Autoimmune conditions, including those that affect the thyroid gland, are more common in women than men. The thyroid gland is particularly susceptible to a variety of autoimmune conditions, including:

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is most prevalent among women between 30 and 50 years of age. Symptoms include weight gain, cold sensitivity, muscle and joint pain, menstrual irregularities, increased cholesterol and decreased mood. Hashimoto’s is also found in gluten intolerant individuals, possibly due to the fact that the gluten protein closely resembles a protein found on the thyroid gland. When a gluten-intolerant person consumes gluten the immune response can include an errant attack on the thyroid gland.

Grave’s Disease, in which the thyroid gland becomes overactive. Signs include enlarged thyroid, mood and sleep disturbances, weight loss, tremor, irregular heart rate and, paradoxically, fatigue. Heart problems are the most serious complications of Grave’s disease and can involve atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure — an inability of the heart to efficiently distribute blood to the body — from longterm over-stimulation.

Inflammatory Autoimmune Arthritis conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome all may affect the thyroid gland. Women with rheumatoid arthritis show thyroid dysfunction at a rate three times greater than those with non-inflammatory rheumatoid conditions.

Natural methods for managing autoimmune thyroid disease include avoiding certain foods that affect thyroid function, such as soy, cabbage, kale and mustard greens and increasing levels of certain nutrients that decrease inflammation.

For more information and to learn about testing and natural treatment options for autoimmune thyroid disorders, call Dr. Roizman at (828) 225-5575.

Menopause effects many aspects of your health, including your levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. This neurochemical controls muscle activity and also modulates your levels of attention and motivation. Low dopamine levels may explain common menopause complaints such as forgetfulness, clumsiness and brain fog.

Low dopamine levels contribute to menopause symptoms.

Here are some of the facts about the relationship between dopamine, menopause and healthy aging:

• Parkinson’s disease, a condition associated with low dopamine levels, occurs with greater frequency in postmenopausal women compared to women of the same age who are premenopausal, indicating that estrogen protects dopamine producing cells in the brain.

• Low dopamine levels may hasten the onset of menopause by promoting weight gain, which is associated with early menopause.

• Menopause decreases dopamine’s effectiveness throughout the body by promoting a decline in the number of receptors for the neurotransmitter in brain, heart and other organs.

• Levels of norepinephrine, which is made from dopamine, also decline when dopamine levels are low. Norepinephrine acts as a stress hormone in the brain, regulates the brain’s oxygen supply, and controls heart rate and blood sugar levels.

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage made from tea that is combined with beneficial bacteria and yeast cultures. It has a pleasant mild fizziness and is attributed with these health boosting properties:

Kombucha is considered to have antibiotic effects, partly due to its high acidity, which suppresses the growth of many pathogens, and partly due to other, as yet undetermined factors. In one study, kombucha that was brought to a neutral pH had antibiotic properties, implying factors other than acidity that give this beverage its reputation as a natural antibiotic.

Kombucha is capable of neutralizing the damaging effects of some toxins. It does this while preserving levels of key antioxidants in the body, giving it antioxidant status. It also increases antibody levels during an immune response.

Your liver will love you for drinking kombucha. According to some studies, kombucha prevents elevations in liver enzyme levels, which rise in response to excessive levels of toxins or other stressors.

Animal studies show that laboratory animals that are given kombucha show greater behavioral adaptability.

As a precaution, some controversy exists regarding the safety of kombucha. If you choose to brew kombucha at home follow strict hygienic precautions to prevent contamination or purchase a reputable commercial brand.

by Tracey Roizman, DC

With the right help, you can enjoy the flowers that bloom in the spring without allergic discomfort.

Do you have a love-hate relationship with spring? If the thought of flowers blooming makes you want to revert back to the sterile cold of winter, you are probably among the many who suffer from seasonal allergies. You’ve likely frequented the remedy section at the drug store and can authoritatively describe the relative merits of symptom relief versus side effects of the most popular remedies. You also most likely feel that there is a better solution. There is. The key to the cure lies in understanding the underlying causes of many allergies, and from there the best course of action is natural.

