All posts by Dr. Brad
Proper Sleeping Posture For Infants And Newborns
“Safe And Proper Sleeping Posture For Infants And Newborns”
Last time we discussed proper sleeping posture which would apply to children of all ages as well as adults.
And as promised, today you are going to learn about proper sleeping posture for infants and newborns.
So, if you have a newborn in the household or you are expecting one, this is what you absolutely need to know.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/04.23.2015.sleeping.posture.infants.newborns.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/slepping.posture.infants.and_.newborns.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Having your baby sleep on their back is the safest and significantly decreases the risk of SIDS ( sudden infant death syndrome ) or crib death. And this is especially important during the first 6 months of life when SIDS is at its highest.
Don’t forget that SIDS is responsible for more infant deaths in the US and Canada than any other cause during the first year.
The crib mattress should be firm and covered with one sheet and only one blanket is the safest.
Avoid soft crib mattresses, puffy pillows and quilts, too many stuffed toys etc. as these can block the baby’s airway if they happen to roll over onto their side or stomach.
However, spending time on their stomach is essential while they are awake for 3 very important reasons;
1 – it helps to develop the proper spinal curves.
2 – it helps to develop the neck muscles.
3 – it helps to develop the shoulder and arms muscles.
We are going to conclude this discussion with some very valuable information next week but in the meantime if you have any immediate questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.
Remember that consultations in our office are always free of charge and we also offer family appointments.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking the link found on our home page.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Spine Friendly Sleeping
“Proper Sleeping Posture For Your Back”
Last week we learned about why it is never a good idea to sleep on your stomach and as promised, today you are going to learn about spine-friendly sleeping.
The best position to sleep in by far is on your back. And if you are using a contour pillow to support the proper curve in your neck and a pillow or two propped up underneath your knees, this will ensure your spine is in the best possible posture while you’re sleeping.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/04.07.2015.spine.friendly.sleeping.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/spine.friendly.sleep_.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Now, if you do not like sleeping on your back for some reason, your second best choice is to sleep on your side. And here is what you need to know about side-sleeping:
1. Always sleep on the side that is most comfortable for you.
2. Make sure your pillow is not too thick or too thin. The right sized pillow will keep your head and neck straight, and perpendicular to your shoulders.
3. Never sleep with your arms above shoulder level.
4. Bring your knees up a little bit almost into the fetal position. This will prevent you from rolling forwards and twisting or torquing your lower back.
5. It is always a good idea to put a small pillow between your knees especially if you have osteoarthritis in your hips.
So, back-sleeping is your first and best choice and side-sleeping is your second best choice.
Next time we are going to continue this discussion as it pertains to infants and newborns so if you have a newborn in your household or you are expecting one, you will want to check in again next week.
In the meantime if you have any immediate questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or anyone in your family may have, please give me a call.
Remember that consultations are always free of charge in our office and we also offer family appointments.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Life Chiropractic… helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Proper Sleep Posture
” Sleeping On Your Stomach…Safe or Unsafe? Here Are The Facts”
Last time we talked about what kind of mattress is best for you to sleep on.
And in keeping with the same theme, I thought it would be important for you to learn about proper sleeping posture as this is actually more important than the mattress you sleep on.
So this will be our topic of discussion over the next few weeks.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/03.31.2015.proper.sleeping.posture.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/proper.sleeping.posture.jpg width=500 height=305 /]The absolute worst position or posture you can sleep in is on your stomach. Stomach sleeping is not good for you for 2 reasons.
One is that it will jam the spinal joints in your lower back and cause you to have morning lower back pain and stiffness.
Secondly, it is especially not good for your neck.
Because you have to breathe, you cannot sleep face down so you have to turn your head to one side or the other.
And what is even worse is if you also have your head cranked up on a pillow.
This kind of sleeping posture will cause all kinds of trouble such as headaches, neck pain and stiffness, pain, numbness and tingling into the arms, hands and fingers, spinal misalignments and pinched nerves in the neck and even spinal arthritis.
Next time you will learn how to avoid these problems but in the meantime if you have any immediate questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or anyone in your family may have, please give me a call.
Remember that consultations are always free of charge in our office and we also offer family appointments.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link on our home page.
Life Chiropractic …. Helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Choosing A Mattress
“What Kind Of Mattress Should I Be Sleeping On?”
A very good question that I am going to answer for you today is … “what kind of mattress should I sleep on?”.
There is no one answer to this question as every body type is different and therefore requires a different mattress.
