Spinal Health

Chiropractic's central interest is the relationship between impaired position/movement of spinal vertebrae and the nerve system, and the effect of this on health. 

In fact, the normal movement and position of all bones/joints and the appropriate tone and texture of all the connective tissues in the body directly affect well-being and performance. 

(http://www.posturepress.com/Chiropractic-Myths-and-Facts.php)

Your Morning Meeting

Spending some time each morning getting set for the day will make you more productive and leave you with a feeling of accomplishment. It also helps you maintain a better attitude throughout the day. Spend at least 5 minutes each morning getting organized and clearing your mind so you are ready for each day!

Having Older Children at a Birth

Have you thought about having your older children at your baby's birth? In our society, we can hardly imagine having a child watch the birth of their baby brother or sister, but times were much different a few decades ago. 

If you are planning on having your child attend the birth, here are some things to consider:

• Have a support person there just for your child. This allows them to be a witness on their own terms, and leave if things get overwhelming or they need a break. Babies can take a long time!
• Give your child a job, like getting water for their mother. 
• Have a bag packed for them too. This might include books, play doh, or other quiet activities. It should also include healthy snacks. 
• Talk to them ahead of time about what to expect. You can talk about this using their senses. What are they going to see, hear, feel, etc. 
• Don't have high expectations that they will fall in love the baby immediately or they will respond in a certain way. There are lots of things for your child to process while being at a birth. 

For the Ladies: Cardio is Not Enough!

Ladies this is especially for you---Doing only cardio for your workouts is not the answer!!! 

It's important to get some resistance training and tone up those muscles. No, you will not get bulky, unless you are specifically trying. Pick up those weights or resistance bands and work some muscles. If not for looking and feeling better, you can tell yourself that having more muscle burns more calories during the day than fat. 

Ask Emily for help if you don't know what to do! Don't go to the gym confused on how to lift, and then get frustrated with it. Please let me help you!

Don't Induce Without A Bishop Score

The Induction Seduction is alive and well in our country. Women are being induced for many reasons, many of which are not valid according to many research studies.  

One thing you should discuss with your doctor before the schedule you for induction is your Bishop's Score. The Bishop Score is a measure of how soft and ripe your cervix is before labor. It can help predict whether or not your body is ready for labor, and whether or not an induction is likely to succeed or fail.

A vaginal exam is done and the care provider evaluates the degree of:

• cervical dilation (how far the cervix has opened so far)
• cervical effacement (how thinned out the cervical walls are)
• cervical consistency (how soft or firm the cervix is)
• cervical position (whether the cervix is pointing forwards or backwards relative to the vaginal walls)
• fetal station (how far down the baby is in the pelvis)

The exact cut-offs used differs by source, but generally a score of 5 or less indicates the woman is unlikely to go into labor spontaneously at that time, and that an induction is likely to fail (result in a cesarean).

A score of 8 or more indicates that an induction is more likely to succeed.  A score of 9 or more indicates the woman will likely go into labor on her own very soon.

Those first-time moms who were induced with a Bishop score less than 7 had a whopping 42% cesarean rate.  

This shows just how important it is to have a nice ripe cervix before inducing labor, and especially so in first-time moms, whose cervices have never dilated before.

Check out this Lamaze website for reasons why it's important to Let Labor Begin On Its Own. 

Fun Fact

Chiropractic today is the third largest primary health care profession in the western world next to medicine and dentistry.


(http://www.posturepress.com/Chiropractic-Myths-and-Facts.php)

Fun Fact

The first adjustment ever was performed in 1895 by DD Palmer on Harvey Lliliard. Harvey was deaf in one ear and after his adjustment, his hearing was restored. 

Speaking During a Massage

No matter how much I wish I could read your mind, I can NOT do this. Please be sure to speak up if the room is too hot or too cold, you experience pain- your pain should never go over a 7 on a scale form 1-10, with 10 being excruciating pain, you have any questions related to the massage, or if there's anything you forgot to mention during the consultation.

The best outcomes in your health care come from us working together as a team.

--Sylvia

Do You Doula?

Why Do You Need a Doula?

Research found that women who received continuous labor support were less likely to experience:

• epidural or other regional analgesia
• any analgesia/anesthesia, including epidurals and opioids
• birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
• birth by Cesarean 
• dissatisfaction or negative rating of their experience

The same study also found the following statistics with mothers having a doula present:

• 26% less likely to give birth by Cesarean section
• 41% less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
• 28% less likely to use any analgesia and 
• 33% less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience.

