Stress:The good, the bad, and the ugly

Stress is a common part of our lives. Today’s world is full of multi-tasking and having multiple irons in the fire. I often wish I had a clone to help me be in all the places at one time that I need to be. That’s a common thought for many people. This season is stressful for many reasons. Taxes are a big one right now. Everyone is worried about the deadlines and paying more money and audits and gathering information from the past year. It can be overwhelming. Sometimes life can be overwhelming. Everyone has stress. There are good stressors and bad stressors.

The definition of stress is the body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. Sometimes this motivates us to be productive. Sometimes this causes us to retreat and procrastinate if we feel like the work load is impossible to be accomplished. I suppose it’s all on perception. It can discourage or motivate us. The body has other factors of stress on it. Sometimes the stress is seen as high blood pressure or elevated liver enzymes. Sometimes it is seen as headaches or constipation. Stress and emotions can have various effects on the body and they differ person to person. Everyone handles stress differently. Some people exercise to burn off excess tension. Some people eat. We all have our method of coping.

I see stressed people every day. Everyone I see acknowledges that there are stressors occurring in their body that they don’t want to carry around. Usually the stress that I see is the stress we as humans have on the spine. Chiropractic care helps the body not fold under stress. It helps our posture be a supportive one for our muscles and our organs.  Chiropractic not only works on posture and sore muscles, but it actually helps alleviate pressure put on nerves as they exit the spinal cord and go to virtually every cell in the body. This stress can be physical, emotional, or chemical.

The chiropractic adjustment helps the body’s internal workings of regulation and organization work at its very best. If there is an excess of toxins in the body from a poor diet or a diet full of artificial sweeteners or too many medications, the adjustment ensures that proper nerve flow is getting to the liver which is the body’s detox organ so it can clean out as much trash as possible and help the body work as well as possible.  If the stress is physical from working at a desk all day with your head turned in one direction looking at a computer screen and typing on a key board in the opposite position, the adjustment specifically works on the misalignments in the spine that are putting pressure on the nerves and spinal cord. If the stress is emotional in nature, the adjustment helps make sure that the messages from one part of the brain are getting clearly sent to the other parts and out to the rest of the body. Muddled thinking or disruptive trains of thought can easily be caused by blocked messages.

My goal is to help people live the most productive and enjoyable lifestyle as possible. There are various coping mechanisms that are helpful during stressful times. Having a person in your corner is something everyone needs. That’s exactly what the chiropractor can be to you. A person who helps you accomplishes your health goals, whatever they may be through chiropractic adjustments and nutrition and healthy eating and living. If this is something that you think sounds interesting to you, I would love to talk with you more about what chiropractic care can offer you.

Fever: Friend or Foe?

Parenting is full of scary moments. It’s a learn as you go type experience. We can be well educated and have read all the books but the mommy side of your brain is not logical and seems to panic quickly in times of uncertainty. Fever is often one of these times. When is too long too long? How hot is too hot? What does it mean? Our parenting brain always seems to jump to the worst conclusion. Let’s face it. No one likes to see their child sick. It’s always easier when it’s someone else’s. Childhood illness and sickness are crucial for the development of the immune system and help build healthy and resistant adults. Even though its purpose is well served, it’s still scary when it’s happening.

Fever is the body’s natural response to killing off the invader of the body, the cause of the sickness. A normal body temperature for a healthy baby is between 97 and 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit. If your baby's rectal temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, he has a fever. The belief that fever is dangerous and must be suppressed disregards the scientific evidence demonstrating its beneficial role in inflammatory diseases. The immune system depends on the fever to fight infections. We have all heard of horror stories of children or adults who had a high fever and ended up with some sort of injury…brain damage, sterility, hearing loss, etc. These problems are rarely caused by the fever itself, but more likely the serious illness that gave them the fever. The fever was only the body’s attempt to fight the infection.

Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, pediatrician and author of How to Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor, says “Fevers produced by viral or bacterial infections will not cause brain damage or permanent physical harm. Fevers are a common symptom in children and are not an indication of serious illness unless associated with major changes in appearance and behavior or other additional symptoms such as respiratory difficulty, extreme listlessness, or loss of consciousness. The height of fever is not a measure of the severity of the illness.”

Fevers do need to be taken seriously and parents need to keep a close eye on the progression of the fever especially in the newborn population. “Newborn babies may suffer infections related to obstetrical interventions during delivery, ...aspiration pneumonia from amniotic fluid forced into the lungs because of over-medication of the mother during delivery...and exposure to the legion of germs that abound in the hospital itself,” writes Dr. Mendelsohn. The first 2 months after birth are the most critical for fever.

Fevers should be allowed to take place within safe perimeters. Most doctors agree that fevers under 104 degrees Fahrenheit are not of high risk for harm to the child. There are several things that you can do to help assist your child’s immune response and make the most of the fever that the body is producing. Broth, liquid electrolytes, and water are great choices because they replace electrolytes that are used up in the fever process. Rest during times of fever will allow the body to use its energy to fight off infection. The activity level of the child will also be an obvious clue in as to how the child is feeling. If the child is playing and is taking in plenty of fluids and having regular kidney and bowl functions, then the risk of harm is very low. Of course, if you need peace of mind and want to consult your doctor, there is no harm in that. Sometimes a parent just needs to hear from another source that things will be ok.

Why Kids Need To Be Adjusted:

Labor is hard work, whether natural or C-section.  It can stress the infant’s spine and nervous system and cause a multitudes of health problems that are considered common childhood illnesses, many of which, common medical advice offer’s little explanation for ie.: “they will just have to grow out of it”. Some of these issues are colic, difficulty nursing, sleep disturbances, allergies, ear infections, constipation, lowered immune response, acid reflux and digestive disturbances, etc. All of these often can be traced back to stress within the nervous system and spine which alters the function of the body and its organs and the biological processes within.

The nerve system controls and coordinates the function of all the systems in the body: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, hormonal, and immune system. Any aspect of health may be impaired by nerve interference. The chiropractic adjustment restores nerve system function allowing the body the ability to express a greater state of health and well-being. This ensures that the body is functioning properly and your body is not as susceptible to malfunction and illness. It’s most important to understand that chiropractic is not a treatment for disease. It’s purpose is to reduce spinal nerve stress, a serious and often painless condition most children (and adults) have in their bodies. Spinal nerve stress interferes with the proper functioning of the nervous system, can weaken internal organs and organ systems, lower resistance, reduce healing potential and set the stage for sickness and disorders of all kinds.

My son was checked and adjusted at day 4 of life. Knowing what I know now, our little girl whom I’m currently 7 months pregnant with will be adjusted immediately after birth. Checking the infant right away greatly reduces the changes of any negative effects of birthing trauma and gets the nervous system on the right track right from the beginning ensuring the baby will be given the best start at life. 

Spinal nerve stress can be caused by physical, chemical and/or emotional stress. Physical stress may start in the womb, with the baby lying in a distorted or twisted manner. Spinal nerve stress in newborns is more common than previously realized. This may be caused by a traumatic or difficult birth which can introduce great stress to the infant’s skull, spinal column and pelvis. Throughout childhood, the normal childhood traumas every child experiences can be a source of spinal and cranial trauma. Most of the time, the pain from the initial injury “goes away” however the damage incurred continues to affect the future function of the child’s nerve system.

The spine changes between infancy and adulthood. Greatly so within the first years as the baby learns to hold their head up, crawl, roll over, and walk. These activities promote the spinal curve formations. These are important times in development to ensure that things are given every opportunity to form correctly. Chiropractic adjustments ensure that stressors on the spine and nervous system are eliminated or greatly reduced to as minimum as possible. 

The adjustment itself is gentle and relaxing. There are many ways to adjust the spine: manually, with light touch, with instruments of various types- mechanical or electrical, etc. Adjusting a child’s spine is different than adults due to it not being fully formed and hardened yet. Some people don’t care for the pop and snap approach. Some people love it. It doesn’t matter. There are many ways to accomplish the benefits of an adjustment and we can find a way that works for you and that you enjoy. 

