caring environment we all have a better chance of healing.  I’m proud that our office doesn’t just give lip service to caring.  And we get as much back from getting to know our patients as they hopefully receive from us. It adds a richness to our day to know that our patients chose us in their healing journey!

One facet of good health is the structure of the body and its communication network within. The nervous system is a complex series of pathways that communicates and controls every cell, tissue and organ in the body.  As a chiropractor we work directly with your nervous system.  The most apparent example of this can be seen by what chiropractors do best, the chiropractic adjustment. Adjusting the spine aims to restore the normal biomechanics of the spine and relieve pressure on nerves. If two vertebrae become misaligned and are not functioning properly, pressure will be placed on the nerves. The joint will have decreased mobility and slowly break down.

This process of degeneration directly leads to arthritis and the associated pain conditions that go along with arthritis. By relieving these abnormalities, through a simple adjustment, a chiropractor can reduce the likelihood of his or her patients from having chronic pain and disability later in life. This along with beneficial nutritional and lifestyle habits can significantly reduce many disease processes.

We encourage all of our patients to make a commitment to optimal health, which starts with chiropractic adjustments as the foundation. Give yourself permission to feel better than you have in years. A healthy spine pays dividends years down the road!

How does one react to such an astonishing statistic?  We can be reactive or proactive.  Reactive healthcare is what we traditionally think of as healthcare in this country. We live our day to day lives, waiting for something to go wrong, and when it does we then expect a doctor or other healthcare provider to “fix us”.

Proactive healthcare is the antithesis.  Proactive healthcare places the onus of maintaining health on the individual. It implies educating and understanding the fundamentals of health and actively taking control of your healthcare.   While not all health problems are preventable, a shift to more personal responsibility and liability of “your” health can dramatically improve your longevity and overall quality of life.

Healthy Lifestyle changes are the key to a more disease free existence.  Lifestyle adjustments such as beginning to exercise, proper nutrition, and quitting bad habits (such as smoking) can reduce the likelihood of developing diseases ranging from simple arthritis to cancer. Chiropractic plays an integral role in your proactive approach to health! More about that next time.

Roy, its not the specific act of brushing your teeth that has brought you into the office. Your spine is a complex, dynamic body part. The issues you are dealing with have been a long time in the making. It’s not a specific trauma or act because your spine has been slo…wly degenerating over the last several years. The slight ache or stiffness you have felt over the years have been the body’s small cries for help that something should be checked. Subluxation can lie in the spine- slowly decaying and putting unhealthy pressure on your nervous system. It builds so much tension that, a sneeze, a turn of the head, reaching for a cup , or brushing your teeth – that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. So, it was been a ticking time bomb waiting to happen over a number of years.

We have a really good, simple “5 Day Detox Plan” that we share with patients who want to step back from their eating patterns.  It is a very effective plan because it allows you to eat simple foods throughout and it includes foods that are alkalinizing, or healing to the body.  Some people fast for 2-3 days after the 5-day plan but this is totally up to the individual.  Other patients feel so good they make big changes such as eating gluten-free.

If you’re used to eating big meals, you may get hunger pangs at times.  Don’t worry—as your body adjusts, the symptoms will pass.  Some patients like to start it mid-week so they have a diversion, others like to start it on a Friday due to the reduced stress of the weekend.  If you are tempted, remind yourself that you can go back to eating the tempting foods later, right now you are giving yourself a break.  You will gain momentum with each passing day and if you stick with it you will feel the difference in your energy and mental clarity.

Please feel free to email me if you would like a copy of our “5 Day Detox Plan”, or stop in and we’ll discuss it in person!

Here’s to a healthier you!

My quick answer for patients is to advise them to buy a medium-firm, hotel-grade mattress with an independent coil system from a reputable company such as Simmons, Sealy or Serta.  My personal favorite is Simmons Beautyrest which rates the highest on numerous online consumer sites.  The coil count should be somewhere between 500-1200 (queen-size) and can be confusing to understand how to calculate. Check out this link for advice from a straight shooting mattress salesman:  http://www.epinions.com/content_2324406404

Occasionally I will recommend the air comfort select mattress when you have two people sharing a bed who are very different in size/weight.

One major piece of advice:  Never buy a stitched on pillow-top mattress.  When the pillow top piece begins to break down your mattress will essentially be worthless!  I’ve had this happen to many patients.

Most importantly, get your spine checked and regularly adjusted so you can have your own internal support system intact.  Regular adjustments will result in a strong and flexible body (along with proper exercise) and the external props will matter less.  The best mattress in the world won’t give you a good night’s sleep if you are having pain related to stuck spinal segments and joints.  Above all, adapting an inside-out approach is the best investment you will ever make!

I love gardening, and not just a little, I really love it. I am fortunate to be the coordinator of the community garden in my neighborhood at Kimpson Park. There is an endless amount of weeding that greets me each time I visit the garden, but I welcome the challenge. The physical demands of tending the garden are a great workout and stress reliever. The satisfaction of tending the soil and plants is tangible, especially when I can share a surplus of delicious veggies with my neighbors.

