Pull Your Weeds, Not Your Back, When Gardening

First Annual

Kids N Teens Day

April 1^st and 2^nd

 

Dr. Blackford and Staff are sponsoring Kids N Teens Day! You can bring the kids and have a free state-of-the-art spinal screening. It’s ouch-less and shows potential problems in a clear, easy to understand manner. This is a great opportunity to have current injuries examined and prevent new problems from occurring.  All kids are welcome!

Dr. Blackford will provide FREE

·         spinal exams

·         spinal screenings

·         scoliosis screenings

·         balloons and snacks

·         special giveaways

·         10 chiropractic coupon giveaways

Please call to schedule your appointment.   (847) 885-8808

Four Resolutions for a Healthier Back

Tips for Keeping Your Resolutions

Don't Over Do It Set goals that are challenging yet attainable. Take some time to consider what is most important to you and choose a resolution that moves you in the right direction, yet is not a drastic, overwhelming change.   Tell Everyone Spread the word! Support from friends, family and co-workers can make a huge difference as you strive to reach your goals. Making them aware of your goals is a great way to ask for that extra bit of support that can get you through even the toughest challenges. Treat Yourself Along the Way Be sure to be good to yourself and celebrate small achievements on the way to the big one. Reward yourself as a way to encourage more of the same successful behavior.

Eat more vegetables. Stress less. Take the kids out to the park more often. You may already have a long list of resolutions for the new year. This year, honor your spine, too. With the help of your doctor of chiropractic, these simple steps can promote a healthier back for the new year.

Consider replacing your pillow or mattress.

Do you wake up with aches and pains? It could be time to purchase a new mattress or pillow. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recommends finding a mattress that evenly supports your whole body. There should be no gaps between you and the mattress when you lie down. When choosing a pillow, select one that supports your head and neck in alignment with the rest of the spine, whether you sleep on your side or back. Keep in mind that what works for your partner may not work for you— there isn’t one mattress or pillow that fits everyone. Simple adjustments, such as adding foam padding, can help tremendously.

Re-evaluate your posture at work.

Americans spend an average of 44 hours at work every week— often behind a desk. To avoid poor posture that can lead to tension, back pain, and joint problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, check that your chair is the right size and adjusted correctly, says the ACA. Do your feet rest comfortably on the ground? Does the chair offer lumbar support? Are you able to tilt or swivel easily while performing tasks at your desk? Also, be sure you have adequate light (so that you aren’t straining to see documents or a computer screen), adjust your computer monitor so that it is at eye level, and wear a headset for longer telephone conversations. And don’t forget to take frequent breaks and stretch throughout the day.

Learn how to lift correctly.

Many back injuries are caused by improper lifting of items such as luggage, backpacks or briefcases, storage boxes, or even groceries. But knowing how to lift properly can prevent serious injury. First and foremost, don’t bend from the waist. Keep your back straight, and squat to reach the item. Then, keep it close to your body as you lift, and avoid twisting motions. When traveling, check all bags that weigh more than 10 percent of your body weight.

Eat right and exercise well.

Eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise helps your body stay toned and tension-free— and promotes a healthy weight and a happier spine. Smart exercise and a good diet can also prevent osteoporosis, which affects over 20 million American women. To start, the ACA recommends eating out at restaurants less (to reduce the amount of unhealthful fats and sugars you consume) and adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet. Aim for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, three or four days a week.

Good Nutrition & Lots of Exercise for Healthy Kids

We're in the middle of a raging epidemic affecting America's youth - the obesity epidemic. The number of American adolescents who are obese increased 300% in the last 40 years. This is a problem that can potentially affect every family. The good news is that in almost all cases, obesity is a lifestyle disorder. In other words, children become obese because of behaviors learned from their friends and their parents. Healthy eating and regular exercise are the two critically important steps to take to help ensure your child retains an appropriate weight. With respect to healthy eating - Eliminate all trans fats from your children's diet - this includes almost all fast foods Cut down on sugary drinks Serve at least five portions of fresh fruits and vegetables every day Serve complex carbohydrates such as whole grains Serve lean meat, fish, and poultry Count calories! Children need at least an hour of physical activity every day. This includes outdoor play, sports, and calisthenics. Make sure your kids are getting enough exercise!

Kids can get checked, too. Do kids need regular blood pressure check-ups or regular tests of their blood glucose levels? Probably not - these simple procedures can be done during a child's annual physical. But kids are very active and more frequent chiropractic check-ups are usually a good idea.

Most of us were introduced to chiropractic care when we were adults - and we had to play catch-up for however long a period of time before we really began to feel healthy again. If we began chiropractic care as a younger adult, it probably didn't take too long to restore good health. If we were older - well, the process probably took more time.

