To have a comfortable pregnancy, and most importantly, a safe and comfortable birth, your hips and sacrum must find the balance between mobility and stability.  The foundation of good alignment will allow for your hips to feel and function at their best during this crucial time.

As we've discussed in our previous blogs, there's never such a difficult time for your pelvis, sacrum, and low back as during pregnancy. Extra weight, a changing center of gravity, and the hormone relaxin has been a hard combination for many expecting mamas.  Sometimes the sacrum can get stuck in the wrong position.  Other times, it feels like it's popping and moving way too much! However, this doesn't mean that you are predestined to pain, sleeplessness, and a difficult birth.

The Webster Technique was designed to first analyze to find then remove nerve interference from the sacrum/sacroiliac joints The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation/ SI joint dysfunction. In doing so, neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis is facilitated. Sacral subluxation may contribute to difficult labor for the mother (i.e., dystocia), caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. Correction of sacral subluxation may have a positive effect on all of these causes of dystocia.

Outside of your pelvis balancing adjustments and round ligament work, we recommend many other things to promote both mobility and stability: Craniosacral therapy, which helps both with fascia and joint movement, doing regular squats (the goal is to work up to 200/day!) to keep the sacrum moving and strengthen your legs and glutes, spending lots of time on your hands and knees.  To learn more about other soft tissue techniques that you can use at home with your spouse or partner, email us to sign up for our next Bellies and Babies class!

 

As we discussed in our last blog, there is no antidote for the stress of the holiday hustle like gratitude.  So just in time for Thankgiving, here are a few of my favorite ways to practice gratitude.  And practice it is... just like any other thing you choose to focus on growing, your ability to find thankfulness in every situation will improve the more you try!

For Families, we love discussing one thing that we are grateful for every night before bed.  And gratitude around the dinner table isn't just for Thanksgiving, it's a great time to share what we're excited about.  Our kids started being able to name something they're thankful for even before age 2. We love to think that it helps their brains focus on positive and safe feelings instead of what they're nervous about before we leave at bedtime.

For busy people: try keeping a small gratitude journal where you write down just 1-3 things/day.  It can be by your bedside or just something you carry in your bag. When times are stressful, looking through the written record of all the great things in your life is grounding and relaxing. For those who prefer not to carry extra weight around, there are so many great apps that allow you to keep a digital record of your gratitude... for all of you technology-savvy people, adding photos and videos may stimulate your brain's ability to remember these feelings even more. My favorite apps for gratitude include: 5 Minute Journal, 365 Gratitude.  Gratitude reminders is another app with a day-brightening mantra and photo.

Show gratitude to the ones you love: To express love and thankfulness, why not write a quick handwritten note, send a text to a family member, put a little love note in your child's lunch, or send a small gift to someone who's helped you along the way.  Taking a few moments to focus on those you love and nurture your relationship will feel good now and pay dividends long term!

Happy Thanksgiving, and may every day be filled with Gratitude! We are super thankful for you, our NE Minneapolis community and especially all the patients who trust us with their spine and their health.

Heading into the Holidays, we often begin to stress - focusing on all the gifts that need to be bought, food that needs to be made, and items on the to-do list that need to be done. Instead, focusing on gratitude may be able to make you even more healthy and productive.

Research (in Psych Today) shows that grateful people who journal their gratitude fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, making you much more likely to have energy throughout the day!

Gratitude and positive emotions are also associated with a healthy heart - grateful people are less stressed, leading to beneficial improvements heart rate variability and lowered stress-related heart disease.

Grateful people are also more optimistic, less depressed, and have greater vitality levels to do all the things they need to do. This healthier outlook on life will help you to achieve your goals, and have more fun along the way.

Join us next week to explore some wonderful gratitude practices.

As we mentioned in our last blog, Intermittent Fasting (IMF) is a great way to decrease inflammation, reduce insulin and its toxic load on the body, all while losing weight and feeling more energy.  But how does one even begin to fast?

I believe that one's ability to fast is like a muscle that can be built... the more you fast, the easier it becomes.  If doing a daily 16-hour fast seems impossible to you, experiment with delaying breakfast by an hour or two, or simply skip dinner or your bedtime snack. Tip number one is to just dial in your daily rhythms of hunger, and start by skipping the meal or snack when you're least hungry.  From there, you can try to slowly increase the length of your fast.

Secondly, I highly recommend adding caffeine for those who become morning fasters.  That boost of caffeine from tea or coffee may give you the energy you need to make it until lunchtime (hopefully without the jitters!).  However, to make it a true fast, refrain from adding cream or sugar to your beverage.  Some who do Bulletproof coffee with oil, butter, or collagen consider themselves to be fasting when actually these added items do change blood sugar and may keep your body from getting deeper in its glycogen stores, which turns you into a fat burner instead of a sugar burner.

