Chiropractor Seattle believes strongly in pediatric chiropractic for kids, along with good nutrition and healthy activity, the earlier in life, the better. With that in mind, you will find the following information helpful: At times, it can seem tiring making an effort to keep up with a five-year-old. If you’ve been around an active child of this age, or if you have one of your own, you may have found yourself longing for the kid to just stop moving for a little while. However, recent research is recognizing the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, according to a new University of Iowa study, instead of trying to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds should be aided in being as active as possible. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Being active at age five helps kids to avoid excess fat as they age even if they don’t stay as active later in childhood. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.

Using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat, and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movment every minute, the UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kis at ages five, eight, and eleven. The kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days, providing much more dependable data than relying on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven, even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity. The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.

Although further research is required to learn what happens to the bodies of the active kids that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it may be possible that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something happened metabolically that provided some protection even as they became less active.

Weight moderation, however, isn’t the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have observed in my own practice that active kids have fewer common childhood health problems, such as catching colds and the flu. Chiropractic treatment is, naturally, exceptionally beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that occurs during activities, especially those that necessitate “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.

Many children these days are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, lack of exercise is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than to participate in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous activity will not only benefit your child now, but will help to build a healthier future. You can bank on it!

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Chiropractor Seattle knows that neck pain and other musculoskeletal problems can develop from the repetitive stress of using a computer. If you sit for extended periods at a computer, you may be experiencing lower back pain, upper back pain, and/or neck pain that also radiates down one or both of your arms generating additional pain, pins and needles, or numbness. Neck and shoulder pain are, in fact, the most common upper-extremity musculoskeletal problems among computer users. In a 2002 study tracking 632 computer users newly hired at major Atlanta companies, Dr. Fredric E. Gerr, an occupational medicine physician and ergonomics investigator at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues observed that roughly 60 percent developed neck or shoulder pain in the first year, though the study did not track how long symptoms persisted.

Younger generations growing up in the digital age are also joining the ranks of the “typing wounded.” Surveys at two universities found that 40 to 50 percent of undergraduates experienced upper-extremity pain from using their computers. Colleges do not build dormitory furniture to be ergonomically adjustable, said Dr. Benjamin Amick, scientific director of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto, who was a co-author of those studies. “They build it to be indestructible.”

In addition to repetitive stress problems, sitting at your computer too long places your upper back in a sustained, stressful posture, especially if you tend to lean forward when you’re working. This also puts your neck at an unnatural and strained angle. Lower back pain, in addition to being generated by simply sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving around, is aggravated by bad posture.

Problems caused by extended computer use can not only lead to an inability to perform your work duties, but can keep you from enjoying the rest of your life, too. Your Seattle chiropractor can assist in eliminating the lower back pain, upper back pain, and/or neck pain that you are currently experiencing. After that, it is important for you to become mindful of your body as you sit at your computer, and to give your body what it naturally needs. You can cultivate the habit of both sitting straight in your chair (as opposed to slouching) and relaxing your shoulders. This will help to relieve tension in your lower and upper back and neck. Take time to stretch periodically to ease muscle tension and encourage healthy blood flow. If your work station permits, sitting on an exercise ball can not only aid in keeping you in a beneficial posture, but can help to strengthen your core muscles as well. (Make sure that the ball is the right size so that when you are seated on it your arms are at a ninety-degree angle to your keyboard.)

Good posture for ease of movement, variety in the motions that you do, and short breaks to relax and stretch will go a long way in keeping your computer work (or play) pain-free.

Partial source: The New York Times, Health Review, June 22, 2009

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Chiropractor Seattle knows that allergies can make everyday life a misery. Unwelcome symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash can be the consequence of a simple walk in the garden, a play date with Fluffy, a shellfish stew, or even something as small as a nut. To make things worse, for some of us allergic reactions can progress from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as our air passageway becomes constricted and we have a difficult time breathing. It may even seem to you, from time to time, that your environment is a pretty unfriendly place and that the world around you is, in fact, out to get you!

