Gut Health and Probiotics

Gut Health and Probiotics

2,500 years ago, ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said that ‘all disease begins in the gut’. Whilst we’ve since proven that isn’t strictly true, he was certainly onto something. Most people generally have a basic-to-good understanding of the relationship between good/bad nutrition, gut health, and overall health. What may surprise you, though, is how interlinked the gut and your mental health are.

 Your gut influences around 70% of our immune system function, and 95% of our body’s serotonin is produced there too (this is the ‘happy’ hormone). If you’re eating a poor diet which is low in essential micro- and macro-nutrients such as probiotics, prebiotics and fibre, your gut biome will be disrupted, and so will all of the systems it supports. You’re likely to be more prone to sickness due to lowered immune system, and more mood and stress due to suppressed serotonin production. You’re also more likely to overreact to more nutrient-scarce food.

You are a walking, talking, microbial ecosystem. Bet you’ve never heard that one before, but it’s true! Our bodies are host to trillions of microbes, fungi and viruses living all over you both inside and out, in every nook and cranny – they actually outnumber your human cells 3 to 1. One of the most crucial colonies of microbes in our bodies lives within our gut; this is called the ‘microbiome’ or ‘microbiota’, and it helps to control your blood sugar, cholesterol, metabolism, absorption of nutrients, influences your bone strength, and supports your immune system. This microbiome is delicately balanced for gut health, but it is also super sensitive to change, disruption and imbalance.
The gut has been called ‘the second brain’, due to how closely it is linked to a wider physiology and the influence it has over it. This is in large part due to the positioning of the Vagus nerve, which run the entire length of your spine from brain to gut (this is one of the central nerves that chiropractic works to release tension on and improve communication across, too!). The neurons in our digestive systems exist in close proximity to these nerves, meaning that they are prone to influence our emotional state and vice versa. The most common example of this is the effect that stress has on the body. The ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and all of the physiological reactions involved within that response, directly affects your microbiome and how well your gut works, which can trigger bowel issues. Such as people who suffer from IBS find that stress and/or anxiety.

So, whilst all disease may not begin in the gut, the gut certainly is very central to many of your bodily processes. Usually when something is going on in your body, your gut will be one of the first places to let you know about it. This also works in reverse; disrupting the natural balance of microbiota can have knock-on health and well being effects throughout the body. This is even true of the microbiota on your skin and elsewhere in and on your body. Important microbes can be affected by overusing antibiotics, hand sanitizers, bad diets and general ‘Western’ lifestyles.
The takeaway from this? It’s of equal importance to take excellent care of both your gut and your mental health, as they coexist in symbiosis. You cannot affect one without the other experiencing disruption.

Here are some food groups you should pay attention to in order to keep your gut in healthy balance.

Probiotics:
Where to get it: We have our own dairy and soy free product of Pure Probiotics 123 in powder, or Encapsulated. You will get probiotics from Yogurt, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha.
Probiotics support your immune system and contribute to the health of your guts microbiome.

Prebiotics:
Where to get it: Onion, garlic, leeks, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes (prebiotic king), bananas, asparagus, olives, plums, apples, bran, and almonds.
Prebiotics stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. It’s important to maintain a good balance of pro- and prebiotics, as they function in tandem with one another. Eating too much of one and neglecting the other can upset your gut (we told you it was sensitive!)

Fibre: Where to get it: fruit and vegetables, whole grains, pulses, beans and oats.
Health experts are constantly banging on about fibre, but for good reason. Fibre slows down the breakdown of sugars found in carbohydrates, which helps to stabilise your energy levels. It also helps the absorption of water in the gut so that it keeps the bowel moving at a healthy pace (which, by the way, should be at least once a day). You should be getting at least 30g of fibre a day from a variety of sources, as there are different types of fibre which hold different properties within your gut.

Cruciferous vegetables

Where to get it: Broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, cabbage, turnips, collards, kale, bok choy.
Cruciferous vegetables (brassicas) contain sulforaphane, which is a plant chemical currently being investigated for its anti-inflammatory properties.


For more information on gut health, or to schedule an appointment, please contact Family First Chiropractic and Wellness.

Dr. Elton Clemence is a Chiropractor at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, located In Red Deer, AB 142 Erickson Dr ,www.family1stchiro.ca 403-347-3261 to book an appointment.

New Treatment Guidelines Stress Non-Drug Interventions for Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common health complaints across the globe, and the No. 1 cause of job disability. It's also one of the most common reasons triggering opioid dependence, the side effects of which can be lethal.

