Our Blog

Chiropractic Tips For Pain-Free Travel This Summer

It’s almost summertime! If this is your vacation season, be sure to plan accordingly. Traveling can disrupt your regular health and wellness routine. Spending time in the car, airport, train or bus, can cause muscles and joints to become stiff and sore. To kick-off the summer season, here are tips to avoid travel-related discomfort.

1. Take Breaks: Remaining in one position for too long affects your posture and may strain your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. If possible, take breaks to reduce stress on bones and tissues which may help you avoid post-trip pain. If traveling by train, bus or plane, you can keep your body loose and limber by walking up and down the aisles, if possible.

2. Stretch Out the Kinks: Stretching before, during and after your trip relaxes your muscles and increases blood flow to your muscles and joints. This also helps you avoid neck and back pain. During your trip, try a few simple seated exercises like rolling your shoulders back and forth, moving your neck from side to side, lifting your legs, and rolling your ankles in small circles.

3. Get Comfortable: Use a neck cushion or pillow to support your neck during your trip. If lower back pain is a problem, buy a lumbar cushion designed to fit and support the curve of your back.

4. Lighten the Luggage: Use a suitcase with wheels to make navigating easier and bend at the knees when lifting luggage. If you need carry-on luggage, try using a backpack with two straps to help evenly distribute the weight.

5. Visit the Chiropractor: Pre-trip treatments can realign your spine, improve your posture, and keep your muscles and tissues loose and flexible. Post-trip appointments can prevent minor pain or soreness from becoming major problems. Your chiropractor will look for misaligned vertebrae, tight tissues and knots, and offer treatments.

Stay ready for your summer vacations and road trips. Contact our office for your chiropractic adjustment before and after your travels to keep you aligned and functioning properly.

Epilepsy Awareness and Chiropractic Care

Living with seizures is incredibly challenging and can have a huge impact on your quality of life. Often the stigmas and challenges associated with the disorder can be more challenging than the seizures themselves.

What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes people to have seizures, but the exact cause is often unknown. This disorder affects people of all ages from newborns to seniors. Studies show an estimated 3.4 million Americans suffer from epilepsy, including 3 million adults and 470,000 children. A person must have two or more seizures to be diagnosed with epilepsy.

What are the far-reaching effects of seizures?
Seizures are placed in two primary categories: generalized and focal. Generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain, while focal seizures target one specific area of the brain. Because seizures are rooted in the central nervous system, they can impact all areas and systems of the body, and their effects can be from very mild to extremely severe and life-threatening.

Is Chiropractic care an effective form of seizure treatment?
Because seizures stem from the central nervous system, chiropractors are one of the best doctors to see when you’re struggling with seizures or seizure disorders. In the 19th century, scientists discovered that applying pressure to one of the two carotid arteries will stimulate the Vagus nerve and help prevent a seizure from occurring. Since this breakthrough, chiropractors have found that the upper cervical area of the spine affects the Vagus nerve. This knowledge helps chiropractors perform specific, gentle adjustments to the upper cervical area of the spine. In turn, this helps remove any vertebral subluxations and allows patients to better manage their seizures.

How we can help
Proper spinal alignment through chiropractic care has been shown to reduce pain, improve movement, reduce blood pressure and reduce seizure activity. If you or your loved one suffers from seizures of any kind of severity, contact our clinic in Clinton, MD to learn more about how neurologically-based chiropractic care can improve your overall health.

Before Grabbing the Allergy Meds, Try Chiropractic Care

Spring is in the air and that means pollen is, too. If you’re an allergy sufferer, this is not good news. According to the American Academy of Asthma and Immunology, approximately half of the adult population in the United States lives with known sensitivities to allergens. If you have allergies, it’s important to know how you can treat them.

When it comes to treatment, there’s no shortage of allergy medications to purchase. However, most have unpleasant side effects that can leave you drowsy and barely able to function. Fortunately, there are other alternatives. Chiropractic treatments can be an effective and natural method of easing allergy issues.

Here are ways chiropractic care helps boost your body against allergies:

Strengthens the immune system. Your spine affects nearly everything in your body. Misalignments in the spine can disrupt the brain’s lines of communication with the rest of the body. This can lead to lower immunity and your body will have a tougher time reacting to stressors. By manipulating the joints and soft tissue, a chiropractor can restore the body’s alignment and re-open essential pathways between the brain and spine.

Regulates Histamine Production: Chiropractic adjustments can help regulate histamine levels in your body. Curbing histamine production is a big help during allergy season, as this compound within the body is responsible for many allergy symptoms.

Regulates stress hormones. Many allergy sufferers have compromised adrenal glands, which makes it harder to moderate allergic reactions. Since the adrenal glands are fed directly by spinal nerves, a properly aligned spine can help regulate the amount of cortisol the body produces. This can help mitigate the severity of allergy symptoms.

Supports the respiratory system: Like the immune system, the respiratory system depends on an unimpeded flow of information to and from the brain. Chiropractic care keeps the pathways open, fortifying the respiratory system to better withstand allergic attacks.

If you suffer from allergy symptoms, you don’t have to continue to just deal with it. Contact our clinic in Clinton, MD., and our team of professionals will be happy to talk with you.

Did you know chiropractic treatment can help these illnesses?