Why does your immune system decide that a normally benign substance such as dust or pollen is a dangerous enemy that needs to be attacked? Pollen doesn’t want to inhabit your body the way bacteria do, it is simply present in the air. Even the term “allergen” is misleading and makes these inert substances sound a bit like pathogens that are out to get us. Anything can be an allergen if your immune system is susceptible to reacting that way. Nothing ought to be an allergen for a healthy body whose immune system is able to distinguish friend from foe.

The place where an allergen makes contact with your body is where the answer lies. In the case of airborne particles such as dust or pollen, that place is the thin delicate membrane that lines the sinuses. This membrane is composed of live cells. There is a similar membrane that lines the digestive tract, where anything that gains entry from the outside environment, such as food, comes into contact with live cells. You can imagine that the health and integrity of this cell membrane is vitally important in protecting you from pathogens and other irritants. Also important to consider is that the majority of immune tissue in your body is clustered around those delicate membranes, ready to respond to anything that gets past the protective barrier.

Several factors contribute to the health and vitality of the sinuses and digestive tract. Depleted nutrient status is one of them. Identifying and correcting depleted nutrients is an important first step toward helping your body help itself overcome allergies. The cells that make up the protective barriers of the sinuses and digestive tract have a higher demand for nutrients and a relatively shorter life span than cells in other parts of your body. Giving them the building blocks they need to carry out their important protective and selective functions makes good sense. These nutrients don’t come from pizza, ice cream, soda, or many of the other consumables that comprise a significant portion of the diets of most Americans.

Other dietary factors come into play as well. Believe it or not, there is a correlation between your food choices and your hay fever. Common staple foods such as wheat and dairy are difficult for many people to digest. Wheat contains high quantities of the protein gluten, which in varying degrees can be an irritant. Dairy contains the protein casein, also difficult to digest and the reason why dairy foods are said to be mucous-forming. Postnasal drip occurs so often when we eat dairy foods that we fail to notice it and even accept it as normal. This situation creates an ideal breeding ground for mold and fungus, upsetting the balance of normal flora. Once this occurs, the body is vulnerable to infections and allergies.

Wheat and dairy are also culprits in robbing you of energy that you might prefer to have available to spend in other ways. The drowsy feeling you get after eating certain foods indicates that you are having some difficulty digesting and assimilating them. Pay attention to this response and adapt your diet accordingly to avoid the offending foods.

Finally, perhaps the most important causative factor in many allergies is such irritants as antibiotics and other medications. Many of these substances are quite harsh on the body and alter the balance of good bacteria. Over 500 species of bacteria call your sinus cavities and digestive tract home. In great numbers, they help crowd out pathogens, regulate the acid/base balance within those areas, and even help us digest food and produce certain vitamins. They are good to have. Anything that disrupts this normal environment can lead to allergies. Regaining proper balance of your personal internal colony of “worker bugs” is most important after having one or more courses of antibiotics, steroids, or other medications.

Wholistic chiropractic care addresses allergies from a multifaceted approach. Through the use of muscle resistance testing, also known as applied kinesiology, allergens as well as underlying stresses and deficiencies are identified and neutralized during treatment sessions. I have seen excellent response to this remarkably simple and effective tool on many occasions.

Chiropractic spinal manipulations, along with other soft tissue treatments, help to relieve muscle tension and restore normal open breathing patterns. In my practice I also utilize reflex points that stimulate congested sinuses to drain. Clear, open sinuses are less likely to be breeding grounds for molds and funguses. Add some appropriate nutritional and/or herbal supplementation and subtract any contributing lifestyle factors and you have a comprehensive and effective equation for allergy elimination.

Also, neurologic research shows that many allergies and autoimmune conditions stem from an imbalance in the central nervous system, leading to an overactive immune system. A functional neurology evaluation can detect and correct these subtle brain imbalances, calming the immune system and reducing the occurrence and severity of allergies.

How will you know when your allergies are truly gone? Once you’ve done the right amount of internal cleaning and clearing, your energy will bloom along with the season and you can direct your energy windfall to those other small details of life, such as the garage, overstuffed closets, or perhaps some yard work. Hmmm, maybe winter has its advantages after all…

 by Tracey Roizman, DC

A new patient came to my office recently with his upper back and shoulder in spasm from an injury incurred while sitting at his desk and reaching for a piece of paper. He had referred his wife to me several months earlier, though he himself had never had chiropractic care and did not consider himself a candidate. Knowing that he works many hours at a computer each day I asked him if he had any aches or pains related to using the computer. His puzzling answer was no, he didn’t have any pain in his neck or back. I took him at his word, yet wondered how he managed such a feat.