In 2013 alone 16,000 Americans died from overdosing on prescription painkillers. If you have back pain and suffer depression or anxiety you're at particularly high risk for opioid abuse and addiction.

Mechanical low-back pain (LBP), is the second most common symptom-related reason for doctor's visits. LBP is typically preceded by some form of injury or strain, such as lifting, twisting while holding something heavy, a car collision or a fall.  

Prolonged sitting is also on this list, which may explain why simply standing up more is part of the solution in many cases. Some of the things that can help low back pain are controlling inflammation, restoring range of motion, improving muscle strength and endurance, coordination training and cardiovascular reconditioning and an exercise program.

Activity Is the First Line of Treatment

Research shows us emphasis is on functional movement and exercise. This holds true for most forms of back pain, not just LBP. This makes sense since your body needs regular activity to remain pain-free. When you sit for long periods of time, you typically end up shortening your iliacus, psoas and quadratus lumborum muscles that connect from your lumbar region to the top of your femur and pelvis. When these muscles are shortened it can cause severe pain upon standing, as they will effectively pull your lower back forward. When there's insufficient movement in your hip- and thoracic spine, you also end up with excessive movement in your lower back.

Most people tend to "baby" the pain and avoid moving about as much as possible, but in most cases, this is actually contraindicated.

Lesley Colvin, a pain medicine specialist in Edinburgh, says the best evidence is for exercise. 'If I had back pain, I'd do exercise that strengthens the core and stretching.' Just when you least feel like it, and it hurts the most, is when experts say you have to get moving. 'Avoid bed rest'."

Exercise is also the most effective way to prevent back pain in the first place, or a relapse, according to a recent scientific review of 21 studies. 

Among people who had a history of back pain, those who exercised had a 25% to 40%  lower risk of having another episode within a year than those who did no exercise. Medical doctors are increasingly starting to prescribe activity in combination with a wait-and-watch approach for back pain patients.

On February 14/17, the American College of Physicians issued updated treatment guidelines for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain, now sidestepping medication as a first-line treatment and recommending non-drug therapies instead. This is a significant change, and one that could potentially save thousands of lives by avoiding opioid addiction.

The new guidelines include three primary recommendations, all of which focus on alternative treatments and physical activity, leaving painkillers as a very last resort. Even in the rare case when an opioid is given, it should only be prescribed in the lowest dose and for the shortest duration possible.

Steroid injections and acetaminophen are also discouraged, as studies suggest neither is helpful or beneficial. Acetaminophen does not lower inflammation, and a review of the research shows steroids are on par with placebo when it comes to treating back pain in the long term.

1. “Given that most patients with acute or subacute low back pain improve over time regardless of treatment, clinicians and patients should select non-pharmacologic treatment with superficial heat … massage, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation … If pharmacologic treatment is desired, clinicians and patients should select nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or skeletal muscle relaxants.

2. For patients with chronic low back pain, clinicians and patients should initially select non-pharmacologic treatment with exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation.

3. In patients with chronic low back pain who have had an inadequate response to non-pharmacologic therapy, clinicians and patients should consider pharmacologic treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as first-line therapy.

Clinicians should only consider opioids as an option in patients who have failed the aforementioned treatments and only if the potential benefits outweigh the risks for individual patients and after a discussion of known risks and realistic benefits with patients.”

Scans and Surgery Are Useless for Most Cases of Back Pain

According to the American College of Physicians, scans like MRIs are also to be avoided, as they're "worse than useless" for diagnosing back pain. Exceptions include cases of known trauma to the spine and where there are warning signs of underlying disease causing the pain (such as cancer). Contrary to popular belief, disc degeneration does not cause back pain, so getting a scan and receiving a structural diagnosis of a bulging disc for example, is not going to be very helpful, at least not in terms of dictating a course of treatment for your pain. In many cases, such a diagnosis may simply lead to unnecessary surgery, which in many cases sends patients in a downward spiral of increasing pain and reduced mobility. According to the medical literature, spinal fusions for back pain have a success rate of about 20 to 25 percent. For 75 to 80 percent of these patients, the surgery simply results in lifelong pain and suffering.

Live Life and Avoid Medicalizing Your Pain 

Dr. James Weinstein, a back pain specialist stated "What we need to do is to stop medicalizing symptoms. Pills are not going to make people better … why not just go back to your normal activities? I know your back hurts, but go run, be active, instead of taking a pill."

While this may sound harsh to some of you, it's actually really good advice. As noted by Dr. Steven Atlas, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who wrote an accompanying editorial about the guidelines, "We are moving away from simple fixes like a pill to a more complex view that involves a lot of lifestyle changes," and that is certainly a much-needed turnaround.

Non-Exercise Activity May Be Part of Long-Term Solution for Back Pain

Keep in mind that part of "staying active" includes avoiding sitting as much as possible. Avoid the hazards of sitting and began standing more. Be aware that your pain may worsen initially, but will improve with time. If you have a desk job, consider investing in a stand-up desk.

Non-Drug Solutions for Pain Relief

It's extremely important to be fully aware of the addictive potential of opioid drugs, and to seriously weigh your need for them. There are many other ways to address pain.  Clearly, there are times when pain is so severe that a narcotic pain reliever may be warranted. But even in those instances, the options that follow may allow you to at least reduce the amount you take, or the frequency at which you need to take them. 

If you need a pain reliever, consider an over-the-counter (OTC) option. Research shows prescription-strength naproxen (sold OTC in lower dosages as Aleve) provides the same pain relief as more dangerous narcotic painkillers.

Many studies have confirmed that chiropractic management is much safer and less expensive than allopathic medical treatments, especially when used for pain such as low back pain.

Chiropractic and naturopathic physicians are reliable, as they have received extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of graduate healthcare training. We have comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management.

Medical doctors are often slow to change from pharmaceutical treatments.

As Chiropractors, this research backs up what we have been saying for over 100 years. Get the spine that is in abnormal position moving again with Chiropractic adjustments. Then stretch and exercise to strengthen the spine and its supporting structures. M.D.’s and researchers are finally coming around to what has been a Chiropractic tenant since its inception. So if you have back pain, do what the research says, get adjusted and avoid drugs.

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

You sprained your ankle 15 years ago, why should it matter now?

You sprained your ankle 15 years ago, why should it matter now?

Dr. Elton Clemence- Family First Chiropractic and Wellness 403-347-3261

www.family1stchiro.ca

Ankles. We have two of them. The vast majority of patients I see have sprained one of them at some point in their lives.  This is a question I normally leave to the end of the consultation questions, normally receiving a confused look…  I can see the cogs turning in my thinking patients head, “…What? My ankles? Really, what has that got to do with my back…”.  Well, it has everything to do with your back pain.  It has everything to do with your knee pain, your hip pain, your neck pain, your shoulder pain, you name it pain.  Our feet and ankles are crucial aspects of our bodies that are far too often overlooked.

The soles of our feet have 200,000 receptors.  Our foot and ankle complex has 26 bones, with one quarter of the bones in our body in our feet (!).  There are 33 joints (!!) and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments (!!!).   All these structures within the ankle and feet are neurological powerhouses when it comes to sending our nervous system and brain information about where we are in space, the terrain we are walking on, how to safely move and change direction, plus many more.  If your car had one or two dodgy tires, how would your car drive? Not as well as it should. And what’s more, you wouldn’t put up with it.  The same applies to our feet and ankles.  If we have disrupted the information cycle between our feet and ankles and brain at any point during our lives, this can have ramifications for the rest of body, immediately or later on in the future.

When you sprain an ankle, it significantly changes the way that you walk.  It’s obvious at the beginning, but as time progresses and it begins to heal and you can walk more ‘normally’ again. However, it doesn’t mean that the ankle and foot have been properly rehabilitated back into a fully functional part of the body.  Your nervous system won’t think so, and will be protective of it without you even realizing.  These can cause potential problems later on, with many people re-spraining the same ankle over and over again.  The vicious cycle begin because the neurological information systems keeps becoming disrupted, and it goes on.

The bottom line is our ankle and feet are crucial to the optimum function of the body. Pay attention to those ankle sprains, they might be more important that you think!

The Dirty Dozen Ways to Die That You Can Avoid

 

Black Swan Avoidance – The Dirty Dozen Ways to Die That You Can Avoid
Brought to you By Family Fisrt Chiropractic at 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer 403-341-3261
 www.family1stchiro.ca

Dr. McGuff calls the risks that follow “black swans.” By steering clear of them and instead using the tips that follow, you can protect your health from not only tragic accidents but also more insidious threats.

1. Buy a Big Car

Accidents, including motor vehicle accidents, are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. You probably can’t stop driving … but you can protect yourself better by buying a bigger car. In a collision, generally the bigger the car you’re in, the safer you’ll be. Also important is choosing a car that is loaded with airbags.

