Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Spinal Mechanics

 
 Dr. Danielle Cossin D.C.

 Often times we wake with a "stiff neck" or a "stiff back" and if we're lucky it goes away. Or does it really go away.





Do you wake with a stiff neck 3 or more times a year?
Does your low back go out 3 or more times a year?

     If you answered yes to any of these questions it is normally the result of faulty spinal mechanics which continue to exist whether or not you feel the pain. It is usually an action or movement which becomes " the straw that broke the camel's back" and sets off an inflammatory response in your body and creates a larger, longer lasting, and more painful condition.

    Faulty spinal mechanics that go un-fixed wear down the shock-absorber disc between the two vertebrae and another compounded problem silently ensues. This isn't the day and age of " if you aren't bleeding or you don't have a fever" you're going to school/work. We live in a modern world with many tools available to diagnose and treat such conditions. This is the day and age of the Chiropractor, I believe in preventative care utilizing advanced equipment designed to assist the greatest machine ever created heal itself. Stop waiting for your body to scream in pain and visit your chiropractor at the first sign of spinal mechanical problems and get checked. You may just wake up and wonder where your "stiff" neck and back went. Waiting might cause spinal mechanical problems to compound on you , stop waiting!




Saturday, November 26, 2011

Stress and It's Effect on the Body.

     We all know what stresses us out and we do live in stressful times. Stress is the response of the nervous system to stressors that are too large to handle. The 5 largest stressors individuals can endure include:
  • The Loss of a loved One
  • Moving
  • Divorce
  • Being Fired/Unemployed/Changing a Job
  • Physical Trauma
     Since I'm a chiropractor I'm in the business of taking care of people's spine dealing mostly with #5 (i.e. the physical and mental trauma of living through a car crash). Stressors set off a release of our "fight or flight hormones" which have an overall negative effect on our health and happiness. They are the internalized result of our external overloads. Let's use the analogy of a person compared to a modern building.
     "Consider modern buildings. They are protected from electrical fire by a system of separate circuits, each protected by its own circuit breaker that interrupts the current in the circuit whenever there is an electrical overload, whether caused by using too many appliances or by a short-circuit. In the absence of circuit breakers, the intense heat caused by high current could result in serious fire. If one or two breakers are tripped, the building still functions. One can run an extension cord from an outlet that is still working to where one is needed. It's not convenient but its much better than having just one breaker to protect the whole building.
     Like a modern building, we hypothesize that the human nervous system has a distributed 'graceful degradation'  mechanism that protects it from serious damage when overloaded. While we haven't as yet identified it in terms of anatomy or biochemistry, researchers can observe the very real negative physiological and mental effects of stressors on people over time, using measurable effects such as reaction time, anxiety, trust, anger memory, creativity, problem solving, skin resistance, EEG, blood pressure, and blood chemistry.
     The only way to correct dead circuits in the electrical system of a building is to remove any problems like short circuits and too many appliances plugged into a power outlet, then go to the breaker panel and reset all the tripped circuit breakers. The natural way,( actually the only way) in which we as humans can eliminate limitations int the human nervous system (our stresses) is to improve our life by removing at least the worst of the stressors. (for example, by getting treatment for a medical condition) then expsoe the nervous system to deep rest.''
   So, you can see that stress effects us negatively in many ways. We have to try to eliminate the worst of the stressors as best we can, for example-getting treatment for a medical condition or physical traumas to the body and getting our spine checked by a chiropractor for misalignments and taking pressure off of the nerves and then expose the nervous system to deep rest. We know the deep rest we gain through sleep is refreshing; there's no doubt it helps emliminate stress, but sometimes we can't sleep well due to circumstances.
What I ususally suggest to most all patients is 2-3 recumbant rest breaks per day for 12-15 minutes (late morning and late afternoon preferrably), and during this time we should attempt to close eyes, relax all body parts, be in as quiet a place as you can, clear your mind and breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth - extending the belly with air rather than the upper chest. Clear your mind as best you can. If you can't find time to do this twice a day then do it once - its quite refreshing.
Also, take a B-stress complex vitamin at least once a day -twice per day if you've been really over-stressed. These are vitamins that feed the nervous system positively.
Reduce stress in summary, by seeing a chiropractor, practicing recumbant rest breaks and deep breathing and add a stress B-complex vitamin each day. And do something that makes you smile! Until next time, be Well.

   

Friday, October 7, 2011

So, why is losing weight such a big deal ?

     According to the Journal of American Medicine, 2010 - Obesity continues to rise in the United States, exceeding 30 percent in most sex and age groups.