Getting back to sleep….I have been thinking about the importance of healthy hobbies and how I get restful sleep after spending time in my garden. Of course, gardening isn’t for everyone, but you understand the implication: make time for a hobby, especially something physically engaging. You may notice better sleep as a result.

Since I’ve become a chiropractor I’ve adapted to it’s cause/effect philosophy toward health and healing and find the simplicity refreshing.  It makes sense that you would have hard spinal bone covering your spinal cord because it is a continuation of your brain. It makes sense that the spinal column has evolved to be heavily segmented to allow us to move.  Because it’s segmented it makes sense that these individual bones or vertebrae, can slip out of position while we go about our business being the highly active, habitual and complex creatures that we are.  Because our nervous system travels down the spinal column, it makes sense that our vital nerves are affected when spinal segments are stuck or “subluxated” resulting in not just pain but less than optimal function of organs, muscles, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue.

And…It makes sense that once the chiropractor adjusts the spine removing the subluxation, optimal health and function can be regained, and the body can go back to healing itself as intended.

Isn’t it a relief, in these complicated health-care times, to know that chiropractic “Just Makes Sense”?

We have a saying in chiropractic: “Your posture is the window to your spine and health.” In our practice we take front and side view digital posture pictures of every patient. We review them on the second visit and correlate them with the spinal x-rays. If the loss of proper neck curve is found on x-ray, then from the side the patient will see how their head is jutted forward. Some patients are aware they have this “forward head carriage”, and some are pretty surprised. We explain that the head weighs pretty close to a bowling ball (10-12 pounds)and for every inch it juts forward, an additional 15 to 20 pounds of stress is placed on their neck muscles. Youch! No wonder we see so many folks with horrible tension headaches by the end of the day. Sinus problems are also made worse by the head jutting forward and tingling down the arms and into the hands isn’t unusual either. In the last year or so, studies were released showing that forward head carriage correlates with high blood pressure due to added pressure on the brainstem. Currently there are over 98 medical conditions listed on WebMD that are associated with posture abnormalities!

Not sure yet how this might affect you on a daily basis? Try this experiment, sitting or standing: Jut your head forward and try to take a deep breath. Now bring the head back so your ears are over the top of your shoulders. Take a deep breath. Do you notice a big difference? It’s hard to oxygenate your body if your lungs are being mechanically affected.

Chiropractic adjustments correct abnormal posture by restoring proper alignment of the spine. With proper alignment, the brain can send communication via the spinal cord and nerve branches down and out through the spinal column and back up again. With continued adjustments, our patients commonly report that they sleep better, and generally feel more ease and energy. We teach them how they can work more movement into their day to avoid the effect of repetitive stress and gravity.

We truly enjoy sharing posture exercises with all our patients and coming up with creative ways that movement can be merged into the work day! Pop in today for a posture exercise packet or call us to attend our next Thursday lunch or evening workshop!

This type of communication makes me feel like I’m doing my job more fully and it leads to a deeper relationship where I can learn more about what makes this person tick.  My job, as I see it, and the job of everyone in our practice is to inspire people to do more of what they love doing.  That’s when we know we’ve exceeded a patient’s expectations.  We share our interests with our patients and do our best to create community feel in the office.    I’m pretty sure it’s not what most patients expect with the come in the door but I think it’s a relief and a joy for most people to talk about the things that matter in life.

So how do find time to fit the fun stuff in?  One of my patients, Maggie, who always seems to have time to pursue her interests, told me how she views it.  She describes three areas:  The things that feed us/the things we want to get to, (hobbies, spiritual, play), the “have to” parts of our life (work, meetings, taking care of family members) and all the filler stuff in between (laundry, food shopping, dry-cleaners.  She says the things that feed us absolutely have to come first and that the other items can only happen effectively if we have set our priorities straight.

I think this is a psychological shift for some people and it’s natural to resist the healthier notion of “living to work” approach instead of “working to live”.  I felt some resistance to this myself at first because I really love my job of helping people.  But I had to admit that over the years I felt that I was becoming a little one-dimensional and I had let me own hobbies and side interests go by the wayside.  I have found that the more I make time for having a fun creative space in my life, I feel more energized and I bring it to all areas of my life!

Here’s to a life of fun and energy!

Here are a few suggested ways to exercise during cold weather:

1. Walk-fast! A 20 minute brisk walk burns about 100 calories. Even last minute holiday shopping can be a quick workout. Skip the 15 minute wait for the closest parking space and park at the opposite end of the mall, then take those brisk steps to reach the desired store.

2. Ride! 30 minutes of moderate biking burns about 280 calories. Be sure to wear reflective clothing.

3. Jump! Juming rope for 15 minutes is equal to running 1 mile and burns about 120 calories.

After spending some time outside, get the rest of your workout inside. All you need is some simple equipment to keep you active during the winter.

