5 tips to take care of yourself

Take Care of yourself….How? 5 tips anyone can do.

You've heard people say, "You need to take care of yourself." And somehow that is supposed to fix everything?

When you are a massage therapist, your work is to help people take care of themselves. Massage therapists encourage people to take care of themselves, too. The question is HOW?

When taking care of one's self, here is a few key points:

1. Get adequate sleep - most people need between 6-9 hours of sleep per nite. People try to function on 3-4 hours of sleep, but this inhibits tissue repair and depletes the immune system among other things.

2. Stay active - take a walk instead of a drive to the mail box, or park further away from stores an walk a few dozen extra steps. Build in activites that get you out in the sun for 15-30 minutes minimum per day. Both vitamin D and exercise help to improve your mood.

3. Take your vitamins/nutrients- whether in food, bodily soaking, liquid or powder/pill form, when you are stressed your electrolytes and other essencial nutrients get used. For example, go rock climbing in a gym for an hour or two with no breakfast....you will be ravenous by the time you are done because of all the calories/nutrients you consume in that one short hour or so.

4. Eat appropriately for your daily activities -massaging is a high calorie drain nearly the same as rock climbing or other exercise. For everyone, and especially therapists, eat a good breakfast high in un-greasy protein to diminish your sugar cravings, set aside time to eat a good lunch and you will be prepared for a light dinner (so you don't feel like gorging right before bed).

5. Take time to smell the roses - when you are stressed, the body is acting like it is running from a tiger (or some animal that is trying to eat you). Your body is in fight or flight mode....

This is the equivalent to running a marathon all day every day - your body will begin to give out after a while of running full out all the time.

When stuck in fight or flight, the mind is reviewing the situation and looking for escape as if you were faced with a tiger chasing/cornering you. This is the 'racing mind' when you try to sleep. Its a fabulous function if you were to actually be faced with a tiger, because you wouldn't want to be caught napping by the hungry tiger (you probably wouldn't wake up too happy when the tiger takes a leg). But when its a test, a bill, or a paper due, its an imaginary tiger and won't actually kill you, but your body still reacts the same...

Do what you can to resolve the situation, set a timeline or accomplish what can be done today and make a ToDo list for what is waiting on tomorrow. Once everything that can be done is...

Smelling flowers and enjoying scenery, relaxed conversation, massage, down-time will help reduce that stress or take you out of fight or flight.

So schedule your massage and Take Care of yourself.
All of our staff and practitoners at Family First Chiropractic and wellness are here to help you through your journey, please call us a 403-347-3261 to book an appointment today.

 

CranioSacral Therapy and Birth

You may have planned and hoped for a natural vaginal delivery but what happens if complications arise during birth? These complications during labour may result in your baby being delivered by:

·         Caesarean-section (c-section).

·         With the help of vacuum pump or suction.

·         With the help of Forceps

Interventions, when necessary, often save lives. In my experience with CranioSacral Therapy - it helps to eliminate, or minimise, complications that arise as a result of these types of deliveries.

With CranioSacral Therapy, I work on the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect a person's brain and spinal cord, extending from the bones of the skull (which make up the cranium) down to the tailbone area (or sacrum).

The role of this system in the development and performance of the brain and spinal cord is so vital that an imbalance or dysfunction in it can cause sensory, motor and/or neurological disabilities

A CranioSacral Therapist uses a touch generally no heavier than the weight of a nickel. Skilled practitioners can monitor this rhythm at key body points to pinpoint the source of an obstruction or stress. Once a source has been determined, they can assist the natural movement of the fluid and related soft tissue to help the body self-correct.

I have noticed that most babies (and mums too!) often need assistance following the effects of a difficult labour. One of the reasons for this is that in the ideal birth situation, nature has designed a baby's skull to be compressed as it travels through the birth canal during a vaginal birth.

