Relaxation Techniques to Try During The Stressful Holidays

There are plenty of sources of stress in the world today. As the old saying goes, “there’s no need to look for trouble, because trouble will find you all on its own.” All of us have troubles and worries, deadlines to meet and busy schedules. Along with all these stresses, few of us even have time to kick back and relax. Do you suffer from anxiety? Do you long for ways to ease your anxious moods and relax for just a little while? There are a number of relaxation techniques that take little time and are highly effective. Some may be done anywhere, even at work.

When you’re feeling distraught, for whatever reason, your body takes the “fight or flight” stance, causing a rush of adrenalin that induces an increased heart rate and shallow breathing. Correct breathing is key to successful relaxation techniques.

Breathing exercises are quite effective, bringing quick results when you find yourself suddenly anxious. Some people are especially prone to anxiety attacks, which can occur for no apparent reason. Even if you’re aware of the cause, anxiety attacks are unpleasant and may cause heart palpitations and a sensation of tightening in the throat, sometimes to the point of making it difficult to swallow.

The old-fashioned remedy of breathing slowly into a paper bag works amazingly well to relax you and restore proper breathing. Another version of this relaxation technique involves taking slow deep breaths. At first you may find you need to force yourself to breathe slowly, but persist and you’ll soon be back to normal.

Among other relaxation techniques are those classified as meditation. All major religions have a form of meditation that followers may use to commune with their creator. Examples of this discipline include Christian, Sufi, Hindu and Kaballah meditation. All meditative disciplines are excellent relaxation techniques when practiced regularly, bringing a sense of comfort and overall well being. Prayers may also serve you as effective relaxation techniques.

Plain old physical exercise is yet another way to relax. Choose an activity you enjoy and set aside a little time each day, preferably at the same time of day, to engage in this activity. Whether you’re walking, bicycling, swimming or just doing a half hour workout, you’ll find physical exercise to be an outstanding form of available relaxation techniques.

You may also try taking a yoga class. Yoga integrates slow movements of the body with breathing exercises. It’s easy to get hooked on yoga, both as a relaxation technique and a great body shaper. Yoga exercises tend to lengthen muscles, resulting in a supple and flexible body you’ll enjoy.

Relaxation techniques don’t necessarily have to involve a disciplined approach in order to be successful. You can kick back on your couch, get out the remote and find yourself a good comedy. Laughter is good medicine!

Effective Osteoarthritis Treatments That Go Beyond Pain Medications

Effective osteoarthritis treatments that go beyond pain medications

There are millions of people who suffer from osteoarthritis. This condition is painful, most commonly affecting the joints. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is described as a simple case of wearing out of the joints over time. While rheumatoid arthritis patients may be treated with medications, there are no conventional pharmaceutical medications which can alleviate or halt the progression of osteoarthritis. While rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic and progressive disease, with severe and lifelong complications, there are pharmaceutical drugs that can halt the progress of this disease.

Osteoarthritis is perhaps as debilitating, over the long term. The bad news for the osteoarthritic patient is that medical science has no cure. The current osteoarthritis treatments are limited to the alleviation of pain. If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis, the standard osteoarthritis treatment is to prescribe a pain medication. Who wants to live under such a standard?

If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and prescribed a pain pill as your only recourse, think again. With a good nutritional strategy, you can reap huge benefits, reducing pain within the space of a single week, eventually reversing your osteoarthritis, and improving your overall health for good.

Before we look at osteoarthritis treatment in terms of nutrition, it should be noted that, if you’re overweight, try to lose those unwanted pounds! The excess weight just puts additional and unnecessary stress on vulnerable joints. Drinking plenty of water, those 6-8 glasses a day we all know about, is also important. The water helps flush accumulated toxins from your body.

