Here in Bucks County, Pa. summer means BBQs, yard work, and cool nights spent enjoying the fireflies. Yet, if you’re like a lot of people, it also might mean overdoing it in the garden or in your last golf round.
Some of you are probably avid bikers, hikers, or even paddleboarders at Tyler State Park. It’s all fun and games until a wrong move leaves you aching and sidelined from the fun.
Turn these “preventive maintenance” tips into active habits and you’ll protect yourself from common summer injuries.
Skip Common Summer Injuries With These Health Habits
Chances are, these will sound familiar to you. There’s a reason they’re perennial favorites in lifestyle magazines, blogs, and news channels. They’re important to your well-being. Fortunately, they’re not that difficult and you can adapt them for your activity level.
1- Warm Up and Cool Down – You’ve heard all the advice about warming up and cooling down before exercise but do you do it? Depending on your age and fitness level, it’s better to do more than you might think is necessary.
YouTube is a wealth of warm-up and cool-down exercises geared toward specific activities. For example, Marshfield Clinic Health Systems recommends these warm-ups to loosen up your back and other muscles for gardening. Here’s another one from a physiotherapist.
Not a gardener? You can always Google, “YouTube + warm-up exercises + your activity.”
2- Start out Slow – If you’ve been more sedentary than active lately, try boosting your activity levels by 10-15 minutes a day in a slower ramp up. There are a ton of fitness apps you can try. Fiton turns your living room into a gym. Just choose the type of workout you want to do and the length of time and boom. You’ve got dozens or hundreds of options available to you all led by certified trainers.
3- Take a Break – If you’re tired, take a break or call it quits for the day. A lot of common summer injuries happen because people push themselves and ignore the signs their body is telling them. Getting outside in the sunshine and fresh air is great. What’s not great is ignoring the signs of fatigue or dizziness. That’s when accidents tend to happen. Also, stay hydrated.
4-Chiropractic care – Of course, we’re going to mention this one! We are a chiropractic blog after all. Yet, regular chiropractic care is a great tool for a healthy body. Regular visits help keep your spine aligned and healthy. That way, your blood, and oxygen flow in, around, and through your body in their best way. When blood and oxygen flow freely, messages get from your brain to your cells and you feel pretty good.
If you’re not already using chiropractic care as part of your wellness plan, we encourage you to consider it!
5- Massage therapy – Massage is another way to stimulate your body’s circulation system. It reduces tension and helps with joint flexibility. Massage also promotes relaxation and loosens your muscles. Combined with chiropractic care, it’s a great partner. The massage relaxes your tense muscles and a chiropractic visit shifts tendons and ligaments back into place. Because your muscles are more relaxed, they’re less likely to push those tendons and ligaments right back out.
Both massage and chiropractic care are great ways to stimulate healing in your body from the inside out.
As you can see, preventing common summer injuries boil down to having a wellness plan and sticking to it. It can be as simple as having a warm-up and cool-down practice before you garden, golf, bike, or whatever you do. That and paying attention to your body can go a long way. We encourage you to add chiropractic visits as additional maintenance. Dr. McQuaite in Doylestown offers a free consultation to see if chiropractic care is right for you.
Doctors recommend cortisone shots for all manner of aches and pain. In fact, there are more than 9 million cortisone injections performed a year!
From herniated discs, joint problems, and even allergies, some people respond well to cortisol injections.
However, you might wonder what it means to “get a cortisone shot.” And, if your medical practitioner recommends it, can you also continue with chiropractic treatment?
In this article, we’ll attempt to answer your most important questions about what to expect from a cortisone shot in the lower back and how it can help your lower back pain.
First, what is a cortisone shot anyway?
What is a Cortisone Shot and What Does It Do?
Cortisone is a corticosteroid which is a type of drug meant to lower inflammation in your body.
Inflammation, as you probably know, relates to your body’s attempt to fight disease. Inflammation is your body’s natural defense mechanism designed to heal your body.
