All posts by Dr. Brad
Backpack Safety For School
“Backpack Safety – Here Are
3 Simple Rules”
Dr Brad Ivanchuk here and I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor and Certified Posture Expert at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
As promised last time, we are going to discuss backpack safety for your kids or anyone who uses a backpack for that matter.
Here is what you need to know …
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/09.19.2017.dangers.of.improper.backpack.use-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/backpack.school.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Multiple research studies show that kids who carry backpacks that are too heavy are more likely to have pain in their postural system which is made up of the skeletal system and the muscular system.
Children whose backpacks are too heavy present with a condition called with FHP (forward head posture) which is directly related to disability due to neck pain especially, but also shoulder pain and headaches.
The Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission calculated that carrying a 12 pound backpack to and from school every day for an entire school year puts a cumulative load of 21,600 pounds on a child’s spine. This is equivalent to the weight of 6 mid-sized cars.
So, backpack safety is never something that you should take lightly and this is what you can do to take care of your child’s posture system.
First of all, backpacks should never exceed more than 10% of your child’s body weight. If your child weighs 120 pounds for example, then their backpack should not exceed 12 pounds in weight.
Find out how much your kids weigh!
Load the heaviest items first such as laptops and text books. These should lie closest to your child’s spine.
And make sure they wear it right.
There are 2 straps for a reason!
Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can cause a lateral curve (scoliosis)in your child’s spine.
The backpack should rest in the middle of the back with equal weight distribution over both shoulders and the waist strap should be secured in the front.
By observing these 3 simple rules, you will minimize the negative effect that wearing a backpack will have on your child’s posture system.
Next time you are going to learn about smart sitting in school, but in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your children may have, please give me a call.
Consultations in our office are always free of charge which also includes a free and detailed posture check. Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Remember that good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre …. Helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington, Ontario.
Click Here To Book a Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Chiropractic For Pregnancy
“Chiropractic Care Essential During And After Pregnancy”
Dr Brad Ivanchuk here and I am a Burlington chiropractor and Certified Posture Expert at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Over the past couple of weeks I have shared some really, really good information with you regarding pregnancy and chiropractic care.
Remember that the mother’s postural presentation during pregnancy, pre-labor and labor as well as lifestyle choices have a significant impact on three things; length of labor, ease of delivery and degree of potential birth trauma to both mother and baby.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/09.12.2017.chiropractic.care.essential.pregnancy.bi-1.m4v image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/chiropractic.andpregnancy.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Preparation for labor is greatly enhanced by sitting and standing and squatting with perfect posture in posture quadrant #3 which is your lower back and pelvis. This is why your chiropractic care is so very, very important because nothing else can help you maintain good posture.
Good alignment here will also allow your core muscles to hold your stomach in and support your baby from below like a hammock.
And post-partum chiropractic care is also a must so that your pelvis closes up with proper alignment and your core muscles regain their proper strength and proper tone.
So in conclusion, when you are searching for a chiropractor for pregnancy care make sure that they have experience dealing with pregnant moms.
And you will rarely go wrong if you seek out a principled chiropractor. They should also have adjusting techniques and adjusting tables that will avoid un-needed pressure on your abdomen.
And they should also be able to turn a breech baby just in case.
I do by the way, meet all of these criteria.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your kids may have, please call me right away.
Consults and posture checks are always free of charge in our office. And we are here on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and most Saturday mornings.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Next time we are going to have a really good review on backpack safety for kids because improper use of backpacks is one of the major causes of postural collapse in kids.
So please do not miss if you have school-aged children.
Always remember this …. Good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre …. 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
Pregnancy Made Easier
“Pregnancy Is Easier With
Chiropractic Care”
Dr Brad Ivanchuk here. I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Last time we learned how pregnancy can cause postural distortions to develop in your spine and pelvis.
And we also learned that postural distortions can result in some very uncomfortable symptoms for the expecting mother, and that they can also interfere with a natural, non-invasive birth.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/08.29.2017.pregnancy.and.chiropractic.bi.hb.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Pregnancy.made_.easier.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Remember that your nerve system is the master controller of all the other systems in your body including your reproductive system. So, keeping your spine aligned will not only help your reproductive system but will help your entire body work more effectively.
A properly aligned and balanced pelvis has been clinically shown to allow for optimal fetal positioning. This will set the stage for a natural, non-invasive delivery and minimize the chances of breech deliveries, base-posterior positioning and other interventions such as forceps deliveries, vacuum-assisted deliveries and C-sections. These can be very traumatic for both mother
and baby.
So, here are the facts ….. pregnant women who get regular chiropractic care during their pregnancy have 24% shorter labor times for first time moms and 39% shorter labor times for experienced moms.
