Have you ever had to restart your PC after the hard drive froze from being overwhelmed? You probably hit 'Control+Alt+Delete' to get your programs running smoothly again, right? Well your human computer needs a periodic rebooting too, and Chiropractic Adjustments do just that.
Your Nerve System gets easily overwhelmed from everyday stress. An urgent deadline at work, unexpected crisis with your children or any inconvenient change in your routine can act as an unsolicited stressor (spyware or a virus) that bogs down your nerves. The result... your body begins to slow down, you feel like you're running sluggish and eventually you "freeze up" with an illness. Getting an adjustment is like hitting the Control+Alt+Delete buttons. It clears your Nerve System of unwanted stress and gets things running smoothly again. All the stress our grandparents experienced in a week, today we absorb in just 24 hours! If you're not making an effort to purge that tension from your human computer on a consistent basis, you're asking for trouble. Don't wait until your hard drive crashes. Get 'rebooted' routinely with Chiropractic care and stay ahead of the failure. We're looking out for you. Content provided by Principle33.
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Ice is used to reduce swelling, inflammation, and irritation to nerves, resulting in reduction of pain as well as aiding the body’s natural healing processes.
It is recommended that you use a reusable flexible cold pack. If this is not available, you may use a plastic bag half-filled with crushed ice cubes, instant ice packs, or, if necessary, even a bag of frozen vegetables (lima beans work nicely!). Make sure that the ice pack is of an appropriate size and molding capacity for the affected body part. Place the ice on the area of pain, or in an area specified by Dr. Johnson. Never place the ice directly on the skin: frozen ice packs are often lower than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and can quickly cause frostbite. Use one layer of thin clothing or a damp paper towel between the ice and your skin. Leave the ice on for 15 minutes. NOTE: Longer is NOT better with ice. Even after removing the ice, the local tissues will, amazingly, continue to get colder. If the ice remains in place for 30 minutes, the body reacts by increasing blood flow to the area to "save" the tissues from frostbite. However, the increased blood results in swelling and the return of inflammation. Also, do not lie on your ice pack. Ice plus compression equals significantly lower temperatures, and puts you, again, in danger of frostbite. Apply the ice every two hours during the day, until otherwise instructed by Dr. Johnson. Of course! As soon as I write a post about spring training and baseball, we get another winter storm advisory for Peoria and northern Illinois. Anywhere from 4-8 inches of heavy wet snow are forecasted for tonight. This time of the year, the post-holiday doldrums, are best known for unpredictable weather and the sniffles. This is the time of year when many of us seem to catch colds and flus. Why is that?
Well, the weather doesn't actually cause us to "get sick". We don't get a cold because it happens to be cold outside. We succumb to viral invasions as a result of two simple conditions: 1) there are enough viruses to overwhelm our immune system, and/or 2) our immune system is already less than full strength. A top-capacity human immune system has the capability to fight off any moderately-numbered bacterial or viral invasion, so why at this time of year does the body seem to lack full immunity? There are several possible reasons. 1) Your body has already struggled through several months of dry weather. Peoria winters usually aren't this cold, but they usually are arid. Your body has strenuously been pouring precious energy resources into conserving fluids. You lose water in many ways during the winter months: unnoticeable sweating, breathing (the escaping warm moisture particles are why you can "see" your breath in the cold air), and tears of joy at Christmas. Your body, therefore, has diverted so much energy to moisture preservation that it has let immune function slide to the back burner. It's important to receive frequent chiropractic adjustments during this period. The immune system has a particular correlation to the nervous system, and, for lack of a better term, is re-energized by the chiropractic adjustment. 2) These are the gray days. Gray clouds, gray snow on the ground, gray roads. All that gray means that the sun has been hiding for a while. The sun is our best source of Vitamin D, which is widely considered to be today's modern miracle drug. Actually, it's a bit of a misnomer to say that the sun gives us Vitamin D, as though it's pouring it into us like a commercial for Sunny Delight. What really happens is the sun's ultraviolet rays help to convert molecules already in our body into Vitamin D. Without the ultraviolet rays, however, we don't get the benefits of Vitamin D. One of the crucial functions of Vitamin D is, believe it or not, immune function stimulation. 3) The holiday season, turn of the calendar year, and early tax season are quite stressful for many people. (Even St. Valentine's day holds it own unique stresses.) When we feel stressed, our bodies automatically lock into fight-or-flight mode. Our hearts race, our muscles clench, our breath quickens, our palms sweat. In neurological terms, our sympathetic nervous system gains dominance over our parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls vital survival functions, temporarily decreasing the priority of other organ systems like the digestive system or the immune system. After all, when you're being chased by a bear, the last thing your body needs to worry about is breaking down that peanut butter sandwich. However, after the stresses are over, the body relaxes only to find itself way behind on immune capacity. And that's a prime time for people to "succumb" to infection. That makes it time to remember to have your nervous system examined by your friendly local Peoria Activator chiropractic doctor. Can you think of any more reasons why you'd get a viral infection this time of year? Ah, the signs of spring! We got just a sniff of warmer air in Peoria last week, and all the children are already itching for spring. The robins are back (and in some cases never left!). In the southern states, spring training has already begun for major and minor league baseball teams. After so many months off from the sport, many pitchers are easing gently back into their normal routine of throwing the baseball. They know from long experience that they must take care of their throwing shoulder. Baseball pitchers whip their arm forward in a violent and strenuous motion when releasing the baseball, which, if they aren't careful, can easily damage the muscular structures surrounding the shoulder. The shoulder is the most freely movable joint in the human body. It can rotate in almost every direction, quickly and smoothly. In fact, to call it a joint at all is almost a misnomer: the bones don't really fit well together at all. In order to have optimal range of motion, the ball-and-socket joint is held together by muscles instead of by strong ligaments and bony structures. What the shoulder gains in mobility, however, it loses in stability. The muscles which hold the humerus (the arm bone) onto the body are easily damaged if overused. Some of these muscles have a fancy and famous name: The Rotator Cuff. The Rotator Cuff is a group of four muscles. Each one of these muscles links the humerus to the shoulder blade. These muscles stabilize the shoulder joint, and cause the arm to rise and and to rotate. Most sport-specific arm movements come from these muscles: raising the hand over the head, cocking the arm before throwing, twisting the arm when throwing a curveball, etc. As the diagram shows, these muscles are all quite large by the shoulder blade, but become very thin and ligamentous once they near the humerus. This is the cause of the possible instability. Repetitive motions (throwing too often) or overly forceful motions can cause small tears in the tendons which connect the muscles to the arm bone. Needless to say, this results in a lot of pain and discomfort. The most frequently injured muscle in the rotator cuff is the supraspinatus. This muscle originates at the top of the shoulder blade, and crosses over the top of the humerus. Its job is to lift the arm out to the side. It is most frequently injured by microtrauma (repetitive rubbing on nearby bony structures). Whether you're a major leaguer or just planning on playing a bit of softball this year, make sure to keep good care of your rotator cuff. Throw softly at first. Ice after playing hard. Recent research has shown that stretching, while a good and noble activity to warm up the muscles, does not reduce the likelihood of muscular injury. So please don't expect that a little bit of arm stretching will automatically protect you from rotator cuff injury. Whatever your activity level is, remember that the phrase "no pain, no gain" is quite often wrong. If you begin to feel pain on the top of the shoulder during a repetitive activity, stop immediately and ice the affected area. Contact your friendly local Peoria Activator doctor with any questions. Batter up! Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up, step right up! Behold, I give you... the human brain! Your nervous system is a marvel of communication technology. Ancient as the Sphinx, powerful as the Internet. Allow me to help you regain a sense of youthful wonder at the power that is within you. That's right. Watch closely. Be confounded as Illinois researchers attach artificial robot arms to a man's nervous system. Be awestruck by a European skullcap which can sense neuronal signals in a man's brain in order to control his robotic wheelchair. Come closer, Ladies and Gentlemen, don't be shy. Witness these incredible marvels, courtesy of your amazing nervous system! |
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DisclaimerUnless otherwise attributed, all content is written by Kyle Johnson, DC, of Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria.
All images used are under Creative Commons license. Although every effort has been made to provide an accurate description of our chiropractic care and its benefits, the information given on this website and blog is not intended to be, nor should it be interpreted as, medical advice for any condition. If you have any questions regarding your condition, you should seek the help of Dr. Johnson in person, so that he may properly assess your condition. This blog is provided by Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C., proudly located in Peoria, IL. |