You may feel a throbbing pain in the area. That’s a cue that your “inner pain warriors” are working hard. The problem occurs when your body continues fighting pain so you always have inflammation. Too much can damage your organs and tissues throughout your body.
So, if you have chronic lower back pain from stenosis, a herniated disc, or other problem, a cortisone shot can help reduce the inflammation.
It’s an injection of cortisone directly into or near the painful area. Often, there’s an anesthetic, too, which gives immediate relief.
Afterward, your doctor might tell you to rest for the next couple of days, ice the area as needed, and let them know if you feel pain or have swelling or another discomfort.
However, there’s concern that these injections may damage the cartilage in the joint. That’s why doctors limit the number of injections you can have in a year. Three or four injections a year is the maximum for most people.
This is where we get to the point where it’s a short-term relief that has its place. But it doesn’t address the underlying problem of why you’re having chronic lower back pain in the first place.
In fact, The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recommends a different approach than going straight for the injections. JAMA recommends targeted exercise, physical therapy, or chiropractic care before relying on cortisone shots in the lower back.
For many years, these injections were precursors to back surgery.
Yet, less invasive options exist like physical therapy and chiropractic care. These approaches address your pain and create an environment for your body to heal itself.
If you have tried cortisone injections, chiropractic care can still help you find lower back pain relief.
Can I Go to the Chiropractor After Getting a Shot?
Yes. A study of patients with lumbar radiculopathy found most participants experienced reduced pain with only one chiropractic treatment.
In fact, the study found that while many think of cortisone injections as reducing inflammation and pain, chiropractic adjustments can achieve the same results.
Both injections and chiropractic care can address nerve pain. For instance, if you have a slipped disc, that usually means the disc is pressing against a nerve. The injection can provide you pain relief, but it doesn’t address the out-of-place disc, so the pain returns.
Through a series of spinal adjustments, chiropractic care can help your disc shift back to its proper position. That way, you feel less pain longer and without injecting anything else into your back.
Of course, when choosing a cortisone shot in your lower back and chiropractic care, every approach is individual. So if you’re in Doylestown, Pa., why not speak with chiropractor Dr. Jeff McQuaite to see if chiropractic care is right for you and will relieve your lower back pain?
Taking your baby to the pediatrician for wellness checks is common. Taking your baby to a chiropractor is less common for many. Yet, according to the U.S. National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, roughly 8% of chiropractic patients are five years old or younger.
If your child is often fussy or doesn’t sleep well, a baby chiropractor may be able to help.
After all, there’s no reason not to use the resources available to you. Yet, we understand, you might have concerns. You might think of a chiropractor as the person who helps your back pain, surely your little one doesn’t have back pain, do they?
It turns out they could have pain or discomfort that gentle chiropractic treatment may relieve. Chiropractors worldwide share stories of helping babies reduce persistent problems like colic, gas, acid reflux, ear pain, and more.
According to the Journal of Chiropractic Pediatrics, parents seek a pediatric chiropractor for concerns with feeding problems. While few studies have conclusive results, overall, parents are happy with the results.
Are Chiropractors Safe for Babies?
Let’s address the big question first. You probably see your little darling as a delicate creature, and it’s your job to protect them. What would a baby chiropractic treatment be like?
First, your baby chiropractor is a licensed practitioner. Any experienced pediatric chiropractor has a range of techniques they can use on anyone, large or small. They’ll adjust accordingly. Chiropractors often use gentle adjustments with their fingers to help your baby’s body readjust.
The whole point of chiropractic care is to restore your body’s natural balance and help it heal itself. So yes, a pediatric chiropractor is safe for babies. Like any professional, they’ll talk with you about your concerns and make recommendations based on the baby’s needs.
How Do I Know If My Baby Needs a Chiropractor?