Other studies show that postpartum outcomes for mothers were much better when a Doula attended their birth experience. Finding show the following results of mothers:

• enhanced breastfeeding
• better maternal-infant interaction
• less postpartum depression, anxiety, and greater self-esteem
• higher maternal assessments of their baby when compared to the "standard baby"
• greater satisfaction with the birth experience

(From a press release from Maternity Center Association, NY Sept. 2003)

Want to know more about using a doula at your next birth? Contact Katie! katie@waukeewellness.com or Katie's Doula Care. 

Chiropractic Care & Pregnancy

Many of our pregnant patients come to us with sciatic pain or low back pain from their growing baby during pregnancy. While chiropractic is great at relieving this pain, it does so much more for the mother and baby during this time. The following article explains why pregnancy is easier and your baby's birth will be safer when you are under regular chiropractic care. 

Check out this great article: Chiropractic Care for Easier Pregnancy and Safer Birth

A lot of moms also try chiropractic care at the very end of their pregnancy when they find that their baby is breech and a Cesarean birth is getting near. While there are some success with helping a baby turn head-down at this point, preventing this from happening or correcting it early on in pregnancy has much more success. 

When should you start chiropractic care during pregnancy? BEFORE you're pregnant and keep regular appointments throughout your entire pregnancy. 

Massage Homework

Please realize that there is only so much I can do during our session time. You would not expect to get the same results working out with a trainer and then not doing anything the rest of the week as opposed to training and then doing your "homework" the other days of the week. Just like your workout time, to continue the benefits of your massage you must do your homework throughout your time bewteen massage. My job is to help you improve your health. Your homeowrk can includ drinking plenty of water to keep your muscles hydrated, stretching, and practicing proper posture/ body mechanics. If you do not do these things, its like starting from scratch every time you come in for your massage and we never improve beyond what we did the previous massage session.

--Sylvia

When to Breathe During a Workout

When you're exercising you should always focus on breathing correctly to get the most out of it. If you are lifting weights be sure to breath out during the hardest part of the exercise. For example-if you are doing a chest fly you would breathe out as you are bringing the weights from out wide to up top.

What's that Popping Sound?

Why is there a popping sound when a joint is adjusted? Adjustment of a joint may result in release of a gas bubble between the joints that makes a popping sound – it’s exactly the same as when you “crack” your knuckles. The noise is caused by the change of pressure within the joint that results in gas bubbles being released. There is no

pain involved. (http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/Chiro_FAQ.pdf)

Reiki?

There are many different types of massage. Some like reiki, for instance, doesn't involve massage strokes at all. In reiki the therapist uses their energy to move "dead" energy spots throughout your body. This technique will leave you feeling as good as any "typical" massage. This is perfect for someone who is not keen on being touched, or uncomfortable disrobing.

Katie's Favorite Hormone

Oxytocin: My Favorite Hormone

Do you remember that feeling you got with your first kiss? Or held hands with someone new for the first time? That feeling is caused by a hormone called Oxytocin and it's what makes you feel good. It is incredibly amazing in every day life, and even more powerful during labor and birth. 

Oxytocin is often known as the "hormone of love" because it is involved with lovemaking, fertility, contractions during labor and birth, and the release of milk in breastfeeding. It helps us feel good, and it triggers nurturing feelings and behaviors. 

Low levels of oxytocin during labor and birth can cause problems by:

• causing contractions to stop or slow, and lengthening labor
• resulting in excessive bleeding at the placenta site after birth
• leading providers to respond to these problems with interventions.

As a doula, I work very hard to make sure that the mother is experiencing optimal levels of natural oxytocin. (Artificial/Synthetic oxytocin called Pitocin doesn't work the same way as natural oxytocin does.) 

I Love My Job!

I LOVE MY JOB!!!  I love helping others. There’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone who’s in pain. When you can help to take a person from a place of pain and discomfort to a place of moving freely and without pain, it’s satisfying and exciting! I’m always amazed at the change on someone’s face after getting a massage. The look of relief on their face is just like instant gratification. You could say that I’m a treatment enthusiast! 

