Problems with Sleeping

Infants need lots of sleep. When a baby rubs his eyes that is a sure sign that they are sleepy. Always finish feeding, burping and diaper change before settling baby to sleep. Swaddling your infant provides security and helps him/her fall to sleep but check that they are not too hot. Some infants like to stay close to mom for the first few weeks but it pays to establish a good routine of putting baby into the crib to sleep when you both feel ready.

Some infants may still have difficulty getting to sleep despite mom and dad doing all of the above. Many of these children would have had a difficult birth and go on to develop problems with both feeding and sleeping before I first see them.

When I treat these children I check for any areas of tightness in their body. As these release the baby sighs and relaxes. If the birth has been distressing, we take time to check the effect this has had on the infant, mom (and dad too) if needed. This helps with the bonding process which in turn helps baby to feel more secure and mom to feel more competent. It is common for baby to sleep for a long time after a CranioSacral treatment.  Many parents report that they have had their first night sleep following this CranioSacral treatment.

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

Fascia Release

Fascia Release doesn’t have to be painful, it is a nice technique that goes quite deep. There is a Piezo-electric effect. MFR (myofascial release) applied properly will maximize the piezo-electric effect breaking down unwanted micro-adhesions, as well as free up and decompress joints.

What exactly is Deep Fascia? There are layers of fascia that wraps around and makes up muscle in its continuous head to toe, front to back, side to side. The superficial fascia is a layer of adipose tissue found beneath the skin and the deep fascia. This layer has its own integrity and also contributes to the structure of a body. The Deep Fascia is the network or web that surrounds the muscle or wrap. Lastly Connective tissue is the extracellular matrix that envelopes and connects our being from head to toe. It is the blood, none, perineural, perivascular wrappings, cells and microtubules that make up our bodies without it we would be a heap of partial bones on the floor. With the applied pressure by a therapist it changes the state of texture by lengthening and will positively affect better movement in the joints without the use of oil and direct contact to the client with slow techniques. Myofascial release is more likely to calm SNS (Sympathetic Nervous System) than to stimulate the PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System).

Massage available at Family First Chiropractic, 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, Alberta.  403-347-3261. www.family1stchiro.ca.

Stress - How Chiropractic can help

Stress can cause problems for you physically and emotionally. The effects of stress can cause headaches, muscle aches and pain and stiffness in your body.

There are typically three different causes of stress. The first cause is Environmental – This is what’s around you and things that you usually have no control over. You may live in an area that has high levels of pollution or high crime rates. Secondly, Physical factors may affect you such as injuries that you have incurred as a result of an accident, or it may be caused by what you are eating or from a lack of sleep. Sometimes, one of these may cause the other to happen such as an injury causing a lack of sleep due to being uncomfortable. Thirdly, Emotional factors such as worrying about our personal life, finances or fears of the unknown may cause stress leading to the undesirable effects of stress.

Due to the stress incurred by either from environmental, physical or emotional factors, our body may suffer from headaches, neck pain, and muscle aches and stiffness to name a few. High blood pressure, increased risk of heart issues and damage to your body’s tissues may also result from your body being overstressed.

In addition to doing things for yourselves to relieve stress such as exercise, stretching, yoga and deep breathing exercises, chiropractic can also help you to alleviate muscle tension and headaches. Getting adjusted positively affects your nervous system which helps ease muscle tension which then reduces the stressors in your body so you can relax and get more rest allowing the body to get relief from the stress around you.

Dr. Joelle Johnson is located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, Alberta.  www.family1stchiro .ca To book an appointment, please call 403-347-3261