A Dad's perspective Part 3

A Fathers perspective
Home Births Part 3 – Having a baby being born at home is not something that most fathers would ever think would happen in their home. As the expected date got closer, we got things together that we would need to have a comfortable delivery such as blankets, towels, good source if hot water and a kiddie pool. Yes, a small three ring plastic pool that we hoped our baby would enter the world – what were we thinking? Now, of course that made me a bit uneasy at first – is it safe? But think about it – where has that baby been growing all the past 9 months? Isn’t there a bit of fluids there and how has that baby been supplied with oxygen? Then, why worry about water especially when the umbilical cord is still attached? Why shouldn’t the mother feel comfortable during delivery? Happy wife – happy life!

Other thoughts enter your mind – what if there are problems? Isn’t the hospital the safest place to be? Our midwives had full admitting privileges to the hospital in the unlikely event of an emergency. This reassurance along with the superior care that was provided throughout the pregnancy relieved any concerns that I as a father had for the safety of my wife and unborn child. I was secure in the safety of this delivery. Our first son was now 13 days past his expected delivery date in the hottest part of the summer, mom was getting impatient and I was getting anxious and nervous again. Were we going to have a home birth like we planned?
Written by Lyle Johnson B Comm, husband and father.
Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson Dr.Red Deer 403-347-3261www.family1stchiro.ca

A Dad's birth perspective part 2

Written by Lyle Johnson B. Comm husband to Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic and wellness located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261 www.family1stchiro.ca

Home Births Part 2 - In 2002, we learned that we were going to have a baby.  Emotions of a typical father ran though me – Pride, Excitement, Happiness and Fear to name a few. My wife, Dr. Joelle Johnson, D.C.  and I had several discussions concerning a home birth versus a hospital birth. Being first time parents, this was a very important and somewhat unsettling decision for me because I thought that parent s don’t use a midwife and nobody is born at home anymore. This was done when hospitals were far away and transportation was difficult or impossible. What about the safety of my wife and child? My reaction was very typical of any parent facing such a decision. After several discussions, research and reassurances from my wife, we decided to hire Blessing Way Midwifery to assist us with a home birth. Even though, my wife is a chiropractor and I was familiar with many aspects of natural health, I must admit that I was still nervous on our first visit to the midwives.

Midwifery was more than the delivery of our babies; it included pre-natal care which was a critical element to ensuring a safe delivery of our children. Regular visits to monitor the size of our growing baby and his heart rate as well as my wife’s health were key components to ensuring that our baby was delivered safely and healthy. I was impressed by the level of knowledge and training of our midwives. They had not taken a six month course from a technical school and put up a sign saying that they were now taking patients. They had gone through years of schooling as a nurse, years of work as a nurse and then years of courses in midwifery as well as assisting dozens and dozens of births in various settings. I thought “Hey, these ladies have as much or more experience than most doctors”. My nervousness about midwives eased.

A Dad's birth experience and perspective-Part 1

A Dad's birth experience, Written By Lyle Johnson B.Comm and father of 3 wonderful boys

Home Births Part 1 -Home births and midwives were common in North America until this past century.  Over time, it became more and more uncommon to give birth to your baby at home with the assistance of midwives over the past several decades with “advancements” in modern medicine.  This trend seems to be reversing as more and more couples are realizing the safety and benefits of a natural birth. Over the next several segments, I will be discussing my experience as a father of 3 boys brought into this world via midwife-assisted water births.

My Background - I was born in a hospital and raised in a large family on a small farm in northern Alberta. Before adulthood, my experience with alternative medicine and natural health products was very limited. As a child, I suffered from tonsillitis constantly and the penicillin that I ingested to fight the infection never seemed to work. Like many families then and now, we trusted what our M.D. told us and did not explore alternative and natural ways of healing. Even though our family was receptive to chiropractic, my knowledge of it was limited to the fact that chiropractors only helped you fix your back – I now know that chiropractic does so much more even starting prior to birth. My experience with home births gave me a much better understanding of the natural way of health and chiropractic. Stay tuned for the following segments explaining our home births.

Lyle is husband to Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic and wellness located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261 www.family1stchiro.ca

Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy

   The body posture changes dramatically through the 9 months of pregnancy. It is easy for us to see the centre of gravity changes, the weight  the baby places increased pressure on the spine and pelvis, and near the end of pregnancy the walk changes—“ the waddle”. This puts enormous demands on the spine and nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments result in an easier pregnancy, relief of low back pain, and can reduce labour time, some studies show up to 50% reduction in labor time. The adjustment puts motion into the spine & pelvis, making the birth easier on both baby and mother. Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness in Red Deer, Alberta would love to answer any questions on your pregnancy and chiropractic care. call 403-347-3261.

http://www.family1stchiro.ca/index.php?p=51013&s=227&q=pregnancy&Search=Search

Massage facts!

Massage Facts

One in five Americans have had a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years and 13% report receiving one in the past year. This is up 8% from 1997.

* Today, there are more than 60,000 Nationally Certified practitioners that serve millions of consumers.

 * The three most often cited reasons for getting a therapeutic massage are relaxation (27%), relief of muscle soreness, stiffness or spasm (13%), and stress reduction (10%).