Why does your body react, or rather overreact, to the environment with such an intense allergic reaction while other people appear to be unaffected? It’s a great question. The answer is that some individuals, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that literally “freaks out” when they are confronted with common substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.

Can your chiropractor in Seattle help with your allergy symptoms? You may be surprised by the answer. Even though chiropractic care doesn’t treat allergies, many individuals notice that they experience ease from their allergy symptoms after receiving chiropractic adjustments. The reason for this is because chiropractic adjustments affect the complete nervous system, including the autoimmune system. When there’s a disruption in the nervous system, in conjunction with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose responsibility it is to assist us in adapting and responding appropriately to our environment, can become under-active or overactive. In the case of your allergies, the problem is the latter. Because chiropractic adjustments reduce or remove disturbances in the nervous system and bring back balance and harmony to the body, the treatments bring that same balance and harmony to the auto-immune system as well. A healthy immune system responds appropriately to commonly named allergens in the environment.

So, as pointed out above, your chiropractor doesn’t actually treat allergies. You could say, rather, that a decrease in your allergies is simply a part of a healthy nervous system. Make an appointment, today, to see your chiropractor and get back into harmony with your environment.

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Chiropractor Seattle knows that good balance is crucial for an individual to be able to regulate and maintain body position while mobile or staying still. Good balance helps an individual to walk without wobbling, arise from a sitting position without falling, and to climb stairs without stumbling.

Approximately 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, disclose having problems with balance. Good balance is essential in helping an older person to stay independent, and perform daily chores and activities. Many older people, however, suffer from dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance.

The term, vertigo, refers to the experience that a number of people have that they, themselves, or their environment is spinning. About 40 percent of people nationwide will encounter dizziness that is serious enough to go seek out a health professional. And, among older adults, falls are the most widespread cause of serious injury and deaths.

Balance and Inner Ear Challenges

Three types of balance disorders that are most familiar are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, although there are a variety of other kinds of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common. It occurs as a brief, intense experience of vertigo when a person changes head position. It can also be experienced when rolling over to the left or right in bed, upon getting out of bed in the morning, or when looking up for an object on a high shelf. This problem is more likely to occur in adults 60 and older, however it can also take place in younger individuals.

There are an assortment of reasons for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can produce the problem. While it can be associated with other disease processes, frequently a simple Epleys procedure can correct the problem. Your Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.

Labyrinthitis is an infection or iagitation of the inner ear that produces dizziness and loss of balance. It affects adults of any age and the cause is currently undiscovered.

Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that produces vertigo, hearing loss that comes and goes, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.

Age is not the only reason these afflictions take place, but older persons are more likely to encounter balance disorders. Therapy for balance disorders varies based upon the reason. A chiropractor is well-educated in assessing and treating many of the causes. On occasion, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the solution to balance challenges. Consult a health care professional, such as your Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.

Although some balance disorders are produced by problems in the inner ear, other disorders may involve another area of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Other influences, in addition to aging and ear infection, may involve head injury, certain medicines, interferences with blood circulation, upper respiratory infections, viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, stroke, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease.

Balance disorders created by high blood pressure can normally be managed by less sodium intake,sustaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To aid in making the symptoms of dizziness less severe, frequently eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and staying away from caffeine and alcohol, will help.

Balance disorders are dangerous. It is the most prevalent cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is extremely important to have a suspected balance disorder analysed and treated as soon as possible.

If you can answer “yes” to any of the questions listed below, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:

• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”

• Does the room seem to spin around you?

• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?

• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?

• Do you feel as if you are falling?

• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”

• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your chiropractor today.

