Working through the Stressors of Live

Stress. Boy have things changed in my 54 years of life. It's no wonder there is more stress today and more people having their health challenged by it. Having a 9 year old daughter it gives me time to reflect how my life was when I was her age. While there was TV, there were only the major stations to choose from, so watching TV was not enticing. After school activities involved playing on the street or the backyard of our homes. Standardized tests didn't exist and school meant lots of dodge ball, PE, music and the arts (in addition to the academics). I don't remember getting caught in traffic to get anywhere. It was a time of discovery. Even as a teen and a young adult, free time was spent going to an occasional concert but mainly hanging out at parks, the beach and having lots of cookouts. Things were simpler then, both for adults and children. It felt like it was about connecting with nature and people, not electronic devices or feeling rushed to get to the next planned activity.

Now, it's an endless stream of after school activities for our children, the standardized tests (for No Child Left Behind), about 20 minutes of recess, homework that can take children an hour to complete...leaving no time for after school play, as well as dealing with illness which starts the stress cycle at a young age. These stressors could actually be the causing poor sleep which may lead to ADD and ADHD.

For adults, sitting in traffic for hours to get to work, working at a job that is unfulfilling, spending hours helping our children, or just working and dealing with "stuff" causes our stress. There is little time for us to take care of ourselves. The stress we feel as adults can also lead to insomnia, cause our hormones to get out of balance and cause other health problems. From personal experience, I know that chronic sleeplessness can lead to depression and anxiety. Taking sleep medicine is definitely not the answer.

In practice, I've seen everything from chronic fatigue and illnesses, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and other severe health problems connected to stress. Autoimmune disorders are exacerbated stress. Even memory problems, behavioral problems, and hormonal imbalances will worsen. Many times it becomes a vicious cycle. You have a stressor (physical, emotional or chemical), your body or mind reacts in a certain way (high blood pressure/racing heart, thoughts running through your head), you might find yourself eating "comfort" food (which is usually not very healthy), you don't sleep well as a result. Suddenly, you find yourself spiraling down. You might have an anchor that can help you through, but internally, you are still stressed. You keep going because you have to. You might even tell yourself that you feel fine.

But deep inside, the stressors are there...lurking and creating havoc in your body. I know all about this. Since my injury in 2005, I've had a lot of stressors. Mainly physical and emotional. I'd talk myself out of feeling stress. Maybe get lost in Facebook or Glee. But that is not facing the stressor or working through it. Because of my own challenges with stress, it has become important for me to help others facing challenges.

I've worked with families that have a child with ADD or ADHD. I've seen the stress it causes the entire family. What about adults who are caregivers to loved ones with physical challenges? Or someone who has a difficult daily commute or does not feel fulfilled in their job. New parents have their own set of challenges trying to figure out what their baby needs. And teenagers, trying to figure out where they fit in in the world, where it will lead them and what their next steps should be. Stress is all around us and working through these stressors can be challenging.

This is why I focus my practice on helping people with stress. Helping adults and children with their stress truly changes lives. From seeing a student finding ease in their studies and sports activities, a child becoming more "social", a parent feeling more relaxed so that he or she can sleep better and feel "connected" to themselves to the adult trying to enjoy life more. I've seen this work both in my practice and in my own life. When my stress level is down I know I am a better parent and wife. When my daughter feels better then I feel better. It's about breaking these vicious cycles of life.

I do my work in several ways. First, I utilize the Stress Response Evaluation. This will help me to objectively identify how the stress is affecting you. It checks out your heart function, how you are breathing, your brain wave activity, skin conductance and temperature. This is important information as it tells me how long you've had stress and specifically how it has effected you.

With this information, it tells me what style of adjustment would benefit you the most. For instance, I typically use a Logan adjustment on someone with chronic stress. It relaxes the body and calms the mind to allow for a better night's sleep. This same adjustment will allow the nervous system to be balanced so your health will improve. People also tell me that with this adjustment, they find they are more patient with their children or colleagues at work. Amazing!

I can also determine if someone would benefit by a breathing exercise, if they need specific nutritional support or if they need new tools to deal with stressors. The SRE will also help me to guide you if you need to do a regular calming practices and even the type of workout that would most benefit them. For instance, someone with chronic stress might benefit more by a restorative yoga practice, to help build them up, rather than a hot yoga practice that will literally burn them out. This tool will even give me insight as to what challenges you on a physiological level (sounds or a cognitive challenge).