4. Step! Doing step aerobics for 30 minutes is equal to running 1 mile and burns about 300 calories.

5. Kick! Kickboxing for 30 minutes is a great way to burn about 300 calories.

6. Climb! Climbing stairs for 30 minutes burns about 150 calories. If you use a stairmaster you will burn even more.

7. Lift! Strengthen your core muscles by doing weight training that concentrates on your back, hips, and abdomen. Try this on a Physio ball improve your balance while working your core.

8. Stretch! Don’t forget to stretch after all of your aerobic and strength training. It helps to tone your body and is the perfect way to wind down after a great workout.

Still craving more tv time? Pop in an exercise video!

 - Daily Water Consumption = body weight / 2

           **this is the minimum number of ounces you should drink each day, but do not exceed more than 100 ounces**

 - Avoid or Minimize Diuretic Beverages

- Diuretic beverages encourage the body to excrete water through urination, rather than retain it.

- Examples of these are: coffee, caffeinate teas, soda, alcoholic beverages, and some fruit juices. People who favor these beverages need to drink plenty of water to maintain normal water levels in their bodies.

 To determine the amount of water to drink if diuretics are consumed: Multiply the ounces of diuretic consumed by 1.5 and add that to half your body weight.

Roles of Water

 - Improves oxygen delivery to cells

- Transports nutrients

- Enables cellular hydration

- Moistens oxygen for easier breathing

- Cushions bones and joints

- Absorbs shock to joints and organs

- Regulates body temperature

- Removes waste

- Flushes toxins

- Prevents tissues from sticking

- Lubricates joints

- Empowers the body’s natural healing process

The reason lies in the very structure of the human spine. Between every two vertebrae lies a disc, which functions as a shock absorber for all that we put our backs through everyday. This disc has two parts: an outer, flexible but very tough ring, which is filled with a gelatinous substance, called the nucleus pulposis. This inner substance is primarily water.

All day long, as gravity works on our upright spine, water is slowly squeezed out of the discs. Then at night, when we are lying down, the discs slowly rehydrate. This daily dehydration and nightly rehydration of the discs is the reason why most of us are generally about ¼ to ½ inch shorter when we go to bed than when we wake up in the morning! Regular movement during the day is also important to keep discs hydrated – as the spine moves forward and back, the discs will absorb what water is available.

Our discs will successfully rehydrate themselves during the night, and also during the day when possible, as long as there are adequate water levels within the body. When there is not enough water available to fully hydrate the gelatinous center, the whole disc becomes compromised. The disc is designed, when fully hydrated, so that the outer ring bears 25% of the weight load while the inner nucleus pulposis supports 75%. When the inner portion is dehydrated, it cannot support its share of the load, so more and more of your weight is borne by the outer ring, which simply was not designed for that purpose. This can cause pain, swelling, and even ruptures or herniations of the outer shell of the disc.

What this means is that one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce back pain is to increase your daily intake of clean, healthy water, and to be sure to flex your back and neck front to back at times throughout the day. Simply stretching your spine forward and back periodically throughout the day will help to rehydrate your discs, provided that you have given your body enough water to work with!

It is becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses – including heart disease, many cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease. We all know inflammation on the surface of the body as local redness, heat, swelling and pain. It is the cornerstone of the body’s healing response, bringing more nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or infection. But when inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness. Stress, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, and exposure to toxins can all contribute to such chronic inflammation, but dietary choices play a big role as well. Learning how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing it and reducing long-term disease risks.

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet is not a diet in the popular sense – it is not intended as a weight-loss program (although people can and do lose weight on it), nor is it an eating plan to stay on for a limited period of time. Rather, it is way of selecting and preparing foods based on scientific knowledge of how they can help your body maintain optimum health. Along with influencing inflammation, this diet will provide steady energy and ample vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids dietary fiber, and protective phytonutrients.

You can also adapt your existing recipes according to these anti-inflammatory diet principles:

General Diet Tips:

• Aim for variety.
• Include as much fresh food as possible.
• Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.
• Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables.

Caloric Intake

• Most adults need to consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories a day.
• Women and smaller and less active people need fewer calories.
• Men and bigger and more active people need more calories.
• If you are eating the appropriate number of calories for your level of activity, your weight should not fluctuate greatly.
• The distribution of calories you take in should be as follows: 40 to 50 percent from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat, and 20 to 30 percent from protein.
• Try to include carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each meal.

Carbohydrates

• On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, adult women should consume between 160 to 200 grams of carbohydrates a day.
• Adult men should consume between 240 to 300 grams of carbohydrates a day.
• The majority of this should be in the form of less-refined, less-processed foods with a low glycemic load.
• Reduce your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar, especially bread and most packaged snack foods (including chips and pretzels).
• Eat more whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat, in which the grain is intact or in a few large pieces. These are preferable to whole wheat flour products, which have roughly the same glycemic index as white flour products.
• Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.
• Cook pasta al dente and eat it in moderation.
• Avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup.

