We often hear that good posture is essential for good health. We recognize poor posture when we see it formed as a result of bad habits carried out over years and evident in many adults. But only few people have a real grasp of the importance and necessity of good posture.
Why is good posture important? Good posture helps us stand, walk, sit, and lie in positions that place the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement and weight-bearing activities. Correct posture:
• Helps us keep bones and joints in correct alignment so that our muscles are used correctly, decreasing the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in degenerative arthritis and joint pain. • Reduces the stress on the ligaments holding the spinal joints together, minimizing the likelihood of injury. • Allows muscles to work more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy and, therefore, preventing muscle fatigue. • Helps prevent muscle strain, overuse disorders, and even back and muscular pain.
Several factors contribute to poor posture-most commonly, stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and high-heeled shoes. In addition, decreased flexibility, a poor work environment, incorrect working posture, and unhealthy sitting and standing habits can also contribute to poor body positioning.
How do I sit properly?
• Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor. • Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees. • Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat. • Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips. • Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support. • Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground. • Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.
How do I stand properly?
• Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet. • Keep your knees slightly bent. • Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart. • Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body. • Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward. • Tuck your stomach in. • Keep your head level-your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side. • Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you have to stand for a long time.
What is the proper lying position? • Find the mattress that is right for you. While a firm mattress is generally recommended, some people find that softer mattresses reduce their back pain. Your comfort is important. • Sleep with a pillow. Special pillows are available to help with postural problems resulting from a poor sleeping position. • Avoid sleeping on your stomach. • Sleeping on your side or back is more often helpful for back pain. • If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs. • If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.
Your doctor of chiropractic can assist you with proper posture, including recommending exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles. He or she can also assist you with choosing proper postures during your activities, helping reduce your risk of injury.
ACA – Tips to Maintain Good Posture.
Drug-induced Nutrient Depletions
These are just three of the most common medications on the market today. This is a list of their side-effects on nutrient depletions.
Aspirin – B6, B2, Vitamins C & D, Folic Acid, Iron and Potassium
Birth Control Pill – B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Vitamin C, Calcium, Folic Acid, Magnesium and Zinc
Antacid – B1, Vitamin A, Copper, Folic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus
According to the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook, every prescription drug ever made will cause specific nutrient depletions. That means drugs like Ritalin, Prozac, Adderall, Strattera will cause nutrient depletions that may in fact have the same side-effects you are medicating.
http://www.resultsproject.net/Causes.pdf
Some of the depletions on this link, may be traced back to your medications.
To look up nutrient depletions by your drugs click this link:
http://www.resultsproject.net/depletions_by_drugs_reference.html
Aspirin – Nutrient Depletion and its Symptoms
B2 – red eyes, skin lesions, dizziness, hair loss, inability to sleep, sensitivity to light, poor digestion, anemia, nerve disease
B6 – anemia, seizures, headaches, nausea, dry & flaky skin, sore tongue, cracks on mouth, vomiting
Vit. C – poor wound healing, bleeding gums, easily bruised, nosebleeds, lack of energy, susceptibility to infection, scurvy
Vit. D – In Infants: irreversible bone deformities, In children: rickets, delayed tooth development, weak muscles, softened skull, In adults: osteoporosis, osteomalcia, hypocalcemia
Calcium – muscle spasms, rickets, osteoporosis & osteomalcia
Folic Acid – Anemia, irritability, weakness, sleep disturbances, pallor, sore & reddened tongue
Iron – Anemia, dry coarse hair, dysphasia, dizziness, fatigue, hair loss, cracked lips or tongue, nervousness and slowed mental response.
Potassium – Dry skin, acne, chills, diarrhea, impaired cognitive function, muscle spasms, arrhythmia, edema, glucose intolerance, insomnia, elevated cholesterol, decreased blood pressure
“You can’t treat one symptom with a medication that will in turn cause 10 more symptoms and ever get ahead. If you are not using integrative medical nutrient therapy with all of your medications, you can expect the symptoms to outnumber the treatment.”