While back aches, whiplash injuries and stiff necks may top the list, chiropractic care treats many issues that may amaze you.

Chiropractors focus on conditions related to your body’s structure. When your entire body is in proper alignment – not just those parts related to your neck and spine – you have a better chance of overall improved health.

If this surprises you, you’re not alone, but you may be missing out. Here’s look at six conditions that a chiropractor can treat:

1. Plantar Fasciitis: This condition involves the inflammation or irritation of the thin tissue present at the bottom of the foot. The symptoms include pain in the heels while walking associated with swelling and numbness. A chiropractor can relieve this pain through soft tissue therapy, custom orthotics, and restoration of proper biomechanics.
2. Migraines and tension headaches: When experiencing severe headache pain, it could indicate excessive strain on the nervous system. A chiropractor treats these issues by relieving the pressure on your nerves.
3. Easier pregnancy and shorter labor: Before delivery, pregnant women receiving regular chiropractic care report less back pain, heartburn, and circulation problems.
4. Fibromyalgia: This is a condition characterized by persistent musculoskeletal pain and other symptoms such as problems with sleep, mood, and memory. Chiropractic treatment aims at improving circulation and restoration of skeletal alignment and functions of the nervous system.
5. Hip Bursitis: The condition is caused by an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac that lies below the hip muscle. The main symptom is a pain at the point of the hip that extends to the outside of the thigh area. With proper chiropractic care, patients respond well to regular treatment.
6. Weak immune systems: Chiropractic care detects and eliminates subluxation, which is the physical nerve stress that affects neuronal control. Studies show that chiropractic adjustments can reduce the stress, thereby boosting the coordinated responses of the nervous and immune systems.

Regular chiropractic care can reduce or eliminate the source of many issues, allowing you to resume your normal life activities. If you need a chiropractic appointment, contact our clinic in Clinton, Md.

Chiropractic Tips for Fall Season

Autumn is full of some of our favorite things. But it’s also one of the busiest times of year. In a blink of an eye, your calendar can quickly fill up with family gatherings, school functions, outdoor activities, and seasonal chores to prepare for the colder weather. It can also lead to big changes to your body and bring new physical stressors to handle. So before you jump into your fall routine, take a moment to remember your health and wellness.

Chiropractic care helps you deal with the changes brought on by this time of year. Here are some tips to prepare for the season:

• Remember to wear supportive shoes. If you’re raking leaves, taking a walk, or shopping for groceries and gifts, wearing shoes with firm arch support should be your go-to. This can prevent future back pain.

• Pay attention to your knees. If you’re lifting or heaving anything, bend at your knees rather than your waist or your back. This protects your spine and muscles from unnecessary strain. 

• Take supplements or vitamins to boost your immune system. Also, schedule your chiropractic visits to help your body recuperate, renew and gain strength. Spinal adjustments help keep your nerve system clear, which allows your immune system to react more efficiently against infections.

• Reduce stress with chiropractic care. The autumn season can be very stressful. Last-minute shopping and running errands can be overwhelming, which can lead to headaches and body pain. Various techniques through chiropractic care can help minimize stress.

• Manage any seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Less exposure to sunlight and gloomy weather can trigger SAD, which may cause you to lose interest, energy and motivation. Chiropractic adjustments can regulate your levels of melatonin and serotonin. Routine visits may help you control emotions and adjust to lifestyle changes.

For many people, fall is the best time of year. So enjoy the season by preparing for it in advance. If you need a chiropractor appointment, contact us at our clinic in Clinton, MD. We look forward to serving you.

School’s in session, it’s time to call the chiropractor

Ready or not, school is officially back in session. For many of us, this means packing lunches, helping with homework and meeting with teachers. On your long to-do list, don’t forget to add chiropractic care.

The back-to-school transition can be a stressful time for the body. The physical effects of exposure to germs, heavy backpacks, sitting all day, and high-impact sports can be harmful. Let’s look at some chiropractic tips to help make this a healthy school season.

Keep illness at bay
A classroom is the perfect environment for germs to circulate, but chiropractic treatments can reduce the risk of getting sick. Chiropractic adjustments help boost the immune system by ensuring their nervous system is functioning at 100%.  

The right backpack matters
Popular backpacks look cool today, but can lead to back pain tomorrow. Purchase backpacks with wide and padded ergonomic straps. When packing it, put the heaviest items closest to the body and adjust straps so weight is evenly distributed. The backpack weight should not exceed 10-15% of your child’s body weight. 

Sit up straight
Sitting at a desk for long hours can put enormous stress on the back. Teach your child proper posture, which means books/tablets held at eye level, feet flat on the floor, and backs against their seat. This reduces the chance of suffering from back, neck, and shoulder pain. 

Stretch it out
Gym class, sports practice and physical outdoor play time could lead to injuries if your child’s spine is misaligned. Reduce the chance of new injuries by visiting the chiropractor. Also, reinforce the importance of stretching before any strenuous activity, which helps prevent injury to muscles.

Prioritize Consistent Sleep
Summer throws off a child’s sleep pattern, so encourage your child to stick to a consistent bedtime. Without at least 8 hours of sleep per night, your child’s body and brain functions can suffer.

If you want to learn more about our services, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment at our clinic in Clinton, Md. We look forward to serving you.