Pregnancy Complications: 5 Common Triggers

Pregnancy Complications: 5 Common Triggers (And What To Do About Them!)

Pregnancy is a stressful time of life, both in positive and negative ways.  With so much to celebrate it’s unfortunate that the negative stresses can get in the way of enjoying the moment. These stresses can cause complications in each phase of pregnancy, labor and delivery. Fortunately, for over 10 years we’ve helped many women overcome these stresses and enjoy a more positive outcome for both mother and baby. Here are the top 5 triggers that we’ve seen cause problems and solutions to each.

  1. You’re Not Squatting Enough. Sitting, old injuries and lack of movement inhibits pelvic function, diminishes your ability to squat and can impair labor and delivery. Midwife Ina May Gaskin  recommends that all pregnant women squat about 300 times a day to improve birth outcomes. If you’re having trouble squatting, try these versions of modified squats. Also, taking a class in The Bradley Method will show you additional stretches and exercises to optimize pregnancy, labor and delivery.
  2. You’re exposed to too many toxins and radiation. Mercury from fish and flu shots can cause negative effects to both mom and baby. Tylenol also adds a major chemical insult that can cause neurological damage to the baby and also diminishes glutathione (important antioxidant) levels. Finally, each ultrasound puts some stress on the unborn child. It’s important to talk to your birth provider about which, if any of these, are necessary or can be omitted from your prenatal plan.
  3. You’re missing crucial nutrients. Poor diet can lead to low birth weight in the baby, inhibit pelvic ligament stretch during labor, cause the mom to be dehydrated and increases the likelihood of postpartum bleeding. The Brewer Pregnancy Diet is a great starting point for nutritional needs during pregnancy (additional article on Brewer Diet). Magnesium (and also Natural Calm) is a great supplement during pregnancy because it helps with constipation and muscle tension. Both Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing classes also discuss dietary needs during pregnancy.
  4. You Don’t Have A Plan. If you’ve ever ran a marathon, or thought about running one, you put together a plan first. Same goes for driving across the country or traveling abroad. Well, labor and delivery is harder than all of those yet few sit down to plan it out. Do you want to deliver upright (which is easier) or while laying on your back (much harder)? Who is allowed in the room? Is water birth an option? Vit K shot? Hep B? Circumcision? Sit down with your significant other and make decisions on these when you have a clear mind and not in the thick of things. Here’s a Sample birth plan to get you started.
  5. You’re Stressed Out. Emotional stress can cause undue muscle tension that may inhibit baby positioning, not to mention cause discomfort and pain. Try listening to relaxing music while taking an Epsom salt bath each night, download a stress management app (here’s another option and more relaxation methods) or even consider taking a hypnobirthing class.

*Bonus Tip! Get Adjusted.  Misalignments of the pelvis, sacrum and lumbar spine can affect supporting muscles and ligaments. In turn, these can prevent the baby from dropping into proper position, not to mention causing pain and discomfort for mom. Chiropractors trained in the Webster technique can help these alignment issues through gentle adjustments and improve birth outcomes. One published study found that pregnant women under regular chiropractic care had 25-31% shorter labors (Cara L. Borggren, 2007)!

 

Why Shoes Matter: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself

Why Shoes Matter: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself.

“The current state of your feet is a future projection of how well you will be able to move when you get older.”  from Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief by Katy Bowman, MS

When it comes to the health of your whole body, there is little as important as the oft neglected feet. We cram our feet into ill-fitting shoes, wear heels most of the time and then expect our feet to support us for 80, 90 or 100 years.  Do yourself a favor and ask these questions when picking out your next pair of shoes.

  1. Does the sole of your shoe allow for natural movement?  25% of the bones and muscles in your body are in your feet and those bones and muscles need to MOVE.  Have you ever seen someone’s arm after they had a cast removed? The muscles in the arm have shrunk and they have little strength. This is what is happening to your feet if you are always wearing shoes that don’t allow for natural movement.
  2. Is the shoe attached to your foot? Do you need to grip your toes to keep the shoe on?  The gripping motion you have to make with your toes to keep a shoe on (think flip flops) is the same motion that leads to hammertoes. Your shoe should be firmly attached to your foot so that it is an extension of you.
  3. How wide is the toe box? Can you spread your toes?  If your toes are repeatedly being squished into a small space the muscles will weaken and bones will be positioned incorrectly. Now imagine your whole body weight, day after day, loaded onto your squished muscles and bones. Foot pain, anyone?
  4. Does the shoe have a heel?  I’m not just talking about a 4 inch heel. I’m talking about any elevation in the heel area of a shoe. Check out your running shoes. Is your heel higher than your toes? Have you ever thought about what happens when you wear a heel all the time?  You should look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa but your body compensates by tucking your pelvis and bending your knees.  With these compensations you are able to walk, even run, in a heeled shoe.  But the long term impact on your knees, hips and pelvic floor are devastating.

So what should you wear?  First of all, try walking around barefoot when you are home. Loosen up the muscles and allow your toes to move freely. And if you want to purchase healthier footwear, check out these posts from Katy Bowman: The Winter Shoe List or The Summer Shoe List.

Neck Pain? 5 Things You’re Doing Wrong

Neck Pain? 5 Things You’re Doing Wrong.
neck-pain-photo2We understand how frustrating it can be to deal with chronic neck pain. Missing out on family activities, taking sick days and just not feeling yourself can be downright demoralizing. Fortunately, for over 10 years we’ve helped patients resolve their neck issues so they can get back to living their life and doing the things they love. Here are the top 5 causes for neck pain and our advice for relief and resolution:

  1. You’re not managing your stress. Emotional stress tends to manifest itself in tight upper back muscles that pull on the lower neck. Try an exercise called Emotional Freedom Technique, start a yoga nidra meditation routine with Bold Tranquility or attend a yoga class at either the Lakeshore Yoga Center or On The Path Yoga.
  2. Your pillow and “sleep posture” are hurting you. You should sleep on your back or on your side with a firm, but flat pillow. You don’t want something too big that it props your head up too much. Use a slightly thicker pillow if you sleep on your side and bring the bottom of your pillow to just below the tops of your shoulders if you sleep on your back. Poor posture in any facet of your life (work, exercise, using a phone) will add unnecessary stress to your neck and upper back.
  3. You’re not moving. Lack of motion in any part of your spine (or joint in the body) leads to muscle tension and poor circulation which contributes to pain. Try these 3 simple exercises (starting at the 7:30 mark) daily to help the motion and function of your upper back and neck.
  4.  You’re not breathing properly. Take a deep breath and notice what parts of your body move. Most people move their shoulders up or expand their belly out to breath. But both of those motions negatively impact different parts of your spine, causing pain.  The ideal way to breath is by expanding your rib cage. Expanding the rib cage allows for optimum intake of oxygen without any negative impact on the rest of your body.
  5.  You’re not getting adjusted. Misalignment in the neck and tension in the skull can contribute to pain. Chiropractors detect these imbalances and make corrections (adjustments) to restore alignment which improves mobility and alleviates tension. Some specially trained chiropractors also perform cranial therapy to relieve tension and improve stability. Combined, these techniques often alleviate neck pain.

Lower Back Pain? 5 Things you’re doing wrong

Lower Back Pain? 5 Things you’re doing wrong.
We understand how frustrating it can be to deal with chronic, recurrent lower back pain. Missing out on family activities, taking sick days and just not feeling yourself can be downright demoralizing. Fortunately, for over 10 years we’ve helped many patients resolve their back issues so they can get back to living their life and doing the things they love. Here are our top 5 tips for back pain relief and resolution:back-pain-image2

1. Your movements are the same from 9-5. Whether you’re sitting at a computer or lifting, twisting and bending all day, your lower back is enduring stress via repetitive motion. The key is to change it up. Get a standing work station if possible and engage different muscle groups while you work. If you have to sit, sit creatively. If you have a more physical job or take care of small children, try to engage both sides of your body equally.

2. You exercise for 30 minutes each day. Exercising for 30 minutes a day has a lot of health benefits but can’t negate lack of motion the rest of your waking hours. If you’re awake for 16 hours, your 30 minute workout makes up 3 percent of your potential movement time. Lack of motion leads to muscle tension and poor circulation which leads to pain. Here is a good routine of 15 different stretches to incorporate throughout your day.

