Do you feel over-extended this time of year and your immune system is low? It’s common. There are work-related holiday gatherings, kids’ programs, and all manner of social invites. Sometimes, it can seem like you’re on a treadmill frantically wrapping gifts and rushing to this or that event around Bucks County and into Philadelphia.
Next thing you know, you or a family member have picked up a cold or the flu. While there’s no substitution for rest and getting enough sleep it’s tough to prioritize those things until it’s too late.
Here are 7 Ways to Supercharge Your Immune System
From supplements to squeezing in a chiropractic appointment or three, making time for healthcare will help you and your family feel your best.
1- Vitamin C is a tried and true supplement -Take it in capsule form and/or increase your dosage via one of those powdered forms like the “Emergency C” to boost your health. Most adults can go as high as 2000 mg a day for a short time. Children are less and it depends on size/age and general health.
2-Wash your hands – Your mother was right. Wash your hands before you eat. It’s common sense and yet gets tricky when you’re at a stand up gathering shaking hands with people and surrounded by finger food. Depending on the situation, you may opt to put a plate in one hand and a drink in the other, not eat until later, or use a cocktail napkin to put a tasty tidbit in your mouth.
Fortunately, more people are adopting new habits that don’t require hand shaking as much which lessens the social pressure.
3- Wipe down door handles – Since so many germs are spread via hands, it makes sense to wipe down door handles and anything else that a lot of people touch. Whether at home, work, or public places. Fortunately, the grocery stores around Doylestown started offering disposable wipes for the grocery cart handles years ago. We recommend using them.
4- Get regular treatments – Many people don’t realize that chiropractic treatments can boost your immunity, but they can. The reason is because chiropractic adjustments relieve tension related to a mis-aligned spine. You may have heard, “the spine is your lifeline.” It is. And even if you’re not in pain, it’s natural that tendons, muscles, and bones may be a out of alignment and causing your body stress.
5- Reduce stress – It’s tough when you’re juggling a million priorities. Yet, stress always lowers the body’s defense against things like colds and flu. So, practice deep breathing throughout the day if you can. Take a break and breathe. Remind yourself of all the good things you have in your life and breathe.
And book yourself a massage or chiropractic appointment – or better yet, both! You’ll feel better.
6– Build in rest time – Remember the nap schedule when your children were small? If you’re like a lot of parents, that nap schedule dictated your entire schedule if you wanted to have happy children (and happy parents.)
That may be a thing of the distant past now but if you can assess your crowded schedule and prioritize having some quiet time, you’ll help ease the stress. Especially, if you leave your phone in another room for an hour or two. Encourage your entire family to take some time to unplug and rest the brain.
A Forbes says we touch our phones 80 times a day! For teenagers it may seem more like 80 times a minute. All that interruption makes us anxious. Why not give yourself permission to take a break from it now and again. You may be surprised at how much calmer you feel!
7-Exercise – With all the holiday shopping, wrapping, gatherings, loaded on top of regular life, it’s easy to push exercise to the bottom of the “to do” list but the truth is, you need it. If you participate in regular yoga classes or go to the gym, try to keep your schedule. It gives your brain a rest from all the other thoughts racing through it and boosts oxygen levels which boosts immunity.
These seven ways to supercharge your immune system are not earth shattering. Yet, it’s all about making them important in your day to day life so you feel your best. People with healthy wellness habits usually pick up fewer cold and flu viruses.
If you’re in Bucks County, Pa. and want boost your immunity with chiropractic care, call us at 267-247-7000, we take most insurance.
If you’re considering trying chiropractic care for the first time, you may have a lot of questions.
Questions like:
Can it help my chronic back pain?
Is chiropractic care safe?
Do you need to go multiple times?
Is it covered by insurance?
The answers are yes, yes, yes, probably.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, roughly 30 million Americans suffer with back pain every year. For some people, these are chronic conditions that cause you to miss work and seek all kinds of pain relief including chiropractic care. For others, it’s an occasional thing and you feel better with a chiropractic adjustment.
Is Chiropractic Safe?
In a word, yes.
A) Chiropractic care dates to 1895
B) Chiropractors attend four years of additional schooling after completing a pre-med program
C) It’s not habit-forming like opioids
Spinal manipulation, aka chiropractic care is considered a conservative approach to pain management and is recommended by traditional physicians.
In fact, you may not know that chiropractors attend a four-year rigorous training program after completing a full load of pre-med classes as an undergraduate. Then, they usually spend a year in a clinic working with patients like a residency program.
Chiropractic Care is a Gentle Approach to Pain Management
Your first visit includes a medical assessment and at our office, an x-ray. These offer a guide for your treatment plan which may include electrical stimulation (TENS), spinal decompression therapy, and/or traditional spinal manipulation.