Fat

• On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, 600 calories can come from fat – that is, about 67 grams. This should be in a ratio of 1:2:1 of saturated to monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fat.
• Reduce your intake of saturated fat by eating less butter, cream, high-fat cheese, un-skinned chicken and fatty meats, and products made with palm kernel oil.
• Use extra-virgin olive oil as the main cooking oil. If you want neutral tasting oil, use expeller-pressed, organic canola oil. Organic, high-oleic, expeller pressed versions of sunflower and safflower oil are also acceptable.
• Avoid regular safflower and sunflower oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and mixed vegetable oils.
• Strictly avoid margarine, vegetable shortening, and all products listing them as ingredients. Strictly avoid all products made with partially hydrogenated oils of any kind. Include in your diet avocados and nuts, especially walnuts, cashews, almonds, and nut butters made from these nuts.
• For omega-3 fatty acids, eat salmon (preferably fresh or frozen wild or canned sockeye), sardines packed in water or olive oil, herring, and black cod (sablefish, butterfish); omega-3 fortified eggs; hemp seeds and flaxseeds (preferably freshly ground); or take a fish oil supplement (look for products that provide both EPA and DHA, in a convenient daily dosage of two to three grams).

Protein

• On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, your daily intake of protein should be between 80 and 120 grams. Eat less protein if you have liver or kidney problems, allergies, or autoimmune disease.
• Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for fish and high quality natural cheese and yogurt.
• Eat more vegetable protein, especially from beans in general and soybeans in particular. Become familiar with the range of whole-soy foods available and find ones you like.

Fiber

• Try to eat 40 grams of fiber a day. You can achieve this by increasing your consumption of fruit, especially berries, vegetables (especially beans), and whole grains.
• Ready-made cereals can be good fiber sources, but read labels to make sure they give you at least 4 and preferably 5 grams of bran per one-ounce serving.

Phytonutrients

• To get maximum natural protection against age-related diseases (including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease) as well as against environmental toxicity, eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms.
• Choose fruits and vegetables from all parts of the color spectrum, especially berries, tomatoes, orange and yellow fruits, and dark leafy greens.
• Choose organic produce whenever possible. Learn which conventionally grown crops are most likely to carry pesticide residues and avoid them.
• Eat cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables regularly.
• Include soy foods in your diet.
• Drink tea instead of coffee, especially good quality white, green or oolong tea.
• If you drink alcohol, use red wine preferentially.
• Enjoy plain dark chocolate in moderation (with a minimum cocoa content of 70 percent).

Vitamins and Minerals
The best way to obtain all of your daily vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients is by eating a diet high in fresh foods with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. In addition, supplement your diet with the following antioxidant cocktail:

• Vitamin C, 200 milligrams a day.
• Vitamin E, 400 IU of natural mixed tocopherols (d-alpha-tocopherol with other tocopherols, or, better, a minimum of 80 milligrams of natural mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols).
• Selenium, 200 micrograms of an organic (yeast-bound) form.
• Mixed carotenoids, 10,000-15,000 IU daily.
• The antioxidants can be most conveniently taken as part of a daily multivitamin/multimineral supplement that also provides at least 400 micrograms of folic acid and 2,000 IU of vitamin D. It should contain no iron (unless you are a female and having regular menstrual periods) and no preformed vitamin A (retinol). Take these supplements with your largest meal.
• Women should take supplemental calcium, preferably as calcium citrate, 500-700 milligrams a day, depending on their dietary intake of this mineral. Men should avoid supplemental calcium.

 Other Dietary Supplements

• If you are not eating oily fish at least twice a week, take supplemental fish oil, in capsule or liquid form (two to three grams a day of a product containing both EPA and DHA). Look for molecularly distilled products certified to be free of heavy metals and other contaminants.
• Talk to your doctor about going on low-dose aspirin therapy, one or two baby aspirins a day (81 or 162 milligrams).
• If you are not regularly eating ginger and turmeric, consider taking these in supplemental form.
• Add coQ10 to your daily regimen: 60-100 milligrams of a softgel form taken with your largest meal.
• If you are prone to metabolic syndrome, take alpha-lipoic acid, 100 to 400 milligrams a day.

Water

• Drink pure water, or drinks that are mostly water (tea, very diluted fruit juice, sparkling water with lemon) throughout the day.
• Use bottled water or get a home water purifier if your tap water tastes of chlorine or other contaminants, or if you live in an area where the water is known or suspected to be contaminated.

2. Eat dinner two-three hours before bedtime and minimize liquid intake.  Heavy dinners tend to keep us awake as do meals that are high protein.  Some people report better sleep with cottage cheese or a glass or warm cow’s milk or soy milk.

3. Begin slowing down one hour before bed-time. Take thirty minutes before bed to use for relaxing, such as soothing in a warm bath, meditating, reading a book, and/or listening to calming music.

4. Avoid products containing caffeine. If you have trouble sleeping, this is very important!  Don’t consume caffeine after two pm if you have trouble sleeping.

