It's almost Flu Season!

It seems like just about everybody has come into contact with those winter illnesses such as the flu, so we’d thought it’d be a good idea to post some of our favorite home and all natural remedies to get your family on the road to feeling better faster!

1. At first-site of flu-like symptoms, come to the office and get some Congaplex. Congaplex is a natural immune booster, that has fantastic natural properties that stimulate the immune system and reduce inflammation.  Better yet, it doesn't have the side effects that flu medication often presents.

2. For a sore throat, make an old fashioned Lemon Honey Drink. Heat 1-cup water, add 1-Tbsp lemon juice, and 1&1/2-Tbsp honey

3. For an earache, find garlic oil capsules at your local store and pour just a few drops in the ear. Works every time to relieve the ache! To help the earache go away completely- come get your ear adjusted!

4. Remember B.R.A.T. for diarrhea. It stands for- Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. The combination will get you feeling more regular in no time.

5. Black licorice will cure constipation nine times out of ten! Who knew, right?!

6. For a headache, try these three things first: Drink a large class of water. Rub head/neck making sure to work out the knots. Find the pressure point between your thumb and pointer finger and press.

7. For teething kiddos, take a washcloth, wet the center with a little water, spread on a tablespoon of applesauce, roll it up, then freeze it. Babies love this because it’s sweet, chewy, & cold so it numbs their gums!

8. For an overall immune system booster, chiropractic works! We adjust your spine so that your nervous system can help other systems in your body (like immune system) work better and more efficiently, especially when it comes to the flu!

Can chiropractic help Fibromyalgia?

A better question might be: "Can ANYTHING help fibromyalgia?"

You know, everyone has aches and pains at some point. Everyone gets a little sore. Everyone has trouble sleeping sometimes. But what if these aches and pains ARE your life?

People who suffer from fibromyalgia don't need to be told that it's hard to find relief from the constant joint and muscle pain. There are no solid go-to therapies that are guaranteed to help fibromyalgia patients, and the research literature is iffy at best for just about everything. This means that fibromyalgia is a challenge to treat and to live with.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Chronic and persistent joint pain is officially called Fibromyalgia.  The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made by a doctor after you have had demonstrated at least three months of demonstrable pain at 11 specific points or joints, and you have no other identifiable disease that could  cause the condition. In other words, the term "fibromyalgia" describes chronic pain that has an unknown cause.

The first and most important task for any doctor is to obtain the correct diagnosis. After all, if a doctor does not know what is wrong, how can he help to fix it? The problem with fibromyalgia is that, essentially, science still does not know what causes it. Some theories have been advanced, such as autoimmune disease or chronic inflammation, but nothing is certain.

We do know that fibromyalgia is sometimes associated with some types of arthritis, but not always. We do know that fibromyalgia usually is diagnosed in women over men, but not always (a 7-to-1 margin). We do know that fibromyalgia usually occurs during mid-life (ages 20 to 50), but not always.

The uncertainty surrounding the cause (or causes) of fibromyalgia makes it a difficult condition to treat. In fact, some women are told that "it's all in your head" because no definitive cause can be found. But fibromyalgia is a very real condition with very real consequences: headaches; stiffness; a loss of mental acuity;  psychological distress from chronic pain; and working adults with fibromyalgia miss 17 days of work per year compared to the average worker, who misses only 6.

How We Can Help Your Fibromyalgia

Your fibromyalgia is unlikely to be exactly the same as anyone else's fibromyalgia. That means personalized, empathetic, individualized health care is what you need. Personal care is especially important since no particular therapy has been proven more effective than any other therapy for the treatment of fibromyalgia. This means that a therapy that may work wonders for one person may not help another. Fibromyalgia demands flexibility in treatment.

Believe it or not, the best research-supported therapy for fibromyalgia relief is exercise! Although exercise may sound painful at first for a person with sore muscles and joints, clinical studies of low-impact exercise have been shown to help nearly a third of fibromyalgia patients.

