Relaxin Is Not So Relaxing…..

Pregnancy brings with it many equally wonderful and irritating things. Baby kicks, but heartburn. Growing new life, but morning sickness. Lots of attention, but relaxin.

Oh, the relaxin. 

Relaxin (not to be confused with relaxING) is one of many reasons pregnant women need a chiropractor, and desperately. See, relaxin is responsible for many important things during pregnancy and birth. Its primary function is to loosen the joints of the pelvis to allow the baby adequate passage space. Relaxin, as it is a hormone, does not work on solely the pelvis, however. It affects all joints.

So by the end of pregnancy, when relaxin is at its highest, you rather feel a bit like a marionette, which is why you need a chiropractor to put you back together.

Throughout pregnancy, the body goes through massive changes. A woman’s center of gravity is shifting, her hormones are changing, and her physiology changes to accommodate the growing babe. The most significant changes to the woman’s joints, bones, and support structure occur in the second half of pregnancy - when the baby grows the most.

The effects of relaxin rather compound on each other. If a woman is not being regularly adjusted, that back ache she’s getting will only get worse. Her hips will only be exposed to more relaxin (and a growing babe!) until birth. Regular adjustments during pregnancy will help keep a pregnant body as comfortable as possible until the birth. At the end of pregnancy, a chiropractor can get the mother’s body as ready as possible for labor by manipulating her pelvis and spine in an optimal position for birth.

In addition, chiropractic can come in very handy during the actual labor to help with the baby’s position in the pelvis. Most pregnancy care providers are only concerned with whether the baby is head down or not. If the baby is head down, that’s great - but that’s not the only position that matters during labor. The way that a baby is facing during birth makes a huge difference in the length of labor, the pain of the contractions, the contraction patterns, and ultimately whether or not a mother will have a cesarean.

In short, a baby should be facing to either side of the mother’s body. Baby should be looking at either the left hip or the right hip. If the baby is facing forward, then the back of the baby’s head pushes on the mother’s lower back during contractions - and this is what we call back labor - where contractions are felt very strongly in the back. It is miserable.

There are many positioning maneuvers that can be done to help encourage a baby to turn properly, but if the water is broken and that little noggin is tightly engaged, it’s time to call the chiropractor. Many a babies have been born via cesarean simply because they were “sunny side up,” “malpositioned,” or “OP” (occiput posterior). Many of those babies did not need to be surgically born - they just needed expert hands to encourage them to turn to a more favorable position.

Furthermore, a baby’s head should be STRAIGHT down. If a head is acynclitic - tilted toward the side - the baby may not come down. A chiropractor can help straighten out a baby’s head as well.

After the birth, relaxin is still in a woman’s body for about 4 months. If the pregnancy left a woman’s hips, back, and spine misaligned, those things are not going to heal themselves just because the relaxin is no longer present. They need special attention by a master of skeletal manipulation...

...which is a chiropractor.

Moral of the story: a chiropractor is a must for women in pregnancy.

“As soon as my client tells me she’s starting to feel achy, I immediately send her straight to the chiropractor. Never once has a single woman come back to me after a pregnancy chiropractic adjustment with anything but immense relief. Chiropractic is a must for pregnancy care and comfort - and it is crucial during labor in some situations. I love chiropractors for my clients - every pregnant woman needs a chiropractor.”

- Rachel Madrigal CLD, CCCE (Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator)

Deliberate Breathing

It seems rather silly to tell a person to focus on their breathing. After all, it’s the one thing we are going to unconsciously do from the moment of birth until the day we die. You’re going to do it anyways. So of all the things you could possibly give your attention to, why breathing?

Let’s to go back to high school anatomy and physiology for a moment to briefly discuss the profound effect that deep breathing can have on your health. The short version is this: there are two states that the human nervous system can exist in. They are called the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

Long words, I know… but stay with me…..

The sympathetic nervous system is what we refer to as the “fight or flight” state. Its purpose is to get the body immediately prepared to manage a threat - by fighting or fleeing (flight). It spikes adrenaline, dilates pupils, raises blood pressure, sends blood to the extremities in preparation for handling opposition, heightens the senses, and it speeds up both the heartbeat and the breath. It is very useful - when you are in extreme danger - and that is what it is meant to protect you from.

