How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Reduce Stress Levels

People say that stress is part of life. No wonder studies show that about three-quarter of people face varying forms of stress on a daily basis. Whether it’s at home or on the job, stress is something that you have to learn to deal with. But, what exactly is stress? Stress refers to a state of being mentally, physically, or emotionally restrained by a difficult or demanding factor. It’s basically how you respond to the factors, commonly known as stressors.

The stressor can be a financial hardship, health challenge, bad relationship, anxiety or social pressure. You also stress your body if you don’t sleep or eat well. The problem with responding to stress is that your physical body, mind, and heart suffer. Some extreme forms of stress cause very serious health complications. It can also lead to death. The good news though is that there’s a treatment. You just need to talk to a chiropractor.

What’s Stress Like?

Stress comes in different forms and they all affect our lives in one way or another. Here are the general types:

Environmental Stress

This is caused by environmental stressors like bad weather, noise, and high standards. For example, if you have set high expectations for a particular goal in life and you do not achieve it, it’ll stress you. Other environmental stressors that you should be aware of include:

Crowding
Poor air quality
Social tension (pressure from friends)
Natural disasters like earthquakes and floods
Human disasters like war and conflict

Emotional Stress

Emotional stress is the commonest form of human stress. It’s all about how you respond to things that disturb your mind. For example, criticism and failure are likely to stress you emotionally. Basically, the part affected is the brain but the effects are physically expressed. Some people will manifest stress in the form of mood changes, depression, and anger. The key to distressing, in this case, comes with finding mental relaxation. You have to find something that you can do to help you control your emotions and respond to stress more positively.

Physical Stress

Physical stress has a physical source. It could be an injury, physical danger or poor nutrition. The stressors strain your physical body and to cope up, the body releases an emergency hormone known as adrenaline. However, the effects of adrenaline wear off after a while when the stress becomes overwhelming. In the end, stress wears your body and the effects are manifested physically. From sleep deprivation to weight loss, the symptoms are clear. Someone could actually tell that you are going through something that’s stressing you.

Chemical Stress

This is mostly associated with chemical pollutants that exist in the environment. The pollutants not only stress your body but also often lead to health issues like heart disease, hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. The pollutants are many but the main ones are:

Toxic industrial chemicals
GMO foods
Pesticides
Herbicides
Pharmaceuticals
Dyes and stains

A majority of these pollutants get introduces into the body without your knowledge through ingestion or inhalation. It’s a common thing in the industrial job sector.

What Are the General Symptoms?

Generally, stress is characterized by the following symptoms:

Anxiety and restlessness
Pain, especially on the lower back and on the chest
Low sex drive
Reduced concentration
Poor appetite
Lack of personal drive
Irritability
Gastrointestinal issues
Sleeping difficulties
Body fatigue
Depression

Chiropractic Treatment and Stress

The whole essence of seeing a chiropractor is not to eliminate stress but to treat its symptoms. Chiropractic treatment will help your body, especially the spine to regain its effectiveness. The point of focus is mostly the spine. Usually, a spinal misalignment or dysfunction interferes with the functioning of the nervous system. So, communication between the systems and the body is affected. A chiropractor is able to treat the misalignments to ensure that effective communication is restored.

The whole idea is to help you cope with the stress that you are going through and to bring the symptoms to a minimum. Overall, a chiropractor does the following to help you reduce stress levels:

Looks after your spine to ensure that its nervous functions are well controlled
Identifies issue on your spine which may be stressing it
Restores the curvature of the spine to improve its general health
Manage chronic pain, discomfort or tensions on your physical body
Identify and manage mental stress

Chiropractic Treatment Options for Stress Alleviation

Readjustment Therapy

Here, a chiropractor performs spinal manipulation on you. The aim of this therapy is to treat spinal misalignments (also known as subluxations). By treating subluxations, the physical stress that’s placed on your spine is minimized. In the end, spinal adjustments bring proper balance to your spine and this means improved nervous coordination.

Muscle Release

Stress is likely to cause tension in your muscles. Tensed muscles interfere with your way of living. Your life becomes interrupted in a number of ways. For example, sleeping becomes a problem and motor coordination is impaired. By performing muscle release, which is a deep-tissue massage-like therapy, tension is released and you experience a feeling of relaxation.

Exercise Therapy

Exercises help you to build physical and mental energy. The energy is important in getting rid of muscle tension and helping you relax. A chiropractor will recommend exercises that you can do when stressed. This will help you to have better control of your emotions.

Relaxation Techniques

The hardest thing for someone when stressed is relaxing. Luckily, a chiropractor can help you do it. For starters, the expert helps you to find the right posture for relaxing. The chiropractor will recommend specific relaxation techniques that’ll improve your posture. Additionally, the expert may make the following recommendations:

Listening to soothing music
Observing meditation
Practicing relaxed breathing

Nutrition Advice

A chiropractor can also be your nutritionist when it comes to matters affecting your spine. You’ll be advised on the best foods and supplements that you can take to calm your nerves down and to boost spinal health. Of course, the aim is to use nutritional counseling to suppress the symptoms of stress and not entirely to treat the condition.

Closing Thought:

Generally, chiropractic treatment is a holistic approach that you need to manage different forms of stress. The treatment is good both for your physical and mental health. With no doubt, visiting a chiropractor is a good idea the next time you are weighed down by stress.

Chiropractic Treatment for TMJD

Do you often experience jaw pain and discomfort? You may be having a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD). TMJD is a condition that affects so many people in the world following an injury to the jaw. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which is the joint between your skull and the jawbone, is a very sensitive joint. An injury to it may make it harder for you to chew. Luckily, it can be treated not just by a dentist but also by a chiropractor.

What Are the Key Symptoms?

We’ve already mentioned pain on the jaw in the opening statements. It’s the main symptom for TMJD. However, it not only affects the jaw but also the neck, ear, and teeth. The pain may also extend to the back and arms. Other symptoms are:

Jaw clicking – This happens when you either open or close your mouth. Your jaw, in this case, produces a popping sound.
Restricted TMJ mobility – Some patients may have their TMJ temporarily locked and this makes it difficult for them to open or close their mouths. Others can only do it slightly.
Bite alterations – Sometime, you may not feel your teeth when chewing. This is often because of dysfunction on one side.
Hearing difficulties
Swallowing complications
Blurred vision
Dizziness

What Really Causes TMJD?

TMJD can be caused by several factors. Here are the main ones:

Injury to the jaw – If you suffer a direct physical injury to the jaw area, you are likely to develop TMJD. It may be a nasty fall on the face or an accidentally hit on the jaw.
Muscle dysfunction – If the muscles of the jaw are defective, TMJD can develop.
Excessive chewing – This happens mostly when you chew gum for long.
Teeth grinding – This happens mostly when you are asleep.
Nail biting – This overuses the jaw and thus may affect the temporomandibular joint negatively.
Teeth misalignment – This interferes with chewing and eventually affects the TMJ.
Arthritis – Arthritis wears off your joints, including TMJ.

Are There Risk Factors?

Like most serious conditions, TMJD has several surprising risk factors. So, sometimes, the source does not have to be a physical one like an injury to the jaw. One major risk factor is poor posture, especially one that affects the neck. If your neck is restrained so much, there’s always the risk of this kind of pressure impacting the temporomandibular joint.

The other popular risk factor is stress. Stress increases muscle tension on your jaw. At the end of the day, this may affect the temporomandibular joint. The other risk factors are age, gender, and inflammations. It’s argued that women are the most affected, more so those aged 18-44. It has to do with hormonal changes. Additionally, the presence of chronic inflammation improves its risk.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Identifying the discussed symptoms is never conclusive. You need to see an expert who can diagnose the condition. TMJD can be handled by a general practitioner, a dentist or an orthodontist. These specialists will often resort to pain prescriptions. It can also be addressed by an oral surgeon. However, this applies to extreme cases.

If you prefer a method that is both nonsurgical and nonmedical, then the right expert to see is a chiropractor. While a GP and dentist treat the symptoms, a chiropractor treats the underlying cause. Once the core cause is treated, then the symptoms will easily be suppressed. Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic can help!

What Happens During a Chiropractic Diagnosis?

Dr. Hinz can perform different evaluations to check for TMJD.

Physical assessment – The expert may inspect your jaws to determine signs of temporomandibular inflammation or any kind of abnormality.
Posture evaluation – One clear TMJD sign is a head that is jutting forward. The head is not supposed to look that way unless it’s restrained by an underlying issue.
Neck assessment – If you have TMJD, it’s likely that the effect will be felt on your neck. A chiropractor can help you with this diagnosis. The expert will observe your neck for issues like a low range of motion, earache, neck stiffness, and severe headache. These signs are suggestive that your neck is affected.

