What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Text Neck

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Text neck is a very real condition that is caused by staying in a prolonged “texting” position – hunched shoulders and neck tilted forward. As a result, the back, neck, and shoulder muscles become overworked and your spinal structure is actually changed. Many people who spend a lot of time on their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, develop this condition (and others including “cellphone elbow” and tendinitis of the wrist and hand) and it can be very painful, even causing mobility problems.

What Exactly is Text Neck?

A normal human neck has a slight curve to it that travels along the spine. It is part of the intricate system that supports the head and body. However, a person with text neck will have a straight cervical spine. Their neck will not have that slight curve and that is a problem.

The cause of the absence of the curve is because of the position that the head stays in for such long periods of time. The average adult human head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds. When the head is upright, the neck supports it and the slight curve gives it the stability that it needs.

When you keep your head tilted forward, such as when you are hunched over your smartphone or mobile device, your head is thrust forward instead of sitting over the balanced curve of the cervical spine. The gravitational pull is greatly increased and the neck is already in an unnatural position. This combination places unnatural and damaging stress on your neck. It is like carrying around an additional 60 pounds on your neck.

Symptoms of Text Neck

In the early stages of text neck, a person may feel some tightness in their shoulders, neck, and upper back. This may progress to discomfort in those areas and eventually pain. If left untreated, you can develop pinched nerves and herniated discs.

Your central nervous system begins at the base of your skull, so it extends down your neck and upper back. When you put unnatural pressure on your neck, you are also affecting your nervous system, causing it to malfunction. This can lead to pain throughout your body, stiffness, headaches, low back pain, and problems with your hands and arms.

How to Prevent Text Neck

Text neck is surprisingly easy to prevent. Your first step is awareness. Over two or three days, take some time to be very aware of your body’s position. Carefully examine your posture while you go about all of your daily activities. It is important to remember that text neck is not strictly confined to texting. You can get it any time you have your head bent down for an extended period of time, such as when looking at a laptop screen or even writing for a long time.

The best way to avoid the problem is to keep your devices at eye level. If you have a handheld device, hold it up at the level of your eyes instead of bending your neck to look down. The same goes for your laptop; arrange it so that your screen is at eye level.

Chiropractic for Text Neck

If you are already suffering from the effects of text neck, your chiropractor can help reverse the condition if it hasn’t progressed to disc degeneration (even then he or she can help with associated pain). Regular chiropractic treatments, along with following expert recommendations for screen heights, can help reduce the pain and discomfort. It is smart to address these issues before they become a bigger problem. Your chiropractor can help. Learn more about our clinic @ www.ocwc.ca

What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Curcumin

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Many chronic pain sufferers are looking for relief beyond pharmaceuticals which can have unpleasant and even harmful side effects. This has brought them to natural pain management methods like chiropractic care as well as natural substances like curcumin. For many people, these treatment options have brought them relief from the pain and help them return to a more normal lifestyle.

How does it work though? And, more importantly, can it work for you?

What is Curcumin?

Curcumin is a spice that is a relative of ginger and is a component of turmeric. Often the terms curcumin and turmeric are used interchangeably. However, curcumin is what gives turmeric its bright yellow color.

While it is often found in curries and other traditional Indian food, it has also long been used to treat a variety of health issues including inflammation that causes pain in the body. These claims have been backed up by several studies that show the tasty spice has tremendous health benefits to offer.

These studies have shown that curcumin has strong anti-inflammatory properties although why it works is not yet completely understood. This information has prompted further studies to determine the efficacy of curcumin in treating a wide range of conditions including chronic pain.

One study examined the spice’s effects on people suffering from arthritis or joint pain. The results determined that turmeric extract (curcumin) supplements were just as effective as ibuprofen in relieving the pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. It helped to reduce the inflammation that was causing the pain, bringing the patients much needed relief.

Taking Curcumin for Better Health

You can get curcumin or turmeric supplements but there is no standard dosage information available. Your chiropractor can advise you on how much to take and which supplement brands are the best.

You can also use the spice in the foods you eat and gain a good bit of the health properties that way. However, it may be more efficient and easier to take curcumin or turmeric supplements, especially when you are treating inflammation and pain.

Curcumin is generally safe with very few side effects. As with any medication or supplement, there are some people who are sensitive to the spice and may experience diarrhea and nausea.

However, that usually occurs at higher doses or after the patient has been using it for a long time. High doses could also pose a risk if the person has ulcers. It can also irritate the skin is used topically.

If you are considering incorporating curcumin into your daily diet as a health supplement, you should first talk to your doctor or chiropractor to make sure it is safe for you. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not take the supplements.

People with conditions like diabetes, gallbladder issues, bleeding disorders, kidney disease, or immunity problems should take special care when using the supplement. Also, it can interact with medications like NSAIDs, aspirin, diabetes drugs, statins, blood thinners, and blood pressure medications so talk to your health professional before taking. They may adjust your dosage or recommend certain nutritional therapies to better support the supplement.

Your chiropractor can help you live a more natural, pain free life and supplements like curcumin may be a part of that plan. They can help put you on the path to a life well lived. To learn more about our office check out our website @ www.ocwc.ca

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Baking chocolate chip cookies can be a great family activity. So can eating freshly baked cookies! Unfortunately, tastey bakings can often mean high amounts of sugar and fat. Likely more than what you are looking for in the typical diet.

Meg’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe substitutes some common ingredients without loosing any of the flavour. Now that’s a win win!

 

Typical traditional recipe contains the following ingredients:

  • White flour 2 cups
  • White sugar 1.5 cups
  • Butter ¾ cup (12 Tablespoons)
  • Salt ½ tsp.
  • Baking Soda 1 tsp.
  • Chocolate chips 1-2 cups

 

Meg’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:

  • White flour 2 + cups – cut white flour in half and add a whole
    grain/flour such as whole wheat, oatmeal, barley, spelt, brown
    rice, quinoa flours (or a combination of) =
    *Use 1 c. white and 1c. whole grain in recipe
    *might need a bit of extra liquid
    *adds fiber and nutrients
  • White/brown sugar 1.5 cups combined -can cut sugar by 1/3-1/2= Use ¾ – 1 c. sugar in recipe
  • Butter ¾ cup (12 Tablespoons) – fat can be cut ⅓ – ½
    Use 6-8T butter in recipe
  • Salt ½ tsp. – can eliminate all together given butter and baking soda contain salt, or cut in ½ using ¼ tsp salt
  • Baking Soda 1 tsp.
  • Chocolate chips 1-2 c. – quality dark chocolate healthiest option as contains less sugar and more nutrients than milk chocolate (more processed and more sugar added). Recommend 1 cup chocolate chips and can add ½-1c. dried fruit for more sweetness, moisture, texture, flavor, nutrients (raisins, craisins, dates, apricots, etc.)
  • Can also add some nuts pecans, walnuts, almonds for crunch, protein, fiber, healthy fats, minerals

Baking Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix flour, flour substitute, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  2. In large bowl, beat softened butter, sugar, sugar substitute with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon about 1 minute or until fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally.
  3. Stir in flour mixture just until blended (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
  4. Onto ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
  5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store covered in airtight container.

 

We all know that it may be often difficult to stop at one cookie. Meg’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Recipe is a wonderful way to give your family a healthy snack.

Managing nutritional needs may seem complicated with all of the information out there. What types of food? How should our food be prepared? Having a nutritional coach to help find answers that best meets our individual needs may be the answer.

To learn more about Meg’s nutritonal coaching services click here. We hope you enjoy this recipe for yourself, family and friends.

 

Check Out This Video Of Meg’s Recipe