Valentine’s Day …. or Vitamin’s Day?

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Valentine’s Day….or Vitamin’s Day?

In the present day many of us spend majority of our time indoors whether that is working, being on screens or hiding from the frigid weather. For many people, especially in Montana with long winters, we tend to forget about an important aspect of health, vitamin D intake.

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the body maintaining strong bones and overall health. It’s known for its role in absorbing calcium, maintaining bone density and supporting the immune system. Additionally, vitamin D affects mood regulation, muscular functions and can even reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as osteoporosis or autoimmune diseases. Something unique about our body is that we can produce it naturally when exposed to sunlight because UV rays trigger production of vitamin D in our skin. The good news is that most people are not deficient in Vitamin D, instead, they are deprived of it for various reasons such as low light environments, long workdays inside.

Although chiropractic care does not directly impact vitamin D in our bodies, it supports overall health and wellness as you manage your vitamin D intake. In people who suffer from Vitamin D deficiency they may become more susceptible to pain and fractures, chiropractic care can improve the function and mobility of the spine and joints, which can reduce musculoskeletal discomfort.

Your body’s immune system relies on adequate Vitamin D levels, and low levels can leave you more susceptible to sickness and infections. Chiropractic care helps to optimize the function of the nervous system which is responsible for coordinating your body’s immune response. By adjusting the spine, and relieving nervous system interference, we improve the body’s ability to strengthen our immune system.

One of the many forms of love is SELF LOVE. Treat your body right by investing in all aspects of health, like taking your vitamins and getting spinal check ups!

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2022). “Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.”

Haas, M., & Nugent, F. (2010). “The chiropractic profession’s approach to pain and dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 33(1), 31-45.

Holick, M. F. (2007). “Vitamin D deficiency.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 357(3), 266-281.

Mior, S., & Lee, J. (2015). “Chiropractic care for musculoskeletal conditions.” The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 45(4), 254-264.

Weaver, C. M., & Heaney, R. P. (2006). “Calcium and vitamin D in bone health.” The Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 25(2), 110-121.

“Believe it or not…”

By | Asthma, athletes, Benefits of Chiropractic, gonstead chiropractic, High Blood Pressure, immune system | No Comments

“Believe it or not…”

“Have you more faith in a spoonful of medicine than in the power that animates the living world?”

  • B.J. Palmer, the “developer” of chiropractic (1882-1961)

Ever heard someone say, “I believe in Chiropractic”? What about pills? Xrays? Do you believe in them? Is belief in gravity necessary for it to work? Do you believe in the effects of exercise or a healthy diet? What changes might you see immediately with starting a new regimen? How about after six months of healthy eating and physical activity?

Chiropractic isn’t a religion that you have to “believe in” for it to work. Children and animals get adjusted, and they don’t know enough to be able to “believe in” chiropractic any more than most of us are able to deeply understand the law of gravity. It just exists, and we see its effects every day. An ideological debate isn’t necessary or helpful because the effects tell the story.

The human body is designed and given intelligence (“power” according to B.J. Palmer) to function and maintain itself with great complexity. When the nervous system is functioning at its peak potential, we are able to adapt to internal and external changes in environment. Chiropractic is the philosophy, science and art of removing interference to enable that peak potential. Modern scientific research is slowly catching up with what the founders of chiropractic knew over a century ago, even though they were considered quacks for “practicing medicine without a license.” And patients all over the world are gaining an understanding and respect for what chiropractic has to offer in long term, natural health care. We don’t have to “believe in” chiropractic to receive the scientifically valid healing and improved quality of life. Chiropractic provides a viable alternative to drugs and surgery – a healing that flows from an intelligent nervous system that is fully-functioning. This quiet confidence frees the mind to explore other ideas and experiences in LIFE.

No, you don’t have to “believe in” chiropractic. Faith and trust in the unknown should be a part of all our lives, but chiropractic exists and the results speak for themselves.

Inflammation The Body’s Silent Alarm

By | Allergies, athletes, Benefits of Chiropractic, gonstead chiropractic, gut problems, High Blood Pressure, immune system | No Comments

Inflammation The Body’s Silent Alarm

Understanding Inflammation and How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Inflammation is a natural response by your body to injury or infection: When it becomes chronic, it can lead to pain, discomfort, and other health issues. Whether it’s from an injury, repetitive stress, or even poor posture, inflammation can cause the body to react in ways that affect your overall well-being. As chiropractors, we focus on helping the body restore its natural balance, and understanding inflammation is key to that process.

Inflammation is characterized by redness, heat, swelling, pain, and sometimes loss of function. While acute inflammation is a protective mechanism, chronic inflammation, when it lasts for weeks, months, or even longer, can contribute to a variety of health conditions such as arthritis, digestive issues, cardiovascular diseases, and more.

Chronic Inflammation and Its Effects

When inflammation lingers, it can lead to long-term pain, stiffness, and dysfunction in the body. For example, if you have misaligned joints, nerves may become irritated, which can trigger inflammation and exacerbate symptoms like back pain, headaches, or sciatica. Over time, this can create a cycle, where the body is in constant stress, making it harder to heal.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Chiropractic care offers a natural approach to managing inflammation. Through spinal adjustments, chiropractors can help reduce nerve irritation, improve joint mobility, and promote healing. By restoring proper alignment, we can reduce the inflammation that often causes pain and discomfort. In addition, chiropractic care helps improve circulation, which supports the body’s natural ability to heal and reduce inflammation.

If you’re struggling with chronic inflammation or pain, now is the time to see a chiropractor to help address the root causes and start your journey towards a healthy body.