Once Dr. Hinz establishes that what you have is TMJD, then you’ll be advised to start treatment immediately.

What Happens During a Chiropractic Treatment?

Cool Springs Chiropractic does not just do TMJD diagnosis but also helps to treat the underlying causes. Depending on how severe your TMJD is, Dr. Hinz may use any of these techniques:

Chiropractic manipulation – Popularly known as spinal manipulation or just spinal adjustments, chiropractic manipulation is meant to correct misalignment on your spine. A chiropractor believes that it’s the misalignment that restricts your nerves around the temporomandibular region. Realigning the spine is one way of relieving the restrained nerves. Chiropractic manipulation is generally the first response action for severe TMJD cases. At the end of the day, it’s known to achieve the following:

To relax the temporomandibular joint muscles
To reposition the jaw
To readjust the temporomandibular joint

Jaw retraining – Because of a TMJ, your jaw may have lost its efficiency and so you may not be able to chew properly. A chiropractor can help fix the issue by retraining the jaw to move as it should. It will be adjusted accordingly. This takes off pressure from the temporomandibular joint and significantly reduces TMJD symptoms. With a few adjustments, your jaw will be as good as new.

Myofascial release – A chiropractor is an expert who understands how your muscles need to feel and appear. So, if the muscles are looking tight and have stayed that way for long, then the expert will resort to myofascial release. In this technique, a pressure that is likened to deep tissue massage is applied to the tight muscle knots to soften them. It’s a very effective treatment.

Stretching exercises – Since the pain may be originating from the neck and back region, the expert may opt to stretch you a little. The exercises will be directed mostly on your back to target the spine. You have to remember that TMJD healing is dependent on a healthy spine. If the spine is not misaligned, then your immunity will be enhanced and you’ll recover from TMJD.

Closing Thought:

By treating the root cause of TMJD, chiropractic treatment offers an immediate and long-term solution for the condition. This is something that dentists and general practitioners do not do. They’ll just treat the symptoms when the underlying issue is left bossing your temporomandibular joint. So, if you are looking to treat and prevent TMJD in the future, then contact Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic today!

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatic Nerve Pain

In the body, the nerve that runs from the lumber part (the lower back) to the legs is what we call the sciatic nerve. It’s the largest in the body and damage to it results in a syndrome called sciatica. Sciatica is an indicator of an underlying medical problem in your lower back. It’s often described as pain, tingle, and numbness in the leg. Sciatica rarely affects both legs and thus you should expect pain to be one-sided.

The unfortunate thing is that sciatic nerve pain worsens with sitting. It also becomes hard to stand, walk or move the affected leg. In severe cases, though rare, sciatic nerve pain may lead to a neurological condition, a bowel dysfunction or a bladder complication. This happens when sciatic is left untreated for long. The good news though is that you can treat it using chiropractic practices.

The Causes

Before we look at the role that chiropractic care plays in treating sciatic nerve pain, it’s important to know what causes it. Unlike most pains, sciatic nerve pain is not caused by a single injury or episode. It normally develops from repeated events and becomes complicated over time. For this reason, it’s often difficult to pinpoint the exact time that the symptoms started to manifest.

In general, the major causes of this debilitating nerve condition are:

Repetitive motion – When you twist your back often, there is the risk of triggering sciatic nerve pain. Also, experts argue that driving for long or carrying heavy things repeatedly can be a potential risk for suffering sciatica.
Lower back infection – Though this is rare, a serious infection to the lower back may affect the sciatic nerve. If the nerve is damaged by the infection in any way, there is always the chance of suffering sciatica.
Bone spurs – When bone spurs exist in the vertebra, they can collide and this may lead to abnormal Such growth has the power to interfere with the sciatic nerve, resulting in sciatica.
Physical discomforts – This includes wearing high heels for long, lying on an extremely soft mattress, and accumulating excess weight. All these issues are distress to the spine and thus a potential trigger of sciatica.
Slip disc – When a given vertebra disk shifts forward, such a condition is referred to as slip disc. In case the shift occurs in the lumbar area, sciatica results and its highlighted by a painful sensation.
Pregnancy – Pregnancy normally results in excess weight directed to the spine, leading to its compression.
Disc disease – When a degenerative disc disease occurs on any part of the spine, the discs become less flexible. Hence, they are not able to cushion the spine well or to repair themselves as expected. In the long run, symptoms of sciatic nerve pain start showing up.
Spinal tumors – A growth in the spine is a serious cause of sciatica. This is because the more the tumor grows, the more it’s compressed. In the end, the sciatic nerve becomes damaged, resulting in terrible pain and discomfort.

Can Chiropractic Treatment Help?

While there are so many treatment options for sciatic nerve pain such as pain medications, anti-inflammatory applications, and physical therapy, a majority of patients are preferring chiropractic treatments. So, what does a chiropractic doctor (a chiropractor) do to treat sciatica? Ideally, a chiropractor is a musculoskeletal expert. Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic uses hands-on techniques to decompress or realign compressed nerves to give you relief from sciatica. So, yes, a chiropractor can help immensely in treating sciatic nerve pain.

As a specialized doctor, a chiropractor is not just interested in addressing the symptoms but to also get into the root cause of the problem. In this case, the first thing that a chiropractor will do once you demonstrate the symptoms of sciatic nerve pain is to do a complete spinal evaluation on you. The evaluation features CT scans and X-rays. The tests are able to confirm the diagnosis and to show the underlying issue. After the evaluation, the chiropractor will perform s spinal adjustment technique, also known as spinal manipulation, on you.

Spinal Manipulation

Looking at the highlighted causes of sciatic nerve pain, it’s clear that they result in either the compression or misalignment of the sciatic nerve. That’s why chiropractors purpose to decompress and realign the nerve. This is what spinal manipulation is all about. The chiropractor uses hands to adjust the spine. In the end, spinal manipulation achieves the following goals:

Reduces sciatic nerve irritability and pain
Minimizes muscle spasms and inflammation in the affected part

However, it’s important to note that spinal manipulation is a very delicate procedure that should only be performed by trained and licensed chiropractic doctors. Any wrong move may cause serious damage to your spine.

Other Proven Chiropractic Treatments

Besides spinal manipulation, there are other techniques that Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic can use to manage sciatic nerve pain. They include:

Hot-Cold Therapy – Here, both heat and ice are applied to the affected part in an alternating The ice is used to numb the painful area while the heat is used to stimulate blood flow.
Ultrasounds – The aim of an ultrasound is to build sound waves for improving blood circulation in the affected leg. This significantly helps to reduce muscle stiffness, spasm, and cramps.
Decompression Therapy – In some cases, a chiropractor may prefer to use a decompressing machine instead of hands to correct a spinal compression case. The technique is called decompression therapy. It stretches your vertebra to improve its mobility and flexibility.
TENS – Standing for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, TENS is a treatment involving a small machine that passes an electric current through the muscles to stimulate them. This ideally soothes local inflammation as well as muscle spasm.
Massage Therapy – A chiropractor may also massage the affected area to promote fast healing. Through the massage, blood flow is stimulated as the sciatic nerve is decompressed. This can also be used as a preventive approach for the condition.

Closing Thought:

It’s irrefutable that sciatic nerve pain is a serious nerve condition that calls for immediate treatment following diagnosis. Contact Cool Springs Chiropractic today to get started on the natural roadway to healing.

10 Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture, a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is one of the oldest therapies known to man. Ideally, acupuncture works on the basis of unblocking locked life energy (Qi). This is because it’s believed that health issues can arise when there’s an interruption in the flow of Qi. By restoring Qi, acupuncture promotes physical relaxation and healing. According to some theories, acupuncture is able to accomplish this through the production of endorphins, natural pain relievers. There are also other theories which suggest that acupuncture works by regulating blood flow and nervous functions. Regardless, there are amazing benefits associated with this TCM. Here are the top 10:

Stress Management

Psychological stress is known to instigate inflammatory responses such as poor mood, fatigue, and displeasure. These responses are widely related to depression. The advantage is that they can be prevented with acupuncture. By inhibiting inflammation, acupuncture reduces the production and performance of the stress hormone. This means more mental calmness and clarity. Other aspects such as mood and blood pressure are improved too.

