Childbirth - Not A Medical Procedure

This past weekend I had the privilege of assisting in the delivery of my son, Will Silas. He was nearly two weeks overdue and weighed in at a hefty 9lbs 9 oz on arrival...BIG boy!

Perhaps even more amazing, in this day and age, was the fact that my wife, Ann delivered naturally. No epidural, no drugs, no medical interventions. She is amazing!

You see, she knows that having a baby is as natural a process as can be (in fact, she delivered our daughter naturally 2 years ago too). It's a beautiful, natural thing women have been doing for thousands of years and in most cases should not be viewed as a medical procedure.

Is this for everyone? Maybe not...but I would argue that it could be. My wife was exercising up through the day she delivered, she had superb nutrition including high-quality prenatal vitamins, and she was adjusted regularly. And...she's mentally as tough as nails! All these variables are important when considering a natural birth.

We delivered through a clinic with the help of midwives. This was our second childbirth this way and we had a great experience. I know many people who have different delivery experiences they would not trade as well. The bottom-line question for us was, how do we eliminate as many potential risks and have as natural a birth process as possible. What is the healthiest and safest option, not just the most convenient?

Anyway, Will Silas was born happy and healthy. And, I get to be a proud Daddy again.


Dr. Joel

PS...more pics on the website.

Chiropractic Cuts Health Care Costs

This past Tuesday I met with three legislators from my home district as part of a lobbying effort by the Minnesota Chiropractic Association (MCA). We discussed the policies affecting our state and country and also the chiropractic profession.

As with all politicians, there are many agendas influencing their decisions. These politicians are struggling to balance a $1 billion deficit in our state budget. Many cuts need to be made. No one wants their piece of the pie to be cut (imagine that)!

On the national level healthcare reform is in the works. Everyone is talking about it. But what is true reform? Right now, the national bill aims to cover more people that currently are not insured. The talking points include reducing costs and healthcare expenditures.

So legislators are scrambling to tackle the issue of reform all the while trying to balance their respective budgets. It comes down to this...how do we improve the level of our health care and cut costs?

Here's part of the answer...chiropractic! Increased access to chiropractic means decreased health care costs. It's called leading a chiropractic lifestyle...living life naturally with limited medical interventions.

Chiropractic is a great treatment option for pain and other chronic conditions. Study after study show this. But it is also a powerful tool in prevention!

Your spine is your lifeline, what are you doing to maintain yours?


www.lifestylechirocenter.com


http://www.scribd.com/doc/28470184

51 Benefits of Exercise

Improved digestion.
Enhances quality of sleep.
Adds radiance to complexion.
Improves body shape.
Tones and firms muscles.
Provides more muscular definition.
Spurs weight loss.
Makes you limber.
Improves endurance.
Burns extra calories.
Improves circulation and helps reduce blood pressure.
Increases lean muscle tissue in the body.
Improves appetite for healthy foods.
Alleviates menstrual cramps.
Alters and improves muscle chemistry.
Increases metabolic rate.
Enhances coordination and balance.
Improves posture.
Eases back problems and pain.
Makes the body use calories more efficiently.
Lowers resting heart rate.
Increases maximum cardiac output.
Increases contractility of the heart's ventricles.
Increases the weight and size of the heart.
Improves contractile function of the whole heart.
Increases muscle size.
Improves body composition.
Increases body density.
Decreases fat tissue more easily.
Makes body more agile.
Reduces joint discomfort.
Improves athletic performance.
Enriches sexuality.
May add years to life.
Definitely adds life to years.
Increases your range of motion.
Enhances immune system.
Improves glycogen storage.
Enables the body to utilize energy more efficiently.
Increases enzymes in the body which burn fat.
Increases the number and size of mitochondria in muscle cells.
Increases concentration of myoglobin (carries oxygen in muscles) in skeletal muscles.
Enhances oxygen transport throughout the body.
Improves liver functioning.
Improves memory
Increases speed of muscle contraction and reaction time.
Enhances feedback through the nervous system.
Strengthens the heart.
Improves blood flow.
Helps to alleviate varicose veins.
Makes calcium transport in the heart and body more efficient.


www.lifestylechirocenter.com

MOOOOVE!

How many diseases could be prevented by simply moving more? How many people are wasting away due to lack of movement? How much sickness and suffering could be prevented by simply adding motion to our daily activity?

Too many and too much, unfortunately. We are a culture of convenience and seek comfort above all else. Our lives have gotten too convenient.

Technology has made our lives easier but often at the expense of our health. Life has gotten too easy. Our society has switched from physical activity to virtual activity. We get our entertainment from television, the internet and the x-box.

Yesterday, I saw a man sidle up to a door and rather than exert the effort to pull the door handle, he instead slapped the handicapped button to automatically open the door. And no, he was not handicapped.

Elevators are the preferred method of traveling "up". How many people ride an elevator one floor rather than take the stairs? It's not about saving time...You know which one would be faster!

Why do we drive circles in the parking lot to find that closest spot when we could have been inside already had we just parked in an available, but further spot? (This only makes sense when it's 20 below zero.)

You see, "comfort" is becoming engrained in our culture and I contend that it is killing us, slowly.