Moms who get regular chiropractic care during their pregnancy also use 50% less pain medication during labor and delivery.
We are going to conclude this topic next time and after that we are going to review backpack safety for your kids as school is about to start again. But in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your kids may have, please call me.
Remember consultations in our office are always free of charge and this also includes a free posture check. This is offered as a community service.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Remember that good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre …. 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
Pregnancy And Chiropractic Care
“Pregnancy And Chiropractic Care”
Hello, Dr Brad here and I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to discuss pregnancy and chiropractic care.
According to the American Pregnancy Association and my clinical experience having been in private practice for over 30 years, there are no contraindications to having chiropractic adjustments during your pregnancy.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/08.22.2017.pregnancy.and.chiropractic.bihb.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pregnancy.and_.chiropractic.jpg width=500 height=305 /]In fact, investing in the fertility wellness of women who are trying to conceive and the pregnancy wellness of women who are already pregnant is routine care for the principled chiropractor.
The mother’s postural presentation during pregnancy has a significant impact on 3 things … the length of labor, the ease of delivery and the degree of potential birth trauma to the baby.
As the abdomen protrudes, especially during the 2nd and 3rd trimester, postural distortions can develop in the neck, the thoracic spine (middle back) and especially in the lumbar spine and pelvis (lower back).
Postural distortions in the neck and thoracic spine can result in headaches, neck pain, tension in the neck and shoulders, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, heartburn, indigestion, nausea and pain between the shoulder blades.
Postural distortions in the lumbar spine and pelvis will not only cause lower back pain and sciatica (leg pain), but will also decrease the amount of intrauterine space available for the baby
to get into the best position for delivery.
This will then increase labor time, delivery time and increase the chances of a potential C-section delivery and harm to both the mother and the baby.
More on this topic next time, but in the meantime if you do have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your kids may have , please call me.
Remember that consultations are always free of charge in our office and this also includes a free posture check. We offer this as a community service.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Remember that good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre …. 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
Truth About Training
“NO Pain, No Gain … Is It Really True?”
Hello, Dr Brad Ivanchuk here and I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Today we are going to talk about the old cliché …. No pain, No gain.
And the reason why is because I was adjusting someone recently who was all stiff and sore from training in the gym a few days earlier.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/08.08.2017.no.pain.no.gain.bi.hb.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/no.pain_.no_.gain_.png width=500 height=305 /]But they thought that this was a good thing because their personal trainer told them that “ if there is no pain, there is no gain”.
This is so not true and this is why I want to sort this out for you right here and now.
When you first start exercising, minor soreness in your muscle tissue a day or two later is normal. But this should no longer be the case after you have been training regularly for about a month.
Soreness and stiffness and loss of flexibility in the neck or shoulder or lower back for 5 or 6 or 7 days afterwards is not normal.
When you start exercising it is absolutely critical to take into consideration your own unique and individual postural distortions. If you have Forward Head Posture or thoracic hyperkyphosis (humping of the upper back) or scoliosis or uneven shoulders or hips for example, there are certain exercises you should do and certain exercises you shouldn’t do depending.
The problem is, it is beyond the scope of most personal trainers to accurately assess your postural distortions and consider them when designing an exercise program for you. For an exercise program to be effective, it has to be safe and it has to work towards reversing your postural collapse.
Cookie-cutter routines usually cause your posture to collapse further and it is highly unlikely you will see any positive results.
If you have any concerns because this sounds like the case with your own self, then I can help you. Not only am I a Certified Posture Expert and Certified Postural Neurologist, but I am also an canfitpro Certified Personal Training Specialist. Therefore I would be a much better choice to design an exercise program for you that is both safe and effective.
All you have to do is call and schedule an appointment for your free initial consultation which also includes a free posture check.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Remember that good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre …. 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
Feet And Good Posture
“Your Feet Are Important To Maintaining Good Posture”
Hello. Dr Brad here and I am a Burlington chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line and today we are going to talk about feet.
Your feet are part of Posture Quadrant #4 ( the upper leg, lower leg and foot) and the primary function of PQ4 is to perform coordinated, ambulatory movements; walking and running.
Feet are the foundation of our body and are highly active in balance and orientation. Sensation that is perceived by the 7000 nerve endings in the bottom of each foot is translated through the entire posture system. Our feet absorb 3 million tons of pressure per day so proper alignment and posture of your feet is critical.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/08.01.2017.posture%2Cand.feet.bihb.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/feet.and_.posture.jpg width=500 height=305 /]The most common Posture Distortion Pattern associated with the foot is foot pronation (fallen arches, flat feet).