Our next is a tip to break your fast with a healthy, sustainable form of energy.  Bone broth, a bone broth protein shake, some healthy fat such as avocado, nuts, eggs made in coconut oil, etc. are a great way to start the day.  Of course rounding out the meal with vegetables, which are also low glycemic and highly nutritious, helps your energy stay strong.  Being prepared with the right food can help you make choices the rest of your day.

Fourth, fast on a day when you are busy!  If you are like me, those times at home, feeding your children multiple meals and snacks make it much more tempting to finish their sandwich or take a swipe of peanut butter that's on your finger after making school lunches. I love fasting on days where I'm busy working and talking to people takes all of my energy and focus rather than dreaming about food.

Lastly, changing up your fasting routine into a rotating one is highly recommended.  For women, there is some evidence that fasting every single day is not beneficial, but adding back a day or two of normal eating is helpful. Restricting down to a 4 or 6 -hour window may also mix things up and add more benefits, and some prefer to add in a 24-hour fast once in a while. This should all make fasting more easy and sustainable.  However, as we mentioned in our last blog, this should only be done if fasting is right and safe for you.

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? I’m sure you have a friend, neighbor, or family member who swears that skipping breakfast is helping them feel better and slimmer! Why is fasting all the rage right now?  Though ancient religions have been doing it for thousands of years (Ramadan in Islam, and many fast days in Judaism), the science is finally coming in to support Intermittent Fasting (IMF). 

From my own personal experience, IMF is an amazing option for my health because it allows me to eat  the food I want (within certain time periods) while I have lost inches from my waist and hips, have tons of energy, and have crushed a lot of cravings. 

IMF is proven to fight against insulin resistance and also decreases inflammation, which together are the prelude to many diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. PLUS, fasting helps with weight management, provides mental clarity, more energy, and more. Fasting changes hormones (leptin) that help you feel full for longer, so it becomes easier to fight cravings and choose the options you know are healthier.

Disclaimers: If you are pregnant or nursing, fasting is generally not recommended.  For anyone with blood sugar issues, especially Type I Diabetes, we highly recommend that you discuss fasting with your doctor and keep a close eye on your blood sugar.  Other reasons why IMF may not be right for you include: thyroid disorders, gallstone problems, or low blood sugar. Lastly, if you currently have or have a history an eating disorder, check in with your doctor before fasting.

However, if you would like to try IMF, an easy way to start is 16:8 fasting, ie. Eating your food in an 8-hour-window every day. For most people, skipping an after-dinner snack and waiting to eat until lunch time is the easiest and most sustainable way to IMF, for example: Lunch at 12 N, snack in the afternoon, dinner at 6 or 7, and finish any snacks and drinks other than water or tea before 8.  Starting a few days a week, or starting by eating in a 10-12 hour window may be the best way to prep for IMF.  Join us next week for tips on how to begin to fast.

Colic. Sleeplessness. Gas pains. Poor latch. Reflux.  Does my baby even like me? When was the last time he pooped? Flat spots on her head. Screaming at the breast.  Screaming when I put him down.  Why is my baby screaming SO MUCH?

Mama, you are doing a fantastic job.  You are reading your baby's signals and trying EVERYTHING to respond and help. Bouncing, colic drops, pushing up baby's legs, wearing your babe, napping with baby.  You are enough, you are doing enough, and you deserve some rest and time for you.

Poor little babies don't have the words to tell us what is wrong and how they are suffering.  As moms know, birth can be a very traumatic event.  Whether it was long, slow, and arduous with pushing that seems to last forever, or swift and powerful, birth is often dramatic and difficult for both mom AND baby.   In a study done by a manual medical doctor in Germany in the 1960's, over 90% of the 1250+ babies checked for major misalignments in the upper spine showed signs of trauma, with over 10% being SEVERE trauma.  Signs of this misalignment, called KISS syndrome, include: swelling in the delicate tissues surrounding the brainstem, asymmetry of upper neck muscles, pressure on the spinal cord and brainstem, decreased blood flow to the brain, and an alteration in the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.  Risk factors include: long labor, C-section, Vacuum or forceps extraction, twins or triplets, and prenatal positional anomalies.

So what might this look like in a newborn or infant?  A preference of holding the body in certain positions (head extended back, or rotated or tilted to one side), bruising or 'stork bites' on the head or neck, having a cone head at birth (especially if it is more on one side or the other). As the baby grows, this can translate into torticollis, preferring one breast or the other or not being able to breastfeed at all, picking up their head earlier than they should, plus ALL the fussing, colic, sleeplessness, reflux.