Over the course of a few treatments to repair his paper-reaching injury he reported that in addition to his upper back and shoulder improving, his low back and, indeed his whole body felt better. He was able to work comfortably for longer periods of time without fatigue or pain. This was wonderful, we both agreed. But, how was it that he no longer had pain that he didn’t have in the first place? His equally puzzling explanation was that he thought a certain amount of back pain from computer use is normal and inevitable. When he’d responded to my initial inquiry he was actually saying that he didn’t have any more pain than he thought he should be having. Do you see yourself somewhere in this picture? If so, there is hope and help for you.

Injuries related to computer use, part of a larger category commonly known as “repetitive stress injuries,” or RSI’s, can become far more than a mere inconvenience. Some symptoms, such as arm and chest pain, occasionally are severe enough to mimic a heart attack. Chronic headaches due to neck and eye strain can lead to decreased productivity. Injured tendons and ligaments have a naturally slow rate of repair because their blood supply is low. Additionally, since these injuries stem from overuse, with rest not always being an option, they may take even longer to heal.

If you foresee a long-term relationship with your computer and want it to be a healthy one then the following advice is for you. Keep in mind that it is not possible to fully injury-proof your computer. However, you can take some simple preventive measures to minimize risk.

It might seem counterintuitive, but sitting, an activity that would seem to relieve stress and tension causes far more stress than standing. The reason is that when standing the large muscles and joints of your legs absorb a lot of the forces so there is less compression and muscle strain on your back. Although standing is better than sitting, much of the stress we experience comes from the fact that we walk upright. This gives us many advantages and also puts us in the special needs category relative to the maintenance of our fragile framework. Gravity simply takes a greater toll on us than on our four legged friends.

To counteract the effects of gravity you have three curves in your spine that function as shock absorbers. Your back is happiest when you are either lying down, which takes away virtually all of the axial compression on your spine, or standing up with these shock-absorbing curves in place. Your spinal muscles are also in their “happy place” when you are standing in a neutral position with your spinal curves intact. Any movement away from neutral creates added stress. Combine the act of prolonged sitting with a poorly designed work station and you can see where that leads. So, how to resolve this issue?

The answer is to cross train for your desk job. Even if you have the most up-to-date ergonomically designed work station you may spend extended periods of time sitting at your desk. Therefore, it is important to exercise regularly in ways that relieve daily tensions and prevent them from accumulating and causing injury.

Ideally, you’d spend as much time moving about as you do sitting at your computer. However, for most working people there aren’t that many waking hours in the day. Plan B is to do the best quality most highly focused exercises possible. Yoga and other forms of stretching are on the must-do list. Spot stretches throughout the day are also important. Pay particular attention to stretches that open and extend your chest, shoulders and upper back. An hour or two a week of full-body stretching will provide the greatest benefits by getting to those areas that you don’t reach in your spot focus areas. Also consider light weight-training a couple of times per week to give your muscles the strength to endure their daily desk marathon. Swimming back stroke is also helpful and can be done right at your desk, no pool is required.

A chiropractic functional neurology evaluation will reveal where your trouble spots are and what you can do for them. Regular chiropractic care is a desk worker’s best friend. Spinal adjustments go where your stretching and strengthening exercises don’t, restoring lost range of motion and correcting harmful patterns before they turn into costly medical conditions.

Keep in mind that it is not possible to fully injury-proof your computer, however you can take some simple preventive measures to minimize risk.

Make your workstation work for you. These small adjustments to your posture and positioning will make a big improvement in your comfort level:

• Follow the 90-90-90-90 rule. Set your chair and keyboard height so that your elbows, hips, knees and ankles are at 90 degree angles. Remove armrests if necessary. If your feet are not flat on the floor when everything else is in place use a footrest.
• Keep wrists in a neutral position. Your fingertips should be even with your wrists.
• Set your monitor at a height at which you can read the top line with your neck in neutral position.
• Protect your eyes by increasing font sizes, blinking often, and eliminating glare from outside or overhead lights. Exercise your eye muscles by looking up and side-to-side in a sweeping, windshield wiper fashion.
• Take breaks as often as possible. When you are momentarily not typing or mousing do some seated stretches.
• Experiment with ergonomic products to find what works for you. Lumbar cushions, keyboards, wrist rests, and other posture supports are available. Your chiropractor is an excellent resource for ideas and advice on customizing your work station.

by Tracey Roizman, DC

If you suffer from arthritis you might be interested to know that arthritis began to appear with great frequency around the same time that we stopped being nomadic hunter-gatherers. At this time we opted to be farmers and developed a more sedentary lifestyle. This time period, known as the agricultural revolution, has altered human culture in many wonderful ways. Arthritis, of course, isn’t one of them. However, we can derive many of the health advantages of the nomadic lifestyle without actually having to put all our belongings in storage and go on permanent “walkabout”. Here are some of the theories of how and why and some suggestions on making modern life more user friendly.

Very few modern American citizens are farmers. What, then is the connection? In fact, modern life has much in common with farming in regards to the root causes of arthritis. One important factor is the use of repetitive movements. When we learned how to cultivate plants we became specialists. The variety of our movements decreased and the repetition of a smaller number of similar movements increased. Farming, for instance, involves the repetitive motions of tilling, planting, weeding and harvesting. This trend has progressed up to the present. Factory workers and office workers alike engage in their own versions of tilling, planting, weeding, and harvesting activities. Who in today’s society hasn’t heard the term “repetitive stress injury? If you own and operate a computer you more than likely have experienced some form of computer related stress and strain. Add to that the amount of time we spend sitting at our desks and in front of the television and you can begin to see a recipe for back, neck, shoulder and arm strain. Over time it is easy for arthritis to set in.

Aside from the repetitive stress effects, becoming agricultural specialists has decreased the diversity of our diets. Since we learned to cultivate our food we have selectively grown only the things we like to eat rather than simply eating what is available and growing naturally. Thus, we have by choice limited our diets to certain staple foods. Selecting some strains of wheat or corn or rice over others changes these plants from their original form. Add to the mix the miracle of genetic engineering and you have a recipe for a dramatically altered food source. Change is good, but it happens that this much change in our food from its original form is not good for our bodies.

The connection between our modern high tech “super foods” and arthritis is two fold.

One aspect is that we eat too much of too few things. Our bodies begin to react negatively to these foods. Food intolerances or allergies result and along with them comes a certain degree of inflammation. This inflammation spreads throughout the body and effects the joints, where it goes by the name of arthritis.

In addition, there are some components of our staple foods that are difficult for our systems to process. Wheat for instance contains the protein gluten, which is allergenic. Eaten in small quantities and rotated with a variety of other foods it might not be much of a problem. Eaten in large quantities to the exclusion of other foods it can spell trouble.

The other aspect of the food-arthritis connection is a condition known as “leaky gut syndrome”. This occurs when the lining of the intestinal tract becomes damaged and allows large particles of food that haven’t been fully digested to pass through into the bloodstream. Cells are not capable of taking these large food particles and using them so they are seen by the body as foreign objects and are attacked by the immune system. Often times this generalized attack becomes further misdirected to include your joints and thus arthritis is born.

What, then, is the cure for the post- agricultural revolution arthritis- inducing modern American diet and lifestyle? In a word; variety. Do fewer repetitive activities and if that is not an option counteract the effects of those activities with chiropractic care, massage, and stretching and strengthening exercises to balance muscle tone and neutralize uneven wear and tear on your joints. Diet wise, eat less of the things you currently eat the most of and replace these foods with healthy alternatives.

Realistically speaking, it is not likely for the average individual to be able to fully live the nomadic lifestyle so here is a short list of useful supplements and foods; the “root cures”, for arthritis:

• Flax, walnut, primrose and grape seed oils are all high in the fats that discourage inflammation.
• The enzymes bromelain and papain, extracted from pineapple and papaya, help to digest and disperse some of the molecules of the inflammatory process.
• Vitamin C, glucosamine sulphate and MSM are categorized as joint food. They are the building blocks that the body uses to construct new joint tissue.
• Acidophilus produces chemicals that act as natural antibiotics and kill bacteria in your intestines that might provoke an immune response that could effect the joints.
• Antioxidants help prevent cell damage from free radicals which are produced when there is a lot of inflammation. Take lots of antioxidants.
• The spices ginger and turmeric inhibit inflammation inducing prostaglandins.

