Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic

Thursday, December 1, 2016

The Most Common Reason For Visits to the Chiropractor

I have composed a series of articles discussing how chiropractic care can be incorporated in the treatment plan for a variety of different conditions. Chiropractic adjustments, in addition to making you feel good due to freeing up irritation to the nervous system, can be an effective tool to assist in the management many different conditions. Since your nervous system is involved in nearly every function in your body, having a healthy nervous system is essential to maintaining good health! I hope you enjoy this series! Please let me know if you would like to see other conditions discussed in the future!

Back pain one of the conditions most commonly treated by chiropractors. There are literally hundreds of different conditions that can manifest themselves as back pain so be sure to visit your chiropractor before attempting to treat or manage your back pain yourself. Very often, back pain is a result of a musculoskeletal condition, meaning that it is a result of a disorder in the muscles, joints, or bones. If this is the case, chiropractic care may be an appropriate and effective treatment option!

Recent studies have shown that adding chiropractic care to your treatment regimen is significantly more effective in managing back pain that conventional medical treatment alone. If you are suffering from back pain, whether the pain has been short or long term, there is a good chance that chiropractic can help. Contact our office to find out if chiropractic care is right for you. More information coming soon!

In recent years, chiropractic treatment for back pain has gained significant popularity among the public. This is largely because the amount of research available to support the effectiveness of chiropractic care on these symptoms has become much more available. It is now a widely accepted fact that maintaining proper spinal motion will allow you to have healthier joints that function more effectively and therefore also cause you to feel less pain.

Is chiropractic care safe? The research certainly says so! See how chiropractic care compares with other treatments commonly used for back and neck pain. Taking an aspirin is actually significantly more "dangerous" than receiving a chiropractic adjustment! For more questions about chiropractic care and answers that you can trust, please contact our office at 386.872.7167 or email Dr. Fleming at nhwchiro@gmail.com!

References:

Geortz, C.M., et. al. (April 15, 2013). Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine: 38(8): 627-34.

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

Dr. Fleming is a family chiropractor in Daytona Beach, Florida. She is passionate about preventative health care and nutrition and enjoys empowering her patients to improve their health and fitness, one day at a time!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Asthma and Chiropractic

Asthma is a respiratory condition that causes the airways to become irritated and constricted. The condition usually starts in childhood and is considered a chronic or long-term illness. Symptoms include couching, wheezing sounds when breathing, chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Asthma symptoms are often associated with allergies or may become apparent after exercise or exertion. During these times, the patient may experience an asthma attack, which is noted by periods of intense couching, chest pain and difficulty breathing. Asthma is a condition that should not be taken lightly, as in severe cases or severe asthma attacks, it can be fatal. So lets talk about what all of this has to do with chiropractic.

Though there are management options available, there is currently no cure for asthma. Traditionally, symptoms are managed with prescription medications. However, research is now becoming available that shows an improvement in the symptoms and quality of life of asthma patients with chiropractic management. Chiropractic care can improve lung function by affecting the spinal nerves that feed the lungs, and also by increasing lung capacity with by improving joint motion (1,2). If you or someone you love is suffering from asthma, ask your chiropractor if chiropractic care can help. For more information on the benefits of chiropractic, visit the home page to download your free copy of Dr. Fleming's ebook!

Sources

1. Alcantara, J., Alcantara, J., Alcantara, J. The chiropractic care of patients with asthma: a systematic review of the literature to inform clinical practice. Clinical Chiropractic (2012) 15, 23-30.

2. Gibbs, A. Chiropractic co-management of medically treated asthma. Clinical Chiropractic (2005) 8, 140-144.

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Say NO to Stress!

Stress is a very complex concept that can be difficult to explain. At the most basic level, it can be grouped into two different categories: mental/emotional stress and physical stress. Mental stress is what most of us think of when we hear the word "stress". This is also the way it is typically used in conversation - "I'm so stressed right now!" or "I can't take all of this stress". What we don't think about as much is physical stress. The stress we put on our bodies every day through poor posture, poor body mechanics and other physical bad habits. In addition, we don't think about how mental stress affects our bodies physically as well. Mental stress - especially when it persists for a long period of time - can have a number of damaging effects on our bodies - for more details on how and why this is the case, check out Dr. Fleming's ebook, available for free download on the home page. Chiropractic care can not only help to reduce the pain associated with physical stress on your joints, but it can influence your nervous system and affect you emotionally as well.

