As chiropractors, we look to the posture and structure of the body as a window into your spine. Because the spine houses the spinal cord, its integrity plays a major role in your health.

Thomas Edison said it : “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

Having proper footwear is essential to good health. They lay the foundation and support our frame. Since we are upright and mobile creatures, we place a lot of stress on our joints, especially the feet.

When the body is misaligned, abnormal stress is placed on the joints. For example, if the hips are unleveled, one leg may appear shorter than the other.  This causes added strain on the hip, knee, and feet joints on one side.

The same is true of the reverse. When there is an injury in the foot, it can affect the joint of the knee, hip, or even lower back. It could cause pain in these joints or even arthritis which is often silent until well underway.

There is a relationship between these joints working as a kinetic chain, and you can see that when one part of the body is affected, it can throw off the others.

Of course people have different footwear needs. There isn’t a magic shoe that works for everybody. This comes from genetic differences, structural challenges as well as history of trauma. Trauma might include anything from being on your feet often for extended periods of time to foot surgery. It could also include prior injury to the foot, ankle, knee, hip, leg, or spine! Just about any injury to a joint could alter your gait and place different strains on your body.

Good shoes support proper load bearing of the joints and can be very preventative in avoiding injuries, whether acute or wear and tear type injuries.

For example, wearing high heels has its fashionable appeal, but can wreak havoc on your posture. They alter your posture and put pressure on the front part of your foot. These small joints are not designed to handle all of the added pressure. Plus with less support, acute injuries are more common.

A chiropractor can help to alleviate joint dysfunction in the feet, ankles, knees and spine. A thorough evaluation will also reveal how much stress from your gait is affecting the rest of your body.

Dr. Sara Hillesheim is a chiropractor in Minnetonka MN near Wayzata, Excelsior, Hopkins, and Deephaven. At Relief Plus Chiropractic, we are here to serve you and help you reach you health goals. To see how you can benefit from chiropractic and for your FREE consultation please call our office at 952-681-2863.

In our country from a very young age, people are used to taking Tylenol. While the causes of headaches and pain are vast, there has yet to be a case where the cause was a deficiency of an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as Advil, acetaminophen such as Tylenol.

Just because it’s over the counter and approved by the government does not mean that it’s safe.

These over the counter drugs may help you feel comfortable during the acute phases of an injury by reducing pain and inflammation. However, they come with side effects. They are still drugs and have an adverse effect on the body.

It also should be known that they do not promote soft tissue healing and often times worsen degenerative bone changes.

Long-term use of NSAIDs has been shown to cause serious health problems, leading to more than 100,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths a year in the United States alone. About 80% of people who experience serious problems from taking NSAIDS, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, have no warning. Unfortunately, you can’t feel your liver degrading or your stomach lining eroding until it’s severe.

NSAIDS cause liver, stomach and kidney stress. These over the counter meds can interact with prescription drugs as well as alcohol.

• 17,000 people die each year just from aspirin.
• Acetaminophen is one of the most common poisoning overdoses worldwide. (Many accidental)
• Tylenol is the #1 cause of liver failure in the U.S.
• NSAIDs can be hard on the kidneys and cause kidney failure.

Safety Concerns for Kids taking Pain Reliving Drugs

Tylenol is also typically the first go –to for parents when their baby or child has a fever or experiences discomfort. In fact the majority of babies are given Tylenol within the first 6 months of their life.

Now, a major study of over 20,000 children suggests that giving this popular medicine even as infrequently as once per year could have a permanent, life-threatening health effect.

Researchers at the University of A Coruna in Spain asked the parents of 10,371 children ages 6-7 and 10,372 adolescents aged 13-14 whether their children had asthma and how often they had been given acetaminophen within the previous year as well as when they were babies.

The children in the younger age group who had received the medicine only once per year were at 70% greater risk for asthma while those receiving Tylenol once a month or more were shockingly 540% more likely to have asthma.

The study, published in the European Journal of Public Health, also found that children who had even a single dose of Tylenol before their first birthday had a 60% risk of developing asthma.

In the older age group of 13 and 14 year-olds, asthma was 40 percent more likely if they had taken acetaminophen within the previous 12 months. The young teenagers were 250% more at risk if they took it once a month.

Find the Cause for Long Term Pain Relief

Pain is your body signaling to you that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.  Covering the pain up with over the counter drug relief does not solve the underlying problem.

Taking a Tylenol or Advil is like putting duct tape over the “Change Oil” light in your car.  They symptom is gone, but the problem remains.  The danger happens as the problem continues to worsen silently as the symptoms have been dampened or diminished.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are not designed to get you through life as a means to manage your aches and pains.

Over the counter drugs are not a good long-term solution because of all the damage that can be done. Instead, try natural methods to reduce pain.

Natural ways to reduce pain and inflammation include ice, heat, supplements such as bromelain, natural topical ointments, and of course chiropractic care. A chiropractic exam can help determine the cause of the pain or symptoms and can be incredibly beneficial in preventing future aches and pains.

Dr. Sara HIlleshiem is a chiropractor at Relief Plus Chiropractic in Minnetonka MN near Wayzata MN and Hopkins MN. At Relief Plus Chiropractic our approach to care allows us to get great results with a number of conditions without the use of drugs.  Call us today at 952.681.2863 to learn more. – See more at: http://www.reliefplusmn.com

Headaches, colds, and pain are a few symptoms that are not tolerated in today’s world. People look to a quick fix to find temporary relief.  The human population has been trained to cover up symptoms or suppress them, typically by reaching for a drug. While the drug reaction within our bodies can help us to feel better, it can be dangerous because there is no longer motivation to seek out the cause and correct for underlying issues. Left undealt with, they can progress and impair our health which in turn increases the “need” for medications in the future.

