Author: hyftechnologies

Should You Exercise After an Injury?

When your muscles and joints are sore and strained from an injury, hitting the gym probably doesn’t seem like a very good idea. Although full-out workouts could potentially worsen your condition, moderate exercise may be just what you need to speed the healing process.

How You Can Benefit from Exercise

For years, doctors advised patients with injuries to take it easy. Unfortunately, after spending a week or two on the couch, many people found moving difficult. During the recommended period of rest, muscles stiffened and scar tissue grew. Creaky, stiff joints slowed recovery time and made it more difficult to complete everyday tasks.

The truth is that exercise may actually help ease aches and pains while also reducing the length of your recovery.

Exercise helps:

• Keep Your Muscles and Joints Limber and Flexible
• Reduce Inflammation
• Decrease Scar Tissue Formation
• Strengthen the Muscles That Support Your Joints
• Improve Range of Motion
• Enhance Balance
• Prevent a Re-Injury
• Improve Circulation

Things to Keep In Mind When Exercising

Check with your chiropractor before you begin exercising after an injury. He or she can advise you when it’s safe to start working out again and recommend specific exercises. (If you have a heart condition, ask your cardiologist or family doctor if it’s safe for you to exercise.)

Exercise after an injury involves gently working the injured area or keeping other areas of your body mobile and flexible if it’s too soon to exercise a sore muscle or joint. If you hurt your ankle, concentrate on upper body exercises for a few days. Once your chiropractor approves, try adding walking, strengthening or low-impact aerobic exercises to your workout regimen.

Weight lifting is an excellent way to strengthen your muscles and help you avoid new injuries, but it should be approached with caution. If you don’t decrease your usual weight load, you may worsen your injury. Start with light weights at first, and stop if you experience any pain. Talk to your chiropractor about the best way to begin or re-start a weight training regimen.

When back pain is the problem, exercises that don’t strain your back or abdominal muscles or involve twisting can help keep your muscles and joints loose. Swimming, walking or riding a stationary bicycle can elevate your heart rate, improve blood flow, and increase mobility and range of motion. As healing progresses, your chiropractor may recommend exercises that strengthen and tone the muscles in your back and core.

In a study included in a systematic review published in Healthcare, low back pain sufferers who participated in aerobic exercise or strengthening exercises experienced a significant decrease in pain.

Chiropractic Care May Enhance the Effects of Exercise

Exercise is even more helpful when it’s combined with chiropractic treatment. During treatments, your chiropractor may realign the vertebrae in your spine with hands-on manipulation. They may also use soft tissue mobilization or massage to loosen tight muscles and tendons.

During a systematic review conducted by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management Collaboration, researchers discovered that soft tissue therapy offered an effective way to treat tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, and plantar fasciitis.

The effects of your treatment will last longer if you perform exercises to stretch and strengthen your muscles. Even minor muscle strains or stiffness can stress your back and alter the alignment of your spine, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion.

It’s important to exercise every day and only perform the exercises approved by your chiropractor. Don’t increase the intensity or duration of your workout without approval. Starting a vigorous workout routine too soon can result in new injuries or worsening of your current injury.

Do you want to reduce your recovery time and learn the best exercises that won’t further irritate your injury? Contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

SPINE Health: Exercise and Chiropractic Therapy, 3/14/13

Ace Fitness: Getting Back to Fitness After an Injury

Healthcare: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain, 6/16

Manual Therapy: The Effectiveness of Soft-Tissue Therapy for the Management of Musculoskeletal Disorders and injuries of the Upper and Lower Extremities, 8/29/15

The Advantages of Long-Term Chiropractic Care

How long has it been since you’ve seen your chiropractor? Chiropractic visits not only offer relief of chronic or acute (sudden) pain but may also provide long-term health benefits. Making time for regular chiropractic care offers a simple way to protect your health.

Why You Should Consider Long-Term Care

Scheduling regular visits to the chiropractor help prevent pain from returning. Although you’ll feel much better after a few weeks or months of chiropractic care, your symptoms could recur if you don’t receive periodic spinal adjustments and other treatments. In fact, the American College of Physicians includes spinal manipulation in its guidelines for treating non-radiating low back pain. Regular maintenance appointments keep your spine properly aligned and your muscles and joints flexible.

