Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Arm injury

Baseball season is coming and one of the most common injuries is the rotator cuff. Painful throwing and a general achy pain running down the arm. Also painful when trying to sleep, do your hair, grabbing the milk out of the fridge... Light everyday use of the arm can become difficult. 

     No need to quit the game you love. Rotator cuff injuries are one my specialties. Just a few half hour treatments and the range of motion returns and with that the pain ceases. 

To book an appointment with Guy Lacoursiere R.M.T, call us at 403-347-3261. Family First Chiropractic, Red Deer. www.family1stchiro.ca

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Where did CranioSacral Therapy begin?


CranioSacral Therapy is based on the theories of William Sutherland, D.O., an osteopath from the early 1900s. It was further developed by another osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics. He later founded the Upledger Institute, the national center for CranioSacral Therapy. It is a form of holistic healthcare.

CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. 
Using a soft touch, generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.

CranioSacral is named for the cerebrospinal fluid that flows up and down the spinal cord from the cranium 

(head) to the sacrum (tailbone). As it slowly flows, it creates a rhythm throughout your body. The therapist assists this rhythm to self-correct dysfunctions in your body. Where there is a dysfunction, the rhythm is “stuck” and you feel pain, immobility, tension, etc. This can occur anywhere in the body. The cause is usually the result of a recent or past physical or emotional trauma. The therapist uses a very gentle, non-invasive light touch to locate the “stuck” areas and to assist the return of the healthy rhythm to these areas. As this occurs, there is a deep feeling of relaxation, more freedom of movement, and less pain. It is very quiet and passive. You remain fully clothed for this therapy. This is a very relaxing technique because it works with the fluid that nourishes all the nerves in your spinal cord.

By complementing the body's natural healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction, including:

  • Migraine Headaches
  • Chronic Neck and Back Pain
  • Motor-Coordination Impairments
  • Colic
  • Autism
  • Central Nervous System Disorders
  • Orthopedic Problems
  • Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Scoliosis
  • Infantile Disorders
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Emotional Difficulties
  • Stress and Tension-Related Problems
  • Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders
  • Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
  • Neurovascular or Immune Disorders        
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Post-Surgical Dysfunction
Jeannette Raskin, RMT CST is at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer
403-347-3261

 

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

The Dirty Dozen Ways to Die That You Can Avoid



 
Black Swan Avoidance – The Dirty Dozen Ways to Die That You Can Avoid
Brought to you By Family Fisrt Chiropractic at 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer 403-341-3261
 www.family1stchiro.ca


Dr. McGuff calls the risks that follow “black swans.” By steering clear of them and instead using the tips that follow, you can protect your health from not only tragic accidents but also more insidious threats.
1. Buy a Big Car

Accidents, including motor vehicle accidents, are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. You probably can’t stop driving … but you can protect yourself better by buying a bigger car. In a collision, generally the bigger the car you’re in, the safer you’ll be. Also important is choosing a car that is loaded with airbags.
6. Gas Grill

I’ve written on some of the dangers of eating grilled food, but Dr. McGuff speaks about the dangers from lighting one. If your gas grill won’t start, he says, walk away. Otherwise, the gas build-up can lead to major flames when it finally does ignite, and this can translate to third-degree burns, or worse, for you. Not to mention, gas grills are involved in nearly 7,000 home fires a year.3
7. Feet First
Thinking of diving into a pool, lake, ocean or any other body of water? Don’t. At least, not until you’ve jumped in feet first, first, so you can determine how deep the water is. Diving in head first into a too-shallow body of water can break your neck, paralyze you, or kill you, so just don’t do it.
An estimated 800 spinal cord injuries occur each year from people diving into a body of water, and 90 percent of these happen in water depths less than six feet.4 Generally, a minimum water depth of at least nine feet is recommended for head-first dives.
8. Ladders
Your intentions are good – you want to hang holiday lights or fix a shingle on your roof. But climbing onto a ladder to do so can quickly turn deadly. If you can, hire a professional to do any painting or other repairs that require you to climb a ladder, so you can avoid becoming one of the more than 164,000 people who end up in emergency rooms each year due to ladder-related injuries.5
9. Retirement “Dream” Homes
Thinking of building your dream home to live out your retirement years in bliss? Find one that already exists and just move in instead. According to Dr. McGuff, he sees an inordinate number of people suffering from heart attacks caused by the stress from – you guessed it –dealing with contractors and other issues while building their retirement home.
10.“Hell No!”
If anyone tells you to get into a car at the point of a weapon, your response should be, “Hell no!” Once you get into a car against your will, you will most certainly die, likely after suffering immensely. Do whatever you need to do to NOT get in the car – run, yell, scream, fight back, anythingto keep from getting into that car.
11. Bad Relationships
About 15 percent of the population has psychotic, anti-social personality disorders. When you are in a relationship with one of these people, you will feel emotionally fatigued and upset, recurrently. If you notice these signs, ditch the relationship, and that may include a family member, friend, employer, etc.
Relationship problems, like most emotional struggles, represent a major drain on your health and well-being, so be ruthless in cutting any unhealthy relationships from your life.
12. Lottery
Don’t play it! Unearned wealth will destroy you. “If you get money you did not earn, it will take you down!” Dr. McGuff says. If you don’t believe this, do an Internet search for stories of lottery winners, and you’ll see the wrath that often follows …

13. Bonus: Be Kind

Being kind is the most important strategy for your health and for society, according to Dr. McGuff. This makes sense, as people tend to attract the energy that they give off, so if you are kind you’re likely to be surrounded by kindness in return.
2. No 4-Wheel ATVs
All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are a popular hobby for many, but they’re also responsible for hundreds of deaths, and over 100,000 emergency room visits, every year.1 Dr. McGuff has seen too many people who have died or become paralyzed (including children) after using these vehicles, so his advice is to just stay off.
3. Roads are for Cars
If you love jogging or cycling, do it indoors or on a designated walking/biking path. If you do so on the road, you’re risking your life to distracted drivers who often don’t see or slow down for pedestrians and cyclists. In 2010, for instance, 618 cyclists were killed and an additional 52,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes.2
4. Only Pilot if You’re a Professional
If you’ve devoted your life to becoming a professional pilot, good for you. If not, stay out of the sky. Part-time amateur pilots simply have not put in the extensive time needed to hone their piloting skills, and as a result are at a much higher risk of crashing and getting killed.
5. Heel Dust
If you see a group of men walking toward you on the street, and they appear intoxicated, angry or aggressive, cross to the other side. Any time you are faced with a confrontation with an aggressive person, your best bet is to show them “heel dust” – in other words, run away, don’t fight.
Dr. Doug McGuff, M.D., is an emergency room physician and, as such, is uniquely positioned to speak about the common ways people end up dying prematurely. He has a unique perspective as he has worked for over twenty years in the ER and viewed firsthand the most common mistakes that people make that wind up seriously harming them or prematurely ending their life.