Fall 2010 Newsletter

If we have your email, I emailed our Fall Newsletter today to you.  If we don't have it yet, head back to our website and add yourself to our email list. 

Fall Newsletter

Keep a lookout, we will be mailing and emailing our Fall newsletter soon.  Our big Fall event is focused around National Chiropractic Healthcare Month in October.  We will be hosting an evening where Dr. Staker and a guest will be teaching how to prepare low glycemic meals and our Fall Patient Appreciation Day on the last Saturday of the month. 

The email version will be sent out sooner than the paper copies, so if we do not have you email address you can get it to us at the website.   

Chiropractic Care for the Whole Family Part 3: Children and Teenagers

It is in childhood were some of our postural habits start to form and early injuries happen that can have a direct effect on our spine.  This is a time where early injures can set the stage for a future chronic problem. Taking care of children and teenagers is mostly about working to prevent a loss of the normal upright posture and spinal alignment to be keep their spine healthy. 

A few potential causes of injury include infant walkers and jumpers.  These place the child in an upright, weight bearing, posture well before the child's body is ready for it. This can stress the lower back and cause  or contribute to an injury called a spondylolisthesis.  This is a condition that is not always symptomatic till later in life, and something we can help manage even in early childhood.

Children can be very curious, getting themselves into situations that may result in minor injuries, but these minor injuries may have major consequences.  I am not an advocate for keeping your children from having fun, but making sure that their body, health, and spine are taken care of to prevent their various falls and bumps from becoming a more serious issue for them later in life.

There are various everyday stresses our children and teenagers are subjected to today that are effecting their spine and body development.  From carrying heavy backpacks to using the computer, playing video games, and even using small electronic devices like the Nintendo ds, apple ipods, and every mobile phone that is out there, these all contribute to poor posture.  It is important today to stress good posture for proper development and health today.  Helping to improve posture is what we are doing today for the children we see in our office. 

In the teenage years there is increased development and growth, an important time to ensure their bodies are growing the right way. As they become involved with sports and other activities we want to continue to ensure that these activities do not cause an injury to their spine and posture.  This is also the time when conditions such as scoliosis may become evident.  This is a condition too big for this post, but I will say it is something that we can successful treat with the procedures we use in the office today.   

Treating children and teenagers is safe, effective, and in our mind necessary due to the stresses kids have on their bodies today.  As with every disease process, correcting spinal posture earlier in life can lead to fewer problems as we age.  I am sure we have a few patients that see us, that if they would have known then what they know now, would liked to get their spine checked earlier in their life.   

Chiropractic care for the whole family, Part 2

Part 2, Newborns and Infants

It may seem odd, the thought of having a newborn baby or infant getting their spine checked.  On the contrary chiropractic care can have significant benefits for the newborn baby and infant as it can for the adult. As chiropractors we look to remove stress or strain on the nervous systems of babies and infants by restoring normal function and posture to the spine.  The physiology on this subject can be rather difficult to grasp, but it does exist as several studies have been able to confirm it.  In fact there is even medical literature that describes a relationship between dysfunction of the upper neck vertebrae and possible negative effects on brain stem functions.   These functions mostly are cardiac or pulmonary regulation, which is heart and lung function. This is an important area of the nervous system to have functioning properly without any stress or strain.

How can a newborn have an injury to their spine that causes stress or strain on their nervous system?  The answer can be best described in a picture.

This is the image of a C-Section birth, see how the newborn is being held up by its head.  How much stress or strain is that on its neck, spinal cord, and brain stem?  It may not take much pressure to stress or strain that babies neck so after birth is a good time to get his or her spine checked.  Even in the cases of a normal birth the head or neck may be stressed and strained, try a google images search on birth and see for yourself. 



I would like to add that I do not believe its common practice for OB's pull or twist a babies head while it is being born.  In our case, our daughter was basically caught by our OB, without the use of any aids such as forceps or a vacuum extraction.  This is a conversation that any pregnant mother should have with their OB to have the most minimally invasive birth that is possible with regards to the safety and health of both mother and baby.