Long-term care also:

• Helps You Avoid Posture-Related Aches and Pains. Working in tight spaces or spending hours in the same position stresses your muscles and joints, increasing your risk of injuries or chronic pain. Whether you’re a truck driver, office worker, plumber or mechanic, long-term care can help you avoid aches and pains related to your posture or job.
• Lowers Your Risk of Developing Text Neck. Text neck is a fairly new condition related to the use of digital devices. Looking downward at your smartphone or other devices for hours at a time stresses your neck and spine, causing neck and shoulder pain, muscle spasms, wrist pain, headaches, or numbness in the fingers. Regular chiropractic adjustments, in addition to changing the way you hold your devices, help you avoid these unpleasant symptoms.
• Improves Range of Motion and Flexibility. Chiropractic treatment keeps muscles and joints loose and flexible. Lack of flexibility can impair blood flow to the cartilage at the ends of your bones, causing the cartilage to break down prematurely. When muscles in your legs, arms, neck or back are tight, range of motion decreases and your risk of muscle strains and other muscle or joint issues soars. Poor flexibility or range of motion may also affect your balance and can be a factor in falls.
• Enhances Organ and Immune System Function. Spinal misalignments cause bones or tissues to press on nerves, affecting their ability to send signals throughout your body. These misalignments, called subluxations, can interfere with the normal functioning of your organs and immune system. Adjustments relieve pressure on your nerves and help you stay healthy.
• Helps You Avoid Sports Injuries. You’re more likely to injure yourself if your body isn’t properly aligned and balanced when you participate in your favorite sport or activity. Regular chiropractic visits help you maintain proper spinal alignment, reducing your risk of strains, sprains, and other sports-related injuries. Long-term care can also quicken recovery time after a workout.
• Eliminates or Reduces Reliance on Pain Medication. Are you worried about the potential side effects of prescription pain relievers or the possibility of addiction? Chiropractic care helps ease your pain naturally and may help you avoid medication completely.
• Makes Breathing Easier. Spinal adjustments relieve pressure on the thoracic nerves that serve the lungs and loosen muscles, making it easier to take deep breaths.
• Keeps Arthritis Pain Under Control. Chiropractic care helps reduce pain, decrease inflammation, and improve joint mobility and flexibility in people who have arthritis.
• Decreases Headache Frequency. Tight muscles, nerve pressure, and spinal misalignment can be factors in tension headaches and migraines. Thanks to long-term chiropractic care, you may experience fewer headache days each month.
• Treats the Source of Your Pain. Although medication can be helpful in relieving pain, the effects soon wear off, causing a spike in your pain level. If you don’t identify and address the cause of your pain, symptoms can continue for weeks, months or years. Chiropractic care treats the source of your pain, not just the symptoms, and offers an effective long-term way to keep pain under control.

Could long-term chiropractic help you improve your health? Contact us to schedule your next appointment.

Sources:

Palmer College of Chiropractic: Benefits of Chiropractic

American College of Physicians: American College of Physicians Issues Guideline for Treating Nonradicular Low Back Pain

Chiropractic Economics: Text Neck Pain, Treatment and Prevention, 10/30/19

What to Expect During Your First Chiropractic Visit

Have you been thinking about making an appointment with a chiropractor due to pain in your back, neck, hip or limbs? Chiropractic treatment offers a natural way to ease pain, reduce insomnia and stress, relieve numbness and tingling, and help you stay healthy. Here’s what you can expect during your first appointment.

You’ll Spend a Little Time Talking to the Chiropractor

Before your treatment begins, your chiropractor will review the questionnaire you completed and ask you to describe the location, duration, and intensity of your pain and its cause, if known. You’ll also discuss your hobbies, lifestyle, and job.

These questions help your chiropractor get to know you and provide valuable information about the lifestyle factors that may have triggered or worsened your symptoms.

Your Chiropractor Will Perform a Thorough Examination

During the exam, your doctor will evaluate the strength and tone of your muscles and also assess your posture, range of motion, flexibility, and level of pain when moving the sore or injured part of your body.

The exam will include vital sign measurements and neurological and orthopedic tests. Your chiropractor may also take a few X-rays to evaluate the health of your spine and joints. In some cases, other tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, may be ordered.

You May Receive an Adjustment During Your First Visit

After your chiropractor reviews your history and the results of your exam, he or she will prepare a treatment plan. Many plans include spinal manipulations, also known as adjustments. Adjustments correct subluxations, which occur when the vertebrae in your spine become misaligned.

Misalignments can cause joint and muscle pain, restrict movement, and press on nerves. Pressure on nerves may trigger pain and even affect the normal functioning of organs. Subluxations can happen due to falls, injuries or poor posture. You may develop them if you spend hours working on a computer, driving a truck or looking at a smartphone or digital screen.

