by Charles Herbert | Dec 10, 2014 | Chiropractic |
How to avoid winter colds by boosting your Immune System with Vitamin D and Chiropractic I went to my local GP surgery the other day and was shocked at the amount of adverts promoting the new flu shot. There were banners, flags, huge roller banners, leaflets etc. It appears the pharmaceutical company promoting/selling it has a bigger advertising budget than coca-cola! I’m not writing this blog to talk about the shaky benefit of this vaccination, or to express my opinions on the recommendation in the UK for every child aged 2-16 to have the nasal spray. I’m writing this blog to look at the alternatives to boosting your immune system to avoid the winter cold, influenza and more… There are many facets to a healthy immune system. I am going to write about 2, the function of your nervous system and vitamin D. The role your nervous system plays in immunity Chiropractic philosophy, which has been around since 1895, has long boasted that a better functioning nervous system equals a better functioning immune system. Anecdotally, its be know for years, however now research is catching up and proving that very thing. Recently, a hospital in Toronto1 found that the nervous system played a role much larger than previously ‘known’. They found that nerves send information from an area of infection to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) so it can co-ordinate the body’s response. The information is hypothesised to be more in-depth than previously thought. The nerves are thought to send danger warnings of not only where the infection is but also whether the infection is caused by...
by Charles Herbert | Nov 18, 2014 | Chiropractic |
Chiropractic treatment for low back pain When people get back pain most people take pain killers and if that doesn’t do the trick they go to see their GP. The GP will generally do 1 of 3 things: Prescribe stronger pain killers and potentially time off work Refer you to see an NHS physiotherapist as well as no. 1 If things are really bad, refer you for an x-ray or MRI as well as an appointment with a neurosurgeon or similar Sometimes option 1 does the trick, however if not then you move on to option 2, etc. So the question is, if the pain is hanging around for a while and you’ve been referred to the NHS physiotherapist or similar, should you wait the 6+ months or go and see a Chiropractor? What does research say you should do for low back pain? I’m a Chiropractor and therefore will have my own biased opinions. So, I’m going to answer this question with research. In my experience most patients are given a sheet of simple exercises when they see the NHS physiotherapist. However, most people need a more ‘hands on’ approach and end up coming to see me. For this blog I’m looking to compare the improvements from the physical, hands on treatment offered by the NHS with improvements from Chiropractic treatment. One specific study looked to compare the 2 different treatment types. They split 741 patients, aged between 18-65 with low back pain, into 2 groups. One group received Chiropractic treatment and the other ‘hospital outpatient treatment’, which consisted mainly of mobilisations, manipulation, traction and exercises. The majority of the patients...
by Charles Herbert | Aug 22, 2014 | Chiropractic |
Is cleaning everything with antibacterial soap such a good idea? We live in a world where we are obsessed with cleanliness and hygiene. We have antibacterial hand wash by the sink, antibacterial wipes to clean the kids and worktops, antibacterial hand gel to clean our hands before food and after we touch anything, you can even get antibacterial washing powder for your clothes. So why are we obsessed with antibacterial stuff? Because germs are bad and make you ill, right?! Are germs bad for you? No matter how hard you try, germs are everywhere. It is commonly estimated that at any one time you have 10x more bacterial cells within your body than you have human cells! There are thought to be almost 200 different species on your skin. If you do kill any germs with antibacterial gel then any left behind are able to double their numbers within 20 minutes, and in 8 hours create almost 1 million new germs. We are surrounded by them constantly, so why aren’t we ill? Firstly, it’s important to point out that we need germs, and they need us (although they’re not fussy about which human they get). Germs help us digest our food and break down tougher foods like plant fibers. They synthesise essential vitamins in our gut. They assist with the regulation of our serotonin levels, which make us happy. They turn wine into vinegar and milk into cheese and yogurt – not essential for life but for important for tasty food. And most importantly of all they regulate our immune systems. It has been found by Gerald Callahan of...
by Charles Herbert | Aug 13, 2014 | Chiropractic |
It’s written in blood – Chiropractic heals through chemistry. Fact! We all know Chiropractic works and adjustments make you feel better. Not only do we hear it all the time from our patients, we see it in the research conducted on the benefits of a Chiropractic care. Now a recent research article takes our understanding one step further… Scientists at the University of Spain decided to look at the changes in your blood after a Chiropractic adjustment. Using 30 students, who suffer no symptoms, they split them into three groups. One group received cervical (neck) adjustments, another thoracic (mid back) adjustments, and the final group no adjustments at all. The scientists took blood samples before the student’s adjustment (or lack of), immediately after, and then two hours later. What they were looking for was the changes in the hormones and neurotransmitters present in the students blood sample in relation to their adjustments. What happened to the hormones? The scientist were tracking four hormones in the blood plasma: neurotensin, oxytocin, cortisol, and orexin-A (learn what they are below). They found that immediately after a Chiropractic adjustment the levels of neurotensin and oxytocin significantly rose and cortisol also rose significantly after the cervical (neck) adjustment. There was no change in the levels of orexin-A in any group. But what on earth do these biochemical markers do? Neurotensin When times get tough and the stress levels increase then neurotensin is thought to help neutralise associated, stress-related pain. It also interacts with the serotonin neurons of the brain helping to chill you out. It also affects the activity the hormone oxytocin in the brain. Oxytocin...
by Charles Herbert | Jul 22, 2014 | Chiropractic |
This is a Chiropractic video about us at The Chiropractic Centre: Bristol The video was made by the talented Kris Griffin. If you need someone to make a short film or take photos (like the ones on our website) then he’s your man! Contact us if you would like more...