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Chiropractor Seattle is an expert when it comes to relieving shoulder pain and helping you to avoid future problems. Your shoulders carry plenty of responsibility. They are depended upon to carry out many different actions in the course of your day. This array of complex motion aids you in every area of your life – at work and at play. But, you you have been overburdening your shoulders if you are currently feeling shoulder pain. Namely, you might be participating in repetitive activities such as lifting and other arm actions, particularly those done overhead, like throwing a baseball, swinging a golf club or tennis racket, or merely putting things on overhead shelves. These kinds of repetitive movements can inflame the nerves in the area, put stress on the joints, and produce wear and tear of the tissues surrounding the joints. These repetitive activities shouldn’t actually produce pain if your shoulder is healthy. However, if you are experiencing pain in your shoulder, it is evidence that there’s a dysfunction that needs to be addressed.

When the nerves are irritated, your shoulder muscles often become taut, even weak, and movement is painful and confined. This often occurs in the ligaments and a group of muscles (and their tendon attachments) referred to as the rotator cuff. These muscles and tendons connect your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade and also help secure the ball of your upper arm stably in its shoulder socket. It is the arrangement of this elegant combination that permits the most superior range of motion of any joint in your body.

The severity of this shoulder impingement syndrome can vary from a slight “catching” pain upon movement (in particular lifting your arm overhead), to an almost total inability to use the shoulder. It is very important not to either disregard your shoulder pain or keep doing an activity while in pain. It is essential for you to get help for your shoulder problem as quickly as you’re able because the pain will only go from bad to worse. Regrettably, if left untreated, some shoulder challenges, such as Rotator Cuff Syndrome, often end up requiring surgery and a long rehabilitation. Your chiropractor in Seattle is an expert in the area of muscular-skeletal conditions, and knows what to do to relieve your suffering. Chiropractic management addresses the reason for your shoulder pain and it corrects it at its source. Your chiropractor will aid in restoring healthy mobility to your shoulder joints, and will also suggest rehabilitation exercises that will not only support you in getting rid of the shoulder problem you have now, but will aid you in preventing shoulder conditions in the future.

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Chiropractor Seattle is an advocate when it comes to pediatric chiropractic because giving children that extra health boost in life is important. Earache, for instance, is the most widespread reason for office visits to pediatricians. By the age of three years, more than 70 percent of children will have had at least one episode of earache, and about a third will have had three or more occurrences. It may be surprising, however, that earache is also the most widespread occurrence for children under the age of five years to be taken to the chiropractor’s office.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Earache and Ear Infections

A pediatrician who thinks that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will normally prescribe antibiotics as a customary course of treatment. Current study, however, has concluded that this type of treatment is often misguided. The reason for the child’s middle ear infection may not be due to bacteria, and inasmuch as antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, many times there will be no positive reaction. The reason for this is that numerous cases of middle ear infection can be produced by a virus, and viruses do not respond to antibiotics. This may explain why children develop chronic ear infections.

One of the purposes of a chiropractor is to establish if the reason for the body’s incapability of combatting the earache or ear infection is produced by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine (called free nerve endings).

When these nerve endings are irritated, an undue tension is generated in the small muscles of the neck. This muscle tension can put pressure on the lymphatic drainage ducts resulting in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, hence stopping the body from being able to naturally fix the problem. In addition, balance can also be affected.

Assessment by a chiropractor of such a problem is made by the detection of increased tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles. Usually more tension is felt on the side of earache. In addition, the chiropractor will check to see which spinal vertebrae are either moderately out of alignment or not moving within their normal range. This affliction may have been due to any one of the many bangs, jolts and falls that the majority of children undergo in the early years of their life. Restoration of normal lymph drainage is usually accomplished with a short regimen of treatments that include spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles. If your child is experiencing the pain of an earache or an ear infection, call your chiropractor as soon as possible.

Advanced Research and Guidelines

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection, the most prevalent childhood illness after the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits every year. In addition, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are causelessly prescribed for the affliction.Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines for treating pediatric ear inflammation, and definitively recommended a period of “watchful waiting” since, in many cases, infections clear up on their own, without medication.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) endorses the AAP on the guidelines and emphasizes that chiropractic care is a “good first option” for treating ear infection conservatively. “Doctors of chiropractic have been treating children for decades with great success – helping them to avoid painful ear infections, antibiotic overuse and resistance, and ear tube surgery,” said ACA President Donald Krippendorf, DC. “Particularly when dealing with young children, drugs and surgery should be an absolute last resort.”

