Importance of Tummy Time

Lack of tummy time can result in learning delays and poor posture.

We all want what is best for our new precious bundle, but many babies hate tummy time. Why is tummy time so important?

Babies need to develop their spinal muscles and their core muscles. As their core develops, so does their brain and nervous system.

Tummy time recomendations:

One month of life -30 min per day

2nd month -45 min per day

3rd month -60 min per day

Tummy time does not include babywearing or holding baby upright. Tummy time is best on their stomachs, lifting their head up against gravity. There are different ways to help a baby who does not like tummy time, such as putting them on an exercise ball slightly deflated and rocking them in different directions. The rocking assists growth in the vestibular system, assisting neurological development.

Propping baby up on towels or a pillow on your chest elevates the baby and assists them with their visual development, especially those babies who place their heads down as soon as they are on their stomach.

The birth process and how the baby is positioned in utero can affect the neck and thus affect the child's ability to extend the neck and to be able to do adequate tummy time. A chiropractic assessment and gentle treatment can assist and determine if there is a lack of extension in the neck and proper range of motion in your child’s spine. You will also be given gentle stretches and exercises to do with your baby to encourage proper neck movement and better tummy time.

Core Muscle Strength

A baby’s natural response to the prone position (lying on the stomach) is to lift the head and neck. At first, they also raise the arms and legs. Even when it doesn’t look like they’re getting anywhere, the muscles along the core of their body are strengthening. Strong and well-toned core muscles are essential for alertness and attention. Weak core muscles lead to slumped forward posture, poor tone, and  school-age children, their heads resting on desks or fists on their chin for support. These children will also show signs of poor coordination. If their heads are drooping, you can bet their attention is as well.

Visual Tracking

As the core muscles strengthen, the child’s visual field evens out. When the muscles are weak, the head bobbing that results blurs the images around them because they’re unable to focus that quickly. When the muscles develop, the head bobbing decreases, allowing the visual field to even out and become more clear. The eyes and the neck then begin working together to locate objects and determine their location. These developments are not only priming good vision in general, but also visual tracking. Proper visual tracking improves reading skills and helps children copy information from a book or whiteboard.

Vestibular System

It is far easier for a baby’s brain to orient their position in relation to the ground when they are on their tummies. While on their backs, gravity pulls on them in a way that prevents most movement. On their stomachs, they can resist the pull of gravity by doing things such as lifting the head and extremities, which activates the vestibular system. The vestibular system is responsible for balance and coordination. Children whose vestibular systems aren’t functioning correctly struggle with coordination, discrimination of objects, and even self-regulation. This can lead to behavioral problems, attention span issues, and a whole host of other issues in the classroom.

Dr. Joelle Johnson B.Sc., D.C., focuses her practice on prenatal care, postnatal care, and pediatric chiropractic care in Red Deer Alberta. www.familyfirstchiro.ca 403-347-3261 at 142 Erickson Drive.

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.

What is sciatica?

 40% of people will suffer with sciatica in their lifetime, but how can you avoid being one of them?

Sciatica is a term many people are familiar with as up to 40% of people will experience it in their lifetime. According to the National Institute for Health and Excellence.

What exactly is sciatica, what causes it and how can you prevent becoming one of them?

Sciatica is a name given to pain associated with irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is a large bundle of nerves that travels from your lower back and sacrum down the back of your leg.

Sciatica has a collection of symptoms that differ depending on your individual presentation.

Sciatica symptoms

Typically, the pain associated with Sciatica is a sharp shooting or burning pain that travels down one leg anywhere from your buttock to your foot, it is commonly combined with other symptoms such as:

 Lower back pain

 Pins and needles and numbness

 Muscle weakness

Is Piriformis syndrome the same as Sciatica?

Piriformis syndrome is a condition that may cause sciatica. Sciatica is due to compression by a herniated disc causing lumbar radiculopathy. Piriformis syndrome is a condition that causes sciatica nerve symptoms due to compression of the sciatic nerve around the buttock and the hip.

When Sciatica is an emergency?

In rare cases Sciatica can be a sign of something worse, if you experience any of the following symptoms it is important to go to the nearest hospital or call 911:

 You have sciatica in both legs

 You have a weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe and getting worse

 You have any numbness in or around your genitals and anus

 Your bowel or bladder habits are difficult to control, have increased in urgency or feel (and this is not normal for you)

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica is caused by a compression to the sciatic nerve somewhere along its pathway from the lumbar spine to the leg.

A chiropractor or medical professional can help you identify the cause of your sciatica.

According to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about 90% of cases come from a herniated disc (“slipped disk”) in your lower lumbar spine.

However, soft tissue, and other joint injuries can also create inflammation around the nerve along its pathway, irritating the nerve.

Who’s at risk?

Sciatica can affect anyone of any age group, but peak presentation is in the 5th decade; other risk factors are strenuous high activity lifestyle, for example:

 Frequent bending, heavy lifting or twisting

 Jogging/running and impact activities

 Whole body vibrations. Like operating machinery or long periods of driving.

Sedentary lifestyles can also contribute to developing back problems and associated symptoms as well as general health, obesity and smoking.

What can you do to relieve sciatic pain?

Sciatica can be self-resolving in 4-6 weeks but this is often aided by lots of painkillers to moderate the pain. Patients usually don’t want to rely on painkillers and want to find an alternative, or more natural ways to get better.

Symptoms vary from patient to patient, so Chiropractic treatment is designed for the individual's unique history and current symptoms. However, the overall goals of treatment are to lessen nerve irritation symptoms by correcting spinal misalignments, improve the health with home care exercises/stretches, and advise any lifestyle changes to enhance the healing process.

Tips to try:

 Regular Chiropractic care to keeps our bodies in motion.

 Our body’s like to move, try to stay active and avoid long periods of rest as this has been shown to increase pain.

 Carry on with your normal activities as much as possible.

 Gentle exercises and stretches of your legs and back advised accordingly by your Chiropractor, start gradually and stop if you feel increased pain.

 Massaging out tight muscles can also help take pressure off and reduce pain.

We can help

If you are concerned about your back or sciatic pain, and would like an expert opinion, please contact Family First Chiropractic (403) 347-3261, www.family1stchiro.ca

Dr .Elton Clemence

Family First Chiropractic