Who does CranioSacral benefit?

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

Kids and Lack of Exercise

Kids and Lack of Exercise

Kids are generally very active from birth as their bodies and minds are rapidly growing and developing. They struggle to learn to crawl then walk then run in the first year of their lives. They love to explore, play and build things in their toddler years as their mind and nervous system develops. When you think about it, it is totally amazing realizing the development and learning abilities of a young child. Vigorous physical activity fuels the development of the body and mind.

Young children in our western society have so much electronic influence that at a very young age, media such as video games, television, handheld electronics and other things take the place of physical activity. Studies have shown that kids of 3-4 years of age get 84% of their recommended physical activity. This number drops dramatically to only 7% for the age group between 5 and 11 years old then drops even lower to only 4% for 12 to 17 year olds. This results in child obesity and health problems for children due to a lack of activity and exercise.

Make a commitment as parents to reduce the screen time of your kids. Find physical activities that your kids enjoy doing or chores that need to get done. This could include a wide range of activities ranging from walking, soccer, bike rides, skateboarding, bowling, swimming, skiing, skating, hockey, dancing, hiking, mountain climbing, baseball, playing at the park, weight training, vacuuming, washing the floor or car and the list goes on. 

Keep your kids active and in shape. Maintaining the proper alignment of their spine is important as well to ensure maximum enjoyment of their physical activities. Call us today to keep your kids on the path to great health.

Dr. Joelle Johnson is located at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness located at 142 Erickson Drive. 403-347-3261 to book an appointment today.

www.family1stchiro.ca

Water Sports, Kids, and Injuries

Water Sports, Kids and Injuries

Summer time is here! Kids love to enjoy the hot weather near water whether it’s in the backyard on a slip and slide, at the pool, spray park or down by the lake or near the river. Along with the fun enjoyed by the youngsters comes slips and falls and the resulting injuries can include head and neck pain, lowback pain  and whiplash.

Many of these injuries are preventable by avoiding running near wet poolsides or on diving boards, for example. Surfaces that are constantly wet should have a gritty texture to improve traction.

Inevitably, kids will be kids and their enthusiasm will ultimately lead to injuries from time to time. Your friendly chiropractor can help your child get back to enjoying the pool and warm sun by adjusting your child’s neck and back to alleviate any spinal problems incurred by slips and falls. Dr. Joelle Johnson of Family First chiropractic and wellness has extensive training in pediatric chiropractic and is a member if the ICPA. The clinic is located at 142 Erickson drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261 to book your children in today. www.family1stchiro.ca 

Children and Healthy Spines

Children and Chiropractic care
By: Dr. Joelle Johnson
 

Acute Conditions

Acute conditions may result from birth trauma, sports mishaps and accidental injury. Chiropractic care benefits children by correcting the spinal alignment to improve their overall health. When vertebral joints are misaligned during birth or from a blow or fall, muscle tissue and nerves may also be affected. Spinal adjustment frees joints, restores motion and relieves nerve pressure, which may be the cause of additional ailments. Parents report successful treatment of children's health issues such as acute earache, upper respiratory infection, muscle pain, neck pain and accident trauma. Spinal manipulation for children as young as newborn babies is an alternative treatment for the discomfort of colic and other digestive disorders as well.
 

Chronic Conditions

Parents surveyed by the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) reported behavioral improvement for kids who saw a chiropractor, as well as improved sleep and stronger immune systems. Although scientific evidence in these areas is still inconclusive, the growing number of those seeking children's health care from chiropractors (up 8.5% since 1991, according to the American Chiropractic Association) is a positive endorsement of its benefits. Chiropractic America reports that natural, drug-free chiropractic care is sometimes more effective than traditional medical approaches for chronic earache, scoliosis and neck pain. Headaches and sleep disorders of nonspecific causes respond well to spinal adjustments, which affect and repair interrupted neural pathways. Asthma and allergy symptoms and patterns of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also be treatable with chiropractic.
 

Prevention

Success in these areas has implications for chiropractic care's preventive capacity. Periodic ongoing adjustments at a young age may help stave off the above ailments before they begin. Proper spinal alignment now may delay or prevent degenerative bone or joint disease, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. In addition to maintaining children's health, regular visits to the chiropractor also instill the value of proactive health care in kids. They'll be more likely to monitor and manage their health as they grow up and less likely to be afraid or in denial of any health problems. Encouraging good lifelong health habits is one of chiropractic's best benefits for kids.
 

Dr. Joelle Johnson. To book an appointment with one of our chiropractors, call us at 403-347-3261. Family First Chiropractic, 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer. www.family1stchiro.ca.

Grocery Shopping with kids!

Grocery shopping with kids!

For all those single kid moms out there, you might think its hard to shop with your kid in tote...its not...once you have shopped with 3, shopping with one is a walk in the park. Shopping alone is now a vacation, I look forward to it, I stroll through, taking my time and enjoying the time off, yeah I am going to squeeze every loaf of bread instead of grabbing the closest one, I might price compare, and usually end up getting everything on the list, instead of bailing half way through because you think you might actually throw your own temper tantrum right there in the cereal isle...Shopping with 1 kid is enjoyable, you can treat them if they behave, and you can still contain them when they miss behave, while getting your groceries. 2 kids start presenting a issue, if one misbehaves you can still handle it, if both start misbehaving people start staring, but the fearless (ultimately frustrated) mother you are, you press on, with a "this too shall pass" chant. Now for shopping with 3, your completely out numbered, and they have started a pack mentality, most shopping carts have one seat, some 2, at least one is running around like the feral child they are. You grab the basics, not looking at nutritional value, just bang for your buck, and hope that when you're home you can slop together an acceptable meal. A daycare in your local grocery store...just a thought!

Brought to you by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer

403-347-3261

www.family1stchiro.ca

Looking for a family friendly clinic?

Red Deer chiropractor Dr. Joelle Johnson and the staff at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness want you to become part of our family. We offer a variety of Red Deer chiropractic services including massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, orthotics and chiropractic treatment for:

• Back pain
• Migraine headaches
• Neck pain
• Wrist pain, carpal tunnel
• Foot pain
• Work-related injuries WCB
• Whiplash and car injuries



Dr. Joelle Johnson adjusting a 6 month old

We are also a Red Deer pregnancy chiropractor that provides pre-natal care, babies and children's chiropractic care.Our other services include Ideal Protein Weight Loss diet, natural health products, nutritional information, a monthly health newsletter and much, much more 403.347.3261. http://www.family1stchiro.ca/