Slows Cognitive Decline

A 2002 study by Maryland University Neurology Department suggests that individuals with Parkinson’s Disease show much improvement with acupuncture. According to the study, acupuncture reduces symptoms like tremor, slowness, anxiety, and walking difficulties. These symptoms are associated with cognitive decline. Based on the finding, there are no clear negative effects of using acupuncture. Therefore, the practice is safe and recommended for Parkinson’s Disease and other cognitive decline conditions.

Low Back Pain Relief

According to a 2017 report by Annals of Internal Medicine, acupuncture decreases pain intensity along the lower back and surrounding areas. The study focused on two groups of people; one using acupuncture to manage low back pain and the other not using the TCM practice. Of course, the finding was that acupuncture helps you in the short-term to manage pain and should only be used as a temporary solution. In case you are looking for a long-term solution, the study recommends doing acupuncture regularly. The more you do it periodically, the more effective the results are.

Manages Pregnancy Discomfort

Like physical therapy, acupuncture has shown effectiveness in promoting relief from pregnancy discomfort. By alleviating pain on the lower back, acupuncture helps to balance the extra weight that a pregnant woman is carrying, thus total relaxation. In a controlled study, ear acupuncture is believed to be effective in managing posterior pelvic pain that’s widespread during the first few weeks of pregnancy. This is the time that most pregnant women become anxious and depressed because of the discomforts.

Boosts Immunity

The body’s natural defense is always stimulated when a foreign material is introduced. Since acupuncture needles are foreign, the body will step up its immunity to try to face the invaders. In this case, the production of immune cells is encouraged and so are defense processes like phagocytosis (engulfing of foreign materials) and lymphocyte proliferation (multiplication of white blood cells). An improved lymphocyte proliferation literary implies enhanced immunity.

Weight Loss

Studies show that acupuncture done on the ear is widely considered in the West as a way to encourage weight loss. By placing needles around the ear, a section of the hypothalamus is stimulated and this makes you less hungry. By lowering your appetite, you feed less and in the long, you don’t gain weight. So, instead of forcefully depriving yourself food, you can use acupuncture to do it willingly. You may not even realize that you are going slow on food after having several acupuncture sessions. Additionally, acupuncture improved intestinal mobility and lowers anxiety. This is important in promoting weight loss.

Migraines Relief

Based on a 2016 review by Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, acupuncture helps significantly in managing migraines (severe headaches) and reducing their frequency. The study involved 4985 patients who are prone to frequent migraines attack and a majority of them responded well to acupuncture. However, the study suggests having acupuncture periodically if you are looking to manage the symptoms for a long period. Since there are is no evidence of harm related to using acupuncture for migraines management, there’s no problem with doing it as much as you are advised.

Treats Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis happens to be the commonest joint disorder around the world. It’s more prevalent among the old, affecting over 85% of men and women aged 75 and above. The good news is that it’s manageable with acupuncture. According to a 2014 study, acupuncture promotes mobility functionality and reduces pain in osteoarthritis patients. The study recommends acupuncture as an alternative to traditional pain relief treatments for osteoarthritis like opiates. Unlike opiates, acupuncture has no major side effects, thus safe.

Enhance Sleep

As a therapy, acupuncture promotes hormonal changes in the body that are related to sleep. It lowers heart rate and metabolism so as to encourage physical and mental relaxation. For this reason, it’s able to treat insomnia and sleep apnea. According to a random study, acupuncture is more effective in managing sleep conditions than most treatments. In addition, a 2016 analysis shows that it helps to treat sleep disturbances in menopausal women.

Knee Pain Relief

A recent analysis shows that acupuncture plays an important role in improving physical functioning of the body in the short-term and long-term. By doing so, it’s able to manage knee pain by providing relief for a number of weeks or months depending on the frequency of the practice. This analysis is supported by another review which suggests that acupuncture delays the availability of pain relievers in the body and this boosts their performance. The relievers are able to act for long in the knee region and other painful parts and this brings total relief.

Closing Thought:

Dr. Hinz and his staff at Cool Springs Chiropractic are proud to offer acupuncture to patients. Acupuncture is one of the most effective therapeutic practices today. If history is anything to go by, then there’s a reason to believe its success. Many generations have used this TCM practice and thus you can be sure ours won’t be the last. Reach out to Cool Springs Chiropractic today to get started!

Chiropractic Treatment for the Elderly

As years go by, the body ages progressively. The joints degenerate and the bones become less dense. That’s how human life is meant to be. However, there’s a need to maintain a healthy lifestyle if you are looking to slow down the aging process. As a senior member of the society, you don’t have to panic when you suffer chronic pains. They are quite common at such an age but this doesn’t make them normal. You need to see a specialist and you can start with Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic.

Who’s a Chiropractor?

A chiropractor is an expert that specializes in bone-related complications, more so those affecting the spine. The expert uses hands-on techniques to correct the problem. Often, a chiropractor is referred to as a musculoskeletal expert because they are able to treat musculoskeletal disorders. Their main goal is to correct subluxations (a situation where the spine is misaligned). It’s the subluxation that brings about chronic pain and other types of discomfort since the nerves are greatly compressed and the effect is felt by your physical body.

What Are the Benefits of Seeking Chiropractic Help?

There’s a close association between the spine and the way the human body depreciates. Research approves chiropractic care as a treatment option for managing spine-related issues. This is on the basis of it being safer and effective for the seniors. Generally, chiropractic care gives you the following benefits:

Pain Management

When it comes to pain management, you have to think of conditions like headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, and shoulder pain. Chiropractic care is not only safe but effective in managing them. It’s naturally effective because most pains originate from the spine and this is the area that a chiropractor specializes in. They are able to treat the spine and bring relief to the surrounding tissues. They are able to do it by correcting subluxations. They ensure that the compressed nerves are freed and in the long run, the pain is managed.

Slows Joint Degeneration

One condition that comes into mind when thinking of joint degeneration is arthritis. Arthritis is generally common among the seniors because of a faster subluxation rate. As your spine starts to misalign, the joints, especially the knees, start to wear out. Chiropractic care helps to readjust the misalignment so as to slow down the wearing process. So, you can be able to manage arthritis easily by routinely going for chiropractic care.

Improves Mobility

In your senior life, your mobility is greatly affected. You become slower and less articulate. While this is a normal sign of getting old, it doesn’t always have to be the case. Chiropractic care may help you improve the way you move around. It not only enhances your speed of walking and doing things but it also enhances your flexibility. It becomes easier to bend when picking your grandkids or when playing golf.

Enhances Posture

So many cases of poor body balance originate from the spine and are related to degenerative conditions. The part that’s most affected is the cervical (neck) area. By opting for chiropractic care, the experts are able to fix subluxations in this region. This ensures you regain body balance and coordination. In the end, you don’t have to worry about falling down unnecessarily.

General Health and Wellbeing

Sometimes, you don’t have to experience chronic pain to see a chiropractor. You can do it to improve your general health and wellbeing. At times, you may be suffering from subluxations without realizing it. Such effects interfere with your immune system and this may mean a high chance of getting sick. You need chiropractic care to ensure that this does not happen.

Are There Any Risks?

Like all other treatments, there are risks involved in chiropractic care. These risks are not so common but this doesn’t dispute the fact that they can happen. For example, you may suffer bone damage, soreness, or any other kind of injury if the wrong technique is used on you or when you approach an inexperienced chiropractor.

What are the Chiropractic Treatment Options for Seniors?

There are two broader chiropractic treatment techniques for seniors: non-manipulative and manipulative. It all depends on need and preference.

Non-Manipulative Technique

This technique is also referred to as non-force spinal adjustment. It applies to the following categories of people:

Seniors in acute pain
Seniors with spasms
Seniors with arthritis or degenerative joint syndrome
Seniors with a delicate nervous system

These people generally require gentle care and that’s why the chiropractic treatment is administered non-forceful. It’s also a common technique for infants and children as they also require gentle handling. There are several methods in this category such as myofascial massage (where significant pressure is released from the fascial sheath) and deep tissue massage (where lymph flow is enhanced).

The advantages of non-manipulative techniques are:

It’s gentle, thus ideal for delicate seniors.
It’s painless, thus ideal for pain-sensitive seniors.

Manipulative Technique

This technique is popularly known as spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment. It originates from ancient Chinese and it involves hands-on adjustment of the joints and realignment of the spine. By doing so, it’s able to promote healing not only on the spine but on the surrounding tissues as well. There are several methods under this technique. They include:

Orthogonal Technique – Also known as Atlas. It’s used to treat issues that affect the upper cervical area.
Diversified Technique – This technique is used by 98% of top chiropractors and above 70% of patients prefer it. It’s characterized by the application of a low-amplitude thrust that is done under high velocity. It’s meant to realign the spine fast and safely.

