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How to avoid winter colds by boosting your Immune System with Vitamin D and Chiropractic

How to avoid winter colds by boosting your Immune System with Vitamin D and 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...
Should I see a Chiropractor or have NHS outpatient treatment for my low back pain?

Should I see a Chiropractor or have NHS outpatient treatment for my low back pain?

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...
Sciatica and Chiropractic Care

Sciatica and Chiropractic Care

Sciatica and Chiropractic Care This article is going to focus on sciatica and Chiropractic care. First of all, what is sciatica? Your sciatic nerve is about the size of your thumb and runs all the way down the back of your leg. It begins by exiting from your lumbar spine, where it is called your lumbar plexus. The nerves of your lumbar plexus join together and travel along the back of your leg as the sciatic nerve, it then branches off  as different nerves as it travels past your knee. How do you know if you have a problem with your sciatic nerve? Do you experience burning or pain along the back of your thigh or cramping in the back of your leg? When I have sciatica and need a Chiropractic adjustment, it feels like a squirrel is chewing on the back of my leg and won’t stop! It is miserable and if you have had it, you would do anything to make it go away. Can Chiropractic care help with sciatica? So, how do you know if Chiropractic care is the right choice for your sciatica? Have you ever had lower back pain before the sciatica started? Have you had an injury to your back previously? Have you had Chiropractic or other care for spinal stiffness before, even if it was another region of your spine? Is your back stiff on a regular basis? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your spine is probably the problem causing your sciatica and you should be checked by a Chiropractor. If your spine does not move the way it was designed to...
Chiropractic helps people with arthritis

Chiropractic helps people with arthritis

Chiropractic – helping people with arthritis Arthritis is a painful and debilitating condition and can have a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals suffering from this disease.  As World Arthritis Day was on 12th October 2014 we wanted to highlight the benefits Chiropractic care for those suffering from this condition. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine1 reported that 63% of patients who visited a rheumatologist, for the conditions rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, also sought some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).  Of these individuals 31% (almost half) chose Chiropractic care, making Chiropractic the most popular alternative used by this group of people.  Importantly, 73% of these patients determined that Chiropractic care was helpful in controlling their chronic pain. An additional aspect of this study was to determine why these arthritic patients chose CAM and the reasons they gave were: Because their prescribed medication wasn’t working to control their pain Because they heard it would help Because it is safe Because it helped someone they know Reducing the use of prescription medicines or over-the-counter medications such as NSAIDs for pain relief means fewer harmful side effects and addiction from long term use.  The lifestyle changes associated with Chiropractic recommendations will also positively influence diet, exercise and overall health. The ability to control some symptoms through Chiropractic care not only reduces the financial burden on the NHS (arthritis cases are set to double by 2030!) but more importantly it improves the quality of life of those suffering from the disease and may in some cases delay the necessity to take early retirement. It’s important that people realise...
Before you give your kids your iPad, read this!

Before you give your kids your iPad, read this!

With the children off school over the summer holidays, it was great to meet some of our existing patient’s kids. For many of them it was the first time they’d seen a chiropractor work their magic, and the popping and clicking captivated the majority. However, those children that were ‘old hat’ with what we do played on an iPhone or iPad. You didn’t have to be a chiropractor to notice the childrens posture when they were hunched over the phone playing Angry Birds or watching Peppa Pig! You can’t help but wonder the influence prolonged periods slouching over these devices will do to young malleable spines. We all say that we were much more active as kids compared to the current generation but I needed to have a look at some of the statistics. A recent study from this year took a sample of 461 parents with children between the ages of 11-16. 40% of these children had suffered from neck or back pain and, worryingly, 15% of parents said their child’s pain was directly resulting from using technology. Parents suggested a staggering 68% of children spent more than four hours on a laptop, tablet or phone. The NHS suggests a child should spend at least an hour a day doing rigorous activity. 48% of parents in this study suggested their children didn’t meet this. You can only hypothesise about the long-term affect of children leading more sedentary lives. I have seen the affect this has had on hundreds if not thousands of adults, many of which come in when their posture has changed, the shoulders have rounded, the mid back is hunched and the...
Why you should think twice before using Antibacterial Soap

Why you should think twice before using Antibacterial Soap

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...

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