Core Strength – Why Is It Important?

When you think of your core, what comes to mind? Many people think of it as having a 6-pack of abs, but it really goes much further than that says a Jamison Chiropractor . Your “core”, as its commonly called, is composed of muscles in your torso not just in the front, but the back and sides as well…your erector spinae, the bottom of your lats, your obliques, and the transverse abdominus, just to name a few! Think of it in terms of a corset – it wraps all the way around the body, and so do your core muscles. So why are your core muscles so important?

The muscles in and around your torso are essentially stabilizing your entire body. According to the best local chiropractor, keeping those muscles strengthened not only helps to improve posture, but they also help with balance as well. From the playing fields to doing regular household chores, having a strong core will reduce the risk of injury and help maintain flexibility.

Bending, rotating, lifting, and walking/running are all examples of activities that can be made easier by having a strong core, and incorporating exercises into your fitness routine can optimize those strength gains and reduce the chance of injury – especially to your lower back! According to a Warrington chiropractor, specific core exercises are often overlooked when it comes to developing a fitness program, so ensure that you are training your core as well as upper and lower body.

Since everything in the body is connected, think of your core as the chain in the middle – if that chain is weak, it’s going to eventually affect the arms and legs as well. For overall performance improvement, including improved balance, stability, and posture, remember to incorporate core strengthening exercises into your workout routine!

Strength Training Benefits

For most folks, if you mention lifting weights, they probably imagine someone doing massive amounts of bicep curls in the gym; let’s get this this image of what weight lifting might look like out of here! Multiple studies talked about by the best local Jamison chiropractor show just how beneficial resistance training can be, for both men and women. Sure, we can build muscle and strength with lifting those dumbbells…but how else can we benefit?

Putting a load on our muscles, joints, and bones is imperative for our overall health and wellness, especially as we get older; as we age, we lose bone mass, and that can lead to issues like osteoporosis, back pain and postural issues. By adding weight training into our workout programs, we can slow the process, and maintain strength in our bones! We also start to lose our lean muscle mass as we age, and strength training can minimize the losses that are inevitable.

Lifting weights also has another benefit – not only does it help maintain a healthy body weight, but muscle also needs energy, so it uses blood sugar! This is helpful, especially those folks that are at a greater risk for diseases like diabetes, as well as high blood pressure.

If you’re still iffy about weight training, don’t be! You don’t have to lift massive amounts of weight in order to see these benefits, and we are able to see improvements in strength across all ages when incorporated as part of a healthy lifestyle with your favorite local chiropractor. And even better? You can use your own body weight as resistance, so get started on some squats, pushups, and planks, and start building up those muscles!

Healthy Snacking

With busy work schedules, after school activities with the kids, and everything else that life throws at us, how many of us take the time to snack properly? Sure, it’s easy to roll through a drive-thru or grab a quick bag of chips or a soda while out running errands…but is it the healthiest choice that we could make for ourselves? A Jamison chiropractor shows us some ways we can snack a bit smarter while we’re on the go!

First, there’s nothing wrong with snacking. It can help maintain blood sugar levels during the day, keeping you from that late afternoon crash or overeating later in the evening. Keeping some small portions of food in your bag with you during the day is a great way to keep yourself healthy and fit, and can help alleviate your back and neck pains! Next, think of your snack as a little meal – try not to sit in front of your desk doing work or in front of a tv to eat – mindfully think about what you’re munching on, and enjoy it!

You want to keep portion sizes in mind, not only with meals, but snacks as well. Nuts are good example of a treat to have on hand, and are full of protein, healthy fats, and fiber. You can also pair nuts with a carbohydrate like fruit, which will help keep you full and energized!

When it comes to healthy snacking, the Warrington chiropractor says just remember these things: pay attention to your portion sizes (the snack sized Ziploc bags are great!), and pick foods that are nutrient dense and that will give you enough protein and healthy fat to keep you satisfied and power you through your day!

GET YOUR FORTY WINKS

We all spend more than a third of our lives sleeping, but until recently scientists knew surprisingly little about the role that sleep plays in health. In the last few decades sleep research has been a hot topic in medicine, and it has revealed how important a good night’s sleep is to our physical and mental well-being.

There are many studies that show how a lack of sleep can play a role in chronic diseases and health conditions, and now local chiropractors are even seeing a relationship between poor sleep and pain.

A study by Esther Afolalu of the University of Warwick in Coventry, the UK, has found that poor sleepers have higher rates of chronic pain. The study, which tracked more than 60,000 adults in ten countries for four or more years, found that insufficient or poor quality sleep resulted in an increase in back and neck pain, fatigue, and poor health. When patients developed insomnia, they had double the risk of chronic pain disorders. The study’s conclusion was that sleep problems had a negative effect on a patient’s ability to process and handle pain.

Another study, by Dr. Monika Haack of Harvard, found that people who think they can make up for lost sleep by snoozing longer on the weekends are fooling themselves. Haack found that people who tried to catch up on weekends actually had more problems dealing with pain than those who got eight hours every night.

There’s no substitute for a good night’s sleep!

Local Chiropractor Offers Tips For Good Sitting

The way you sit or stand may seem like a simple matter, but it has a lot more influence on your physical and mental health than you may think. Poor posture can cause pain and soreness in your back and neck, as well as headaches, poor circulation, fatigue, and other problems. It can even affect your mental outlook, and can be a factor in low self-esteem and depression.

A chiropractor near you is well-versed in posture issues, since their main focus is on spinal health. Here are a few tips for good sitting posture, from the American Chiropractic Association.

. Keep your feet on the floor.

. Don’t cross your legs. The rule is, your ankles should be in front of your knees.

. Leave a small space between the back of your knees and the
front of your seat.

. Make sure the chair is the proper height — your knees should be at or above the level of your hips.

. If you can adjust the backrest of your chair, make sure it supports your lower back.

. Sitting is not just about your lower body. Proper sitting posture means relaxing your shoulders and keeping your forearms parallel to the ground.

. No matter how good your posture is, your best local chiropractor says it’s a mistake to sit in the same position for too long. You need to change your position or get up periodically to stimulate circulation. Besides, keeping the same posture for too long allows you to fall into bad habits, like slouching.

Pay attention to your posture — it’s important for your health!

YOGA AND MEDITATION ON THE JOB

Ask almost anyone these days how their job is going, and they'll probably tell you they're stressed. Stress levels in every area of life have increased, but especially in the workplace. In many industries and professions, people are working longer hours and dealing with increased pressure to perform well, so it's no wonder that they're feeling stressed. Stress has been shown to be a factor in many types of physical and mental ailments, so dealing with stress in the workplace has become an important issue.

Perhaps that's why a new study has revealed that more and more workers in the U.S. are using stress-reduction techniques like yoga, massage and meditation. The study, which appeared in a journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that in the group of more than 85,000 adults who participated, yoga practice increased from 6 percent to 11 percent from 2002 to 2012. During the same period meditation rates increased from 8 percent to almost 10 percent for this group. 

The other significant finding from a Jamison chiropractor was that people were more likely to practice these techniques if they had a job, which makes sense because jobs can create stress.

One of the recommendations of the study is that companies should try to provide more outlets for their employees to learn and practice these stress-reducing techniques. It could be a smart move for a company to offer classes or discounts at gyms, local chiropractic office or yoga centers where their employees could learn yoga, meditation, or other mindfulness techniques like tai chi or qigong.

Stress costs our economy billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, sick time, and other problems, so its good business for companies to make it easy for employees to do a little yoga or meditation!

HOLISTIC SYSTEM SHOWS PROMISE IN TREATING ALLERGIES

Allergies can be maddeningly difficult to identify and treat. They often have the same symptoms as other ailments, and many times allergy sufferers go through a battery of tests, or strategies such as eliminating food items from their diet, to try and find out what it is in their environment that’s causing the problem. Even when the allergy is isolated, it may not respond easily to an allergy treatment from a chiropractor near you.

There’s a new treatment that may offer some hope to allergy sufferers, and it’s called NAET, which is short for Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques. NAET was developed in 1983 by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, and it is a non-invasive, drug-free remedy for treating allergies. It borrows from acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic, and other natural medical disciplines. As an example, one NAET technique is for the patient to hold a container of whatever allergen is bothering them, while the therapist taps acupuncture points along the spinal column. This technique will reset the body’s response to the allergen, according to a local Jamison chiropractor.

NAET has been growing worldwide since Dr. Nambudripad developed it in 1983. There are more than 12,000 health care workers worldwide who have been trained in the system, although it is still relatively unknown in the U.S. It’s a welcome addition to the array of non-invasive, natural techniques that allergy sufferers can use to alleviate their condition and improve their overall health.

Add Some Variety To Your Exercise Routine

Everybody knows that you should exercise regularly as you get older. Regular exercise has been proven to extend both the quality of our lives as we age, and the number of years we are alive. Exercise improves our physical and mental health, there's no doubt about that. However, it's not enough to just choose one type of exercise -- like running or swimming, for example -- and just keep to that same routine year after year. We all know that it's good to change our daily routines just to keep fresh, and now a Doylestown Chiropractor has evidence to prove that it's important for our physical health.

