What Parents Need To Know About Outdoor Recreational Gear
Kids see a trampoline and they’re drawn to it– they want to jump! But parents often worry about their kids playing around on a trampoline, and that worry is somewhat justified. Did you know the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages the use of trampolines at home? There’s a strong risk of injuries associated with trampoline jumping, including sprains, fractures, and serious neck and head injuries. Even letting kids play on public trampolines at trampoline parks can be a cause for concern.
Okay, so maybe it’s best to make your kids avoid trampolines all together, but how realistic is that? Kids will whine and whine until you give in! That said, there are some things you can do to help keep them safe during play. For instance, if you have or use a home trampoline, use a safety net and pads. The net surrounds the trampoline. The pads cover the frame, springs and surrounding landing surfaces. Of course, once you’ve got all that safety equipment in place, it’s important to check on it every now and then looking for tears, detachments and/or deterioration.
Another good idea is to place the trampoline at ground level rather than high off the ground. Can you imagine how it would feel for a kid to fall five or six feet to the ground if they accidentally fell/stepped off a trampoline that’s high in the air? Also, keep the trampoline away from trees, power lines, rocks, and any other hazards.
Should kids under 6 be on the trampoline? No. Should there be more than one kid on the trampoline at a time? Ideally, no. Once you’ve got a bunch of kids all together on the trampoline you increase their risk of injuries from bumping into each other. Also, risky moves such as somersaults and flips should be discouraged.
Finally, kids shouldn’t be left unsupervised on a trampoline. There should always be a responsible adult in view, paying attention to their play. If and when the trampoline shouldn’t be used, an adult should remove the ladder to it so kids won’t have access.
If and when someone gets injured on a trampoline, it’s a smart idea to make an appointment with Lakewoods Chiropractic; call 651-464-0800 to do so.
Natural Approaches to Menopause
At a certain age– say about 50– most women stop producing eggs. Their body’s production of estrogen drops. They enter a phase of their life called menopause, signaled by 12 months since last menstruation. Common symptoms include hot flashes and vaginal dryness, as well as sleep disturbances, irritability, anxiety and/or depression.
What are some natural approaches to dealing with menopause such that it’s “easier?”
Consider Asian women who eat mostly plant-based diets. In studies, Asian women reported fewer hot flashes (10-22%) than American women (75%). Could food play a role? Certainly. American women should cut down on meat and fat when they’re approaching menopause and try switching to a rice-based, plant-based diet, which could conceivably lessen their experience with hot flashes. Historically, women who ate mostly vegetables and avoided dairy and fat reported few, if any, hot flashes– interesting, right?
Now if you’re not inclined to give up hamburgers, how can you deal with hot flashes? It turns out that regular aerobic exercise helps. This is the time in your life to take vigorous walks daily or do some water aerobics in the local pool.
What about vaginal dryness? During menopause, dryness, irritation and bacterial infections can occur. You might want to use plant-based creams to maintain a moist vaginal lining. Ordinary lubricants and moisturizers work, too.
What about the mental shift occurring during menopause? A woman might not be in her “right mind” during the process, complete with feelings of nervousness, depression, and/or even memory lapses. This is part of the process– and temporary. It can help to talk about these feelings with a trusted confidante.
Sunlight is important to women going through menopause. When sunlight touches the skin it gets the body to naturally produce vitamin D. This, in turn, helps the digestive tract absorb calcium from foods.
Meanwhile, menopausal women should get their spine and nervous system checked by a chiropractor. Adjustments can help balance the nerves, leading to better sleep and clearer thoughts. Since everything is connected, a chiropractor’s work on the upper neck and mid-to-lower back areas can positively affect other parts of the body such as the reproductive organ tissues and pelvic pain! A chiropractor removes nerve interference, allowing the body to naturally heal itself. And adjustments help lower elevated levels of the stress hormone Cortisol, balancing hormones without the dangerous effects of medications like HRT.