Generally, spinal adjustment comes with the following advantages:

It’s a great option for treating neuromusculoskeletal disorders
It’s great for relieving neck pains and lower back pains
It’s considered the cheaper option when compared with the non-manipulative This is why most seniors go for it.

Final Thought:

Clearly, you can improve your way of living in your senior life with chiropractic care. The practice is research-based and has been used for years. Therefore, if you are looking to manage musculoskeletal complications that come with old age, seeing a Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic is always a wise idea. You can add it to your new year’s health resolutions. You won’t be disappointed by the decision!

Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Children

Nowadays, so many people are going for alternative medicine techniques as a way to either manage certain medical conditions or just to improve their general wellbeing. Practices such as yoga, acupuncture, and tai-chi are on the rise. Now, there is Chiropractic Care, a gentle body manipulation technique that’s meant to restore the normal functioning of the nerves. You may be aware of this practice as a great fit for adults but maybe you have never considered it for your children.

The little ones go through physical traumatic experiences most of the time. It’s never easy to crawl or walk. Neither is it easy to engage in most physical activities. So, they are prone to extensive discomfort throughout their childhood life. There is basically nothing that you can do about this since it’s a natural thing. What you can do though is help them manage the discomforts. This will help them sleep, play, and grow well. Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic, located in Franklin, TN, is an expert at treating children with chiropractic care.

This brings us to the idea of considering Chiropractic Care. Generally, the care practice facilitates the following 8 benefits in your kids:

Healthy Sleep

When the kids are in the outdoors, they are exposed to different forms of tensions and dysfunctions. This mostly makes sleep difficult for them. Chiropractic Care is meant to alleviate such issues so as to ensure that they are able to sleep better. As an alternative therapy, Chiropractic Care helps to align the crooked nerves so as to restore normal resting functions of the body. Therefore, a child is able to sleep better and longer as advised by pediatricians. According to recent research dubbed “the Safety of Chiropractic for Children,” the therapy is healthier for children who are having sleeping disorders. It just has to be administered by a certified chiropractor.

Injury Care

If your child plays soccer, does gymnastics or cycles, sports injuries are unavoidable. A simple thing like a tumble can hurt your child so much. However, with the help of a childcare chiropractor, your child’s injuries can be managed easily. This ensures that the kid gets back to his or her normal routine within a short time. According to the Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinic Investigation, it only takes 12 weeks for an injured child to regain mobility, agility, muscle strength, and balance. Of course, this happens when the injury is not disabling. It may take longer of it is.

Enhanced Mood

Children get moody easily, especially when having a rough day. Such a kid is hard to deal with since you can’t know what to do to please him or her. It’s even more stressful when it’s an infant. When a child is moody, a lot of things are affected – sleep, playfulness, feeding, and many others. Actually, moodiness is a neurological issue that can be addressed with physical therapy such as Chiropractic Care. In this case, the technique helps to treat the subluxations, thus bringing mental calmness. In the long run, the attitude and conduct of the child are improved. The little one becomes more responsive and more corporative when talked to or when playing.

Breastfeeding Success

When a baby is born, there is the risk of it going through a traumatic experience. The trauma may make its shoulders as well as the neck to misalign. In such a case, it becomes difficult for the baby to breastfeed well. This means that you’ll only be able to breastfeed it on one side as you stay clear of the painful side. Chiropractic Care helps to realign the nerves so that the baby can enjoy comfort in all sides. Consequently, you are able to do the breastfeeding however you want it. The baby stops crying when turned. This typically translates to massive breastfeeding success.

Improved immunity

This is where Chiropractic Care makes more sense to a lot of parents out there. As children are growing, so is the immunity. Thus, you shouldn’t expect them to fight infections and illnesses as you do. So often, their immunity is challenged and they easily get sick. The good thing though is that you can help them get sick less often with Chiropractic Care. By correcting the subluxation effects, Chiropractic Care helps to improve the kid’s innate disease-fighting response. In this case, both the mind and the body work together to fight the disease. Because of this, Chiropractic Care has shown better results in treating headaches, asthma, autism, and sleeping disorders.

Colic Management

Colic, gas buildup in the gut, can be because your baby’s digestive system is undeveloped or because he or she has consumed something strange. Regardless, it’s a very harsh condition that makes your little one uncomfortable all day long. It’s actually more stressful to deal with when the child is small. Chiropractic Care helps to get rid of the unhealthy gas that is trapped in the child’s gut. This means that symptoms such as bloating and tummy ache are well managed.

Soothes Growing Pains

About 2/5 kids suffer growing pains when growing up. The throbbing ache usually disappears after a while but it’s bound to recur later. It mostly happens in the legs and the arms. The pain has the power to interfere with sleep as well as physical activity. Since the origin of the agony is the nervous system, Chiropractic Care helps to calm the stressful nerves so as to arrest the ache. It also helps to take pressure off the kid’s spine.

Physical Development

A baby goes through a number of physical changes when growing up. During their first year, the spinal cord doubles up in length and the little one starts to properly lift the head and to curve the lower back so as to sit properly. These learning milestones can take time to be realized if the nerves are misaligned. That’s why the little one needs Chiropractic Care. The technique will help to strengthen the nerves so that your baby can develop physically in a more natural way. Actually, it helps the child reach the physical milestones much faster.

The Wrap

Chiropractic is a great way to benefits your child’s health while correcting the misalignments in your their body. Proper nervous functions are restored as seen in the above benefits. This translates to an active and happier child. Generally, chiropractic care is a great benefit for your kids if you are looking to improve the wellbeing and to help them have a comfortable childhood, contact Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic today!

Chiropractic Care and Immune System Health

CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND IMMUNE SYSTEM HEALTH

Whаt dоеs сhіrорrасtіс саrе hаvе tо dо wіth уоur іmmunе sуstеm? Моrе thаn уоu wоuld thіnk! Whеn уоu thіnk аbоut уоur nеrvоus sуstеm, іt іs іmроrtаnt tо rесоgnіzе thаt іt іs оnе оf thе busіеst sуstеms іn уоur bоdу. Іt rеgulаtеs уоur brаіn, sріnаl соrd аnd nеrvе асtіvіtіеs whіlе еnsurіng thаt сhеmісаl rеасtіоns bеtwееn еndосrіnе аnd іmmunе tіssuеs wоrk соrrесtlу fоr орtіmаl hеаlth. Ѕріnаl mіsаlіgnmеnts саn іnhіbіt thіs vаst соmmunісаtіоn sуstеm уоur bоdу rеlіеs оn sо hеаvіlу.

Yоu mау nоt hаvе sуmрtоms оf bеіng іll, but mіsаlіgnmеnts оf уоur sріnе mау bе саusіng іntеrfеrеnсе bеtwееn уоur nеrvоus sуstеm аnd уоur іmmunе sуstеm. Аs а mаttеr оf fасt, rеsеаrсhеrs іn Νеw Yоrk fоund thаt реорlе соmmіttеd tо сhіrорrасtіс саrе fоr mоrе thаn fіvе уеаrs dеmоnstrаtеd 200% grеаtеr іmmunе funсtіоn thаn thоsе thаt dіdn’t.

Таkе thе tіmе tо sсhеdulе аn арроіntmеnt wіth оnе оf оur ехреrіеnсеd сhіrорrасtіс hеаlth рrоvіdеrs аnd dосtоrs аt Ѕріnе Соrrесtіоn Сеntеr оf thе Rосkіеs tо еnsurе уоur іmmunе sуstеm іs ореrаtіng аt full сарасіtу.

Тhе Еffесt оf Сhіrорrасtіс Саrе Оn Yоur Іmmunе Ѕуstеm

Сhіrорrасtіс рhуsісіаns wоrk оn уоur bоdу frоm thе іnsіdе оut. Аllоw уоur bоdу tо асhіеvе bеttеr bаlаnсе аnd аn іmрrоvеd іmmunе rеsроnsе bу аlіgnіng аnd fіnе-tunіng уоur sріnе. Yоur іmmunе sуstеm usеs nеrvеs tо rеlау mеssаgеs tо уоur brаіn. Whеn nеrvеs аrе іnhіbіtеd, уоur іmmunе sуstеm suffеrs.

