Pregnancy is one of life’s most amazing journeys. Blood volume increases dramatically from the eighth gestational week. Metabolism is increased and hormones change to support growth. A specific hormone, relaxin, is present 10 times its normal concentration, helping to relax joints and ease delivery. A woman’s spine and pelvis undergo tremendous changes and adaptations in order to compensate for the growing baby, and the risk of interference to her nervous system is increased. Most women experience some degree of back pain during pregnancy. So while it is a beautiful process, chiropractic care is especially essential.
I’ve been seeing a lot of information about breast cancer awareness, and rightly so, for October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. For some time now, our clinic has been designating this Breast Cancer Prevention month. The difference is focusing on how to prevent breast cancer in the first place, which is a part of the discussion that gets left out of much of the information we see.
As a practicing chiropractor, I daily see multiple patients that are in inflamed and in pain. Far too often they instantly seek medication for fast relief. The medications typically are one form of non-steroidal ant-inflammatory (NSAID) or another. Limited use in a crisis, for a day or two, has minimal negative consequences in most cases. However, many have been “educated” by pharmaceutical marketing and some medical specialists to repeatedly reach for medication weekly and in some cases daily. The consequences to this approach are twofold: the side effect from taking the medication, and the consequence of not addressing the cause of the chronic inflammatory condition.
Dr. Joe and I spent this past weekend attending a conference on clinical neuroscience with the Carrick Institute. This institution is the world leader in training the professional who is interested in applying the latest in studies of the brain and nervous system. Their programs are rigorous, with a heavy emphasis on studying exactly what makes the brain lose its abilities and what may be done to create better brains. Today I want to emphasize the three things our brains need to be properly activated.
