Over the last 7 years of practice one thing has become more and more common. A major increase of people are turning to alternative therapy to help with everything from everyday stress to muscle aches, insomnia, anxiety and chronic pain. Most clients do not divulge their personal stories over the phone, but after 60 minutes in the float tank many new floaters like to chat for a few minutes. Some are curious about the "magic" that happens in the tank, but others want to share personal stories or their reason for seeking floatation.
Before we get much further into the science behind the effects of floating I’m going to take a few minutes to explain what floatation therapy is. Basically there is a pod or a room filled with around 250 gallons of warm water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt. This creates a density similar to the Dead Sea. When people lay back in the water, they effortlessly float on top which allows the entire body to relax and decompress. A traditional float has no lights and no sound which allows the brain to literally slow down its brain waves. While this may sound like a lot at first, modern day float pods have different colors of dim light and you can even listen to relaxing music. This helps to meet people where they’re at--- it’s not very often that we can literally turn off all sensory input. Most recently, we have started to see more people with an interest in floating for chronic pain as well as autoimmune diseases such as Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid arthritis. Float therapy can improve the lives of people with chronic pain and today specifically we will be focusing on Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is the most common musculoskeletal condition in the US after osteoarthritis. There are currently around 10 million people in the US diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, yet it is not well understood and is often misdiagnosed. People who have Fibromyalgia often experience: depression, decreased pain threshold, chronic pain and incapacitating fatigue. Here is the good news though... Floating has been shown to enhance: Endorphins- our body’s natural pain killers Dopamine - associated with feelings of motivation Serotonin- contributes to feelings of overall wellbeing and happiness, impacts sleep Floating has also been shown to lower: Adrenaline - "the fight or flight" hormone Cortisol - a steroid hormone released in response to stress Norepinephrine - a marker of nervous system stress Floatation therapy is a wonderful, safe, natural way to reduce the long term effects of chronic disease. The above findings have been researched across the country and the Laureate Institute for Brain Research has spent a lot of time using Functional MRI’s during people’s floats to specifically map their brain and nervous system throughout a float. Floating really has shown to play a huge role in slowing down the brain’s waves to allow people to fall into a deep relaxation. We all benefit when we find natural ways to manage our stress better! Our immune system gets a boost and we feel invigorated and revitalized overall. This is a brief reaction from someone who floated at my previous office, “My experience with floating was incredible. I floated with no lights, no music and no expectations to get the most out of it. As a single mom, getting alone time away from the noise and chaos is a luxury and floating provides just that. All my stress and worries melted away in the tank and for the first time in a very long time, I experienced beautiful silence and complete relaxation. I highly recommend floating. You will love it!”
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Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I don’t know about you, but this usually involves reflecting on the year, family time, eating yummy food, and watching football.
Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on what we’re thankful for which is super important especially after everything 2020 has thrown at us. This year I am very thankful to have moved my practice to the NorthWoods of Wisconsin. Every summer since I was a little kid, I found myself coming up to Lando to visit more and more weekends. The past couple years I have been even more touristy and come up in the winter to go snowmobiling. It’s been my dream to eventually move to the area full time and it became a reality much sooner than I thought it would. I can’t believe how welcoming the community has been which is very refreshing compared to the suburbs of Chicago. I’m excited to be working with all of the horses in the area and to be able to help everyone with their aches and pains this winter. I’m going to be honest, I am a little nervous for the long winter--- if you have any advice about how to get through it, feel free to give me a call or drop me an email. I hope that you all find a way to still be with your family in whatever way possible. As for the yummy food, here are some tips to enjoy Thanksgiving but not overindulge. I recommend trying to snack on some healthy snacks before going in for all the dinner favorites. Go for the fruit and veggie tray first and try to fill up on that and then snack on the other goodies. Make sure you stay hydrated during the day by drinking some water. Oftentimes, we think we’re hungry when in reality our body is really craving some water. The human body is 60% water! (About 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.) So make it a goal to drink enough water for the rest of 2020 and onward. Remember, don’t eat too fast and try to pace yourself at dinner-- it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it’s full. So take your time with