But I do have a few good pointers for you to follow.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/03.24.2015.best.mattress.for.sleeping.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/choosing.a.mattress.jpg width=500 height=305 /]If you cannot get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep or you are waking up with pain and stiffness or both, then your current mattress is not giving you adequate support.
You should be able to sleep comfortably for 7 to 8 hours and wake up feeling well-rested and limber having moved very little throughout the night if you are on the right mattress.
And it does not matter if you are on a coil mattress, a spring mattress, an air-bed, a waterbed or a futon – this should always be the case.
Now of course, we can never discount a spinal problem or improper sleeping posture as these can often times result in restless sleeping patterns and morning pain and stiffness.
So my best advice to you would be to look into these things first before investing in a brand new mattress.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or anyone in your family may have, please give us a call.
Remember that consultations in our office are always free of charge and we also offer family appointments because spinal problems do tend to run in families.
And the sooner we can correct these the better.
Our phone number is 905 335 5433 or you can email me by clicking directly on the link found on our home page.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build healthy, vibrant, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic
Choosing A Chiropractor
“How Do I Go About Choosing A Chiropractor?”
The question that I would like to answer for you today is … “how do I go about choosing a chiropractor?”.
For sure you are going to know someone – a family member, a friend, a co-worker – who already goes to a chiropractor so this is always your best place to start to ask for a recommendation.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/03.17.2015.choosing.a.chiropractor.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/choosing.a.chiropractor.jpg width=500 height=305 /]In our office, our practice members are allowed to bring prospective new patients into the office to meet me, the staff, ask a few questions and most importantly observe a chiropractic adjustment.
So you may want to find out if you could do the same thing.
Of course, you can always do an internet search of the chiropractors in the vicinity of your home or place of employment and there is always the chiropractor locator found on the OCA web-site.
This may not represent all the chiropractors in your search area as not all chiropractors are members of the OCA (Ontario Chiropractic Association).
Now, if you end up with 2 or 3 choices at the end of your search, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking to have a consultation with each one of them so that you can get to know each other and see if it will be a good fit.
Remember, that the most important thing is that you and your chiropractor are on the same page regarding your expectations which will always boil down to one of 2 things. Do you want spinal correction or do you just want pain relief?
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.
Remember that consultations in our office are always free of charge and family appointments are always available.
And the reason we offer family appointments is because spinal problems do tend to run in families.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic
Referral For Chiropractic
“Do You Need A Family Doctor Referral To See A Chiropractor?”
An excellent question that I would like to answer for you today is … “ If I want to go to a chiropractor, do I need to be referred by my family doctor?”.
Chiropractors are licensed and legislated as primary health care providers in every province in Canada.
This means that you can go to a chiropractor directly. You do not require a referral from your family doc.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/03.10.2015.doctor.referrals.not.required.for.chiropractic.bi2-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/doctor.referral.not_.required.for_.chiropractic.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Now, what if you have had a workplace injury and you want to make a WSIB claim for chiropractic care?
Again, you can consult with a chiropractor directly and there is no need for a medical referral. And the same thing applies of you have suffered a personal injury – a whiplash injury to your neck – in a car accident for example. You can consult with a chiropractor directly.
In fact, for most conditions and injuries involving the spine and skeletal system a chiropractic examination is your first and best choice. Why? Because this is our expertise.
This is what we do. If there are complications that are outside our scope of practice, then we would refer you to the appropriate medical specialist right away.
If you have any further questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.
Remember that in our office consultations are always free of charge and we also offer family appointments.
The reason for this is because subluxations and spinal problems tend to run in families.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us by clicking directly on the link found on our home page.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, heathy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic
Starting Chiropractic Care
“When Should I Start Accessing Chiropractic Care”
The very excellent question I am going to answer for you today is … “when should I start chiropractic care?”.
The unfortunate thing is that most people wait until they are in some sort of pain or discomfort or have other health issues before seeking a chiropractor, if they choose to seek one at all.
And the reason for this is because for generations we have been lead to believe that if you are feeling good and have no aches, pains or other health issues then you are healthy.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/03.03.2015.when.to.start.chiropractic.care.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/when.to_.start_.chiropractic.care_.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Just keep doing what you are doing or not doing.
But, if this concept of health was effectively working, why is it that 80% of Canadians will suffer from lower back pain at least once on their lifetime?
And I can tell you that doing what I do, it is way more than that!
Why is it that one third of Ontarians are suffering from lower back pain at any given time? And this also includes children.
Why is it that for the first time in modern history, the current generation of children have a life expectancy that is less than that of their parents?
Why is it that obesity and degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes are steadily increasing?
The answer to all of these questions is because people typically wait until symptoms or illness appears before they start doing those things they need to do to be healthy.