Reg McDaniel, MD.
Sources: Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook, by R. Pelton et al.: Physician’s Desk Reference
CHIROPRACTIC HELP OR EXERCISE…
THAT IS THE QUESTION
A question often arises for people considering a visit to a Chiropractor for
assistance with a sports injury or a life discomfort.
And that question is this: Do I really need Chiropractic help, or will a well
designed exercise and stretching program bring the relief that I’m looking to
find?
An investigation recently sought an answer to that question regarding a
common type of problem involving pain in the back region. Persons with
spinal disc problems experiencing a pain that often traveled down to the
lower leg were invited to participate in a study aimed at investigating levels of
relief.
The study involved a widely-used Chiropractic technique known as flexion-
distraction. Flexion refers to the stretching of the affected area and distraction
involves hand-pumping motions delivered by the chiropractor to
decompress a region of the spine. The technique is delivered with the patient
lying face down on a specialized bench that facilitates stretching and is available
in many Chiropractic offices.
The 235 persons involved were divided into two study groups. One group
received Chiropractic treatment in the form of flexion-distraction. The second
group participated in an exercise-physical therapy program. The progress
of all subjects was followed for one year with questionnaires to assess levels of
pain and dysfunction.
While both groups reported improvements, subjects who received
Chiropractic care had significantly lower pain scores than those who received
physical therapy. These results brought the authors to the following conclusion:
Chiropractic treatment was found to be more effective in reducing pain
for one year when compared to the physical therapy.
SOURCE:
With more and more teens participating in sports these days, the chances for an accident
or injury to the neck, spinal column, and back are higher than ever. In few other
sports than pole vaulting, is the possibility for a life-changing injury possible with every
attempted leap toward the sky.
One dramatic case of a 17-year-old pole vaulter who fell on his head from a height of
10 feet did have a very happy conclusion as a result of Chiropractic intervention.
However, before he sought the help of a Chiropractor who put his body back in working
order, his life was anything but pleasant.
The athlete was competing in a high school track meet when the accident occurred.
Immediately after the fall on his head from about 10 feet above ground he noticed the
onset of neck pain that was focused at the base of his skull. His condition only worsened
from that point in time.
Soon he began suffering from back pains, which he described as unbearable, everyday
occurrences. He also reported daily headaches with severe migraines occurring approximately
3 days per week. Several days after the accident, he began experiencing blackouts
— some time later were identified as petit mal seizures. These increased until he had
them 4 times per day.
Within 6 months he was experiencing depression, loss of appetite, lethargy, lack of
concern for himself and erratic sleeping patterns. As time went on, he even had a bout
with illegal drugs and rehabilitation. These symptoms continued for 6 long years. During
this time period, he and his parents consulted with approximately 24 medical practitioners.
Prescribed medications and treatments all failed.
Finally, the young man sought the help of a chiropractor. An examination was performed
and the patient was found to be suffering from a subluxation (a minor misalignment
of the vertebra) to the upper neck. The chiropractor immediately began a course of
adjustments to correct the subluxation and to reduce pressure on nerves in the area.
The results were nothing short of life-changing for the young man. After one month of
care he reported an absence of seizures, reduced depression and improved sleep patterns.
After 4 months, migraine headaches were reduced to only about 2 per month. Within 7
months, all of the symptoms were completely gone. One final follow-up 18 months later
showed all symptoms remained gone. How different could 6 years of this young athlete’s
life have been had he visited a chiropractor immediately after he had the accident!
Source: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/NEWSchiropractic_life.html
A CHIROPRACTOR IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM COULD BE
THE RIGHT DOCTOR AT THE RIGHT TIME
People who accidentally find themselves in the unfortunate situation of needing
hospital emergency room services may soon have a greater likelihood of
discovering that the services of a chiropractor will be available to them. For
some, this could be the most fortunate part about their ER visit.
