Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Get Chiropractic Adjustments

Are you one of those people who wonder why they should get chiropractic adjustments? Do you simply assume that your health care provider is all you need when it comes to health consultation? Or is it that you’re ‘never’ sick so what’s the point? Or maybe you just think that adjustments are only for those suffering from back pain?

If you said yes to any of these questions, you’ve been missing out on the many health benefits chiropractic adjustments can provide!

Do not wait until you wake up with a stiff neck before you see a chiropractor. Or a constant neck or back pain starts to consume your daily living before you look into the possibility of this treatment to help you. Don’t allow those scenarios to force you into the clinic. Instead, learn about chiropractic care now and realize that there’s more into chiropractic adjustments than just damage control.

1.      Provide Faster Pain Relief

You may have been used to popping a pill to numb that headache or back pain. But where have that habit gotten you so far? Did it really help or it simply put you into pain medication cycle without actually solving the problem? I’m willing to bet it was the latter!

Instead of that, why don’t you consult a chiropractor to get a thorough evaluation of why you feel pain in certain area of your body? Chiropractors are very good at identifying the mechanical issues that are causing your spine-related pain and provide immediate relief with a series of adjustments. But aside from that, he can also recommend comprehensive treatment depending on the severity of your condition. This doesn’t just relieve pain but also treat the cause of the pain to prevent the same issue from resurfacing.  

2.      Restore Motion In Your Joints

Sedentary lifestyle, arthritis, sprains and strains, and a recent injury are just some of the reasons why you may be suffering from joint pain and stiffness. While different people and different conditions may require different treatment, incorporating chiropractic adjustments has been proven to help restore motion in your joints. It corrects subluxations that could be putting pressure on your nerves which causes pain and relaxes the surrounding muscles on your joints in order to restore normal mobility.

3.      Allows Your Body To Achieve Its Full Potential

Chiropractors are more focused on helping you become healthy, not just relieve pain where it hurts. This is a lot better for you, when you come to think of it, because most of the time when you feel something off in your body that means there’s a multiple underlying cause.  This way you become more energetic and efficient in your everyday living.

4.      Helps Manage Stress In A Healthier Way

People say that stress is all in the mindset, but you should know that your body condition play a big role in it too. Receiving adjustments from a chiropractor can make a significant difference in your stress level because spinal adjustments align your spine properly to release tension and stress in your body. This helps you sleep better at night, and even treat other health condition like constant headache and digestive problems which are without a doubt stressful.

5.      Works For Old Or New Trauma

Injuries are unavoidable. You can get it from playing sports, in a car accident, or even just by doing household chores. In such cases, a chiropractor can treat patient without resorting to surgery right away. It doesn’t even matter if your injury was just recently or you’ve been dealing with it for a while now.  It can also reduce painful symptoms of recurrent instability related to the injury.  More importantly, regular chiropractic session can help you avoid getting injured in the future because it strengthens your body in general so you’re less susceptible to injuries.

That’s just an overview of what chiropractic care can do for you! Go see a chiropractor now and you’ll be amazed at how much difference it can make in your body and overall health. You’d regret you haven’t done it sooner. But of course, if you have any existing health condition, it would be best to consult your primary health care provider before trying this alternative treatment.

Childhood Stress And Chiropractic Care

Sometimes, the demands of daily living can make us too busy. This results to kids being left to deal with stress on their own. This happens more often than we think and not a lot of kids are able or lucky to manage all the effects of stress without parental guidance which end up affecting them for the rest of their lives.

What Is Stress In The Context Of Childhood?

Stress will always be present in a child’s life, in fact a little of it is necessary for them to develop a lot of life skills. But what’s important is to distinguish the type of stress responses in children so we can help them handle it.

·         Positive Stress Response

This happens during new experiences like first day in school or making friends. This is a healthy kind of stress, but without supportive environment the kid may not be able to learn from them and cope with other life changes.  

·         Tolerable Stress Response

This is the result of more severe and longer-lasting stressors like parent’s divorce or bullying at school. Kids who go through these can turn out to be fine provided that there’s proper support and guidance so they can learn to understand what’s happening.

·         Toxic Stress Response

This can have lasting effect on a child’s development. Incidents like physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, parental mental illness, or exposure to violence often result to this stress response especially if there’s no adequate adult support involved.

Common Stressors For Kids Nowadays

·         School

Getting good grades, making friends, fitting in, bullying, the tremendous amount of school work, combine that with a child’s search for self-identity during their teen years are just common reasons why a lot of kids dread school.

