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Back hurting this holiday season? You may be forgetting about this one significant cause.

Oh, the holidays…. Sigh.  Remember when you were a kid and how much you looked forward to Christmas?  It seemed like it took forever to come, and when it did you were so excited for all those new toys!  Fast forward to adulthood and now it seems that Christmas arrives faster than you can prepare for it, you don’t have a 2 week Christmas Break and instead you have to work, you’re responsible financially for everything, and you have to do all the shopping/planning/coordinating/ect. Sound familiar? To some, it may seem more of a hassle than joy with all the stress that comes with the holidays. Many of you probably notice that your back or neck gets tight and starts hurting during this season due to stress.  We like to categorize stress into three groups: physical, chemical, and emotional.  Physical stress is usually obvious; like lifting the Christmas tree or going up and down on the ladder all day to put up lights. Chemical stress is also noticeable this time of year: cookies, candy,
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How long will it take me to get better?

How long will it take for me to get better? When a new person comes in to our office, they typically have two questions:   #1- What’s wrong with me?  This is usually more straightforward for us chiropractors to figure out because of the comprehensive testing that we perform. By analyzing the alignment of the spine and finding out the overall health of the spine, we can usually see why things are causing problems. The more challenging question is #2: How long will it take for me to get better? There are so many factors to healing and we would be lying if we said we had all the answers on why some people heal faster than others but the lifestyle that a person leads gives us tremendous clues on their rate of healing. No one really wants to hear this but stress is the major factor that dictates healing rate. Remember that stress is not just the emotional stress you face when the holidays come around. It’s stress from the chemicals that you take in (poor nutrition, drinking,
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Vitamin D….. Yep, it’s that time of the year again.

Living in the pacific northwest, we get to enjoy all 4 seasons (especially this past year!).  As we enter the season of seemingly endless rainfall and shorter days, I think it’s a good time for a friendly reminder about vitamin D deficiencies.  During the summertime, our skin is more likely to be exposed to the sunlight, which converts cholesterol in our bloodstream into vitamin D (see, cholesterol isn’t necessarily the enemy).  Vitamin D is then processed into its more active forms via the liver and then the kidneys, ultimately leading to calcium and phosphorus balance inside of the body.  There’s a bit more to the actual mechanism, but essentially this means it helps balance your nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems.  It’s important to note that vitamin D is available in the foods we eat, as well as in supplements, so you don’t just need to get it from the sun. When someone is vitamin D deficient, they typically don’t even know it.  Short-term signs and symptoms may include p
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Home care for sprained joints

Chances are that if you’re human you’ve probably sprained a joint, pulled a muscle, or even broke a bone a time or two in your life.  I frequently get asked how to care for these sorts of injuries; almost daily.  For purposes of this article, consider an ankle sprain, because chances are you’ve probably done this at some point in your life.  Use these general guidelines below to care for such an injury. After an injury, you will want to rest for a few days or more depending on the severity of the injury.  We call this the acute phase of an injury, sometimes referred to as the protective phase in which you will want to rest and avoid aggravating the injury.  Most of us have heard that the best thing to do to heal is to rest.  This is 100% true, but like everything in life don’t overdo it .  I’ve had many patients over the years that have hurt themselves and had to lay low at the gym for a long time, which led to slower run times, decreased ability to lift heavier weights, and ultim
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Don't forget to pack this item before you leave on vacation

We’re still in the middle of summer, which means many of us still have some travel plans within the next month or so.  It may be a simple trip to the beach or a long flight across the county.  Either way, you will probably be sitting for many hours, hauling around luggage, and sleeping on an unfamiliar bed.  Just think about all the potential back and neck aches you may encounter.  This is why I’d like to remind you to pack a little bit of prevention in your suitcase.  What do I mean by that?  Just as it’s important to pack toothpaste and a toothbrush to keep your teeth clean while on vacation, it’s important to pack in a chiropractic adjustment in just before your trip.   Now, I know that most people don’t have a chiropractor to take with them on vacation, but you can always get an adjustment in just before you leave and as soon as you get home.  Think about it as a tune-up adjustment before a long trip, just like you’d check the oil, brakes, tires, and filters in a car before a
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The 3 organs that will malfunction if you are dehydrated

Summer is here and so is the hot weather! Many of you will be out playing or working in the heat, so it’s important to remember to stay hydrated.  It is estimated that ¾ of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.  Being chronically dehydrated taxes a number of your internal organs and makes it much more difficult to function.  I like to compare the human body to a car.  Many of the systems operate and wear down in somewhat similar ways: 1) Kidneys (much like oil/fuel/air filters in a car): The kidneys primary job is to filter out wastes from the bloodstream.  Chronic dehydration can lead to kidney failure (compromised ability to filter the blood).  Unlike a car, in which filters are easily replaced, kidneys are not widely available for replacement and often results in undergoing dialysis until one is available (if ever) for transplant. 2) Brain (much like a computer system in a car):  The brain literally coordinates all functions of the body, either directly or indirectly.  It
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You mean chiropractic adjustments can help lower my blood pressure?

High blood pressure (HBP) is a condition that damages the walls of blood vessels and can lead to a number of other diseases such as heart disease and stroke.  Think of an overinflated tire.  Overtime, if there is too much pressure in that tire it is likely to wear out faster and in some cases blow! That’s especially not good for blood vessels to do inside of your body.  So how do doctors determine if you have HBP?  Simple: it’s that test they do just about every visit when they inflate a cuff around your arm to measure blood pressure.  It is measured by two very important numbers: systolic (the top number when your heart beats) and diastolic (when your heart is relaxed).  In a relaxed state you want those numbers to be around 120/80 (systolic/diastolic) or slightly less.  While HBP is mostly avoidable with lifestyle changes (proper diet & exercise), studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments, particularly to the upper neck, can lower your blood pressure.   One study comp
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