To take a natural approach to menopause, please call Lakewoods Chiropractic to make an appointment at 651-464-0800.
Chiropractic Adjustments Benefits Joints in the Extremities
An extremity is a limb or appendage of the body, and with regards to chiropractic adjustments, we’re primarily talking about the hands and the feet.
While most people think of chiropractors dealing with bad backs, the truth is that chiropractors can and do work on many regions of the body to promote optimal function, including the extremities.
Most times, people who play sports on a regular basis need adjustments on certain joints and areas. For instance, tennis players often visit chiropractors to deal with pain in their hands and fingers. Sports that use the hands and feet in an intense and repetitive way put great strains on the joints in the extremities.
Arthritis, especially in older people, often manifests in the extremities.
Chiropractors use manual adjustments on the joints of the extremities to decrease inflammation and ultimately increase the range of motion. Feet, ankles, hands and wrists can all be “worked on” by a chiropractor in order to stimulate blood flow, reduce wear and tear, and, overall, help relieve pain and make them feel much better.
In the body, everything is connected. So, if one part of the body isn’t functioning properly, other parts have to compensate. If you’ve got pain in one ankle, you’ll end up shifting your weight when you walk and then putting more and more pressure on the other ankle. This is do-able for the short-term, but it’s not a long-term solution to the problem. A chiropractor seeks to fix your problem area such that your body can be in proper alignment and good working order. When everything is in its right place, then the body doesn’t have to overcompensate, which leads to misalignments.
If you experience cold extremities, that’s usually the result of poor circulation. High blood pressure, obesity, arterial blockage, poor heart function and stress can all lead to the constriction of blood vessels, which, in turn, means poor circulation. Chiropractic manipulation and other natural approaches, including massage and acupressure, have helped many patients relieve stress and, ultimately, improved circulation in/to their hands and feet.
Do you suffer from cold feet or cold hands? Do you have pain in your wrists and/or ankles? How do your fingers feel? Is one of them numb? These are things you should discuss with your chiropractor. Please call Lakewoods Chiropractic to make an appointment at 651-464-0800.
Focus on Prevention This Father’s Day
Father’s Day is June 16. It’s a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society.
If you’re a dad or you know someone who is a dad, you know that dads take on a lot of stress and responsibilities for their families. They worry about things like paying the bills, cutting the grass, taking out the garbage, and, of course, raising decent, healthy, happy kids.
One of the main reasons a dad sees a chiropractor is because his lower back hurts. And this is usually because he’s been picking up his kid or kids and putting them over his head, twirling them around like a human amusement park ride, and/or wrestling on the floor with all sorts of twists and contortions.
How can dads play with their kids in a way that doesn’t bother their joints, muscles, and backs? Well, think of the body like a cold rubber band. If it’s frozen, it snaps. But if it’s warm, it works well. The same is true for a dad bod… So before you pick up a crying baby or your heavy 8-year-old, do some squats or walk up and down the stairs. This will get your blood flowing, and help your body get ready and warmed up to handle dealing with little ones.
What about slouching? Most dads do this, and it’s not helpful. Poor posture often means a visit to the chiropractor. That said, dads should make an effort to slouch less in life. Office jobs mean sitting in one position for hours, right? Dads should get up from their desks and walk around every 20-30 minutes, moving their bodies. This can prevent pain! At a desk, take a deep breath and push your shoulders down and your chest out.
Dads deal with a lot of things. Therefore, they should prepare their body for a variable load. Doing different kinds of exercises with weights helps dads prepare for dealing with 2-year-olds and kids in general. Do planks, deadlifts, lunges and work your core to strengthen it.
Finally, know your limits. While most dads try to impress everyone around them, sometimes there are activities just not worth doing because they will result in pain. If you want to prevent pain, avoid doing things that cause it.
How to Develop a Wellness Attitude
One of the main reasons people visit chiropractors is because they want to feel better. Whether they have pain in their neck, shoulders, back or elsewhere, the hope is that a chiropractor can help relieve that pain through manual adjustments. It’s a natural way to deal with problems in the body.
