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As spring arrives, weather warms up and leaves turn green, many people will spend more time outside raking, planting bulbs, mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. Gardening can provide a great workout, but your body may not be ready for all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling.
It is important to stretch your muscles before reaching for your gardening tools. The back, legs, shoulders, and wrists are all major muscle groups affected when using your green thumb. Stretching these muscles can help prevent injuries, pain and stiffness as well as alleviate muscle pain after a day spent in your garden.
Some Tips for safe gardening
- Stretch before and after your gardening- gently touch your toes, extend arms 'reach for the sky', rotate your trunk side to side- Stretch slowly and controlled, hold 10 sec, avoid bouncing when stretching
- Avoid bending, lifting and twisting together
- Squat down instead of bending over
- Don't lift things that are too heavy, get help
- Don't stay in one position too long- move around every 20 minutes
- When shoveling or raking try to switch sides
- Limit your sun exposure or wear protective clothing
- Drink a cup of water every hour
GET ADJUSTED!- getting regular adjustments will reduce the risk of injury to strained or overworked muscles and help you heal faster if you are injured.
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These days, there’s been lots of conversation about health care. Not all the talk has been friendly. Those favoring broad reforms describe serious problems in the health care "system". Those opposing change have spread rumors about impending "socialized medicine". Whatever the outcome, chiropractic health care continues to address many of the real shortcomings of the current health care situation in the United States.
First and foremost, chiropractic care focuses on the patient. So much of health care is focused on the profit-taking bottom line. Necessary services are denied coverage and unnecessary services are prescribed, all to further some faceless organization's return on investment. Chiropractic care has one goal in mind - to help the patient be healthy and get well in the fastest amount of time possible. Chiropractic health care is truly patient-centered.
Chiropractic care is personalized. A patient in a chiropractor's office feels like part of the family. Chiropractors make the time to talk with their patients, asking the right questions and addressing their concerns. Chiropractic patients don't feel rushed. They don't feel as if their doctor's main priority is getting through this patient visit and moving on to the next. Chiropractic patients have the experience their doctor is very interested in their well-being and has designed treatment that will specifically address their specific problems. Chiropractic care is not a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to health care.
The majority of the health care system is notoriously fragmented. Patients are bounced from one specialist to another, as various doctors attempt to diagnose a small part of a complex problem. In contrast, chiropractic care is holistic, addressing many of the health requirements of the whole person. Chiropractic treatment restores balances to the nervous system and musculoskeletal system, addressing multiple problems at once. Also, many chiropractors, including myself, design rehabilitative exercise protocols and nutritional programs for their patients, as well as provide postural recommendations and stress management techniques.
And, chiropractic care is available to the entire family - toddlers, young people, parents, and grandparents. Chiropractic treatment is safe and gentle, and highly effective for a broad range of conditions. Whether an 80-year-old grandmother has osteoporosis-related lower back pain or an 8-year-old softball player has an injured knee, chiropractic care has good solutions for both.
Chiropractic directly addresses many problems in today's health care system. Chiropractic is a results-driven, cost-effective method focused on holistic health care. Chiropractic care is an integrated system that effectively promotes a family's wellness and well-being.
The good news is people can begin a healthy lifestyle, right now, today, right where they are. Health is a choice and when a person chooses to be healthy, very good things begin to happen in all areas of their life.
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Most people will experience back pain at some point during their lifetime. For some, episodes of back pain recure unpredictably, and then go away altogether. For others, low levels of pain exist constantly. Although back pain can be caused by fracture, disc disorder, or tumor, the most common cause is sprain or strain due to improper bending, lifting, or twisting. Low back pain typically improves within a matter of 3-6 weeks, even for people who seek no treatment at all.
Conventional treatment is aimed at making you comfortable, through medications and rest, as you wait for this long healing process to occur. Chiropractic care takes another approach. It is a safe and effective alternative to conventional treatments but generally patients get better faster during chiropractic treatment, without the use of medications. This is because chiropractic’s goal is to restore spinal movement that is often the cause for the original injury. Chiropractors use adjustments to realign spinal bones. By relieving restrictions and improving motion, pain is naturally alleviated and the root of the problem is addressed to prevent future episodes of back pain that might occur.
Next time you experience back pain ask yourself this: Do I want to treat the symptoms or would I rather fix the problem?
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With the recent hype and confusion over the swine flu, the question of whether or not to vaccinate is on everyones mind. As a chiropractor in Old Saybrook, I'll offer some some thoughts to consider before you act:
1.The swine flu is simply another flu. It is not unusually deadly to those that are healthy. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) regular seasonal flu kills an average of 40,000 Americans per year. Swine Flu has caused an estimated* 4,000 deaths in America year to date.
2.Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene; which are toxic to our bodies.
3.Most seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus strains tested from the United States and other countries are now resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir).
4.Researchers are warning that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza can apply genetic pressure on flu viruses and make them more likely to mutate into a different strain.
Before you vaccinate, educate yourself about influenza strains and vaccinations. Weigh the benefits and the risks.
Take care of your health to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting the flu. The key is to keep your immune system strong by following these guidelines:
•Get proper nutrition through whole foods like fruits and veggies. Minimize sugar and processed foods in your diet. Sugar consumption has an immediate, debilitating effect on your immune system.
•Take a high quality source of animal-based omega-3 fats like Tuna Oil.
•Exercise. Your immune system needs good circulation in order to perform at its best for you.
•Optimize your vitamin D levels. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds.
•Get plenty of good quality sleep.
•Deal with stress effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, your body will not have the reserves it needs to fight infection.
•Wash your hands. Use a pure, chemical-free soap.
•See your chiropractor to keep your nervous system healthy and immune system strong.
Follow these recommendations to lower your risk of the flu and other forms of disease. And remember that everyone gets sick sometimes, but a strong immune system can minimize the dregree to which it affects you.
Dr. Rachel Cavanna
Achieve Wellness Chiropractic
Old Saybrook, CT
*CDC stopped testing for H1N1 in late July of 2009 so exact numbers are not available.
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