Craniosacral Therapy for the whole Family!

We usually think of CranioSacral Therapy for ourselves or our children but it can be helpful for many others as well. I have worked on dogs and cats and know others who work on horses as well. Any animal with vertebrae can be helped with CranioSacral Therapy. One of my clients offered to write a testimonial about how she thinks CranioSacral helped her dog. I would like to share it with you.

Several years ago, to relief stress and aches and pains, I began having CranioSacral therapy with Jeannette Raskin. As a result I can’t say enough about the modality and how it improves and opens up the energy channels in your body allowing the body to heal itself. 

About a year and half ago, my chocolate brown lab had a cruciate ligament injury to one of his back legs. In taking him to my family vet I quickly learnt this was normal for his breed and also his age. The vet suggested I keep him off the leg as much as possible; not so many walks and would examine it over time. He felt with the age of my dog (9 years) and how active he was, surgery should be the last resort. He also suggested glucosamine, MSM, and Chondroitin and Hyaluronic acid, to help strengthen the knee joint and assist with any arthritis which may appear. So over the course of the fall and winter we were very careful and paid attention to his leg; make sure he was fed the glucosamine with his food. There was a remarkable difference but we had to be very careful. 

This winter with the large amount of snowfall, he managed to hurt it again running through the deep snow in the yard. I took him into my vet to ensure he had some movement,  which  it did, and again my vet advised me to  shorten his walks and to keep  him quiet as much as possible to help the knee heal. Very hard to do with a Lab!  

One day while in visiting Jeannette for my monthly CranioSacral appointment I happened to mention my dog and his injury.  Knowing that CranioSacral therapy would work on animals as much as humans, she agreed to come out and begin some therapy on his leg joint which was injured.

The first treatment was hectic as being a Lab, he needed to know what was happening and why? Jeannette managed to do about a half hour on his knee before he let her know that was enough.

During the session I also sat beside him and held him, ensuring he kept out of Jeannette’s space and allowed her to do her work. Once he settled down, you could see him quieten down every time there was an energy release. I did mention to Jeannette as she left that my legs were tingling from the energy flowing through him to my hands as I held him. We both felt it helped him and I ensured he rested and took it easy for the rest of the day.  Later that afternoon when my girlfriend came out to do a short walk she noticed a remarkable difference in his walk. 

We rescheduled several sessions with the second one being this morning. This time, Oscar came and “nuzzled into” Jeannette allowing her to do her work. As with the first time you could see him quieten when he was feeling releases. At one point, during a large release I actually felt the energy come out of him, go up my arm (as I was holding his shoulder) go through my right side, up through my head. Quite amazing actually! 

Our plans are to continue with the sessions as the more we can remove his stress and strains from his “dog body” the better. The longer we continue it will also allow his body to self-correct and strengthen his resistance to disease and injury. Thank you Jeannette and CranioSacral therapy! 

Jeannette Raskin practices at Family First Chiropractic, 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, Alberta.  403-347-3261. www.family1stchiro.ca.

Does your baby scream in the carseat?

 Mothers often will bring babies in to see a pediatric chiropractor because they ‘hate' their car seats and mom is at her wit's end and has exhausted all other avenues.

Is this your child?

·         Fights to be put into the car seat

·         Screams constantly in the car

·         Screams when the vehicle stops at a light

·         Spits up in the car seat

·         Your child seems panicked and overwhelmed

·         You avoid going anywhere because of the screaming 

Mom cannot go anywhere without the baby screaming for extended periods of time and stops when the car stops. Stressful times may happen to the baby, family, and mom as she feels she is bound to stay home and cannot do even the simplest of errands.

There are three areas we look at when a child has issues in the car seat.

1    Sensory overload to this child. Does the motion, vibration, or acceleration/deceleration cause vestibular issues like motion sickness or dizziness? The child may be having visual disturbances as the world whizzes by them.

2.      

      Spine misalignments or subluxations cause pain and irritate the nervous system when in the car seat. Often we find what chiropractors call subluxations in the upper neck, lower neck, low back and pelvis. This may be causing the child neck or back pain, numbness or discomfort when strapped into the car seat.

3.      A retained active Moro Reflex. This reflex is called the startle reflex and in some children can be overactive and cause a fearful, scared, stress type of reaction. This reflex should not be active after four months and may be overactive in some infants under four months of age. The child cannot self-sooth in the car seat causing the child to exhibit distress by screaming and crying.

So what can parents do?

1.      Tummy time at least 1 hour a day- this can be broken up into 10-15 min increments. Tummy time develops the vestibular system, and nervous system and children need to have the stimulated to develop optimally.

      See my previous blog post on tummy time. http://family1stchiro.blogspot.ca/2018/02/tummy-time-is-essential-for-your-baby.html

2.      Get your child's primitive reflexes assessed by a pediatric chiropractor and work with them on specific exercises for your child.

3.      Get your child's spine assessed and adjusted by a pediatric chiropractor. They are experts in determining issues in your child's spine and nervous system and removing any nervous interference, enhancing your child's life.

Dr. Joelle Johnson has been in practice since 1999 and completed her ICPA certification in 2001. She has many years of experience working with infants and children in Central Alberta located at Family First Chiropractic 142 Erickson Drive. www.family1stchiro.ca 403-347.3261. Follow us on Instagram, Blogger, and Facebook for information on you and your child's health.

Massage Therapy and Headaches

A remedy that many find effective, but not so many seek out, is massage. Massage Therapy can help relieve muscle spasms, improve blood flow and circulation, and promoting relaxation. It has been shown to be helpful in bringing relief for tension headaches and preventing migraines.

Massage has two roles when it comes to treating migraines and tension related headaches:

1. In a proactive role, massage treatments are performed on a regular basis to help the body maintain an optimal level of relaxation and stress-relief. This approach reduces the chances of migraine attacks and tension headaches significantly by relaxing muscle spasms and trigger points.
2. In a comfort role, massage is done to ease the pressure brought on during a migraine or tension related headache. By focusing on the neck, shoulders, and head, massage can decrease the pain and discomfort brought on by migraine or tension headaches.

A study found that in adults with migraine headaches, massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms. It also increased serotonin levels, believed to play an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep and appetite.

Guy Lacoursiere, RMT practices at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, located at 142 Erickson Drive. Call 403-347-3261 to book an appointment or visit us online.

Meet our practitioners at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness

Cupping Therapy

                Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine. It has been used all the way back to when the natives used the horns from the animals they hunted and use it on their own injuries with the use of the flame and pull out the toxins and eliminate pain. Now a days what a therapist would use are silicon cups and still give the same effect.

                What's nice about the silicon is that they come in a variety of sizes and provide an opposite stimulation than a typical massage. As opposed to the"pushing' down of the muscle, Cupping actually does the opposite. It is lifting up the muscle and connective tissue, fascia that surrounds the muscle. A therapist can move the cups around enhancing circulation, relieve congestion with someone suffering from colds, relieve pain and pulls out toxins that linger in your body's tissues. They do leave markings on the body but only last up to 6 days or so. Cupping is safe and has been very helpful with better range of motion in the joints and proper alignment to the body. Try cupping today!

Guy Lacoursiere, RMT, offers Cupping Therapy at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer. Call 403-347-3261 to book your Cupping therapy today!