And here are a few food items to avoid:

• Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. These are highly encouraging to the process of inflammation.
• High quantities of meat and dairy products. These are acidifying to the body and must be neutralized with calcium from the bones, leading to osteoporosis.

by Tracey Roizman, DC

Most of us, if asked, would usually express a preference for natural remedies over prescription medications. Naturally. We know that these remedies are kinder and gentler, safer and have fewer side effects. What happens in between understanding this basic concept and putting it into practice? How can we make use of natural medicine so that we can get off the not-so-merry-go-round of antibiotics, steroids, suppressants, and our general state of over medication?

Natural medicine works by adopting a somewhat, shall we say, philosophical approach to illness and health, taking into consideration all of the lifestyle, genetic and circumstantial factors that contribute to an individual’s state of health and utilizing these factors to help them regain and maintain their greatest health potential. This involves an investigative process of thinking backwards towards an understanding of the what, where, when and how of a problem beyond the generally accepted concept of, “I was exposed to the flu so therefore I got it”. What we are more interested in than who you are around is where is the chink in your body’s armor. A cold or flu can usually be traced back to some change in diet, lack of rest, or other basic lifestyle practice, which may not serve your body’s needs. The question to ask when you get sick is not, who gave this to me, but how have I been allowing stress and toxins to accumulate in my body and deplete my health?

As a result, natural health care relies somewhat less on technology and heroic lifesaving measures and more on replacing bad habits with beneficial ones, and helping the body to help itself. This is much less dramatic and exciting than drugs and surgery. In the scheme of our health and health care, drama is best avoided at all costs. The maxim here is to strive for the greatest degree of monotony possible, in this way making more energy available for the many other dramas in life.

GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT USES IN ORDER TO STAY HEALTHY

The body is continually rebuilding and repairing itself. We have a new body every few months in terms of cell turnover rate. The body recreates itself using several very important building blocks from the foods we eat. These are the vitamins, minerals, and certain fats and amino acids, also known as “essential nutrients”, since we are unable to produce them in our body’s own chemical factory, yet they are necessary for life. At the very least this aspect of our existence keeps us connected to the physical world, a small detail that we often tend to forget.

In order for the body processed to take place most efficiently, a finely orchestrated symphony of chemical reactions occurs with each nutrient relying on the presence and precise quantities of all the other nutrients and products of body chemistry.

KEEP A SUPPLY OF NATURAL MEDS ON HAND FOR EARLY INTERVENTION

Next to prevention the best remedy is early action. Some people’s idea of healing naturally is to “let my body take care of it”. Usually this means doing nothing, including getting additional rest, until it is too late and strong drugs are necessary. I would suggest that this approach is born of a combination of simply not knowing what to do, not “listening” to the body, and a conditioning that tells us we’re not really sick until we can no longer force ourselves through our normal workday. For some this is a desirable state of affairs which, unintentional though it may be, affords that much needed break from our too-many-responsibility filled lives, not to mention a little bit of drama.

DOSE FREQUENTLY WITH NATURAL REMEDIES WHEN ILLNESS OCCURS

Natural medicines have a gentler, more subtle effect on the body. In order to achieve a desirable therapeutic effect through utilizing natural remedies, it is usually necessary to dose frequently so as to keep the blood and tissue levels of the substances at an optimal level. Frequently can mean from three to five times a day or as often as hourly, depending on the supplement being used, the dosage, and your own individual physiology.

A paradigm shift happens here since we are accustomed to medications being quite strong and concentrated in their actions and their effects on the body. Two tablets of vitamin C will not give you the same relief from symptoms as two aspirin tablets. The aspirin has an end stage, or reactive effect (the mechanism of which remains a partial mystery to this day) at diminishing pain and discomfort while the vitamin C is pro-active and reparative in its effect.

