Archive for September 2016

The period immediately following childbirth is a rollercoaster of joy and lifestyle adjustment that is defined by the transition to life with a newborn child. With all the new cute moments, the demands for feeding and time, and the loss of sleep, it is easy to neglect your body. It is primarily a matter of hormones: relaxin levels, which are elevated during pregnancy to loosen the ligaments in the pelvic region, remain higher than normal for up to 6 months after delivery. This means that the crux of your spine, is weaker than normal and vulnerable to misalignment and injury. Instability in the pelvis and sacrum and can be made worse by normal new-mother operations such as holding the child and breast feeding. 

The positive side of this is that raised relaxin levels make your body more pliable and thus, it responds very well to chiropractic care. Adjustments in particular are important for keeping the base of the spine in balance. Over the coming months, ligaments will begin to tighten and return to their pre-pregnancy state and this is a process that often causes pain or the so-called, “Mommy aches.” While these aches may not be entirely avoidable, their severity can be reduced with proper attention to care.

At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we want to take the pain out of the equation so that you can focus purely on the newfound wonder of having a child. We can make recommendations on posture and activity and help you establish a home environment and routine that is conducive to getting over common aches quickly. For new mothers in the Bay Area, give our office a call and schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

It’s hard to think of a reason not to get a massage during pregnancy. The routine pains, stiffening and tension associated with a growing baby and a changing body respond well to the gentle stimulation of massage. If we can relax the mother-to-be’s mind and treat her body, we can effect a more nurturing environment for the body to grow and this can only benefit everyone in the end.

Pregnancy necessarily shifts the woman’s center of gravity forward as the extra weight of the baby increases. As a consequence, the back muscles, especially in the lumbar region, are called upon to compensate and they often become strained in the process. These are some of the normal aches and pains associated with pregnancy: your muscles are working harder in order to maintain a sense of balance. The pelvis also tilts forward, accentuating the lumbar curve and stabilizing muscles in the core can no longer do their job effectively. This leaves the pregnant woman in a precarious position and pain is a logical outcome.

Massage is a great way to combat the pain that comes with these physical changes. By promoting better circulation, all the cells in her body are nourished with oxygen and nutrients. Massage also stimulates lymph circulation, helping to clear the body of toxins and interstitial fluid in the tissues which is associated with edema or swelling. A massage relaxes tense muscles and chiropractic adjustment can help correct spinal imbalance, particularly in the pelvic region to help you stay in a state of good health while your baby grows. 

Lastly, massage relaxes the mother’s mind and helps her get consistently good sleep. Massage can help you achieve true relaxation, despite the hormonal and physical upheaval that is part of the process. Call our office and find out how we can make your pregnancy easier today!

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.  

Pregnancy is, first of all, to be congratulated! The road to such a life-defining experience is sure to be filled with joy and excitement and, at Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we are here to make the journey as comfortable as possible. At our office in Milpitas, we specialize in providing gentle chiropractic care for pregnancy. We provide a safe and non-invasive treatment purely with the intention of supporting the pregnant woman’s body during a time of significant emotional and physical upheaval. We keep the prospective mother in a state of good health which in turn creates a nurturing environment for the baby to develop. 

Chiropractic care during pregnancy means: 

• maintaining pelvic balance 
• reduced frequency and severity of aches and pains 
• decreased stress
• decreased tension placed on the womb
• increased immune function

The pelvic region of a pregnant woman is made weak when the body releases reproductive hormones which relax ligaments to make way for the baby. Along with the added weight of the growing child, this creates a tumultuous situation that often results in lower back pain. More seriously, the spine can suffer from excess pressure, damaging tissues and contributing to conditions like sciatica. A misaligned pelvic region can reduce the amount of room available in the womb. 

With chiropractic adjustment, we can keep the spine aligned all the way through the pelvic region. We use hands-on techniques including massage therapy to ease the mental and physical stressors that are part and parcel with pregnancy. If you would like to find out more about how our services can benefit you and your baby, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

While most of my clients are not professional athletes, I still regularly see people at varying degrees of physical activity who are looking to optimize their health plan. A modality that is gaining traction, especially among the ranks of Olympic athletes who competed in Brazil this year, is called resistance stretching. While stretching is traditionally used to preserve flexibility and range of motion, resistance stretching adds another element by strengthening the same muscle. Getting the most out of every movement is a form of efficiency that you can find most prominently with resistance stretching. 

Resistance stretching relies on the counter-intuitive notion that you can simultaneously shorten and lengthen a muscle. Both by yourself and by utilizing the help of a partner, (or your chiropractor) you can perform dual-purpose stretches including resisted neck twists, resisted hip flexion, partner-resisted upper back and hamstring stretches and core development stretching, particularly in the interest of establishing the core as a stabilizer. 

Resistance stretching helps: 

• Improve joint mechanics
• Reduce stress and pain in the joints
• Increase core stability
• Balance the spine and body
• Improve flexibility and strength
• Contribute to the longevity of your body

While no changes should be made to your health plan before conferring with a health professional, resistance stretching could be a way to add another dimension to your work out routine.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.  

Pillows are inanimate objects: true, but as far as inanimate objects go, pillows hold a lot of clout when it comes to your health. An ill-fitting pillow may have made the cut when we were younger and our spines more resistant to stiffness and pain. However, as we grow older and the cumulative forces acting on our spines and, in particular, the neck become more invasive, we need something more sufficient. 

Before you can even reap the benefits of a good pillow you need to establish a threshold of pain that allows you to sleep. If problems with your neck or back are preventing you from falling or staying asleep, give our office in Milpitas a call. We utilize modalities that include chiropractic adjustment, therapeutic massage, corrective exercise and stretching, spinal decompression and traction techniques to help you reduce pain and sleep better. If you have been inspired by this blog, then the next step may apply to you: go pillow shopping. A new pillow could be the best thing you do to change your sleep life from poor or average, to restful and productive. 

• Side sleepers should seek a firmer pillow that fills the space between outer shoulder and neck without propping the head too far up or letting it drop down. 
• Back sleepers want a thinner pillow that assumes the vacuum between neck and mattress, but does not push their head up and out of alignment. 
• Stomach sleepers may not want any pillow at all for the head. To avoid putting the body to far out of whack, place the pillow under the stomach to combat lower back pain. 

The good thing is that the elements of a good pillow are simple, and there is nothing in this blog that would suggest you need to shell out top dollar for a brand-name pillow. Simply shop around and find the one that fits you perfectly and provides you with the support you need to reclaim a good night’s sleep. 

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

Asking, “What is happiness,” can unlock a can of philosophical worms that abstract the concept of happiness from reality. Because really, what matters besides the factors that make up your individual happiness? At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we believe that health is central to happiness. This is exemplified by the relationship between sleep and well-being: chronic sleep deprivation is linked to higher rates of depression, heart disease, mood fluctuation, obesity, low sex drive, poor physical performance and lack of mental acuity. In other words, it affects many of the areas that make us happy and puts us at increased risk for diseases that could end up killing us. It begs us to ask the question: what is holding you back from getting the restful sleep that you deserve and need? 

If it is pain, particularly in the back, we can help. Keeping your spine aligned, your nervous system free of interference, and your muscles free of tension is a great way to encourage relaxation. Turning off the electronics before bed, cutting out the caffeine and using a properly-fitted pillow are some of the myriad lifestyle adjustments you can make to help yourself sleep well. Chiropractic in particular, helps the sleep deprivation sufferer by regulating blood flow and circulation and ensuring there is no miscommunication between brain and body. 

Sleep deprivation is a public health problem. Are you part of the populace who knows how to improve their chances of sleep success, but for whatever reason refuses to do so? If so, now may be the time to change, because the value to be reaped from a good night sleep should out-duel any laziness regarding the matter.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.

Rest is not best when it comes to healing: in fact, it may be counterproductive to your health plan to recover from any injury involving back pain. Being sedentary while recovering encourages stiffening, which can make both joints and tissues more susceptible to injury. Supportive muscles, especially those in the core, also stiffen and atrophy which can be a slippery slope for injuries like herniation in the lumbar region. Furthermore, intervertebral discs will dry out and stiffen when they are not used for long periods of time. 

Now that all the bad news is out of the way, we can focus on how to use activity to your advantage. While “resuming normal activity as soon as possible,” may be impossible depending on the degree of pain, there are small steps you can take to keep the structures and tissues of your body moving to avoid weakening. Before starting any new health plan, especially one to heal an injury, it is wise to confer with a medical professional to determine your limitations and a healthy level of activity.

Ways that you can maintain a level of activity even with back pain include:

• Light aerobic activity, especially low-impact ones such as swimming that are not traumatic to the joints. 
• Strengthening supportive muscles. Every region of the back has corresponding supportive muscles, no more so than in the lumbar region. Keeping the core strong is a great way to alleviate some of the burden that falls on discs in the lower back. 
• Stretching and corrective exercise: the goal here is to maintain your range of motion and flexibility. 

At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we know that every injury is individual. We also know one thing that most of them share (excluding the most serious ones) is that their healing time can be improved with regular activity.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.