A Fine Piece of Art


Michelangelo's David was sculpted out of an "undesirable" block of marble rejected by all of his contemporaries. The artist said that when he looked at a blank slab of stone, Read more

Children, ADHD, and Sensory Disorders


It is any parent’s greatest wish to see their children happy and healthy. There is nothing more joyful than seeing a carefree, innocent smile light up your child’s face. Read more

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ADHD and Spectrum Disorders: Restoring the Neurological Connection

September 7, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP ADHD, Babies, Balanced living, Brain, Children, Chiropractic, Healing, Posture, Pregnancy, Spine, Stress, Wellness Leave a comment  

It is any parent’s greatest wish to see their children happy and healthy. There is nothing more joyful than seeing a carefree, innocent smile light up your child’s face. We love our children so much, and we never want to see them hurt or sick. There are far too many children who struggle with their health and performance. ADHD and related disorders are an increasing epidemic that children and families struggle to overcome every day.

ADHD and spectrum disorders are primarily neurological in nature. Similar to a car, the neurological system has a “gas pedal” and a “brake pedal.” A person can develop a functional imbalance of the brain and nervous system, but this imbalance can often be partially or completely corrected. An accumulation of physical, chemical, and emotional stressors can cause someone to become stuck in the gas mode, without the brakes engaging. Physical stressors include high-intervention pregnancy and delivery, intrauterine constraint, car accidents, falls, and other traumas. In 2008, the British Medical Journal noted that children with head injury or burn injury were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD by age 10.

Children with a diagnosis of ADHD, ADD, or autism spectrum disorder are often locked in a “fight or flight” state. Due to their altered brain function, they are easily over-stimulated by people, noise, lights, and even their own clothing. This may lead to a separate diagnosis such as SPD, or sensory processing (formerly integration) disorder. Often a child with ADHD/ADD also has headaches, postural problems like slouching, sleep disorders, and difficulty with managing emotions. The child’s symptoms can be very disruptive for families and cause poor performance in school, reducing a child’s potential to be their best.

Healthcare providers understand that neurological integrity plays a significant role in children’s learning and behavioral patterns. Doctors of chiropractic offer a non-drug and non-invasive alternative for people with ADHD and spectrum disorders that targets the underlying problems, not just the symptoms. Chiropractic care is designed to rebalance, calm, and organize the nervous system, so the function of body and brain both improve. Many parents have noted that their child’s medical diagnosis is downgraded or removed completely once they begin a program of chiropractic care.


Normal aging, or better aging?

July 11, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Athletes, Balanced living, Bone Health, Chiropractic, Posture, Spine, Stress, Wellness 2 Comments

I was researching arthritis and found a simple explanation on an orthopedic surgeon’s website. It’s caused by normal wear and tear, apparently. They were referring specifically to osteoarthritis, which is the abnormal bone growth and spurring that causes motion restriction and nerve damage. As a chiropractor, I’ve seen a lot of X-rays. When there’s evidence of spinal osteoarthritis, it’s almost always in one of two places: the base of the neck (spinal segments C5-7) and base of the low back (L4-S1). These two spots are predictably where people  have surgeries and fusions, which are rather pricey and time-consuming. Now why is it that there are dozens of healthy spinal segments and only a handful of degenerated segments? They are all the same age. Isn’t gravity pretty much a constant force on us, unless we spend a lot of time on roller coasters? But osteoarthritis predictably affects the same parts of the spine.

Both of these people (they are facing to the right) are 50 years old. All you need to know is that green is healthy, and red is very unhealthy.

If you knew how to prevent osteoarthritis, would that help you age better? Note that you don’t want to age “normally” anymore, you want to age as best as you can! Check this out: your low back and the base of your neck are vulnerable points in the spine. An accumulation of physical and emotional stresses causes these body parts to malfunction and wear out more quickly. For example, car accidents, hockey, and football make people susceptible to osteoarthritis and accelerated aging. But there is a solution to this problem. If you choose regular chiropractic care to keep your spine and nervous system healthy, you can decrease the likelihood that you will age with “normal wear and tear.” So avoid being diagnosed with a chronic, degenerative condition like:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Degenerative joint disease
  • Stenosis
  • Sciatica, radiculopathy, myelopathy, and all the other terms for “my body is literally getting on my own nerves”

 

If you ignore your body, it will predictably decline faster than necessary. If you take care of your body better than you do your car (yes, better!), your body will predictably age slower than everyone around you. Don’t be normal, be better than average!

 


Aging Well in 2012

January 4, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Bone Health, Chiropractic, Posture, Spine, Stress, Wellness 4 Comments

As we watch our parents and grandparents age poorly and move into nursing homes, we want something better for ourselves in old age. We want to age well. Which 50-year-old would you choose to be?