the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing- enjoy your company and enjoy your day. Try to have one or two small pieces of dessert. During the holiday season, we tend to be eating more cookies, candy, pies, and sugary treats. While they taste great, sugar has been found to tank the immune system. I’m not going to be a grinch and say stop eating sugar entirely, but moderation is best here. As I’m writing this, the weather is gorgeous-- I’m sure it won’t be this warm in a couple weeks. But, depending on what the weather looks like on Thanksgiving, try to take a walk after dinner. This will help your food digest and give you some time to enjoy the fresh air. I don’t know about you but watching football is another family tradition of mine. Trivia question of the day: How many NFL teams have a Doctor of Chiropractic on staff? If you said all 32 teams, ding ding ding, you’re right! I know what you’re thinking- haven’t all the teams always had a chiropractor on staff? The answer is no. As of 2002 only 33% of the NFL teams had a chiropractor on staff. As the number of concussions have increased, length of careers has increased, the desire to lessen time away because of an injury, and the desire to PREVENT injuries has increased— so has the desire for Chiropractic care. The average professional football chiropractor delivers 30-50 adjustments per week in the regular season. To put this into perspective, each NFL team is allowed to have 53 players on its roster.Chiropractic care in the NFL is used both to help rehabilitate injuries but also to help prevent injuries. Many football players have commented that chiropractic care has helped tremendously with their neck and low back pain as well as rehabbing shoulder and knee injuries. Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers’ dad is actually a chiropractor so Aaron has been getting adjusted since he was a kid. He has talked about how chiropractic and living a healthy lifestyle in general has kept him in good shape both on and off the field. I wish you a very happy thanksgiving full of food, fun, laughter, family, and football. I also want to say that I’m very thankful to the Land O’ Lakes and surrounding towns’ warm welcomes to myself and my wife and we look forward to helping the whole community for many years to come. Who has noticed that the sun is starting to go down earlier and earlier? Sadly, this means summer has come to an end and fall is here. This also means that cold and flu “season” is around the corner as well. Who here doesn’t want to catch the first round? I have a handful of tips that will help you boost your immune system so that you can avoid the fall sniffles.
Corrective chiropractors work with the nervous system which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Our brain is the master controller of the body- this is what tells our heart to beat, our lungs to breathe, and even for our food to digest. The brain also controls any pain signals, numbness, tingling, and temperature differences. Our brain is our power station similar to the power stations that supply our homes with electricity. From there, nerve impulses travel from the brain, down the spinal cord and out to the rest of the body. This is similar to electricity traveling through the transformer, into the house, circuit breaker, through wires, to the lamp wires, which then lights the light bulb. If the wiring in the house is bad, you can flip the switch on and off 100 times, but the light bulb will never light up. In a similar sense, if your nervous system has interference, your brain can tell your body to do something a 100 times, and if there is this interference, the body will not respond. Dr. Doug is a corrective chiropractor in Land O' Lakes who tracks down these interferences in the nervous system, corrects them, and then the body is able to heal.
Many people ask us how these misalignments occur. Nowadays, we spend a lot more time seated at desks staring at a computer all day. This alone puts the spine under a lot of physical stress. We also consider bigger accidents like car accidents, sports injuries, major falls, and even birth trauma. Normal structure for the spine is to be nice and straight from the front with level hips, but from the side there are three perfect curves- one in the neck, mid back, and low back. Many people understand that major misalignments called scoliosis can cause extreme pain and can cause other body systems to have complications. What a lot of people don’t realize is that smaller misalignments also play a role in our overall health. According to the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, 2013, “76% of those patients reported a mental/emotional improvement as well as positive changes in stress and life enjoyment over a period of several months following chiropractic care.” Some benefits of corrective chiropractic care include correcting spinal misalignments, relieving nerve compression, alleviating pain, reducing headaches, improving quality of sleep, boosting the immune system, and reducing stress- just to name a few. One of the things our patients at Up North Wellness frequently ask is, "I’m feeling so much better- my headaches and numbness in my hands is gone—I know my sister would benefit from corrective chiropractic but she’s in another state. How can she find a doctor that specializes in corrective chiropractic if she doesn’t live here in the Land O’ Lakes or Vilas County area?” After being asked this a few times, we put together a list of questions to ask a doctor of chiropractic before you start care to see if they actually perform corrective chiropractic care. If they answer at least 5 of these questions with a YES then you can be very confident that they are corrective doctors.
