Summer camps will be starting soon and if your kids do participate in these, I have three important tips for you today.

First of all is hydration. Please be sure that your kids get adequate hydration throughout the day and water is always your safest and best choice.

Stay away from sugary drinks including fruit juice and sports drinks. Sports drinks can contain a lot of sugar and they can also be very hard on the kidneys.

Secondly, make sure they fuel properly before any activities. Veggies (steamed or raw) with a serving of protein (chicken/fish) and a serving of quinoa or brown rice is ideal a few hours before any activity.

If it’s a morning activity, use eggs as a source of protein. Egg whites and oatmeal is also a good power- meal first thing in the morning.

Throughout the day, snacking on fresh fruit is the best way for the kids to keep their energy levels up.

And finally, make sure your kids warm-up properly before any activity. Warming up for baseball will be different than golf, which will be different than gymnastics, which will be different then swimming, which will be different than soccer etc.

Going in to an activity cold (no warm-up) is when they are most likely to suffer from sprain/strain type injuries.

The warm up should be the due diligence of the specific instructor.

Next time I will review some first aid tips with you on how to manage those inevitable bumps and bruises and sprain/strain injuries.

In the meantime, if you need me you can reach me at 905 335 LIFE (5433).I am always here to help.

First of all I would like to welcome all our new practice members who took advantage of our Posture Awareness Month promotion last month.

I very much look forward to working with you and your families.

So what’s going on out there right now?

Watery, itchy eyes, runny noses, sneezing; a lot of people are struggling with seasonal allergies.

And can chiropractic help this?
 
Well a lot of my practice members will tell you that is ‘sure can’.

But how can this happen?

A quick anatomy lesson is in order; the nerves form the upper neck/cervical spine innervate your eyes, ears, nose, throat and sinus tissues.

Spinal misalignments and posture distortions in this part of your anatomy will impair nerve function.

Hence your sinuses will not be able to cleanse themselves properly leading to those ugly symptoms.

Activate the nerves, activate the sinuses and then they will able to cleanse the way they were designed to.

Seasonal allergies are probably not because you are not taking enough allergy medication.

If you or your kids struggle with seasonal allergies, we may be able to help.

To know for sure, come on in for a complimentary consult and posture check.

 
The number to call to schedule an appointment for you and your family is 905 335 5433.

I have shared with you over the past few months some self-assessment tips on how you can check your posture and especially you kids posture right at home.

You can scroll down and check them out right here.

Here are 3 other indicators that your spinal alignment and posture are not aligned properly;

•The outer edge of the heels of your shoes wear unevenly. There should be minimal wear here (depending upon the age of the shoes) but most importantly the wear pattern should be equal side to side.

•When you walk, one foot flares out more the other. The toes of both feet should point straight ahead (the same) when walking.

•You suffer from heels spurs and/or plantar fasciitis (pain in the heel and/or along the bottom of the foot).

If you have even one of these things, chances are there are other issues with you postural alignment so a thorough posture check is in order.

May is Posture Awareness month here at Life Chiropractic Centre.

Posture Checks are complimentary for the entire month of May.

 
The number to call to schedule an appointment for you and your family is 905 335 5433.

The month of May is Posture Awareness Month and we are offering complimentary posture checks here at Life Chiropractic Centre.

And you may be asking yourself…”why would I need to have my posture checked?” Or…”why is good posture important?”

For one thing, you are going to look better.
 
Most people would prefer not to have humping of their back; the upper back especially.

Remember that other people look at your posture so you should too.

Your body will also move better.

Let’s say you love to play golf. Do you think you would have a smoother and better swing with a crooked posture or an upright, open and healthy posture?

I was just consulting with a patient recently. We were doing a progress examination to see how she has been doing. She cleans housing for a living and she mentioned to me that she now feels way more flexible, she no longer has backache or achy elbows at the end of her day and she has been able to increase her work load.

In other words, she can now generate more income for her and her family.

