May 09

Welcome to our May newsletter. We hope you enjoy the information and it stimulates you to ask us questions and help us to serve you better. Please encourage your friends and family to take advantage of our “CHIROPRACTIC CARE WEEK” offer

Let's Move!

Normal movement is essential to health. We all know that we need to move for our cardiovascular health, for flexibility and strength. Lack of movement, as in sedentary lifestyle, leads to chronic illness as discussed in the other article in this newsletter.

What is generally not well understood is that normal movement is essential for the stimulation and well being of the brain and nervous system. Normal movement causes signals to be sent through the nervous system back to the brain which stimulates and helps drive the nervous system. These signals are like essential nutrients to your brain and nervous system. Notice how after an active day you feel energised and invigorated and yet after a lazy relaxed day, sitting around (when you are conserving energy) you actually feel more tired?

As a bit of a double whammy, lack of normal movement sends stress signals back through your nervous system to your brain. This causes the release of stress hormones within the body which can lead to the development of the diseases of chronic illness.

So to be healthy you’ve got to move well. Not just overall, but also in the individual joints and segments of the body. Subluxations are joints that aren’t moving normally. They are not always painful but they do block normal healthy nerve signals in the body and create stress signals in the nervous system. This is like a mini-movement disorder and creates the same sort of effects on your nervous system as a sedentary lifestyle. You aren’t as healthy as you could be if you have a subluxation, whether you are in pain or not. That is why we recommend everyone, man, woman and child, have chiropractic check ups. Chiropractors check the body for subluxations and make adjustments to help restore normal movement and nerve function.

One of the Answers To Living a Longer, Chronic Disease Free Life

Our cells were originally programmed for high intensity hunting, gathering and survival (obligatory physical activity)! A person who lived a sedentary (lazy) lifestyle would not have survived.

Approximately 70% of adults in our society do not undertake the recommended 30 min of moderate physical activity five or more times per week (Broznick JT. Mol Cell 7: 1085-1094, 2001). Even this level of activity is miniscule compared to our healthier ancestors.

There is unequivocal evidence supporting the notion that all environmental factors combined, including physical inactivity account for the majority of chronic health conditions (EG type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and most site specific cancers) (Booth et al. Journal Applied Physiology 93: 3-30, 2002).

Whilst many millions of dollars are spent on investigating ways to prevent chronic illnesses and relieve debilitating symptoms, the daily practice of walking reduces your likelihood of developing these conditions. An interesting study showed that 30 to 50 % of all cases of diabetes type 2, coronary heart disease, and many cancers were prevented by 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each day in middle aged women (Booth et al. Journal Applied Physiology 93: 3-30, 2002).

Isn’t it in your best interest to make time in your day to exercise? Talk to Scott or Dave about what exercise may be appropriate to START off with!!

Chiropractic Care Week 18-24 May "It's not just back pain, it's the BIG picture"

Research has indicated that the general public still holds many misconceptions about back pain, including how it is caused, guidelines for best treatment and the scope of the problem.

The vast majority of people consider back pain as something to treat when it happens, usually through prescription and over-the-counter drugs. However, while drugs may relieve pain temporarily, they are a quick fix solution which ignores underlying structural problems and lifestyle habits. Back pain can be a sign of something greater, and should not be viewed as an inevitable part of life that has to be “put up” with.

Back pain can be an indicator of how poor lifestyle choices are affecting spinal health. The quick-fix approach to pain-relief ignores this ‘big picture.’ Poor spinal health can affect all areas of life – and its prevalence is affected by the “big picture” lifestyle decisions we make.

Thankfully there is plenty that can be done to either prevent or manage the problem – most notably maintaining your spinal health on an ongoing basis and consulting with your highly qualified local chiropractor. Chiropractors across Australia are using Chiropractic Care Week to educate people about the “BIG picture” of back pain.