Today’s parents are more concerned than ever about the adverse effects drugs have on their children. Parents are increasingly asking, when handed a prescription for a child’s recurrent problem, “Is this really all I can do for my child? Is there a safer alternative?” Parents are hesitant to merely mask symptoms with drugs and are worried about side effects. Their desire to achieve a state of true health—has led parents to seek health care options which support their children’s own natural ability to be healthy. Chiropractic can be the missing link in your child’s health regimen or your own.

DHA: What’s the hype all about?

When NASA scientists began to look for the best space food, they turned they attention to marine algae for its high source of the fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).  We have since learned that DHA is not only important to astronauts, but everyday people here on Earth. 

DHA is a brain food. The brain contains the highest content of DHA in the body indicating that its value for proper brain function. The areas of the brain closely related to memory show the greatest concentration of DHA. People who are DHA deficient show cognitive deficiencies and have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s. Children with high levels of DHA perform better on tests. As we age, DHA levels drop. This is why supplementation is crucial. In studies with older animals who were given supplementation of DHA, the levels were normalized and the risks associated with deficiencies were reduced. 

A low Omega-3 index shows an indication of a higher risk for coronary artery disease. A healthy diet is often not sufficient enough. Consuming an average of 3g/day of fatty fish offer a 19 to 23% reduction of risk of mild cognitive impairment which is related to a condition with later progression to Alzheimer’s disease.  People who eat larger amounts of fatty fish can experience a protection of up to 75%. Low fish intake and low DHA levels correlate strongly to increased risk of cognitive impairment and especially Alzeimer’s. Deficienty of DHA shows inflammatory and oxidative damage to neurons which are the cells that make up brain tissue. 

Do consuming more fats put you at risk for clogged arteries and heart disease and high cholesterol? No. Unlike other fats that collect in fat cells and are utilized for energy when needed, if ever needed, DHA is collected in cell membranes. Cell membranes are responsible for helping protect and keep the cell healthy. It is a border of sorts and needs to be strong for durability and protection. Cell membranes constantly undergo degradation and renewal, a remodeling of sorts. This is why your body needs a constant supply of DHA to avoid depletion and injury to neurons. 

Supplementation of 2g/day provides sufficient DHA to maintain healthy function. If supplementation ceases, levels drop. To achieve optimal levels needed for proper function and health, additional supplementation in addition to a healthy diet of fish and other high DHA foods is still needed.

DHA is vital for proper development of a fetus during pregnancy. It helps determine brain structure and protects the developing brain. During a rapid time of development and growth like in a fetus during the first and second trimester are especially important. This ensures that during the early childhood stages where learning is greatest and brain tissues are forming and connecting that they will form and grow in   that will reduce issues with learning later in life. Kids with higher levels of DHA correlate well with improved performance on tests of memory and learning shows a study of school children in Canada with kids from birth to 11. 

As important as exercise is to the brain, it enhances brain plasticity and neuron flexibility that is crucial for learning, DHA supplementation also helps. DHA boosts the effects of regular exercise. It is a benefit to multiple conditions other than just memory. Depression for example, DHA supplementation of 1.55g/day reduced the scores on depression scales in depression patients and also helped improve their verbal fluency. People who have a condition that causes decreased appetite and weight control like Alzheimer’s also improve. Alzheimer’s patients often experience loss of appetite due to loss of smell and taste. Supplementation of DHA at 1.7g/day improved weight gain with patient of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s and improved appetite.

People who are the greatest risk for DHA deficiency are people who consume a Vegan diet because their diets provide little or no DHA at all. Marine algae is a nutrient rich food that can solve this problem for people in this category. Fish are an Omega 3 rich food because they feed on algae so we can go straight to the source and get DHA from the same source the fish do without any loss of benefit.  Vegetarians and Vegans can experience the same drop in cardiovascular risk factors as do non-vegetarians consuming fish oil. Those include lowering triglycerides and the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio. 

