By Dr. Ogle Allergies, Chiropractic, Kids, Nutrition, Wellness Care , , , , , , , ,

How to Beat Spring Allergies

Blog Graphic_May16

Spring is finally here! Which unfortunately means the return of spring allergies. The dreaded sneezing, wheezing, coughing and itching has become more prevalent than ever before for not only adults but children as well. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 23.6 million Americans were diagnosed with hay fever in the last year alone. So what has caused this increase? The pollen hasn’t changed. The answer is it’s the difference in how our bodies react to the pollen. Two trends that play a major role in how out bodies react differently are hygiene and diet. 

Hygiene: Today, our bodies no longer need to fight germs as much as they did in the past because we have developed a cleaner lifestyle. In other words, we are too clean and we don’t get enough exposure to common germs to keep our immune system in tip-top shape. Being so clean has resulted in the immune system developing more allergic reactions. 

Solution: Don’t think you need to sanitize everything! Let things get a little dirty. It will keep the immune system running efficiently.

Diet: Researchers are discovering that processed foods impact the immune system, which influences allergies.  The immune system acts as a barrier to protect the body against impurities. When it is broken down by sugar, grains and processed foods the body is less able to protect itself against allergens.

Solution: Avoid sugar, grains and processed foods. Eat more fresh produce, fish, nuts and drink LOTS of water. 

Chiropractic Care: A healthy immune system can be achieved by visiting the chiropractor regularly and here’s why. A healthy spine is essential for a healthy nerve system, which coordinates ALL of the other systems. After countless studies it is now known that chiropractic care has a beneficial effect on balancing the immune system. In addition to the growing research, there are numerous case studies of patients who have witnessed drastic improvements in their health and allergies.

 

 

By Dr. Ogle Motivational, Nutrition, Uncategorized, Wellness Care , , , , , ,

Misconceptions of Healthy Food Labels

Blog Graphic_May6Going to the grocery store can be an easy task when looking for healthy foods, right? All you have to look for are words such as all-natural, organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, etc. However, relying on those terms alone can be misleading.

The term “health halo” refers to the perception that a food is healthy, whether it is or not. This perception is often times accomplished with clever marketing that focuses on covering the packaging with buzz words (organic, all-natural, gluten-free, non-GMO). While most of these foods are healthy some of them are not. They are processed junk food. Marketers use these words for a reason because research has shown that using a label that says organic on foods that are not truly organic can trick even the most educated shoppers into paying more. In fact research has shown that shoppers pay up to 23 percent more.

Instead of relying on labels and the buzz words that flood the packaging do the complete opposite. Try to fill the grocery cart with foods that do not contain labels. Don’t think the health claims are always correct, be hesitant. The health claims are truly only there to sell the product. One of the many positives of eating real food (fruits, vegetables, nuts.) is that you know what is in them. Remember, next time you are in the grocery store, “health halo.”

By Dr. Ogle Kids, Uncategorized , , , ,

Torticollis? What the heck is that…

Go ahead and put your left ear on your shoulder right now. How does that affect what you do, or what you want to do? Are you able to work the same? Could you drive the same? Can you even breathe the same depth of air?

The answer is unequivocally, NO!  And what you just experienced for a moment is a case of torticollis.

Torticollis affects both children and adults and can have a significant lasting effect on the quality of life, and the quality of spinal health. When this goes untreated it ends up causing pain, skull shape changes, and scoliosis.  In babies this also affects how well they are able to breastfeed and can have a significant impact on their sleep cycle.

For kids, the cause is typically the birth process, which is why we see so many young kids (as young as 20 minutes old!) in our office.  We want to make sure that each child that comes into this world, regardless of the method (natural birth, c-section, etc).  In the video below you will see one of the many cases of torticollis that we have seen significant changes with in our office.

By Dr. Ogle Pregnancy , , , ,

[video inside] 5 Reasons to See a Chiropractor During Pregnancy

Throughout pregnancy, there are obviously some major changes that happen that can cause discomfort, pain or even pregnancy issues.  Things like nausea, heartburn, constipation, and pubic pain are common for pregnant mom to experience. However, a pregnant mom under chiropractic care typically notices a decrease in pain, and is able to sleep and function better.