We are only meant to use the sympathetic nervous system for 3%- 5% of the entirety of our lives.

The problem is that most people in the modern world live with this as their normal, ongoing state of being. Especially women. Their adrenaline is always high, their blood pressure is responding to stress, the internal organs aren’t getting as much blood as the extremities, etc. The long term, continuous activation of the sympathetic nervous system wreaks havoc on the body. It stores fat, increases stress, depletes the thyroid and adrenals, and disrupts our sleep.

The moral of this story: only use it when you need to.

Instead, what should the body be doing? In a healthy body, the parasympathetic nervous system will dominate. When the parasympathetic nervous system dominates, the body is in a state of calm. The blood pressure lowers, stress decreases, and the body no longer needs to store away extra fat.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems exist rather on a spectrum. Sympathetic functions keep us alive, so parts of them are activated all the time. (For instance, we need SOME blood pressure!) But long term heightened activation causes problems. How do we swing the pendulum the other way?

Go back to the top of this article: deep breathing. The lower part of the lungs activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Most people are very shallow breathers as a result of their ever activated sympathetic nervous system, so reaching the lower cavity of the lungs takes deliberate, conscious effort.

I realize that I just added one more thing to your to do list, which likely further activated your sympathetic nervous system, but follow me for just one more moment.

Here’s how to do this: take daily breathers. Start with 5 long, deep breaths, twice a day. Do it now. Yes - stop reading - I’ll wait.

See? Not hard.

Your health will thank you.

You’re welcome.

The Real Dangers of Sugar

Dr Harold W. Harper, M.D,
How You Can Beat the Killer Diseases
“The major addiction problem in the United States and, to a large extent, in the Western world, has nothing to do with opiates, uppers, and downers, or even alcohol or tobacco. The number one addiction today is sugar.”

It's positively maddening to try and understand how to eat healthy today. Proponents of all kinds of varying diets shout at each other over the interwebs, citing research to support their stance, leaving the neutral health seeking person at a loss. Paleo, low-carb, raw food, vegan, juicing, vegetarian, gluten free, grain free, keto, organic, non-GMO....

They all, however, have at least one thing in common. They all desperately try to educate the general public about the dangers of sugar. Specifically, refined sugar, or unnatural sugars such as high fructose corn syrup.

They are all right to do so. Let’s talk about sugar.

The more we know about it, the worse it gets. We know its evils. Sugar causes everything from chronic inflammation to tooth decay to obesity. It contributes to depression, ADHD, insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic dysfunction, fatty liver, cancer, and hormone imbalances. Despite our valiant efforts to come off of it, we are relentlessly caught in its addictive, tasty clutches. Sugar is in everything. EVERYTHING! It’s in sushi. It’s in bread. It’s in many dairy products. Coffee creamer. Peanut butter.

The quest to avoid sugar becomes further complicated when we find that sugar is even in “health foods” – those that are designed to appeal to the very population that is trying to be healthy and lose weight!

Weight loss is a herculean effort these days that is many times destroyed by even moderate sugar consumption, so let’s talk briefly about what makes you fat. Insulin is the fat producing hormone. That means anything that goes into your body interacts with your biology in such a way that it causes insulin to rise, produces fat.

What is the primary cause of insulin spikes? Sugar.

To lose weight and be healthy, you decide you’re going to stay away from sugar.  Be aware: this may prove to be a bit more difficult than you may think.  Not only is sugar difficult to avoid in most foods found at the grocery store, it is highly addictive, as mentioned in the quote at the top of this post.  (http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-sugar-addictive-drug )

To aid in many healing many health conditions, and of course to lose weight, many recommend a sugar detox of some kind. There is no “safe” or “innocent” amount of sugar, period.  At the very least, cutting down on sugar intake significantly will go a long way toward reducing those incessant cravings, and it will greatly improve the state of your health.  

