Stress Management
Stress management steps to help reduce the harmful effects of chronic stress. It’s simple. Reducing stress, managing stress better, decreasing anxiety, will all reduce your risk of the chronic diseases and dysfunction that so often results, in part, from stress induced inflammation. Don’t watch the news. The news is filled with negativity and things to worry about. Most of which will never effect your life or the lives of your loved ones. Turn it off. If you want news, read The ONION. Practice Mindfulness and let things go. Not worrying about things you need not worry about, requires that you can identify those things. You may need help with this. Start making a list of the things that cause the most stress and anxiety in your life. Evaluate that list and try to let go of those things on the list that your gut tells you are useless. Focus on the things that you can control. Stress and anxiety caused by worrying about a meteor threat or Kim Jong Un, will do you no good. Ask for help if you need it. Sometimes it’s hard to do things without help. Find a friend, therapist, or other third party who can...
read moreHow Mental Stress Affects Your Body
Mental stress changes the way your body works and feels. We’ve all felt it. Mental stress increases and we tense up. Sometimes the tension is in our shoulders, sometimes it’s in your low back, it can even affect your head, leading to a headache in your forehead or back of head. When I talk to patients about stress, I mention 3 primary types under which all stress falls. Physical stress, mental stress and chemical stress. This post is about mental stress, but as you will see, each type of stress increases the next and the snowball of body break down that results, just keeps growing. To use your shoulders as the example, as your muscles tighten under mental stress, there are chemical changes that occur. Histamines, prostaglandins and other inflammatory chemicals build up in the muscles. Chemical buildup in the muscles, if not dealt with, lead to chronic inflammation, tissue dysfunction and pain. Mental stress causes physical stress (tension) that leads to chemical stress (inflammation) and that leads to pain. Pain leads to more mental stress, and the cycle continues on until the proper intervention is applied. Our lives are riddled with daily stress. For many, the levels of stress...
read moreIn Good Hands: Chiropractic Focus – The Adjustment.
Deep or Broad? Good Hands Matter Most. While listening to a recent podcast by one of the worlds greatest networking experts, he discussed the value of deep skills versus broad skills. In other words, it’s better to do 6 things 1,000 times than 1,000 things 6 times. I was thankful that while I was listening to this, I was reminded that this is how we run our office and service to you. -Erin focuses on insurance and office management. -Donna focuses on coordinating patients and performing tests. -Dr.Lou focuses on identifying and correcting spinal subluxation with chiropractic adjustments. -Anca (Dr. Lou’s daughter) focuses on greeting you when she’s on vacation and spending time at the office. In chiropractic school we were taught that there is an art and a science to being a doctor of chiropractic. The science is the same across the board. It’s indisputable. Like your blood pressure, there are standard solutions when your BP is bad. In chiropractic, it’s not as simple as a universal pill to lower your BP. In chiropractic, the correction of subluxation is made with an adjustment. There are techniques that involve tools like an Activator (clicker) instrument. But with the activator, there is less...
read moreColic Solution: Baby Bowen Technique
Is your baby suffering from Colic? The exact cause of colic is still considered unknown, probably due to multiple factors contributing to the problem. Most sources suggest the following may be involved: Diaphragmatic tension Nerve irritation Abdominal tension Gas Reflux & Indigestion Back spasm The Baby Bowen Technique has been used safely and effectively for years by healthcare professionals and parents around the world. “Baby Bowen” addresses the issues listed above in a way that is tolerated by infants easily. It is quick and often results in immediate resolution of infantile colic. Below is a tutorial on how it is performed. If you are not comfortable performing this technique on your own, or if it doesn’t seem to be working, you should call us and we can help. The technique is extremely gentle. It is extremely efficient (takes only 3-5 minutes). Everyone feels better when your baby feels better! Dr. Lou is a perinatal and pediatric chiropractic specialist in Portland, Maine. He has used “baby bowen” for years and has an incredible success rate. For more information and videos, visit us on YOUTUBE. We also encourage you to have a look at our GOOGLE REVIEWS. ...
read moreNumbness in your body?
What Causes Numbness In Our Bodies? Numbness may be caused by a variety of different illnesses or injuries, some of which are serious, others less so. What is the most common cause of numbness? Nerve pressure. Pressure on nerves leads to dysfunction in the nerves and also leads to numbness. Herniated discs, subluxated vertebrae, bone spurs, inflamed tendons and muscles may all cause enough pressure to cause symptoms of numbness. Most commonly nerves are irritated at the exit of the spine or after they exit the holes in the sides of the spine. Sometimes the spinal cord can be compressed by a severely herniated disc or ruptured disc, also leading to numb sensations and more significant symptoms. What is causing your numbness? It’s not worth trying to guess. You have to be evaluated. Most feelings of being numb are nothing to be overly concerned about, even though it justifies evaluation. That said, occasionally, numbness can be the sign of a very serious, even life threatening situation and emergency medical care may be needed. The Mayo Clinic suggests getting emergency service, even calling 911 if your numbness begins suddenly, follows a recent head injury, or involves an entire arm or leg. They further...
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