6. Gas Grill

I’ve written on some of the dangers of eating grilled food, but Dr. McGuff speaks about the dangers from lighting one. If your gas grill won’t start, he says, walk away. Otherwise, the gas build-up can lead to major flames when it finally does ignite, and this can translate to third-degree burns, or worse, for you. Not to mention, gas grills are involved in nearly 7,000 home fires a year.³

7. Feet First

Thinking of diving into a pool, lake, ocean or any other body of water? Don’t. At least, not until you’ve jumped in feet first, first, so you can determine how deep the water is. Diving in head first into a too-shallow body of water can break your neck, paralyze you, or kill you, so just don’t do it.

An estimated 800 spinal cord injuries occur each year from people diving into a body of water, and 90 percent of these happen in water depths less than six feet.⁴ Generally, a minimum water depth of at least nine feet is recommended for head-first dives.

8. Ladders

Your intentions are good – you want to hang holiday lights or fix a shingle on your roof. But climbing onto a ladder to do so can quickly turn deadly. If you can, hire a professional to do any painting or other repairs that require you to climb a ladder, so you can avoid becoming one of the more than 164,000 people who end up in emergency rooms each year due to ladder-related injuries.⁵

9. Retirement “Dream” Homes

Thinking of building your dream home to live out your retirement years in bliss? Find one that already exists and just move in instead. According to Dr. McGuff, he sees an inordinate number of people suffering from heart attacks caused by the stress from – you guessed it –dealing with contractors and other issues while building their retirement home.

10.“Hell No!”

If anyone tells you to get into a car at the point of a weapon, your response should be, “Hell no!” Once you get into a car against your will, you will most certainly die, likely after suffering immensely. Do whatever you need to do to NOT get in the car – run, yell, scream, fight back, anythingto keep from getting into that car.

11. Bad Relationships

About 15 percent of the population has psychotic, anti-social personality disorders. When you are in a relationship with one of these people, you will feel emotionally fatigued and upset, recurrently. If you notice these signs, ditch the relationship, and that may include a family member, friend, employer, etc.

Relationship problems, like most emotional struggles, represent a major drain on your health and well-being, so be ruthless in cutting any unhealthy relationships from your life.

12. Lottery
Don’t play it! Unearned wealth will destroy you. “If you get money you did not earn, it will take you down!” Dr. McGuff says. If you don’t believe this, do an Internet search for stories of lottery winners, and you’ll see the wrath that often follows …

13. Bonus: Be Kind

Being kind is the most important strategy for your health and for society, according to Dr. McGuff. This makes sense, as people tend to attract the energy that they give off, so if you are kind you’re likely to be surrounded by kindness in return.

2. No 4-Wheel ATVs

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are a popular hobby for many, but they’re also responsible for hundreds of deaths, and over 100,000 emergency room visits, every year.¹ Dr. McGuff has seen too many people who have died or become paralyzed (including children) after using these vehicles, so his advice is to just stay off.

3. Roads are for Cars

If you love jogging or cycling, do it indoors or on a designated walking/biking path. If you do so on the road, you’re risking your life to distracted drivers who often don’t see or slow down for pedestrians and cyclists. In 2010, for instance, 618 cyclists were killed and an additional 52,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes.²

4. Only Pilot if You’re a Professional

If you’ve devoted your life to becoming a professional pilot, good for you. If not, stay out of the sky. Part-time amateur pilots simply have not put in the extensive time needed to hone their piloting skills, and as a result are at a much higher risk of crashing and getting killed.

5. Heel Dust

If you see a group of men walking toward you on the street, and they appear intoxicated, angry or aggressive, cross to the other side. Any time you are faced with a confrontation with an aggressive person, your best bet is to show them “heel dust” – in other words, run away, don’t fight.

Dr. Doug McGuff, M.D., is an emergency room physician and, as such, is uniquely positioned to speak about the common ways people end up dying prematurely. He has a unique perspective as he has worked for over twenty years in the ER and viewed firsthand the most common mistakes that people make that wind up seriously harming them or prematurely ending their life.

 

Facts about chiropractic care and back and neck pain!

Facts about chiropractic care and back and neck pain:

• Recent research and reports have concluded that increased use

of chiropractic care can reduce benefit costs and contribute to

improved productivity. As well, patients treated by a chiropractor

for back pain returned to work sooner and had reduced rates of

chronic problems and hospitalization.