Callie shared her experience about how chiropractic has drastically improved her life and experience while pregnant.

Additionally, here are 5 reasons to see a chiropractor during pregnancy:

1. Shorter Labor Time

First times moms who received regular chiropractic care experienced a 25% shorter labor time. As for seasoned moms who received chiropractic care, the average labor time was cut 31%.  Vaginal delivery is strongly dependent on pelvic alignment and baby position. If there are misalignments in the pelvis, it can interfere with labor and delivery, thus increasing labor and delivery times.

2. Enhanced Fetal Position

The Webster Technique is a technique that allows baby to get into the best possible position for birth. It balances the pelvis and decreases the tension of muscles and ligaments and allows fetal positioning to be optimal.

3. Less Painful Labor

In a hospital study that incorporated chiropractic adjustments during the patient’s pregnancy, the results indicated that there was a 50% decrease in the need for painkillers during delivery, attributed to pre-delivery adjustments.

4. Better Chance of Natural Birth

Chiropractic adjustments can enhance pelvic alignment, allowing baby to get into the best possible position before birth, and allowing the mother to have the best possible chance at having a vaginal birth without the need for intervention.  Not only does chiropractic help with the alignment of the pelvis, but allows improved communication between the nerves, muscles and organs.

5. Better Recovery After Delivery

Before delivery, the body releases a hormone relaxin. The purpose of this hormone is to allow the ligaments in the body to loosen enough to allow baby to come into the world with decreased stress.  After giving birth the body will stop producing this hormone, and the body – especially the pelvis – will start tightening back up. Specific adjustments will allow the pelvis to heal in alignment, decreasing potential issues with pain in the low back, legs and even headaches.

For people in the Boise or Meridian area of Idaho, our office is conveniently located just off Eagle Rd.

Are you ready to improve your pregnancy, labor and delivery experience? Contact us for a free consultation and tour of our clinic. 

 

By Dr. Ogle Kids, Uncategorized, Wellness Care

How to Ground Your Kids The Right Way

As a parent we’re always looking for ways to help our kids.  Now even if you don’t have any kids, this still applies to you. Read on and see why you need to ground YOURSELF and your kids right now.

You might be thinking this has to do with discipline.

And it does.  But probably not the discipline you’re thinking of.

Let’s get one thing straight–  life is stressful.  As an adult you might realize that you had it pretty good ‘back in the day’ where your stresses were slightly smaller, and more manageable.  However, stress is all relative to the individual.  So even though we look back and think, “Wow, I had it good…” we need to remember that the reason that the past seems “easier” now, is because our point of reference has changed.

You have stress. Your kids have stress.  The idea that one person’s stress is easier or more manageable is not always the case.

When stress builds up, emotions run high and we can become more volatile and less rational.  Living in a state of stress causes a decrease in your ability to fight illness, it causes acne, hair loss, irregular appetite, and an increase in heart attack and stroke risk.

As we age we experience and learn how to manage our stress. Then things like two hours of homework and a mid-term paper seem easy, and even preferable to adults, but can be the cause of overwhelming amounts teenage stress. Experience in life helps us consciously gage, reduce, and even override our stress response.

Another very helpful way to reduce stress in yourself and your kids is through a good grounding.

Grounding is also called Earthing.  It is a simple way to decrease stress and tension, while energizing and detoxifying the body.  Not only is grounding helpful in clearing mental stress, it LITERALLY will decrease your stress hormones (specifically cortisol) in your body and allow you to be healthier.

How to Ground Yourself or Your Kids

  1. Set aside 10-15 minutes in your day
  2. Kick off your shoes and socks
  3. Walk on barefoot on grass, soil, or sand
  4. Breathe
  5. Smile
  6. Repeat

Every day after work, there is nothing that stops me from kicking off my shoes and socks and heading straight outside to be with my kids in our garden, or running around on the grass.  The health benefits are too great to NOT do this.

 

HighlandChiropractic_Grounding

(The picture above has up in our office for quite some time as a healthy reminder for grounding)

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What do you do in the winter?

So of course this is difficult because true grounding is when your feet come in contact with the earth, not just hardwood floor, carpet or cement. There is still benefit in doing this, but if you’re serious about grounding year round, you can always buy a grounding mat at www.earthing.com. They also have grounding sheets, pillowcases and computer mats.