Everyone receives an individual treatment plan.
Typically, the chiropractic adjustment involves you laying on the chiropractic table and we use a combination of body weight and quick movements to release pressure in your joints.
Many people experience immediate relief, though not all. In many cases, we’ll recommend 2-3 visits/week for a week or two to “jumpstart” the movement in your body. We may also make recommendations on diet/exercise/ergonomic tools to relieve pain. For example, resistance bands are an effective way to build strength.
For example, sitting slumped in front of the computer for hours a day will contribute to back and neck pain. So, if you raise your screen to eye level and get a chair that supports your back, you may have less pain. Taking these additional steps can go a long way toward reducing back, shoulder, and neck pain caused by poor posture.
Of course, there are dozens of reasons why you may have physical pain so you’ll want to come in for an assessment. Another common question is if we accept insurance. I can’t speak for all chiropractors but here at McQuaite Chiropractic in Doylestown, we accept most of them. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective way to treat pain.
Every profession has its lingo and chiropractors are no different. While you certainly don’t need to know all the terminology, you might find it interesting to know a few common chiropractic terms. For example, chiropractors use the terms subluxation, manipulation and adjustment a lot.
Before we define those, here’s a brief overview of the chiropractic philosophy.
As you probably know, chiropractors focus on spinal health. But they’re not only “back doctors.” If you’ve ever heard the expression, “your spine is your lifeline” then you have a sense of its importance. It’s true that the work the chiropractor does on your spine affects your entire body.
One of those ways is that by keeping your spine flexible you have better mobility and balance which help you avoid injury.
The chiropractor has your spinal flexibility in mind and focuses on “aligning” your body which improves your oxygen flow and keeps the nervous system in tip top shape. If you have one leg slightly longer than the other, or hunched shoulders and protruding neck from long hours at the computer, your chiropractor can “realign” your body.
This “realignment” can help you stand straighter and take the pressure off certain parts of the body so you feel better.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you walk around town with a computer bag on one shoulder. That can affect your opposite shoulder, lower back, and hip and cause you pain. A chiropractic treatment will help realign your spine (and hence the hip, etc.)
It’s even possible to not know that your spine is out of alignment and yet, when a practiced eye looks at you, they may be able to see that one shoulder is higher than the other or your neck sticks out a bit more than is ideal.
If that sounds like you, read on for some basic terminology.
4 Common Chiropractic Terms and What They Mean
Alignment – When your spine is in alignment, it helps your head balance properly on your neck. Your head weighs typically 8 pounds. This means you want it positioned correctly, otherwise, it’s putting pressure on your neck, shoulders, and upper back which can hurt.
Of course, your spine connects to your shoulders, upper back, middle back, etc. so if something is out of place in one area, it affects another.
A chiropractic’s goal is to help your spine support your body from head to toe.
Adjustment – “Getting an adjustment” means your chiropractor will use their tools and techniques to adjust your joints. Usually, they focus on the vertebrae, but they can also adjust wrists. It’s basically used to refer to the entire chiropractor treatment.
Subluxation – This is chiropractic speak for a misaligned spine. A healthy spine features the vertebrae in a “line” descending the spinal column. In the case of poor postural habits, accidents, or medical issues like scoliosis, the bones can be shifted to the right or left. This can be the source of chronic, nagging pain unless addressed.
Manipulation – The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describe it as, “It’s a technique where practitioners use their hands or a device to apply a controlled thrust (that is, a force of a specific magnitude or degree in a specific direction) to a joint of your spine. The amount of force can vary, but the thrust moves the joint more than it would on its own.”
While these common chiropractic terms can sound like variations on the same thing, to a practitioner, they’re a little different. As a patient, you can always ask your chiropractor to describe what they’re doing.
Life naturally takes its toll on our bodies. Long hours at the computer, repetitive tasks and accidents are all ways in which our spine get out of alignment. Stretching for flexibility, light yoga, and regular chiropractic treatments can help you stay healthy.
Need to see a chiropractor? Dr. McQuaite in Doylestown, Pa. takes most insurances and is voted Best of Bucks! Make your appointment today or just stop by.
Is Chiropractic a Good Scoliosis Treatment for You?
Can Chiropractic care be an effective scoliosis treatment?
If you’ve been diagnosed with scoliosis, you probably have questions. What is scoliosis exactly? Will you have to wear a brace, how will it affect your life, and what type of scoliosis treatment will help?
As you know, scoliosis is an abnormal spinal curve.
While the spine is meant to curve in an “s” shape down your back, someone with scoliosis usually has a more pronounced curve that goes side to side. As a result, it can make for uneven shoulders, waist or hips.
