Get Your Neck In Gear!

Anyone who has experienced cervical (neck) pain knows that it can be a real pain in the neck! Consider the fact that the cervical spine, consisting of only seven vertebrae, is responsible for supporting your head which can weigh as much as a bowling ball. No other region of the spine is more mobile or more prone to injury.
Mobility in the neck is measured through range-of-motion testing that includes three distinct tests:

• Flexion – measured by ability to touch chin to chest
  
• Extension – measured by tilting your head backwards
  
• Lateral flexion – your ability to touch each ear to your shoulder

Various injuries and/or conditions are responsible for neck pain and can restrict range of motion. These include:

• Whiplash from a car accident - the head can be violently thrust forward and backward beyond its normal range of motion, resulting in muscle pain and stiffness.
  
• Degenerative conditions - occur as a result of the aging process, such as osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease.
  
• Poor posture and obesity – forward head carriage can cause the muscles in the neck to contract and stiffen.
  
• Spinal fractures, tumours or infections - can be serious and require immediate attention from a medical specialist.

According to a research study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (2001, pp.552-555), chiropractic adjustments can significantly improve cervical range of motion. As obvious as that may appear to those who regularly receive chiropractic care, limited range of motion plays a major role in many health problems that usually improve with chiropractic adjustments.

How’s Your Internal Dialogue?

by Toni Payne, NLP Master Practitioner, ANC Health Petersham

We all have internal dialogue, that is, a way that we speak to ourselves. How is your internal dialogue? Is it supportive and positive? Or do you beat yourself up and put yourself down? If it’s the latter, then it doesn’t need to be that way. You can quickly and easily change your internal dialogue with NLP!

NLP (“neuro-linguistic programming”) is a series of psychological techniques that will help you let go of old, negative thinking patterns and replace them with more useful patterns. It works with the unconscious mind - targetting the root cause of an issue.

Some examples of unhelpful internal dialogue are:

• “I’m not good enough”
• “My needs are not important”
• “It’s selfish to put myself first”
• “I can’t have what I want”
• “I don’t know enough”
• “I have to please others”
• “I’m responsible for other people’s happiness”
• “I shouldn’t upset other people”

If you are running these sorts of thinking patterns, chances are you are giving yourself a hard time unnecessarily. Wouldn’t it feel better if you spoke to yourself in a nicer way? We can also work on getting rid of the guilt, anger, fear or sadness that might be weighing you down and holding you back.

NLP is very fast and effective. By focusing on the cause of issues, we don’t need to spend wasted time trawling through your entire history. My job is to help you quickly uncover the thinking patterns that are causing you distress and then assist you to clear them. Most people require only 2 or 3 sessions. I have years of experience in helping people feel better about themselves. It’s not only great for you, it’s very rewarding for me to see people valuing themselves the way they deserve (that is, positively!).

Initial sessions with me are 90 minutes long, during which time we can make significant inroads into the issues. Please don’t beat yourself up. NLP will help you to have a more positive outlook and to be kinder to yourself. Now, wouldn’t that be a relief?

To make an appointment, call or drop into ANC Health,

31 Gordon St

Petersham. Phone: 9564-6533; www.anchealth.com.au

Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk

It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and you’ve been sitting at your desk all day. You debate running to get yet another cup of coffee to stay alert, because what you really want to do is curl up in the corner of your cubicle and take a nap! This might be just the time to do some “desk stretches” to revive your energy level. Without the caffeine!

 

We often find ourselves sitting tense at our desks in front of a computer monitor for hours. Our wrists start to hurt, our necks get sore, we’re slumped over in our chairs and our shoulders and upper backs feel tight.

Here are several exercises you can do at your desk to the reduce tension. Try them now:

1. Shoulder Stretch  Lift your shoulders up to your ears until you feel a slight tension in your neck and shoulders. Hold for 3-5 seconds and relax shoulders. Do this 2-3 times at first sign of shoulder or neck tension.
   
2. Neck Stretch  Tilt your head to one side, trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. Hold the stretch for 10-20 seconds and then return to normal. Repeat the stretch on the other side.
   
3. Spine Stretch  Raise arms over head. Stretch your right hand to the ceiling and hold for 3-5 seconds, while you exhale. Relax. Repeat with the left hand.
   
4. Lower Back Stretch  Place your hands on the edge of your desk and roll your chair back. Lower your head between your outstretched arms and arch your back while you exhale. Inhale, raise your head and arch your back in the other direction.

Do these exercises whenever you first notice the tension or stress from impending deadlines or long periods of sitting. While they’ll never take the place of your chiropractic adjustments, they’ll help keep you alert without resorting to caffeine or a candy bar.

What Is the Glycemic Index?

If you have diabetes or you are watching your weight, it may be wise to pay some attention to the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index ranks how much a particular food raises your blood sugar level after you eat it. It is really all about carbohydrates and how they raise blood sugar, since foods high in protein and fat have little effect on blood glucose. The carbohydrates that break down quickly in the digestive process have a higher glycemic index than those that slowly release glucose into the blood stream.

The Glycemic Index is starting to get some attention in the health care arena based on the fact that more and more people suffer from diabetes, with millions more in the making. Several of the popular diet books are also based on the Glycemic Index approach to losing weight, including Sugar Busters, Eat Yourself Slim and the South Beach Diet.