And you will most certainly feel better.

When you are hunched over, this kind of posture will rob you of the vital energy your body need throughout the day to function.

An upright posture on the other hand will energize you and keep you energized throughout your day.

After all, you rarely see anyone who has upright posture having to use a walker.

A posture check will let us know if your posture is healthy and if it’s not, we can discuss what you can do about it.

905 335 5433 is the number to call to schedule an appointment for you and your family.

The past two weeks we have talked about pediatric headaches.

If you haven’t seen those posts yet by the way, you can scroll down and check them out right here.

Another thing that can and does happen is lower back pain in kids.

One study showed that 65% of school-aged kids suffer from lower back pain and another study showed that kids as young as 10 years of age were already showing signs of early degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine (lower back).

This is a consequence of poor spinal alignment/posture distortions.

Have you ever seen your kids sitting cross-legged on their bed hunched over their cell phone, tablet, laptop or a video-game?

Not only does this over time cause forward head posture (tech neck) and humping of the upper back, but it is very stressful on the muscles, spinal joints and spinal nerve roots in the lower back area.

This can certainly cause lower back ache.

So parents, please remember to teach your kids to stand up straight and sit up straight both.

May is Posture Awareness Month at Life Chiropractic Centre.

Find out for sure how your posture and your kids posture measures up.Check-ups are No Charge.

Call 905 335 LIFE (5433) to schedule an appointment for you and your family. Your body will look better, move better and feel better with good posture

Continuing our discussions on pediatrics, one thing that can happen and does happen is pediatric headaches.

Aside from a medical issue, I’m to go over what are in my experience the most common causes of headaches in kids.

These are the amount of time interacting with technology (cell phones, tablets, computers), posture when interacting with technology, eyes strain and improper use of backpacks.

If your kids do complain of headaches (or even if they don’t for that matter), here is a checklist for all parents.

After all the homework is done, set a reasonable limit for how much time your kids spend on all devices for leisure/entertainment. Sixty or 90 minutes per day has been shown to be safe.

Remember that a lot of kids do not get enough exercise or enough greenspace time. This is what we covered in our last post and if you haven’t seen it yet, you can scroll down and check it out right here. They need more exercise and greenspace time, and less screen time.

Instruct your children to always be mindful of their posture when interacting with any form of technology.

Make sure they have eyes up, chin up and look straight ahead at whatever screen it may be. Looking down at screens for hours day after day is guaranteed to result in forward head posture/tech neck which we already know is not good for your health.

All screens emit what is called blue light which can be very irritating to the eyes and hyper- stimulate the brain tissue resulting in headaches. Blue blocker glasses are an effective and inexpensive way to prevent this from happening.

And improper use of a backpack; this one is a biggie.

Remember that backpacks should be worn evenly over both shoulders, the backpack itself should lie against the middle of your child’s back, should be secured around the waist with the waist strap and should not exceed 15% of your child’s body weight.

So, if your child weighs 100 pounds, the backpack when loaded should not exceed 15 pounds. And the heaviest items should be placed in first so that they lie directly against your child’s back.

We are going to dig a little deeper into this next time but I’d like to inform you that the month of May is Posture Awareness Month.

Life Chiropractic Centre will be offering complimentary posture checks for children and adults of all ages for the entire month of May.

There is no obligation on your part; the posture checks are to make you aware if there are any potential issues with you or any of your children. If you wish to proceed any further, the decision is totally up to you.

905 335 LIFE (5433) is the number to call to schedule an appointment for you and your family for a complimentary posture check.

Over the next few weeks we are going to talk about one of my favorite topics which is pediatrics.

Since it is officially springtime, we are going to learn about the many benefits of pediatric play.
Pediatric play is the best way to prevent 2 things; exercise deficit and nature deficit.

A lot of children these days do not get enough exercise or time in nature both of which can be very therapeutic for them.

At canfit, we recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day.
Exercise should be playful and fun and with other kids.