If chiropractic care is valuable for you, imagine how valuable it is for your children. Kids are natural explorers - they run, jump, climb things, fall down, and bounce around.¹ And, kids are resilient - this ability to recover quickly is one of the great benefits of being very young.

Occasionally, one of these activity-related injuries impacts a child's spine. Nothing obvious has happened and nothing hurts. But there may be subtle injuries to spinal muscles and spinal ligaments that have a long-term effect on spinal nerve function.^2,3

Spinal nerve function depends on mechanical integrity of the spine itself. If spinal muscles and ligaments are inflamed or irritated, spinal nerve function is compromised to a greater or lesser extent. In a child, the short- and long-term results may include muscle pain and stiffness, loss of full range of motion in the neck or lower back, frequent colds, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, allergies, and asthma.

Of course, when it comes to good health for you and your family, preventing a problem is much easier than treating a problem. In the long run, prevention also costs much less.

We all want our kids to be healthy and well. We want them to play full-out, to engage in all kinds of sports, and to have a lot of fun. In order for children to continue to enjoy optimal health, regular spinal check-ups are as important as an annual physical exam.

Your local chiropractor is the spinal health expert in your community. She will be glad to help you ensure your child's continued good health.

¹Barkley JE, et al: Reinforcing value of interval and continuous physical activities in children. Physiol Behav April 16, 2009
²Fecteau D, et al: The effect of concentrating periods of physical activity on the risk of injury in organized sports in a pediatric population. Clin J Sport Med 18(5):410-414, 2008
³Spinks AB, McClure RJ: Quantifying the risk of sports injury: a systematic review of activity-specific rates for children under 16 years of age. Br J Sports Med 41(9):548-557, 2007

Remember the fun and exciting days of the original Aerobic Dance programs? Zumba brings the fun back to fitness by combining high energy and motivating music with unique moves and combinations that allow the Zumba participants to dance away their worries. Zumba is a fusion of Latin and International music – dance themes creating a dynamic, exciting, effective fitness system! It is based on the principle that a workout should be 'fun and easy to do' and offers a complete breakdown of all basic rhythms and movements – demonstrating how each rhythm defines the movement.  This evening session is just what you need to get energized for the week.

Mondays @ 7-8 pm

Disc Degeneration: Reversibility is Possible in Spinal Osteoarthritis [3]

O.J. Ressel, B.Se., D.C., ICA Internat Rev Chiro 1989 (Mar); 45 (2): 39–61

This is a must read article for the chiropractic clinician. There are 329 references supporting the author's hypothesis. Dr. Ressel points out that his experience “has shown that most 'adult' problems begin in the early years. In the child, for instance, neuromuscular development represents a critical period of time when the young developing nervous system assimilates, differentiates, and adapts to external and internal signals.”

Dr. Ressel brings to focus a whole new area supporting the need for chiropractic care of children. Can you imagine an adult nervous system adapted to abnormal early programming that it considers normal? The abnormally developed neurospinal paradigm becomes dominant in the adaptive abilities of the organism. Certainly, as time goes on, the uncorrected Vertebral Subluxation Complex traumatic residuals collect in the form of spinal degeneration and the lessened ability of the nervous system to process date in a positive constructive manner. Not only does the patient's general health index deteriorate, the Vertebral Subluxation Complex itself becomes much more difficult to correct.

Dr. Ressel continues, “These adaptive responses are remembered, and the young nervous system is conditioned for future response. This process of 'neurological learning' or 'programming' of the central nervous system with respect to locomotion, posture, proprioception, and body kinetics takes place in a few short months.”

Yes, the nervous system “learns” that the Vertebral Subluxation Complex is “normal” within a few short months after its first episode and continually learns that the downhill spiral of the neurospinal paradigm is to be considered normal. Dr. Ressel comments, “Parents should be urged to have their children examined at an early age. Once their health status is addressed, it should be enhanced and monitored.”

The responsibility for early and ongoing chiropractic care is a heavy burden for the doctor of chiropractic. We see that the only method available for this to be widely accepted by the health care consumer is for an effective, philosophically and scientifically oriented patient education program. "

There are many causes and factors that may trigger a migraine. They are amazingly diverse and varied between each individual. Dietary triggers such as chocolate, orange juice, caffeine, MSG and food preservatives are frequently involved. Increased mental and emotional stresses are well known to be a major cause. Physical stresses such as muscle spasms or intense physical exertion can also trigger migraines. The good news is that Dr. Blackford at Churchill Chiropractic can help.