Babies born by c-section miss out on this vital compression (which helps balance the cranial bones) through the birth canal. Babies born with the use of forceps or vacuum often experience undue stress on the head and face and strain patterns can often develop in their bodies. The euphoria of your baby's safe arrival can mask the stress that your baby has experienced. But soon problems can arise.

With Craniosacral Therapy I use specific, gentle touch techniques to assess, resolve and eliminate the restrictions that cause these problems. The light pressure creates deep change - releasing restrictions in the baby's tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This intervention encourages the infant's body toward a natural alignment.

With Craniosacral Therapy I use specific, gentle touch techniques to assess, resolve and eliminate the restrictions that cause these problems. The light pressure creates deep change - releasing restrictions in the baby's tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This intervention encourages the infant's body toward a natural alignment.

During the treatment the baby often naturally needs to cuddle, feed or cry as balance is restored and emotion is released in the body. Mums and Dads often feel a sense of relaxation as the baby's Craniosacral system returns to optimum function.

I have found that treatment with Craniosacral therapy benefits all babies following birth - but it is highly recommended for babies who have had birth complications - including Caesarean Sections.If you have any questions please call Jeannette Raskin at 403-347-3261 at Family Furst Chiropractic and Wellness, located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer

Natural birth...what you need to know

·         Babies born naturally are usually born when they are ready. Elective caesareans typically take place a week or two before the expected due date. However, many babies if left to be born naturally are born at 41 or 42 weeks. If there was any miscalculation, a baby removed surgically could be at risk for prematurity and encounter respiratory problems as a result of under-developed lungs.          

·         Babies born by vaginal birth have considerable lower risk of respiratory problems. The compression of the baby’s thorax expels the amniotic fluid during the birth process and helps to prepare the lungs to breathe air. There is a high risk of respiratory distress syndrome in babies born by cesarean and a high risk of asthma.·          

·         The passage through the birth canal stimulates the baby’s cardiovascular system, which boosts blood circulation and primes the baby for birth. There is evidence that this process also has long term benefits for the baby’s co-ordination. Cranial osteopaths are reported to be able to determine whether a baby was born vaginally or by caesarean.·          

·         Babies born vaginally receive protective bacteria as they pass through the birth canal. These bacteria colonise in the intestine and are crucial for developing a balanced immune system, from childhood right through to adulthood.          

·         During a natural, vaginal birth babies benefit from hormonal surges in catecholamines during labor, which results in them being more alert and able to connect with their mothers at birth.          

·         Similarly, endorphins, nature’s ‘feel-good hormones, which are secreted during an unmedicated childbirth have been found in the placenta and umbilical cord. These hormones may help the baby adjust to life outside the womb as well as make the birth passage more comfortable for baby.          

·         Babies born by vaginal birth exhibit more interest in pre-breastfeeding behaviours such as sucking and massaging the mother's breasts. They are also reported to nurse for longer periods within the first 90 minutes after birth, which has many benefits for both the mother and the baby.

·         A European study in 2008 found that babies born vaginally had a 20% lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes than babies born surgically.          

·         The process of labor is reported to enable babies born vaginally to cope with stress better than those born dramatically by cesarean. Cesarean birth triggers a dramatic stress response which could set up a child to always over-respond to stress.

·         If the vaginal birth was drug-free, the baby will not experience any side-effects of medication administered during the process.         

·         Skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby can occur easily after a natural birth. This has many physiological benefits to the baby including optimal brain development as well as better attachment and breastfeeding success.          

·         Newborns are less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit if delivered vaginally.

Most babies born after 36 weeks are able to display all the following responses and reflexes. Babies born prematurely can have immature reflexes, sometimes contributing to them spending time in the Intensive Care Nursery. 

The normal reflexes and responses of a newborn baby can include: 

Rooting reflex
Sucking and swallowing
Gag reflex
'Startle' or Moro reflex
Crawling reflex
Grasping reflex
Walking and stepping

Side Effect from Smoking

Side effects from smoking:

Cigarettes cause wrinkles: Why the wrinkly face? Smoking hampers the blood supply that keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy.