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Chiropractor Seattle strongly believes in the health benefits of pediatric chiropractic. Today’s moms and dads are more worried than ever about the negative effects pharmaceuticals have on their children. Moms and dads are more often asking, when given a prescription for a child’s reoccurring problem, “Is this really all I can do for my child? Isn’t there a safer alternative?”

Parents are disinclined to simply mask symptoms with medication, and they are frightened about side effects. Their desire to attain a state of true health for their children has encouraged moms and dads to look for health care alternatives that assist their child’s own inherent ability to be healthy.

Chiropractic care is that option. All children function better with 100% nerve function. The immune system is regulated by the nervous system. When it is working optimally, children stay healthier.  In the case of children’s health, “the best offense is a good defense.” Children are exposed to so many health-endangering illnesses every day that it would be unfeasible to immunize them against them all, even if there were such immunization available. Your Chiropractor is very familiar with colds, sore throats, ear infections, fevers, colic, asthma, tonsillitis, allergies, bed-wetting, infections, pains, falls, stomach-aches, and the hundred and one little (and big) things children go through as they are growing up.

Most illnesses that affect children are avoidable. Chiropractic treatment helps to remove interferences to the inherent healing power that runs through your child’s body. When that power is released, the changes that take place quite frequently are profound.

Furthermore, a child is lesslikely to be injured at play or in sports when his or her spine is in alignment. In addition, children who get adjusted on a regular basis don’t seem to experience as many “growing pains” as other children.

Lately, we are finding at your Chiropractor that more and more parents are bringing their children to us for everyday childhood health concerns. Every child is entitled to manifest their entire potentiality. Chiropractic care for children at your chiropractor is safe, gentle and effective.

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Chiropractor Seattle knows that there are many reasons for neck pain. Our pillow, bed, or sleep position is not always responsible for our stiff and painful neck when we get up in the morning. We also try to figure out what is taking place when sudden neck movement causes a sharp pain that feels as if “something” has slipped out of position or that a nerve is being “pinched.” Though it may seem so, one singular event is seldom the cause of most neck problems, but instead the cumulative effects of unsuitable sitting posture, unhealthy work and lifestyle habits, and lack of proper exercise for strength and flexibility. Obviously, some neck misalignments are due to traumatic events such as a whiplash accident, a fall, or a sports injury.

To understand neck pain, it is helpful to have knowledge of the anatomy of the spine. The movement of the spine is guided by neck vertebrae that are made of posterior joints, called facets, that link vertebrae to one another. Inter-vertebral discs, made of dense cartilage, join the “bodies” of the vertebrae. This strong cartilage covers the nucleus, a soft material in the center of the inter-vertebral discs. The discs act as shock absorbers and spacers between the vertebrae. The spinal cord is situated between the facets of the vertebrae. The spinal nerves go out from the spine between the vertebrae and supply the energy to make the muscles and other organs of the body function. They also carry impulses from the body to the brain regarding pain, touch, position, temperature, as well as other senses.  The nerves that exit from the neck are in charge of the entire upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and hand, as well as structures of the head and neck. The neck has a natural forward curve when looked at from the side that helps properly balance the weight of the head, as well as to decrease stress on the neck joints. For more information please feel free to visit your Chiropractor.

Risk Factors: Neck Pain and Computer Use

Computer use has risen dramatically over the years, at home and in the workplace. Nowadays, many people spend eight to ten hours a day, or more, bent over a keyboard and staring at a monitor. When we sit with our head in a forward bent position-the posture that most desk workers assume-the ligaments that hold the facets together and the muscles in the neck are put under immense strain. Furthermore, the normal forward curve of the neck may become reversed and produce more stress on the surrounding tissue of the neck. Awkward posture and repetitive stress can cause spinal problems including disc herniation and subluxations, which are the primary causes of spinal nerve inflammation. Conjointly with general pain, spinal nerve pain in the neck can generate symptoms like headaches, eye problems, giddiness, arm and hand pain (and paraesthesia), as well as shoulder pain.

Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Headaches or migraines are usually associated with misalignments of the cervical spine. Symptoms, from a dull ache to throbbing pain, are produced when the cervical vertebrae lose their normal position or motion and sensitive nerves and blood vessels, related to structures in the head are stretched or agitated. Trigger points, the tight knots in the muscles of the neck, can also refer pain to the head.  Many other factors are associated with headaches such as toxic fumes, certain foods, additives such as MSG, alcohol, caffeine, and stress. Nevertheless, the alignment of the neck and the inflammation of surrounding tissues should be a main consideration when treating headaches and migraines. Chiropractic care has been shown to singularly valuable in the treatment of headaches. Your Chiropractor can give you further information regarding treatment and pain relief.

Whiplash and Chiropractic Care

Many people are involved in car accidents. By far the most common auto accident is when one car collides into the rear-end of another car. During such a collision, the head of the passenger in the front car is powerfully jerked back, and then forward, causing damage to the structure of both the front and back of the neck. This sort of trauma is often called a whiplash. Even at low speeds, the amount of force arising from such an accident is very intense and can cause trauma to the ligaments, muscles, facet joints, discs, and spinal nerves. Whiplash injury includes neck pain and immobility, and other symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vertigo, arm and should pain, tingling in the hands and fingers, and weakness of the arms and hand. It is crucial to get immediate evaluation and x-rays to rule out the possibility of fracture. Usually in almost all cases, the injuries are primarily to the soft tissues and joints. Proper care is essential in healing from the pain and symptoms of whiplash, and also to prevent future disability. Your Chiropractor is educated to understand whiplash injury, and is more than capable of managing the case from injury to recovery.

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Chiropractor Seattle knows that many women wonder if it advisable to get their spine checked while pregnant. To begin with, “yes,” it is highly advisable to get adjusted while you are pregnant. Obviously, your body is going through many changes, and these adjustments will continue as the pregnancy progresses. One change that goes basically unnoticed is your body’s increased production of the hormone elastin. This hormone is designed to relax the tendons in the pelvis. this easing gives the pelvis more flexibility during the birthing process to make delivering the baby easier.

This process, despite the fact that its function is to assist the mother during labor, can create a lot of back pain in the months leading up to the birth. As the pregnancy advances, more elastin is released, which allows the pelvis to become increasingly more unstable. In combination with the increased size of the baby and uterus, and you have the ingredients for severe low back pain. As an Chiropractor, I currently have several pregnant patients coming into my office for symptoms associated with their pregnancy, but generally it is for their low back pain.

One side benefit of having your spine and pelvis checked by a chiropractor regularly during your pregnancy is that there is proof that it can actually decrease labor time. How can it do that? Simply put, if the pelvis is aligned properly, the muscles contracting during the labor process are more efficient and won’t have to strain against misaligned joints.

To answer the second question from the introductory paragraph, by all means chiropractic care during your pregnancy is safe. Chiropractic is not only safe and beneficial in relieving the low back pain associated with pregnancy, but other symptoms like heartburn, nausea, swelling, and so on. Certain trained chiropractors can also help mothers who have a breached baby. This is done by using the Webster Technique, a low force technique to manipulate the uterus and get the baby into the proper presentation for delivery. Additional information on the Webster Technique can easily be found online.

To summarize, chiropractic is both beneficial and safe in helping to relieve many of the discomforts of pregnancy. To any pregnant women out there reading this, please go to see your local chiropractor, or if you are close enough, look up your Oxnard Chiropractor. We can make you feel a lot more comfortable during your pregnancy, and we can even make the labor process easier.

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