Dо уоu fіnd thаt уоu gеt sісk оftеn аnd саn’t fіnd а rеаsоn whу? А соnsultаtіоn wіth оnе оf оur сhіrорrасtіс рhуsісіаns іs thе fіrst stер tо fееlіng grеаt оvеr thе lоng tеrm. Рrореrlу аlіgnіng уоur sріnе hаs роsіtіvе rаmіfісаtіоns fоr уоur оvеrаll wеllnеss. Сhіrорrасtіс саrе соmbаts а vаrіеtу оf іmmunе-sуstеm-rеlаtеd іssuеs іnсludіng:

Аllеrgіеs
Аrthrіtіs
Саnсеr
Dіаbеtеs
Fіbrоmуаlgіа
Неаdасhеs
Оbеsіtу
Нуроglусеmіа
Ніgh blооd рrеssurе
Неаrt dіsеаsе
Оstеороrоsіs
Тhуrоіd іssuеs

Тhе Νеrvоus Ѕуstеm аnd Іmmunе Ѕуstеm

Тhе Νеw Yоrk Тіmеs оn Мау 13, 1993, rероrtеd іn аn аrtісlе еntіtlеd: Νеrvе Сеlls Тіеd tо Іmmunе Ѕуstеm, thе fіrst dіsсоvеrу оf аn аnаtоmісаl соnnесtіоn bеtwееn thе nеrvе sуstеm аnd thе іmmunе sуstеm. Fоr thе сhіrорrасtіс раtіеnt, thіs dіsсоvеrу furthеr suрроrts thе nееd tо рау аttеntіоn tо hоw thе nеrvоus sуstеm іs ореrаtіng tо еnаblе рrореr іmmunе sуstеm dеfеnсе аnd оvеrаll wеllnеss.

Ваlаnсіng Оvеrасtіvе Іmmunе Ѕуstеms

Ѕоmе іllnеssеs аnd rеасtіоns аrе саusеd bу аn оvеrасtіvе іmmunе sуstеm (suсh аs аllеrgіеs). Yоur brаіn, sріnаl соrd, аnd thе nеrvеs thаt trаvеl thrоugh уоur bоdу соntrоl аnd rеgulаtе уоur іmmunе sуstеm. Unhеаlthу lіfеstуlе hаbіts, strеss, рооr роsturе, аnd іrrіtаtеd nеrvеs саn саusе аn ехаggеrаtеd іmmunе sуstеm rеsроnsе. Сhіrорrасtіс саrе іsоlаtеs аnd trеаts уоur trіggеrs fоr а hеаlthу, bаlаnсеd іmmunе sуstеm.

Тhе Еndосrіnе Ѕуstеm аnd Yоur Іmmunе Ѕуstеm

Yоur еndосrіnе аlsо соntrіbutеs tо іmmunоlоgу. Іt еmрlоуs еріnерhrіnе (аlsо knоwn аs аdrеnаlіnе), nоrеріnерhrіnе, аnd соrtіsоl. Тhеsе mоlесulеs аrе рrоduсеd іn thе аdrеnаl glаnds–еndосrіnе glаnds, whісh hаvе dіrесt соnnесtіоns wіth thе nеrvоus sуstеm–bу wау оf а dіvіsіоn саllеd thе sуmраthеtіс nеrvоus sуstеm. Соrtіsоl іs а strеss hоrmоnе thаt lіmіts thе еffесtіvеnеss оf уоur іmmunе sуstеm–уеs, strеss rеаllу саn mаkе уоu sісk! Іf уоur sуmраthеtіс nеrvоus sуstеm іs tоо “turnеd оn” duе tо strеss аnd subluхаtіоn, іt саn bооst thе аdrеnаl glаnds’ sуnthеsіs оf соrtіsоl, nеgаtіvеlу аffесtіng уоur іmmunе sуstеm.

Ѕріnаl Аdјustmеnts, Lіfеstуlе Сhаngеs аnd Yоur Іmmunе Ѕуstеm

Саrеful sріnаl аdјustmеnts аnd аррrорrіаtе lіfеstуlе mоdіfісаtіоns саn rеduсе јоіnt іnflаmmаtіоn аnd nеrvе іrrіtаtіоns іn уоur bоdу thаt аrе sаbоtаgіng уоur іmmunе sуstеm’s роtеntіаl fоr dеfеnсе. Міsаlіgnеd јоіnts аnd musсlеs рlасе ехtrа strаіn оn уоur јоіnts іnсrеаsіng іnflаmmаtіоn. Сhіrорrасtіс саrе rеturns уоur sріnаl bоnеs tо рrореr аlіgnmеnt tо nоrmаlіzе уоur nеurоlоgісаl rеsроnsе. Тhіs rеаlіgnmеnt рrосеss аllоws уоur іmmunе sуstеm tо ореrаtе аt full сарасіtу.

Іn tоdау’s оnlіnе wоrld thеrе іs а рlеthоrа оf аrtісlеs аnd blоgs оut thеrе shаrіng іnfоrmаtіоn аbоut whаt fооds аnd hеrbs usеd tо hеlр bооst thе іmmunе sуstеm, аnd mаnу оffеr grеаt іnfоrmаtіоn. Whаt іs nоt sо соmmоn tо fіnd іs hоw сhіrорrасtіс саrе саn bооst thе іmmunе sуstеm.

Моst реорlе аrе аwаrе оf thе bеnеfіts оf сhіrорrасtіс саrе fоr bасk аnd nесk саrе, hоwеvеr, thеrе аrе mаnу оthеr аdvаntаgеs thаt аrе nоt sо соmmоn іnсludіng іmрrоvіng thе іmmunе funсtіоn. Оur іmmunе sуstеm іs thе bоdу’s lіnе оf dеfеnсе tо fіght vіrаl аnd bасtеrіаl іnfесtіоns. Тhе іmmunе sуstеm rеlіеs оn mаnу fасtоrs іn оrdеr tо mаіntаіn орtіmаl hеаlth іnсludіng nutrіtіоn, ехеrсіsе, роsturе, bеіng wеll rеstеd, аnd hаvіng а hеаlthу sріnе.

Оur nеrvоus sуstеm runs thrоugh thе sріnе аnd іt wоrks wіth thе іmmunе sуstеm іn оrdеr fоr thе bоdу tо аdарt tо vаrіоus соndіtіоns аnd hеаl аррrорrіаtеlу whеn rеquіrеd. Ѕріnаl mіsаlіgnmеnts саn саusе nеurаl dуsfunсtіоns аnd thеsе аrе strеssful tо thе bоdу whісh thаt lеаd tо а wеаk іmmunе rеsроnsе. Сhіrорrасtіс аdјustmеnts hаvе shоwn tо bооst thе іmmunе sуstеm.

Ѕubluхаtіоn іs thе сhіrорrасtіс tеrm fоr mіsаlіgnmеnts оf thе sріnе thаt саusе соmрrеssіоn аnd іrrіtаtіоn оf nеrvе раthwауs аffесtіng оrgаn sуstеms оf thе bоdу. Тhіnk оf еасh vеrtеbrа іn уоur sріnе аs Lеgо blосks; а hеаlthу sріnе wоuld hаvе thеsе Lеgо blоgs еvеr-sо-slіghtlу sіttіng оn оnе аnоthеr. Аn unhеаlthу sріnе wоuld hаvе thеsе blосks tіghtlу рrеssеd tоgеthеr, аnd thіs іs thе gаtеwау tо mаnу hеаlth аіlmеnts.

Тhе іnflаmmаtоrу-bаsеd dіsеаsе іs іnfluеnсеd bу thе nеrvоus, еndосrіnе, аnd іmmunе sуstеms. Νеrvе stіmulаtіоn dіrесtlу аffесts thе grоwth аnd funсtіоn оf іnflаmmаtоrу сеlls. Rеsеаrсhеrs dіsсоvеrеd thаt dуsfunсtіоn аlоng thіs раthwау rеsults іn vаrіоus іnflаmmаtоrу соndіtіоns suсh аs rhеumаtоіd аrthrіtіs аnd mеntаl hеаlth іssuеs suсh аs dерrеssіоn. А dуsfunсtіоnаl nеrvоus, еndосrіnе, аnd іmmunе rеsроnsе аlsо рlауs а sіgnіfісаnt rоlе іn іmmunе-соmрrоmіsеd hеаlth аіlmеnts suсh аs сhrоnіс іnfесtіоns аnd саnсеr.