It is not at all uncommon to experience detox symptoms as you cut out sugar, since it has addictive qualities. Having a detox buddy if possible will keep you accountable.  I have accountability groups starting every month.  AND/OR you can ask a friend, spouse, or partner to do it with you.    

Focus on what you CAN eat rather than what you CAN’T.  If your goal is to be healthy, a paradigm shift toward the way you approach food is a good way to start. Eat to live rather than live to eat. Remember, you can be skinny and unhealthy.  

Finally, if you decide to detox from sugar and you slip up, pick yourself up by your bootstraps and let the next decision you make THAT DAY be a better one. Health is an ongoing process, not a one-time deal.

 IMMUNE SYSTEM BOOSTING

Now that summer is winding down, school has begun, and I have a little more time on my hands I will start writing more blogs again.  With my class on Essential Oils tomorrow and boosting your immune system I was thinking I would write about other ways one could boost their immune system, especially since we just started a new school year and bugs are gonna get spread more quickly. 

SLEEP/REST
Getting good sleep at night definitely helps to boost your immune system.  Sleep gives your body a time to reset itself allowing your body to work harder at certain systems in your body that get pushed aside during the busy, stressful hours during the day. 
The amount of sleep is controversial but a good rule of thumb...  Go to bed on a regular schedule and get up at a regular schedule.  Most adults thrive on 8-10 hours of sleep per night and children need much more.  Using weekends to "catch up" on sleep doesn't work well for a long term plan. 
Another way to get rest is to meditate or pray.  Allowing your body to have down time during the day is good for you too.  It strengthens your mind and emotions which decreases your stress.  Stress is tough on your body which slows your immune system response.  

DIET
Eat good quality food that nourishes you instead of attack you.  A good rule of thumb is to eat natural foods with a variety of colors to get the most well balanced immune system boost.  Obviously organic food is best. Elmo was correct!  Eat every color of the rainbow.  When eating food think of it more as nourishment than indulgence.  Everything you put into your mouth either boosts you up or tears you down.  Try to eat more boosting food than tearing food. 
Eating sugar will decrease your immune function by up to 75% after each consumption.  The effect will last proportionately as long as the amount of sugar you consumed.  So when you ingest a small amount of sugar it "wears off" sooner than a large amount. Avoid it as much as possible.

HAND WASHING
Washing your hands frequently during the day will help to minimize the spread of germs to yourself and others.  (I have to include this even though I know it doesn't boost your immune system, but it gives it a break.)  Using a regular soap instead of an antibacterial soap is a much better option as well. 
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.  These three areas are where the majority of viruses enter the body. 

SUPPLEMENTS
There are many very good quality supplements out there.  The ones I have noticed that GREATLY improve my immune system have been OPC3 and Immune by Isotonics.  They do offer a child's version of the OPC3 as well. 
I also offer a nutritional evaluation using Standard Process vitamins and supplements.  They have been so much easier to digest and have helped many of my patients.  

EXERCISE
Everybody has seen the commercial, and know because of basic science, that a body in motion tends to stay in motion.  It is true!  When you do regular exercise your body is able to combat regular every day viruses much easier.  Your body is stronger and so is your immune system.   You are also able to sleep more soundly and tend to eat more purely.  It is a win-win situation.  Find something that is enjoyable to you and switch it up so you keep enjoying it.  Join a gym and do classes to have support around you.  Find someone to make you accountable.  Find a group of friends that have a similar interest and motivate each other.  Join Facebook groups to be encouraged by others results.  Make it a lifestyle change. 

ADJUSTMENTS
I wouldn't be a Chiropractor if I didn't mention the fact that adjustments will boost your immune system.  When your body is out of alignment nothing works optimally and that includes your immune system.  Being aligned will allow better flow of the lymphatic system, digestive system and respiratory system which all work hand in hand with viruses and bacterial issues. 

Enjoy your school year and STAY HEALTHY!

Not pigging out during the holidays

This is a hard time of the year to eat nutritiously for a lot of us. We are heading to parties, receiving cookies, baking cookies, drinking egg nog, etc...
So many of my patients ask, "How can I get through the holiday season without totally blowing my diet?" (And by diet I mean a nutritional lifestyle of eating)
Here are a few tips to keep in mind...