 

Migraine is a term long associated with severe and in some instances, disabling head pain. The word itself literally translates to ‘half the head’ because of its common distribution of pain. While this is true, it is not uncommon to see pain over the entire head or changing sides as the symptoms progress. Migraines are characterized by severe throbbing pain that is often accompanied by bright light, loud noises, sensitivity, nausea and vomiting. This is thought to result because of the changes in blood supply to the brain. The changes occur firstly as a decrease of blood to the brain, which can cause flashing spots in front of the eyes, a changed sense of smell, or dizziness. The intensity or duration of these symptoms can vary dramatically.  Intense spasms of the head, neck and face muscles are also not unusual and can further contribute to migraine pain.

 

The human body’s ability to cope with all of these factors relies on a correctly functioning central nervous system to regulate it. Migraines are individual evidence that the human body is not able to properly manage its internal environment. At Churchill Chiropractic we focus on removing any interference that obstructs the central nervous system from doing its job. Such treatment would include a chiropractic adjustment, Trigger Point Therapy, Diathermy Therapy or a combination of all three.

 

Many people think that Chiropractic is only for your back. This misconception is easily understood; after all, chiropractors do work primarily on your back. However, chiropractic is about affecting the nervous system, and the way this is done is by adjusting the spine.

Your body is controlled by three distinct nervous systems - the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and autonomic nervous system (which is further divided into the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system). All 3 parts of the nervous system must be balanced so that they can operate in unity and create a truly healthy body.

Chiropractic is great for low back and neck pain, however it works great for many ‘non back’ problems. Spinal joint fixation (subluxation) results in nerve irritation. This nervous irritation (known as facilitation) leads to exaggerated activity of the nerve, resulting in muscular tension, postural asymmetries, and limited and painful motion. Other problems include chronic hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system producing a variety of syndromes.

Your nervous system controls and coordinates all the functions of your body. If a subluxation causes a nerve to become irritated, then wherever that nerve goes, that part of the body will also function in an irritated and limited manner. This basic premise has made, and even the AMA admits that, Chiropractic is the number one Alternative Healthcare System in the United States.

 

The following chart shows how every organ in the body is supplied by nerves, and the majority of them, though not all, come via the spine.

Churchill Chiropractic of Schaumburg enjoys a large success rate with patients who respond well to manipulations and muscle stretching. We have patients who come in to our office who complain about their painful and stiff shoulder. 

Painful shoulder conditions that limit movement are common, and are caused by problems with the shoulder joint and its surrounding structures. This is because the shoulder is more prone to injuries than other joints with its wide range of movement.

Many patients we treat have a rotator cuff disorder. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that help to move the shoulder and hold the joint in place. Rotator cuff disorders result from inflammation or damage to the rotator cuff muscles or tendons, or inflammation of the subacromial bursa (which is a fluid-filled pad that sits under the highest part of the shoulder). The inflammation can be caused by general wear and tear that occurs with age, activities that require constant or repetitive shoulder motion (especially above shoulder level), heavy lifting, trauma, or poor posture. Serious injuries and untreated inflammation of the tendons can cause the rotator cuff to tear.

The pain associated with rotator cuff problems is normally felt at the front or on the outside of the shoulder, particularly when you raise your arm or lift something above your head. You may also notice the pain more when lying in bed. Severe injuries can cause weakness of the shoulder muscles, restricted shoulder movement and continuous pain. There are special movement tests that Dr. Blackford uses to help determine which of the muscles or tendons has been torn in the rotator cuff.

Dislocation of the shoulder can occur after a fall. Shoulder dislocation occurs when the ball-shaped head of your upper arm bone (humerus) comes out of the shoulder socket. It may be caused by a fall, a sporting injury, or trauma, and is an extremely painful condition. A dislocated shoulder is visibly deformed or out of place, and there may be swelling or bruising around the joint. Shoulder movement is severely restricted in people with a dislocated shoulder. Dr. Blackford uses gentle manoeuvres to put the shoulder bones back into place.

Following a dislocation, the shoulder joint sometimes becomes unstable and is susceptible to repeated dislocations. This condition is known as shoulder instability, and causes pain and unsteadiness when you raise your arm or move it away from your body. Your shoulder may feel as if it is slipping out of place when you lift your arm over your head. Arthritis can cause shoulder pain.

Arthritis causes progressive joint pain, tenderness, swelling and stiffness. Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can affect the shoulder joint. Shoulder pain can come from other causes such as referred pain. Sometimes shoulder pain is actually due to problems in your neck or a mixture of several different problems.

Dr. Blackford will perform a series of tests needed to determine the cause of shoulder pain. You may also need to have an X-ray, or other scans, such as an ultrasound scan or MRI.  Next, physical therapy will be performed with specific exercises to strenthen the shoulder. If necessary, Dr. Blackford will refer you to a shoulder specialist.