This trend toward chiropractors working in the ER setting is gaining support
in the state of New York. How it develops there, and how medical doctors and
patients alike receive it, could have an influence on how quickly the idea
spreads to other areas of the country.
It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think of many ways that Chiropractic
services could benefit a person in the ER. Car accident victims, persons who
experience falls in the home, sports injuries and even simple twists and sprain
sufferers could often be handled more quickly and efficiently with the special
expertise that Chiropractic training would bring to the table in both diagnosis
and treatment.
How the idea of chiropractors in the ER spreads across the country may
depend to some degree on how it is promoted and accepted in New York.
Currently, the head of the New York State Chiropractic Association is leading a
campaign to initiate wide-scale inclusion of services into state hospitals. Doing
so involves educating chiropractors and medical doctors alike to the benefits of
working cooperatively to provide patient services.
Chiropractic integration into emergency rooms in New York City is moving
forward in one very busy hospital setting. The newly slated Emergency
Department Director at the hospital established an on-call program within
weeks of taking over on her new job. She declared that, “adding chiropractors
to the ED [Emergency Department] was the best change I had witnessed in all
my years as an ED physician.”
SOURCE:
WHEN IT COMES TO REACTION,
CHIROPRACTIC MAKES PEOPLE FASTER
A trained athlete must bring many skills to the game. These included excellent
conditioning, coordination, speed, quickness, and knowledge of the game. All of these
items are likely worked on over and over again in the course of one’s training to
participate in a contest. One item maybe overlooked in this process that could be vital
to success is reaction time. A person’s ability to react quickly in the heat of a contest
could have everything to do with whether or not he or his team wins.
Now comes very good news that Chiropractic adjustments can have a positive effect
on this much needed ability. Not only does the potential for improved reactions apply
to the playing field, but it could be a valuable skill to have in other areas of life as well.
The New Zealand School of Chiropractic recently conducted a very interesting
study to test the effects of Chiropractic adjustments on reaction time. In this study two
groups were used to check reaction times. One group received upper cervical (neck)
adjustments, while the other group was a control group for comparison and only
received a short period of rest.
The results showed a marked improvement for the group that received an
adjustment over the group that got nothing but rest. The group that got only rest did
show an average decrease in reaction time of 58 milli-seconds, which represented an 8
percent quicker reaction time. The group that received the Chiropractic adjustment
showed a decrease in reaction time of 97 milli-seconds representing a 14.8 percent
quicker reaction time.
The implications are far reaching. Imagine the benefit to the athlete who depends
on reaction times in order to perform at a competitive level. Imagine also the benefits
of being able to react more quickly to traffic situations or any other crisis life might
dish out.
Today many top-name athletes are regular Chiropractic patients. In addition to
successful recovery from injury, most report the ability to perform better and faster
with Chiropractic care. Now, thanks to this study from New Zealand, there is scientific
proof of what the athletes have been reporting all along.
At Citrus Regional Clinic of Chiropractic, our goal is to help you live a happier, healthier, pain-free life. You may be among the thousands of patients who already enjoy the benefits of restored health through modern chiropractic care, without the use of drugs or surgery. We welcome you to our patient-friendly facility featuring state of the art painless and precise X-ray and instrument spinal adjusting procedures.
Our helpful staff is attentive to your health challenges and to you, personally. Our purpose is to gain your greatest confidence, offer comfort and assist you in the quickest recovery possible. We want your experience to be stress-free and rewarding. We accurately analyze your condition and recommend treatment customized to your specific needs. Whether you suffer from headaches, back pain or other acute problems to chronic, frustrating conditions that continually drain your energy and quality of life, we take your health needs seriously.
Discover the advantages of precision chiropractic care that works in harmony with your body. We practice with the attitude of “do no harm” as we help your body realize its optimum health potential, avoiding the often dangerous side effects of drugs and risks involved with surgery.
Our approach involves identifying and correcting the underlying cause of your suffering, not just covering it up. Be comforted knowing you can rely on our clinical excellence and track record of results. We look forward to helping you and your family on the path to better health.