If your baby is having trouble feeding, sleeping, or seems overly irritable, you can take them to a chiropractor for an assessment. Like older people, babies can have misaligned joints or a spinal problem. They can have digestion issues and cause trapped gas.
Many parents and chiropractors find babies find relief for all kinds of reasons with quality chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care is safe and gentle. Find a reputable chiropractor near you if you don’t have one already. In Doylestown, Pa., Dr. Jeff McQuaite offers a free consultation so you can have all your questions answered.
When Can a Baby Go to the Chiropractor?
Right away. Newborns can go, and they can go anytime they’ve passed another milestone. For example, learning to sit up, crawl, and, yes, walking. All that falling can cause spinal problems.
As your baby grows up, a pediatric chiropractor can be a healthy part of their wellness care. Your chiropractor can help your child be aware of the benefits of healthy posture, exercise and even share recommendations for how to handle heavy backpacks. And, of course, your child’s chiropractor can help them maintain a healthy spine and potentially help protect them from sports injuries.
Do you have a newborn who’s exhibiting signs of discomfort or unhappiness? Visit a baby chiropractor and see if they can diagnose the problem. Chiropractors can be a great resource for your family!
Back pain can hit at the most random times. You bend down to pick up your dog’s leash and wham! You’re clutching your back in pain.
Could it be a herniated disc? Maybe. Also known as a slipped or ruptured disc, if these discs crack open they can spill their gooey substance, hit the nerves and cause you to grimace in pain.
You probably kow your spinal cord runs from the base of your spine to your neck. You may also know 24 bones known as vertebrae form your spine with flexible discs that fit in between the bones in your spinal column.
Filled with a jelly like substance, the flexibility of the discs help you bend, wiggle, run, dance, and do all the things people want to do that require flexibility.
However, when a disc shifts out of place or ruptures and that fluid leaks out, it can bump up against the nerves and be painful.
Herniated Disc Definition
Dictionary.com, defines a herniated disc as “an abnormal protrusion of a spinal disk between vertebrae, most often in the lumbar region of the spine, causing pain due to pressure on spinal nerves.”
Symptoms of a Herniated or Slipped Disc
When an invertebral disc cracks and the disc material leaks out, that material can irritate the surrounding nerves. The disc can also slip and press on a surrounding nerve which is often called a pinched nerve.
As a result of a herniated disc in your lumbar, you can feel pain, tingling or numbness in your leg or legs. If the herniated disc is in your upper or mid back, you might experience that pain or tingling in your arms.
The other thing that can happen is your discs can slowly wear away. This is typical in people with degenerative disc disease.
In some cases, you can have a herniated disc and not even know it, there are a few common signs and symptoms:
Arm and/or leg pain
Numbness and tingling – usually on one side of the body
Weakness of your arm/leg
Pain that gets worse while standing
You can have a slipped or herniated disc in your neck or spine. Typically, symptoms are experienced only on one side of the body.
If the herniation is very large and presses on the spinal cord or the cauda equina in the lumbar region, both sides of the body may be affected, often with serious consequences. Compression of the cauda equina can cause permanent nerve damage or paralysis. The nerve damage can result in loss of bowel and bladder control as well as sexual dysfunction. This disorder is called cauda equina syndrome.
Spinal disc herniation can occur in different locations:
Cervical – These most often occur in the neck and symptoms can affect the back of the skull, the neck, shoulder girdle, scapula, shoulder, arm, and hand.
Lumbar – These occur in the lower back and Symptoms can affect the lower back, buttocks, thigh, anal/genital region and may radiate into the foot and/or toe. The most commonly affected nerve is the sciatic nerve that runs the length of your back and down your legs.
More common is general pain and symptoms like those mentioned above on the side of the body.
What Causes a Herniated or Slipped Disc?
Your lifestyle, injuries, and age can lead to break down in these discs which then lead to pain.