A person’s health is, of course, physical, but also mental. Your body and mind are connected. Therefore, in order to improve your overall health, you should strive to develop a wellness attitude.
What is wellness? It’s the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal. What is attitude? It’s a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something. It’s typically reflected in a person’s behavior.
There are certain things you can do to develop a wellness attitude.
First, consider the 80/20 approach to life. Most people, when they want to be healthier, decide to eat nothing but healthy foods and exercise like there’s no tomorrow. But that’s too intense! Instead, consider taking the 80/20 approach, whereas you make healthy food/drink choices 80 percent of the time for 5 or 6 days a week and “do what you want” the other 20 percent of the week. This way, you’re still able to enjoy the things you like, such as beer and pizza. You’re not totally denying yourself. But, because you’ve got a goal in mind to eat “better” 80 percent of your week, you’re going to improve your overall health. Eating healthy means choosing foods that aren’t high in calories. It means choosing higher-protein snacks. It means avoiding sugary processed foods. So, for 6 days a week, eat things like carrots, peppers, yogurt, nuts, and turkey. Then on day 7, allow yourself some leeway, and eat cookies, pastries, etc.
Next, set small, achievable goals. Rather than saying, “I need to lose 20 pounds this month!” you should say, “I’m going to work to lose 3 pounds this month.” That’s more realistic.
In order to develop a wellness attitude, start thinking about your time and decide to manage it more efficiently. What are you doing with your time to feel better about you and your life? Make a list of priorities and then assign weights to them– what’s high priority? What’s low? For instance, “going to the gym to swim at their pool” could be high-priority such that, in your mind, you’ve got it down on the calendar for Tuesdays and Thursdays at Noon. That’s do-able. What’s low priority? Maybe “going to the bar to drink with friends.”
Take some time to think about how you spend your time and what you do with your mind and body… if you smoke, do whatever it takes to quit. If you don’t exercise, now’s the time to get some accountability and actually exercise– having a friend or a coach who you “check in with” or who “directs” you can help with this.
Finally, to develop a wellness attitude, commit to “me time” where you clean yourself well (washing your hands, your hair, etc.), sleep/rest, stretch, dance, read the Bible or an inspirational book, pray, meditate, etc. Oh, and see your chiropractor regularly, so that your body is in alignment and can function optimally.
Can Chiropractic Adjustments Improve Well-Being?
Chiropractic doctors check for a misalignment of the bones in a person’s spine. A misalignment puts pressure on the nerves that control everything in your body, resulting in pain. Chiropractors use hands-on manipulation to naturally correct misalignments such that patients don’t have to resort to using pills for pain relief.
Do chiropractic adjustments help improve a person’s well-being? Definitely. Chiropractors physically manipulate bodies to promote musculoskeletal alignment. When “everything is in its rightful and proper place,” then a patient’s mobility, ability and strength improves. Having a properly aligned spinal cord improves a person’s immune system function, too.
Most people who visit doctors have in their minds what they want doctors to hear, but most doctors don’t do that great a job at listening to their patients. They like treating symptoms rather than conditions. A chiropractor, though, is oftentimes a better listener– someone who is willing to truly listen to what a patient describes and then work with them to improve their overall condition. In a way, you could describe chiropractic care as “getting to the root of the problem,” rather than a medical doctor’s gruff way of “prescribing a pill for the symptom.” If that’s not enough to cause someone to take a second and think, “This is a better approach to my health and well-being,” then what is?
Pills and surgeries often bring with them more problems… harsh side effects, long term negative changes in the body, and/or a diminished quality of life after “care.” A chiropractor, however, helps patients achieve their wellness goals naturally, without the risk of long-term side effects, toxins and chemicals.
If you’re someone who has constant back pain, life can be difficult. The same goes for chronic neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, etc. Pain messes with a person’s well-being. Chiropractors are in the business of relieving people’s pain. When this occurs, patients feel like they have a new lease on life. “It doesn’t hurt like it used to,” they’ll say with a smile. “And now I can do what I want to do, again. Yes!”