Our job as chiropractors is to examine the newborn or infants for normal posture, alignment and symmetry.  We do this through observing the child in various positions.  We look for asymmetry of structure and of the spine.  When we find a need to adjust we use very light pressure, usually with just our pinkie finger or thumbs.  Babies do not need, nor do we give them, an adult type of adjustment, just a subtle correction to help reduce that stress or strain on their nervous system. 

Typically we have successfully treated babies and infants for a wide range of conditions, first and foremost is just to be certain there is no stress and strain after birth.  Besides that parents bring babies and infants in for colic, digestive problems, ear aches, coughs and colds just to name a few conditions. A lot of times, some of these symptoms have been checked out by the families pediatrician with no resolution.

Next time you come in and want to know more about how we care for babies and infants, feel free to ask us.

Chiropractic care for the whole family, part 1.

Part 1 Pregnancy:


Our office has always promoted chiropractic care for the whole family; from birth to late in life. In this post I am going to describe why chiropractic care can be an important part of care during pregnancy.  There are some, mostly outside of the chiropractic profession who try to dissuade pregnant women from seeing a chiropractor.  This is usually due to a miss-understanding of how chiropractic care can benefit a woman during pregnancy.  With this post I will show that there is substantial evidence to justify chiropractic care during pregnancy and little risk for mother or baby.

The argument for chiropractic care for pregnant women comes first and foremost from the fact that there is not much traditional medical care and do for mom.  Due to the risk for the baby there is little the medical profession can do for a pregnant woman suffering from lower back pain.  Most drug therapies can have an effect the baby and may influence its development.  Surgical therapies are only used in extreme and emergency cases where the back pain is due to a complex condition that can have a big negative effect on the mother.  Exercises can be a big help for limiting back pain, but I have found that it is most beneficial before mom is pregnant.

Chiropractic care has been found to be safe and effective for treating low back pain during pregnancy.  A recent study published June 2009 in the journal Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey reviewed all the literature on chiropractic care for low back pain during pregnancy and found it to be effective.  The authors found that since there is little else a pregnant woman can do for low back pain, chiropractic care may be the best course they should take.  A paper published in JMPT in 2008 found a similar conclusion.  A paper published in the journal Current Opinion in Anesthesiology in 2003 by a researcher in the Yale University College of Medicine found utilization of chiropractic by pregnant women for back pain to be common and effective.  There is other evidence that points to chiropractic care being effective for headache and neck pain during pregnancy, as well as other techniques that can help turn a baby before birth.

During my search of peer reviewed journals at Pub Med I found little evidence of any adverse effects or injuries, or miscarriages due to chiropractic care.  I only was able to find two cases of adverse effects and one of them was a very rare occurrence and not life threatening and the other was due to the moms medical doctor adjusting her spine, not chiropractor.  That is evidence to not have anyone but your chiropractor adjust your spine.  We know how to take care of all patients including pregnant women who require a delicate approach.    

The best way to take care of your spine during pregnancy is to first take care of it before pregnancy.  If you are considering having a baby, prepare by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting your spine checked out.

Part 2 will detail why its important for your children to get their spine checked from birth.      

Office Remodel, Finished!

On Friday the carpet was installed and the baseboard was finished marking the end of our remodeling project.  It all looks really good, and our patients that have seen it, so far, have said the same thing.  My father and I attended a seminar on Pediatric adjusting over the weekend so we were unable to re-arrange our office until Monday evening.  We arranged the office in one of several different ways that we can, so do not be surprised if we change it up again sometime soon based on how we feel the flow through the office is going.

Starting this afternoon you will discover a whole new look inside our office, the reception room is once again a reception room complete with a kids area.  The new treatment area is in back, separate from the rest of the office.  We will continue to provide a private adjustment area, private massage therapy room, and a private consultation room.  Our exam room has another adjusting table in it, so that is a possible private treatment area as well.

When we see you again, please give us your input on our new space.  We are looking for this area to work well for your needs as well as for ours.

  

Office remodel update!!

Not much to show this time, looks just about the same.  Painting is all done, as is both workstation areas.  Only thing left is the carpet which will be installed on Friday.  Looking forward to providing some great care to our patients in this new space.