Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Exercise should be enjoyed not painful.

Exercise should be enjoyed not painful.
Working out for personal gain or overall health and wellness can be rewarding. However, over training or over stretching can lead to injury. This is anything but gain or healthy, instead it creates setback or even take you out of training completely. There is no need to suffer to the point of disliking the workout or dreading the next one. I agree we need to push ourselves to overcome fitness plateaus, but exercise should be less about pain and more about fun.
Here are some tips to make your workouts more enjoyable:
Ø  Choose a fitness program you like and can fit your schedule- You have the option to choose your fitness path. With so many styles of training and workout programs one can choose and personalize their own training programs to suit their goals. Programs that focus on core and strength training are recommended.

Ø  Focus on a balanced Lifestyle - It’s good to be determined in achieving your goals. However, becoming obsessed with your workouts can leave you drained and even injured.

Ø  Change your mindset - Exercise is about personal well-being, which is body and mind fitness. Unnecessary mental stress to get fit leads to being counterproductive. Attitude should be towards making it a fulfilling journey and not being a serious no fun policy.

Ø  Inspire to confidence - Seeing changes in your mind and body should be an inspirational thought, which adds confidence.
Avoiding pain and injury during your workout:
No pain no gain motto should not lead to injury and/or take you out of the fitness program altogether. So here are some guidelines to help you avoid injury.
Ø Warm up before your workouts and cool down after - It’s best to do light cardio before stretching then stretch. Stretching without warming up could lead to injury. More intense workouts should end with a cool down consisting of light cardio and then end with stretching.

Ø Use logic and listen to your body - Don’t run before you can walk. Going from inactivity to strenuous exercise could lead to injury. It’s healthy to be competitive and have enthusiasm to achieve fitness goals. However, it’s more effective to learn how to exercises properly and consistently. Finally, listen to your body: If it hurts Stop. Pushing through pain again can lead to injury and takes the fun out of your fitness journey.
Talk to the experts. They can help you start your workout program, guide you to work out properly and most importantly help you to achieve your personal goals. In addition, use your Chiropractor to help you get the most out of your exercise regime.

Dr. Elton Clemence is a Chiropractor at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, located In Red Deer, AB 142 Erickson Dr ,www.family1stchiro.ca 403-347-3261 to book an appointment.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The importance of Water

Water is  one of the most important substances on earth. 

All plants and animals must have water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth. However most of us today do not realize the importance of water. True health cannot occur without proper hydration of the body.
Water makes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 75% water,  blood is made up of mostly water at 92 and lungs 90%. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to provide d the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs. A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up! Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue.

Dehydration can reduce the elimination of toxins. This can leave us vulnerable to skin disorders like psoriasis and dermatitis. In addition dehydration can lead to wrinkling and discoloration. Asthma and Allergies could be caused by the lack of water restricting airways to conserve water. Also the rate of histamine production increases exponentially as the body loses water.  This can also lead to bladder and kidney problems.
A shortage of water can lead to Constipation and Digestive disorders. The colon is one of the primary regions the body draws water from to provide fluids for critical body functions. Lack of water causes waste to move slowly through the large intestines or not at all leading to constipation.  Shortage of water and alkaline minerals (calcium and magnesium) can lead to ulcers, gastritis and acid reflux.
When chronically dehydrated, cells are depleted of energy. As a result people tend to eat more when in reality, the body is thirsty. Furthermore, joints have a cartilage padding that is composed of water. When the body is dehydrated cartilage is weakened and joint repair is hindered resulting in joint pain and stiffness.
A glass of water half an hour before a meal and then may be two glasses around three hours after. This will get you in the habit of drinking water throughout the day. On average we should be consuming eight-ounce, two liters or half a gallon of water a day. Get your kids into this essential healthy habit as well.  If you drink tap water ensure that a carbon filter is attached to produce chlorine and the solvent free water to drink. Plastic bottles can be contaminated with chemicals. So drink mineral water from glass bottles. If you live in a fluoride area, back wash filters should be used to remove the fluoride poisons.

Dr. Elton Clemence practices at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, T4R 2C3 to book call 403-347-3261 or check out our website at www.family1stchiro.ca

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Prenatal Massage

Prenatal massage is a great way to relax, de-stress, and all around make those baby carrying muscles feel better.  It doesn't matter how far along you are in your pregnancy, prenatal massage is a great option, (that is if you aren't too sick). 

Starting in the first trimester with being tired, possibly sick, with all the flood of emotions and hormones, it is always a great idea to take some time for yourself, and get any kinks worked out that you may have been neglecting :)  During your pregnancy there are many different options for being comfortable on a massage table, pillows (side laying), special pregnancy pillows that allow you to face down, some places also have a special table that allows you to lay face down as well!  When you are working with a registered massage therapist you can guarantee you and your baby are in the best hands.