Disc herniation can result from general wear and tear. In other words, they’re more common as people get older. Minor back pain and chronic back tiredness are indicators of general wear and tear which can lead to injury. However, if you have a job requiring lifting and squatting, then you’re more susceptible too.
People who are overweight are at greater risk too. Combine that with a sedentary lifestyle and you get weak muscles which lead to many aches and pains including things like a slipped disc.
How to Protect Your Spine
Regular exercise and good posture are two ways you can protect yourself from a herniated disc. Nothing crazy but walking, light cardio, and yoga/stretching are excellent ways maintain your flexibility. You’ll also want strengthen your core and lower back. If you need to lift heavy items, lift with your legs and not your back and use a back brace when possible.
Fortunately, a simple regimen of rest, heat and ice can help a herniated disc heal naturally. However, a professional diagnosis can set your mind at ease and help you feel better quickly. For a personalized herniated disc definition and how it applies to you, see Dr. McQuaite in Doylestown, Pa. He will x-ray you to pinpoint the problem and create a treatment plan for you.
Spring temperatures are finally here and for many of you, that means seasonal allergies. You want to get out and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather. However, if you’re suffering from itchy eyes, sneezing, and other allergy symptoms, then it’s not so fun.
It might sound crazy but chiropractic treatment can help you find relief from seasonal allergies.
As a natural immune booster, chiropractic has no negative side effects. However, it does soothe the nervous system and boost your overall immunity.
Unlike allergy medications that leave you groggy and fuzzy-headed, chiropractic treatments can help you feel better.
But first, what brings on those frustrating allergies?
What Causes Spring Allergies?
Pollen is the biggest trigger of spring allergies. It’s a case of packing a major wallop into a tiny package. You probably know pollen is tiny particles whose purpose in life is to pollinate other plants. However, when it gets stirred up – by the wind, by cutting the lawn, gardening, etc. it tickles your nostril lining and causes you to sneeze.
Before long, it’s traveling in your body and sending your immune system into overdrive. Basically, an allergy attack is your body overreacting to something in your environment.
Your body overcompensates with a chemical cascade of antibodies. These are called immunoglobulin E (IgE) and they have a purpose which is to neutralize the offender. Pollen in this case. Each antibody is quite specific. For example, it may react against certain types of pollen and not others. That’s why you might experience seasonal allergies in certain parts of the country but not all.
Even if you’ve suffered from allergies all your life, you may be able to find relief through some simple lifestyle changes.
Three Solutions to Find Natural Allergy Relief
Neti pot – Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have recommended these for years and they’ve recently caught on in the mainstream. The reason it works is it literally cleans out your nose to rid it of pollen and other allergy triggers. Though it can take a little getting used to since it involves pouring water into your nostrils.
You can find a neti pot at any drugstore these days.
Fish oil – You may be aware of the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids on your hair, skin, and even mental health. But did you know they can boost your immunity too? Good sources include salmon, spinach, and pine nuts.
Chiropractic care – Many people associate chiropractic care as a treatment for back pain but in actuality, it’s great for your overall health too. It can boost your body’s immune system by helping it perform at its best.
When you get a chiropracticadjustment, it realigns your spine through a series of manipulations. This affects your entire body because your chiropractor puts tendons/muscles/bones “back into place” so your body can communicate easier with your brain.
As chiropractors like to say, “your spine is your lifeline.” It addresses your spring allergies at the root rather than masking symptoms like medications too.
Can chiropractic help with your seasonal allergies?
It’s All In Your Spine
Imagine your spine is out of alignment. This is typical if you haven’t been seeing a chiropractor. You might feel back or neck pain or not. But years of sitting in front of a computer, playing sports or other activities will take their toll on your body. The result is typically neck or spine (or both) out of alignment.
This can impact messages traveling through your body. Instead of a clear path for messages to travel back and forth from your brain to your toes and back, things get blocked.
The scratchy eyes, runny nose, and fatigue that accompany seasonal allergies is a symptom that your body isn’t operating as well as it could.
