If I Could Only Adjust ONE Nerve Level.......

Subluxation of the Week:  1C

The first spinal vertebra under the skull is called the Atlas or the first cervical.  The Atlas is a single, 2 oz. doughnut-shaped vertebra at the top of the spine. Trillions of nerve fibers from the brainstem travel through the small opening in atlas and flow down into the spinal column. Because of the smallness of the opening and because of the atlas’ close proximity to the brain stem, if the atlas has moved out of position even a fraction of a degree, very serious things can result.

The atlas (C1), according to our Neuro-Anatomy chart, is involved with providing the primary nerve supply from the control centers in the brain to the head, face, brain, pituitary gland, eyes and ears.   It is commonly found to be an area that is subluxated (misaligned producing abnormal nerve system transmission of information) leading to such common health complaints as headache, migraine, earache, colds/flu and sore throat.

Atlas (C1) subluxation can be caused by physical, chemical, emotional and/or environmental stress or a combination of these stressors beyond the body’s ability to cope.  Common stressors affecting this part of the spine and nervous system include: caffeine withdrawal, alcohol abuse, unmanaged stress, anger, confusion, despair, exhaustion and ergonomic stress like repetitive motion or long periods of inactivity.

Perhaps of greater importance than these local affects of subluxation of 1C, are the global affects of subluxation of this area because this is the one area where the entire spinal cord and brain stem may be affected by spinal misalignment.  This can cause effects throughout the body ranging from remote problems like low back pain to impairment of the immune system of the person.  In fact, research conducted with HIV positive patients found that those adjusted in this exact area enjoyed a 48% improvement in immune system function over time while the non-adjusted group experienced an 8% decrease in immune system function over the same period of time.


Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Meet My Starfish!

In my last blog, I used the pictures and video of my time in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to express the richness and desperation of the experience. Today I would like to introduce you to a village I am going to be talking a lot about in the future and that is Phaeton, Haiti.  We were introduced to Phaeton by our guide and friend Elmond Jean.

In future posts, I will start to describe in detail; just suffice it to say that this is a town in need. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the 50 children that need our help. These children have nothing or close to nothing. They have no resources to attend school (all schools are private in Haiti which means the government does not fund them) so no money, no school. The problem goes much deeper. We found out these children eat 2-3 meals per week, IF THEY ARE LUCKY. When I say lucky it means if Elmond is able to tell their story to people he guides and they donate money for food.

The kicker is that of these 50 kids, 15 of them are flat out orphans: no mom, no dad, living on the streets. There is nowhere for them to go and with all the resources going to the earthquake zone, this small town is in desperation.  To make a long story short, we (Dr. Janice Hughes, Dr. Martha Nessler and myself) have committed to build an orphanage/school/health center to serve this area.

We are making it up as we go along. That being said, the pictures below are of the initial structure. Not too shabby considering we have not even been home a month. We have just begun!

Someone said to me in my office, "There must be 100's of villages like this in Haiti and thousands around the world."  I know his thinking was that how can we make a dent and that feeling of powerlessness that comes with that.  Well, I met those children and they are not going to starve on my watch! I feel like this is a great time to post about the starfish.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.  He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."  "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.  To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"  At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

This is the intro to a story about the power of the Chiropractor!   I love Chiropractic and that has allowed me to find a passion that I never knew existed. Let the excitement begin....

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Feed Our Souls-Give the Children a Chance for Change in Haiti

I just returned from my third visit to the island of Hispaniola and my first visit to Haiti. My previous trips I focused my service work in the Dominican Republic, in the area surrounding Puerta Plata. This trip took us first into Haiti to visit what will be the home of our orphanage in the town of Phaeton.

I wanted to write an account of our time in Haiti and then changed my mind.  Review the video below. Look at the pictures. Both beauty and devastation all wrapped up together. These children in Phaeton are starving. Well, not on my watch. We (Drs. Janice Hughes, Martha Nessler and myself) have committed to feeding, educating and building an orphanage in this town. Don't worry, you can help. I'll keep you informed on how! Dr. Steph

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Cell Phone Kids YIKES!!

A Kaiser Family Foundation study (Generation M2) found 8-18 year-old spend in excess 7.5 hrs/day using some form of mobile device.  Also, 7th - 12th graders report spending an average of 1:35 a day sending or receiving texts. (Time spent texting is not counted as media use in this study.)

As a result, these youngsters are sure to develop a condition known as Forward Head Posture (FHP), which can cause neck pain, headache, shoulder pain, and/or numbness and tingling into the upper extremity. Please talk to your youngster about this. This is not a GOOD THING!!!!!!!!!!  Avoid the problem from the start and look to Chiropractic care to help insure these pediatric spines (spine still has growth plates until 22 years old) are balanced as kids continue to grow.