The Journal of General Internal Medicine recently reported on a 2016 study of 3,300 seniors between 1993 and 2001 who were tracked for 17 years, and the results suggested that the seniors who did multiple types of physical exercise lived longer. A warrington chiropractor says studies like that are the reason why the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five times a week for seniors, complemented by twice a week sessions of muscle building and flexibility.

 

Variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes, and it’s also a way to maintain your health. It’s wonderful if you like to get out and ride your bike five times a week, but it’s even better if you pair that with seeing a jamison chiropractor and a good gym workout every few days. The way to keep yourself motivated and healthy is to add a little variety to your exercise program!

HOW TO RELIEVE NECK PAIN

Neck pain is on the rise in recent years, and it's easy to see why. If you think of how we interact with our computers and cell phones, you'll realize that these devices do not promote good posture. Most of the time when we use digital devices we're looking down at them, which puts added stress on our neck muscles. Add up all the time you spend on these devices during the day, and you'll realize why your neck hurts. Indeed, experts say that every inch you lean forward with your neck is an extra ten pounds of torque.

To relieve all the pressure on your neck, it helps to do some simple exercises prescribed by a chiropractor in Doylestown, like side-bending and head circles that will loosen things up in your neck area. Here are two particularly good exercises for your neck.

Wall Crunch. Stand close enough to a wall that your butt is touching the surface. Slowly engage your core (midsection) muscles, and pull your head back to the wall, without arching your back or getting out of alignment. Move your head back to the starting position, then repeat the exercise a dozen times.

Hanging Head. Standing straight, slowly drop your chin to your chest, till you can feel a stretch in your neck, shoulders, and upper back. Hold for at least 20 seconds, then raise you head back to the starting position. Repeat several times.

Take the opportunity during your day to gently bend and twist your neck in various directions. Don’t power through if you feel any pain, make sure you call the best local chiropractor; these neck turns should be relaxing movements that will help to relieve the stress on your neck from too much bending forward.

 

Take care of your neck — it’s under a lot of stress these days!

WHAT’S YOUR INDOOR ENVIRONMENT LIKE?

Many people are becoming more health conscious these days, and they're paying more attention to their diet, exercise and sleep needs. However, it's becoming clear that there's another factor that can influence our health greatly -- where we live and work. Our indoor environment plays a major role in health, and it's easy to see why.  A chiropractor near me says that Americans spend upwards of 90 percent of each day indoors, and if you're spending that much time inside, the elements of that environment are going to have a big influence on you. In fact, researchers now say that some of our leading causes of death, including cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, are affected by our indoor environments.

It is now known that the lighting in our bedrooms can interfere with our sleep patterns, ventilation can spread indoor air pollutants, and building materials can expose us to harmful toxins, among other environmental factors.

To counteract these problems, local chiropractors near me recommend opening windows frequently, and avoiding places that use building materials made from toxic chemicals (e.g., volatile organic compounds, or VOCs). Certain house plants like ivy or golden pothos can remove indoor air pollutants very effectively, so it’s a good idea to have them in your home or office.

 

 

It’s also worthwhile to invest in some artwork for your walls, because it’s been proven by a Jamison chiropractor that art can improve the mood and lessen anxiety of people nearby.

Some people are naturally sensitive to their surroundings, and they’ve already realized some of this. Others don’t pay much attention to their indoor environment. Whatever your style, it will improve your health if you start to think carefully about the environment you want to live and work in.

ALTERNATIVES TO BACK SURGERY

It's no fun to have pain anywhere in your body, but back pain can be especially debilitating. Because the spine is such an important part of your body, if you have pain in that area it can affect almost every movement you make. Simple things like tying your shoelaces or getting out of bed in the morning can cause acute pain, and become a challenge to perform.

Because back pain is so debilitating, people often search for a radical solution like surgery. However, it’s always better to look for less invasive solutions first, such as spinal decompression from a chiropractor and a skilled medical professional can help you to find those.

The first step is to get a detailed history. A doctor or therapist should ask exactly how long you’ve had the problem, where the area of pain is, what movements cause the most pain, etc., to get a clear idea of what’s going on.

The next step, if necessary, may be to get imaging done, but tests like MRIs do not always show the exact cause of the problem. Especially with older adults, an MRI can show a picture that doesn’t distinguish between new and old injuries or problems.

