Stay Healthy During Holiday Season

Whether you're scheduled for a long road trip, shopping for a small army of friends and family members, wrapping dozens and dozens of gifts or camping out in the kitchen to get all your cooking complete, major holidays can easily put your body at risk of injury. Prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, extensive walking, awkward positions, overeating and plain old mental exhaustion are all common when the holiday season comes into full swing. Here are a few common sense tips to assist in keeping you healthy and pain-free this holiday season:

• Traveling: bring water and small snacks to stay well hydrated and to keep your blood sugar levels stable, wear comfortable shoes and clothing, bring along a small blanket and travel pillow, bring all required travel documents as well as any maps or reservations for rental cars and hotels, be careful and obtain assistance when handling heavy/bulky luggage and gifts - use a push cart or dolly and obtain assistance whenever appropriate and/or possible


• Shopping: bring water and small snacks to stay well hydrated and to keep your blood sugar stable, wear comfortable shoes and clothing, have your shopping day pre-planned in regards to locations to visit and gifts to purchase, use shopping carts when available and take gifts to your vehicle frequently rather than risking injury by lugging pounds of gifts from store to store, be careful and obtain assistance when handling heavy/bulky gifts


• Cooking: maintain proper posture while at the counter/sink, alternate between sitting and standing positions, take frequent breaks, stretch often, careful when using knives and other sharp objects


• Gift Wrapping: maintain proper posture, stretch frequently, be careful not to leave scissors or sharp cutting objects on the floor where they can be accidentally stepped on or where they can be accessed by small children or animals, be careful and obtain assistance when moving or wrapping larger or bulky gifts


• Holiday Eats and Treats: do your best to avoid over indulgence of those holiday eats and treats, maintain activity levels to counter act all that holiday feasting, avoid driving when you've consumed those holiday spirits


• Treat Your Body To A Holiday Gift: if you find those aches and pains creeping in or just want to be in tiptop shape this holiday season, stop by your chiropractor's office and treat your body to the most valuable gift of all... the gift of health!
  

Author: ChiroPlanet.com. Source: Dr. Neil MacKay, DC. Copyright: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2006.

Ergonomic Nutrition

Robert Silverman, D.C. says neither ergonomics nor nutrition can bring about the degree of optimal health that an educated "marriage" of the two offers - and he has the clinical outcomes to support his perspective. Dr. Silverman runs a private clinic in White Plains, N.Y., specializing in diagnosing joint pain and soft-tissue management.

Ergonomic Nutrition Basics
Dr. Silverman says that because everything in the body is connected, conditions cannot be treated with a single modality. "Ergonomics - including good posture and proper exercise - really only works well when we make sure the nutrients the body needs to build healthy tissue and repair damaged tissue are provided.

"If a patient practices incorrect ergonomics, we are going to see some breakdown in the body. An emphasis on nutrition helps us slow the resulting breakdown and degeneration

If an injury occurs, good nutrition allows us to build tissues and structures back from the inside out at a biochemical level."

by Carol Marleigh Kline, JACA Online editor

Nervous System Circuitry

Your spinal cord is like the information superhighway with the “circuitry” necessary to run your body:

Sensory Nervous System: Taste, touch, sight, sound and smell are examples of sensory organs sending messages to your brain.

Motor Nervous System: Motor nerves control how your muscles work, such as standing or walking, coordination and balance.

Autonomic Nervous System: The autonomic nervous system controls cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory and many other involuntary functions.

Sympathetic Nervous System: The sympathetic nervous system has a deep connection with your hormonal system to secrete adrenaline and alert your entire body to impending danger, real or imagined (ie, fight or flight).

Like an electrician, we’re interested in the circuitry of your body. The moving bones of the spine are often the source of “brown outs,” short circuits and blown fuses. If you think chiropractic is only about your back, think again!

ANJC Health eNews: Association of New Jersey Chiropractors October 2011 Issue

USA Weekend: Chiropractic Care Works

A recent edition of USA Weekend touted chiropractic care and yoga as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies that work.

The article cites a review of 270 studies that found that spinal manipulation works just as well as pain medication for reducing the intensity of low back pain. The article went on to briefly explain how spinal manipulation works and listed the health care providers that offer the treatment.

The full story may be read at http://bit.ly/nIbsDX.

Information provided by American Chiropractic Association.

Victoria Beckham Feeling Better Thanks to Chiropractic

Victoria Beckham was spotted out and about in Los Angeles for the first time since giving birth in July to daughter Harper Seven. She was looking tired and wearing flat shoes instead of her usual six inch Louboutin shoes.

Beckham, the mother of four had been suffering with a herniated disc and is seeing a Doctor of Chiropractic to ease the pain.

You can read her tweets at http://bit.ly/q6nVhS.

Health Care vs. Sick Care

Traditionally, we see doctors when we have some type of obvious ache or pain. Yet, waiting for these obvious symptoms to appear before finally seeking help is becoming an increasing burden on our health care system, our economy and our well-being.

And while it may be called “health” care, it’s actually sick care.

Chiropractors are leading the way with real health care that’s designed to keep you well. Not surprising, it’s called wellness care. And the research is astonishing!

A recent analysis published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics looked at 311 chiropractic patients aged 65 years or older who had been receiving “maintenance” chiropractic care for five years or longer. When compared with subjects who were not receiving chiropractic care, they had half as many medical doctor visits and overall had healthier habits.

Other studies further confirm what a growing number of our own patients have been telling us: it’s actually less expensive to stay well, than it is to get well.

InMotion Stabilizing Orthotics: Proven on Mount Kilimanjaro

Dr. Dan Moore had a burning desire to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. More than 10years after setting his sights on this feat, he did it, all with the help of Foot Levelers’ individually designed InMotion® Stabilizing Orthotics. Dr. Moore credits the Celliant® in the InMotion® for helping him reach the top. Celliant® has been shown to increase tissue oxygen up to 10.2% in active patients.*

“My InMotions were far superior to other insoles. I needed orthotics that could take the beating.”

Foot Levelers’ individually designed Stabilizing Orthotics support all three arches in the foot, leading the industry with its patented Gait Cycle System®. The InMotion® provides shock protection, energizes performance and results in quicker recovery. Celliant® stimulates blood flow and increases tissue oxygen levels. Dri-release® helps remove moisture four times faster and silver helps control odor and bacteria.

Optimal Family Chiropractic uses Foot Levelers technology. We have the ability to screen our patients for foot imbalances to ensure that they receive the best possible care.