During an adjustment, your chiropractor will ask you to sit or lie on your side, back or stomach. An adjustment only takes a few seconds and involves quick, hands-on thrusts applied to your back or neck to realign the vertebrae. Your chiropractor may also use a small, handheld device to perform adjustments.

Although it may sound as if your bones are cracking during your adjustment, that’s not the case. The sound actually occurs when gas in the joints is rapidly released.

Before your chiropractor adjusts your spine, he or she will explain what will happen during the treatment and discuss how the adjustment will improve your symptoms.

Your Chiropractor Many Recommend a Few Other Therapies

In addition to adjustments, your chiropractor may recommend one or more of these therapies:

• Massage. Massage loosens tight muscles, decreases stress, and improves flexibility and range of motion.
• Spinal Mobilization. Mobilization involves slow, hands-on pressure to improve the position of your vertebrae.
• Soft Tissue Mobilization. Stretching your soft tissues with handheld instruments breaks up scar tissue, improves range of motion, and may decrease pain caused by tendonitis, bursitis, sprains, strains, and plantar fasciitis.
• Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (TENS). TENS treatment blocks the transmission of pain signals with a gentle, low-voltage current applied to your body through small electrodes.
• Ultrasound Treatment. Ultrasound waves promote healing, improve blood flow, reduce swelling, and loosen tight muscles.

You’ll Discuss Next Steps Before You Leave

Although you’ll probably notice that your pain has decreased after your first adjustment, you’ll need additional treatments to keep your pain under control and address the underlying issue that caused your symptoms. During the next several weeks, your chiropractor may recommend that you visit a few times every week.

Your treatment schedule will vary depending on the nature of your complaint and the severity of your pain. Your chiropractor may also show you a few exercises that you can do at home between visits to improve your comfort.

Are you tired of living with pain or muscle weakness? Chiropractic treatment can ease your pain without drugs. Contact our office to schedule your first appointment.

Sources:

Spine-Health: What Expect at the First Chiropractic Consultation, 8/1/13

Medline Plus: Chiropractic Care for Back Pain

Spine Universe: Chiropractic Therapies

Preventative Care vs. Reactive Care: How Regular Chiropractic Visits Can Prevent Pain and Health Issues

Do you only visit the chiropractor when your back or neck hurts? Making time for regular visits can help you avoid aches and pains. In fact, preventive care visits offer a simple way to optimize your health.

What’s the Difference Between Preventive Care and Reactive Care?

Reactive care focuses on treating acute (sudden) symptoms or illnesses. You receive reactive care when you visit the family doctor for treatment of flu symptoms or a fracture or when you see the chiropractor after your back pain flares up.

Preventive care happens when you have no symptoms. It’s intended to prevent illnesses, diseases, and pain from occurring and reduce the risk of a recurrence if you’ve recently experienced an injury or illness. Preventive care can involve:

• Checkups
• Chiropractic Visits
• Eye Exams, Blood Pressure Measurements, Blood Tests, and Other Screenings
• Massage and Other Therapeutic Treatments
• Healthy Eating
• Exercise
• Meditation, Yoga, and Other Stress-Relief Activities

How Can Chiropractic Preventive Care Help Me?

Chiropractors use hands-on manipulation and mobilization techniques to improve the alignment of your spine and correct subluxations. Subluxations happen when the vertebrae in your spine move out of their normal positions. Changes in vertebral alignment may be caused by falls, accidents, poor posture, stress, improper lifting technique, poor exercise form or even sitting for many hours.

Subluxations are a common cause of back, neck, and joint pain, but pain isn’t the only consequence. Misalignments can cause muscle stiffness and decreased range of motion and flexibility.

Misaligned vertebrae may press on your nerves, triggering pain and interfering with the normal function of the organs and tissues. For example, a subluxation that affects the nerves that serve your digestive system may worsen the symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases and conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and other ailments.

In a study that appeared in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation, participants experienced an improvement in their Crohn’s disease symptoms after spinal manipulation to treat subluxations in the thoracic (upper spine) and lumbar (lower spine) regions. Researchers theorized that chronic nerve compression caused by subluxations could affect the immune system, interfere with digestion and absorption of liquids and nutrients, and cause other gastrointestinal issues.