Once you have a clear idea of what’s going on with your back, your best local chiropractor can begin to treat it. Options include: non-prescription pain relievers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and the application of ice and heat in moderate amounts.

For additional help you can try physical therapy, Doylestown chiropractic treatment, and prescription medications to control inflammation, pain, and muscle soreness.

Sometimes a combination of these therapies can actually work better than surgery. It’s always worth investigating non-surgical alternatives!

USE MELATONIN SUPPLEMENTS THE RIGHT WAY

Lack of sleep is a factor in many illnesses, physical and mental, and a Warrington chiropractor has warned that it can have long term consequences to our health. It’s true also that a large number of people do not get the required amount of sleep each night,

But it's not always easy to get a good night's sleep. Our hectic, stress-filled lives make it hard for us to fall asleep sometimes, and insomnia is a growing problem for many. Supplements which boost the sleep hormone melatonin have been promoted as a safe, natural way to cure sleeplessness, and millions of people use these supplements to help them fall asleep at night. However, the best local chiropractor warns that it is not good to use melatonin supplements on a long term basis.

 

 

It's not because melatonin itself is addictive; it is not physically addictive at all. However, supplements that boost melatonin levels at night can reset the body’s circadian rhythms, or “sleep clock”, and trick the body into expecting a melatonin boost at the same time each night in order to relax and go to sleep. Not only that, people who use melatonin supplements on a long term basis can develop a psychological dependence — they get anxiety if they try to fall asleep without taking their pill.

The best approach is to remember that these are supplements, and are best used an alternative solutions. If you can’t fall asleep because of jet lag, for example, or a stressful situation in your life, then it’s okay to use a melatonin supplement for a night or two. Most nights, it’s better to practice good sleep management techniques — don’t eat or drink too close to bedtime, dim your lights and turn off your electronic devices well before you go to bed, and think relaxing thoughts as you prepare to fall asleep. That’s the way to a good, restful sleep!

Exercise Boosts Memory

We all know that exercise is good for our bodies -- there's a mountain of research that indicates exercise helps prolong our lives, increase our sense of well being, reduce the effects of many ailments, you can learn more here, and even lessen our chances of contracting a life-threatening condition like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.

Now there’s evidence that exercise can help with brain function also, specifically in the area of memory.

A recent study by chiropractors in the Netherlands found that when subjects did 35 minutes of interval training on an exercise bike they performed significantly better on memory tests than people who did not exercise.

 

 

The memory test was 40 minutes long, and it involved remembering pictures. Interestingly, the researchers found that when subjects exercised immediately after the first part of the test, they did not do any better at remembering the pictures than people who didn’t exercise at all. The real boost in memory performance was when subjects exercised four hours after they did the first part of the memory exercise. When they came back later for memory testing, their results were significantly better than the other groups in the study.

 

 

The chiropractor in this research study are not sure why this group did so much better, and they plan to do more studies. The bottom line, however, is that recent scientific research has definitely shown a link between exercise and memory, in particular that exercise enhances output of brain chemicals known as catecholamines, which are essential to memory and learning.

So, if you want to improve your memory, get out there and ride your bike!

NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO PAIN MEDICATIONS

Pain medications are a big business in the U.S., and millions of them are sold every year, for relief from all sorts of muscle aches and pains. Many people pop a couple of pain pills even before they experience any symptoms, perhaps on their way to the gym, to deal with any muscle soreness from their workouts. 

But even over-the-counter pain medications can have their problems. They're not addictive, like the opioid drugs that have caused such an epidemic in the last ten years, but long term use can cause heart and kidney problems. Increasingly, people are turning to herbal remedies to get relief from pain, because they can be just as effective without any of the problems associated with the standard pain medications. 

Here are a few popular herbal pain remedies.

. Arnica Montana. This formula can bring relief to arthritis sufferers, especially when use as a cream or gel.

. Capsaicin. Another topical cream formulation, Capsaicin can bring relief from neck pain, various types of arthritis, and neuropathy caused by diabetes.

. Cod liver oil. Although cod liver oil has been the butt of many jokes because of its taste, there is research that shows the omega-3 fatty acids in it can lessen some types of pain from inflammation. A local Jamison chiropractor recommends taking up to two teaspoons of it daily.

. Willow bark extract. This remedy has shown a particular effectiveness in treating low back pain.

There are other effective methods in addition to herbal remedies, including meditation and relaxation techniques, yoga, supplements, and local chiropractic treatments. 