By combining this objective and subjective information, offering you choices to help you work through your stressors, and having healthy workshops (and webinars coming soon) available, you can determine how you want to proceed to resolving stress both for you and your family so you all lead happy and healthy lives. Give me a call. I'm happy to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your questions. Namaste, Dr. Nancy

How to tell if an infant might be helped by chiropractic care

People sometimes look at me like I'm from another planet when I suggest they have their newborn or infant checked by a chiropractor. There are many misconceptions about chiropractic care. For one, many think it's only for neck or back pain, and what could an infant know about either of those problems. Another question people have is if it's gentle for newborns. Any chiropractor that has done post-graduate work in special techniques for newborns and infants can tell you that it is very gentle. In most cases, the chiropractor will apply very gentle pressure to the areas of the spine that are "stuck". With babies, those areas release quite easily.

So, how would a Chiropractor (or parent) know if Chiropractic can help their young child? Here are some ideas.

First, if you were to bring your infant in and your baby has obvious symptoms, the baby might have what chiropractors call "subluxations". A subluxation is an area of the spine with abnormal motion, which causes interference to the nervous system (abnormal function). This interference can cause an organ to not work as effectively as it would normally. (For more information about the subluxation, go to http://www.tarlowchiropractic.com). Some of the symptoms your child might have as a result of subluxations are: colic, ear infections, difficulty swallowing, difficulty latching on, restlessness, and excessive fussiness.

It's not unusual for parents to think that these problems are “normal”. Constipation, when your child is supposed to be pooping 3 - 5 times per day (newborns), is not normal. When your baby screams with colic, that is not normal. Your baby is trying to tell you that they are in pain. If your baby is biting down really hard when latching on, it is usually because of a minor problem with the jaw that is easily resolved. Many moms think that their child who doesn't want to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time is just fussy.

Here's the good news. These difficulties that many newborns and infants have can usually be resolved easily with chiropractic care. It's amazing how most parents see a difference in just one visit. Within 4 to 6 visits, a lot of these problems are usually, totally resolved. Your chiropractor will most likely also make some dietary suggestions if your baby is having digestive problems.

When evaluating an infant for spinal subluxations, the chiropractor will usually look at the following things. Please keep in mind that you can do this as well. While your baby is lying down, check out the following:

1. When looking at your baby's face, is there symmetry side-to-side at the levels of the eyebrows, cheeks and lips?
2. Does your baby’s head tend to tilt or turn to primarily one side?
3. Is your baby’s hip higher on one side forming a “C” shape?
4. Does your baby’s torso look twisted?

You can also gently move the face or torso to one side or the other and see if your baby tends to resume the prior position. If you have answered yes to any of these questions, your child, most likely, has subluxations.

Another way your Chiropractor might evaluate for spinal subluxations are by gently palpating the spine and the musculature surrounding the spine. Also, it's not unusual for subluxations to show as a baby that is very sensitive to light, sound or touch. I had one momma who would tell me that her child did not want to be picked up. That she appeared to be uncomfortable while being held and would sometimes fling her arms or head back. After a few adjustments, the baby loved being held and the mom was grateful to have her child resting comfortably in her arms.

You might ask what can cause these subluxations. Most likely, they are caused by birth. If you consider how difficult birth (even an easy birth) can be on the baby, particularly cesareans, it's easy to see how it can cause subluxations. Another cause might be if the baby was not lying in your belly in a good position. This can put a lot of pressure on the cranial bones and upper neck, where the nerves originate from that go to your entire body. A fall or even sitting too long in a car seat can also cause subluxations. I recently had a mom to come to me with an "easy" birth with a baby who was severely constipated with gas and bloating. After just a few adjustments, the baby was pooping like a champ. With each day and some minor diet modifications, the gas and bloating resolved as well.

It truly is amazing that when you resolve the underlying problem, which in most cases is the subluxation, how all of these problems disappear. When baby is happy, the whole family is much happier. The stress that a parent can feel when they see their baby in obvious pain and feeling helpless is incredible. When you feel that you are doing something, and your baby is improving, will make all the difference in the world.

Most family or pediatric chiropractors will take the time in person or on the phone to explain to you any concerns you might have about having your newborn or infant adjusted. I've seen hundreds of babies over the years helped with these problems. Take that step and check it out.