Your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) is made up of nerves at the very top and the very base of your spine. Your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is made up of the nerves in the middle part of your spine. Adjusting the spine in these areas can affect these parts of the nervous system, affecting blood pressure, heart rate and other areas of the body that respond to physical and emotional stress. For more information on stress and how and why chiropractic works, check out Chapters 2 and 5 of Dr. Fleming's ebook. Until then, here are some useful tips to help you decrease emotional stress.

Step 1: Time Management. The easiest way to manage stress is to avoid stressful situations in the first place. If you find yourself running late often, try getting up and leaving the house just five minutes earlier than you normally do. If you experience daily stress when leaving for work due to time constraints, these extra five minutes may save you a lot of stress in the long run!

Step 2: Take a few deep breaths, counting 5 seconds for each inhale and each exhale. Deep breathing has been shown to relax the mind and the nervous system, helping you relax and refocus your energy on more positive thoughts.

Step 3: Exercise. Physical activity can be a great way to relieve stress and gain a burst of energy whenever you need it. Exercise has a number of different health benefits and also causes your body to release endorphins, hormones that make you feel good! Yoga is a great option that combines physical activity and meditation, both of which are excellent tools to combat stress.

Try some of these tips the next time you are feeling stressed. If your stress persists, contact a chiropractor to see if chiropractic care might help. For more tips like these, check out our eBook, available to download for free on the home page at www.nhwchiro.com!

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Herzing University, Professor of Anatomy

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, Chiropractic Physician

Daytona Beach, Florida

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Pregnancy and Chiropractic - A Difference You Can Feel

In our office, we see a lot of expectant mommies – and we love them! Typically, midway through their pregnancies, women begin experiencing low back and pelvic pain. As you can probably imagine, here are several reasons for why this happens, the most obvious being the extra weight that is being carried around by these structures! This extra weight also causes the curve in your low back (lumbar spine) to become more exaggerated. We call this condition lordosis. This change in the spine, a normal occurrence during pregnancy, unfortunately causes stress on your joint spaces that your body is not used to. It can also lead to a change in your gait – which can contribute to the “pregnancy waddle”! Another condition I commonly see in my expectant mommies is piriformis syndrome. This is a condition in which a small muscle in your buttock region because tight due to the abnormal stress on the hips. This muscle lies over the top of the sciatic nerve. Therefore, if it becomes tight, it can lead to sciatica, as well as feelings of pain, tenderness and tightness in the buttock and hip regions. Finally, there is a hormone called relaxin that is released in your body during pregnancy. The job of this hormone is to help relax your ligaments to prepare your body for the growth and delivery of your child. Relaxin helps your pelvis to stretch to accommodate the growing baby. Unfortunately, all of these changes can lead to irritation of the joints in your low back and hips, which can cause pretty severe pain.

As I mentioned in the beginning, we love our pregnant moms because they typically respond very well and very quickly to chiropractic care! Because the spine and pelvis undergo so many changes during pregnancy, it is important to reintroduce stability and proper alignments into these joint spaces. Chiropractic treatment can do just that. Specific chiropractic adjustments, performed on the low back and pelvis allow the body regain the proper orientation of the joints and restore normal joint motion. What was considered “normal” for your joints before pregnancy, typically won’t work for your body while you are pregnant. As chiropractors, it is our job to allow your body to find its new “normal” to accommodate for the changes that are taking place.

