Healthy Holidays

Merry Christmas to everyone.  It is important to keep your immune system boosted this time of year due to stress and eating more sweet treats. 

3 Things you can do to boost your immune system naturally:

1.  Add lemon juice to your water to help detoxify the body and assist the acid-alkaline  balance.
2. Supplement with Vitamin C or echinacea.
3. Follow a balanced diet- protein, carbs, fiber and sugar.  During the holidays we tend to increase our sugar and carbohydrate intake.  This not only can add to weight gain but it lowers our immune fighting properties. 

Pistachios and Cholesterol

Pennsylvania State University did a study of 28 men and women with high cholesterol and found if they consumed one ounce of pistachios 1-2 times a day for a month that is lowered their total cholesterol by 8% and LDL by 12%.  Cholesterol levels are risk markers for heart disease. 

According to the study, when you eat pistachios each day it helps lower the levels of oxidized LDL in the blood which is the culprit for cutting off blood flow to the heart and contributes to plaque build-up in the blood vessels.

 

IS YOUR CHILD'S BACKPACK LEADING TO PROBLEMS?

Backpacks are a popular way for our children to carry their books and supplies to school, but if worn incorrectly it can lead to neck and back strain as well as postural problems because of the strain on muscles and joints. 

Have your child CHOOSE a backpack with:

• Wide, padded shoulder straps
• Two shoulder straps (and wear both of them)
• Padded back
• Waist strap when possible (I know it isn't cool)
• Lightweight material
• Alternative is a rolling backpack

TO PREVENT INJURY:

• Keep the pack light- only 10-15% of the child's body weight- If they weigh 60 pounds -pack should weight loaded only 6-9 pounds.  
• Lift properly
• Tighten the straps
• Build muscle strength 

Do not ignore any back pain in a child or teenager, have them evaluated by a chiropractor to prevent further pain and problems.

Have a great and healthy school year!

DO YOUR PART AND HELP THE BERKS COUNTY FOOD BANK

Do Your Part- Visit our office the week of July 26-29, 2010  for a complimentary spinal screening and we simply ask that you donate at least $25 to the Berks County Food Bank.  It is a great way to see the condition of your spine and help a worthy organization feed people in our very own community. 

Please give us a call at 610-944-5000 to schedule your appointment today! 

Good Spinal Health-Key to Feeling Great

Proper Spinal function allows us to do things well and most of the time to be pain-free.  Poor spinal function however, forces your body to work harder or not at all, and this can cause someone pain or distress. 

MOVEMENT ENHANCES YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE!

As with all parts of your body, there are things you can do to help maintain a healthy spine.  Here are four of the best:

1) Nutritional Supplements- Vitamins and minerals can help provide the essential nutrition necessary to assist in healing and keep your bones stronger for a lifetime.  Ask a qualified nutritionist or doctor of chiropractic for a specific plan based on your body's needs. 

2) Posture-How you sit, stand, walk and sleep does matter.  Correct posture enables your body to function more effectively. 

3) Flexibility- You should take time each day to stretch your spine in all four directions: forward, backward, side to side and twisting both ways.  It is also important to stretch other muscle groups in the legs and keep your abdominal muscles strong to prevent weakness and injury to the spine.

4) Spinal Checkups- Just like your teeth, your spine needs to be examined to determine if spinal dysfunction is present, particularly after stressful events, accidents or repetitive movements from work activities or hobbies.  Doctors of Chiropractic can perform specific spinal examinations to determine malfunction of the spine. 

QUALITY OF LIFE is defined as your ability to do the things that make life a joy to life. 
Choose to live a life of quality!   

Ultra Simple Diet

Join us for a free workshop based on the book, The Ultra Simple Diet.  June 3, 2010 from 6:15-7:15 pm.  Learn how to make better choices, beat food cravings, lose weight and have more energy in the process.  It is truly a simple program but you have to be ready to make the change and be committed to a new discipline for at least 7 days.  After that the rest is up to you. 

Call us for more information, 610-944-5000. 

ALLERGIES

Tis the season for coughin', blowin', wheezin', and a sneezin'.  Why is that?  What is out of balance? Did you ever wonder what makes one child or adult allergic and another not?  Why would one child be allergic to cats, dogs, grass, tree pollen, and certain foods?  After all, we all live on the same planet! 

The difference is most often seen in how one child's body is able to adapt and another is not. An allergy is the inability of the body to handle something which is in their immediate environment: pollen, grass, peanuts, etc.  These allergies cause a protective reaction thus causing the body to be hypersensitive.

How can you help the body become less hypersensitive?  You can reduce exposure to irritants, boost the immune system with vitamin supplementation and chiropractic adjustments, and limit eating foods that irritate the immune system and can cause inflammation such as gluten, dairy, corn, nuts and yeast.  Often times by eliminating these items from our diet for a week we can begin to see a change.  It is best to eliminate the items for 90 days and then slowly reintroduce the item to see if your body is able to adapt without any adverse reactions.  

For more information, call our office at 610-944-5000 or attend our upcoming workshop on June 3, 2010 at 6:15-7 pm were we will discuss the food elimination diet in further detail. 

Dr. Dawn
Link Chiropractic Inc.