No adverse side effects or adverse outcomes have been shown in any studies, even studies where patients consume even large doses of DHA. It is a huge benefit to your health, supplementation is easy, and risks of deficiency are great. Seems like a whether to add it in to your daily regimen is a no brainer. Just make sure when purchasing an Omega 3 that you buy a quality source. Cold water fish are best. Whole food, organic sources are best. If it stinks or tastes bad, it is rancid and should not be consumed. For a quality test, put a capsule in the freezer and see if it freezes. Oil and water do not max and there should be no water in the capsule to freeze. I enjoy Standard Process Tuna Omega 3 Fish oil. It is tasteless and smell less and does not cause indigestion. It is easy to mix in food for babies and toddlers and people who have a hard time swallowing and is very easy to disguise.

Are you doing something that can be contributing to your pain?

Each day I remind my patients about how sitting on their wallet can be adverse to the treatment of aligning their spine. It isn’t conducive to helping an adjustment hold. Most men understand when I say “it’s jacking you up on one side and making you one-sided”. Sometimes plain English conveys the message more effectively than technical terms. 

The condition is becoming so common that it has even been given its own name - hip-pocket syndrome or wallet-neuropathy. It isn’t so bad standing with the wallet in the back pocket, but when you sit while working or watching television or driving on the wallet day in and day out, it slowly can lead to low back pain and then transfer further up the spine to cause problems higher compensatory in nature. Men who sit down with their wallets in their back trouser pocket risk damaging key nerves. The wallet presses on nerves in the back and over time can cause sciatica. This can lead to pain or numbness in the lower leg, ankle or foot. Walking, sitting and lying down can become extremely painful. Some people can only find relief when they stand still. 

The simplest solution is to simply remove the wallet from the back pocket and put it in the front pocket or to take it out anytime you sit or drive. Changing one small habit will amaze you at how much better you back can feel and how much longer the chiropractic adjustment will hold. Muscles will be less traumatized and the whole area will be happier therefore your back pain will be improved. It sounds simple because it is.

With women, crossing of the legs is something we learn to be proper early on. It almost comes naturally. Unfortunately it, like sitting on a wallet, causes misalignments and rotation in the hip/pelvis/sacrum and low back area. I remember when I was young and had really long hair every time my mother took me to get it trimmed the hairstylist would say uncross your legs and sit straight or your cut will be uneven on one side. This is the same mechanism that contributes to rotations and tilting in the low back. The Sacrum, or tail bone, is a triangle shaped bone and we sit on the point of it. It’s common to tilt or teeter one way or another like a seesaw. Crossing of the legs or sitting on one side of a hip more than the other is something that I see commonly with women and low back issues. It causes unevenness in the muscles of the low back called the QL or Quadratus Lumborum muscles. These muscles run along both sides of your spine and attach to the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hips basically. Their function is to be a “hip hiker” and bring the hip and the rib cage closer together. You can see how any tilt of your bottom or pelvis can cause tightness on one side and a stretching on the other leading to unevenness and therefore back pain not just in the low back area with crossing of the legs or anything that leads to unevenness and tilt like sitting on a wallet. Any one sided activities like: mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, golf, etc. can cause unevenness in this area of the body and affect the associated muscles. Evening out work load from left to right side whenever possible is a good idea and stretching and warming up the muscles before extensive activities of this manner is also a good idea to combat unevenness. 

It is a difficult habit to break and it causes us to relearn certain behaviors, but when people stop or reduce the time spent in that position, they are amazed at how much better their back feels. Incorporating small changes little by little are easier than saying “I’m not crossing my legs anymore or sitting on my wallet”. And your wallet is definitely something you don’t want to lose so it is an important thing to keep on you but just in a different position. I always joke with patients and tell them this little tidbit of information is bad for business but good for you. Helping the patient is what my job is all about. Try this small habit change for a week or two and you will see the difference. Your chiropractor will probably notice too!