And often times, this is when it is too late.
This concept of health and health care puts you on a very slippery slope.
Canada spends more money on health care than almost every other country on the planet.
But the sad thing is that on the list of the world’s healthiest countries, we only rank #30.
So the answer to the question “when should I start chiropractic care?” is … ‘right now’!
We can help you and your family with all of these things. We can truly ad years to your life and life to your years!
To find out more all you need to do is give us a call.
Remember that consultations in our office are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because spinal problems do tend to run in families.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us by clicking directly on the link right on our home page.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic
Chiropractic Benefits
“The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care”
A question that one of our viewers had that I would like to answer today is …
“what are some of the benefits of chiropractic care?”
So, these are the things that most people notice when they start going to a chiropractor:
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.24.2015.benefits.of.chiropractic.care.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/benefits.of_.chiropractic.care_.jpg width=500 height=305 /]1. Improved movement and flexibility in the neck, shoulders, back and torso.
2. Improved posture.
3. Relief from headaches, neck pain and back pain.
4. Prevention of work-related spine and joint injuries.
5. Enhanced athletic performance.
6. Relief from pregnancy-related back pain.
7. Correction of foot and gait problems.
8. Stronger immunity.
Of course there are many other conditions that respond very well to chiropractic care which you can learn all about right here on this website but if you ever need to talk to me about any health concerns that you may have or your family may have, please give me a call.
Remember that consultations are always free of charge in our office and family appointments are always available.
And the reason that we offer family appointments is because spinal problems do tend to run in families.
We can check everyone out all at the same time.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us by clicking directly on the link on our home page.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Measles And Vaccination Information
“Measles Outbreak and Sources Of Vaccination Information”
There has been some media attention lately regarding vaccinations due to a few small outbreaks of measles here in Ontario but mostly in the US.
I know that some of you who are anti-vaccine may be experiencing more pressure to vaccinate from other people around you or you may be second guessing your decision not to vaccinate your kids.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.17.2015.vaccinations.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/measles.and_.vaccinations.jpg width=500 height=305 /]And as I cannot advise you one way or the other and nor would I, I can and will encourage you to take your time to re-visit this issue, do your due diligence and make an informed decision regarding vaccines.
There is a wealth of information available to you on the internet.
You should also sit down and have a heart to heart discussion with your family doc about vaccines and be sure to visit the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website.
There is always a lot of good and current information there.
Then make a list.
Make a list of all the fair and unbiased pro-vaccine facts and also make a list of all the fair and unbiased anti-vaccine facts.
Then sit and compare the two and decide what makes the most sense for you and your children.
Remember that this is ultimately your decision. And do your research.
Find out all the things that you can do to protect yourself and your children from infectious disease and build strong immunity naturally.
If you still have any questions on this topic remember that I am always here to help.
All you have to do is schedule an appointment for your free initial consultation or you can send me an email by clicking directly on the link on the home page of our website.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Chiropractic Care For Athletes
Are There Many Athletes Who Use Chiropractic Care?”
And the answer to this question is … YES.
Athletes all over the planet in most every sport use chiropractic care as part of their overall healthcare, fitness and performance maintenance program.
Remember that chiropractic adjustments improve nerve system function and joint conditioning both of which have a direct effect on athletic performance.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.10.2015.chiropractic.care.for.athletes.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/chiropractic.for_.athletes.jpg width=500 height=305 /]The effect of the chiropractic adjustment improves biomechanical function and enhances overall conditioning which is important in situations where extreme and/or continuous repetitive movement is required.
Examples are skating,running, throwing a baseball or football, shooting a puck, swinging a tennis racket, kicking a soccer ball.
Right or left handed sports also create imbalance issues as one side of the body over-develops due to repetitive use.
Look at a professional tennis player’s arms and the arm they hold the racket in can sometimes be almost twice as big compared to the other.
It is impossible for this not to have an effect on one’s structural health.
Chiropractic also helps athletes fine-tune their muscles and joints for high level performance which also helps to reduce long term wear and tear.
They also notice less injuries and shorter healing times when they are injured when under regular chiropractic care.
This is why it would be highly unlikely that you would find an individual high performance athlete or a professional sports team that does not have a chiropractor whether it is the NFL, NBA or NHL.
Over the past 28 years I have personally helped hundreds of up and coming high performance athletes as well as the week-end warrior with much success.
Chiropractic care most definitely helps them stay in the game longer and play the game better.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, please give me a call.
Remember that consultations in our office are always free of charge and family appointments are always available.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can click directly on the link on our home page.
Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic