The Basler Blog

Nov 25
0

Montana Heartbeats

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths, gonstead chiropractic, inflammation | No Comments

Montana Heartbeats

Have you ever wondered why we use the HRV scan and what it’s all about? What does putting fingers into a device for 3 minutes have to do with chiropractic?

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the precise measure of micro-changes in the amount of time between heartbeats, measured in fractions of a second. Different from pathologic “arrhythmias” with large differences in the rhythm, this healthy variability in the heart’s sinus (normal) rhythm is vital to our capacity to adapt to our external and internal environment. Assessing heart rate variability gives us an overall picture of the health and balance of the autonomic nervous system. (1).

The autonomic nervous system controls unconscious functions such as breathing rate, blood pressure and flow, skin temperature, digestion, stress hormones, and of course heart rate. It’s divided into two branches: sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”). Ideally, they work in perfect combination, like two children riding on a see-saw, enabling our bodies to quickly and quietly adapt to physical, chemical and emotional stresses in our environment. This concept of adaptation is fundamental. Biologically speaking, one of the seven characteristics true to all life is the ability to be responsive to the environment. Without adaptation, life cannot exist.

Not only does an HRV scan provide a helpful baseline of the body’s stress-response reserve, it can also show differences in adaptability over time. A highly micro-variable heart rate is evidence that our body is equipped to more effectively adapt to changes and be less stressed and feel happier. Low heart rate variability demonstrates lack of resilience and that our nervous system may struggle to respond in challenging situations.

Research shows that HRV scores can change with chiropractic care (2). High and low frequency HRV readings represent how both the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system can be influenced by chiropractic adjustments. (2) One small study found that “Patients receiving continuous chiropractic care to correct vertebral subluxation demonstrated a sustained improvement in HRV. This novel finding objectively demonstrates long-term change consistent with improved neurophysiological regulation, adaptability and resilience in patients undergoing chiropractic care, and suggests the utility of chiropractic care for outcomes greater than only musculoskeletal improvements.” (3) The benefits of chiropractic care include much more than back and neck pain!

Get checked, and keep the Montana heartbeat adapting!

References:

1) Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21773-heart-rate-variability-hrv

2) Effect of chiropractic care on heart rate variability and pain in a multisite clinical study

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16690380/

3) Sustained Improvement of Heart Rate Variability in Patients Undergoing a Program of Chiropractic Care: A Retrospective Case Series. (2017) Chiropractic Journal of Australia

www.researchgate.net/publication/323934481_Sustained_improvement_of_heart_rate_variability_in_patients_undergoing_a_program_of_chiropractic_care_A_retrospective_case_series

Oct 28
0

The Attitude Adjustment

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

The Attitude Adjustment

Did you know that chiropractic care can quite literally help change your attitude and outlook on life?

Depression is not uncommon today. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 5% of adults and 5.7% of adults over age 60 experience depression, and is about 50% more common among women than among men.

While back and neck pain are prominent reasons people seek chiropractic care, adjustments have also been shown to give patients relief from anxiety, sleeplessness, agitation and other symptoms of depression. Interestingly, pain and depression have similar neurological pathways in the brain and spinal cord, and often occur together. Both are dysfunctions involving the nervous system, the body’s central control. Depression is closely related to imbalances in the activity of the autonomic nervous system – the part under unconscious control – which is the chiropractic wheelhouse! The fact that chiropractic adjustments stimulate and correct dysfunctions in the autonomic nervous system helps explain why research (and many patient stories!) shows how chiropractic can help both pain and depression. Adjustments cause the body to release various neurotrophins: specialized proteins designed to regulate the life, health and function of nerve cells, among other things. And some of these neurotrophins are the same chemicals essential in the treatment of depression! For example, depression is associated with lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which also regulates blood sugar metabolism and maintains specialized β cells in the pancreas, and neurotrophic growth factor, which coordinates the life-cycle of nerve cells and aids the immune system. These are just two of the many natural chemical compounds regulated by the nervous system.

Getting regular chiropractic checkups helps the nervous system better maintain and calm itself, reduce inflammation and of course stimulate the release of those all-important neurotrophins for keeping the brain happy and healthy. Better than any happy pill, chiropractic adjustments let your body do it’s own work, naturally, to balance and heal.

Get your spine checked for an attitude adjustment!

W.H.O. statistics on depression:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

“Neurobiological basis of chiropractic manipulative treatment of the spine in the care of major depression” published in Acta Biomedica 11/9/20

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8023121/#sec1-3
Oct 23
0

Garbage in, Garbage out!

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

Garbage in, Garbage out!

“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” -unknown

As time progresses, the quality of food and nutrient value goes down. We are constantly in the hustle and bustle of life and sometimes find it hard to slow down and choose what is best for us. When it comes to eating healthily, there are always factors that contribute to the public taking various routes. The cost of healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables are usually high and hard to justify when there is a cheaper option which is most likely less healthy. Convenience is another factor; it takes less time to grab fast food than taking the time to prepare healthy meals. Accessibility is another factor, and some might have options available to them depending on where they live as well as obtaining the right knowledge to pick and choose the right foods that give the body the best chance of performing properly and staying healthy. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. We are living in dangerous times pertaining to the health factor of our food. One cannot simply understand most of the ingredients below the nutritional facts. What happened to simple ingredients??? Pick up a product from the US and compare it to the same product from other countries, the ingredients are night and day. Our gut is the largest immune organ in the body and the small intestine is the largest absorber of nutrients when we digest food and therefore our gut microbiome (healthy bacteria and fungi that live in our gastrointestinal tract) affects immune cells. The next time you put something in your body, ask yourself this question, “is this helping me or hurting me”? What you put in your body affects how your immune system functions! Be nice to it!

Get checked! Stay healthy!

How Chiropractic Care Can Boost the Immune System
4 Ways Chiropractic Strengthens Your Immune System
Nutrition and Immunity
Oct 06
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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!

How Chiropractic Care Can Boost the Immune System
4 Ways Chiropractic Strengthens Your Immune System
Sep 18
0

Tics and ChiropracTIC

By | Allergies, Asthma, athletes, Benefits of Chiropractic, depression, Ear Infections | No Comments

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!

New Research Shows Promising Results Using Chiropractic Neurology for Tourette’s Syndrome Treatment
https://www.elevatechiroaz.com/addressing-motor-tics-in-children/
Manage Tourette’s Syndrome and Tics with Chiropractic Care
Sep 08
0

Seasons Changing

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
― Anthony J. D’Angelo

Seasons change and adapt – how about you? As we welcome the hint of autumn in the air, it’s a great time of year to celebrate the system that controls all the others. Our nervous systems are constantly – and often quietly – allowing our body, soul and spirit to adapt and respond to the world around us. Whether (or weather!) it’s getting used to sunsets happening early enough to enjoy them again, regulating the excitement and challenge of new school activities, or simply channeling blood flow away from our arms and legs to keep our core warm on a chilly morning, the nervous system is responsible for coordinating the rest of your body’s systems. One major way it accomplishes this balancing act is by tuning the 2 branches of the autonomic nervous system, the division of our nervous system that regulates the functions we don’t consciously control. The sympathetic branch is like the “gas pedal,” stimulating stress responses, keeping blood pressure from dipping too low, providing a burst of adrenaline for your upcoming exam…or dealing with that grizzly bear on the trail! The parasympathetic branch is like a “brake pedal,” helping us relax and digest our food, enjoy bonding moments with family, or lower our heart rate when relaxing by the lake. This happens without us thinking about it.

Sometimes though, as the body responds to the various stresses of life it can get stuck in an excess of sympathetic response. This may lead to high cortisol and adrenalin, causing a variety of symptoms such as depression and anxiety, or difficulty sleeping or thinking clearly. Chiropractic care doesn’t put anything into or removing anything from the body, but focuses on caring for the nervous system by removing any interference to the “innate intelligence” or programming we all have from the womb. Often this is through decreasing sympathetic activity and stimulating the parasympathetic response. The body is very smart! It may just need a little adjustment to keep us adapting and changing optimally with the seasons, stresses, and joy of life. Rather than staying “in shorts” when the days get chilly, we all naturally adapt to the changes around us. Likewise, getting adjusted allows our highly responsive nervous systems to regulate the less obvious functions of the body so we can function at peak potential – whatever the season. 

Welcome the CHANGE!

https://www.drdavischiro.com/the-effect-of-chiropractic-care-on-your-nervous-system/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8023121/
Aug 26
0

The Real No-See-Ems

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

“It is not the germs we need worry about. It is our inner terrain.” – Louis Pasteur

It is about that time when school is back in session! School means around more people and more people means potential for illness. One should never live in fear because of germs we cannot see. It contributes to keeping us healthy! Our bodies are always adapting to the environment around us. Being part of the outside world sets our bodies up for success by exposing ourselves to pathogens that fill the air or on surfaces in our daily life. Once we stop exposing, our bodies begin to stop adapting. Once our bodies are exposed to certain pathogens that are a threat, sickness/illness is our body fighting off that pathogen. These pathogens can be viral, bacterial, fungal infections, parasites and cancerous.  

There’s a variety of different white blood cells that have specific purposes for the defense of our immune system and these white blood cells are stored in our spleen and bone marrow waiting on standby ready to be utilized when needed. Our bodies have a memory bank that can recall that specific pathogen by creating proteins called antibodies which act as a quick reaction force attaching itself to the pathogen that has been in contact before with a previous encounter and our immune system will remember it and destroy it more quickly than the first time. This is called adaptive or acquired immunity which is the most effective immunity method.

When it comes to antibiotics, they destroy or inhibit the growth of all bacteria, whether it’s good or bad, there is no differentiation between the two. They also reduce the function of immune cells and if enough antibiotics are consumed often, the body will build a resistance to them so if a serious infection comes along, antibiotics will not be able to have enough of an effect to fight it off. The good Lord gave us an immune system, an innate intelligence! Man-made substances are not meant to be consumed consistently. Our bodies are not made for it. “Nature needs no help, just no interference.” WE live our life through our nerve system and that means our nerve system controls our immune system!

Get checked! Stay Healthy! Bring on the germs! They build our immune system!

Antibiotics Found to Weaken Body’s Ability to Fight Off Disease
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220513/Antibiotics-disrupt-the-immune-system-in-the-gut-leading-to-fungal-infection.aspx
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21196-immune-system
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/the-immune-system
Aug 05
0

Use That Grey Matter Between The Ears!

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

Use That Grey Matter Between The Ears!

“The brain is a muscle that can move the world.” -Stephen King

We are going to discuss the most important component and main control center of our bodies, thee brain! There are four lobes which make up the brain: the frontal lobe (anterior aspect) the parietal lobe (mid superior aspect), the occipital lobe (posterior aspect) and the temporal lobe (lateral aspect). Each of these lobes partake in a different role on processing information and perceiving the world around us. The frontal lobe is responsible for initiating thoughts, decisions on actions, initiating actions, reasoning, and personality. The frontal lobe is pretty much who YOU are. The brain does not develop until the age of 25 and it develops beginning from the posterior aspect and making its way to the frontal lobes which are the last to develop and structure connections.

The parietal lobe gathers information from the frontal lobe, cerebellum, and brainstem. It helps process your sense of touch whether it be temperature, pressure, vibration, or pain. The parietal lobe also helps you understand your relation to other things around you such as self-perception or proprioception. For example, if you raise your hand above your head, you know where your hand is at in space, you don’t have to look up and see your hand above your head to know it is there. The parietal lobe helps with learned movements that improve with time such as writing which is why you become better at writing the more you do it. Location awareness is another contributor of the parietal lobe meaning if you see a stove and a fridge, you can conclude that you are in the kitchen.

The temporal lobe is responsible for memory processes as well as language by understanding the meaning of objects, words and forming sentences. If you saw a shovel, you would know it was for digging. This lobe also processes sight and sound.