As a mother of one and one on the way, I have suffered from headaches in both pregnancies, prenatal massage and chiropractic are the only things that have helped me.  With trying to avoid pharmaceuticals during pregnancy and breastfeeding, massage seemed like the best solution.  For any skeptics, I have been on both the giving and receiving end of prenatal massage, and the therapist that is working on you as a pregnant women know the areas of your body to avoid each trimester and as soon as you are uncomfortable, or uneasy the massage either ends, or pillows are re-arranged.  Never assume that being uncomfortable, hot, or uneasy is ok.  You are the judge of your massage, never let anyone tell you otherwise.  Mommies know best.

Be prepared for your therapist to avoid deep pressure or some places all together.  Most therapists will avoid ankle area, and use less pressure in the hip/back area (depending on gestation time).  The ankle area is avoided during pregnancy because of a common misconception that mother to be can be put into labour prematurely.  Unless you as a person have a high possibility of miscarriage, or your body is ready to go into labour, an ankle or foot massage wont do anything more than make mommas tired feet feel good.  Lower back in the first trimester isn't avoided unless you have a high miscarriage possibility, or are a high risk patient. 

Sciatic pain, sore feet and headaches can all be drastically reduced with the help of a massage therapist that you feel comfortable with.  Soothing music, long rhythmic massage strokes, and a serene atmosphere are all things that can help make your tired muscles melt away.  Working out aches and pains will help your pregnancy start out in the best way possible and keep you mostly pain free through out.  A happy mommy is a happy baby!  Finding time for yourself can be hard, but take my word for it, it is so worth it in the end.

Vanessa Wood practices at Family First Chiropractic, located 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer. T4R 2C3
www.family1stchiro.ca 403-347-3261

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Who is CranioSacral Therapy for?

Who is CranioSacral Therapy for?

People may come for CranioSacral Therapy because they have acute physical problems like headaches or bad backs, or long-standing problems both physical and emotional. Others come for ongoing support in their busy lives and for help to meet life’s challenges.
Because it is so gentle and non-invasive, CranioSacral Therapy is suitable for everyone from newborns to the elderly. Mothers and babies often come for problems associated with difficult or traumatic births. Letting go of tension and fear held in the body enables both to settle into calmness.
CranioSacral Therapy supports your body’s innate ability to balance, restore and heal itself, as well as helping to reduce stress and build your underlying energy. The practitioner senses tensions in the body and helps them to release in a supported and comfortable way. During or after a session you may feel calm and energized, with increased clarity of mind and a feeling of well being.

CranioSacral Therapy and Children


I often hear from parents that they would like for their child to receive CranioSacral therapy but are not sure how that is possible.  Adaptability by the therapist is probably the most important thing when treating children.  There are many ways in which I adapt my techniques to effectively treat children. 

Most importantly the child needs to be comfortable.  Often that is in their parents arms or with them close by.  They can be lying down, in a chair or I have even spent half an hour following toddlers around the room.  Toys, books, etc, are also great distractions that can aid the practitioner in getting effective work done.  When working on children I often shorten the treatment to half an hour.  For most children that provides enough time to get an effective treatment and not to over stimulate the system.
Jeannette Raskin is located at 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness www.family1stchiro.ca   or call 403-347-3261 to book an appointment. 

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Was Grandma correct about her joint pain and weather changes?

Arthritis:

Was Grandma correct about her joint pain and weather changes? Do your joints ache when a storm is coming? 


You may be convinced your arthritic pain is worse when the barometric pressure changes, but many researchers have developed headaches trying to prove this with science. The vast majority of studies have failed to establish a scientific connection between changing weather patterns and arthritis symptoms. Despite its lack of scientific support, both arthritis sufferers and Rheumatologists insist there is a great deal of clinical support for this phenomenon, citing widespread reports of weather-induced pain flare-ups.
More than 60 percent of osteoarthritis patients report that their symptoms vary with weather conditions. Fibromyalgia patients have also reported weather-related fluctuations in pain. A few recent scientific studies have begun to offer some "mild support" for what patients and physicians have reported for decades—weather may indeed be a factor in arthritis pain.

Dutch researchers tracked pain levels of hip osteoarthritis sufferers and matched their symptoms against daily weather records. They found that the participants' aches and pains indeed were a little bit worse and joints a bit stiffer when humidity and barometric pressure levels rose. These changes were too small to be considered "clinically relevant," but this doesn't mean that the pain was not real. Other recent European studies have shown similar findings, but the changes are all subtle; maybe this is the reason science has failed to demonstrate this connection until now.
Mood and daily activity may also be factors. It's possible that your pain threshold drops during cold, rainy weather, because environmental conditions can definitely affect your mood. When it's cold, many people are less likely to go outside and get the exercise that normally keeps arthritis pain in check. Another factor could be the placebo effect. That is, if you expect your pain to be worse when the weather changes, then it very well may be. After all, the pain-weather "phenomenon" is commonly accepted in Western culture.