     I am going to make you mainly aware of some of the complications of obesity and weight gain. This seemed like the right topic as I'm currently on a weight loss plan myself.

     Knee pain due to injury or arthritis can be improved by losing weight. Losing just 5 percent of your body weight (10lbs if you weigh 200lbs) can help reduce knee pain. Each lb that you lose translates to 4lbs less pressure on the knees. Losing just 10lbs can reduce the pressure on your knees by 40lbs. It may not cure your arthritis but it's a big help with your daily activities.

     If you are obese and you haven't been diagnosed with diabetes you could be heading towards being a type 2 diabetic or perhaps you already are and don't know it yet. Excess fat makes the body insulin resistant allowing blood sugar to build up setting the stage for diabetes. Losing 5-10 percent of your body weight can lower blood sugar levels and may even help diabetics reduce insulin requirements. Sometimes we classify these conditions as diseases when they are nothing more than your bodies physiology responding to excess.

     Increases in body fat leads to a rise in estrogen levels. This has been linked to increased chances of cancer, not to mention ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and increased blood clotting risks. The age of puberty in women has dropped to 10 years old. Endometriosis afflicts 10 percent of perimenopausal women, PMS affects 30 percent of the population, uterine fibroids affects close to 25 percent of women age 35-50, and breast cancer afflicts close to 10 percent of all women. All of these may be reduced by attempting to lose weight and reach your normal body mass index and estrogen levels.

     These effects are just a few that obesity has on people. If we are even slightly obese now and do not change your sedentary habits it will become more difficult to lose weight when you have aged and your metabolism naturally decelerates. Choose to make better eating and exercise patterns now and stick to them. It will take time to change but you will have more time in the long run.

Dr. Danielle Cossin
http://www.drdaniellecossin.com

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sleeping For Better Health

     One of the first sheets of information every single one of my patients gets is Sleeping For Better Health, if we can't sleep, we can't heal.

     Golden Rule  - Never sleep on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach causes you to keep your head turned to one side or the other because of your need to breathe. Sleeping in this neck turned position for hours per night having to keep your head cocked to the side can over the weeks, months, and years misalign the bones in your neck. Sleeping on your stomach also allows your belly to sink and your butt to stick out, which can pinch your lower lumbar nerves. I suggest you either sleep on you back or on one of your sides or alternate between these positions depending on what is most comfortable for you.

     Tip #1 - Sleeping on your back (4 pillows technique). Place pillow #1 under the head and neck, preferably a cervical pillow made just for this area of the body. Place pillows #2 & #3 under each shoulder blade, supporting both arms as they rest either straight down at your sides, or bent and resting on your body. Place pillow #4 under both bent knees, taking pressure off the lumbar spine.

    Tip #2 - Sleeping on your side (3 pillows technique). Place pillow #1 under the head and neck, preferably a cervical pillow made just for this area. Your pillow should be thick enough that it doesn't allow your ears to come close to your shoulder. Your head should be held in a neutral position."Hug" pillow #2 with both arms, giving support to the arm in the highest position (upper arm). Place pillow #3 between both knees, bent and tucked up in the fetal position, lending support to the leg in the highest position (upper leg) taking pressure of the lumbar spine.

     I hope this has been a help and at least informational to you all. I am often surprised of the reactions of my patients when I discuss this with them, most find it to be valuable information. If you plan on trying these techniques please be patient and loving with yourself. When changing any patterns it can be difficult but the more you initiate trying to sleep these ways, the more comfortable and preferable it will eventually feel. Remember, we spend lots of money on ourselves shouldn't some of that be put towards an excellent supportive mattress, pillows and good shock absorbing soled sneakers. Thanks for your interest feel free to contact me. Interact with me on Facebook, Twitter, blogger, and http://www.drdaniellecossin.com.

Dr. Danielle Cossin DC

What To Expect From My Chiropractic Blog

     Hello, My name is Dr. Danielle Cossin and welcome to my blog. HIPPA privacy policies are quite strict and as such I will not be able to answer or address individual health concerns for patients. If you have any questions you should schedule a visit with me in person to discuss and consult in private your chiropractic concerns. I would like to use this blog to talk about a number of different topics and tips on living well. I will talk about general topics of intrest including: sleeping, sciatica, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many others.
     What is bigger than chiropractic itself ? Health Balance and Wellness which chiropractic is "a part of. " I am always on a quest to better myself which leads me to look into all aspects of wellness. Please stay tuned as this may become a useful Bi-monthly reading you'll enjoy. Please-bare with me, I am not a writer by trade but a chiropractor.

Visit my website for more information about my location: http://www.drdaniellecossin.com