* Fifty-four percent of primary care physicians and family practitioners say they would encourage their patients to pursue massage therapy as a complement to medical treatment.

* Massage therapy accounts for 18% of the 425 million visits made to alternative healthcare providers each year.

* In 1999, 52% of American adults thought of massage as "therapeutic," which is up 47% from 1997.

* An estimated 20 million Americans receive massage therapy and bodywork each year, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

* Approximately 50,000 massage and bodywork practitioners provide 45 million one-hour therapy sessions each year.

* Two thirds of Americans have tried at least one form of alternative therapy or treatment for medical conditions. 

* Massage therapy is the third most commonly used form of alternative medicine in the U.S., having been tried by 35% of Americans.

* Women are more likely than men to have tried alternative treatment.

* Forty-two percent of Americans have used some type of alternative care in the past.

* Americans make more visits to see alternative therapists than to see primary-care physicians, spending $21.2 billion.

* The number of massage practitioners in the U.S. is between 120,000 and 160,000.

* Massage and bodywork therapy is sought out by a large number of people in age brackets: 18-24 (22%); 25-34 (31%); 35-44 (25%); 45-54 (22%); 55-64 (19%); and over 65 (9%).

* The most important driver to try an alternative treatment is a recommendation from a friend or family member, which leads 62% of their patients to these providers.

Our experienced massage therapists at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness are happy to help you, please call 304-347-3261  to book an appointment today.

www.family1stchiro.ca

Touch is an AMAZING power.

The Healing Power of touch.

INTERESTING FACTS ON TOUCH: ~Touch is the first sense to develop in humans, and may be the last to fade ~there are approximately 5 million touch receptors in our skin-- 3000 in a finger tip ~a touch of any kind can reduce the heart rate and lower blood pressure~touch stimulates the release of endorphins (the body's natural pain killers) which is why a mother's hug for a child's skinned knee can literally make it better ~people with eating disorders who receive massage three time a day for ten day's, gain weight faster and got out of the hospital six days sooner than those who don't

~elderly people who massage surrogate grandchildren report higher-esteem and better moods

German emperor Frederick II, took a number of newborns from their mothers and gave them to nurses who fed them but did not cuddle or talk to them. All of the babies died before they could talk. Fredrick concluded "They could not live without petting."

~In the early 1990's, Romania, thousands of infants were put in orphanages, they were left in their cribs for two years, all alone. They were found to be severely impaired.

~Duke Professor Saul Schanberg found that rat pups separated from their parents for 45 minutes underwent major internal changes including a large drop in growth hormones. Injections of growth hormones didn't help. But when someone stroked them with a wet paintbrush-- mimicking their mothers tongue--the hormone levels went back up.
Family First Chiropractic and Wellness has chiropractic, craniosacral therapy and massage therapy. Let our practitioners use their helaing touch on you and your family 403-347-3261 to book an appointment. We are located at 142 Erickson Drive Red Deer.

www.family1stchiro.ca

Sydney Crosby and Chiropractic

Re-posted by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness and written by Crystal Jabs, Chiropractic Assistant, located at 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer.  Dr. Joelle Johnson and Dr. Stephen Kelly

Chiropractic Care for NHL Star

Earlier this year, Pittsburgh Penguins NHL superstar, Sydney Crosby, severely injured his head two times in the matter of one week. Both hits eventually lead to a severe concussion, which left Crosby with constant dizziness, light sensitivity, balance issues and extreme headaches. Needless to say, Pittsburgh was forced to finish the season without its star player. For many weeks following the incident, Crosby spent his time at multiple doctor offices, exhausting every effort trying to find a cure for his symptoms. After spending 6 months discouraged, Crosbys’ trainer, Andy O’Brien, received a recommendation to send the Penguins star to Ted Carrick, a sports chiropractor of the stars “literally”. After many days of waiting, Carrick decided to make an exception to his extremely full schedule and fit Crosby in.

Many weeks were spent together getting Crosby ready for the upcoming season. Drills and tests were run to see how well Crosby was responding to different movements. Crosby claims, “My eyes felt like muscles that hadn’t been used in months”.  After extensive, non-medicated treatment, Crosby is ready to return to the ice with his team for the upcoming season. Special thanks goes out to Dr.Carrick who took in a case that other doctors had given up on. Without Dr. Carricks, specialized, un-medicated approach, Crosby may still be seeing stars.    October 5, 2011 By Towne Lake Family Chiropractic

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Jeanneatte Raskin RMT,CST

Many pople have heard of Craniosacral therapy but do not understand its powerfull effects on the nervous system and body. Jeannette raskin RMT, CST works at Family First Chiropractic  in Red Deer, Alberta

• Craniosacraltherapy is a gentle method of detection and correction that encourages your own natural healing mechanisms.
• Relieves headaches,reduced stress, controls pain and promotes relaxation.
• It will dissipate negative effects of steess on your central nervous system and you will benefit from better overall health and resistance to disease.
• The gentle touch of Craniosacral therapy before and after labor allows for a more positive experience for baby's journey and entrance into the world. It may also improve or prevent conditions such as colic by treating the newborn as well.
• treatment of ADD and ADHD is very effective with CST.
• Jeanneatter Raskin is located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, Alberta T4R 2C3 403-347-3261 to book an appointment today.