3. You’re not paying attention to your feet. Footwear interferes with natural movement and twenty-five percent of the muscles and bones in the body are in the feet. That’s a lot of opportunity for tension and imbalance which puts stress on the lower back via the kinetic chain. Practice standing on a reflexology board, stability disc or stretch your feet on a foam roller half round. For more exercises, try this book or listen to this Podcast on foot health.

4. You have bad posture. Poor ergonomics and posture contribute to strain in the lower back and muscle attachments to the pelvis which can cause chronic pain. This includes walking/standing with forward sway or also an anterior pelvis. Have someone take a side view picture or video of you standing or better yet walking. If your hips are translated (shifted) in front of your ankles, you have a problem. Stand sideways in front of a full length mirror (or have a partner guide you) and try lining up your shoulder, hip and ankle. This is often best achieved by trying to flex or extend your lumbar spine ever so slightly, think of doing just part of a pelvic tilt while standing. Here are a few more exercises to address anterior pelvic tilt from a guy with just a couple hundred thousand more views than us. Think about your posture in all facets of your life and try to use the best body position possible. 

5. You’re not getting adjusted. Misalignment in the lower back and pelvis can cause pain and discomfort. Chiropractors detect these imbalances and make corrections (adjustments) to restore alignment which improves circulation and minimizes pressure. Some specially trained chiropractors also perform foot adjustments to help overall, whole body alignment. These techniques often alleviate lower back symptoms.

Chronic Headaches? 5 Things You’re Doing Wrong

Chronic Headaches? 5 Things You’re Doing Wrong.

Chronic headaches are not normal and not something you need to live with. Fortunately, for over 10 years we’ve helped many patients resolve their headaches so they can get back to living their life and doing the things they love. Here are our top 5 tips for headache relief and resolution:

headache

  1. You’re not drinking water.  Your body needs about half its weight in ounces of clean water per day (75oz for 150 lbs) and many headaches are related to dehydration.  (P.S. Coffee doesn’t count toward your water goal!)
  2. You have bad posture. Poor ergonomics and posture contribute to strain on the upper neck and muscle attachments to the skull which can cause headaches. This includes looking down at a phone or tablet often, sitting too long at a computer and even sleeping on your stomach or with a pillow that is too big. Hint: Put down your cell phone!
  3. You’re not moving. Lack of motion leads to muscle tension and poor circulation which leads to pain. Try these 3 simple exercises (starting at the 7:30 mark) daily to help the motion and function of your upper back and neck.
  4. You have a poor diet.  Sugar, food additives (MSG, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, etc) and artificial sweeteners often contribute to headaches. Try to eliminate these from your diet.  On the flip side, consider adding magnesium to your diet. 80% of us are magnesium deficient and headaches are one of the early symptoms of deficiency. These are the two sources we recommend, Natural Calm and Magnesium Malate.
  5. You’re not getting adjusted. Misalignment in the neck and tension in the skull can contribute to headaches. Chiropractors detect these imbalances and make corrections (adjustments) to restore alignment which improves circulation and minimizes pressure. Some specially trained chiropractors also perform cranial therapy which relieves tension. These techniques often alleviate headache symptoms.
elderberry supplement for cold and flu season

The Healthy Habits You Can’t Live Without: Food as Medicine

The first defense against illness is your immune system. Keep these super foods handy to help your body fight the winter germs!

  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Oregano Oil
  • Turmeric
  • Echinacea
  • Raw Honey
  • Colloidal Silver

The Healthy Habits You Can’t Live Without: Go Green!

In part 2 of our Health Habits series we are encouraging you to go green! Or rather, eat greens. Green vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals. Eating greens can help you…

  • Lower cholesterol
  • Improve vision
  • Detoxify
  • Regulate digestion

Do something good for yourself this week and go green!

The Healthy Habits You Can’t Live Without

We mentioned it last week…75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. What happens when you’re chronically dehydrated?

  • Fatigue
  • Weight gain
  • Skin disorders
  • Premature aging
  • High blood pressure

…just to name a few.

Develop a new healthy habit and aim to drink 75 ounces of water per day or half your body weight in ounces.
You will feel great!

3 Things You Should Do Right Now

  • Drink a large glass of water. 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.
  • Get up!  Go for a walk…even if it’s just around your house.
  • Schedule your next adjustment. Keep your spine aligned to improve your mobility and help you heal faster if you catch a nasty cold!