increased circulation, disc health, weight loss, weight management

5 Benefits to Walking for Chiropractic Patients

When you walk, more than 200 individual muscles spring into action which includes all of the muscles in your spine and pelvic area. There’s no denying that walking is good for you and very beneficial to overall health. It is also very effective for spinal health. In most cases, walking is an excellent complement to chiropractic care. Here are 5 good reasons for chiropractic patients to get moving.

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TIPS TO HELP TO PREVENT OVER-EATING – PART 2

Hi, Dr. Kent Ferguson here (click to watch video). Do you commonly find yourself over-eating? Do you eat everything in sight before you know it? If so you are not alone. One of the most common dietary challenges my patients have is over-eating. In this video I will share with you 2 tips on how to prevent yourself from over-eating.

  1. FRESH FIBER FIRST

What does this mean? This means before you eat your intended meal, eat a piece fruit or a handful of veggies first. The fibres found in these foods help to make you feel full. So eating these foods before your intended meal may help you from going back for more 2nd or 3rd plates.

  1. GIVE YOURSELF 20 MINUTES

Why is it important to give yourself 20 minutes after you eat? Because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to receive signals from your digestive tract that you have in fact eaten and eaten enough. If you still feel hungry after 20 minutes then you may in fact need more calories. Be mindful about how big that 2nd serving needs to be.

I’m Dr. Kent Ferguson; I hope you have found this video helpful. Please share this information with your family and friends. Check out our website @ www. ocwc.ca for more information about our clinic and services.

Take care.

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Acupuncture, weight loss, health, benefits, energy

4 Things to Know When Using Acupuncture For Weight Loss

With limited time and expensive diet plans, individuals have a hard time seeking for healthy alternatives to lose weight. Therefore, acupuncture has become a reliable way for weight loss, as it not only aids in losing weight but also leaves the body feeling relaxed and stress-free. Unlike other weight loss plans, acupuncture does not have negative effects on the human body; rather it leaves the body in a better form.

When acupuncture is used for weight loss, it stimulates different areas of the body. The insertion of needles activates certain areas of the body that leads to a healthy mind and better physical health. When using acupuncture as a way to shed extra pounds, there is no need to use different weight loss supplements. However, if running is added, the results will be even faster.

1.     Is It Effective?

Acupuncture improves blood circulation that leads to energy flow. With good energy flow in the body, more calories will burn. It promotes weight loss by suppressing appetite and increasing metabolism, and this means there will be a healthier use of the nutrients that are being eaten.

Fun Fact – Since acupuncture helps reduce stress and anxiety, it can help one avoid binge eating.

2.     Higher Levels of Endorphins

Acupuncture helps release endorphins. Endorphins are a part of the limbic system that contains receptors that allow people to interact. Although it cannot replace the desire to lose weight, it can motivate individuals to solve their weight problem and live a healthy life.

3.     Weight Loss Goals via Acupuncture

A few objectives must be identified when using acupuncture for weight loss. These include:

  • Metabolism must be accelerated through physical activity to burn fat
  • Stress must be reduced so that the person does not binge eat
  • Digestive function must be improved
  • Unnecessary hunger should be avoided

4.     Forces Within

Qi is believed to be the vital force of the human body. An excess or deficiency of Qi leads to imbalances that are seen as an illness. Acupuncture is supposed to fix the imbalance in your body through the stimulation of acupoints.

Obesity or weight gain can result from:

  • Deficiency of primary Qi
  • Not enough Qi in the stomach and spleen
  • Excessive heat in intestines and stomach

To restore the balance of Qi, needles are inserted in the following parts of the body:

  • Stomach – Inserting fine needles has found to be effective in restoring the balance of
  • Endocrine – This helps with the retention of fluids that are found in the body.
  • Spleen – This is linked with hormonal imbalance.
  • Thyroid – This point is connected to slow metabolism.
  • Kidney- It relates to water retention and the nervous system.

Acupuncture for weight loss will show positive results and it is the best way to improve physical and mental health. It will fix all body imbalances and help burn calories faster.

How Mobile Devices are Wrecking Our Spines

Nearly everyone has a smartphone or mobile device these days, and while there is some merit to this technology by keeping us more connected – at least virtually – it is wreaking havoc on our bodies. When you look at the posture that people assume when texting, reading email, or browsing social media while on their mobile device or smartphone, you will see their head bent forward and rounded shoulders. They typically hold the device either at chest level or waist level meaning that their hands are together, forming an almost crouch position.

This is very bad for the spine but it creates problems for other parts of the body even beyond the spine. Let’s take a look at some of the common issues that come with bad smartphone posture.

Text Neck

The more you tilt your head downward (just as you do when looking at a smartphone), the more pounds of pressure you put on your neck and back. Your spine supports the weight of your head. The more it is thrust forward, looking down, the heavier your head gets. Doctors are seeing many young people with this problem, some even as young as 8 years old.

It is characterized by tightness or tension in the neck and shoulders as well as the upper back. Some patients report pain while others feel pressure, and others feel tightness. Sometimes the pain will spread throughout the body or from the neck to the arms and hands.

Forearm and Wrist Pain

Even the way you hold your phone in your hands can cause problems. Since you keep your hand in one position for long periods of time your muscles never have a chance to relax. You have several muscles engaged to do this: the forearms, the wrist, and the neck.

