Chiropractic and Depression

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There's no wishing away depression. But getting up and moving can help.

We all experience highs and lows. But when the lows become increasingly often and begin to interfere with the functions of daily living, then it’s a cause for concern. Depression affects twice as many women as men and most people fail to seek the help they need. Those that do, usually receive some type of drug therapy.

Common symptoms of depression include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Sleep problems
• Overwhelming sadness
• Hyper-irritability
• Poor concentration
• Changes in appetite
• Withdrawal
• Chronic physical symptoms
• Thoughts of suicide

Depression is really a whole body condition that affects body, mind, emotions and spirit. It is not something to be ashamed of, nor is it something you can simply wish away. You can’t just “snap out of it” or put on a happy face and think it away.

A recent study, conducted by Duke University Medical Center, compared exercise with the use of a popular antidepressant. Those taking the drug saw a 38% relapse in their symptoms. In the exercise-only group, only 8% of participants experienced a relapse. Exercise may be a key element in elevating your mood and improving your health – whether you’re depressed or not.

But remember, we experience everything in life through our nervous systems. If our nervous systems are compromised, our life experience will be compromised. One more reason to seek safe and natural chiropractic care first.

PMS Again?

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What can you do to save yourself - and your loved ones - from your PMS symptoms?

You’re cranky, tired, achy and irritable. You feel bloated and you cry easily. You crave salt and chocolate and you say things you really don’t mean. The scale tips upward and your mood shifts are even making you feel like you’re crazy! Ah yes, it’s your favorite time of the month – PMS, premenstrual syndrome, is raging once again and your family has headed for the hills. What makes you feel this way?

No one really knows what causes PMS, but it is thought to be largely hormonal and may occur due to elevated estrogen levels, decreased progesterone levels, and the hormonal interaction with other brain chemicals. It generally occurs two to 14 days before the first day of your menstrual cycle, and symptoms tend to subside once menstruation begins.

Classic PMS symptoms fall into two categories:

• Physical, such as bloating, weight gain, headache, backache, fatigue, breast tenderness or swelling, increased appetite/cravings
• Emotional – such as irritability, depression, mood swings, panic attacks, bouts of crying, tension, hostility

There are many non-drug alternatives that reduce the severity of or even relieve PMS symptoms, including:

• Dietary changes, including increasing your intake of leafy green vegetables, fish with omega-3 oils (tuna, salmon, shellfish), grains, lean proteins
• Exercise, because it releases chemicals in the brain called endorphins which are natural mood elevators that help reduce bloating and weight gain
• Frequent hydrating, by drinking plenty of water you actually reduce swelling/bloating
• Stress reduction techniques, such as prayer and meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or spending time doing a favorite hobby or activity
• Chiropractic care, shown to be helpful in relieving many PMS symptoms in several studies^1,2,3 when receiving two to three adjustments during the weeks leading up to the onset of the menstrual cycle.

If you’re plagued with the symptoms of PMS (or know someone who is), call our practice and arrange to come in and speak with Dr. David Nygaard. Hear our success stories in caring for patients with PMS.

Varicose Veins

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Hiding your legs inside long socks and tights doesn't eliminate those varicose veins!

They are unsightly and painful and one out of every two adults over 50 suffers from them. Varicose veins are enlarged veins, often dark blue and purple in color, that appear to be swollen and twisted, very close to the surface of the skin. Although they usually appear on the calves and the inside of the legs, they may affect any area of the body.

To determine whether you might be at a greater risk to develop varicose veins, consider the following:

• A family history of varicose veins (genetic predisposition)
• Obesity
• Pregnancy (due to increased pressure on the legs)
• A job that requires long periods of standing
• Frequent heavy lifting
• Sitting for long periods of time with crossed legs
• Eating a low-fiber diet that causes constipation

There are certain things you can do to try to prevent varicose veins, including:

• Exercise on a regular basis; walking in particular increases the strength of the veins in your legs
• Avoid sitting with your legs crossed
• Elevate your legs while sitting or resting
• Get up and walk around every 30-45 minutes if you work in a job that requires you to sit for long periods of time
• Try not to stand for long periods of time. If you must, shift your weight frequently from foot to foot and wear support stockings or socks
• Maintain a healthy weight for your height
• Eat a high fiber diet, including bran, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure regular bowel movements

Most of the time, no treatment is necessary for varicose veins. Chiropractic care, which is known to improve the flow of blood through the body, may help relieve and/or control varicose veins. Please call our practice to discuss your concerns; we will be happy to meet with you.

Mammogram? Maybe

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Thermography is a less risky, non-invasive diagnostic tool that is becoming more and more popular as an alternative to mammograms.

The dreaded mammogram…that once-a-year cancer-screening tool you look forward to almost as much as you look forward to cleaning out the kitty litter. Yet we do it because we are told that it is an early detection/early-warning system for breast cancer that saves lives. But does it?

There is a growing controversy surrounding the effectiveness, or even the usefulness, of periodic mammograms. Those opposed point to these facts about mammography screening:

• It is a flawed screening tool that can neither detect nor prevent cancer
• Its reliability is unstable given that there are many “false positive” readings
• It does not increase the likelihood of long-term survival
• It is generally recommended to protect the doctor’s liability
• It may be no better at early detection than self-breast examination
• Mammography/breast biopsy is a massive money-making business
• Mammography emits radiation that may very well cause the cancer it is designed to detect!

Disillusioned? Who wouldn’t be? Are there viable alternatives? Many are touting the benefits of thermography over mammography. Thermography does not require that the breast be flattened like a pancake and it is not in any way painful. Thermography is a form of non-invasive infrared imaging that detects “hot spots” in the breast that show likelihood for being pre-cancerous. In fact, a positive thermographic reading is the best indicator of positive risk for the future development of breast cancer, 10 times more significant than any family history of the disease.

Chiropractic isn't a treatment for cancer! In our practice, we address subluxation. Instead of living in fear of what might happen to your body, we focus on keeping nerve interference at a minimum so your body can function at its optimal best.

Call us for an appointment to have your spine checked. You’ll be glad you did!

Kissed By the Sun?

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That 'healthy' glow isn't healthy at all.

Millions of people visit tanning salons in order to keep that year-round “kissed by the sun” glow. What many of them fail to realize is that “glow” may someday cause malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

Is this fake idea of health worth the risk?

Tanning salons promote their services by claiming that their beds emit UVA rays rather than the potentially more harmful UVB rays. However, a 15-20 minute session in a tanning bed equals an entire day of outdoor tanning and UVA rays can be just as damaging to the skin and to the immune system as UVB rays. In fact, the UVA rays emitted from a tanning bed lamp are three times as powerful as those from direct sunlight!

What are some of the more serious long-term effects of UVA exposure? They include:

• Eye damage
• Immune system changes
• Wrinkles and premature aging of the skin
• Cataracts
• Sun spots/pigmentation changes on skin
• Skin cancer

Although anyone who is exposed to UVA rays may be at risk, some are at greater risk, particularly those who have blond, light brown or red hair, those with fair skin, those who burn easily, those who have blue, green or gray eyes, and those who often burn before tanning.

Women, and especially teenage girls frequent tanning salons more often than their male counterparts, making them more vulnerable to the increased risks and damaging effects of UVA exposure.

Research suggests that exposure to the sun is essential to good health. Clearly, tanning booths and exposure to unnaturally high levels of ultraviolet light can compromise your health and later on, your appearance!

No Such Thing as Super Mom!

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Give up the idea that you have to be a super woman, and you will enjoy life much more!

Most mothers today tend to wear many hats in addition to their “Mom” uniform – wife, sister, daughter, employee, boss, volunteer, scout leader, club member, taxi driver, etc. Sometimes life can be overwhelming and very few women are skilled in the art of just saying “NO!” The “Super Mom” syndrome is very real, and it takes its toll on women in terms of physical and emotional stress. (Two of the causes of subluxation.)

These are just a few reasons why every mom needs to dump the idea that she can be a “Super Mom”:

1. There is no such thing as a perfect anybody. It just can’t be done. Trying to be perfect in every facet of your life is pure folly.
   
2. It is exhausting and overwhelming to think that you can be all things to all people. Besides that, it’s an impossible goal.
   
3. Children need their mother to meet their needs, not everyone else’s.
   
4. A “super mom” never lives in the joy of the moment; she is always looking at what she has to do next.
   
5. Unrealistic expectations that we set for ourselves, and fail to achieve, lead to stress, anxiety and depression. Stress causes many diseases that can kill; anxiety and depression rob us of our health and overall well being.

If more women took the time to nurture themselves and their close relationships with family and friends, instead of trying to do it all perfectly, more women would lead happy and purposeful lives. No one is perfect - or meant to be! If you realize that, you’ll start to have a lot more fun. Being a mom is about being, not just doing!

Endometriosis

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Resolving back pain may also improve nerve supply to reproductive organs, improving fertility.

At first, it may appear to be coincidental. You are having trouble becoming pregnant and you also have a problem with low back pain. Are they related? Can low back pain actually be a factor? The answer to the first question may be "yes," while the answer to the second question is more along the lines of, "The cause of your infertility may also be the cause your lower back pain."

Many women have problems conceiving because of a condition known as endometriosis. In fact, endometriosis is the cause for 30-40% of female infertility. This condition occurs when uterine tissue, known as endometrium, attaches itself to tissue and organs outside the uterus, including other reproductive organs, the bladder and the gastrointestinal tract. While the primary symptom of endometriosis is painful menstruation, back pain may result as well.

Obviously, it is imperative for you to see a health care professional when either one or both of these conditions are present. If your diagnosis is endometriosis, chiropractic care may reduce much of the pain and discomfort associated with it. In addition, several chiropractic case studies have documented cases in which infertile women have become pregnant after starting chiropractic care.

What's Eating You?

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The saying 'you can never be too rich or too thin' is a dangerous one to buy into.

Karen Carpenter, Mary Kate Olsen, Tracy Gold, Kate Moss – the bond that these high-profile celebrities share? It’s anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder which typically consists of a severe reduction in the amount of food ingested, excessive exercise and drastic weight loss that affects one’s physical health and, ultimately, may result in death. It is estimated that approximately 1% of American women suffer from this disorder. Similarly, in the UK, 1 in 100 women aged between 15 and 30, suffers from anorexia.

But what causes it? Who is more prone to it? Is it genetic in nature? Anorexia generally affects teenage girls and young adult women, however, men and older women also suffer from it. We live in a society where “thin is in” and many young women become obsessed with their body image. They control their food intake because everything else around them seems so out of control.

Women in the public eye, particularly actors, models, dancers, gymnasts, athletes and television personalities are particularly vulnerable to this disease because maintaining the image of “thin” is often required in their job description. Women from high-achieving families and those who strive for perfection in order to win parental approval are particularly vulnerable as well.

Treatment may consist of hospital admission or an inpatient rehabilitative stay, psychotherapy, and nutritional counseling. It is estimated that nearly half of all anorexic women never fully recover and 20% are continually ill. Anorexia has the second highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder after substance abuse. Approximately 20% die either by suicide or through complications caused by starvation.

To determine whether you, or a friend or loved one, may have an eating disorder such as anorexia, click here and take this excellent eating disorder test. Early detection and treatment is vital to saving lives.

Painless Periods, Please!

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Some women have debilitating periods, while others sail through every month. Why?

Why do some women experience severe pain with their monthly periods, while others do not even experience a twinge? Painful periods, or dysmenorrhea, may have several causes, including the following:

• chemical imbalance
• infection
• tumors
• pelvic inflammatory disease
• fibroids in the uterus
• nerve compromise

Certain women seem more prone than others to this condition, in part due to lifestyle choices, such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Other factors that play a part include being overweight and the onset of their period prior to age 11.

A clinical pilot study conducted at the National College of Chiropractic reported that women who received chiropractic care experienced a significant reduction in menstrual pain and suffering.

In another case study, a woman kept a journal of the severity of her menstrual-related pain for four months prior to receiving chiropractic care and three months during. Her pain was significantly less severe and there were fewer episodes.

As an alternative to drugs and surgery…chiropractic care may be just what someone you know needs if they’re suffering the debilitating effects of dysmenorrhea. Have them call us today.

HRT Alternatives

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There are natural alternatives to traditional HRT.

No subject has raised as much concern among menopausal women in recent years as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT, which consists of estrogen or combined estrogen-progestin therapy, has been widely prescribed for years to relieve the symptoms of menopause and prevent osteoporosis. HRT has been considered helpful in relieving flushing, vaginal dryness and mood swings associated with menopause.

But in 2002, a large Women’s Health Initiative clinical study was stopped after early findings revealed that HRT after menopause raised a woman's risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

As a result of these findings, many women have opted for natural alternatives to HRT. They have shifted their thinking to accept menopause simply as a normal life stage as opposed to a “disease” that requires medical treatment.

Natural approaches to menopause include healthier eating habits and increased calcium intake, herbal supplements and alternative approaches, such as chiropractic care and acupuncture, to help a woman’s body regulate and balance itself during menopause, without the side effects and inherent health risks associated with HRT. In addition, regular exercise helps relieve stress and aids in preventing heart disease and osteoporosis.