--Sylvia

Chiropractic Health Profession

Chiropractic is the 2nd largest and fastest growing health care profession in the world and did you know Chiropractic was discovered in Davenport, IA?

Why You Need to Change Your Workouts

If you currently work out it is very important that you switch up your routine frequently. Your body has the ability to get used to certain workouts, making them less effective. It is called muscle memory. Progress and effectiveness of your routines will exponentially increase when you switch it up. Ask for help if you want some different routines!

Hunger Pains or Dehydration

Most people walk around dehydrated every day and have no idea. We have been so accustomed to being dehydrated that we react less when our body is trying to tell us it's thirsty. 

Did you know that when you feel those 'hunger' pains in your stomach, most of the time it is because your body is dehydrated and wants water. A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water when you start to feel those 'pains'. Wait 20 minutes; if they are still there then you know you are hungry. Water contributes to so much-focus, energy, joint pain, flexibility and tons more. 

If you're wondering where to start take your body weight, divide in half and that's how many ounces you should be drinking daily. 

Fun Fact!

There are over 7 Trillion nerves in the body!!!  But,only 10% of all nerves carry pain. What's the other 90% do? Your health is so much more than how you feel.

What does HOLISTIC mean?

Doctors of chiropractic believe in a holistic (“total person”) approach to healing, which typifies the new and changing attitude towards health. It is based on the concept of “maintaining health” versus “treating disease.” Chiropractic philosophy includes:

• recognition that dynamics exist between lifestyle, environment and health
• understanding the cause of illness in order to eliminate it, rather than simply treat symptoms
• recognition of the centrality of the nervous system and its intimate relationship with the capacities of the human body
• a patient-centered, hands-on approach focused on influencing function through structure  focus on early intervention, emphasizing timely diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are wholly functional and reversible 

(http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/Chiro_FAQ.pdf)

Should you watch your scale?

One of the most important things to be watching when checking results of your workouts is your body fat percentage. The number on the scale doesn't do much for us, so be careful when weighing in each week. Men should range between 10-22% and women 20-32%. If you don't know what yours is, stop in to the office and get it checked for free. It takes 5 minutes and will be a great way to determine whether your workout regimen is working or not. * Percentages according to ACSM

Is Getting a Massage a Luxury or Necessity?

In an age of technical and, at times, impersonal medicine, massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach based on the body's natural ability to heal itself. So what exactly are the benefits to receiving regular massage and/or bodywork treatments? 

- Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs. 
- Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body's natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer. 
- Increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body's largest organ - the skin. 
- Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles
- Reduces spasms and cramping
- Increases joint flexibility. 
- Reduces recovery time, helps prepare for strenuous workouts and eliminates subsequent pains of the athlete at any level.
- Releases endorphins - the body's natural painkiller - and is being used in chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain. 
- Reduces post-surgery adhesions and edema and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred. 
- Improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain.
- Relieves pain for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication.
- Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion.
- Assists with shorter labor for expectant mothers, as well as less need for medication, less depression and anxiety, and shorter hospital stays. 

There are over 7 Trillion nerves in the body!!!


But,only 10% of all nerves carry pain. What's the other 90% do? 


Your health is so much more than how you feel.

How is a chiropractor different from a medical doctor?

Doctors of chiropractic believe in a holistic (“total person”) approach to healing, which typifies the new and changing attitude towards health. It is based on the concept of “maintaining health” versus “treating disease.” Chiropractic philosophy includes:

• recognition that dynamics exist between lifestyle, environment and health 
• understanding the cause of illness in order to eliminate it, rather than simply treat symptoms
• recognition of the centrality of the nervous system and its intimate relationship with the capacities of the human body
• a patient-centered, hands-on approach focused on influencing function through structure  focus on early intervention, emphasizing timely diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are wholly functional and reversible 

(http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/Chiro_FAQ.pdf)

First Adjustment

Daniel David Palmer performed the initial chiropractic adjustment in September 1895. Palmer examined a janitor who had become deaf 17 years prior after he felt something “give” in his back. Palmer examined the area and gave a crude “adjustment” to what was felt to be a misplaced vertebra in the upper back. The janitor then observed that his hearing improved. 

(http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/Chiro_History.pdf)

Is being healthy a choice?

