Posts by Espinosa
A High-Protein Diet Promotes Healthy Weight Loss
A plea for you to adhere to your target weight
There are few things that help your spine more than maintaining a healthy weight. Each pound you hold on to over that target zone are adding an unbearable burden onto your spine, increasing the wear and tear on your joints and ratcheting up the compression on your intervertebral discs. As your muscles strain to account for this burden, the whole network of stability is threatened and back pain is a frequent result. We are lucky if it stops at pain- excess weight and obesity are some of the primary contributors to long term spinal conditions and spinal-related disability in our populations. if you are looking to lose weight, here is a great way to go about it:
Posture and Motion Maintain the Brain
The link between posture and brain function
So many people treat posture indifferently, which is really a shame when you consider that it is actually a make-or-break part of spinal health. One thing to consider is the link between posture and brain function, which is borne out by a growing wealth of clinical findings. Besides increasing pressure on your spine, reducing lung function, and impairing your organs, poor posture can also hamper brain function. Poor posture is linked to issues including:
- Self-esteem
- Focus and attention
- Rate of speech
- Stress levels
- Mental performance
- Chronic pain
- Memory response
As chiropractors, we focus on limiting the damage on the physical side of things, which we know will have a knock-on effect on the mental side. Here’s how our approach to posture works:
Chiropractic for Holiday Stress
As the holiday season rapidly approaches, it’s common to stress over things like preparing meals, shopping for gifts, and having the financial stability to provide all of those things for yourself and your loved ones. Although many of us might be practicing social distancing this holiday season, it’s likely we’ll still go through some of the holiday motions. This holiday season might seem especially stressful, lonesome, and depressing.
However, there is a lot you can do for yourself to stay physically and mentally well, and chiropractic is one drug-free option that addresses both departments simultaneously. Your spine and your body/brain are inextricably connected, and one simple chiropractic adjustment can provide drug-free pain relief, provide you with a better night of sleep, reduce anxiety, and brighten your mood — all in one simple visit with your local chiropractic care specialist.
At Espinosa Family Chiropractic we provide our wellness treatments to patients of all ages and from all walks of life. Contact this Sacramento Chiropractic Care Specialist today to schedule your holiday consultation. We hope you stay happy, healthy, and well.
How Chiropractic Boosts the Immune System
Many people know by now the many benefits that chiropractic treatment offers patients who experience injuries, but what about for patients who are feeling what they perceive to be healthy and well?
At the end of the day, our immune system plays a vital role in warding off infectious organisms from entering our bodies. A good immune system will seem invisible — you won’t even know it’s there. But you will know if you get sick.
Chiropractic treatment is a great way to give your immune system a boost. One simple adjustment can help clear the sinuses, motivate quality sleep, and ensure that your internal systems are running at optimum capacity, including your GI system.
Combine chiropractic treatment with a healthy diet. Vitamin C helps boost your immune system as well and so does elderberry extract, red peppers, and a number of other healthy foods. Getting out in the sun is also good for your immune system as well, giving your body crucial Vitamin D.
Contact Espinosa Family Chiropractic to learn more about how our treatments help our patients mount serious defenses against cold and flu.
Winter Makes Way for Spring: How Your Body Can Beneit
Winter is the unhealthiest season of the year
It is often the point of the year where we feel most fatigued on a daily basis. And there is a biological reason for this: with less daylight, the body produces more melatonin which makes us feel drowsier than normal. This sets the tone for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mood disorder usually experienced during winter time. But spring is here, and it’s time to shake yourself out of it. Need some help? Read on.
What Your Posture Tells Us About Your Spine
Your posture can tell us a lot about the shape of your spine
You may have anterior pelvic tilt, a positioning of the body that involves, you guessed it, an exaggerated forward tilting of the pelvis. In this position, there is also an exaggerated arch in the lower back and, as a result your butt will stick out and your stomach will protrude. This is a problem for more serious reasons than making you look funny. If you allow your spine to remain in this hyperextended position as its normal posture, you are putting yourself at enhanced risk for conditions such as:
- Facet joint syndrome
- Spondyloisthesis
- Spinal stenosis
Why do I have anterior pelvic tilt?