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds is the third in a series of large-scale, nationally representative surveys by the Foundation about young people's media use.  It includes data from all three waves of the study (1999, 2004, and 2009), and is among the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information about media use among American youth.  Below is a graph to summarize:



5 Tips For The Correction Of Forward Head Posture:

Forward head posture is a very common imbalance seen today from excessive cell phone use and from bad posture. Correction of forward head posture takes awareness, resolution of underlying causes, and repetition to make a lasting impact. These five tips will help you get faster results.

1. Focus on lifting your chest, not just tucking your head back.

In most cases, forward head posture is accompanied by rounded shoulders and a slouched upper back posture. In this scenario, simply retracting your head will not correct the problem. In fact, this can cause a jamming of the lower cervical vertebra. A simple instruction to help you lift you chest is to imagine you have a helium balloon attached to each of your chest muscles, and they are lifting them toward the ceiling. Many times, just lifting the chest causes a natural retraction of forward head posture.

2. Perform "chin retractions".

A great way to re-program yourself to get rid of forward head posture is to perform 10 chin retractions every hour on the hour throughout the day. If you do this throughout an 8 hour workday, along with lifting your chest, you will have done 80 postural corrections! This will help you re-pattern your posture easily and effectively.

3. Ensure you have proper ergonomics in your phone use, car, at work, and at home.

Make sure your computer height is optimal at work and home. Another great trick to do in your car is to move your rear view mirror just an inch higher. This will remind you to sit straight while driving.  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER prop the phone up with your shoulder & make sure you lift the phone so that you can look straight on when texting or surfing the web.

4. Eliminate food allergies.

Food allergies, particularly to gluten, soy, and dairy, can cause your nasal passages to clog, and make it more challenging to breathe. Forward head posture is very common to individuals that mouth breathe. Think about it, what do they teach during CPR to help someone open their airway? Tip the head back. In a standing position, this is done by extending the cervical spine, which inevitably leads to forward head posture.

5. Stop doing endless amounts of crunches.

Excessive amounts of abdominal training, particularly crunches, can cause an adaptive shortening of the abdominal muscles, which then pulls down on the upper body, leading to forward head posture. This can easily be corrected by performing an appropriate amount of exercise for the muscles that lift the chest and shoulders back and down.

Returning to ChiroMission by Dr. Janice Hughes

Dr. Janice Hughes caring for patients in a

hospital in Puerta Plata

Originally uploaded by Stephanie M.

Returning to ChiroMission

by Dr. Janice Hughes

Returning Mission Leader on May 2010 trip to Dominican Republic and Haiti

Have you ever felt like once you have experienced something you know what to expect from that same situation? Well, me too. Until my return to ChiroMission.

After my first trip with ChiroMission something definitely opened up inside of me in a very different way. The ability to adjust again, after having sold my practice 7 years ago, was magical. The people on the trip, the people we were meeting...the Haitian villages I stumbled upon. These multiple experiences all combined to open up my heart significantly.

I immediately knew I would be back. And while telling others about my experiences, I knew they would travel with me! Without realizing it I was setting up an entirely different experience for my second ChiroMission experience!

The week before leaving I began to visualize 2-3X per day what experience I hoped I could create at the airport. I had asked for donations, and ended up with a garage full of supplies. I packed up 7 large hockey bags, and just kept picturing my trip to the airport, what would happen inside the airport, and the luggage coming out on the other end. As anyone will tell you, the airlines limit 2 carry on bags per person into the DR. I just pictured the porter meeting me outside the airport, the JetBlue team supporting me with this mission, and the bags coming out on the DR side and being stowed into Pastor Joel's vehicle. I didn't even know what he drove, but pictured it as I envisioned this entire scenario playing out.

M. Maltz tells us that there is nothing different between something real and something perceived so explicitly in our minds....and I obviously needed another concrete reminder of this in my life!

Everything about this trip was unique and different for me. Bringing so many supplies and having this all play out exactly as I had envisioned. Being in such totally different locations that I had experienced the first time. Traveling to the middle of the country, to Bonao, and having people hand me CT scans and MRI's. Addiction centers and hospitals. Nothing I've ever experienced in life really prepared me for this....yet everything must have on some level. I just showed up. I focused. I put into practice all the things I teach in life....and result was magic.