“Healthy spine, healthy mind”

-Dr. Tyler

Gevers-Montoro, C., Provencher, B., Descarreaux, M., Ortega de Mues, A., & Piché, M. (2021). Clinical Effectiveness and Efficacy of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Spine Pain. Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)2, 765921. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.765921

Nerve System vs Immune System – It’s that time of year!

By | ADHD, Allergies, Asthma, athletes, Benefits of Chiropractic, Chiropractic Myths, depression, Ear Infections, emotions, energy, fibromyalgia, kids chiropractic | No Comments

Fear and stress weaken the immune system faster than anything else.” -unknown

Who has become ill and not gone to the chiropractor because they think the office does not want sick people to come in to get checked and adjusted? I would have to assume it is a fair amount of people who think that is the case but could not be further from the truth. We want sick people in the office! Like we’ve said before, we live our life through our nerve system. Sickness is the lack of adaptation of our bodies because a component of our body is not performing correctly, hence the immune system because of an interference within our nerve system. Proper messages cannot be sent to our immune system to function at its best when there is an interference. It is out of every chiropractor’s scope of practice to recommend medication or not recommend medication such as antibiotics but we will say antibiotics eliminate the pathogen immediately, not giving our bodies the chance to fight it off on its own. The reason this is crucial is because the body has a memory system.

Once there has been an exposure of a pathogen, the body will recognize it the second time and fight it off more quickly and effectively because our bodies have seen it before. We are about maximizing your health and focusing on preventative care and therefore getting less sick in the future or being able to make a quicker recovery. With these stressful times of our economy, the nerve system is under attack as well as our immune system. Know better and do better! Be pro-active and not re-active when it comes to your health! We focus on function, not feeling!

Do your body a favor and get checked to stay healthy this season!

Tics and ChiropracTIC

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TICS and ChiropracTIC

“Look to the nervous system as the key to maximum health”. – Galen

When we think of motor tics, they are quite the inconvenience when trying to perform daily activities, especially in children when they have less control than adults. Motor tics stem from built-up tension and stress in the nerve system and that is displayed in the form of involuntary motor movements. There are several different varieties of motor tics, they can occur with shrugging of the shoulders, twitching of the face or mouth clenching and opening. The intensity of the tics is usually affected by external factors such as emotional stress, growth spurts, the changing of seasons, or compromised immune systems can all amplify the effects of motor tics. These motor tics often occur with anxiety, Autism, and ADHD due to the bombardment of stress and tension on the nerve system.

The central nerve system is made up of the brain and spinal cord and they are responsible for relaying messages throughout the body. When there is a misalignment of the spine (subluxation), there is a decrease in the connection between the brain and the rest of the body. For example, when a lightbulb is glitchy, it’s a connection issue. The same goes for the body, when there is a glitch in our body, it is either becoming bombarded with information or lack thereof. As we’ve stated before, we live our life through our nerve system. When a muscle spasms, the muscle is not responsible, the nerves innervating that muscle are the cause of the spasm because there has been a disconnect in that area and the brain is having trouble controlling that region due to the lack of communication in the nerve system.

Do not wait for something to go wrong before seeking care, be pro-active and give your body the best chance at combating the stresses of life! Your body will thank you!

https://www.elevatechiroaz.com/addressing-motor-tics-in-children/

Debunking Myths

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Debunking Myths!

“The truth is still truth, even if no one believes it. A lie is still a lie even if everyone believes it”. – unknown

What was your first thought when thinking of a chiropractor? It probably went one of two ways: Either you love chiropractors or dislike them immensely due to a poor experience. People have pre-conceived notions about everything new that enters their life. It’s okay to question things and their validity but sometimes “herd mentality” isn’t always the most effective method for legitimacy. We’re going to discuss a variety of myths associated with chiropractic that have had a hard time exiting the public mind.

The first myth we’ll cover is “self manipulation” . There is an epidemic of people who think “self-adjusting” is harmless and relieving, not realizing how detrimental it can be to their spine. That popping or cracking people hear or feel when they turn their neck or body a certain way is called a cavitation and what takes place is the release of nitrogen gas from the joint which provides temporary relief and sort of a euphoric feeling. The discomfort comes right back because the main cause of the issue is not corrected. When there is a subluxation or misalignment of the spine, that area is fixated decreasing the proper biomechanics. To compensate for that fixation, the body will make regions above or below that subluxation hypermobile to create more movement. When people “pop” or “self-manipulate”, they are not correcting the issue but instead are manipulating the compensation rather than the root of the cause. If that is continued and left unchecked, it can cause degeneration of the vertebral disc and arthritis in the joints involved. In other words, one is creating self-destruction without realizing it.

The next myth is “I’ll have to keep going forever”. Like all things, the body needs maintenance. We don’t stand a chance because we are constantly fighting the forces of gravity without realizing it. It does not take just a fall to become subluxated. We can acquire subluxations through the three T’s: Thoughts, Traumas, and Toxins. Thoughts are the emotional stress that most of us undergo daily whether it be financial stress or grieving the loss of a loved one. Traumas is the most obvious to the public because it is so sudden and easy to correlate where the issue initiated from. For instance, if you fall of a ladder and feel pain instantly or shortly afterwards, it’s a fair assumption the cause of pain was falling off the ladder. Toxins include medications we put in our body along with processed foods and preservatives we intake daily which are not meant to process and usually have difficulty processing.

Debunking myths will be continued! Be PROACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE! Get checked, stay healthy!