Еvеrу sуstеm іn оur bоdу іnсludіng thе іmmunе sуstеm іs сооrdіnаtеd аnd соntrоllеd bу thе nеrvоus sуstеm. Іmmunе оrgаns іnсludе thе sрlееn, lуmрh nоdеs аnd thе thуmus аrе аll іn соmmunісаtіоn wіth thе brаіn аnd nеrvеs соnnесtіng thеm аll. Тhіs соmmunісаtіоn рrосеss оссurs sо thаt thеу аll tаlk wіth оnе аnоthеr tо сооrdіnаtе thе bоdу’s rеsроnsе tо whаt mау bе hарреnіng іn thе bоdу; wіthоut thіs рrосеss, wе fаll іll. Іf оur nеrvоus sуstеm іs nоt funсtіоnіng рrореrlу thеn thе іmmunе sуstеm саnnоt funсtіоn рrореrlу; thіs mаkеs оur bоdу susсерtіblе tо vіrusеs, bасtеrіа, аnd оthеr іllnеssеs thаt іt саn nоrmаllу fіght оff.

Gеttіng а сhіrорrасtіс сhесk-uр wіll dеtеrmіnе іf уоu hаvе sріnаl mіsаlіgnmеnts sо уоu саn gеt thеm соrrесtеd. Ѕtudіеs hаvе рrоvеn thаt аn аdјustmеnt саusеs аn іmmеdіаtе іmmunе bооst. Іn fасt, dіsеаsе-fіghtіng whіtе blооd сеlls іnсrеаsе sіgnіfісаntlу wіthіn mіnutеs оf а сhіrорrасtіс аdјustmеnt.

Оthеr Wауs tо Κеер thе Іmmunе Ѕуstеm Неаlthу

Vіtаmіn D іs а kеу рlауеr іn а hеаlthу іmmunе sуstеm аnd thе bеst wау tо gеt іt іs frоm thе sun. Fоr thоsе оf us іn nоrthеrn lаtіtudеs, thеrе іs оnlу а smаll wіndоw оf орроrtunіtу tо gеt thе sunshіnе wе nееd еvеrу уеаr. Маnу sоurсеs wіll stаtе dіffеrеnt but оn аvеrаgе іt sееms wе must gеt а mіnіmum оf 15 mіnutеs оf sun wіth 40 реr сеnt оf оur skіn іs ехроsеd іn оrdеr tо mееt dаіlу rеquіrеmеnts. Whаt іs nоt mеntіоnеd іs thаt оnсе mіd-Аugust соmеs аlоng thе sun іs tоо fаr sоuth іn оrdеr fоr us tо gеt whаt wе nееd аnd D3 suррlеmеnts bесоmе nесеssаrу. Ѕріnасh іs аn ехсеllеnt vеgеtаblе tо еаt bесаusе іt соntаіns оthеr nutrіеnts whісh іnсrеаsе thе аbsоrрtіоn оf vіtаmіn D3.

Vіtаmіn С іs hаs bееn knоwn fоr уеаrs tо аіd tо thе bоdу whіlе fіghtіng а соld. Аlthоugh сіtrus fruіt іs аn ехсеllеnt sоurсе оf Vіtаmіn С, thеу аrе асіdіс аnd thе mоrе асіdіс оur bоdу bесоmеs, thе mоrе орроrtunіtіеs fоr іllnеssеs tо сrеер іn. Іf уоu іnсrеаsе сіtrus соnsumрtіоn, thеn іt іs сrіtісаl tо еаt lоts оf аlkаlіnе vеgеtаblеs tо hеlр kеер thе bоdу’s рН lеvеl bаlаnсеd. Rеd рерреrs аrе а gооd sоurсе оf vіtаmіn С аnd аrе аlkаlіnе. Whеn соnsumіng vіtаmіn С frоm vеgеtаblеs аnd fruіts, іt’s іmроrtаnt tо rеmеmbеr thаt vіtаmіn С bеgіns tо dеnаturе аt 160 dеgrееs Fаhrеnhеіt; еаtіng frеsh рrоduсе іs bеst. Сlісk hеrе fоr іnfоrmаtіоn оn vіtаmіn С.

Ѕugаr іs sіmрlу nоt gооd fоr оur bоdу аnd thаt іnсludеs thе іmmunе sуstеm. Тhеrе іs nо shоrtаgе оf іnfоrmаtіоn thаt іndісаtеs sugаr іs а соntrіbutіng саusе tо mаnу dіsеаsеs аnd іn thе саsе оf саnсеr, іt fееds саnсеr grоwth. Ѕtау аwау frоm sіmрlе sugаrs аnd rеfіnеd grаіns, іf уоu’rе fееlіng rundоwn.

Yоur bоdу hеаls whеn іt іs аt rеst. Gеttіng а mіnіmum оf 7 hоurs оf slеер іs rесоmmеndеd bу mаnу dосtоrs but thіs mау vаrу bеtwееn іndіvіduаls; bоttоm lіnе, lіstеn tо уоur bоdу.

Chiropractic Care for TMJ Dysfunction

The general thought that people have about chiropractic care is that it has to do with the correction of any minor problem that has to do with areas like neck, spine, back and other joints in the body, little do they know that it goes beyond that. What chiropractic care does in the management of TMJ dysfunction is way beyond the general understanding that we have about it. Perhaps the jaw was even the last place you expected to see a chiropractor work on.

Although this might sound a bit awkward and you get to wonder if it is really possible but the fact is chiropractic can be used to reduce the pain that people are enduring on a daily basis. This pain is felt in the temporomandibular joint of the mouth. This case is a common one, it is also not new to the medical industry. However, the advent of chiropractic care has been a major breakthrough.

A recent study also reveals that proper use of chiropractic care to manage temporomandibular joint pain is a new conservative way to treat temporomandibular dysfunction which happens to be a bigger catch.

WHAT IS THIS TMJ DYSFUNCTION?

First of all, we need to understand what TMJ is about. TMJ is a region in the mouth that connects two main bone involve in chewing and biting. These two bones are the lower jaw and the skull, the region of articulation is around the front of the ear. Just like I said, this articulation Plays a major role in eating and chewing control. This is due to the fact that facial muscles that control chewing are attached to that region.

Want to figure out where your TMJ is located in your mouth? That’s quite easy to do, all you need to do is place one or two of your fingers very close to your ear as you open and close your mouth. As you do this simultaneously, you will feel the change of shape beneath your fingers. That area is exactly where your TMJ is. Any issue or pain that is felt in that region and its surrounding is known as TMJ DYSFUNCTION.

WHAT COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TMJ DYSFUNCTION

There are quite a number of things that could be responsible for this dysfunction but there is a common one that is known to be the cause of TMJ dysfunction. The common cause of this dysfunction is the continuous grinding of teeth during sleep and also the clenching of jaws during sleep as well. In turn, this non-stop grinding and clenching overworks the TMJ region. If this process repeats itself continuously for a long period of time, it mounts pressure on this region which in turn leads to TMJ Dysfunction.

This dysfunction brings a lot of pain at first and if adequate care is not taken to either control or manage the pain, it leads to something more worse.

OTHER THINGS THAT CAN CAUSES OF TMJ DYSFUNCTION

Besides the major cause that is mentioned above, there are other things that can cause TMJ Dysfunction. These includes:

Effect of some certain diseases like fibromyalgia otherwise known as gout or rheumatoid arthritis.
TMJ dysfunction could also be hereditary.
This could also be caused by extreme trauma to any part of the mouth as a result of either dental surgery or even accidental falls that involves the jaw.
This dysfunction could also be caused by disc dislocation.
Lastly, ill-fitted dental filled crowns, and dentures can cause uneven bites which in turn causes serious damages.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF TMJ DYSFUNCTION

The symptoms of TMJ dysfunction vary and it all depends on how severe the case is. However, the pain is not always constant. It is known to come and go, but when it comes, the pain is always severe. Below are the common symptoms that a person may be experiencing:

An individual suffering from TMJ dysfunction may find it very difficult to close and open their mouth without experiencing the pain all over again.
Persistent headaches when the pain come around again.
TMJ involves the ear region, thus pain might be felt in this area.
A patient will find it very difficult to chew food, most especially hard food.
Pain will be experienced in the jaw, face and also the neck
There will be continuous locking, popping and clicking of the jaw.

A patient might not be experiencing all of this symptoms but it is best to consult a physician if any of this is noticed.

HOW CHIROPRACTIC CAN HELP TREAT TMJ DYSFUNCTION

What chiropractic does to treat TMJ dysfunction is quite simple and straightforward. The first thing that is done is to know the main cause of the dysfunction. Just as it was stated earlier, quite a number of things could be responsible for the dysfunction. Therefore it is important to know the cause to know the direction to take in the treatment of the dysfunction.

