How can I reduce my stress?

Many people are extremely overstressed in our society; this is a statement I hear every day.

 How can I reduce my stress?

Well, first let us talk about the types of stress; chemical, emotional and physical stress.

Physical stress can be from overworking, repetitive stress such as sitting at a desk, carrying a toddler on one hip. Many people sit for long periods and do not do regular exercise. Thirty minutes of exercise per day helps your brain and body to feel better. Motion is lotion. Prolonged sitting can gradually alter the muscles in your back, resulting in misalignment of your spine and therefore disruption to your central nervous system causing stress.

Chemical stress refers to an imbalance of chemicals in the body, which in turn affects the body’s ability to function efficiently. The leading causes of chemical stress can be from work chemical exposure, cleaning chemicals or inhaled chemicals. Other chemical stressor is diet such as sugar, preservatives, and pesticides.

Emotional stress is what most people are referring to as stress, but they forget about the previous two stressors that can cause a cumulative effect on the body. Family, work and social pressure can affect your nervous system. The hardest word to say is no.

How can we alleviate our stress?

•    Chiropractic care affects the nervous system, and studies show that a chiropractic adjustment positively affects the prefrontal cortex.

http://albertachiro.com/chiropractic-for-treating-stress/

So get adjusted!

•    Say no to too many activities. Reducing very difficult for most people.

•    Get more sleep. 8-10 hours per night

•    Meditation

•    Reduce sugar and preservatives in your diet

•    Eat more fruits and veggies

•    Drink more water. You should be drinking ½ of your body weight in ounces per day. If you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces per day. Add lemon to help detoxify your liver and body.

•    Get moving- motion is lotion! Get some exercise.

Dr. Joelle Johnson would love to help you with your stress and chiropractic care, she is located at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness at 142 Erickson drive, Red Deer. T4R 2C3,  403-347-3261.

CranioSacral Therapy and Mouth Work

I have been practicing CranioSacral therapy since 2002 and it has helped me and many of my clients.  When most people talk about this therapy they talk about headaches, birth trauma, or chronic pain.  CranioSacral therapy helps all these things.  But I would like to share my experience with CranioSacral therapy and mouth work.  It has changed me.

I should start with a little history.  Now, I did not have any serious mouth or jaw problems growing up that I can remember.  My biggest problem with my jaw was probably stress clenching.  I know that is not a scientific word but I am sure many people know what I am talking about.  As my stress would increase so would my jaw tension.  When I started taking CranioSacral therapy and receiving treatments is when I noticed a significant difference.  After my first mouth work treatment that I received I could not believe the difference.  My mouth felt bigger and much more relaxed.  I started raving about this to my clients and trying the techniques out on them.  From chronic headache sufferers to clients with braces, the results have been amazing.

Another benefit of mouth work, for me at least, has been the ability to speak more freely.  When we have increased tension in and around our mouths it may unknowingly inhibit our ability to speak.  When even some of our tension is released that allows us to speak.

Mouth work in CranioSacral Therapy is something I practice on most of my clients, especially the infants.  I often see children with birth trauma, tongue ties, etc. and I find that mouth work is essential for them to get the results that they need.  While treating infants I am constantly reassuring, explaining and sometimes even showing the parents how much pressure I am using on their children.

 

When practicing CranioSacral therapy in the mouth it just as gentle as when you work outside the mouth.  Sometimes even more gentle.  The practitioner uses gloves and can better access some of the bones of the mouth, the teeth, and even some of the muscles.

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