KEEP LEARNING

An educated patient is a health care provider’s best friend. Tinker with your diet, exercise, supplementation regimen, etc. You are a work in progress, always in a dynamic state of change and growth. This is reflected in your body’s needs as you grow and change. What worked like a charm for you before might not be the best thing right now. Utilize different methods of care to find those that work best for you. Many systems exist and all have their merits. Natural health care options can be as diverse as we are as individuals.

by Tracey Roizman, DC

Wouldn’t life be a lot simpler if we could go inside our bodies and tune them up or change the oil the way we do to maintain our cars? While we can’t flush out our engines the same way we can with our cars, it is quite possible, however, to adopt some very simple lifestyle practices which will help keep the fluids clean and all of the systems functioning smoothly. Being healthy starts from the outside in, and to the trained observer your outer structure is a precise reflection of your internal functioning. Thomas Edison once stated, “The medicine of the future will be directed toward the care and maintenance of the human frame.” Edison recognized that the interrelatedness between the structure of the body and its function is a fundamental aspect of health. In this article we will focus on one component of a simple, healthy lifestyle: stretching.

Stretching benefits the human frame tremendously. Stretching releases stress and tension, promotes relaxation and increased sense of well being, provides greater range of motion, improves muscle tone and function, improves circulation and organ function, prevents occupational and sports injuries, rehabilitates existing injuries, quickens reflexes and response time, and improves athletic performance. Whew, that’s quite a list! So, how does such a simple activity, done in as little as fifteen minutes a day, provide so much benefit to the body? Here’s how:

When properly stretched, muscles have better nerve supply, better circulation and therefore better oxygenation and nutritional status than unstretched, tense and neglected muscles. At the places where the muscles attach to the bones there are nerve receptors, which provide feedback information to the brain as to what each individual muscle is up to. Stretching activates these receptors, causing them to send some input to the brain and therefore the brain is forced to be aware of and pay close attention to them. Or, to use a computer analogy, the stretching muscle is brought up on the brain’s active screen. This is very important, since the activities and responsibilities of the brain are enormous and quite complex and it is convenient for it to ignore one thing in order to take care of something else that might be demanding more attention. And we all know about that in the scheme of our lives, don’t we?

Activating the nerve receptors and making the body more aware of where all of its parts are leads to improved coordination, quicker reflexes, better performance in athletic endeavors, and most importantly, decreased susceptibility to slip and fall accidents, twisted knees and ankles, frozen shoulders, and the back “going out”. Moving the body gently throughout its various ranges of motion also helps to improve circulation to the internal organs, acting as a sort of internal massage. This translates to improved function of these organs.

Aside from its physical benefits, stretching acts to release mental and emotional stresses. Simply put, we can’t hold stress in our bodies if we don’t give it a place to stay. Our bodies store stress in many ways, but most commonly as muscle tension. The muscles develop a habit of remaining tense and tight from the postures, which we habitually keep them in. We sit in a car, we sit at a desk, or we sit at a table, on the sofa, etc. This fairly accurately describes the normal physical activities of most of us throughout our average day. By taking a few minutes to stretch the muscles and take them out of their normal contracted positions we are essentially retraining the nervous system, showing it a different way to behave. By gently taking the muscles into relaxation we are also getting them to release their various accumulated tensions. This is, in part, why certain forms of body work, such as massage, yoga and stretching, chiropractic adjustments, deep breathing techniques and other similar practices are so useful for relieving stress.

How long does it take to effectively stretch a muscle? Not long. A few seconds or up to 30 seconds depending on which authority you read, with a slow gentle sustained method being preferable at all times to a rapid callisthenic style. If you hold a stretch for too long, or it you stretch a muscle too aggressively, the muscle will react by contracting to protect itself from tearing, and the beneficial effects are lost. This is an area where over zealousness, impatience, or aggressiveness will be hazardous.

Now that you know the why’s of stretching and are prepared to begin, let’s talk about turning intentions into actions. Try this: start out by doing a simple hamstring stretch each morning. The hamstring is the muscle at the back of your thigh. Do this and no more, every morning without fail before you start your day. Take a shoulder width stance with your feet, keep your back straight and bend forward hinging at the hips. Depending on your individual flexibility you might reach comfortably to rest your hands on your thighs or lower legs or you may want to support your upper body by holding onto the back of a chair. While in the stretch breathe deeply in and out a few times, allowing your upper body to rise slightly with the inhalation and sink back down as you exhale. This will feel wonderful and take away some of that morning stiffness.