Thinner hair

As if the wrinkly skin wasn’t enough, smoking hurts your hair too. Experts think the toxic chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles and generate cell-damaging free radicals as well.  The end result? Smokers have thinner hair that tends to go gray sooner than nonsmokers. That is, if they have any hair at all. Dementia and neurologic diseases
People who smoke a pack a day have almost two and a half times the risk of stroke as non-smokers. The best current research suggesting that smoking makes little difference in the risk for Alzheimer's, and if it does, the risk for dementia is slightly higher in smokers. Certainly, smoking can affect blood vessels in the brain as it does in the heart, increasing the risk for dementia from small or major strokes.

Female infertility and pregnancy
Studies have now linked cigarette smoking to many reproductive problems. Women who smoke pose a greater danger not only to their own reproductive health but, if they smoke during pregnancy, to their unborn child. Some of these risks include the following:
Greater risk for infertility in women. Greater risk for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage.
Greater risk for stillbirth, prematurity, and low-birth weight. Smoking reduces folate levels, a B vitamin that is important for preventing birth defects.
Women who smoke may pass genetic mutations that increase cancer risks to their unborn babies.

Effects on bones and joints
Smoking has many negative effects on bones and joints: Smoking impairs formation of new bone and women who smoke are at high risk for osteoporosis.
Postmenopausal women who smoke have 17% greater risk for hip fracture at age 60, a 41% greater risk at 70, and a 108% greater risk at age 90.
Smokers are more apt to develop degenerative disorders and injuries in the spine.
Smokers have more trouble recovering from spinal surgery.
Smokers whose jobs involve lifting heavy objects are more likely to develop low back pain than non-smokers.
In women, smoking may also pose a small increased risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Behavioural and Social Problems

Children of smoking mothers are more likely to have more motor control problems, perception impairments, attention disabilities, and social problems than children of non-smoking mothers. Some reasons for these associations have been suggested:

Women who breast feed and smoke pass nicotine by-products to their babies, which may contribute to these problems.

Women smokers tend to be less educated than women non-smokers, which may cause increased stress at home.

Smoking mothers and their children may share certain inherited psychologic factors, such as depression, which cause addictive and behavioural problems that are unrelated to smoking itself.

Mom and Baby and the journey into parenthood

All moms want the best for their children.  We will do anything for our children, often forgetting our own needs.  I often see mothers bring in their baby or child with problems hoping that I can help.  I love treating children because we often see results quickly, if not immediately.  I tell parents the sooner you bring your child in for a treatment the better.  The thing we often forget as adults is to treat ourselves.  The stress of taking care of a newborn or sick child reflects in our bodies as well.  Giving birth is a traumatic experience, not only for the baby, but for the mother as well.  I like to recommend to new moms to try and find at least an hour to give to yourself to help release some of the trauma of birth.  Your child will benefit from your treatment as well.  At the very least CranioSacral therapy will help you relax and get your body to heal faster.  You will be a better and more relaxed mom for it. All our practitioners at Family First Chiropractic are there to support you and your needs in motherhood. Jeannette Raskin CST, RMT, Dr. Joelle Johnson and Dr. Stephen Kelly are located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer,
T4R 2c3
www.family1stchiro.ca
403-347-3261 to book an appointment today!

Statin Drugs

Statins are the world's most-prescribed class of medications. A staggering one in four Americans over the age of 45 now take cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Pravachol, Mevacor, Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, and others. A majority of them are taking these drugs for primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

However, mounting research suggests this could be a critical mistake.

Most recently, two separate studies have concluded that progression of coronary artery calcification, which is the hallmark of potentially lethal heart disease, is INCREASED with statin drug use.

