Work Posture ~ a spot checklist for spinal contentedness at work!!
I've had a lot to say about working posture across the last year with the added challenges that 2020 brought to the majority of workplaces. Many of us have had a reprieve from work across the festive season or have at least had a chance to slow down. I'd like to encourage you to take a moment and just look at this before the new year runs away with us again.
Achy Bones and Vitamin D Deficiency
Chiropractors are very familiar with multiple reasons why someone might come in complaining that their "bones ache", but did you know that vitamin D deficiency was on that list?
A Shout Out to the 30, 40 and 50-somethings!
How often do you wish for a crystal ball so you could anticipate and manage future possibilities? I don't have a crystal ball, but I have a focussed lens detailing some dodge-able problems...
Chiropractic Maintenance Care
So, once the chiropractor has helped to resolve the presenting pain or problem, is ongoing chiropractic maintenance care a good idea, or is it a waste of time and money? The latest research gives some insights.
Just Breathe
We all know that without breath there is no life. Did you know the quality of your breathing affects the quality of your life too? Breathing, headspace and physical health are closely linked. Your breath can be used as a tool to manage, or a trigger to compromise, both your mental and physical wellbeing.
Why Exercise?
“If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.” - Robert Butler, National Institute on Aging
Imaging for Low Back Pain – What’s the Use?
For a long time if you had significant back pain then imaging was considered the first step towards finding the right care and a solution. Science is very clear now that this is not the case. That, in fact, imaging can be detrimental to the cause.
Fantastic Feet…and NOT so Fantastic Plantar Fasciitis
Feet are pretty wonderful. They’re made up of some amazing structures and enable us to traverse a whole array of different surfaces by being so adaptable. Painful feet, in contrast, are not fun. Being unable to get around and just do our usual thing at our regular pace really takes the shine off the day. Today I wanted to talk about a common cause of foot pain, Plantar Fasciitis.
Forward Head Posture
Carrying your head in front of your body, or forward head posture, definitely disrupts the biomechanics in your neck ~ to a greater degree than you'd probably imagine. The problems don't stop there though. New research indicates forward head posture also creates distorted feedback to the brain and, subsequently, less than ideal instructions from the brain back to the body.
Working From Home
We may be willing and able to work from home, but how do we make sure that we are healthy and physically able to "come out of hibernation" at the other end of this health crisis? Putting a little more effort into your at home work space up front will make a significant difference.
Kicking the Habit
It’s the end of January and about now New Year’s Eve resolutions are historical whimsies for most of us. We’ve slid off the bandwagon of healthy eating/stopping smoking/more exercise/insert your goal here.
Empathy V’s Compassion (what kind of carer are you?)
We’ve all seen people who have had their sense of self and their wonder in the world worn down by the load they carry. I think it’s a topic that we all need to consider periodically and do a self check to make sure we’re not making life harder than it needs to be for ourselves.
The Anti Inflammatory Diet
An anti-inflammatory diet is a good choice for those who want to live a long and healthy life.
Loving Your Curves (Scoliosis)
It’s true bodies come in all shapes and sizes. We also come with a myriad of different combinations of curves. Some are perfect and just as they should be. Some challenge us and our health. Some upset the apple cart entirely. It would be easy to assume I’m referring to body shape here, but I’m not. I’m talking about the curves in our spine.
You’ve got to Move It, Move It!
We are often admonished to “just get moving” because we have to “use it or lose it”, but why? Why is movement so vital to our health? There are many reasons…
Inflammation ~ Friend or Foe
Inflammation has a bad reputation. In our heads it is associated with swollen, angry, painful tissues. We are almost conditioned now to reach for medication to stop these symptoms, but are we doing ourselves any favours in doing so? Yes, the pain is eased, but what’s the cost?
OTC Pain Medications (a tool)
Though chiropractors do study pharmacology as a part of their five year university degree, I am not a pharmacist and am not qualified to give advice on any medications. Unsurprisingly, I am often asked about over the counter (OTC) medications to manage pain, so I’ve done some research for you.
Increase Your Knowledge and Heal Better
“Knowledge and movement are the greatest pain and stress liberators”Lorimer Moseley and David Butler.
Turmeric ~ A Natural Anti-inflammatory?
In 2006 there was a piece of research done that established that older Singaporeans who ate more curry had less cognitive decline (1). Science promptly focussed its attention on the components of curry, then more specifically turmeric and its active element, curcumin.
Bone density versus Skin Cancer – the Vitamin D conundrum
Our body takes the cholesterol in our skin and uses UVB from the sun to make Vitamin D (Vit D). Vit D swings through the liver and the kidneys, receiving a few structural tweaks, to become the steroid hormone version of Vit D, calcitriol. It is very hard to get Vit D from our diet - you’d have to eat mountains of fatty fish often to meet the body’s needs - sunshine is the best source.