Some of the benefits are skill acquisition, stress relief and development of social skills.

Exercise also aids in the maturation and development of the spine and posture system as humans were designed to be upright and active.

We were not designed to be sitting and slumped over a computer, cell phone or video game.
Regarding greenspace time (time in nature), our research at the American Posture Institute shows this should peak between 200 and 300 minutes every week.

With many kids, there is a huge imbalance between screen time and greenspace time.

Greenspace time has been shown to benefit mental, emotional and behavioral health.

Thus, this is especially important for kids who have ADD, ADHD or autism.

So parents, please make it a priority to make time to let the children play.

With an ipad we take 2 pictures of you in the upright/standing position; one from the side and one from the front.

We then add in your height and weight and the software will provide me with a detailed analysis of all 4 posture quadrants.

What are they?

Posture quadrant 1 …. your head and neck. The most important posture quadrant.
Posture quadrant 2 …. your thoracic spine, ribcage, shoulders and arms.
Posture quadrant 3 …. your lumbar spine and pelvis.
Posture quadrant 4 …. your legs from the hip joint to the foot.

This posture scan is an excellent screening tool for 2 things; scoliosis and forward head posture (tech neck).

Our last 2 posts were regarding scoliosis and if you haven’t seen them yet, you can scroll down and check them out right here.

Previous to the scoliosis posts, there are 3 or 4 posts regarding tech neck and its associated health conditions.

One reason why posture quadrant #1 is the most important quadrant is because postural collapse here if left undetected and uncorrected, will cause eventual collapse of posture quadrant #2 and #3 both.

So, the posture check is non-invasive, it’s highly informative and quite predictive of potential, future health issues.

Remember that we offer as a community service, complimentary posture checks here at Life Chiropractic Centre.

To make an appointment for you and your family here at Life Chiropractic, please call us at 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Last time we talked about a 17 year old teenager who presented with a S-shaped scoliosis curve affecting the thoracic and lumbar spine.

This patient started postural correction care right away and a follow-up postural xray was taken 7 months later.

The thoracic curve which initially measured 28 degrees, now measured 19 degrees. This is a reduction (improvement) of 9 degrees.

The lumbar spine curve which initially measured 35 degrees, now measured 28 degrees. This is a reduction (improvement) of 7 degrees.

And another thing to note is that this patient became less reliant on the asthma puffer as the thoracic spine curve improved.

Why? Because better posture here allows better movement of the rib cage and thus improved lung capacity (more oxygen).

We are now in a holding pattern and even though a curve still remains, its impact on this patients overall health has been lessened.

Remember that all children should have a thorough posture check every year starting at 5 years of age.

Life Chiropractic Centre offers complimentary posture checks as a community service for all kids, and parents too.

The number to call to schedule your appointment is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

The parents of a 17 year old teenager noticed one day that their child’s rib cage was humping on one side.

They brought them in for a chiropractic and posture examination.

Postural xrays revealed an S –shaped scoliosis.

The thoracic spine curve measured 28 degrees and the lumbar spine curve measured 35 degrees.

There should be no curve in either of these parts of the spine; when looking at a spine from the back in the upright (standing position), it should be straight like a broomstick.

The only real health issue this teenager had was occasional asthma, but a curve of this degree is not beneficial for one’s overall health.

Remember that posture distortions in the thoracic spine can impair movement of the rib cage and thus impair lung capacity.

A scoliotic curve of this magnitude doesn’t take 2 months or even 2 years to develop.

A chiropractor who specializes in posture would have detected early indicators of this at the 5 to 7 years of age mark.

And if corrective care would have started at this age, it is highly unlikely the curve would have developed to the extent that it had.

This is an example of why all kids need a thorough posture examination every year starting at 5 years of age.

As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.

Life Chiropractic Centre offers complimentary posture checks as a community service for all children.

The number to call to make an appointment for your children is 905 335 LIFE (5433).