Since proper motion seems to be essential in the joints of fibromyalgia patients (and, indeed, with everybody), the low-force chiropractic adjustment is an excellent way to restore proper motion to spinal and  extremity joints. The Activator is the most popular low-force adjusting instrument in the world, and for good reason. The soft rubber tip provides as gentle a chiropractic experience as possible.

Dr. Rikki follows the latest research on fibromyalgia and therapies, nutrition, resistance training, and exercise. We are here to help you find the best path towards relief and health! Call us today at 816-229-4949. Don’t live a life of pain- find the relief you need with WholeLife Health.

Chiropractic During Pregnancy

There are many times that I speak with a soon to be mom who has never been to a chiropractor and she seems a little frightened or scared at the prospect of getting adjusted while pregnant.... which in all honestly is COMPLETELY understandable!

Those of us who have been to a chiropractor before, during or after pregnancy may not understand... but think about it- you are embarking on a completely new experience and you have this precious little person growing inside of you, and you are COMPLETELY responsible for their well-being to insure that they are born as healthy as possible. On top of that, there are so many things that we hear about every day of possible pregnancy or birth complications- it can be scary! So the prospect of laying on your tummy (which you are told NOT to do while pregnant) and having someone push around on you after telling them that they are going to move bones... sounds  a little scary if you have never been educated on chiropractic or never been adjusted before.

So, the whole point of this scenario, and this blog today is to put some moms-to-be at ease! Because it IS understandable to be wary or scared. So let's cover a few chiropractic during pregnancy basics.

The first concern most women have is how they will lay to get adjusted. Yes, you lay on your stomach, but any chiropractor that you see during pregnancy should either have a table where a section will drop to accommodate your growing baby or special pregnancy pillows that create a suspended sling or hammock for your belly. I personally use the latter, as it is soft and very comfortable for mom. In fact, most pregnant women LOVE to lay on them, as they have the opportunity to actually be comfortable on their stomach for the first time in months!

The second concern that most women have is the adjustment itself. Regular chiropractic adjustments can be done in several ways, but the most common is a hands on adjustment where a quick force is applied. During pregnancy, this force is not needed due to the hormone relaxin. Relaxin does exactly what its name implies- it relaxes the muscles and ligaments allowing the pelvis to spread as it prepares for birth. So, thanks to this hormone, the force needed to adjust is very minimal. In the pelvic and sacral area I use a gentle and repetitive force. In the low back and mid-back area I use and instrument called an Activator, which delivers a quick low force impact to move the vertebra. Then in the upper back and neck areas I use regular adjustments.

Chiropractic during pregnancy is completely safe as well as comfortable. Most women, especially those who have never been adjusted before, complete their first adjustment and have instant relief and wish they had started adjustments sooner!

Pregnancy brings about a lot of changes in a woman's body. So many in fact that a woman's entire center of gravity shifts. This shift can cause structural changes in the pelvis, sacrum, coccyx and pubic bones- not to mention the spine itself. All of this shifting is a strain to muscles and ligaments and can actually effect the uterus itself. For more information on the changes during pregnancy, please visit my website at http://www.mywholelifehealth.net/pregnancy-chiropractic/ .

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting times in every woman's life. And this exciting time should be pain free, relaxing and joyous- not filled with aches and pains! I have had several patients who have come to me and said that they have round ligament pain, and that they asked their OB or PCP about it and were told that there was nothing that could be done.... that is NOT true! There is something that can be done!! Chiropractic adjustment will allow you to have the pregnancy that you have always dreamed of...plus, it is NATURAL and DRUG-FREE so it is safe for you and baby.

I would recommend speaking to others who have had chiropractic care and get their take on it if you still have concerns, or you can always contact me with more questions at pregnancy@mywlh.net . Also, I always offer a free consultation at my office.

Bottom line is that CHIROPRACTIC=SAFE and on top of that CHIROPRACTIC=Happy Momma and Baby!