In addition to helping you manage the symptoms of chronic conditions, preventive care can:

• Improve Arthritis Symptoms
• Offer a Natural Pain-Relief Option
• Reduce Inflammation
• Increase Blood Circulation
• Prevent Pain Due to Age-Related Degeneration of the Spine
• Loosen Tight Muscles, Reducing Your Risk of Injury
• Decrease Stress
• Enhance the Function of the Organs and Immune System
• Promote Healing
• Prevent Falls Due to Balance Problems
• Keep Your Muscles Flexible and Loose
• Correct Posture Issues
• Improve Your Range of Motion
• Enhance Sleep
• Help You Avoid or Delay Spinal Surgery
• Improve Athletic Performance
• Reduce Recovery Time After Participating in Sports
• Prevent Minor Subluxations from Causing Pain and Other Symptoms

If you’re like most people, you probably wouldn’t dream of ignoring the oil service light on your car or skipping HVAC service calls. Those preventive services reduce breakdowns and keep your vehicle and heating and air-conditioning systems running smoothly.

Preventive care offers the same benefits for your body. Making time to see the chiropractor when you feel fine can help you avoid aches, pains, illnesses, and worsening of chronic conditions.

Could you benefit from chiropractic care? Contact us to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research: Long Term Remission and Alleviation of Symptoms in Allergy and Crohn’s Disease Patients Following Spinal Adjustment for Reduction of Vertebral Subluxation, 9/10/17

Palmer College of Chiropractic: Benefits of Chiropractic

WebMD: Chiropractic Care for Back Pain

Ease Into Exercise in The New Year With Help from Your Chiropractor

Have you decided that 2020 is the year that you’ll finally follow through on your plan to exercise more often? Although regular exercise is essential to your health, you may injure yourself if you suddenly begin a rigorous workout routine. Fortunately, your chiropractor can help you create a safe, effective workout plan that gradually improves your physical fitness.

Improving Your Health and Wellness Is a Personal Process

The ideal fitness plan for your co-worker or brother may not necessarily be the best approach for you. Your fitness level, goals, and physical condition will influence the way you exercise and the type of workout that will be most beneficial.

Involving your chiropractor in the planning stages of your new workout regime can help you avoid painful injuries that may sabotage your plan to improve your fitness. During your appointment with your chiropractor, you’ll discuss:

• Workout Goals. Do you want to run a marathon, master kickboxing, or simply increase your strength and stamina? Creating goals can help you decide which type of exercise is best for you.
• Fitness Level. Do you already exercise regularly, or would you like to get in shape after being inactive for a few years? It’s important to consider your fitness level before you begin. Injuries aren’t the only possibility if you’re overly ambitious when you begin your new workout plan. If the plan is too challenging, you may be more likely to become frustrated and stop exercising.
• Routine. How much time do you have to devote to exercise every week? Creating a workout plan that fits your lifestyle is the key to achieving your goals.
• Health. Your health will also be an important consideration when beginning a new workout plan. For example, people who have asthma may need to avoid activities that involve running, as prolonged, intense activity may trigger a flare-up of asthma symptoms. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology recommends swimming, walking or activities that require a short burst of energy rather than long-distance running, soccer or basketball.
• Pain and Injuries. Pain won’t necessarily prevent you from working out. In fact, exercise can help loosen and strengthen your muscles and joints while also decreasing pain. Your chiropractor can help you choose exercises that won’t aggravate or worsen your condition. He can also give you a few hints that will help you avoid injuries while working out.

Once you’ve identified your goals and evaluated your fitness level, you’ll be prepared to create a plan that will help you meet your objectives. The best plans include warm-ups, rest days and an exercise schedule that gradually increases the length, duration, and intensity of your workout. If you work out too hard or long, you’ll increase your risk of sprains, strains, fractures, inflammation, and overuse injuries.

Regular Chiropractic Care Can Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals

No matter how carefully you exercise, you may experience subluxations, or misalignments in the vertebrae in your spine. These misalignments can increase stress on specific parts of your body and cause pain, stiffness, decreased range of motion, headaches, and balance and posture issues. If your joints or muscles are stiff and tight, you may be more likely to experience an injury when you exercise.

Regular visits to your chiropractor will keep your spine properly aligned and your muscles and joints loose and flexible. During your appointments, your chiropractor can show you exercises that will help strengthen your muscles and discuss the importance of proper technique in preventing injuries. You’ll also discuss dietary changes you can make to support your workout goals.

Are you ready to begin a new fitness routine? We’d like to help you create your workout plan. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

National Health Statistics Report: Sports- and Recreation-related Injury Episodes in the United States, 2011–2014, 11/18/16

Harper’s Bazaar: The 12 Mistakes a Chiropractor Wants You to Stop Making in the Gym, 5/16/18

Spine Health: Exercise and Chiropractic Care, 3/14/13

American Academy Of Allergy Asthma & Immunology: Asthma and Exercise

Put Your Health First in the New Year with Chiropractic Care

The new year is the perfect time to reflect on your lifestyle and make a few changes to improve your health. Adding chiropractic treatments to your healthy living regimen can help you avoid illnesses and injuries or manage the symptoms of chronic conditions. More than just a treatment for aches and pains, chiropractic care offers a natural way to stay healthy.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help You

Chiropractors treat subluxations, spinal misalignments that not only cause pain and stiffness but also press on the nerves in your spinal column.

Your nervous system plays an important role in your health. Nerves travel to every part of your body and send and receive signals from your brain and spinal cord. If any part of the nerve signal transmission process is disrupted, bodily systems and functions can be affected.

Fortunately, your chiropractor can help you protect your health with treatments that correct subluxations and relax your muscles and joints. Benefits of chiropractic care include:

• Fewer Illnesses: Chiropractic treatments may reduce the number of colds and illnesses you experience this year. Subluxations can affect your ability to produce antibodies, proteins that kill bacteria and viruses. Correcting subluxations is an easy way to boost your immune system and avoid illnesses.
• No More Indigestion: Your nervous system controls the passage of food through each part of your gastrointestinal system. If food lingers too long in one area or passes through another part of your digestive system too quickly, you may experience indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or other unpleasant symptoms. Regular chiropractic treatments can help prevent or minimize digestive problems.
• Better Sleep: Insomnia may seem like a minor complaint, yet poor sleep can affect every aspect of your health. In fact, sleep issues may increase your risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart and kidney disease, according to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. Chiropractic care eases stress, muscle tension, and pain, helping you get a restful night’s sleep.
• Lower Blood Pressure: Correcting subluxations in your neck may be beneficial to your blood pressure levels. Patients with high blood pressure who had neck subluxations experienced a significant decrease in blood pressure after receiving spinal manipulation treatment during a Chicago research study. Blood pressure readings continued to be lower even eight weeks after treatment.
• Less Spine Pain: Years of wear and tear may affect your spine as you grow older, causing arthritis, disc problems, spinal stenosis, and other conditions. Chiropractic treatment improves joint and muscle movement, enhances range of motion, and decreases pressure on the nerves that can cause pain. Treatment can also prevent scar tissue and adhesions from forming and improve your balance, helping you avoid falls.
• Improved Control of Chronic Health Conditions: Scheduling regular visits to the chiropractor may help reduce the number of migraines you get or decrease fibromyalgia symptoms.
• Improved Breathing: Good nerve health is also essential for optimum lung function. When your spinal column is properly aligned, it may be easier to take deep breaths. Lung inflammation and asthma symptoms may also decrease.
• Less Stress and More Energy: It’s difficult to relax when your muscles are tight and painful. Spinal manipulation, massage, ultrasound therapy, and other chiropractic treatments ease your pain and may help lower your stress level. Fatigue caused by mild to severe chronic pain may stop you from enjoying life and participating in your favorite activities. Once your pain is eliminated or reduced, you just may discover that your energy level rebounds.

Is “improve my health” on your list of New Year’s resolutions? Keeping your resolution will be much easier if you make chiropractic care part of your life. Contact us to schedule your appointment.

Sources:

National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute: Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency

Chiropractic Economics: Chiropractic Adjustments Promote a Strong Immune System During the Holidays, 12/21/18

National Center: Access to Chiropractors May Reduce Medical Spending for Older Adults’ Spine-Related Services, 8/9/19

UChicago Medicine: Special Chiropractic Adjustment Lowers Blood Pressure Among Hypertensive Patients with Misaligned C-1 Vertebrae, 3/14/07

U.S. News & World Report: Surprise: Chiropractors Can Treat These 5 Conditions, 11/30/15

The Benefits of Using Collagen For Your Joints

Painful joints complicate even the simplest activities. Walking up a flight of stairs, bending or even rising from a seated position is much more difficult when your joints become stiff and painful. Collagen supplements promise to ease your pain naturally, but do they work?

What is Collagen?