It is a great time to reflect on the many freedoms that thousands of men and woman have died to give us.  The freedom of where to live; the freedom to go to the school of our choice; the freedom to change jobs/careers; the freedom of speech.  I believe that health is a choice.  Health is not merely a roll of lucky genetics.  Rather health is our responsibility (ability to respond) to the many choices we have day in and day out.  Choices such as:

• Did you choose to skip breakfast or did you choose to eat a healthy balanced breakfast such as an egg-white, vegetable omelet?
• Did you choose to see your Chiropractor to improve your spinal health and mobility?
• Did you choose to watch two hours of TV last night or did you choose to take a 45 minute walk?
• Did you choose to drink water today or did you choose to drink 4 cups of coffee, 3 diet cokes and two beers?
• Did you choose to jump out of bed this morning and begin your stressful day (just like yesterday) or did you choose to wake up 15 minutes before anyone else in your household to take time to meditate, pray, say affirmations or visualize “making it a great day?”
• Did you choose to be miserable today or did you, even though you woke up slightly grumpy, choose to be happy and smile just because you could?
• Did you choose to make a healthy meal tonight or did you choose to get take out… again?
• Are you ready to CHOOSE to start being healthy? If you don’t know what to do, ask us.

Get the picture.  Health is indeed a choice.  Choose wisely. 

--Dr. Wes

Labor Pains

I have the privilege of attending many births here in central Iowa as a doula. When I tell people what a doula is and why someone would possibly want a doula (those considering an unmedicated childbirth), they are shocked. Most commonly I hear, "Why would anyone NOT want to have drugs during labor/birth?!?!" or "I could never give birth without pain drugs". 

I love that women have choices in the United States for managing their labor and birth experience, but I don't think women have the entire picture. Most often, women put all their trust in their OB and do whatever their labor nurses tell them to do. I've heard both OBs and nurses quickly cover the risks of pain drugs, but spend lots of time telling mom what a relief from the pain they will be getting. 95% of hospital births in the US have some kind of intervention used. A full-time nurse I talked to recently was asked by a father as to how many unmedicated births she's attending. In six years as a labor and delivery nurse, this had been her 4th unmedicated birth she attended.* 

We have created a major business around birth in our country, and it revolves around the idea of pain. Dr. Wes (my hubby) won't let me watch births on sitcoms because I get so upset with how unrealistic it is. (I don't let him watch pharmaceutical commercials either.) Women don't share birth stories that are calm and peaceful. Women share horror stories about what went wrong with their labor/birth and it creates an fear-driven atmosphere about birth. While there is pain with birth, there are so many other beautiful moments and hormones that let women trust their bodies to birth naturally. 

What's the price we pay for pain medications in labor? Does it make our babies and mothers healthier or happier? Worldwide, we rank 49th for infant and mother survival rates. That means 48 other countries have women and babies surviving birth more than we do. (Amnesty International) We obviously have something flawed in our system. 

The solution? Know your choices. Know that it IS possible to have an amazing birth without pain medications. Listen to women who have had unmedicated births. Their stories aren't the ones you will be seeing on TV. Learn all you can about medicated vs unmedicated births, and then make your choice. 

Ok, enough from my soap box. I could spend days talking birth.  Please ask me questions or leave me comments about your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you!

*Please note: I definitely feel that OBs, labor nurses, hospitals, and medications have their place and can be very beneficial. My general opinion is that a medicated management of labor & birth is not the healthiest option for the majority of women in our country. 

--Katie

It's All Greek to Me

The word ‘Chiropractic’ comes from the Greek words cheir (meaning ‘hand’) and praktos

(meaning ‘done’), i.e. Done by Hand. The name was chosen by the developer of chiropractic,

Daniel David Palmer.

--Cassie

(http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/Chiro_History.pdf)

Shoulder/Back Pain & Massage

A lot of times times the area in which you feel the pain is not the area that needs to be addressed. For example, 90% of my clients have pain between their shoulder blades and that is what they want me to massage. 


The fact of the matter is that I could massage that area all day long and the client will only have temporary relief. If they want a permanant solution they will also need to have all the opposing muscles that attach to the shoulder blade relaxed as well. This includes the Terres, levetor scap, latissimus dorsi, and the pecs. Unless these muscles are properly relaxed they will continue to pull the shoulder blades out of their proper place on the body, and the rhomboids will continue to strain to keep the shoulder blades in place.  This is why you feel pain between the shoulder blades. 


--Sylvia