 

By Dr. Ogle Practice Member, Wellness Care

What is the Underlying Cause of What You Are Feeling?

Imagine an iceberg that is barley sticking out of the water. From above it looks simple to steer your boat clear of by only paying attention to the surface of the water…but is it true that we could be missing a dangerous obstacle underneath the surface?

In today’s healthcare system, the primary focus is to reduce symptoms. With that type of focus, we will only continue to see the same results appearing (such as that of the tip of the iceberg) and not the underlying cause of what you are feeling (such as the obstacle underneath the water). Physicians today are unable to train all individuals how to eat healthy, exercise, avoid harmful toxins, and address the effects of a spinal abnormalities so instead they do what they know how to do best; prescribe medication and perform surgery… which in the end is only reducing a symptom and not the underlying cause.

So, What is the Underlying Cause of What You Are Feeling?

Our body is capable of sending out and array of signals to let us know that something is not right. Whether this signal is through pain, fatigue, or headaches, the purpose of the signals is to let us know that something is wrong that needs to be fixed. The tendency is to fix that specific symptom when in reality we need to identify the cause of that symptom. In some cases, structural shifts in the spine are leading to neurological communication errors which can be the result of underlying issues that are preventing you from functioning at your highest.

Shifting our goal from treating symptoms to looking into the body’s natural healing capacity and why it is not functioning 100% properly can save us from excessive amounts of unnecessary prescriptions and surgeries. A chiropractic checkup at our Meridian chiropractic office is a great way to determine the underlying issue that you may be suffering from.  When you are ready, we are here to help.

By Dr. Ogle Motivational, Wellness Care

Mind Blowing Experiment – Your Thoughts Matter

When was the last time you evaluated your daily thoughts, feelings and words?  What kind of effect do these have on your health and those around you?  At Highland Chiropractic we believe that eating well, moving well, and thinking well are all essential to living an optimal life.

If you’ve been to one of our recent workshops or in our office over the past couple weeks you may have seen this first hand!  Anyway, this experiment is best illustrated in a video instead of writing, so I recorded this for you…

 

By Dr. Ogle Kids, Wellness Care

How Can the Birth Process Affect Your Baby?

Did you know that nearly 60 to 90 pounds of force takes place on a child’s head during a typical birth? This large amount of force can cause a structural shift in the spine which can lead to secondary conditions including difficulty sleeping, feeding issues, colic, constipation, etc.

The structural shifts that occur in today’s birthing process have three aspects
1. Misalignment
2. Fixation
3. Nerve interference

Normally, the birth process is the first injury a baby obtains in their cranial area, upper neck, and spine. These injuries can occur from interventions that take place during the birthing process such as inductions, forceps, vacuum, C-sections etc. The greater amount of interventions, the more likelihood your child will obtain a significant spinal structure shift.

Thousands of years ago we did not have the modern intervention methods and a technique that we use in today’s birthing processes. Nearly 40% of children were brought into this world without the use of drugs, anesthesia, and surgical tools which lead to less structural shifts of the spine in the newborns.

How Do You Know if Your Baby Experienced A Structural Shift?
There are many physiological signs of a structural shift that you as a parent should be on the lookout for.
Cervical Spine
1. The head is constantly turned toward one direction
2. There is difficulty rotating the head and neck
3. Discomfort and resistance when the base of the skull is touched
Hip/Pelvis
1. Hips rotate forward when holding the infant up under arms
2. One buttocks crease is higher compared to the other
3. Arched back
4. Uneven crawling
Skull
1. Cranial bones are unsymmetrical
2. Back of the head is flattened
3. Eye orbits are uneven

Early chiropractic checkups are beneficial in preventing these structural shifts from becoming a larger issue in the future. Pediatric adjustments are gentle and harmful to the spine with the use of light pressure along the spine area.

By Dr. Ogle Sleep, Wellness Care

5 Easy Tips for a Better Night Sleep

Are you constantly having trouble sleeping at night? Trust me, you are not alone. More than one-quarter of the U.S population struggles with sleeping issues frequently. Sleep is a very important factor in living a healthy life. Inadequate hours of sleep can lead to body weight issues, low concentration levels, and a weaker immune system. It is recommended that adults get 6-8 hours of sleep each night. Here are 5 simple tips for you to obtain a good night sleep.