One of the most effective osteoarthritis treatments, among nutritional considerations, relates to the proper balance of calcium to magnesium. The ratio of calcium to magnesium intake for healthy bones and joints is roughly 2:3. Americans have one of the highest rates of osteoarthritis in the world, with the average calcium to magnesium ratio an unhealthy 10:1! In these ratios, a certain hormone is triggered to remove old dead bone tissue, while its counterpart hormone, which is supposed to channel new nutrients to bones and joints, is suppressed. This results in a net loss of bone, leading to osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Given these facts, it’s not unreasonable to conclude that perhaps an underlying cause of these conditions is not, in fact, due to ‘wear and tear’ joint degeneration, but rather an overload of calcium and a deficiency of magnesium.

One way to address this condition is to reduce your calcium intake and take a magnesium supplement of 600mg per day. Several clinical studies have shown that magnesium supplementation at this dosage has resulted in increased bone density and significant reduction of pain in as little as nine months, even in quite elderly patients! You may experience reduced pain in just a week! Now that’s an osteoarthritis treatment we can all applaud!

Other supplemental nutrients of value as osteoarthritis treatments include the B-complex vitamins as well as vitamins A, C and E and the trace mineral zinc.

There are many conditions which reflect years of nutritional deficiencies. As we age, many nutrients are not as readily absorbed, so it’s important to monitor any deficiencies to see if supplementation is advisable. Speak to your doctor about having lab tests which can determine nutritional deficiencies.

The importance of a good diet cannot be stressed enough. Young people can get away with poor dietary habits – for a while. However, over a lifetime, the body ultimately suffers the effects. Who knows how many chronic illnesses are preventable?

Alternative Health Debate

Many people are pretty polarized on the alternative health care debate. They are either completely for or completely against it. On the one hand, there are people who stand with tradition entirely and are unwilling to compromise. They believe that normal medical health is the highest level that the treatment of diseases has ever reached. They don’t believe in any alternative health treatment at all, viewing it as unscientific and probably unhelpful as well.

On the other hand, there are alternative health fanatics. I know some people who will only use holistic health services and nothing else. They won’t even take prescription drugs if they believe they can get better with herbs. They believe that science is overrated and that some things can’t be measured in numbers.

I always try to avoid either extreme in my own practices. I have had some great success with alternative health, and definitely wouldn’t give it up. On the other hand, I think that science is very valuable. Traditional Western medicine has done a lot of great things for us. It has brought us a new understanding of the physical body, excellent drugs and treatment options, incredible scans which allow us to see inside the body, and many other helpful technologies. To throw it all away based on a vague belief in the power of herbs is foolish.

That is why I use both alternative healing and traditional medicine. I think that improving your diet and taking health supplements can do great things for you, and is often a better solution than costly medications with side effects. When you are not treating something severe and acute, you shouldn’t put a lot of stress on your body during the treatment. Otherwise the cure can be worse than the illness. Using herbal treatments can remove the need to strain your body by introducing antibiotics and things like that into it.

On the other hand, I like to keep traditional medicine as an option. Sometimes, things get really bad and you just need a pretty strong treatment. You might not want to start with an operation or even prescription medication, but it might come to that in the end. This is why I have always viewed complimentary medicine as the best approach. It allows you to combine the best of both worlds. After all, the more tools you have, the more options you have for treatment.

Chiropractic Care for Children and Mothers

Chiropractic care for children can mean the difference between a happy child and one plagued by medical problems. Children under regular chiropractic care can also help avoid problems later in life.

Not only is chiropractic care important for children but mothers can also help their children before they are born by seeing a chiropractor. During pregnancy, chiropractic problems that may have been caused as a result of delivery can be treated more effectively the earlier they are addressed.

The prenatal chiropractic checkups a mother has during pregnancy are but one of the ways she can help guarantee her baby will be healthy. Along with a healthy diet, proper exercise and working to achieve a stress-free environment, prenatal chiropractic care can benefit the developing baby and reduce the complications of labor.