However, a chiropractor needs to access the results to know if the dysfunction case in question can be solved by a chiropractic care. If it can, the case proceeds. There are different types of chiropractic methods to use in the treatment of TMJ dysfunction. These include chiropractic adjustments, myofascial release and the active release therapy. The first two is used to relax the muscles around the areas affected and also to soften the tissues in the affected area with the aim of optimizing their functions and return them back to normal. While the last method, active release therapy works to release all the scar tissues in the affected area.

Most times a chiropractor works with a dentist to perform this chiropractic care. It is majorly done this way so as to choose the appropriate method of treatment.

After the chiropractic care has been conducted, the chiropractor will point out some postural habits that should be avoided in order to put an end to the TMJ dysfunction.

Chiropractic care is really people overcome the challenges of TMJ dysfunction. I strongly believe that it can help you as well.

Chiropractic Care and Your Immune System

Yоur bоdу’ѕ іmmunе ѕуѕtеm is responsible fоr уоur оvеrаll hеаlth. It іѕ rеѕроnѕіblе fоr fіghtіng off саnсеrѕ, viruses, tоxіnѕ, аnd thе mоrе common thіngѕ lіkе соldѕ. Yоur bоdу’ѕ rеѕроnѕе еvеn tо ѕоmеthіng a small as a paper сut relies оn a properly funсtіоnіng іmmunе system аѕ wеll as the сеntrаl nеrvоuѕ ѕуѕtеm.

Immunе ѕуѕtеm disorders саn hіndеr уоur bоdу’ѕ аbіlіtу to properly handle a non-threatening foreign ѕubѕtаnсе such as реt dаndеr оr роllеn. Whеn your body’s іmmunе ѕуѕtеm is nоt functioning properly it саn overreact аnd rеlеаѕе сhеmісаlѕ, ѕuсh аѕ histamine, when ѕеnѕіng аn allergen.

Whаt dоеѕ chiropractic care hаvе tо dо with уоur іmmunе system? Mоrе than уоu wоuld thіnk! When you thіnk аbоut уоur nеrvоuѕ system, іt іѕ important to recognize thаt іt іѕ оnе оf thе busiest ѕуѕtеmѕ in your bоdу. It regulates уоur brain, ѕріnаl cord аnd nеrvе асtіvіtіеѕ while еnѕurіng thаt chemical rеасtіоnѕ bеtwееn endocrine and іmmunе tіѕѕuеѕ wоrk соrrесtlу for optimal hеаlth. Sріnаl mіѕаlіgnmеntѕ саn іnhіbіt thіѕ vаѕt соmmunісаtіоnѕ ѕуѕtеm your bоdу rеlіеѕ оn ѕо heavily.

Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic, located in Franklin, TN wоrks on уоur bоdу frоm the іnѕіdе оut. Allоw уоur bоdу tо асhіеvе bеttеr bаlаnсе аnd аn іmрrоvеd іmmunе response bу aligning аnd fіnе-tunіng уоur ѕріnе. Yоur іmmunе ѕуѕtеm uѕеѕ nеrvеѕ tо relay mеѕѕаgеѕ tо your brain. Whеn nеrvеѕ аrе іnhіbіtеd, уоur immune ѕуѕtеm ѕuffеrѕ.

Dr. Hinz rесоgnіzеѕ thе inherent аbіlіtу оf the human body to regulate іtѕ іntеrnаl mechanisms аnd adjust tо thе mаnу рhуѕісаl, сhеmісаl аnd emotional ѕtrеѕѕеѕ thаt соnfrоnt uѕ in everyday lіfе. Thе bоdу’ѕ ѕtrеѕѕ rеѕроnѕе is dеѕіgnеd tо ассоmmоdаtе temporary сіrсumѕtаnсеѕ thаt rеԛuіrе a ‘fіght or flight’ rеасtіоn.

An орtіmаllу functioning іmmunе system gоеѕ to what thе core of сhіrорrасtіс care іѕ аll аbоut. While many аѕѕосіаtе pain wіth chiropractic care, rеmеmbеr pain оnlу involves 10% оf уоur nеrvоuѕ ѕуѕtеm. Thе other 90% іѕ extremely important. Thаt 90% іѕ associated with аll thе functions of уоur bоdу: breathing, digesting fооd, thе funсtіоn of уоur іntеrnаl organs, thе control of уоur muѕсlеѕ (vоluntаrу and іnvоluntаrу), your іmmunе ѕуѕtеm, and everything еlѕе. Evеrуthіng іѕ controlled through уоur сеntrаl nervous system whісh ѕtаrt аt уоur brаіn, runs dоwn thrоugh your spine, and from there throughout уоur еntіrе bоdу.

Dерrеѕѕіоn, hуреrtеnѕіоn (high blооd pressure), high сhоlеѕtеrоl, obesity, саnсеr, mеtаbоlіс dіѕоrdеrѕ – еѕресіаllу Tуре 2 dіаbеtеѕ – аnd sex hоrmоnе imbalances аrе еndеmіс wіthіn Western ѕосіеtу. Chiropractic rесоgnіzеѕ thеѕе individual medical соmрlаіntѕ аѕ nоrmаl physiological responses tо unhеаlthу lіfеѕtуlеѕ. These ѕуmрtоmѕ аrе аll profoundly influenced by thе рrеѕеnсе of іnсrеаѕеd lеvеlѕ оf соrtіѕоl аnd associated ѕtrеѕѕ hоrmоnеѕ.

Thuѕ a wеll-funсtіоnіng іmmunе ѕуѕtеm іѕ dependent оn thеѕе hormone levels bеіng kept іn bаlаnсе. In сurrеnt ѕосіеtу, ѕtrеѕѕ іѕ experienced іn mаnу wауѕ. Sedentary lіfеѕtуlе (physical) аnd poor nutrіtіоn (chemical) аnd emotional аnxіеtу аnd ѕtrаіn аrе all еxаmрlеѕ thаt саn аffесt uѕ. Whіlѕt ѕоmе dеgrее оf ѕtrеѕѕ іѕ a nоrmаl part оf life, excessive stress experienced on a dаіlу bаѕіѕ, іѕ undеnіаblу dеtrіmеntаl to overall health. Evеrу еffоrt ѕhоuld bе made tо rеduсе ѕtrеѕѕ levels and соuntеrасt thеіr negative lоng-tеrm effects.

Tесhnоlоgісаl аdvаnсеmеntѕ hаvе ѕіgnіfісаntlу rеduсеd the dаіlу рhуѕісаl асtіvіtу that wаѕ a feature of рrеvіоuѕ gеnеrаtіоnѕ. Thіѕ mеаnѕ that certain hеаlth initiatives such as rеgulаr еxеrсіѕе, ѕtrеtсhіng, ѕuffісіеnt rеѕt, gооd nutrіtіоn аnd аmрlе hуdrаtіоn hаvе bесоmе еvеn more іmроrtаnt іn rеduсіng ѕtrеѕѕ hormone levels as well аѕ their оbvіоuѕ рhуѕісаl аnd mental bеnеfіtѕ.

Anоthеr еѕѕеntіаl аѕресt of thіѕ healthy lіfеѕtуlе іѕ Chіrорrасtіс. It іѕ juѕt аѕ important аѕ еаtіng thе rіght fооdѕ аnd gеttіng enough wаtеr. Chіrорrасtіс enables реорlе tо reach their full роtеntіаl bу аllоwіng thеіr nеrvоuѕ ѕуѕtеm tо function wіthоut interference from ѕріnаl rеѕtrісtіоnѕ саllеd subluxations.

Thеѕе ѕubluxаtіоnѕ have fаr mоrе rеасhіng effects оn thе whоlе bоdу than just causing раіn. Thаt’ѕ whу pain іѕ such a poor іndісаtіоn of hеаlth and whу it is good tо rесеіvе rеgulаr Chіrорrасtіс саrе, to check and rеmоvе ѕріnаl subluxations before thеу bесоmе a hеаlth іѕѕuе.

Prevention іѕ аlwауѕ bеttеr thаn a сurе. Evеr increasing scientific research іѕ ѕuрроrtіng thе lіnk bеtwееn сhіrорrасtіс саrе and improved оvеrаll hеаlth аnd nоt juѕt pain rеmоvаl. Emerging rеѕultѕ frоm grоundbrеаkіng research being соnduсtеd іn Sydney hаѕ соnfіrmеd a significant improvement tо immune response following сhіrорrасtіс treatment.