Healthy neck X-ray of a 50-year-old (the person is facing to the right): no evidence of osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease, and no interference to the function of the brainstem or spinal cord.

Diseased neck X-ray of a 50-year-old: advanced osteoarthritis (bone spurs) and advanced degenerative disc disease, with pressure on the brainstem causing malfunction of body systems.

If people wore their spines on their faces, everyone would be taking good care of their spine and nervous system, guaranteed! It is not our intent to frighten people, but to help them understand that they have choices in their quality of life as they age. The choices you make today will affect your life 10, 20, and even 30 years from now. The same is true regarding the choices you make for your children. Make a positive choice by adding a chiropractor to your health care team!

Aging is a requirement. Deterioration is optional.

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified family chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.


How Do You Eat an Elephant?

December 28, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Balanced living, Brain, Healing, Posture, Stress, Wellness Leave a comment  

Okay, now that we’ve gotten through the flurry of the holiday season, it’s time to breathe. New Year’s resolutions? Great idea, but they can make you feel overwhelmed. If you find yourself getting anxious about all the changes you want to make, just… breathe. A friend shared with me a complicated scientific diagram outlining the effects of anxiety and how it changes your breathing patterns. Let me explain this without making your brain hurt.

We get anxious and unconsciously start breathing faster, or breathing from our upper chest instead of our belly. We hunch our shoulders and head forward, as if it will make us accomplish things faster. This change in breathing patterns alters our blood chemistry in a way that changes our blood vessel, muscle, and nerve function. The result is that we become more sensitive to pain, noise, and light. What do you call those people? Crabby. Which makes us even more anxious, because we know we’re not firing on all cylinders. So we unconsciously start breathing faster (see above)… and the downward spiral continues.

So how do you eat that elephant? One bite at a time. But first, take a deep breath. Sit tall, shoulders back, and breathe so deeply your bellybutton pops forward. Then, write out your plan for making changes in the new year.

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified family chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.


Back to school? Backpack safety tips!

August 10, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Bone Health, Children, Posture, Spine, Stress, Wellness 2 Comments

Soon children, teens, and young adults will be returning to school with their backpacks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission, there are about 20,000 visits to emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and clinics as a result of backpack-related injuries. The preventable injuries from backpacks range from neck, back, and shoulder strains to bruises and even fractures. The physical stress of a backpack can affect your child’s nervous system and overall well-being.

The most common signs that a backpack is too heavy include: 

  1.  Frequently changing position while carrying the backpack.
  2. Leaning forward to walk.
  3. Struggling to put on the backpack.
  4. Pain in any area before, during and after wearing a backpack.
  5. Tingling or numbness especially in the arms or hands.
  6.  Red marks on the skin from the straps.

 3 Things You Need to Do:

Pack Right. The maximum weight of the loaded backpack should not exceed 10% of body weight.

Tip: If the backpack forces the body to lean forward, it’s overloaded.

Lift Right. Face the pack, bend at the knees, use both hands, lift with the legs, apply one shoulder strap and then the other.

Tip: Don’t sling the backpack onto one shoulder.

Wear Right. Use both shoulder straps – snug, but not too tight.

Tip: Select a backpack with a chest strap and/or waist strap – and use it!

www.vitallifechiropractic.com


Aging Well with Chiropractic

November 20, 2009 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Bone Health, Chiropractic, Posture Leave a comment  

An optimally functioning spine and nervous system is one of the keys to creating a healthy, active 100-year lifestyle. Some recent studies tell us why.

In 2004, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society showed that spinal deformities were associated with a shorter lifespan and a lower quality of life1. In 2009, a review of 128 studies showed that 78% concluded that people with abnormal posture were more likely to suffer from health disorders2.

Spinal deformities include stooped posture (where your shoulders are in front of your hips) and forward-head posture (where your head is in front of your shoulders). Sitting all day (and night) for work or entertainment makes children and adults more likely to develop spinal deformities.

Spinal distortions can create distortions within the nervous system. The brain and the body need to be in constant, clear communication for proper body functioning. Distortions within the nervous system can lead to a wide range of symptoms, including pain, fatigue, anxiety, concentration issues, hormonal imbalance, and digestive difficulties. Remember that the goal of chiropractic care is to reduce distortions within the nervous sytem, not to treat symptoms.

People often associate spinal deformities with frailty and disability, and the research supports this connection. One of the benefits of chiropractic care is that it can prevent or halt the degenerative process that causes your spine to age faster than the rest of your body. The most efficient way to reduce distortion within the nervous system is by restoring normal function to all joints of the spine. This naturally improves posture, which makes you look your age, or better!

1 Kado DM et al. J Am Geriatr Soc, 52:1662-1667.

2 Harrison DE et al. J Vertebral Subluxation Res, July 31.