When your chiropractor realigns your spine, any pinched nerves or out-of-whack bones are put back into place opening up those pathways.
This gives your body relief because it’s not trying to compensate for them. When you think of your whole body working together it makes sense. Each muscle, tendon, and bone connects to another and stems from the spinal column in some manner. Therefore, if you have a pinched nerve in your shoulder your body is working hard to protect the area around it.
This overcompensation in one area can lead to weakness in another.
Regular chiropractic treatments put everything back in place. You get both pain relief andallergy relief.
Are you in the Central Bucks County area and ready for relief from seasonal allergies? If so,Dr. Jeff McQuaite has a greatintroductory offer for new patients. Book your appointment today and enjoy Spring without the headache and sniffles.
Do you suffer from chronic pain? Where is it? Is it in your back, wrist, neck, or leg? There are natural solutions to heal chronic pain throughout your body.
It starts with discovering the source of the chronic pain and then creating a treatment plan to address it. Your medical professional can help.
For example, in Doylestown, Pa. You can see a chiropractor to help you pinpoint the reason behind the pain and find natural pain relief.
As you may know, chiropractors practice a safe and effective approach to relieving chronic pain.
Your Spinal Health Matters
When you think about it, it makes sense, chiropractors keep your spine in good working order and your spine is connected to your central nervous system (CNS). Your CNS is responsible for sending and receiving messages throughout your body.
Chiropractors love to say, “your spine is your lifeline” because it’s so critical to your health. It connects your nervous system to everything in your body. When the messages flow easily, everything goes well. Your body works like it’s supposed to and you feel good. When it doesn’t, it’s kind of like when your internet buffers. You notice it and it’s irritating. For some, it’s debilitating.
Chronic pain is wearing. It nags at your central nervous system all the time and often triggers something called “central sensitization” which means you’re more sensitive than before. In other words, chronic pain intensity might mean you move up the pain scale from a 3 to a 7 or an 8 quicker than before. If you’ve ever lost patience or said you were on “your last nerve,” then you’re familiar with the feeling.
However, regular exercise, massage therapy, and chiropractic adjustments can help you feel your best.
Why Do You Have Chronic Pain?
Pain is a warning. It may stem from an injury or a poor posture or overuse of certain muscles (like carpal tunnel.) You might know exactly why you’re in pain and you might not. Yet, everything is connected to your spine and your spine is connected to your brain where the messages originate.
There are 33 bones in the spinal column, plus nerves, muscles, and tissue. From there, everything else in your body is connected. There’s a reason we call chiropractic care an “adjustment.” We adjust your bones, muscles, and tissue and make sure your body is re-aligned.
That way, if your chronic neck pain, for example, originates from the way you jut your head forward from long hours at the computer (it’s a subtle jutting – no one would notice – but it puts a ton of pressure on your body), then your adjustment realigns your neck and takes the pressure off the nearby nerves. You’ll immediately feel better.
In other cases, you might have hurt your back or be suffering from sciatica. Chiropractic care can help with those too. In some cases, you may have a bone pushing into nearby tissue and even the nerve. This is common and chiro care excels in helping you find natural pain relief from pinched nerves and other common pains.
What to Expect From Your Chiropractor
At McQuaite Chiropractic in Doylestown, your first visit starts with X-rays of the painful area. That gives insight into what’s causing your pain and how to best treat you. Next, we’ll make recommendations for your treatment. This could include hot and cold therapy, spinal manipulation, and a modest exercise program. Though it varies for everyone.
You deserve to feel better! If you’re in Doylestown, Pa. or the surrounding area, give us a call. We accept walk-in’s, crawl-in’s and various insurance.
If you’re looking for a drug-free, effective treatment for sciatica or a herniated disc, chiropractic care may be able to help you.
Often these two conditions go hand in hand. First, there’s a herniated disc and then sciatica.