If you are experiencing pain, sometimes shooting, in your elbow or wrist your smartphone use may be the culprit. So put the phones away or leave them at home.

Sore Upper and Lower Back

As your neck struggles to support your head which is rolled forward, it stands to reason that you will experience back pain. In fact, both upper and lower back pain have been attributed to smartphone use.

Think about the muscles that run along your spine. They help stabilize it and help control and support your head. When you hunch over you strain those muscles in your upper back. What you may not realize is that similar strain is being put on the muscles in your lower back as well.

Blackberry Thumb

The muscles in your hand are very small but they can cause you a great deal of pain if you frequently use a mobile device. As you type on the keyboard of your smart phone, it can cause problems with tendons and ligament as well as the muscles.

This repetitive stress of the body is caused daily by people who stay hunched over their small phone screen. The repetitive movement of your thumb as it manipulates the device can cause inflammation in the thumb and hand.

Headaches from Tension in Neck and Back

One of the most common ailments associated with mobile device usage is headaches. These headaches can come from tension in the neck, strained muscled in the back, or overworked muscles through the hand and arm into the shoulder. It can also come from eyestrain caused by staring at the screen for extended amounts of time, looking at tiny text.

There is no doubt that mobile device usage is becoming a serious problem in our society today. While there are the people who text while driving or while walking, posing a significant threat to their own and others’ safety, what they are doing to their own bodies is enough to cause alarm.

Chiropractic care can ease the pain and reverse a good portion of the damage that has been done, but when patients continue with the same bad habits the treatment is only temporary. There needs to be a focused effort made to pull people out of their mobile devices, at least a portion of the time, to minimize the structural spinal damage they are doing to themselves.

TIPS TO HELP TO PREVENT OVER-EATING – PART 1

Hi, Dr. Kent Ferguson here (click to watch video). Do you commonly find yourself over-eating? Do you sometimes eat everything in sight before you know it? If so you are not alone. One of the most common dietary challenges my patients have is over-eating. In this video I will share with you 2 tips on how to prevent yourself from over-eating.(click to watch video)

  1. SNACK OFTEN

Why is it important to snack often? Well, have you ever arrived to work, sat at your work space, begun your day, look up and it’s time for lunch and you’re very hungry. When you sit down for lunch there is a greater tendency to eat more than you need based on the fact you feel so hungry.  The solution is to snack between meals

Snacking between breakfast and lunch as well as lunch and dinner will help you from over-eating when you sit down to eat a full meal.

  1. Drink Plenty of Water

Why is it important to drink plenty of water? Because the sensation of hunger in the body can often times mean that you are thirsty as well. Most patients I see do not drink enough water on a daily basis. By drinking about 2-3 liters of water per day, based upon your activity levels, you can greatly alter your hunger sensations and reduce your chances of over-eating.

I’m Dr. Kent Ferguson. I hope you have found this information on this video helpful. Please share this information with your family and friends. Please check out our website @ www.ocwc.ca for more information about our clinic and services.

Take care.

Massage as a Medicine for Back Pain

Often considered a luxury, massage has now been viewed as an alternative form of modern medicine. It has abilities to lessen stress, pain and increase an individual’s wellbeing. The benefits that people are receiving from this are long term, which is attracting more and more people. Massages are given according to each individual’s needs as it can eliminate chronic pains, depression, and insomnia and can speed up sport injuries.

Ultimate relaxation and easing pain are the two basic things that massage does. The benefits that are received during a massage are endless. For over a thousand years, Japan and China have been using it as a method of healing. Today, hospitals in China prescribe their patients massage therapy for a healthy recovery. Slowly but surely, this trend is getting to the United States as doctors have started to recommend massages alongside treatments.

Root of the Pain

The neck and back are one of the most complex structures of the human body. These two parts are prone to injuries and spasms. This can often result into physical and psychological pain. While acute lower back pain can resolve with little or no intercession, chronic pain requires treatment . Chronic lower back pain is pain that lasts for longer than 6 weeks, while acute back pain lasts for less than 6 weeks.

Although, there are many massages that can be done to relieve back pain, the most recommended are circulatory massage and Thai massage.

How It Works

Circulatory Massage

The technique used in circulatory massage relaxes muscles by applying pressure to the right areas of the body. In this massage, the painful areas must be rubbed in the direction the blood flows back toward the heart. There are five types of strokes used in this massage. These include:

  1. Long, smooth strokes
  2. Strokes that are done in a kneading manner
  3. Strokes that are very rhythmic and systematic
  4. Deep, firm and circular strokes
  5. Vibration and vigorous shaking strokes

Thai Massage

The technique used in this massage stretches and pulls the areas of your neck and back.

What It Does

The oils that are used in this massage reduce friction. It improves blood circulation and relieves pain and muscle strain. As it eases muscle pain, insomnia begins to lessen and  endorphins (chemicals that help improve mental health) are released.

Since massage therapy has proven to be effective in reducing pain -without any side effects, it is becoming popular among all cultures. This method provides people with a healthy body and even healthier mind.

Oliver Chiropractic Wellness Clinic offers massage therapy by registered massage therapists. Call 780-455-2112 to book your appointment today.