According to the Glycemic Index, mashed potatoes, ice cream and cornflakes raise blood sugar levels higher than pure granulated sugar! While fruits, vegetables (other than potatoes) and grainy breads have a low glycemic index.

 

What are some of the benefits of eating foods with a low glycemic index?

• Weight loss
• Feeling of "fullness" for a longer period of time after eating
• Lower rise in blood glucose levels
• Lower risk of diabetes

For a listing of more than 750 international foods, along with their glycemic index and glycemic load (how much of a carbohydrate is in the particular food), go to www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm.

Good Fats vs. Bad Fats

It's an interesting title, but are there really such things as "good" fats? Seems as though all we ever hear about is how bad fats are for you. But there are differences in fats. There are fats that your body actually needs for energy, heart health, essential fatty acids and to transport vitamins throughout your body.

So, here's the simple truth about fats:

The "Good" Fats

The good fats are the unsaturated fats - monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

• Monounsaturated fats lower the risk of heart disease. They also lower total cholesterol and "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and increase "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

Foods that are high in monounsaturated fats include nuts (walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, hazel nuts, peanuts and pistachio nuts), olive oil, olives, avocados, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.

• Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the brain and nervous system, bolster heart health and prevent certain types of cancer, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, are included in this category.

Foods that are high in polyunsaturated fats include fish (salmon, trout, catfish, and mackerel), nuts, some vegetable oils (sunflower, safflower and corn), seeds, dark leafy greens and flaxseed.

The "Bad" Fats

The bad fats are saturated and trans fats - both raise total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and clog your arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease.

• Saturated fats - found in animal products, such as meats and whole-milk dairy. Avoid red meats, cheese, butter and ice cream and use reduced (1%) or no-fat dairy products. Saturated fat can also be found in plant-based coconut oil, palm oil and cocoa butter.
• Trans fats are the worst of the worst because they raise total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. They are produced when liquid vegetable fats are changed into solid fats. Many processed foods contain trans fats, including cookies, cakes, microwave popcorn, margarine, and the foods in many fast food restaurants.

Be smart about fats and stick with poly and monounsaturated fats. Read food labels, especially commercially processed foods, to avoid trans fats. Use reduced fat or fat-free products when cooking, whenever possible. Limit your intake of sweets, processed foods, fried foods and fast foods.
If you have any questions about "good" and "bad" fats, please be sure to ask us when you come in for your next chiropractic adjustment. Good nutrition is a critical component of a healthy chiropractic lifestyle.

Can You Eat Well Eating Out?

Who doesn’t like to dine out? And with so many two working parent families and single working parents, it’s often easier to pile everyone into the car and hit the nearest restaurant for dinner. Not to mention those who live alone find it difficult to cook for only one. Question is – is it really possible to eat well when you eat out?

The answer is yes, if you rule out fast food restaurants – major contributors to weight gain and the growing problem of worldwide obesity, especially among children and teenagers. Eating all the wrong foods can also affect your energy levels, strength and mental and emotional well-being.  There are almost always healthy choices on the menu, so look for them and eating out can add variety and spice to your diet.

One of the biggest offenders? Soda, of course, a sugar-laden beverage that causes weight gain and interferes with the absorption of calcium. The sugar-free stuff is even worse.

So, what can you do to make better choices when you’re eating out?

• Order healthy salads as entrees, with the dressing on the side, so you can dip into instead of pour over.
  
• Order fish and meats that are baked, grilled or broiled, not fried.
  
• Pick fruit for dessert instead of a sugar-rich and fat-filled dessert – or order only one and share with the table!
  
• Avoid selections with mayonnaise, sour cream and butter.
  
• When you order pizza, ask for vegetable toppings instead of processed meats (pepperoni, sausage).
  
• Don’t think you have to “clear your plate” just because it’s in front of you – ask to take the leftovers home for another meal. Or two!
  
• Avoid bread and butter, French fries, onion rings, cream soups, gravies, heavy sauces (Alfredo, hollandaise), bacon and potato chips.
  
• Steer clear of the all-you-can-eat buffets and specials!
  
• Make sure you are not starving when you enter the restaurant. Much the same as food shopping on an empty stomach – you are apt to order everything on the menu!

Dining out should be social and enjoyable. Don’t let bad menu choices ruin what should be a time to relax and unwind with friends and family. Remember, no one likes that feeling of fullness that accompanies an evening of overindulgence …or the inevitable results the next day!

Colic? Try Chiropractic!

Infantile colic is a persistent crying that affects as many as 20% of babies. Infants appear distressed and act as if responding to pain. They probably are in pain, but lacking language, they communicate in the only way they can: crying.

In a landmark project over twenty years ago in Denmark, a group of 316 infants suffering with colic were selected as part of a study. After thorough examinations, each baby received a series of chiropractic adjustments. Naturally, these adjustments were significantly different from the adjustments you are used to receiving.

The results? Mothers reported “no colic” or “colic improved” in 94% of the cases within the first several weeks.

Although the study, funded by the Vilhelm Krause Research Foundation, the Danish Pro-Chiropractic Association, and the European Chiropractic Union did not meet the protocols of the clincial tests that new drugs are subjected to, mothers reported a significant reduction in crying on the very first day of chiropractic care.

If your baby is suffering, why not give us a call?