Alrighty- let’s talk intervertebral disc disease in dogs and cats. What a mouthful… this is also known as IVDD. When a pet has IVDD the disc (soft squishy cushion) that sits between the vertebrae (bones that protect the spinal cord) either bulges or bursts. When the disc herniates, it puts pressure on the nerves which can cause pain, nerve damage, and even paralysis. This is similar to when humans have a disc bulge or hernia in their back. Some of the symptoms of a dog or cat with IVDD include hesitancy or inability to jump (on the couch, bed, or even obstacles in agility training), pain/ weakness in the rear legs, crying in pain, anxious behavior, muscle spasms, reduced appetite, or even loss of bladder/ bowel control.
How is intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) diagnosed in dogs or cats? Certified chiropractors and/or veterinarians start by completing a neurologic exam which helps figure out what area of the spine is being affected. From there, x-rays can help determine if there is anything abnormal going on with the physical vertebrae of the spine. An x-ray can also show if the space between the vertebrae is smaller or shows signs of degeneration which would be an indicator that that area may be where the disc bulge is occurring. Based on that information, a certified chiropractor can actually check to see if there is restricted movement in that segment using motion palpation. If there is restricted movement, a gentle chiropractic adjustment can actually help to restore motion, take pressure off of the nerve, and allow fluid to get into that area to promote healing which oftentimes leads to a lessening in the severity of the symptoms. Along with chiropractic care, veterinarians may also recommend anti-inflammatory medication, muscle relaxers, and crate rest. After a couple of chiropractic adjustments the dog or cat may show signs that conservative care has been helpful. If the animal is able to walk better and wants to play more, if the muscle spasms improve and their appetite improves this would all be good indicators that conservative care was beneficial. If the dog or cat does not improve, more testing may be necessary starting with either a myelogram or MRI. Based on the severity of what the testing shows, surgery may be needed to open up the space by removing part of the vertebrae or disc which would take pressure off of the nerves. Surgery is for worst case scenarios. There are different stages of disc degeneration which is listed below:
Often times when horses have sore withers it is commonly mistaken for an attitude problem.
Symptoms of pain in the withers include attitude and behavioral issues, shortened strides in the front end, agitation during grooming and saddling, resistance to forward movement under saddle, and twitching when the withers have been touched. Pain in this area can be caused by a variety of conditions including conformation, saddle fit, improper blanket fit, mounting from the ground, and restrictions in the spine. Conformation issues such as having too low or too high of withers can make it difficult to find a proper fit for your saddle or blankets. Often times with ill-fitting equipment, the horse will develop a white patch of hair or even sores due to rubbing. Over time this causes damage to the area making the horse ultra-sensitive to even light touch. Mounting from the ground adds excess stress that will cause rotational restrictions to form in the withers. This will cause the area to become painful, overly sensitive, and you may notice muscle spasms. Improperly moving joints in the lower beck, thoracic spine, and shoulders can also cause the withers to become restricted due to overcompensation for the lack of movement in the other areas. If you suspect your horse is having an issue with pain in his withers, the best thing you can do is get your horse adjusted! Chiropractic adjustments help to relieve restricted areas and return normal motion to the joints. It will also help relieve the areas that have been overcompensating. Over time, adjustments will make those highly sensitive areas less sensitive and reduce twitching when being touched. Saddle fit should also be examined to ensure your horse is comfortable under saddle. |
AuthorsDr. Doug and Jeanette love teaching people about health and wellness. If we haven't covered a topic that you're interested in, feel free to leave a comment and we'd be happy to give you our thoughts! Archives
September 2022
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