But even the delivery process can result in problems for children as a consequence of “subluxations.” Subluxations are areas of the spine that interfere with or distort nerve impulses between the brain and the body. Subluxations are usually a result of pulling, forcing and twisting a baby from the birth canal. These methods, and the resulting subluxations, are far too common. Cesarean section, forceps, suction extraction or eager hands can do unseen damage. Even “natural” birth methods can cause subluxations.

Babies cannot express their pain, but there are signs parents can look for that might indicate a need
chiropractic care:

• Unexplained crying
• Poor appetite
• Breathing problems
• Allergic reactions
• Holding their head to one side or preferring breast feeding from one side (which can be a sign of abnormal spine function and an impaired nervous system)

Ignoring subluxations can result in the impairment of a child’s health from the moment they are born. It can also lead to other problems can appear later in life, including:

• Colic
• SIDS
• Hyperactivity
• Autism
• Chronic earaches or infections from poor drainage from the eustation tube
• Greater risk of catching childhood “bugs” as a result of a weakened immune
  system
• Neglect of “growing pains” that may in fact be only aches or muscle spasms, which left undiagnosed and untreated can lead to chronic, expensive and hard-to-fix problems later in life
• The development of scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine, which left untreated, can result in a patient needing braces, surgery to correct the problem, and or psychological effects such as lack of self confidence.

In toddlers, spinal injury caused by falling while learning to walk can be helped through chiropractic care. Left untreated, bumps caused from falls by toddlers can lead to scar tissue, decrease mobility and arthritis later in life, and may also increase the potential for scoliosis and a weakened immune system. As they age, the need for chiropractic care is even more crucial among children involved with contact sports. The injuries caused by these activities, whether they cause pain or not, can interfere with proper growth during rapid stages of spinal development.

Many spinal problems seen in adults began in childhood. Proper spinal care and maintenance is an important key to better health. Chiropractic care while a child is young can bring relief without the pain associated with surgery or side-effects of drugs. Because children heal faster, most conditions can be corrected quickly.

Chiropractic care not only provides relief from pain, but also helps with proper growth and development in children. Like regular visits to a pediatrician, children should also see a chiropractor often as they grow.

Chiropractic care is important because of its ability to restore the integrity of the nervous system and the workings of every cell and tissue in a child’s body.

As with any treatment, chiropractic adjusting techniques are also modified based on a child’s size, weight and unique spinal misalignments. Parents whose children are under chiropractic care frequently report that their children seem healthier than others their age. Chiropractic care is also very successful in treating many childhood ailments such as ear aches, asthma, hyper-activity, and colic.

Recommended treatments may include specific spinal adjustments, recommendations on exercise, nutritional advice or other conservative methods of care based on health history, age and lifestyle (factors which are considered for both children and adults).

Why Do Newborns Get Chiropractic Adjustments?

Even today’s “natural” childbirth methods can affect an infant’s spine. Preliminary studies suggest that colic, unusual crying, poor appetite, ear infections or erratic sleeping habits can be signs of spinal distress. Pediatric chiropractic adjustments are gentle. Knowing exactly where to adjust, the doctor applies no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato.

You can get more information on gentle chiropractic care by contacting Dr. Hans at 510-797-4796. His staff of chiropractors in Fremont, CA and Union City, CA are always available to answer your health questions.

How Many Chiropractic Adjustments Will I Need?

The number of chiropractic adjustments varies with each patient and his or her individual health goals. At our Fremont neck and back care center, many patients sense progress within a week or two of frequent visits. Visits become less often as your spine stabilizes. In chronic cases, complete healing can take months or even years.

If you would like more information on chiropractic care, contact Dr. Hans and his Fremont chiropractic staff at 510-797-4796.

Can I Adjust Myself Without A Chiropractor?

No. Some people can make their joints “pop”, but that’s not an adjustment! Worse, damage can occur by mobilizing a joint with weakened muscles and ligaments. Adjustments are specific and take years to master. Even your chiropractic doctor must consult a colleague for an adjustment to benefit from chiropractic care.

For more information, contact Dr. Hans and his staff at the Fremont neck and back care center at 510-797-4796.

