Blog
Choosing your Lifestyle
Chiropractic is a lifestyle as much as it is a treatment
It is a lifestyle that choosing wellness over suffering and offers you a way of controlling your health, of strengthening your body against the incursions of life rather than letting the external factors of life make the decisions. This is reflected in the fact that regular patients of chiropractic spend less on pharmaceutical drugs and surgery and spend less of their lives in the hospital. It rests around the idea that your body is the most powerful force in keeping itself healthy- sometimes it just needs a helping hand. Supporting a lifestyle that puts your body in control of its own healing is the basis of everything we do at Espinosa Family Chiropractic.
The chiropractic lifestyle helps you get to know your body better
Education and awareness are two of the most important factors when it comes to keeping health in your hands. The more you understand your body and the forces that injure and degrade it, the more you can prevent those forces from taking too great a toll on your health. As chiropractors, we focus on the spine as our gateway to overall health: because it is the conduit of the central nervous system, any dysfunction here will have interminable effects on the rest of the body. That is why we see spinal adjustment as equally important to diet, rest, and exercise. If you are interested in finding out more about how chiropractic can empower and inspire you, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today.
Why does Spinal Decompression Feel so Good?
Decompression makes sense
Whether you realize it or not, your spine is constantly being compressed- by gravity no less! And during the course of human life, we add in a whole load of other compressive forces that conspire to throw our spines out of balance and degrade the natural structures we were born with. Compression is a signal contributor to degenerative disc disease, herniated discs and nerve conditions such as pinched nerves and sciatica. For people suffering the pain and discomfort of these conditions, it makes sense to try and reverse the harmful forces and the best way we know how to do that is through decompression.
Get Smart about Stress
Stress and the nervous system
The brain is engaged in a constant control and feedback loop with the body, even when you perceive yourself to be completely idle, even when you are sleeping. It does this by communicating through the nervous system, which can be divided into sub categories including the central, (brain and spinal cord), and the peripheral (autonomic and somatic). Stress enters into this system most clearly through a subdivision of the autonomic nervous system known as the sympathetic nervous system.
Massage Versus Muscle Tension
Massage fights muscle tension
As an office of chiropractic, we recognize that muscle tension is taking a heavy toll on the average American. Our lifestyles breed muscle tension- the way we sit, the way we work, even the way we relax seems to set us up for chronically tight muscles. Chiropractors also acknowledge that muscle tension is one of the main causes of subluxation; because a tight muscle actively pulls the body out of alignment, subluxation of spinal joints is a natural outcome. So how do we stop muscle tension in its tracks? With massage, of course.
Sleeping Well in Sacramento
Let’s talk about sleep debt
Sleep is a cornerstone of wellness- as you rest, your body is busy pulling a night shift. Recharging your energy is only the tip of the iceberg; as you sleep, cells repair and rebuild, and your immune system and cardiovascular system prepare for another day of action.
The Single Greatest Thing you can Do for your Back
Why does my back hurt? And what can I do about it?
Factors that contribute to back pain include:
- Obesity
- Poor diet
- Posture and excessive sitting
- Mental Stress
- Acute Injury
- Repetitive trauma
Obviously, limiting your spine to the exposure of any of these malefactors is an important way to keep your spine in a state of health. But there is one thing you can focus on more than any other if you are interested in keeping your back pain-free late into life.
Movement of the Spine Powers the Brain
Keeping the spine healthy is a key to overall brain functioning
Your spine is even more important than you thought: keeping the spine in alignment and keeping it moving is linked to positive maintenance of mental health- indeed, the health of your spine has a significant say in determining your mental health including emotional stability and motor control. Keeping the pathways of communication between the brain and spinal nerves open and free of interference is an essential part of wellness.
What is the enemy of movement? Subluxation
The brain requires constant input from the nervous system to keep functioning. Movement, reaction and sensory stimulation is responsible for the majority of signalling that occurs between brain and body. Subluxation of the spinal joints has a domino effect of negative health outcomes regarding the spine and the brain. With subluxation, movement of the spine is restricted.
Chiropractic adjustments mean better health and improved brain function
By aligning the spine, chiropractic effects a whole range of health benefits in the brain. A properly aligned spine maintains and protects the pathways that facilitate the neurological stimulation between spinal joints and the brain. This is important not only know but as we move forward in age. Your brain and spine share a symbiotic relationship- as an office of chiropractic we focus on maintaining the proper alignment of your spine so that your brain can operate to its maximum potential.
If you are interested in finding out more about how movement of the spine influences neurological functioning, give our office in Sacramento a call to schedule an appointment today.
Keeping your Spine Aligned Day by Day
Paint the picture of good bodily alignment
Proper alignment of the body refers to a position in which the head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles, all the major joints of the body are aligned in such a way that causes minimal pressure to the structures and muscles of the body. But the crux of this whole image is the spine, so most of our efforts at alignment will either bear fruit or fall short based on how we manage the alignment of our spine.
Heat and Ice: Nature’s Original Painkillers
Choosing heat and ice for muscle pain
Heat and ice fit in with the chiropractic adherence to drug-free pain management. For anyone struggling with chronic muscle pain, heat and ice can do wonders when used correctly. “Correctly” being the operative word; many people don’t know (or don’t care to know) the difference between the two. But understanding the difference helps you to determine when to use heat or ice to maximum effect. Do you know what heat and ice do for you? Read on to find out.
Making Childbirth Easier with the Webster Technique
When it comes time for childbirth, the breech position can pose a serious problem
Though there are multiple sub-types of breech positioning, the term essentially refers to a baby that presents before childbirth with a feetfirst or bottomfirst position, rather than head first. Occurring in 3-4% of pregnancies, breech is known to cause many complications during childbirth and often involves surgical intervention to protect both mother and child. Fortunately there is a technique that is very effective for moving the child into a fetal position more conducive to childbirth: the Webster technique.
What can I do if my baby is in breech?
Fetal positioning can be influenced by chiropractic. The Webster Technique utilizes specific adjustments to align the spine through the pelvic region, reduce intrauterine restraint and help encourage the baby to move into a healthy position for birth. By alleviating nerve compression, we facilitate smooth nervous system functioning throughout the spine and body, and contribute to the proper alignment of the pelvic muscles and ligaments.
Making an easier birth in Sacramento
Breech positioning adds on to the stress of one of the most intense processes in the human experience. We want to help reduce this stress with the Webster Techique, allowing you to approach childbirth with confidence and a baby presenting the way it is supposed to: head first! If you are interested in our services for pregnant women in Sacramento, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today.