1. Exercise
By simply exercising for 20-30 minutes each day, you will be able to better fall asleep at night. Researchers found that the natural cool down that occurs after exercising can help the decline in a core body temperature that is associated with sleep. Sleep is an important time for your joints and muscles to recover after an exercise.

2. Creating the Environment
The environment you chose to sleep in can play a large role in how well you are sleeping at night. Your bedroom should be equipped with soft lighting, comfortable bedding, and no harsh noises. Be sure to set your room temperatures at a lower setting and block any light that may come from electronics. Even the slightest bit of light that crosses through your optic nerve to your hypothalamus can signal your brain that it is time to wake up- which is not good when you are trying to sleep.

3. Consider the Natural Way
Instead of relying on pills to help you sleep, consider chiropractic adjustments. Studies have shown that patients who receive chiropractic adjustments significantly improve their sleeping patterns. Both acute and chronic pain can be a disturbance to your sleep, which can be reversed with chiropractic care.

4. Establish Your Routine
Your body can be more easily relaxed once it has developed a routine. Routines could include meditating, reading, or deep breathing before bed each night. Being consistent with the times you wake up and go to bed will help your body develop a sleep rhythm which will make it easier to fall asleep and wake up easier each morning.

5. Improve Your Diet
The less nutritional foods that you consume daily will result in the less daily function of your body, including sleep functions. By adding more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods you can change your body’s chemistry which will result in better sleep. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, your body will become healthier from improving your diet. Stress levels can also be reduced by improving your diet and we all know that better stress management leads to better sleep quality.

By Dr. Ogle Kids

Decongestion with Chiropractic

My daughter Quincy.  She’s 5 months and loves chiropractic.  You’re about to find out why.

Even though she doesn’t know that she loves chiropractic yet, I know that she loves the effects of chiropractic. She recently caught something in the air at the grocery store, church, or some other extremely clean public area.  I noticed this 2 nights ago when she woke my lovely wife up to eat at 5:30am. I heard her give a small little cough that I could tell would escalate to stuffy nose, deeper cough, and decreased quality of sleep for the next couple days. But what about decongestion with chiropractic?

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SIDE NOTE: I have been working on Quincy since she was born to correct her spinal misalignments that come with the birth process.  I use scans to objectively show how the nervous system (THE MASTER SYSTEM of EVERYTHING that goes on in our body) was healing and repairing with the adjustments. See below.

highland_chiropractic_pediatricProgress, but still some work.  This is why getting kids checked after they are born is ESSENTIAL! Ok, let’s save that for another post.

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Yesterday I came home and was snuggling up with this little girl. She was mouth breathing like crazy, but was still pretty happy with life. She’s always been a big time drooler, but when mouth breathing is involved, this girl can top off a glass.

I decided to do something. I decided to take a picture of her.

I decided I would take a picture because of one reason.  I checked her spine and found that the second vertebra in her neck (C2) was subluxated. (When I say subluxated, I mean that the spine was out of alignment and it was causing decreased nerve function to her sinuses, which led to decreased function of those sinuses – they weren’t draining!)

My intent was to document the drastic changes that a chiropractic adjustment can have on the body.

And here you have it.  The picture on the left was taken about 45 seconds before the picture on the right.

Highland_Chiropractic_Pediatric_Adjustment

Now, you critics might say, “Oh you took her drool and put it on her nose, big deal.”  And while it almost looks like I did that, the truth stands that chiropractic has such an amazing ability to allow the body to do what it needs to do.  This isn’t the first time this has happened.  Let’s just say we keep boxes of kleenex on hand at all times for when things like this arise with our practice members.

Many don’t know this, but chiropractic adjustments improve immune system function.  Research shows that chiropractic can increase immune system regulators and decrease the amount of time an individual experiences symptoms. Crazy right? Might sound crazy, but it’s true.

If you have experienced the benefits and awesome relief after a chiropractic adjustment, share with others! And if you’re ready to have your child assessed to see how they will benefit from chiropractic…no more waiting. Getting you and your family back to optimum is what we do!

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