A new study in the journal Atherosclerosis¹ shows that statin use is associated with a 52 percent increased prevalence and extent of calcified coronary plaque compared to non-users. None of the participants in the study – 6,673 in all – had any known coronary artery disease at the time of undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) – a non-invasive method that allows you to see coronary atherosclerotic features, including plaque composition.Arterial plaque is a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and increases your risk of all-cause mortality, so clearly, anything that increases calcification and stiffening of your arteries is wisely avoided.  Statins seem to fall into this category.

These disturbing findings come right on the heels of another study published in the journal Diabetes Care,² which discovered that type 2 diabetics with advanced atherosclerosis who are frequent statin users have significantly higher amounts of coronary artery calcification compared to less frequent users of the drug.

So much for statins being the answer for diabetics... Diabetes is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is why many diabetics are prescribed a statin drug to reduce their risk. Alas, as these studies show, statins actually accelerate the progression of disease!
Making matters worse, statins have also been shown to significantly increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes³ if you don't have it already. This is a risk everyone needs to be aware of. In one study, statins increased the risk of type 2 diabetics in postmenopausal women by 48 percent.

Few People Really Benefit from a Statin Drug

Statins, can be one of the most unnecessary drugs on the market. A small group of people with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic defect that causes cholesterol levels above 325-350, do seem to benefit from statins. However, this is a relatively uncommon genetic problem.

The fact that one in four Americans over the age of 45 is now taking a statin drug as a form of "preventive medicine" does not bode well when you consider the massive increases in disease risk these drugs are now associated with. It's downright shocking that doctors are so slow to realize the potential damage inflicted on their patients for no reward at all.

The research that led to statins being heavily promoted as a form of primary prevention of heart disease and stroke was funded by AstraZeneca, the maker of Crestor. Since the release of that study in 2008, none of their claims have turned out to hold water in subsequent research. On the contrary, as the two featured studies show, they actually worsen cardiovascular disease progression. The drugs also come with an avalanche of other potential side effects, which tend to be dose dependent.⁵ In fact, as of 2009 there were well over 900 studies proving their adverse effects, which run the gamut from muscle problems to increased cancer risk. One of the primary mechanisms of harm appears to be CoQ10 depletion. If you take statin drugs you need to supplement it with CoQ10

Statin drugs work by preventing the formation of cholesterol and reduce LDL cholesterol, which is considered the "bad" cholesterol. There is no argument that these drugs can effectively lower your cholesterol levels. However, what has NOT been proven is that they significantly lower your risk of dying from heart disease. In no way, shape or form do they treat the underlying cause of your problem. They are nothing more than a toxic band-aid.

So just what makes statins so dangerous, and why are they not the answer for managing your cholesterol levels?

Conveniently enough, a healthy diet is also the answer for type 2 diabetes, so by focusing on what you eat, you're treating both your diabetes and your cholesterol levels, and reducing your associated risk of heart disease.

Again, if you're on a statin drug, you MUST take at least 100-200 mg of ubiquinol or CoQ10 per day. Ubiquinol is also beneficial for those not taking statins. If you're not on a statin drug, the amount of CoQ10 or ubiquinol you might need depends on how sick you are. The sicker you are, the more you need. As a general guideline if you're not ill, taking 50-100 mg per day would probably be sufficient. If you're over the age of 70, double that dose, or up to 200 mg per day. This is because your natural CoQ10 levels begin to drop after the age of 40, and by the age of 70, levels begin to precipitously drop.

Ideally, you'll want to split the dose up to two or three times a day, rather than taking it all at once, as this will result in higher blood levels. Other dosing guidelines include:

How to Help Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

There's really virtually NO reason to take statins and suffer the consequences from these ill-conceived drugs. If you truly want to normalize your cholesterol levels, following these simple lifestyle changes can help get you there:

·         First, normalize your insulin levels by eliminating sugar (particularly fructose) and grains.

·         Take a high-quality animal-based omega-3 supplement, such as krill oil.