The last lobe is the occipital lobe. This lobe mainly contributes different forms of vision such as spatial processing with shapes textures, color processing to distinguish different colors, distance and depth perception to differentiate how near or far an object is. The occipital lobe is further responsible for facial recognition as well.

There’s been a myth about using only 10% of our brain at any given time and that myth has been debunked. We use all of our brain all the time even when we’re sleeping. Our brains are constantly staying active.

Get checked to stay healthy!

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321060#the-10-percent-myth
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/11-fun-facts-about-your-brain
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24628-parietal-lobe
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/16799-temporal-lobe
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24498-occipital-lobe
Jun 25
0

X-rays: You Pose. We Expose

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, gonstead chiropractic, High Blood Pressure, immune system, inflammation, kids chiropractic | No Comments

X-rays: You Pose. We Expose

“To see is to know, to not see is to guess.” – Unknown

Does one build a house without blueprints? Absolutely not. That would be a clown show trying to build a house without being able to reference blueprints. The same goes for our spine. Chiropractors want to see the big picture of what they are dealing with. X-rays give chiropractors more insight on the shape of a patient’s spine and what should or should not be adjusted.  A seasoned chiropractor can have years of experience and have very gifted hands to feel up and down the spine for issues but there is a limitation to how much a chiropractor can feel. Therefore, it is the utmost importance to acquire visuals such as the x-rays films to know exactly what the patient’s spine is presenting with. People are born with congenital abnormalities that they may have no knowledge of until x-rays are taken of their spine and a chiropractor’s goal is obviously not to cause more harm, but without x-rays, increased risk is on the table.

X-rays dictate many factors when it comes to the proper care of a patient. The way chiropractors adjust is heavily influenced by x-rays involving what direction of the adjustment, how much force, and what table or instrument is used. Since our bodies are so good at masking pain because pain is usually the last thing to show up, people can live with subluxations (misalignments of the spine), fractures, anomalies or other contraindications without even knowing they are present or have been present for months to years. One cannot emphasize enough the importance of x-rays. They are a major piece to our puzzle of care and patients benefit the most with results when x-rays are performed.

May 21
0

Gravity: The Undercover Force

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustment, Chiropractic Myths, depression, Ear Infections | No Comments

Gravity: The Undercover Force

“It’s only when gravity starts to take over, you begin to think about your body.” – David Soul

When we think of causes of subluxation, we usually focus on the three T’s: Thoughts, Traumas, and Toxins. Thoughts can be any sort of mental or emotional stress especially with inflation nowadays, financial stress would be a common stress which wreaks havoc on the nerve system. There is also intense mental stress such as events causing PTSD. Traumas are usually anything to do with the physical realm such as falling down the stairs or falling off a ladder. Any type of external force on the body is going to cause our nerve system stress and take time to process that stimulation overdrive. Toxins are another cause of subluxations and those can vary from the consumption of medications, vaccines, processed foods and the preservatives that are within them. Our bodies are continuously meant to have natural ingredients and therefore the reasoning for a significant amount of side effects that are consistently stated when it comes to vaccines or medications.

What keeps us grounded on this earth? GRAVITY! This force is necessary or else we would be floating around and our muscles would begin to atrophy because if you do not use it, you lose it. With that said, the constant forces of gravity can be detrimental on our musculoskeletal system as it is continuously pulling down on our bodies and compressing our joints as well as the discs in between our vertebra. This force contributes to misalignments of the spine and degeneration of those intervertebral discs. When one claims they don’t need chiropractic because they don’t feel pain is like saying their engine doesn’t need oil since their engine has not been ruined yet, it does not make sense. One does not wait until their teeth are rotting to go to the dentist. It is all about being preventative with pro-active care rather than re-active care. Our spines and therefore our nerve system need maintenance because we live our life through our nerve system.

Get checked, stay healthy!

https://capecoralfamilychiropractic.net/blog/1128700-the-greatest-stress-on-the-planet-gravity
https://www.piercechiropractic.net/blog/gravity-got-you-down#:~:text=That’s%20what%20Chiropractic%20care%20helps,equally%20across%20your%20skeletal%20system.