That’s not always the case, but it is common.
You probably want to know the difference between sciatica and a herniated disc and your options for finding safe pain relief.
Let’s start with the difference between the two.
What’s the Difference Between Sciatica and a Herniated Disc?
There are many different terms for lower back pain. You’ve probably heard of a slipped disc, a herniated disc, a pinched nerve, and sciatica, to name a few. You might wonder what the difference is and how your treatment should vary.
Namely, you do want a doctor’s evaluation to identify the cause of your lower back pain. This will likely include a physical exam to test your movement, muscle strength, and reflexes. Additionally, the doctor will probably press on parts of your back to identify the source of pain.
From there, you can map out a treatment plan. Chiropractic care can be part of your treatment plan.
First, a herniated disc can occur suddenly. Imagine picking up something heavy and feeling a shooting pain across your back. That could be a herniated disc. The good news is that with bed rest it’ll probably heal on its own.
However, it can lead to sciatica pain.
Here’s a quick breakdown. You know bones, tendons, nerves, ligaments, and discs make up your spinal column. In fact, there are 23 discs. Those discs act as shock absorbers between the spinal bones protecting them. However, those same discs start to flatten as you get older. They offer less cushion. It’s kind of like a mattress that flattens over the years.
When a disc is pressured — like when you pick up something heavy — it can crack. That’s what’s meant by a herniated disc.
Sciatica, on the other hand, relates to your sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body, and it runs from the base of your skull to your feet. When a disc flattens or cracks, it can press against the sciatic nerve.
Then, you’re likely to feel pain in your buttock and radiate down your leg. Now, you don’t have to have a herniated disc to experience sciatic pain, but it is a common cause.
A medical evaluation should help find the cause.
How Do You Treat Sciatica and a Herniated Disc?
Obviously, the treatment plan will vary from person to person. One’s medical history and the amount of pain they’re in will dictate the level of treatment.
Some will find success with lifestyle changes like adding yoga and massage treatments, while others may find themselves considering surgery. You probably know someone with debilitating pain that impacts their quality of life. Hopefully, they can find relief.
Considering the gamut of possible health conditions and circumstances vary widely, you may find yourself consulting “Dr. Google” as well as friends and family.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those, but it’s also good to consult a qualified chiropractor.
Chiropractic care is a safe and non-invasive form of pain relief. It can also be more cost-effective, and many chiropractors take insurance.
What to Expect From Your First Chiropractic Treatment
At McQuaite Chiropractic in Doylestown, Pa., Dr. Jeff McQuaite meets with you about your medical history and conducts an x-ray to see the state of your internal body.
Those x-rays can show disc problems and other areas where you may feel pain. From there, he’ll recommend a treatment plan of several visits. He may also recommend diet and exercise changes and other modalities such as massage therapy.
How Long Does a Chiropractic Treatment Take?
Most chiropractic treatments are quick. It only takes a few minutes, for your chiropractor can ask you a few questions and make your adjustments. In most cases, you can figure on a 10-15 minute window.
In summary, chiropractic care can often help with sciatica and herniated disc pain. At McQuaite Chiropractic in Doylestown, Pa, we offer non-surgical, non-invasive chiropractic treatments to improve your mobility and reduce pain. Are you ready to feel your best?
Chiropractors can do so more than help with back pain. If your child suffers from colic, asthma, sports injuries, or other problems, a child chiropractor may be able to help.
The point of chiropractic care is prevention and restoration for all ages. And, yes, even children can have physical pains big and small. However, if you’re nervous about the idea of a chiropractor “cracking” your child’s spine, you’re not alone. It’s natural to feel a little worried about exposing your children to something new.
“Chiropractic is concerned with the preservation and restoration of health and focuses particular attention on the subluxation. A subluxation is a complex of functional and or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health.”