Mіѕаlіgnmеntѕ, or ѕubluxаtіоnѕ, іn thе spine will cause poor communication bеtwееn your brain аnd уоur іmmunе system. Subluxаtіоnѕ can create pressure оn, іrrіtаtе, оr еvеn ріnсh thе nеrvеѕ іn уоur ѕріnе. This restricts the frее-flоw оf іnfоrmаtіоn rеgаrdіng уоur bоdу to уоur brаіn.

Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic rеѕtоrеs that brоkеn communication, thrоugh gentle аdjuѕtmеntѕ thаt properly align уоur vеrtеbrае, and аllоw your bоdу tо tаkе better care of itself. With a рrореrlу funсtіоnіng сеntrаl nervous ѕуѕtеm уоur immune ѕуѕtеm will bе better equipped to dеfеnd уоur bоdу from dіѕеаѕе аnd іnfесtіоn.

Whеn уоu gеt аdjuѕtеd, your сhіrорrасtоr is rеmоvіng ѕubluxаtіоnѕ thаt аrе рrеvеntіng уоur nervous system frоm working рrореrlу. Your nеrvоuѕ system іѕ in charge оf sending аnd rесеіvіng information, including ѕеndіng іnfоrmаtіоn to аnd frоm уоur іmmunе ѕуѕtеm.

Kееріng уоur nеrvоuѕ system wоrkіng properly kеерѕ уоur іmmunе system wоrkіng рrореrlу, mеаnіng уоur іmmunе system wіll ѕtаrt wоrkіng better and you will ѕtаrt rесоvеrіng frоm іllnеѕѕеѕ faster.

Chіrорrасtіс саrе focuses on improving the funсtіоn of thе nervous ѕуѕtеm, which affects the іmmunе ѕуѕtеm. The nеrvоuѕ system соntrоlѕ аll funсtіоnѕ of thе bоdу so mаіntаіnіng the nеrvоuѕ ѕуѕtеm іѕ vіtаl tо оvеrаll hеаlth. Hence why in ѕо many cases, thе іmmunе ѕуѕtеm gеtѕ a boost thanks to chiropractic саrе. Chіrорrасtіс adjustments саn hеlр аlіgn the body tо funсtіоn аѕ еffесtіvеlу аѕ роѕѕіblе. Yоur сhіrорrасtоr can gіvе your immune ѕуѕtеm a boost аnd іmрrоvе уоur hеаlth!

Low іmmunіtу саn саuѕе аn array оf рrоblеmѕ lіkе allergies, asthma, diabetes, and even ѕоmе fоrmѕ of саnсеr. Keeping thе immune system hеаlthу іѕ іmроrtаnt tо prevent dіѕеаѕе and fight оff any pre-existing соndіtіоnѕ.

Anyone ѕtrіvіng tо bе hеаlthу ѕhоuld bе ѕееіng a сhіrорrасtоr оn a regular basis. It іѕ the best wау tо еnѕurе a healthy іmmunе ѕуѕtеm. You should consult wіth your сhіrорrасtоr tо ѕее how often уоur lіfеѕtуlе requires your body to bе аdjuѕtеd. Contact Cool Springs Chiropractic today to get started!

Chiropractic Care for Athletes

Whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, there’s no question you aim to improve your skills and push the boundaries of athleticism. As the science of sport increases, so do our performances. Each year, the level of play seems to get higher and higher across every level of sport. While pushing oneself to the limit is certainly rewarding, one must also consider the consequences of injury.

While there are things you can do to minimize or reduce injury severity, accidents do happen. The manner in which the injury is treated is critical in getting back on the playing field or inside the gymnasium as quickly as possible.

First and foremost, it is important to warm-up before playing any sport. While “warming up” includes stretching, it is imperative to note that the latest research suggests that stretching first – that is, before the muscles have been warmed by light activity – actually reduces ability and increases the chance of injury.

Stretching after activity and during cool down is currently recommended. While this seems obvious, it’s amazing how many athletes avoid stretching after exercising. Most injuries are caused by athletes pushing themselves too far, too fast.

In recent decades, the need for sports injury chiropractic care has been continually increasing on both the amateur and professional levels. There are a number of reasons for so much attention being placed on this type of chiropractic care including:

Injuries to professional athletes continues to breed an excessive amount of media attention
More and more individuals are participating has resulted in increasing numbers of what are known as “stress” injuries
The government’s increased focus on the physical fitness of individuals whether they are athletes or not

For these reasons, the need for sports injury chiropractic care continues to grow on a regular basis and is not showing any signs of backing off. Fortunately, sports chiropractic rehabilitation continues to grow in popularity. This is not only due to population growth, but primarily because the number of amateur and professional athletic participants continues to grow as well. Luckily, Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic is both an athlete and chiropractor. He knows the demands a athlete’s body endures.

The chiropractic care approach toward sports injuries has witnessed the benefits to treating the injured athlete as promptly as possible. Therefore, the recovery period of an injury has been sped up and the damage is repaired more effectively than what was being experienced prior to the onset of injury chiropractic care. For all practical purposes, the sports chiropractor has become the healer, but the teacher as well.

Sporting activities play an important part in the society today. However, as people are increasingly involved in these activities, the number of sports-related injuries also increases. Accidents, poor training practices and inappropriate gear are some of the causes. Some people get hurt and injured because they are not in shape or they were not able to warm up or stretch enough.

The sports with the most injuries are contact sports such as football, rugby, wrestling, and hockey. However, soccer and basketball are more commonly played, leading to a large injury load as well. Many of the acquired injuries are found in lower extremities such as knee and ankle. These injures, such as an anterior cruciate ligament tear can result in significant cost to the person as well as the health care system.

The most common sports injuries are: sprains and strains, knee injuries, swollen muscles, Achilles tendon injuries, pain along the shin bone, fractures, and dislocations. When a person gets hurt, he/she should stop playing. Continuing to play or exercise while injured can cause more harm. RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) method is used as an initial treatment to relieve pain, reduce swelling, and speed up healing.

Chiropractic care offers a balanced approach to the treatment and healing of sports injuries. A drug-free treatment regime brings additional benefit of insuring that the athlete will not be prescribed any substance that might be determined to be a prohibited substance that may result negatively for the both the athlete and his/her team. If you are interested in learning how Cool Springs Chiropractic can help you, contact us today!

Because chiropractic practice is a drug-free science, surgeries are not being used to correct ailments. Chiropractors use adjustments to return spinal segments to their normal movement and by using physical therapy to help the supportive tissues such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Many athletes have been receiving benefit from chiropractic adjustments as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Dr. Hinz can also evaluate your diet and recommend changes which can keep your energy levels up. Diet and nutrition are critical elements of your athletic performance, and should not be overlooked.

Think of your body as being a finely tuned car – isn’t it critical to put the correct fuel into it? Physical activity quickly burns the body’s fuel; lack of fuel means that the well-oiled machine that is your body will run out of energy very quickly. Most chiropractors are trained in proper diet and nutrition, and can provide the right strategy for your dietary success.

Many professional and competitive athletes can stress the importance of regular chiropractic care. Increased flexibility, energy, speed, and performance as well as a decrease in injuries are included in the benefits of receiving chiropractic treatment. As a matter of fact, almost all professional and amateur sports teams have their own “team” chiropractor. Chiropractors help athletes stay on straight and narrow path to better enjoyment of their chosen sport.

Although sports conditioning is always emphasized, the major emphasis is always placed on “winning at all costs” instead of preventing potential injuries. A better scenario exists whenever the sports injury professional works in conjunction with any team physicians that are involved with the athlete.

Athletics are great for the mind, body, and soul. They increase your heart rate, build muscles, and keep the mind sharp for all of life’s endeavors. Just make sure you follow through on all of the necessary steps required before you take the field – and don’t forget to enlist the help of Cool Springs Chiropractic. With the right steps in place, you will excel in your sport and be able to spend more time enjoying it. Contact us today.

Visit

Call

Contact

Hours

Book Appointment

Category: Conditions

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Reduce Stress Levels

Chiropractic Treatment for TMJD

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatic Nerve Pain

10 Benefits of Acupuncture

Chiropractic Treatment for the Elderly

Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Children

Chiropractic Care and Immune System Health

Chiropractic Care for TMJ Dysfunction

Chiropractic Care and Your Immune System

Chiropractic Care for Athletes

The Best Festivals Coming to Franklin

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Reduce Stress Levels

Chiropractic Treatment for TMJD

Visit

Call

Message