Spine Health

4 Gentle Exercises For Low Back Pain

2021-02-09T19:59:53-05:00

With many folks more sedentary these days (and working in ad hoc home office setups), low back pain complaints are all too common.To make matters worse, our first instinct is often to do nothing, and rest. While this may make sense in acute cases or during flare-ups, avoiding exercise can lead to a cycle of weaker muscles and MORE pain in the long run.Here, then, are 4 gentle full-body moves you can do to lessen the pain over time (Note: If you can’t quite picture how any of the above exercises go, each exercise is linked to a YouTube search for [...]

4 Gentle Exercises For Low Back Pain2021-02-09T19:59:53-05:00

Meet The Accustim: A New Tool For “Wow” Adjustments

2020-09-22T13:19:37-04:00

Say hello to my little friend! (I couldn’t resist the reference!) The Accustim is a new adjusting tool I’ve recently added to my toolbox. I’ve already received MANY positive comments on its results and two patients have coined it the “woodpecker”. 😊 What’s it all about? Glad you asked. This simple device uses a series of tiny thrusts to help us chiropractors produce “wow” adjustments and potentially huge improvements in range of motion. And since it feels almost somewhat like a massage, it’s perfect for patients who find traditional adjustments too forceful…it jives with my “gentle” approach…AND it allows me to easily modulate [...]

Meet The Accustim: A New Tool For “Wow” Adjustments2020-09-22T13:19:37-04:00

How Your Core Controls Your Stress (New Study)

2020-09-09T21:40:16-04:00

I’ll dive into the results of this fascinating new study in a minute.  But first, some context: The stress response in your body is carried out by your adrenal glands.  Parked on top of the kidneys, these little guys pump out wads of adrenaline when we need it for ‘fight or flight’ – when I describe your HRV (heart rate variability) test results, this is the sympathetic (left side) dominance I refer to.  Critical in life or death situations, there isn’t much in modern life that requires it. Yet most of the time our stress responses are running in the background, keeping [...]

How Your Core Controls Your Stress (New Study)2020-09-09T21:40:16-04:00

Are Standing Desks A Good Idea?

2020-05-26T14:07:23-04:00

My email a while back about neck pain from working at home turned out to be prophetic. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that members of The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) have been flooded by calls from patients hit with neck or back pain since working remotely. Since this is an obvious problem right now… I thought it would be good to “unpack” the idea of a standing desk a bit more. Sitting for long periods has proven to be very detrimental to your health. Not only can it be the culprit for weight gain, chronic pain, indigestion, fatigue, and even cancer, but [...]

Are Standing Desks A Good Idea?2020-05-26T14:07:23-04:00

How To Prevent Neck Or Back Pain From A Poor Home Work Setup

2020-04-28T14:00:32-04:00

Several of my patients/subscribers have replied in recent weeks with familiar complaints like: *Migraines that prevent sleep (Likely sourced from neck and shoulder tension from the home work environment.) *Upper back tension or distress from a coffee table “desk” – (KJ, this one’s for you!) *Hip pain from sitting more and moving less (6’ tall Ed told me he was spending lots of desk time, mixed with playtime with his 18-ish month old on the floor, with only weekend walk times – ouch) Well, the people have spoken. :-) If you’re one of many who have been forced to adapt to [...]

How To Prevent Neck Or Back Pain From A Poor Home Work Setup2020-04-28T14:00:32-04:00

How To “Self-Adjust”, Sort Of

2020-03-31T13:22:47-04:00

I enjoyed many of the responses that came my way from my "healthy living at home" post recently. One that I particularly enjoyed was from a patient who said: “I was hoping you would tell us how to adjust ourselves!” And, well…no. :-) There’s no reliable or safe way to self-adjust.  But there’s another point I’d love to drive home in this week’s instalment which is this: yoga/stretching/motion/regular body movements, etc…ALL will help keep the spine more fluid and flexible vs. all the sitting and being glued to their smartphones most people are likely up to during this lockdown.  I won’t [...]

How To “Self-Adjust”, Sort Of2020-03-31T13:22:47-04:00

The “Unseen” Perils Of Travel

2020-03-03T14:03:15-05:00

From the category of health risks you might not have considered… I enjoyed a lovely vacation with the family in Mexico last week.  Lots of sunny fun.  Here are the cute pics I wasn’t able to load for you last week with the subpar resort Wi-Fi: Here’s why this is important for you: While the bed in the hotel was decent, I did “pay the price” of the temporary sleeping arrangements each morning with daily albeit mild stiffness. And I’m generally healthy; for anyone with pre-existing symptoms, or travelers who are a bit older – even if otherwise in good shape [...]

The “Unseen” Perils Of Travel2020-03-03T14:03:15-05:00

The Heart Health Secret Discovered Almost By Accident

2020-02-11T13:17:51-05:00

February is Heart Month. As a chiropractor, I feel a special connection to the cause of heart health.  Let me explain: more than a hundred years ago one of the pioneers of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer had come across a patient with heart troubles that weren’t getting better.  When he examined his spine he noticed a displaced vertebrae pressing against the nerves connected to the heart. And when he adjusted it, the man instantly felt better. This was one of the first cases of a chiropractic adjustment.  From there, the science of chiropractic was developed. In the mid 90’s, Dr.'s Jarmel and [...]

The Heart Health Secret Discovered Almost By Accident2020-02-11T13:17:51-05:00

How To Read Your Body’s Pain Signals

2020-01-14T11:55:53-05:00

Pain comes in many forms. Is it local muscular or joint pain?  Or is it NERVE pain?  Having at least a hunch about what kind of pain it is empowers you to know where to turn for help.  Here are a few guidelines to help you “make sense” of what’s happening to your body…especially since MD’s often don’t know or don’t help isolate the source of pain. Muscle Pain Muscle pain typically shows up as a big dull ache or a feeling of tightness, and might even feel 'general' in nature.  Another way to think about this is the pain is [...]

How To Read Your Body’s Pain Signals2020-01-14T11:55:53-05:00

Prevent “Tech Neck” With This Simple Exercise

2019-12-03T14:00:10-05:00

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” - Edward Smith-Stanley Hi all, Today I’ve got another great resource for you. A big shout out goes out to my patient Jackie for sharing this site with me: www.nutritiousmovement.com Its creator, Katy Bowman, is a biomechanist and best-selling author. Here’s a quote from her I found interesting: ==== “I propose that movement, like food, is not optional; that ailments you may be experiencing are simply (and complexly) symptoms of movement hunger in response to a movement diet that is dangerously [...]

Prevent “Tech Neck” With This Simple Exercise2019-12-03T14:00:10-05:00
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