Now that we've spent some time mucking around in the gray areas of science with respect to arthritis pain, let's take a look at what we KNOW works in terms of pain relief for arthritis sufferers. There are two types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The only thing they have in common is that they are both characterized by pain, inflammation, stiffness, and swelling of the joints—but they are very different diseases, with different causes and presentations.
Here are the principal differences:
Osteoarthritis (OA): OA, or degenerative arthritis (degenerative joint disease), typically occurs in older individuals, but can also follow repetitive stress or acute trauma.
OA usually affects the distal joints and is not symmetrical. You may have it in just one joint, or on one hand or foot but not the other.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Is much more serious. RA is an autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack the tissues that line your joints. RA can occur at any age, but fortunately, juvenile RA is relatively rare. RA tends to be bilateral, symmetrical and is associated with joint deformities. People do die from RA so it's not to be treated lightly.
Due to the fact that both OA and RA involve joint pain and inflammation, they share common treatment modalities. Anti-inflammatory drug approaches such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and analgesics, like Tylenol, are typically used for both types of arthritis.
The problem with these drug approaches is that regular, chronic use of arthritis drugs can result in liver or kidney damage. Use of analgesics is a very common cause of kidney disease. (Analgesic nephropathy).
Acetaminophen is actually the number 1 cause of acute liver failure! Pain control is an important aspect of treating RA. Because of its severity, rheumatoid arthritis is often treated aggressively with potentially some of the most dangerous drugs on the market.
A relatively recent class of RA drugs are the TNF-alpha inhibitors, also termed "biologic" drugs. While these drugs are enthusiastically promoted by the medical and pharmaceutical industry, there are still concerns about their safety.
Arthritis pain can be quite severe so most people benefit from some form of pharmacologic relief while waiting for the natural therapies to kick in. So if you chose to use a drug, you'll want to be sure to use the safest drugs and only when necessary. Not only do pharmaceutical agents have a range of potential side effects, but they merely suppress symptoms without doing anything to address the underlying cause. Targeting the cause of the problem is a much more effective approach for achieving long-lasting relief. Drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are among the most dangerous drugs prescribed and may cause more problems than they solve, so the sooner you can incorporate more natural treatments and reduce your reliance on pharmaceuticals, the better. If you need to take an analgesic from time to time, this is much less risky than taking them on a daily basis. The ultimate goal is managing your pain without medications.
Treating arthritis effectively with natural approaches that are scientifically sound and that address the cause of the problem, with special emphasis on the management of RA.
Rheumatoid arthritis treatment protocol has helped many RA patients go into remission, and one of the key factors is dietary modification. It is an essential component of any RA protocol. Following these general guidelines alone will go a long way toward dramatically reducing your chronic inflammation, whether it's from RA or another inflammation-based disease:
1.  Eliminate sugar/fructose and most grains (this automatically means avoiding virtually all processed foods)
2.  Optimize your gut flora by consuming naturally fermented products.
3.  Consume whole, unprocessed high-quality foods, organic and locally-grown if possible
4.  Eat a more of your food raw
5.  Get plenty of high-quality animal-based omega-3 essential fats.

Key Components of a RA Treatment Protocol:
Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) - Naltrexone is a pharmacologically active opioid antagonist, conventionally used to treat drug and alcohol addiction. However, in very small doses, it is inexpensive, non-toxic, and has immunomodulating properties widely reported by physicians as effective in getting people off of dangerous arthritis medications.
Astaxanthin: A powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant with very powerful pain control.
Vitamin D, Exercise, Curcumin (Turmeric), Boswellia and Ginger are also help with symptoms.
If you have OA or RA, implementing some basic lifestyle changes can help quell the inflammation that causes your joints to become achy, stiff, or swollen.
Chiropractic is great for OA and can help reduce the inflammation/ pain by adjusting the spine and extremities back to their proper position. This allows proper motion/ function of joints and their supporting structures. This will help eliminate the cause of the arthritis rather than mask it with drugs. At Family First Chiropractic we have pharmaceutical grade supplements including essential fatty acids and joint health remedies. Come in and check out our great selection. Call for a consultation or treatment and find out how we can help you!
Dr. Stephen Kelly D.C.
Dr. Kelly practices at Family First Chiropractic located at 142 Erickson drive in Red Deer. Call us today to book an appointment (403)347-3261 or visit us at www.family1stchiro.ca