In plain English, subluxation references musculoskeletal problems. For example, when you have a pinched nerve or pain in your neck from hours of sitting slumped over the computer, your spine is out of alignment and it can be painful. This happens with kids too. Chiropractic and Newborns
You’ve probably heard of fussy newborns. Maybe you have one yourself. It turns out there’s a host of reasons why children may be irritable. They might have pains like headaches, muscle spasms, or be colicky. Colic is described as when a newborn cries daily at predictable times. There could be many reasons why your child does this. Doctors connect it to everything from a stressed digestive system to general anxiety.
And since they’re pre-verbal, their primary means of communication is to cry, as you know.
In some cases, newborns have shoulder or neck pain from the birth experience itself. A child chiropractor can assess your child and use a small amount of pressure on acupressure points. This pressure is appropriate for a newborn and will help them release.
Many children feel better within a visit or two. Additional visits will help their tiny bodies grow in alignment with their bones and ligaments in the right position.
But what if you have older children? How can chiropractic care help them?
Child Chiropractic Care Can Help with Sports Injuries
Some kids start sports almost as soon as they can run. T-ball and kiddie soccer come to mind. Some of those kids stay in sports for the next 15 years or so. Some of them have coaches who are mindful of stretching and ways to protect their growing bodies. Others are not as aware of the benefits of child chiropractic care as a way to protect against injuries. Or help heal when injuries do occur.
Strains and sprains are some of the most common sports injuries. Sometimes kids make them worse by playing despite the pain. In some cases, these young athletes take pain-killers to mask the pain instead of using the pain as a cue to get help.
However, there’s a better way. That way is to include child chiropractic care in your child’s health regimen. We can work together to keep your child’s developing body healthy and, hopefully, avoid painful sports injuries.
Here at McQuaite Chiropractic, we’re conveniently located next to CB West High School in Doylestown, Pa. Do you have a young athlete or child who may benefit from a child chiropractor?
We offer a free consultation so why not come in and see if chiropractic care can be good for your child?
If you’ve heard the dangers of chronic inflammation, you’re probably wondering how you can reduce yours.
A Washington Post article reports that many people don’t even know they have it until it’s already damaging their bodies. In fact, scientists believe chronic inflammation enhances oxidative stress on the body which leads to a host of chronic illnesses, including cancer.
They also agree that many aspects of modern life can trigger chronic inflammation — especially diet and stress.
However, there’s evidence that chiropractic care helps chronic inflammation.
But first, what is inflammation?
What is Inflammation?
There are two kinds of inflammation: acute and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation is what you experience when you’re chopping veggies and accidentally cut your finger. It throbs and turns red. That’s your body sending blood cells to kill any potential infection and start the healing process.
But chronic inflammation is different. It’s long-lasting, and when your body stays in a state of chronic high-alert, it damages your body. Those white blood cells that rush to destroy infection can attack healthy cells because they mistakenly think those cells are dangerous. Over time, they’ll also attack healthy organs and joints too. It’s a miscommunication in your body where it attacks itself.
Why Does It Occur?
In simple terms, inflammation is a symptom of a larger problem. With acute inflammation, it’s obvious what the problem is and when the broken arm or cut heals, you’ll be fine.
But with chronic inflammation, it can be tough to dig out the underlying problem. Doctors know that many people with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and Crohn’s disease often suffer from chronic inflammation. But they’re not sure which comes first.
How Does Chiropractic Care Help Chronic Inflammation?
Chiropractic care can help because it opens up the communication channels in your body. You probably think of chiropractic care as something for back pain. That’s true, but it also has applications for chronic inflammation.
The goal of regular chiropractic adjustments is to re-align the vertebrae in your spine. This practice promotes a healthy nervous system, which affects your entire body. It means your brain can send messages easier through your body, and it can reduce your body’s production of cells, promoting inflammation.
Chiropractic care is an integral part of overall wellness and can easily co-exist with traditional medical care.
What Can Other Lifestyle Changes Help?