Collagen is a natural protein produced by your body. It’s essential for:

• Healthy Skin: Collagen keeps your skin taut and supple. As collagen production decreases as you grow older, sagging and wrinkles occur, and the skin becomes dryer and thinner.
• Joint Function: High amounts of collagen are found in the cartilage at the ends of bones. Cartilage is the flexible tissue that absorbs shock and helps the bones in a joint glide together easily. Joint pain often occurs when cartilage decreases due to wear and tear or injuries.
• Muscle and Tendon Health: Reduced collagen production due to aging can also affect muscle strength and mass and loosen the tendons that connect muscles to bones in your joints. Your muscles help support your joints and are essential for normal joint function. Muscle weakness can be a contributing factor in joint pain.
• Strong Bones and Teeth: Collagen is also found in bones and is responsible for keeping your bones strong. As collagen production declines, you may be more likely to break your bones, even if you only experience a minor fall. Declining collagen production can also cause your teeth to become brittle and break easily.

What Are Collagen Supplements?

Collagen supplements are intended to replenish your body’s natural supply of the protein. Available in pill, powder, gummy or liquid form, the supplements are readily available in grocery stores, pharmacies, and from online stores. Type I and III collagen supplements are recommended if you want to improve the condition of your skin, while Type II collagen supplements are used for joint pain.

Can Collagen Supplements Ease Joint Pain?

Supplements can be helpful but not everyone notices a difference in joint pain after taking them. If your joint pain is due to osteoarthritis, the supplements are worth trying. They may help tighten the muscles and tendons that hold your joints together, improve muscle mass and rebuild cartilage.

In an article review published in the Journal of Arthritis, researchers evaluated clinical evidence and studies that explored the effectiveness of collagen supplements. They noted that collagen may be helpful in treating osteoarthritis joint pain, although more research is needed.

Other studies considered the effectiveness of bioactive collagen peptides (BCP) in treating joint pain in both athletes and non-athletes. After taking BCP daily for knee pain, athletes reported a 37.5 percent decrease in pain.

The non-athletes experienced similar results after taking the peptides for 12 weeks for hip and knee pain. Activity-related pain improved by 38 percent, while at rest pain improved by 39 percent.

Bone strength may also be improved by collagen supplements. Taking collagen regularly can help you avoid painful fractures by increasing the density and strength of your bones.

Collagen supplementation, coupled with chiropractic treatment, offers a natural way to treat joint pain. Your chiropractor can correct misalignments and muscle imbalances that cause or worsen joint pain. Treatments also reduce stress on your joints, promote healing, ease stiffness, and improve range of motion.

Are your joints stiff and achy? Chiropractic care can help you reduce your painful symptoms. Contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

Arthritis Foundation: Are Collagen Supplements Helpful for Arthritis?, 4/4/19

Penn Medicine: 4 Head-To-Toe Ways That Collagen Can Improve Your Health, 11/4/18

Journal of Arthritis: Efficacy of Oral Collagen in Joint Pain – Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis, 2/28/17

Osteoarthritis and Cartilage: Efficacy of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides in the Treatment of Joint Pain, 4/26

How to Stay Healthy Mentally and Physically When You’re a Caregiver

Taking care of others can be hard on your own health. In fact, 17 to 25 percent of caregivers say their health is fair or poor, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. That statistic isn’t surprising. Whether you’re caring for young children or elderly relatives, caregiving is a demanding, stressful job. Following these tips will help you avoid injuries and health issues while also reducing stress in your life.

Stay Active

Lack of exercise is a common issue among caregivers. At the end of a long day, it can be hard to find the energy to work out. Yet, inactivity can increase your risk of developing a variety of health problems, including:

• Obesity
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Osteoporosis
• Depression
• Colon, Breast or Uterine Cancer

Exercise offers a simple way to reduce your risk of developing these diseases and conditions. Even 10 or 15-minute exercise sessions can help you stay healthy. You don’t have to visit a gym or even leave the house to enjoy the benefits of exercise. Walking up and down the steps repeatedly, exercising to a video or jogging in place will get your blood flowing and help keep your heart, muscles, and bones strong.

Don’t Neglect Your Interests

You may have given up your favorite hobbies and leisure activities after you began caring for a friend or family member. Although your dedication is certainly commendable, you may soon feel depressed or stressed if your life only involves caregiving.

Find time to watch a favorite TV show, try the new restaurant in town or finish your woodworking project. If the person you care for requires 24-hour supervision, ask a friend to take over for you for a few hours or find out if home health agencies in your area offer respite care.

Make Your Health a Priority

You can’t take care of other people if you’re sick. Has your diet suffered since you became a caregiver? Eating a balanced diet is a crucial factor in good health. Make sure your meals include options from the major food groups and avoid carbohydrate-laden or sugary snacks.

Make (and keep) appointments with your doctor when you don’t feel well. The longer you put off receiving medical care, the worse your illness or condition can become. Visiting your doctor promptly will help you ensure that you’re well enough to care for your family member or friend.