Are All Patients Adjusted The Same Way?

No. Each patient’s spine and care plan is unique. With 24 moving bones in the spine, each of which can move in seven different directions, our chiropractors see a wide variety of spinal patterns. Each patient’s care is custom-tailored for his or her age, condition and health goals.

If you have more health related questions, call Dr. Hans at 510-797-4796. Or send an email to Dr. Hans and his chiropractor staff serving chiropractic patients in Fremont, CA and Union City, CA.

Are Women and Children More Prone To Whiplash?

Whiplash can be a very painful and unfortunate result of an automobile accident, sporting mishap or fall. But while most people think of whiplash as an adult injury, the reality is that children can also suffer from whiplash. In fact, they are even at a greater risk because of their activity level.

Whiplash is typically known to occur in an automobile accident. In a car collision, the head is suddenly jerked back and forth beyond its normal limits resulting in stretching and/or tearing of muscles and ligaments supporting the head and spine beyond their normal limits.

Children, and even women, are usually more prone to whiplash injuries than men. Their small frame, position of the head rests and seatbelts, and sensitivity to air bags are some of the reasons for this.

The position of a headrest is especially important in guarding against whiplash. A headrest that is placed too low, or even too high, may not catch the head in time to prevent the jarring motions that result in whiplash. It is important for your headrest to be lined up with the head and to be positioned close so it can protect you in case of any accident. Other things to consider while riding in a car is to keep good posture, don’t recline if you don’t need to, and don’t lean forward if you don’t need to. By sitting up straight the seat belt is able to hold the body in place using the strongest bones in the body.

The biggest mistake whiplash victims often make is they do not seek treatment until more serious complications develop. Frequently, following an automobile accident, sporting or other injury, there are no broken bones and individuals suffering from pain ignore problems or, in the case of children, cannot express their pain so that others believe they need care. Some of the symptoms of whiplash to look out for include:

• Neck pain
• Blurred vision
• Difficulty swallowing
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Pain between the shoulder blades that radiates down the back of the neck
• Pain in the arms or legs, feet and hands
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Ringing in the ears
• Vertigo
• Numbness and tingling down the arms or legs
• Pain in the jaw or face

Chiropractors are experts in treating whiplash through the application of gentle adjustments that are specifically targeted at misaligned vertebra. Chiropractic adjustments are also often referred to as “spinal manipulations” and have been proven to be highly beneficial in the treatment of injuries associated with whiplash.

Children are especially important to treat as soon as possible after finding a whiplash injury. Many adult problems such as arthritis, limited range of motion, neck pain while looking up, and many more can be associated with childhood injuries left untreated. Treating an injury in childhood is by far the fastest and most beneficial way to help the body heal itself. Children heal very quickly and the treatment will take less time and be more effective than if the injury is treated later. It also avoids the years of pain and compromise the injury can cause.

When someone suffers from whiplash, chiropractic treatment will focus on adjusting the neck area to correct spinal misalignments that can affect the nervous system. Chiropractors are experts in the care of nerves, muscles and connective tissues, which make up 60 percent of the body. All of the joints in an individual’s body are part of this musculo-skeletal system and its optimal function is necessary for overall good health. Even though a whiplash patient may experience mostly neck pain, other parts of the body may be compromised because of the nerve interference in the spine.

In conclusion, whiplash patients who have received chiropractic care experience a faster and more complete healing than patients who decide to “tough it out.” A chiropractor will take x-rays and perform test to determine the severity of whiplash. Chiropractic treatment of whiplash in children can avoid many future complications all without the use of drugs and surgery.

In A Chiropractic Adjustment, Can The Bones Move Too Much?

Highly unlikely. A chiropractic adjustment is special. It has the right amount of energy, delivered to an exact spot, at a precise angle, at just the right time. The intent is to get a “stuck” spinal joint moving again, helping to reduce nerve interference. Years of training, practice and experience make chiropractic adjustments specific and safe.

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