In today’s society, 61 percent of American adults utilize at least one drug to cope with a chronic health problem.  This percentage has increased 15% since 2001. More than 25% of seniors take at least five medications daily.

More medications have been the result of increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The guidelines for treatment of conditions such as blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol have also been changed so that these conditions are treated and medicated sooner. In addition, the pharmaceutical companies have spent massive amounts of money to market to consumers directly.

Drugs have a place in our modern world, but when taken carelessly, the consequences can be daunting. Drugs can have serious side effects that don’t appear until months or even years after taking the drug.

The double blind placebo controlled study unfortunately does not guarantee safety and efficacy in drug therapy. This is a study in which half of participants are given the drug and the other half of test subjects is given a placebo unknowingly.

During the double blind placebo controlled study, all participants are instructed to refrain from taking any other medications. Therefore, reactions to the combining of drugs cannot be determined from this study. In real life, there are combinations of prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, and herbal and homeopathic medicine taken simultaneously all the time. We now realize how drug interactions, even though previously reported to not have side effects, can have severe side effects and can even cause deaths. While the public becomes the test subjects to see how the drugs will interact with other drugs, the Department of Health does their job to tell doctors of these “new” side effects as quickly as possible. However for some it is too late.

As more information becomes available, it is noteworthy that the consumer must take responsibility for his/her health.  We cannot rely on doctors or medicine. Prevention is the best healthcare and many times there are safer choices than drug therapy.

Chiropractic – The Easy Choice

With chiropractic, there are no chemical interactions and the side effects are the benefits!  Many report better sleep, more energy, improved focus, getting sick less frequently, less pain, decreased allergy symptoms, eliminated headaches, better digestion, and more!

A chiropractor works to remove interference to the nervous system in order to create a healing environment in the body. This allows the body to function at a higher level. Because the nervous system is the master system controlling all organs and bodily functions, miraculous healing takes place when the nerve flow is restored.

The only way the body knows how to work is if the brain tells it what to do. For the body to work efficiently and effectively, it is best to keep the nerve pathways (communication pathways) open at all times.

If you have any questions or would like more information, give us a call at (952) 681-2863. Take advantage of our FREE consultation to see how Dr. Sara Hillesheim and the Relief Plus Chiropractic staff can help you experience chiropractic!

Limit Time Spent in Car Seats

Infants, especially younger ones, spend most of their day on their backs in various baby contraptions. While car seats are important, they are not the ideal form of transport for the infant when not in the car. Infant seats cause lumbar imbalances and “restricted postural options which can impact your baby’s developing cranium and spine” (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association). The position of the baby as well as the tight fitting straps contribute to this.

When the baby is born, there is a “C” shape curvature to the spine. The “S” shape curve found in older children and adults is developed as the baby grows and begins to hold up the head, crawl, etc. Various baby holders can keep the spine in a “C” shape configuration and can inhibit the natural curves forming in the spine.

Another good reason to get babies off their backs is that it can be difficult for babies to attain the muscle strength necessary to hold their large heads up if they are not exposed to gravity very much.

In addition, babies who spend much of their times on their backs or in carriers may end up with plagiocephaly (deformed skulls, flattened on the back or side) and deformed bodies with poor muscle tone (Bonnet,1998).

Carrying Baby

Contact between parent and baby is essential for the baby’s physical, emotional, social and neurological development. Thus it is great for the baby to be held by the parent and baby wearers make it even easier.  It is prudent to vary baby wearers to expose the infant to different positions.  Carriers that allow the baby to be facing the parent with good leg support are ideal.

Sleeping, Feeding, Playing

Do not put infant to sleep on the belly. Instead, rotate sleeping positions onto both sides and back. For an infant with head tilt, offer head support for sitting positions, and we recommend sleeping on his/her side to counter balance the tilt.

If your child is being fed with a bottle, parents should alternate feeding sides for neurological development.

Do not use walkers or jolly jumpers in order to prevent lumbar and hip strain. Once the baby is able to support herself, these devices could be used if safety precautions are taken. It is important to note that walkers are a common cause of injuries from falls down stairs subsequently injuring the head. 97% of baby walker accidents result in neck and head injuries.

Give the child plenty of “tummy time” to strengthen cervical muscles and promote crawling strength.  Crawling before walking is imperative for proper brain development. In fact, cross crawl exercises are used for older children with learning disabilities.

Exercise caution with diaper changing to avoid rolling the baby on the head and neck which can hyperextend the neck.

Use inversion to the child to allow for meningeal stretching, or stretching of the deep connective tissue covering the brain and spinal cord. Inversion to the child also allows for pumping of intercranial fluid. This helps to release tension on the brain and spinal cord that can be a source of dysfunction in the body.

Getting your baby’s spine checked by a chiropractor gives your baby a start to a healthy life. It is important to have proper nerve flow with their fast rate of development. One of the greatest traumas to the neck is the birth process. We often exhibit great caution with handling a newborn’s neck, but this is not the case during delivery where the neck is twisted and torqued to get the baby through the birth canal. Getting a baby checked by a chiropractor can significantly change the course of the child’s life.

If you have any questions or would like to take advantage of a FREE Consultation with Dr. Sara Hillesheim at Relief Plus Chiropractic, contact us today at (952) 681-2863. We love to work with spines of all ages. You will love coming to our chiropractic office in Minnetonka!