Your lifestyle plays a big role in reducing inflammation, and all the usual suspects are at play here. Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and reducing stress is critical for your health and well-being.
Eat Healthy Foods
What you eat plays a role in combating chronic inflammation. The usual culprits, white bread, pasta, red meat, and alcohol, can make the inflammation worse. Whereas a diet heavy on vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats can help reduce your inflammation.
Exercise Most Days
Aim for four to five sessions a week and make sure you get in a mix of cardio and weight training. You don’t have to go to the gym. Just get out and make sure you have a brisk walk for 30-45 minutes 4-5 x a week and make homemade weights by using filled water bottles. There are also thousands of YouTube videos geared towards everything from kickboxing to yoga.
You may be surprised by what a difference this can make in your health if you do these regularly.
Manage Stress
You knew this was coming, didn’t you? Modern life is stressful, and this past year has been unusually stressful. Stress takes a significant toll on our bodies, so whatever you can do to reduce it is good. Many people find meditation is a powerful way to reduce stress. Again, YouTube can be your friend here. There are many guided meditations there.
You can also simply practice deep breathing, also, reduce your social media time as that can drive anxiety.
Your Next Steps
Chiropractic care helps chronic inflammation and has applications for many other health concerns. Whether you’re new to the practice or you haven’t been in a while, your body will likely benefit.
If you’re in Doylestown, PA, why not give us a call and see if chiropractic care is right for you? Here’s what you can expect on your first visit.
Let me ask you a question. Do you ever think about “wellness?” As in, “I want wellness?”
These days, “wellness” is a buzzy catchphrase that pertains to everything from essential oils to yoga to chiropractic care. And since no one wants “unwellness” or sickness, it sounds like a good objective.
But what is wellness chiropractic? Is it different from regular chiropractic?
In this post, we’ll define the “wellness” concept and wellness chiropractic. That way, you’ll be able to decide if it fits with your health goals.
First, the Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as “the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.”
Hmmm…. That makes sense. Framed this way, wellness in this way is an active state and not simply “not well.” So when you actively choose healthy foods and regular exercise you’re engaging in activities that promote wellness.
But it goes deeper than that.
Pfizer links wellness referencing the World Health Organization who says “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Going further, both Pfizer and the Global Wellness Institute include social, mental, and physical goals within the larger categories of wellness.
Those include getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals, exercising regularly, and incorporating other healthy habits like making time for family and friends and other self-care activities.
Wellness Chiropractic Fits Into Active Wellness Activities
Whether you’re new to chiropractic or you think of it as a back-pain relief technique, you might be surprised to consider all of its benefits in your wellness plan. You probably already know that chiropractic care focuses on your spine. You have one spine and chiropractors like to say “it’s your lifeline.” It’s more than “just” the bones and discs, that gives your body flexibility and holds you upright. It also connects your head to your toes via miles of nerves and tendons that make up your nervous system.
A healthy spine means your nervous system can communicate easily with all the cells in your body. When your body can communicate with itself, it promotes self-healing.
Just like taking Vitamin C, getting enough sleep, and eating well can help your body function well, wellness chiropractic can also play a role. It reduces neck and shoulder pain and can even contribute to reduced ankle or knee pain.
When combined with other wellness activities, chiropractic care can contribute to stress reduction — we recommend massage therapy for even more stress relief.
Regular chiropractic treatments can even help you catch health concerns before they become problems. It’s a natural approach rather than the wait until you’re sick approach.
In today’s environment, stress reduction and wellness care are more important than ever. Even small adjustments in your habits can make a difference in your overall health. Make a commitment to work more veggies into your meals, get out for a walk, or do some simple exercises at home. Youtube has a wealth of classes on everything from yoga to kickboxing.
If you’re in Doylestown, Pa., you can contact McQuaite Chiropractic for your wellness chiropractic treatments. We accept most insurances and have family plans available. You can call 267-247-7000 for more info.