In some cases it’s very obvious.
Those of us of a certain age will remember the Judy Blume adolescent classic, Deenie. In the book, the central character was diagnosed with severe curvature of the spine and had to wear a metal brace from neck to hips. While such braces have gotten lighter over the years – they’re now plastic and a little less obvious – they’re still uncomfortable and can make people feel self-conscious.
Whether or not you or a family member needs a back brace for scoliosis treatment is between you and your doctor but when it comes to pain reduction and increased mobility, Dr. McQuaite in Doylestown, Pa. has helped many patients with scoliosis over the years.
But first, how do you get scoliosis? According to the Scoliosis Institute, there are around 4 million people with scoliosis in the U.S.
In many cases, doctors don’t know what the true cause is which is frustrating and left untreated it can continue to worsen. It CAN be linked to cerebral palsy, infections, birth defects, and other such conditions, but not always.
And, to further confound things, it’s more common in teens and pre-teens during a growth spurt, yet can also show up adults. In adults, it’s usually related to wearing out of your spinal discs and joints as you age. Ouch!
What to Expect with Scoliosis?
Depending on the extent of the curve, your doctor may recommend wearing a brace. When prescribed to teens who are still growing, it’s in hopes that it will prevent the curve from worsening.
There are adult versions too though those are light weight and can be worn for shorter periods of time.
Some doctors may recommend surgery and/or physical therapy.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
Chiropractic treatment can’t correct or cure scoliosis, but it can help increase joint mobility and decrease pain. It’s also possible that you have other spinal issues in addition to scoliosis that can be helped with chiropractic care.
With chiropractic care as part of your scoliosis treatment plan, your chiropractor can help you find pain relief and improve your spinal mobility through a variety of tools and techniques. There’s more to chiropractic care than the traditional spinal manipulation. We also have gentle tools including electronic stimulation and a small “tapping” tool that uses a small amount of force.
If you have questions about scoliosis or other spinal concerns, stop by. Our office is in Doylestown, across from C. B. West. We offer a free consultation and take most insurance.
Have you been diagnosed with a pinched nerve? Or maybe you have pain in your arm, neck, and shoulder and wonder if it’s stemming from your neck?
A pinched nerve in your neck is can cause pain all the way down your arm. In medical terms, we call it “cervical radiculopathy.” But no matter what you call it, it’s painful. If you’ve got neck and arm pain and you’ve tried changing your pillow, stretching, and a massage but it’s still not going away, then it may be a pinched nerve.
There are many possible causes for a pinched nerve in neck but the reason is the same. Some piece of the nerve is compressed or “pinched.” The nerve then sends the brain distress signals and you can feel throbbing pain, burning, or weakness in your neck, shoulder, and down your arm.
Causes Related to a Pinched Nerve in Neck
The culprits are usually muscles, tendons, or discs. When one of these swells (muscles or tendons) or shifts (all three), it hurts.
For example, when it comes to the neck, a herniated disc in the spinal column could be the source of the problem. Or disc degeneration. Or a swollen tendon. The only way to know is with an x-ray or other device.
From there, we can make a diagnosis and treatment plan.
Now you may wonder what causes a herniated disc, etc. Sometimes it’s related to an injury. If you had a bad accident, that can cause nerve compression. A pinched nerve can also come from repetitive motion or consistently bad posture.
Of course, there can be other factors.
3 Risk Factors for a Pinched Nerve
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several risk factors. These are three common ones.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – This body inflammation can compress nerves.
Pregnancy – Accompanying bloating and weight gain can cause swelling and put pressure on nerves.
Diabetes – Chronically high sugar levels can damage nerves.
Pinched Nerve Treatment
Of course, anyone who is in pain most wants to know how you can find pain relief.
In some cases, a little rest will take of matters. Some find the pain goes away on its own. For others, though, you’ll find pain relief from hot and cold compresses, gentle yoga, massage therapy, and chiropractic treatments.
If the source of your pain comes from long hours at the computer, then you’ll want to readjust your posture. Raise or lower your computer screen, switch desk chairs. An ergonomic work area will improve your posture and can reduce your nerve compression.
But a herniated disc or a degenerated disc are different. Most will find relief with regular massage and chiropractic treatments.
As you’re able to, simple therapeutic exercises like rolling your rolling your back/shoulder on a golf or tennis ball can help. You can either lie on the floor or stand against the wall and put the ball behind you using the building to support. Then, move your body against the ball so it moves it around. This can give you a gentle or more intense massage in the painful area.
Building strength can also help. But first, you need to find out if you do have a pinched nerve in neck and create a treatment plan. If you’re Doylestown, Pa. come see us at McQuaite Chiropractic. We take most insurance.