Because chiropractors help facilitate the proper orientation and motion of these joints, many women report that in addition to feeling significant relief or complete resolution of their symptoms, they also experience easier labor and delivery through the use of chiropractic. Additionally, chiropractic care during pregnancy is also important for the growth and development of your baby. Evidence has shown that a decrease in the diameter of the pelvis (which can result from misalignments of the joints in this region) significantly impacts the baby’s ability to move into the proper position for birth and move through the birth canal during delivery. Although there is certainly no guarantee that chiropractic care will prevent you from having a breech baby, ensuring that the baby has plenty of room to move can certainly improve your odds. Please visit nhwchior.com/what-is-chiropractic for more information on the science behind chiropractic.

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Fibromyalgia - Don't let it Limit Your Happiness

Fibromyalgia is a condition that is widely misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Because of the often non-specific nature of the symptoms, patients can undergo a wide range of tests and experimental treatments before the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is reached. Unfortunately, this condition is widely considered to have no cure, and is therefore often perceived to be a dead-end for many patients. The good news is that there are many similarities in the history of patients who have symptoms of fibromyalgia. Many of these factors can be treated and managed, often decreasing or eliminating many of the symptoms associated with the illness.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include tiredness or fatigue, foggy memory, and diffuse muscle aches and pains. Many patients experience trouble sleeping or concentrating, as well as bloating, nausea, and headaches. Patients with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia will have some or many of these symptoms but will have diagnostic tests and imaging that are all pretty normal.

Many patients with fibromyalgia have a similar history. Many have experienced a major life change, significant stress, or other major life change that has had a significant impact on their body chemistry and the way that their body interacts with the environment. High levels of stress have also been known to increase the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Management of some of the symptoms can be accomplished by natural means. A major factor is stress reduction, improving sleep quality, and eliminating activities or situations that make symptoms worse. Dr. Fleming's eBook, available for free download on our home page (www.nhwchiro.com), covers a number of different options for stress management and improving your quality of life.

Feel free to contact our office for more information on what you can do to manage your unique symptoms.

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Joint Pain? Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

Joint pain is a very broad category that can result from a number of different conditions and manifest in a number of different ways. If you have joint pain specific to a particular part of the body, or if you feel you may have a diagnosis of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, I encourage you to visit one of the links below for more specific information on your condition. If you're not sure what your diagnosis is and would like more general information on the various causes of joint pain, you're in the right place! So let's jump right into it!

Joint pain can be a sign of pretty much anything from a minor inflammation to a major concern such as cancer. Although the latter is significantly more rare, it is important to be evaluated by your doctor before self diagnosing and self treating any type of condition. Some of the most common causes of acute, temporary joint pain is an injury to the joint space which can result from a trauma such as a sports injury, or repetitive motions that cause the irritation to build up over time. An example of this would be knee pain in a marathon runner or wrist pain in a typist. These types of joint pain usually subside on their own once the painful activity has stopped.

Another very common reason for joint pain is osteoarthritis. This is a condition is a result of long-term or abnormal wear and tear on the joint space. Although this condition is typically more common in older patients, it can manifest itself in young individuals as well. In that case, it will usually start after a different injury to the same joint or a related joint in the body. The reason for this is that after a joint has been injured, it usually affects your "biomechanics" - the way you move or put weight on the joint changes. An example would be arthritis in the hip as a result of a knee injury. After injuring the knee, you may begin to favor it, or walk slightly differently; enough so that it causes your body to put uneven weight on your joint space in your hip.

Sprains (ligament injury) and strains (muscle/tendon injury) are also very common and are typically associated with an injury, often while performing physical activity like playing a sport. These types of injuries may also be associated with areas of joint fixation within the spine or extremities and can be treated very effectively with chiropractic care or with physical therapy.

Finally, there are several different inflammatory conditions that may cause joint pain. Some are autoimmune (lupus and rheumatoid arthritis) and others are lifestyle-related (gout and chronic/systemic inflammation). These types of joint pains can often be addressed using lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise programs.

Some of these conditions also respond well to chiropractic treatment and others may require more invasive intervention. To find out if chiropractic care could be a good treatment option for you, we invite you to contact our office to schedule your free initial consultation, and Dr. Fleming will be happy to speak with you.

Dr. Alesha Fleming

Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC

Daytona Beach, FL