I met incredible people...MD's that now want to train as DC's, young people that are inspired to be chiropractors, young people dieing from totally treatable issues in any other country....and a 10 year old boy in an addiction center. The list goes on and on.

I ended up traveling in a boat to meet someone that had been shot 3 times. And in the message that this man gave to me, it tied together a guiding principle in my life for 21 years.

Something happens to me when I just show up for ChiroMission. And how can this joy and giving not be good? I hope to share more of these experiences with you on the next ChiroMission trip in October.

Janice

www.drjanicehughes.com

For more information regarding ChiroMission see their website www.chiromission.com

5 Reasons to Visit a Chiropractor

5 Reasons to Visit a Chiropractor

Of course we think of visiting a Chiropractor when we have an injury or pain in our lower back or neck. We also tend to think of them following an automobile accident.

While these are all great reasons to schedule your visit with a Chiropractor, there are also many other reasons we should be considering chiropractic care. Every Chiropractor is different and specializes in different types of treatment options.

There are many reasons to visit a Chiropractor aside from spinal related items; however I want to share just a few of them with you.

1. Fertility- That’s right. Fertility. When trying to conceive a child there are many things you need to focus on to allow your body. If you prefer a more natural, holistic way to help your body become pregnant, than ask around and find out if your local Chiropractor specializes in Fertility. If he/she doesn’t they would be happy to refer to you to a Chiropractor who does.

2. Head, Shoulders, Knees and toes -We should remember that issues with shoulders, knees, hips and basically all moveable joints can be treated by your Chiropractor. If you are living with pain or numbness in any of your joints, please discuss them with your Chiropractor.

3. Weight loss- Many Chiropractors have received training on weight loss programs and can assist you with meeting your weight loss goals. By developing a custom training program and discussing nutrition, your Chiropractor can help you with safe weight loss and help you learn better habits.

4. Quit smoking- Ready to give up the ghost and stop smoking? You can visit your primary care doctor and receive a nicotine patch or prescription drugs, however have you thought about asking how your Chiropractor might be able to help and help you stay away from the prescriptions? When you are ready to stop smoking, please talk with your Chiropractor.

5. Sports Performance or general well being. If you are an athlete or just want to feel your best while running, biking or playing with your children or grand children, then a routine schedule of Chiropractic care should be part of your schedule. Keeping your spine in proper alignment not only reduces your chance of injury, but keeps your body operating at its full potential.

Remember, Chiropractors can help with many of your needs. They work hard to resolve these issues in a variety of natural methods.

New Research Shows: Chiropractic Care for Children is Safe and Effective

I find it important to share the current research being done in the Chiropractic field, especially as it relates to kids.  In a world that uses prescription drugs on kids without testing (Ritalin & antidepressants just to name a few), it is nice to see research supporting the safety and efficacy of a Chiropractic adjustment for children.  Enjoy!!

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association's (ICPA) ground breaking study, The Safety and Effectiveness of Pediatric Chiropractic: A Survey of Chiropractors and Parents in a Practice-Based Research Network, was published this month in the prestigious, biomedical journal, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. The objective of this study was to describe the practice of pediatric chiropractic, including its safety and effectiveness.

The results of the study determined that the indicated primary reason for chiropractic care of children was “wellness care.” The most common reasons for parents seeking symptom relief care were muscles conditions, ear, nose, and throat, respiratory and digestive disorders. Out of 577 children, with 5438 visits, doctors reported only 3 adverse events. Out of 239 children, with 1735 visits, parents reported only two adverse events. These events were minor discomfort after the adjustment and were readily resolved with continued adjustments. All children remained under chiropractic care. Both parents and doctors indicated a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints. In addition to these improvements, respondents reported better sleeping patterns, improvements in behavior and, improved immune system function while under chiropractic care.

Dr. Joel Alcantara, ICPA Research Director and presenting author said, “this paper shows the preliminary results of the ICPA’s Children’s PBRN – Phase One. Phase Two is well under way and we have initiated similar research pertinent to pregnancy. We are pleased that a major CAM Journal respects the importance of chiropractic care for children and we foresee greater collaboration with the CAM community on the importance of chiropractic care for children.”

Dr. Jeanne Ohm, executive director of the ICPA says, "I am pleased to be affiliated with an organization dedicated to chiropractic family wellness research. It is wonderful to see research substantiating the safety of chiropractic care for children and the overwhelming satisfaction of parents with children under care."

The ICPA is the oldest and largest pediatric organization in the chiropractic profession. Their mission is Research, Training and Public Education on behalf of family wellness. To find out more about children and chiropractic and to locate a doctor who cares for children visit www.icpa4kids.org