Use Safe Lifting Techniques

Poor lifting techniques can cause injuries that make it difficult or impossible to care for your relative. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 17 percent of caregivers reported that they experienced 14 or more physically unhealthy days over a month’s time span.

Lifting with your legs while keeping your neck and head aligned can help you avoid injury, as can using a lifting belt to help transfer a person from a wheelchair or bed. No matter how cautiously you move, injuries can still happen. Don’t be reluctant to ask for help if you don’t think you can move the person safely.

See Your Chiropractor

It’s not unusual for caregivers to develop stiffness and pain, particularly in their necks and backs. Ignoring your symptoms may worsen pain and decrease your range of motion.

Regular visits to your chiropractor help you reduce pain and other symptoms. Using spinal manipulation, soft tissue mobilization, massage, and other techniques, your chiropractor can realign your spine, decrease muscle stiffness and pain, and speed healing of injured areas by increasing blood flow.

Both you and your family member or friend benefit when you take care of yourself. If caregiving is taking a toll on your body, we can help. Contact us to schedule your chiropractic appointment.

Sources:

American Heart Association: Top 10 Caregiver Tips for Staying Healthy and Active, 6/30/17

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Caregiving for Family and Friends – A Public Health Issue

Family Caregiver Alliance: Caregiver Statistics: Health, Technology and Caregiving Resources

Medline Plus: Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle

Can Chiropractic Treatment Improve Your Digestive Health?

Chiropractic treatment doesn’t just ease aches and pains in your joints and muscles. The therapy may also offer an effective treatment option if you have frequent stomachaches, reflux, constipation, and other gastrointestinal conditions.

How Chiropractic Treats the Source of Your Gut Problems

Your nervous system controls every part of your body, including your gastrointestinal system. A collection of nerves branches out from the lower part of your spinal cord and travels to your stomach and intestines. Nerves carry messages from one part of the body to another and play an essential role in digestion, movement of food through the gastrointestinal system, absorption of nutrients and minerals, and removal of waste products via the intestines.

Misalignments of your vertebrae, known as “subluxations,” interfere with the way nerves function. When the vertebrae aren’t properly aligned, bones or spinal discs can press against nerves, pinching or compressing them. This can cause the organs to malfunction, resulting in heartburn, gas, cramping, diarrhea, constipation or other symptoms. Muscle tension in your abdomen can also contribute to digestive problems, whether it occurs due to stress or as a result of sitting for hours every day.

Chiropractic treatment is aimed at relieving pressure on your nerves, joints, and muscles by realigning the vertebrae in your spine. Spinal manipulation or mobilization are two techniques that are commonly used to improve the alignment of your spinal column. Quick thrusts realign vertebrae during spinal manipulation, while slower, gentler movements are used during mobilization. Massage and other therapeutic techniques may also be part of your treatment plan.

Chiropractic Care Is a Good Option for GERD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Other Digestive Conditions

Digestive problems are particularly common in the U.S. and affect 60 to 70 million people, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ Digestive Disease Statistics for the United States report.

Twenty million people experience reflux, a common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), at least once a week, the report notes. GERD affects both children and adults and can cause heartburn, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, belching, and difficulty swallowing. Reflux occurs when stomach acids travel out of the stomach and into the esophagus.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a type of medication often used to treat GERD symptoms. The medication works by reducing acid production in the stomach. Unfortunately, PPIs can cause unpleasant side effects including diarrhea, constipation, headaches, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting. You may also be more likely to fracture a bone if you fall because PPIs may interfere with your body’s absorption of calcium.

Even more concerning is the potential long-term effects on your stomach, heart, and kidneys. A recent study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System uncovered a link between PPI use and chronic kidney disease, stomach cancer, and fatal cases of cardiovascular disease.

Reflux and other GERD symptoms can occur if nerves that serve the stomach and esophagus malfunction and irritate these organs. Chiropractic treatment relieves irritation and restores normal functioning.

Chiropractic care can also help you manage the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In a Chinese study, IBS patients who received spinal manipulation treatment five times experienced a significant reduction in the severity and frequency of their symptoms.

Chiropractic treatment is an excellent choice no matter what type of gastrointestinal issue you have. It may reduce flare-ups of Crohn’s disease, help relieve chronic constipation, decrease abdominal pain and bloating, and even ease colic in infants.

