larkinphotography:

Jefferson Memorial At Daybreak

                Who believes that in order to get fit and in shape, it requires just one good workout? One solid session in the gym with the weights, yoga mat, treadmill, etc. and that’s it. Of course nobody believes this. We all know that getting in shape is a process that requires regular exercise.  There is usually a ramp up phase in the beginning where we shake of the cobwebs, deal with the after workout soreness and take the first steps to getting back into shape. Once we get the ball rolling, we know that in order to stay in shape, we have to exercise regularly.  How long do we need to continue exercising for? That all depends on how long you want to be fit.  If lifetime fitness is a goal, then lifetime exercise is a must.

                How about when it comes to healthy eating? Is it reasonable to think that after eating one big veggie laden salad, you’re all of a sudden nutritious? Once again this line of thinking is ridiculous. It is common sense to know that healthy eating is not a one-time event. We can’t eat one healthy meal and expect the nutrients from the meal to provide healthy fuel for our body throughout life. If we want to fuel our bodies with proper nutrition, we all know that this is something that is done over the course of our lives, not just for one meal or even for one full month.

                What about when it comes to recuperation and recovery? Does anyone believe that it takes just one full, restful night sleep and we are good to go? Wouldn’t that be nice? We all know that in order to allow our bodies to rejuvenate and recover, we need to get some sleep each night. And how long does this go on? We sleep throughout the course of our entire lives to allow our bodies to recover and repair.

                Well, what about chiropractic care? The same line of thinking we used for the above examples can be applied to chiropractic care as well. First, let’s look at what chiropractic does and clear up any misunderstandings. Chiropractors work to remove interference from the nerve system (which is the system that coordinates and controls everything in the body). What causes interference to the nerve system? Stress! Physical, chemical and emotional stressors result in nervous system interference (think accidents, falls, sports injuries, smoking, pollution, financial worries, job stress. You get the idea). How is the interference removed?  By adjusting the spine to restore clear communication between the brain and the body (via the spinal cord). Once the brain-body connection is restored, proper healing and normal function begin to take place. So is the goal of chiropractic to alleviate back pain, neck pain or headaches?  No, these are just wonderful side-effects of having clear nerve system communication. How often should our nerve systems be clear of this interference? Well considering the fact that the nerve system runs the body, shouldn’t the answer be as often as possible? Of course! And that is why most chiropractors recommend that their practice members return every week or every other week for a “tune-up” throughout their lives. Why for life? Well since none of us lives in a bubble, and we are all exposed to stress throughout life, regular chiropractic care to remove the interference caused by stress makes sense. For the same reasons you would exercise throughout life, eat healthy foods and get sleep, make sure you maintain a clear brain-body connection throughout life too!

Contributing Author - Brent Vuyovich, DC

Ralls Family Chiropractic - Inman SC / Boiling Springs SC / Spartanburg SC Family Chiropractor

               I am a huge fan of the movie Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams. I believe as a chiropractor it really resonates with the idea of challenging the status quo and tapping into my innate desires and calling. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is at the end when the students boldly stand on their desks proclaiming “oh captain my captain” to show their loyalty to their recently fired English professor Mr. Keating.

                Aboard a ship the captain’s job is to oversee all of the activities, protect the crew and safely guide the ship to its destination. Inside of each and every one of us is a captain that oversees everything going on with the body.  You don’t have to think about making your heart beat, digesting your food, filtering your blood or the billions of activities occurring in your cells that sustain life. Your body’s captain automatically does all of these things for you.

                The captain of your body is known as your innate intelligence. It’s the God given, inborn wisdom that controls turning a single cell (formed from a sperm cell and egg cell) into YOU, as well as all the activities previously mentioned. How does your captain manage to do all of this?

                Your innate intelligence operates and is expressed over your nervous system. Messages are sent from the brain, down the spinal cord and over the nerves to control and coordinate everything going on inside of you. You literally live your life through the nervous system.

                In the same way that stormy seas can interfere with a captains ability to do his or her job, subluxations can interfere with the captain inside of you. Subluxations are spinal misalignments that interfere with the signals being sent over the nervous system and cause a decreased expression of your innate intelligence. Subluxations always cause you to operate at less than 100%.

                Chiropractic has one objective: remove these subluxations whenever present to allow a greater expression of your body’s captain. By removing interference to the nervous system, chiropractic adjustments allow a clear line of communication between your brain and all the parts of your body. Make sure you take care of your spine and nervous system by getting checked regularly by your chiropractor.

Contributing Author:  Brent Vuyovich, DC

Ralls Family Chiropractic - Inman SC / Boiling Springs SC / Spartanburg SC Family Chiropractor

Take Care Of Your Self!

We used to all love that game as kids…  looking through the Highlight’s® magazine while waiting in the doctor’s office…  you knew it had 3 errors, but what were they????

Here is a picture challenge for you-

I will even give you a hint… She is 14 months old.

Need another one??   There are two definite wrongs ….  I’ll give you a few seconds to study it….

In 2011, the AAP via www.healthychildren.org published a new policy on car seat safety.  Sadly, many parents haven’t changed the way the “buckle up” their children, as indicated above.  “The AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, OR until they reach the maximum height AND weight for their seat.  It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they reach 4 feet 9 inches and are between 8 and 12 years old.”  State laws will obviously vary and the AAP can only make a recommendation; however, a quick YouTube search will show you the dangers of children facing forward prior to their fragile bodies being ready. Studies have shown that extended rear facing is five times safer in most types of automobile accidents (that’s 500%). The reason it’s safer is because when a child is rear facing the seat absorbs most of the crash forces in an accident. The seat helps to distribute the force of the crash over the entire body which helps protect the head, neck, and back of your child. When a child is forward faced and gets into an accident their head abruptly moves forward and this puts stress on their neck and spine.

Have you guessed at least two faults in this picture??

1. The child is forward-facing
2. Her chest strap is nowhere near where it should be.  (Hence the name chest strap, not belly strap.)

If this sweet baby girl were to be in an accident- from ANY direction- she will likely be ejected from her car seat due to the chest strap not being in the proper location, or worse……….

…this little boy’s skull was ripped from his spine and held intact only by his skin and he was buckled in properly BUT forward facing!!  You can learn more at www.joelsjourney.org about this little boy’s specific case.

Buying a car seat should not be a matter of color or cuteness but a matter of functionality and safety.  www.healthystuff.org is one place to start looking if you are worried about the chemicals or gasses that your seat may emit once it sits in the hot sun all day.  Also, here are a few tips from www.safekids.org to consider when purchasing.

• Use a rear-facing car seat correctly and until the harness no longer fits (convertible or combo seat) in a back seat every time your child rides in a car. Many harnesses today serve kids to 50, 60, 80 or even 100 pounds.
• Use the car seat with a harness that’s right for your child’s weight and height. Children are weighed and measured at every doctor’s visit, so be sure to keep track.
• Put harnesses through the slots so they are even with or below the child’s shoulders for rear-facing….at or above for forward-facing.  Some seats require use of the top slots when the seat is forward-facing, so check instructions.
• Be sure the buckled harness is tight, so you cannot pinch extra webbing at the shoulder.
• Adjust the chest clip to armpit level.
• Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back. Grab the car seat at the safety belt path or LATCH path to test it.
• Have your car seat checkedby a currently certified child passenger safety technician to make sure it’s properly installed.
• Be sure all occupants wear seat belts correctly every time. Children learn from adult role models.
• If you have a heavier or taller child, find a car seat with a harness that fits larger children. Some seats hold children up to 80 or even 100 pounds.

Contrary to rumor, children are not uncomfortable rear- facing with their legs against the back of a seat…  in fact, they LOVE having somewhere to prop their feet…  Many parents say “won’t it break their legs if I have a wreck?”  my question to them is this: “Would you rather have a broken leg, or burying a child with a broken neck?”

www.consumersearch.org lists the seats below as a great seat for extended rear-facing due to the maximum weight limit.

When shopping for your seat, you want to make sure that it is rear-facing for AT LEAST 45lbs.  Some go well beyond that, and that of course is even better.  By buying a convertible car seat- you are once and done with shopping, so it may cost a little more up front but there is no need to ever buy another seat.  Other recommendations for seats by extendedrearfacing.org are Graco My Ride 65 – Rear faces from 5-40lbs and forward faces from 20-65lbs; Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL- Rear faces from 5-45lbs and forward faces 20-80lbs; Britax Marathon- Rear faces to 5-35lbs and forward faces up to 70lbs.  Evenflo Symphony 65 (5-40lbs rear-facing, 20-65lbs forward-facing, and up to 100 lbs as a booster) is another great car seat that isn’t as eco-friendly as the one pictured above but is more cost effective for those of us on a budget.  The awesome thing about convertible seats is that you get to put it in one time, snug and secure, and not have to worry about adjustments for almost two years, aside from moving the shoulder straps. Some seats like the Evenflo have sliding straps that you can adjust without having to remove the car seat.  Make sure when you adjust your straps, that you adjust the chest buckle too.  It should always be just above the sternum and line up with  the armpits for maximum protection in a crash .  The clip, when used properly, keeps the car seat harness in the right place against the child’s shoulders, so that crash forces are distributed over the strongest parts of the child’s upper body. If in the wrong position, it can do damage to internal organs.

Remember, our children look up to us and trust us…  Make the best decision for them- they are helpless and depend on the adults in their lives to make the right decisions.  Just because your child has great control of his or her head or neck or is the MINIMUM 20lbs DOES NOT warrant making them forward facing…  practicing Extended Rear-facing could mean the difference between life, paralysis, or death for your sweet baby.

Contributing Author - Jami Moore

Ralls Family Chiropractic - Inman SC / Boiling Springs SC / Spartanburg SC Family Chiropractor