Try considering a different approach the next time you deal with painful muscles or joins, rather than just reaching for the bottle of acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

YOU’RE NOT INVINCIBLE

Young people are notorious for not thinking much about the future, especially when it comes to their bodies. They’re usually in great health, their bodies are strong and flexible, and because of that they don’t hesitate to lift things and expend physical effort that would cause a person in their 50s to back off.

But maybe they should hesitate.

A new study found by the best local chiropractor has found that heavy physical work at a young age can have long term effects on the back. The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health surveyed more than 700 Finnish men and women over a twenty year period starting in 1986, when they were between 18 and 24 years old, to determine the long term effects of heavy physical work.

 

 

What they found was startling.

Twenty percent of those surveyed reported a problem with radiating lower back pain. In addition, the chances of having this type of back pain in middle age more than doubled for the group of men who had done heavy physical work in their younger years.

It’s easy to figure out what’s happening here. Young men in particular are often prone to muscle their way through jobs without using proper lifting techniques. If you’re 21 years old, in good health, and you’ve never experienced lower back pain, you think you’re invincible. You’ll go ahead and lift that heavy piece of furniture and move it without a second thought. As the Finnish study shows, however, a careless attitude like that will come back to haunt you years later.

We need to educate young people on the importance of using proper lifting techniques, stretching and flexibility exercises, and also to speak to a Warrington PA chiropractor if an employer is asking them to do physical work that could result in harm to them.

It’s not easy for a 21-year-old to think about the long-term effects of his or her actions, but it’s important to ensure a healthy, pain-free life later on.

FIVE WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

The modern world is suffering from an epidemic of stress. According to a report shared by the best local chiropractor, three quarters of all Americans say they have had at least one symptom of stress in the past 30 days. That number represents 182 million people, and that's just in the United States!

Stress is something that is affecting the lives of more people than diseases like cancer and diabetes. It's been identified as a factor in a host of ailments and diseases, both physical and mental.

What’s causing all this stress? A Warrington PA Chiropractor says that money and job issues are stressful for 60 percent or more of Americans, while family responsibilities are stressful for 47 percent, and personal health is stressful for 46 percent.

Whatever the cause of our stress, we need to learn to deal with it in a healthy manner, or it will cause problems for us. Here are five ways to handle your stress better.

Simplify -- A complicated life is a stress enabler. Prune away the activities in your life that don’t resonate with who you are, and you’ll be more relaxed.

Pay attention to your health -- Eat a healthy diet and get daily exercise, and you’ll be able to handle stress without letting it affect you negatively.

Be here now  -- Let go of the past, and stop worrying about the future. Live in the present, and you’ll be happier.

Practice peace -- The sages had it right: maintain a peaceful attitude, don’t hold grudges, and be slow to anger.

Say thank you -- Gratitude is a great stress-reducer. Count your blessings every day, and you’ll achieve serenity.

HOW TO FIGHT THE SLOUCHING EFFECT

 

Alot of adults can probably remember a time in their teenage years when their parents constantly reminded them to "stop slouching". The teen years are awkward ones, when our bodies are changing rapidly and we experience growth spurts where we can grow several inches in a matter of months. According to a local Warrington chiropractor, teens often develop bad posture, because they're not used to the changes in their bodies (and if they've gotten taller they might slouch just to keep from getting noticed).

Unfortunately, that slouching habit can last far beyond the teenage years, and many adults still slouch when they stand or sit. Years of this poor posture can weaken our muscles, especially those in the shoulders, upper back, and all the way down to the abdominals.

When your muscles are working properly, they keep your body strong and minimize pain. When they’re stretched the wrong way because of slouching, it can lead to neck, shoulder, and lower back injuries. 

Here are some easy exercises to help you regain strength in your back muscles.

1. Pec Release. Face a wall while standing. Place a ball (a lacrosse ball works well for this) two inches below your collarbone and near your armpit. Lean into the ball and move back and forth until you find a tender area. Then, move your arm several times up and down and forward and back. Repeat for about a minute.

2. Wall Dips. Stand four feet from a wall and face it. Keep your feet shoulder width apart, with your knees bent. Lean forward and, with your arms straight, put your palms against the wall, thumbs up and fingers pointing sideways.

Bend forward at the waist, drop your chest toward the ground, and push your hips and butt backward.

Shrug your shoulder blades as you bend, and press your palms into the wall to make the upper back muscles engage.

Do 3 sets of 15 reps on each side.

These are just two exercises a Warrington PA chiropractor offers to help you strengthen your back. There are many more. The important thing is to work your back on a regular basis to fight the ill effects of slouching.