Sitting too much, the great evil of our time is probably at least partially at fault. When you sit too much, some of the muscles which control your pelvis get overly tight while others get overly weak from lack of use. The general result of this is a net forward tilt of the pelvis and an increased arch of the spine.
How we go about fixing anterior pelvic tilt in Sacramento
Chiropractic adjustment is effective for relieving pressure from spinal joints and realigning the spine which is often a big contributor to pain in cases of anterior pelvic tilt. Furthermore, we focus on unwinding tightness from overworked muscles such as the hip flexors and quads while adding in strength to muscles that are being underused such as the glutes and hamstrings. Increasing the strength of core stabilizing muscles is a great way to make holding good posture easier.
How Your Body Weight is a Great Asset for Getting Fit
Your body weight can be your greatest tool…
…in your quest to lose weight. For many people, a gym is actually a counterproductive place to attempt fitness goals. Unless you are cut out for the high-intensity culture of a gym, it may leave you spun out and actually less motivated regarding your fitness. Body weight training is a ready made solution for those of us who can’t be bothered to spend a dime on a gym membership or a set of dumbbells.
Perks of body weight training:
- It’s free
- Easy to learn
- Can be performed in your living room
Benefits of body weight training:
- Burns calories to help with weight management…
- …while building muscle simultaneously, which is important-
- particularly in the core muscle group, which are essential for good posture.
- Increases relative strength, which is your strength in relation to body size and…
- also increases reactive strength, or your ability to elongate and contract muscles.
- Finally, it boosts circulation and improves range of motion.
What do you know, these sound like the same benefits as standard weight training and cardiovascular exercise! Body weight training can be performed as stand alone exercises or as part of a circuit i.e. push ups, jumping jacks, squats, lunges, planks performed without a break in between.
The Greatest Gift That Chiropractic Can Give
Remember what it felt like to be young and unencumbered?
One of the greatest benefits of chiropractic is how it improves range of motion, impacting flexibility, reaction speeds, balance and coordination. It’s no wonder that many athletes swear by chiropractic to keep them on top of their game. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we see the impact that sedentary lifestyles have on a human’s flexibility: it is a very sad sight and we are here to change that.
The Importance of Your Sacroiliac Joints
How do my legs connect to my upper body?
No really, how do they? Think about how your legs connect to the upper body and you will be thanking the structures known as sacroiliac (SI) joints. These powerful and pivotal points connect the pelvic bones to the sacrum, and are responsible for conducting force and weight between the upper body and the legs. They are supported by a complex system of ligaments and muscles that provide strength to the region.
Keeping Your Spine Happy With a Running Habit
Runners remember: posture is integral to your success and enjoyment of the sport
We love running and admire everyone who uses running as part of their commitment to staying healthy. However, running can take a toll on the spine. We see it as our responsibility to protect the spines of our running community here in Sacramento. The best way to do that is through focusing on good posture.
- Stay upright: you know you’re tired when the shoulders are slumped and you can barely breathe. But some people are not aware that they are slumping from the start.
- Keep your head centered above the spine so that its weight is properly balanced as you run.
- Keep the face faced forward and the body will follow. Do not look at the ground as it will set a precedent for the neck to follow, angling downwards and soon your shoulders will start to move toward each other, leaving you hunched over.
- Utilize your hips as your center of gravity. Letting the pelvis tilt forward will only lead to back pain. So keep your core upright.
But posture is not at all- beware of fatigue
Fatigue is what causes us to lose this great posture. Once you feel your shoulders caving inwards and your shoulders slumping, it may be time to take a turn toward home. Make sure you don’t run yourself to a point of exhaustion and laziness and posture.
These habits may feel like an adjustment at first but given enough repetition they will become second nature. And for the love of the runner: running everyday on concrete is bad for the cartilage in your back. If your back is aching after a run, it may be in need of some tender loving care- we treat sore tissues and misaligned vertebrae to ensure that you are running at your full mechanical advantage.