Don’t let digestive issues affect your quality of life. Chiropractic treatment can help you control your symptoms and may even allow you to reduce your dependence on medications. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Digestive Disease Statistics for the United States

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/digestive-diseases

Washington University School of Medicine: Heartburn Drugs Linked to Fatal Heart and Kidney Disease, Stomach Cancer, 5/30/19

Heartburn drugs linked to fatal heart and kidney disease, stomach cancer

NCBI: Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treated by Traditional Chinese Orthopedic Manipulation, 12/12

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23427390

The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association: What Effect Does Chiropractic Treatment Have on Gastrointestinal GI Disorders: A Narrative Review of the Literature, 6/15

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4486990/

How Meditation Contributes to Overall Health

Meditation offers many benefits for your mental and emotional health. Regular meditation reduces stress and anxiety, improves your mood and decreases symptoms of depression. Adding meditation to your daily schedule may also help you lower your risk of some health conditions and diseases.

Asthma Attacks May Decrease

Strong odors, smoke, and illnesses often trigger asthma flares, but emotions can play a role too. If you’re stressed or upset, you’re more likely to experience asthma symptoms. Meditation can help you calm yourself when you begin to feel worried, stressed or anxious. Practicing meditation every day is a simple way to avoid flare-ups and keep your asthma under control.

Your Blood Pressure May Lower

Your emotions can also be a contributing factor if you have high blood pressure. The more stressed or agitated you become, the more your blood pressure soars. Unfortunately, uncontrolled high blood pressure can increase your risk of heart attack, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and other health problems. Meditation, along with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and medication, can help you keep your blood pressure at a safe level.

After reviewing 19 clinical studies on the effects of medication on hypertension, researchers concluded that non-transcendental meditation was a promising treatment option for high blood pressure. Their meta-analysis appeared in the April 2017 issue of the Journal of Hypertension.

Tired of Living with Menopausal Symptoms? Try Meditation

Menopause is referred to as “the change of life” for good reason. The end of your menstrual cycle is just one of the many changes you can expect during this time. Hot flashes, irritability, difficulty sleeping, brittle nails and itchy skin are among the symptoms that can accompany menopause. Meditation may improve your moods, decrease insomnia and reduce the number and intensity of hot flashes.

Meditation May Offer a Solution for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain can be very difficult to treat. Medications wear off quickly, can be addictive, and often have side effects. People who have chronic pain may have decreased levels of body awareness, according to a group of researchers who studied the effects of mindfulness on chronic pain and depression.

Body awareness refers to the ability to understand how the parts of your body function together and how your body occupies the space around you. The research, which appeared in Frontiers in Psychology, demonstrated that mindfulness can improve body awareness. Once awareness improves, pain may decrease.

Meditation May Decrease Inflammation Responsible for Multiple Conditions

It’s hard to overlook a red, inflamed wound, but inflammation isn’t so obvious when it occurs internally. Chronic inflammation may cause or contribute to a variety of diseases and health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, hay fever, cancer, hardening of the arteries, rheumatoid arthritis, and gum disease. A reduction in inflammation just may be one of the most important effects of meditation.

Meditation Offers a Simple Way to Prevent Respiratory Infections

Would you like to avoid colds and the flu? Regular meditation may reduce your risk of developing acute respiratory infections (ARIs), according to research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ARIs are colds, flu, and flu-like illnesses.

Participants aged 30 to 69 were divided into three groups during the study. One group practiced mindfulness meditation, another participated in an exercise program, while a third group served as the control group. Throughout the four-year study, 120 people in the exercise group and 134 in the control group had ARIs, but only 112 people in the meditation group suffered from respiratory infections.

Practicing meditation, in addition to receiving chiropractic care, can help improve your mental and physical health. Are you ready to take advantage of the many benefits of meditation? Contact us for more information on how meditation may reduce your risk of some health complications.

Sources:

Journal of Hypertension: Meditation and Blood Pressure, 4/17

https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/Abstract/2017/04000/Meditation_and_blood_pressure__a_meta_analysis_of.5.aspx

University of Wisconsin-Madison: Exercise and Meditation Appear to Reduce Common Colds and Flu, 7/3/18

https://www.med.wisc.edu/news-and-events/2018/july/exercise-meditation-reduce-common-colds-flu/

Mayo Clinic: Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way to Reduce Stress

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: 8 Things to Know About Meditation for Health

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/meditation

Scholar.Harvard: Frontiers in Psychology: Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Body Awareness in Patients with Chronic Pain and Comorbid Depression

https://scholar.harvard.edu/sara_lazar/publications/effects-mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-body-awareness-patients-chronic

Prevention: 7 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Meditation, According to Experts

https://www.prevention.com/health/a22679621/health-benefits-of-meditation/