1. If we don't allow ourselves to have some eating fun once in a while we will never maintain this lifestyle of eating. I don't mean go out and eat an entire pumpkin pie, but it is ok to have a slice.
2. Know which options are BETTER options. Such as... pumpkin pie has the fewest calories of all pies. Whereas, pecan pie has the most.
3. Before going to a party, eat a light snack such as carrots, celery, nuts, fruit, etc... It will help to decrease your hunger and you are less likely to eat a ton when the meal is served.
4. Keep exercising. This is easier said than done. We are all very busy during the holiday season and forget to take time out to do our normal exercise routines, but it is very important not to skip this very important routine in your day.
5. Share your cookie gifts with others. When patients bring me cookies, I share them with other patients, other staff, etc... I don't bring them home and eat them all by myself.
6. Drink water. Drinks of all kinds have LOTS of hidden calories or toxins in them. Drink Water! It will also curb your appetite.
7. Take small portions. Allow yourself to eat the beautiful meal but don't go up for 2nds, 3rds, etc... If you take an appropriate portion then resist going back for more.

There are so many more, but these will get you off to a great start. Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Breech babies and Chiropractic

I have been asked a LOT lately about the topic of breech babies and Chiropractic. What is Webster Technique and Why does Chiropractic "turn" a breech baby? This is why...

First of all I just want to say that there are techniques that skilled Chiropractors use to "turn" breech babies. One of them is called Webster Technique. It works a LOT of the time, but does not work for all babies. If there are reasons other than ones that I will discuss, for example a short umbilical cord, then the baby is NOT going to turn no matter what is done. There are anatomical reasons for the "breech" position. I am going to call this "breech" position inuterine constraint which means that the fetus does not have optimal room in the uterus. This could even be in the "head down" or vertex position.

As a woman, our uterus would be a free floating organ in our lower abdomen if it weren't for a few ligaments attached to it. Those ligaments are attached at the other end onto our pelvis (more specifically our pubis and sacrum). When our pelvis is misaligned, called a subluxation, it pulls on those ligaments which in turn pulls on our uterus. This causes a torque, or twist in our uterus which in turn causes less space in our uterus.

As an example if you had a balloon and were to pinch on portion of it and pull it towards you it would alter the shape of the balloon. Similar idea with the uterus. When the fetus is inside the uterus and the uterus is being pulled it makes the space inside the uterus compromised. The fetus then has to give up its preferred head down, freely floating position for a less optimal position.

When a pelvis that is subluxated is adjusted accurately and soft tissue work is done to the pelvic ligaments and muscles then the uterus is freed from that torqued position there is no reason that the fetus wouldn't take the path of least resistance which would be head down. (Unless of course there are other complications going on as stated before.)

The best thing about using Chiropractic for inuterine constraint is that there is no risk for mother or baby in using this technique. This technique will NOT WORK if there are other factors involved, and there will be no risk for an emergency Cesarean section.

What is a subluxation?

We Chiropractors like to throw around the term "subluxation". I would like to try and define that for you. Funny thing is some chiropractors may not totally agree with my definition because we, as a profession, cannot totally agree. Anyway, here goes nothing.
A subluxation in the spine is a vertebral misalignment that causes stress on the nerves causing lack of health to the organ or tissue that that nerve innervates. OK. OK. Lots of big words, right? Here is another way of describing it. If you were to have a garden hose running at full speed, but put a stress such as a car tire on the hose what happens? The water cannot get through, right? Similar idea with our nerves. Fortunately subluxations aren't usually as "heavy" as a car, but sometimes it can be.
When our nerves aren't functioning optimally we cannot function optimally. This may do anything from having a lack of immune function to infertility.
So... when you are adjusted to alleviate the subluxations our bodies are able to function more optimally. This allows your body to heal itself. Our bodies were designed to do that very thing so why don't we all decide to allow our bodies to work optimally!!!
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA TO ME!!!