After doing this for a few days or a couple of weeks the rest of your body might begin to take an interest in also doing a little bit of stretching. At this point you nave several choices. You can buy a book or a video, or you can attend a stretch or yoga class to learn a range of safe and effective stretches for the entire body. Whichever you choose, it is most important to be mindful of proper technique so as to derive the greatest benefit. And remember that while you are becoming more flexible your general health and wellness are also stretching to new levels.

by  Tracey Roizman, DC

The practice of spinal manipulation has historically been part of many cultures throughout the world, in some places dating back hundreds, even thousands of years. In fact, the term “Ortho-Paedics” originated in 1727, when it was used to describe manual and other procedures to correct asymmetries of the spine and skeletal structure of children.

Children are ideal candidates for the healing benefits offered by gentle chiropractic corrective care. This is not surprising, considering the physical stress incurred during birth followed by the rapid growth of childhood and the inherent routine bumps, falls and other activities that define this part of life. Aches and pains that we attribute in adulthood to the inevitable effects of aging are often the result of spinal and bodily misalignments that originate in childhood and go uncorrected for decades. Or not at all.

Interestingly, the primary reason parents bring their children for chiropractic care these days in this country is for help with an ailment that, at first might not seem to be directly related to the spine. The problem is recurring ear infections.

Few of us get through childhood without experiencing some of its typical ailments. Statistically, 75% of children have at least one bout with ear infection by the time they are three. The reason is part anatomy and part immunity. The developing structure of the child’s ear combined with their immature immune system make them uniquely susceptible to this common condition.

In babies and young children, the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear and the throat, and serves to equalize pressure and drain fluids, takes a more horizontal than vertical course. As the child grows the eustachian tube changes shape, becoming more vertically aligned and this forms a more efficient system for drainage. Until then, young children are susceptible to fluid accumulating in the ear. When fluid accumulates in a closed space, the result is pain pressure and infection.

The young child’s developing immune system encounters new challenges on a daily basis. Normally, illness does not result. The effect is a mild runny nose or simply a day of uncharacteristic sluggishness. When a child does get sick their immune response can be quite dramatic. Sudden high fevers and other severe symptoms make children and parents equally anxious for quick relief.

The use of antibiotics to provide this relief has become standard practice. However, antibiotics can complicate the situation by killing healthy bacteria and suppressing the child’s immune system. This increases susceptibility to recurrences of infection and additional courses of antibiotics.

We in the U.S. have been particularly enamored of antibiotics and often rush to use them prematurely. Some cases of otitis media are not infections at all, but simply accumulations of watery fluid causing pressure and pain. As a result the rates of antibiotic resistance in this country are significantly higher than in other places. 25% of strep. pneumoniae cases are now antibiotic resistant compared to .002% ten years ago.

Chiropractic therapy has helped many families get through this phase of life healthier than they otherwise could with conventional medicine. Children respond remarkably quickly to natural chiropractic care. In many cases a series of 5 to 8 adjustments is sufficient to make the patient pain free, infection free and most importantly less likely to relapse.

What do spinal adjustments do for ear infections? There are small muscles in the throat and around the eustachian tube that control activities such as swallowing and talking and also the opening and closing of the Eustachian tube. Adjustments to the cervical spine help to normalize nerve flow to these small muscles. By calming tight constricted muscles, the eustachian tube is allowed to open, allowing fluid and pressure to drain.

What are you missing if you don’t go the route of antibiotics? Progressively more serious illnesses can result. A child whose immune system is suppressed by repeated antibiotic use has a vital internal colony of beneficial bacteria that is practically non- existent. They are vulnerable to developing conditions such as allergies, asthma, and pneumonia without this protection

Allergies occur as a secondary effect of antibiotic use because, in addition to destroying the normal flora, antibiotics also damage the delicate lining of the intestinal tract. Large proteins and other partially digested food particles are then able to pass through the intestinal membrane and enter the bloodstream where they are attacked by the immune system.

The respiratory system is similarly affected. Allergic responses lead to constriction of breathing passages and the symptoms of asthma. Also, the respiratory system has its own normal colony of beneficial bacteria which when disturbed can lead to respiratory allergies and asthma.

In recent years emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria has become an important public health concern. The less we rely on antibiotics the better. A lot can be accomplished with some good guidance, some health-promoting care, including chiropractic adjustments and a few small dietary and/or lifestyle changes. The cycle of antibiotic dependence can be broken and a strong healthy child can emerge.