5. Avoid alcohol close to bedtime as it will interfere with your sleep later in the night.

6. Avoid foods and drinks high in sugar. As your sugar level drops during the night, your sleep may be disrupted.

7. Establish regular times for bed and for waking.  

8. Improve the sleep environment, i.e. comfortable mattress and pillows, quiet, dark, comfortable room temperature.  People report that they sleep better when they take the TV out of their room.   

How Chiropractic Helps Insomnia

Many patients begin care when they notice they can’t sleep comfortably due to pain.  As they complete the first phase of pain-relief care they begin reporting much more regular, comfortable sleep.  With increased sleep patients experience better mood, cognitive function as well as immune function.

In addition to physical discomfort, many of our patients don’t sleep well due to emotional stress.  Ongoing stress causes hyper-stimulation of the “flight or fright” portion of the nervous system.  Chiropractic adjustments stimulate the “wine and dine” part of the nervous system that brings relaxation. After continuing chiropractic care beyond symptoms, patients report that they are sleeping better than they have in years! 

Here are some additional SCC staff ideas for a better night’s sleep:

1)    Listen to Speed Sleep or Progressive Relaxation CD’s.  (Ask for your copy!)  Keep an iPod or mp3 player next to your bed.  If you wake up in the middle of the night, put your headphones on and allow yourself to be lulled back to sleep.  Resist the temptation to turn on the lights and don’t look at the clock!

 2)    Keep some index cards on your nightstand and jot down any to-do items or thoughts that you absolutely can’t get out of your brain.  Write them down and tell yourself they’re handled.  Tell yourself, “I deserve a good night’s sleep!” 

3)    Keep a small basket of natural sleep aids next to your bed and in your pantry.  These could include Celestial Seasoning’s Sleepy-Time Tea, liquid melatonin, L-Theanine (the “Zen” vitamin), Bach Flower’s Rescue Remedy, pure lavender and many more.  Check with us for specific recommendations.

 4)    Continue regular, preventative chiropractic adjustments so you can sleep comfortably and peacefully!

 5)    Practice EFT, (Emotional Freedom Technique) throughout the day and while listening to one of the relaxation CD’s.  You can learn more about this simple technique for processing emotions through the body by searching online, or asking us for a hand-out.  EFT teaches you how to tap certain meridian, or energy points in the body that can result in deeper relaxation.

I’ve been excited about launching our new website, our recent presence on Facebook and writing this blog and yet it’s been a stressful time too.  I realize that it’s difficult for me to look at something, anything, without wanting to make changes to it and to just be OK with it.  Sometimes I feel like a dog perpetually gnawing on a bone.  I think that perfectionism is a common personality trait but some of us can really relate to this tendency to get into an  ”analyze-paralyze” state.

Today I want to encourage anyone out there who is feeling stuck with a writing or other analytical task, to move away from the desk or computer and start moving your body!  Strap your shoes on and walk/run a mile, clean out a drawer, make a pot of lentil soup with some good music on, and then return to the task at hand.  Exerting physical energy first acts like a generator for your brain, stimulating good, clear cognitive focus so you can tackle the task at hand without complicating it.  Recent studies show that gum chewing and fidgeting among kids in class actually helps them to focus.  We all know intuitively that kids need much more physical exercise in school, not less!   Hatha yoga was designed to address the needs of the physical body first before the mind could be stilled enough to be able to meditate.

So, before I FINALLY got this new blog rolling today for 2010, I got on the yoga ball and vigorously cranked out the exercises that we share with all of our patients.  Afterwards, I felt clearer and less complicated in my head and I was able to get started without too much brain chatter about what to write, etc.   How does this relate back to the spine and nervous system and the importance of getting adjusted?  We’ll address that next time.

Women usually develop heart disease later than men due to the protective effects that estrogen have against heart disease. When a woman reaches menopause age, she no longer produces estrogen, which then causes a dramatic increase in her risk for heart disease. This is one reason why women should hold onto their reproductive organs for as long as they can and not undergo unnecessary hysterectomies when at all possible. Many women are now turning to natural hormone replacement therapy at the time of menopause, so this has helped decrease their risk for heart disease.

Both men and women should heed the following advice in order to prevent the onset of heart disease in the first place:

1. Eat foods that encourage natural blood thinning. The thinner the blood the easier it is going to be for the heart to pump blood throughout the whole body. The scientific term for “thickening of the blood” is called coagulopathy. Obviously, we want to avoid things that accelerate coagulopathy and encourage things that promote a natural blood thinning.  Here are some good blood-thinning foods to include in your diet:  Vegetables such as avocados, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, onions, garlic, kelp, and kale.  Fats such as flax seed oil, fish oils, walnut oil, and Fish: cold water ocean fish. Salmon, bluefish, Arctic char, mackerel, and swordfish rate the highest in omega-3 fatty acids, which are protective and provide natural blood thinning.
2. Eliminate foods that contribute to blood thickening. Any food that contains hydrogenated fats or oils will contribute to the thickening of the blood. Such foods include:
   • Packaged products: cookies, crackers, snack itemsIce creams and frozen desserts
   • Margarine
   • Fried foods: French fries, fried vegetables, fried chicken, chips
   • Vegetable oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, and vegetable oil
   • Deli foods, including mayonnaise-based products.
3. Lose excess weight. When someone has excessive fat pounds, the heart has to pump a lot harder. Fat cells have a poor blood supply and quite frankly fat just puts a great strain on a lot of body organs. Imagine carrying around a 20 pound weight all day. Even after an hour or two you would be exhausted, but yet the heart in an overweight person has to do that every minute for decades. It is no wonder that people who are overweight are at great risk for the damaging effects of high blood pressure and heart disease. To lose weight the following are basic guidelines:
   • Exercise Daily
   • Try Heart Rate Monitoring Training
   • Decrease portion sizes
   • Supplement as needed to support your diet (Discuss with Dr. Sherwood & Dr. Murphy.)
4. Reduce stress level Let’s be honest, stress in any form raises blood sugar levels, which in turn, is stored as excess fat in your organs and arteries. Sometimes stress is due to a bad relationship or job, but stress can occur in the body from a food or chemical allergy. For someone with blood pressure problems, tests can be done for heavy metal toxicity and food/chemical sensitivities, to see if these are inducing a stress reaction in the body. Also testing for magnesium, potassium and other mineral levels can help see if a person is being more affected by some sensitivity or toxicity due to a mineral deficiency. (We can refer you to a more holistically oriented physician for testing.)  The treatment for stress-induced hypertension is to eliminate the stress. If it is a toxic relationship, the bottom line is you need to work on it or eliminate it.  (If not now, when?)  If it is a job, proactively try and get the job stress changed. It may mean switching jobs to potentially save your health! If it is from a food or chemical, eliminate exposure to these items. Discuss any vitamin/mineral supplementation question with Dr. Sherwood & Dr. Murphy.  For many, stress reduction can be hastened by doing spiritual reading, praying, exercise and activities such as yoga.
5. Have regular bowel movements: A few years back, researchers at Tufts University in Boston published a very non-surprising report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Basically the report reaffirmed what many of us “alternative” docs had known for years.  If you have multiple bowel movements per day you will be a lot healthier!  In this particular study the emphasis was placed on women eating a high fiber diet to reduce their risk for heart attack.  Having regular bowel movements (BM’s) is beneficial for so many reasons:
   • Biology gave us BM’s so that our bodies can eliminate toxins. If these toxins are not eliminated, increases in risks for heart disease, cancer, chronic disorders, and autoimmune disorders may occur because these toxins are oxidants that cause disease!
   • Having regular bowel movements makes you healthier in ways not only pointed out above, but also shows that your digestion and absorption of foods and nutrients are in proper sync. Better digestion means healthier you!  A four-year old will move his/her bowels after each meal. Do you?  The colon’s main function is the elimination of body waste. When the colon is sluggish, body wastes accumulate and constipation results. If you are having less than two bowel movements/day you are constipated.  Talk with Dr. Sherwood about the relationship between a subluxated spine and sluggish bowels and what natural solutions are available.
6. Take your vitamins!   Every one needs to take a good multi vitamin. We just don’t get enough from our food.  These are some additional vitamins that you can take that will help keep your blood thin, protect against oxidation, and strengthen the heart: Vitamin C with Bioflavinoids, Lysine, Garlic, Vitamin E (Natural mixed tocopherols), Enzymes, and Omega 3 fatty acids.
7. Have lab work done regularly to check your risk factors: Every woman over the age of 50, or better yet, when you turn 40, should check the following labs: hormone levels, blood sugar levels, homocysteine levels, insulin resistance, coronary artery calcifications, heavy metals, lipid peroxides, hypertension, fibrinogen, percent body fat, cholesterol/HDL and Triglyceride/HDL ratios, as well as nutritional factors, such as waist/hip ratio, weight/height ratio and percent body fat. I recommend that patients over the age of 50 receive a fast CT scan of the heart to check for calcifications.
8. Decrease your carbohydrate load (Eliminate Syndrome X) Women (and men) who eat too many carbohydrates are at risk for developing hyperinsulinemia and ultimately Syndrome X. When a person eats too many carbohydrates, the body makes insulin to bring the blood sugars down. If this continues for decades, eventually the cells no longer respond to the effects of insulin. The over-consumption of carbohydrates leads to storage of fat in the body in the form of triglycerides and cholesterol. All of these high carbohydrate, low-fat foods are not necessarily good for you! In Syndrome X, the person has hyperinsulinemia, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and often-resultant hypertension and arteriosclerosis (plaque formation). Treatment for Syndrome X includes decreasing carbohydrate consumption and getting metabolic typing done to determine the best diet for your body type.
9. Avoid cigarettes smoke This is a rather obvious thing to do, however, it is not always that easy to do. Cigarette smoking is highly addictive. Unfortunately, cigarette smoking among the young female population is on the rise. Do yourself a favor and don’t start. If you have already started, find a way to stop. Cigarette smoking constricts your blood vessels, weakens your heart, damages your lungs, and increases your risk of heart disease.
10. Exercise more I cannot emphasize this enough. Exercise does not mean that you walked from the grocery store to your car or that you walked out to get the paper at the mailbox. Everyone, especially women, need to make the time to start exercising. Women need to be especially concerned about weight-bearing exercise in addition to aerobic exercise. We need to be doing exercise at least one to two times per week for strengthening, such as weight lifting. In addition, we need to do a sustained exercise for at least 20 minutes three times per week when we reach at least 85% of our maximum heart rate. Most people are not doing this. Go to your local sporting goods store and buy a heart rate monitor and start from there!  There are many online walk programs that can get you motivated as you track your daily steps.