Motion is life. The only things not moving are dead. Science has shown that our muscles and joints deteriorate, break down, and scar when immobilized. Ever had an arm or leg casted? You use it or lose it.

We all know we need to exercise and yet can't seem to find the time to do it. But we are willing to spend precious minutes waiting. For what? For the automatic door to open, or our elevator to arrive, or for someone to leave that choice spot in the parking lot. We are lulled into being sedentary by our own inactivity.

Instead, let's challenge ourselves to do one thing. Simply. Move.


www.lifestylechirocenter.com

The Low-down on Low-Calorie

If you've shopped in the grocery store lately you've no doubt noticed the trend towards "low-calorie" or "No-sugar" foods. Sugar adds a lot of calories to common foods and so the food industry has turned to artificial sweeteners that have fewer, if any calories.

This way you can have all of the flavor, with none of the fat. Or so they say - You see, artificial sweeteners are marketed as a healthy alternative to sugar in foods. However, evidence actually suggests a risk of obesity from these low-calorie foods due to the effect on your brain chemistry!

Yes, it's true that excess sugar is detrimental to our health - especially in those who are insulin resistant or diabetic. But there is also a lot of evidence to suggest that artificial sweeteners are damaging to your health as well.

The most common artificial sweetener, Aspartame, has been marketed under several names: Nutrisweet, Equal, Spoonful. A few decades ago after much lobbying (notice I did not say "much health research"), the FDA allowed aspartame as an additive in some foods. Now amidst mounting evidence of harm, it is being re-branded as AminoSweet. Suspiciously, this makes it appear natural rather than articial...afterall amino acids are the building blocks of protein, something we all need. Don't fall for it!

Aspartame, no matter what alias it is given, has been implicated as causing toxicity leading to a number of neurological, behavioral, and gastrointestinal symptoms in the body. In many cases it resembles other common diagnoses. Headaches, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, ADD, and hypothyroidism to name a few.

A number of people have been labeled with an illness and are receiving medication to treat the symptoms. But what or who is addressing the cause? Why is the "pill for every ill" approach the first route people take rather than looking for a cause of their issue? Eating foods that are natural and avoiding toxicity is fundamental to good health.

How many people are being medicated unnecesarilly when all they need to do is cut out the sweeteners from their diet? This is a major pitfall of modern medicine!

For more information on living naturally, go here...

For more reading on the dangers of artificial sweeteners, go here for an article by Dr. Mercola.


www.lifestylechirocenter.com

Gold Medal Health Care

What do the world's top athletes know? They know the benefits of chiropractic care and utilize it regularly to perform at their best.

This year in Vancouver more athletes than ever before are being adjusted to perform at their best in the winter games. It's not a matter of merely feeling good, it's about optimizing performance.

Getting adjusted not only assists recovery from training and injury, it tunes up the body allowing it to perform up to its potential.

Chiropractic is about removing interference in the body's communication pathway - the spine. Taking pressure off the nerves allows 100% function to flow from the brain to every part of the body resulting in top performance.

What's the best part about this? This care is not limited only to the world's elite athletes. It is available to everyone - see your chiropractor today for a boost in your performance.

For more on Chiropractic in the Olympics, go here...
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/412128


www.lifestylechirocenter.com

I Slipped a Disc!

A "slipped disc" is referred to by a variety of terms: ruptured disc, torn disc (or disc tear), slipped disc, collapsed disc, disc protrusion, disc disease, and black disc. This can be frustrating as patients hear their healthcare providers refer to their condition using different terms. Hopefully this will help clear some of that confusion!

A common area is the lower back which can give rise to a condition called "sciatica." This is pain that shoots down the back of the leg when the disc bulges and presses on a nerve. However, disc herniations can happen in any area of the spine.

Disc bulges typically cause pain along the path of the nerve that it is affecting. The pain is often shooting, stabbing, or burning in nature but can also feel like an aching or throbbing pain

Often times the disc bulge is due to accumulated damage to the disc rather than one solitary event. Years of added stress to a structure combined with poor hydration or improper nutrition is often a recipe for injury.

Think of the disc as a spacer between the spinal bones. It's an important structure because it provides a space between the bones for the nerve to exit the spinal canal and carry function to the rest of the body. The disc is somewhat like a "jelly-doughnut." Soft on the inside, firm on the outside. What happens in a disc bulge is that when too much stress is placed on the disc it can force the "jelly" center out through the edge of the disc and push on the nerve giving rise to pain.

Other variables involved include how hydrated the discs are, the nutritional status of the individual, whether the bones above or below are properly aligned.

How Do I Know If My Disc Is Slipped?
The best way to tell is to have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). However, several tests can be performed that are quite good at predicting whether or not their is a disc bulge without the high fee of an MRI. Your chiropractor is trained to test both orthopedicaly and neurologically to determine what may be causing your symptoms. If need be they can also refer you for an MRI. If you're having shooting, burning or stabbing pain down an extremity and the pain is worse when you "bear down" such as when coughing or sneezing, you likely could have a disc herniation. If there has been any change to your bowel or bladder function - seek help immediately as this can be a sign of a medical emergency!


www.lifestylechirocenter.com