Misalignment in the upper spine or cranial bones cause major disturbances of the nervous system.  The top bone in the neck, C1 or atlas, surrounds and protects your brainstem. Pressure in this area can alter automatic functions in the body such as digestion, sleep patterns, mood, balance, and immune function.  In this area, the fight or flight nervous system should be tempered by the parasympathetic, which helps with healing, digestion, and relaxation.  So if parasympathetic nerve flow doesn't slow down the raging engine of fight or flight, we see a very stressed individual: increased heart rate, sweating, blood going to the limbs and away from digestive organs, stress hormones raging making pain and suffering a vicious cycle.  So as children grow out infancy, we see a different set of symptoms from this same brainstem issue emerge: immune system problems such as frequent ear infections, asthma, or allergies, continued digestive issues, and often times an alteration in neurological function such as ADD and anxiety.

The great news about working with an infant with a birth trauma is that the healing power in babies is incredible. It takes just enough pressure to check the ripeness of a tomato to gently and precisely remove the misalignment in the upper neck and head. No twisting or cracking ever needs to occur, because babies don't have layers of scar tissue and degeneration that adults have accumulated.  Many infants recover from their symptoms in just a few visits. To fully resolve the issue often takes just 6-12 visits.

Ready to try a gentle and effective approach to help your baby and reduce your own stress in the meantime?  Contact us for a complimentary consult.

This week will be an exciting week of fun, snacks, and trivia to celebrate the birthday of chiropractic and the life-changing effects it has had on so many people!  Way back in 1895, when the first chiropractor, DD Palmer, made his first adjustment to his janitor, the janitor had a restoration of hearing, which had been distorted for years.  Since then, millions of people have been able to see how their bodies feel better, function better, and heal better once the interference in their nervous system has been removed.

To celebrate you and your commitment to your health, we will have:

MORE Monday Sept. 17 - Breakfast with the docs, and a celebration of what MORE your body can do    TRIVIA Tuesday Sept 18 - A chance for some fun prizes if you know the answers to chiropractic trivia       TESTIMONIAL Thursday Sept 20 - Share your experience of care online or on video

 

We are proud to announce that our services will now expand to the Kenny neighborhood of SW Minneapolis!  Dr. Erin Anderson will now be offering her services in a home office setting.

For current clientele, please speak with Dr. Erin or Julie and let us know that you would like to switch to the new location.  The hours of operation will be as follows:

Tuesday mornings 9:30-11 am ;  Tuesday or Wednesday late afternoon/evening by appt. only

We prefer most new patients to come to the NE Minneapolis location for the initial appointment and potentially the report of findings.  However, we will also have some new technology in the SW Minneapolis office to detect stressed areas of the body, and may be able to accommodate certain individuals there as new patients.

We look forward to showing off our new space!

So, now that you’re in the groove of getting adjusted, you are probably wondering the best way to keep your adjustments holding as long and as well as possible.  I have two major tips for you to keep your body moving forward 1. Move your spine right after your adjustment and 2. Focus on good posture between visits

Getting deeper into the movement portion, we have several wobble chairs in our waiting area that are very beneficial for your spine.  Going through all the ranges of motion on the wobble chair helps you in multiple ways: first by activating all the muscles in your core, which help stabilize all parts of your spine.  Also, moving those joints in your spine (with newly increased ranges of motion after your adjustment) helps your brain reconnect to your body and realize where each joint is in space. This new awareness helps drown out signals of pain, and helps your spine to move more freely.  As a final awesome benefit for the wobble chairs, as your spine moves to the end range of motion, your disc spaces clear out the waste products and are able to re-hydrate. Not able to sit and wobble for a few minutes? A walk for 5-10 minutes also helps cement in the new movement patterns.

The second part of maximizing adjustment is working on your posture throughout every part of your day. Proper posture decreases spinal stress and strengthens important spinal muscles. We will talk about posture in all positions - starting with the most common for most of us… sitting. While sitting, we recommend sitting slightly forward on your sit bones, as opposed to leaning back onto the chair on your sacrum and tailbone and dumping pressure into your lower back. Keeping your head over your shoulders and your eyes looking straight ahead as opposed to your head pointing down at a screen.

If you spend a lot of your day standing, yay for you!  This is much easier for you body, though it requires building stamina for many people who are used to a desk job.  To maximize your posture, our best advice is to put weight equally on each leg and not dump into one hip. Moving around a bit throughout the day (having a small ball to put under your feet and roll around is a great distraction).

 Lastly, since we should be spending about 7-8 hours in this position, we must address your sleeping posture.  Here is a link to a blog where we have written extensively about your sleeping posture.  Cliff’s notes: Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended, sleeping on your back should require a smaller pillow, and sleeping on your side requires the most support for your shoulder/neck area.

If you would like an ergonomic assessment of your work space, have a coworker shoot a photo of you in your space, and email it to us.  We love to help!