You get chest pain or heaviness, because you’ve tightened the muscles of your chest to an uncomfortable degree. (The chest pain people feel in a panic attack isn’t from the heart; it’s from the muscles of the chest). You feel lightheaded or dizzy, because shallow breathing can produce the same sensations as hyperventilation. & you also get a more rapid heartbeat, & maybe numbness or tingling in the arms, hands, lips, etc., as well. All can happen from breathing short & shallow.

“Deep breathing” is also known as “diaphragmatic breathing”, or “belly breathing”.

Put one hand just above your belt line and the other hand on your chest, right over the breastbone. You can use your hands as a guide to let you know if it’s your stomach OR your chest or both moving. Your hands will tell you what part of your body, & what muscles, you’re using to breathe.

Open your mouth & sigh, as if someone had just told you something annoying. As you do, let your shoulders & the muscles of your upper body relax down with the exhalation. The point of the sigh is not to completely empty your lungs – “it’s to relax the muscles of your upper body”.

Hold that position for a few seconds.

Close your mouth & inhale SLOWLY through your nose by pushing your stomach out. The movement of your stomach breathing in this way pulls in more air than breathing from the chest.  When you’ve inhaled as much air as you can “comfortably” (without throwing your upper body/chest into it), just stop. You’re finished with that inhale. (I do the “inhale” for a slow 3 count “in”.. 1… 2… 3… and that’s comfortable for me.

Everyone counts at different speeds & has different sized lungs so; you have to be the judge of what “count” in is comfortable for YOU).

Let your hands be your guide to let you know if you’re moving your “chest” OR your “stomach” to breathe. A “deep” breath means to breathe “slow into your stomach” & not into your chest”.

Your hands will tell you if you’re doing this correctly or not. Where is the “muscular movement” of the breathing? You want it to occur at your stomach. Your upper body should be relatively still. If you feel movement in your chest, or notice your head & shoulders moving upwards, start over again & practice getting the motion down to your stomach.

Pause briefly for whatever time feels comfortable to you. But, be aware that when you breathe this way, you are taking larger breaths than you’re used to. For this reason, it’s necessary to breathe more “slowly” than you’re used to. If you breathe into your stomach at the same rate you use with your small, shallow breaths into your chest, you will probably feel a little lightheaded from over breathing. It’s not harmful. If that happens, it’s a signal to slow down your breathing.

Ok, now the “exhale”……..

Open your mouth. Exhale through your “mouth” by pulling your stomach in…. The “exhale” should be a little longer out than the inhale in. I do a slow 3 count breathing “in” and a slow “”4″” count breathing “out”.
Hold it in for a second or 2 & repeat the slow “inhale” explained at the top then the “exhale” as explained above and that’s how you do it!

Once you get it right you’ll know if you are because your hand on your chest should not be moving much at all or none when your stomach pushes in & out as you take the breaths. Stomach breathing = Deep breathing. Chest breathing = shallow breathing.

Some people confuse “DEEP” breathing with regular chest breathing (breathing in, “blowing up your chest” as far as it will go) but that type of breathing into the chest is called “fast shallow breathing” & can cause you to feel sensations of hyperventilating (which makes us feel dizzy, lightheaded, numbness, tingling, etc.)

Happy breathing!

Here are reasons why chiropractic is essential for runners:

1.) Chronic injuries can heal once the body’s alignment is restored.

Many runners come in for chiropractic care after they’ve been suffering for some time. Some runners even consider giving up running because they’ve lost hope that their injuries will ever go away. Runners’ common complaints include knee pain, hip, thigh, ankle and foot pain. These are usually due to lateral tracking of the patella, meniscus, fibula head misalignment, iliotibial band (IT) syndrome, shortened psoas muscles and sacro-iliac misalignments. Additionally, heel, ankle and foot pain is reported usually due to previous sprain/strain injury and/or plantar fasciitis conditions.

If you have ever significantly inverted your foot, spraining the outside of your ankle, you almost can bet that your talus bone has moved out of its normal position. It is impossible to have proper foot gait with a misaligned talus bone. Symptoms of talus bone misalignment include shin splints, lateral knee pain, and pain on the dorsum or top of the foot during or after running. Many people run for years with misaligned feet and wonder why they hurt so much!

There are other pain complaints among runners but these are probably the most common. While we will almost always need to adjust the knees, ankles and feet of our runners, we find that lumbar, hip and pelvic misalignments are usually the primary cause of the problems. Once the pelvis is leveled out and extremity misalignments are corrected, the symptoms generally go away within a few weeks. Patients who have suffered for months or years are often amazed at the body’s ability to heal itself once alignment has been restored.

2.) Runners experience faster recovery from new injuries when under ongoing chiropractic care.

There have been several chiropractic studies that found that patients under chiropractic care recover in a quarter of the time compared to other forms of treatment. We know how important running is to our patients, and it’s our goal to get you up and out as soon as possible. Once you are not in pain, we recommend that runners continue getting adjusted to prevent future problems and to encourage proper flexibility of the spinal joints.

3.) Runners report better lung capacity under chiropractic care.

Almost all of our runners benefit from chiropractic adjustments from the waist up as well. Because of the impact, both positive and negative, that running has on the spine and other joints, it is important that your thoracic (mid-back) and cervical (neck) receive attention as well. The ribs attach to your thoracic spine, and many runners are not accessing their full lung capacity because the vertebral segments are not allowing the ribs to separate upon inspiration and expiration. Many patients remark how much better they are breathing after their adjustments, including those patients with asthma. If you watch other runners, you will observe that the head is often jutted forward, which requires chiropractic adjustments to the neck and upper back to correct this postural problem.

4.) Maintaining alignment of your spine/body will enable you to enjoy your sport longer.

This one is so important because it’s tragic to have to hang up your running shoes sooner than you need to. Once you learn more about chiropractic in our office, you will discover how the spine houses and protects the most important organ in your body—the nervous system. The spacers in between the bones of your spine are called discs, and they are the most important shock absorbers you have. Regular chiropractic adjustments help you to preserve the discs by encouraging proper spinal curves, as well as distributing the stress evenly over other shock-absorbing cartilage in the body. It’s essential for runners to have the forces from impact distributed evenly over the joints of the body or premature aging of these areas will occur and premature pain will be the result.

In conclusion, if you are a runner and want to achieve or maintain optimal health and structural balance, include chiropractic care as part of your regiment. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at drmurphy@mindspring.com or reach me at (404) 321-0082.

1) Eat a small healthy snack such as fruit, soup, or yogurt beforehand to prevent you from going into that office party completely starving! It’s like going to the grocery store when you’re hungry. You end up buying more than you need and the same goes for eating. Don’t let your eyes get bigger than your stomach!

2) When you are in that buffet line, try selecting the smaller plate to serve yourself. This will help control your portion size. You could also try loading your plate up with anything green first. You’ll fill yourself with the healthier food and then you won’t be craving that naughty stuff quite as much, but you can still have a bite or two!

3) Drink water throughout your meal. Water has zero calories and helps to fill you up so that you’re not taking in quite as much food. I love water as opposed to soda for that very reason. When you think about all the calories from the food you’ll be eating and then add the additional calories from your beverage, it really makes you think. My advice? Don’t drink your calories!

4) Finally, it’s too beautiful outside to not enjoy that fall weather! Take a walk after your meal with your friends and family or hit the park. It’s so easy to go into a self imposed “hibernation” especially this time of year, which is all the more reason to make sure you’re staying active. As with chiropractic, it’s important to take a pro-active or preventative approach to your well being. Remember, it’s never a good idea to wait until you have to manage a crises with your weight or your health! I look forward to seeing you all in our office, and taking care of yourselves and your families this holiday season!

Good carbohydrate foods are those that are still in their natural state and have not been processed or altered by people or machines.
Good carbohydrates are nutritious. Good carbohydrates are rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients and fiber that will give you energy over a long period of time and a sense of feeling full. Foods that are high in fiber will also lower cholesterol levels and assist the body in removing toxins. Good carbohydrates generally have a low glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index will support the body nutritionally and not cause a spike in blood sugar.
Here are examples of good carbohydrate foods:
Fruits

Many grains

Vegetables

Beans

Legumes

Nuts

Seeds

Whole grain breads

Whole grain cereals

Whole grain pastas

What Are Bad Carbs?

Bad carbohydrate foods have been refined or processed and are no longer in their natural state. Most of the nutritional value has been removed from these foods. Bad carbohydrate foods are generally loaded with many additives, such as flavorings and preservatives.
Processed food are not easily digested and they will spike your blood glucose level.
Bad carbohydrate foods include:

Candy

Baked goods made with white flour

White pastas

Cracker/chips/snack foods

Sodas
The calories in the foods above are “empty” and they have no nutritional value yet they are very addicting due to the high sugar content and the consequent effect on the brain. If you get stuck in the habit of eating too many bad carbs, you’ll notice a spike in your energy levels shortly after consumption. However, energy levels will generally fall off rapidly making you crave more bad carbs . Individuals who have a lifestyle of eating bad carbs are more at risk to develop diabetes, heart disease, obesity and more.  Stay tuned to our next newsletter for healthy carb appetizers and main courses for the holiday!