• Low-back pain affects 85% of the working population. Health

Canada estimates that musculoskeletal disorders, including back

pain, cost society $16.4 billion in combined direct (treatment and

rehabilitation) and indirect (lost-productivity) costs.

• According to Health Canada, back pain is the second most common

reason for seeing a medical doctor.

• Chiropractors are spinal care experts and the obvious practitioner

of choice when it comes to the treatment of back pain, injury

and related conditions. Close to one million Albertans consult a

chiropractor each year.

• Chiropractors receive the highest patient satisfaction ratings

for the treatment of back and neck pain according to Consumer

Reports, the Health Quality Council of Alberta, and a nation-wide

In 2009, Niteesh Choudry, M.D. PhD, Harvard Medical School

and Arnold Milstein, M.D., MPH, conducted an

analysis of the cost-effectiveness of chiropractic for neck and back pain.

The authors concluded there is reasonable data to show that chiropractic

could be effective and cost-efficient service for relief of pain and reduction

and disability:

• In the case of neck pain, chiropractic manipulation is less costly in

comparison to physician care and exercise, and yields better outcomes.

• In the case of back pain, chiropractic treatment is both less costly and

yields improved outcomes in comparison to physical therapy.

Interesting statistics to consider:

• Neck and Back Pain represented the fourth highest total health and

productivity cost to employers.

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) reported

substantial savings, achieved ROI targets and fostered positive

relationships with network partners as a result of chiropractic service

implementation.

Back pain is a leading cause of prescription

and non-prescription drug use, medical

visits, costly and specialized diagnostic

procedures, hospitalizations, and restricted

physical activity. Back claims account for more than 25% of all lost-time

claims reported to the WCB - Alberta.

Dr. Sally Nikolaj, Former Director, Millard Rehabilitation Centre,

WCB - Alberta stated, “Our evaluation of performance data confirms that

timely application of evidence-based chiropractic care represents a very

good investment with respect to return-to-work outcomes, stakeholder

satisfaction and management of related costs.”

Ontario statistics also show that patients receiving chiropractic treatment

return to work in less the half the time than those treated with other

methods. Acute Low Back Injuries: One Year Evaluation, WSIB Ontario,



For more information on chiropractic or to book an appointment with Dr. Stephen Kelly or Dr. Joelle Johnson please call us at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261.
www.family1stchiro.ca 

Baby's Heart Beat

 
This blog brought to you by Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261.
www.family1stchiro.ca
 

 

The circulatory (or blood) system, along with the heart, is the first part of that tiny body to be functional (around 5 weeks gestation) and as your baby's heart starts to form, you may even be able to see it beating on an early ultrasound. Typically this cannot be heard with even a Doppler until the 9-10th week of pregnancy at the earliest, sometimes not until the 12-14th weeks of pregnancy. A baby's heart beat, often called fetal heart tones (FHT), is very rapid, much faster than an adult's. In fact it starts out near 180 beats per minute (BPM) and around 12 weeks gestation settles into the normal range of 120-160 BPM for the remainder of the pregnancy

Chronic Stress and Lack of Relaxation Takes a Heavy Toll on Your Health

The classic definition of stress is "any real or imagined threat, and your body's response to it." Celebrations and tragedies alike can cause a stress response in your body. Some stress is unavoidable. Some mild forms of stress can even be helpful in some situations. But a stressor becomes a problem when:

·         Your response to it is negative.

·         Your feelings and emotions are inappropriate for the circumstances.

·         Your response lasts an excessively long time.

·         You're feeling continuously overwhelmed, overpowered or overworked.

It's important to realize that all your feelings create physiological changes. Your skin, heart rate, digestion and assimilation of food, joints, muscle energy levels, the hair on your head, and countless cells and systems you don't even know about change with every emotion. One of the major causes of subluxations of your spine is stress. This leads to pain/ headaches and dysfunction. While you cannot eliminate stress entirely, you can work to provide your body with tools to compensate for the bioelectrical short-circuiting caused by it. Regular chiropractic care can help this tremendously. Other helpful strategies that can help you deal with stress and unwind each day, include:

·         Exercise. Studies have shown that during exercise, tranquilizing chemicals (endorphins) are released in your brain. Exercise is a natural way to bring your body pleasurable relaxation and rejuvenation.

·         Proper sleep

·         Meditation
Family First Chiropractic and Wellness is located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer. 403-347-3261
www.family1sychiro.ca