·         Family

Ever wonder why kids like to hang out with their friends all the time instead of go home right away after school? Financial troubles, remarriage, separation, family member with mental/physical illness are just some of the reasons why.  

·         Media Stress And Environmental Dangers

This is the reason why it is strongly advised that parents don’t let their kids watch TV or surf the internet unsupervised. They may get scared or become influenced by news or show with sensitive topics like violence or sexual contents.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help In The Following Areas

Chiropractic care may be known for treating musculoskeletal issues but it is also a holistic approach towards overall wellness. Therefore, it definitely can help kids with other areas of their life especially where there’s greater stress.  

·         Spirit

The root premise of chiropractic is that YOU are part of something much bigger than yourself. This way of thinking helps encourage kids to deepen their inner connection to their own spirit.

·         Mind

Chiropractic care corrects subluxation throughout the body to eliminate interference in the body and mind communication. This then promotes harmonious body function and balance.

·         Social

We are a part of a community. When this is instilled with children starting at a young age, they learn to participate, contribute, and balance out their social life. Chiropractic care’s holistic approach on health teaches them to see these things in brighter perspective.

Childhood stress and chiropractic care from Dr Gary Tho

6 Types Of Exercise Programs That Can Help Relieve Low Back Pain

You probably know by now that low back pain is one of the main reasons for missed work as well as reduced quality of life. Despite this, many people still suffer from it because most of them don’t know how to address the problem properly. Usually affected individuals resort to pain medications to get through the day or they simply endure it thinking it will go away eventually.

Why allow yourself to go through these when there are ways to relieve the pain without relying on pills all the time? Here are some exercise programs that you can easily follow that doesn’t require any equipment or fitness facility.

Exercise Program to Stretch the Back and Legs

Since the goal is to eliminate or at least reduce pain in the lower back area, these exercises should not cause further pain for you. Instead, they should help loosen sore or stiff muscles which are likely to be the root of your pain. If these exercises do hurt, stop and seek professional help. They can advise you on how to do the exercises properly or which ones don’t fit your condition.

1.      Piriformis Muscle Stretching Exercise

When this muscle is tight, that’s when some people suffer from sacroiliac joint dysfunction and sciatica-type pain. Since this muscle can be found at the back of your thigh bone until the base of your spine, here’s the step by step stretching exercise for it:

·         First, lie on your back and cross the affected leg over the other.

·         With both knees bent, clasp your hands under the lower leg.

·         Now gently pull the bottom leg towards your chest.

·         Hold both thighs closely until a stretch is felt in the buttock area.

·         Hold this position for 30 seconds and do it 1-2 times a day.

2.      Psoas Major Muscle Stretching Exercise

If you find it difficult to stand for extended period of time or kneeling on both knees your psoas major muscle which is located at the front portion of your lower spine is probably tight. To stretch that, follow these steps:

·         Start by kneeling on one knee.

·         Then rotate the leg outward and tighten the gluteal muscle on the side you’re stretching.

·         Next, use your hip joint to lean forward instead of using your lumbar spine.

·         You should feel the stretch in the front of your hip that you’re kneeling on.

·         Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat this exercise 1-2 times a day.

3.      Hamstring Muscle Stretching Exercise

Tight hamstring is often the cause of low back pain. Aside from that, it can also be difficult to sit up straight when this muscle if stiff. To stretch this muscle that runs from the back of your pelvic bone to just below the back of your knee, do this exercise:

·         Begin by lying on your back.

·         Then clasp your hands behind your knee with the hip flexed to 90 degrees and the knee bent.

·         Now try to straighten your knee with your toes pointed back toward you.

·         Hold that position for 30 seconds and repeat 1-2 times a day.

Though the nest exercises still help low back pain, muscles that appear to be weak may not respond to resistance training. So it would be best to consult a spine specialist or chiropractor before you proceed with the next exercises to screen for muscle inhibition.

4.      Transversus Abdominis Muscle Strengthening (Abdominal Exercise)

Instead of doing crunches or sit-ups, working on your Transversus Abdominis (TVA) through abdominal exercises is better when achieving spinal stability. Always remember to keep your lumbar spine neutral when retraining the TVA.

·         First, lie on your back with knees bent.

·         Knees and feet should be shoulder width apart.

·         Draw your belly button toward your spine while maintaining a neutral spine.

·         Upon exhalation, reach toward the ceiling as if trying to grab a trapeze overhead.

·         Then raise your head and shoulders off the floor, just to the point where your shoulder blades are barely touching the floor, and hold 1-2 seconds.

·         Inhale upon return and repeat at the end of the next exhalation.

·         Hold it for 1-2 seconds and continue doing it until you can’t anymore.

·         Do this once a day and 4-5 days a week.

5.      Gluteus Maximus Muscle Strengthening (Buttock Exercise)

Gluteus maximus is the largest of the three butt muscles and gives most of the shape to your rear end. When toned, it doesn’t just give you a nice shape but as well as power in sports like running and cycling.

·         Start this exercise by lying on your stomach with your hips and legs off the end of a table or bench.

·         Squeeze your butt on one side and extend your leg up toward the ceiling while maintaining a neutral spine.

·         Keep your movements slow.

·         Initially, it is common to only be able to perform a few repetitions at a time.

·         Hold the position for 5 seconds on each side and do at least 4-10 repetitions.

·         Do this exercise once a day 4-5 days a week.

6.      Gluteus Medius Muscle Strengthening (Hip Abductor Exercise)

When you raise your leg laterally at your hip or stand on one leg, you’re engaging this muscle. Now when this muscle is weak, your opposite hip will drop during the gait cycle which can lead to increase in low back pain and hip pain when walking. This exercise can help strengthen this muscle.

·         To begin this exercise, lie on your side with your back against the wall.

·         Draw your belly button in as you maintaining a neutral spine.

·         Raise your upper leg with your toes slightly pointed toward the ceiling and your heel maintaining contact with the wall.

·         Perform slowly with a 2 second hold at the top.

·         Do 10 repetitions per side.

·         Perform this exercise once a day 4-5 days a week.

Top 10 Ways To Be Healthy Despite Having A Home-Based Job

The rate of people with home-based jobs is expected to increase by 43% in the upcoming years. With that, its high time people learn how to stay in tip-top shape despite having unique work schedule which comes with unique set of challenges that may sabotage anyone’s health condition.

1.      Have A Separate Room For Work

One of the most challenging things about working from home is that it’s easy to get too comfortable. This results to procrastination. One way to avoid this is by having a separate space for work. This then keeps you from using you kitchen counter, bed, or couch as your ‘office’ and letting household chores interfere with work and vice versa.

2.      Make Your Workspace Inviting

Office cubicles tend to be stressful because you’re confined to a tiny space with little to no sunlight and bland décor. The best thing about home-based jobs is that you get to call the shots when it comes to your surrounding! So use that to your advantage. Decorate your workspace in whatever way that makes you more productive, relaxed and happy while working.

3.      Invest In An Ergonomic Chair

Since you’re more comfortable working at home, expect to stay seated longer than you usually would be in an office. Avoid back, neck, and shoulder pain by using an ergonomic chair that will keep your body aligned all day.

4.      Get Up At Least Every Hour

Sitting for extended period of time is bad for you even if you’re using an ergonomic chair. You still have to get up at least every hour. Set a timer to remind yourself and use that time to do what you need to around the house.

5.      Schedule Your Workout

Since you’re home majority of the time, it’s easy to slack off with your workout. Schedule them in your most convenient time just like how you schedule your meetings. This way you’re more likely to stick with them.

6.      Maintain A Healthy Life-Work Balance

Working from home can mess with your life-work boundaries since you’re doing both in one place. Prevent this from happening by sticking to your work schedule; do not work when it’s not time for you to work. Also, do not work on weekends. Setting limitations on work, house tasks, and personal time allows you to enjoy those without feeling like you have to catch up on any of them.  

7.      Prep In The Morning Like How You Would When Going To The Office

Home-based jobs mean flexible time right? While that’s true, starting work way past noon is a surefire way to stay working late too. Getting ready in the morning, as if you’re going to the office, tricks your brain into work-mode right off the bat. This way you won’t feel sluggish throughout the day trying to finish work.

8.      Find A Way To Stay Socially Connected

It may be tempting to just keep to yourself when you have work at home but that won’t be healthy mentally and emotionally. You still need people in your life. Join online forums, use weekends to meet with friends, or simply stay connected through social media.

9.      Make Sure Your Kitchen Is Packed With Healthy Snacks And Meal

Instead of reaching for junk foods or ordering fast food when you get hungry make a conscious decision to choose healthy snacks and nutritious foods. How? Stock up on fruits, nuts, vegetables, lean meat, and whole grains so you can make your own food once your stomach complains.

10. Have A Schedule And Stick To It

Work is work and play is play. Plan your daily schedule and stick to that. Do not allow yourself to work when it’s clearly time to rest or do something else. Even when you don’t have a typical 9-5 job, having a schedule to follow is a good way to maintain a quality living.