·         Eat a good portion of your food raw (ideally organic to avoid agricultural chemicals).

·         Regular exercise is another important tool. When you exercise you increase your circulation and the blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of fighting an illness before it has the opportunity to spread.

·         Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol excessively.

Reasons to quit Smoking....

There are many other good reasons to quit smoking:

• You'll set a good example for your children
• Your smoking will no longer affect the health of people around you
• You'll have more money to save or to spend on other things - a pack of cigarettes a day adds up to more than $3000 a year!
• You'll have more energy to do the things you love
• You'll pay lower life insurance premiums
• Cigarettes will no longer control your life
• Fungicides and pesticides -- Cause many types of cancers and birth defects.
• Cadmium -- Linked to lung and prostate cancer.
• Benzene -- Linked to leukemia.
• Formaldehyde -- Linked to lung cancer.
• Nickel -- Causes increased susceptibility to lung infections.
• ·         There are more than 4,000 ingredients in a cigarette other than tobacco. Common additives include yeast, wine, caffeine, beeswax and chocolate. Here are some other ingredients:   Ammonia: Household cleaner
  Angelica root extract: Known to cause cancer in animals
  Arsenic: Used in rat poisons
  Benzene: Used in making dyes, synthetic rubber
  Butane: Gas; used in lighter fluid
  Carbon monoxide: Poisonous gas
  Cadmium: Used in batteries
  Cyanide: Deadly poison
  DDT: A banned insecticide
  Ethyl Furoate: Causes liver damage in animals
  Lead: Poisonous in high doses
  Formaldehiyde: Used to preserve dead specimens
  Methoprene: Insecticide
  Megastigmatrienone: Chemical naturally found in grapefruit juice
  Maltitol: Sweetener for diabetics
  Napthalene: Ingredient in mothballs
  Methyl isocyanate: Its accidental release killed 2000 people in Bhopal, India in 1984
  Polonium: Cancer-causing radioactive element

Other benefits
Less stress
Once they have stopped smoking for a few months, heavy smokers tend to rate themselves as less stressed
There is evidence that nicotine, far from helping relieve stress, may actually cause it in smokers.
It's thought smokers go into nicotine withdrawal between cigarettes, and it's the satisfaction of the nicotine craving that creates the perception of stress-relief.
More time

The extra time you gain is an advantage that comes as a surprise to many smokers.
Most people don't think about the amount of time and energy they devote to worrying about where and when to buy tobacco, buying it, going to smoke and smoking.
Sense of achievement

It's incredibly satisfying to set a goal and then achieve it, particularly when the journey is a difficult one and you've had to overcome obstacles.

Many ex-smokers are rightly proud of their achievement in staying quit, and this feeling of success can be great for your self-esteem
During the early days and weeks of your quit, it's a good idea to set realistic goals instead of thinking 'I must quit now and forever', just say to yourself 'I'm not going to smoke at all today'.
You can increase your motivation if you reward yourself at lots of milestones along the way – for example reaching one day quit, then three, then a week, two weeks, a month, etc. Many small victories will build your confidence.

Gaining control

One of the most difficult things about stopping smoking is learning how to resist the urge to smoke.

When you first stop you'll find cravings come regularly and can be intense, but usually disappear within a couple of minutes.

Craving is a bit like a well-developed muscle – once you stop using the muscle, it will eventually wither or shrink. You help this process every time you conquer a craving.

By learning to cope with cravings, you win on all fronts: the cravings subside and you start to regain control over your addiction.

A new side to your personality

Giving up smoking can uncover new aspects of your personality.

As part of understanding what triggers the urge to smoke, many smokers end up with a better idea of what makes them stressed, angry, happy or bored.

Learning to handle new situations and overcoming obstacles can also help you develop personally.

Brought to you By the Staff and Practitioners at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson drive
ww.family1stchiro.ca
403-347-3261