If you’re looking to improve both your mental and emotional well-being, you need to reduce or eliminate the problems your body is currently experiencing– problems that are hampering your lifestyle! Therefore, make an appointment with Dr. Jason Gerard at Lakewoods Chiropractic today by calling 651-464-0800. Let the healing begin!
Bright Is Best For Veggies
How’s your body feeling today? Do you get stomach pains? Joint pain? Headaches? Are you tired all the time? There are certain foods that cause inflammation in the body, and others which prevent and/or fight it.
What is inflammation? It’s part of the body’s immune response; it’s the body’s response to injury. If and when inflammation gets out of control, it can lead to chronic diseases. In other words, you don’t want too much inflammation in the body.
What are some foods that cause inflammation?
Table sugar and high fructose corn syrup are two “big ones.” They’re ubiquitous today. In limited quantities, you should be fine, but if your diet consists mostly of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, you’re going to have inflammation and it’s going to be bad. Is it any wonder that more and more people are drinking less sugary soda pop and opting for plain old water instead? It’s for their own good. Foods high in sugar include candy, chocolate, cakes, doughnuts and pastries. Other foods that lead to inflammation problems include: french fries, white breads, pasta, some cereals, processed meat, and excessive alcohol consumption.
What are some foods that prevent/fight inflammation? You can’t go wrong with berries! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are so good for you. Do you like fish? Then eat more salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and anchovies. What about avocados and broccoli? These are excellent foods to prevent/fight inflammation– enjoy! Also, if you like peppers, mushrooms, grapes, tomatoes, and dark chocolate, eat up… these are anti-inflammatory foods that will help you become healthier.
Do you need help figuring out what to eat more of and what to eat less of? Most of us do! Did you know chiropractor Dr. Jason Gerard of Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN, can help you develop a healthier eating plan for your life? One of the reasons people fail in their diet is because they try to cut out everything they loved and just stick with “very healthy things” only– but that’s not sustainable. Why not have Dr. Gerard discuss options with you and come up with “little changes” that will end up bringing “big results” over time? Now’s the time to start thinking about what foods and drinks you put into your body everyday. By making some positive changes now, you’ll have less problems later in life.
The Latest Research On Depression And Exercise
Feeling depressed? A lot of people are depressed these days. When someone feels depressed, what do they do? For some, they choose to ignore it and hope it goes away. They try and “work through it on their own.” Others go to doctors and ask for pills. Many Americans are on antidepressants. Some of the key names you might recognize include Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft. While these pills may help people, they also include a number of side effects– including some negative ones. Plus, do most people want to be “on pills” for a long time/the rest of their lives? No.
What about exercise? Could exercise be a decent alternative to taking pills to treat depression? Recent research shows that exercise is definitely a natural, healthy way to combat depression… Not only does regular exercise help protect against heart disease and diabetes, but it also improves sleep and lowers blood pressure. Furthermore, it’s a great idea to do high-intensity exercise to battle depression– that’s when the body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins, giving people a “natural high.” Meanwhile, even low-intensity exercise can help make a person feel better over time. Proteins get released during and after exercise causing nerve cells to grow and make new connections. In turn, the brain functions better. Specifically, neuroscientists found that the hippocampus in the brain (the region that helps regulate mood) is smaller in people who are depressed. That said, when those people make exercise part of their daily regimen, exercise supports nerve cell growth in the hippocampus. Nerve cell connections are improved, and depression is relieved. So, in conclusion, exercise is great not just for your body and health, but brain and mood as well.
If you’re someone who hasn’t exercised before, it can be hard to start. “Where do I begin?” is a question most people ask themselves. Furthermore, they need someone or something to motivate them to actually do exercise. Did you know chiropractor Dr. Jason Gerard can help coach you in this regard? He’s the kind of guide who you can be accountable to, and he’s there for you to talk with, ask questions, and to push you out of your sedentary comfort zone. If you’ve been feeling depressed and suspect that exercise is a better choice than taking pills in order to feel better, then you should definitely schedule an appointment at Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN. Dr. Gerard can help you develop an action plan and stick to it, such that exercise becomes a new habit that helps you!
Psychosocial Factors And Back Pain
The word “psychosocial” is a fancy word that some people use to describe various factors that can relate to a person’s physical health. For instance, depression, hopelessness, stress, anger/hostility, and feeling out of control are examples of psychosocial factors… and some of these things may influence how a person feels, specifically related to their aches and pains.
Take, for instance, depression. Is a depressed person more likely to feel pain? Perhaps. Depression might cause pain, and pain might cause depression– it can become a vicious cycle. Though it’s not clearly understood “why,” research has shown that people with depression often suffer with physical problems such as back pain and/or headaches. Over time, a person feels worse– they get “worn down” and “moody.” If they’re bothered by chronic pain, that can lead to more problems, like trouble sleeping and a more stressful life. If the pain is “so bad,” a person might not exercise like they used to/wanted to, and they might give up doing the social activities or hobbies they liked. Furthermore, this mix of problems can lower a person’s self-esteem to the point where they lose friends, lose interest in work, and suffer financial setbacks, too.
When a person is stressed, they manifest that stress in their body– usually they experience tension, stiffness, and, yes, back pain. If and when a person is stressed out to the point where they’re keeping their back muscles tighter than they should be, they’ll experience a variety of aches and pains.
Did you know that some people think back pain is a somatic symptom created by the unconscious to distract a person from emotional issues they want to repress? Think about it this way– if you’re an angry person but you’re not allowing yourself to express that anger (through something healthy like a kickboxing class or swimming), your back pain could be the direct result of the rage within you having nowhere to release!
Psychosocial factors can definitely play a role in back pain. If you think you might be going through some tough things like depression or stress, consider meeting with a chiropractor. Dr. Jason Gerard of Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN, can help you find solutions to such problems with the intent to relieve your pain naturally.
Drug Free Approaches To Headache Prevention
Most people who get a lot of headaches rely on pills to take away the pain. Ask around and you’re likely going to hear, “I take Ibuprofen every time I get a headache.” But what about taking a drug-free approach to headache prevention?
Consider why you might be getting headaches in the first place. Oftentimes it has to do with what you put into your body. What do you regularly eat and drink? Some things that trigger headaches include caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, cheese, and foods/drinks made with artificial sweeteners. Avoiding these things can lessen or eliminate the number of/severity of headaches you experience. Meanwhile, other headache triggers can include foods high in histamines, tyramine and/or nitrates. Read more labels, be more aware of what the ingredients are in the foods and drinks you consume, and avoid the ones that seem to bother you the most.
Another drug-free approach to headache prevention is the anti-inflammatory diet. Basically, increase your intake of foods containing monounsaturated fats and omega-3s. Reduce your intake of foods with omega-6 fats. Practically-speaking, eat more avocados, nuts, olive oil and fish and eat less corn, soy and vegetable oils (and processed foods containing these things).
Do you skip meals? If so, don’t do that. When you skip meals, low blood sugar and dehydration can bring on headaches. If you ever see people who carry water bottles around with them everywhere they go, they’re on to something good– staying well hydrated during the day! Meanwhile, when you’ve got to pee, go to the bathroom rather than holding it or else risk suffering with a headache.
Other ways to prevent or lessen headaches include taking time out of your day to stretch, relax, and do exercises such as yoga to help get the blood flowing and/or applying a cold ice pack to the spot on your head where it hurts. You might also consider regular visits to Lakewoods Chiropractic as chiropractic care regularly aids in the prevention of and reduction of headaches; call 651-464-0800 to make an appointment or email [email protected]. Lakewoods Chiropractic, of Forest Lake, MN, is conveniently located at 255 Highway 97 in Suite #2A.
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