And this can lead to a whole bunch of other problems such as osteoarthritis of the knee, shin splints, ankle instability, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, hammer toes and bunions.
But when I check your posture I will also check your feet and let you know if you have any issues.
Remember that your feet are important to orient your body and shoes that are too big, and high heels decrease the capacity of your feet to orient your body and increase the chances of ankle injuries.
Developing children by the way, should spend as little time as possible in shoes allowing for full movement of the arches and toes.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your kids may have, please call me. Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available. We also provide a free posture check as a community service.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me by clicking directly on the link found on our home page.
Remember that good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre …. 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
Forward Head Posture And Allergies
“Seasonal Allergies or
Bad Forward Head Posture?”
Hello, Dr Brad Ivanchuk here and I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
This is a time of year when people can struggle with a heavy chest/lungs and shortness of breath. And often times they chalk it up to allergies or poor air quality.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/07.11.2017.forward.head.posture.bi-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/forward.headposture.and_.allergies.jpg width=500 height=305 /]Or they may have been led to believe this by their family doc.
Now, you may want to reconsider this after I tell you what I am about to tell you.
If you have a condition called Forward Head Posture (FHP), and according to the American Posture Institute up to 90% of adults and 34% of school-aged children have this condition, it can decrease your lung capacity by up to 30%.
Compare taking in a deep breath yourself when standing with a slouched posture and then standing with an erect and open posture (head back, shoulders back, chest out, chin up).
The significant difference that you notice is exactly how FHP can decrease your lung capacity.
And this isn’t good because we all need oxygen. You can also see how easy it would be to misdiagnose or at least partially misdiagnose you as having allergies or possibly another respiratory disorder such as asthma or emphysema.
Another reason why I wanted to talk about this is if you or your child is using a puffer on a regular basis, you need to know about the possible side-effects.
Here they are; thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth), hoarseness of the voice, weakness, acne, weight gain, mood/behaviour changes, upset stomach, bone loss, eye changes and stunted growth.
Puffers are also very harsh on the lining of the lungs. So if this concerns you, a posture check is highly indicated.
And remember too, we talked about this in much detail over the past few months, that posture distortions in your spine can significantly impair the function of your immune system and predispose you to things such as seasonal allergies.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your kids may have, please call me. Consultations in our office are always free of charge.
This also includes a free posture check which we offer as a community service. Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home
Life Chiropractic Centre … 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
Distilled Water
“Here’s What You Need To Know About Distilled Water”
Hello, Dr Brad here and I am a Burlington chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Last time we discussed exercise and interval training and today I would like to talk about what type of water you should drink while you are exercising, or any time for that matter.
And I want to talk about distilled water specifically because I often see people drinking huge bottles of distilled water when they are training in the gym. There are a few things that you absolutley need to know about distilled water.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/07.07.2017.distilled.water.bi.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/distilled.water_.jpg width=500 height=305 /]First of all, distilled water is free of any dissolved minerals. And because of this, it has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxins and eliminate them from your body. Now, this is a good thing but you should only use it for this purpose very occasionally and for 2 or 3 weeks at a time.
The more distilled water a person drinks the more acidic their body becomes. And this is not good for your health.
Distilled water also cause a rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals (magnesium, calcium) from your body, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Continued use can lead to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, heart disease, and a whole list of degenerative diseases associated with pre-mature aging.
And if you cook with distilled water it will absorb all the good things (vitamins, minerals) from your food, and you should also know that most of the popular soft drinks are manufactured using distilled water.
So what kind of water is best for you to drink? Reverse osmosis water is neutral and safe for you to drink. But, charcoal filtered water is the best. Charcoal filtered water will not deplete your body of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes and it is slightly alkaline (the opposite of acidic) which is healthy for you. So you can safely drink this water all day long.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your kids may have, please call me. Remember that consultations and posture checks are always free of charge which we offer as a community service.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Life Chiropractic Centre … 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
Exercise For Weight Loss
“Here’s A Better Way To Exercise For Weight Loss”
Hello, Dr Brad here and I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Last time we learned the alarming facts about obesity and as promised, today we are going to discuss exercise.
And this discussion will be directed more towards those who don’t have a lot of exercise experience but are considering an exercise
program to improve heart health, lung health and to lose weight.
This kind of exercise is classified as cardiovascular exercise and examples of cardiovascular exercise would be walking, jogging, cycling
or using an elliptical machine.
It has been my experience that many people get easily frustrated and quit their exercise program because it seems like too much hard work
with very little to no results.
And this is why I want to help you. You can do your cardio exercise safely and effectively without spending hours every day doing it.
So here is a better way – scientifically proven – because everyone needs to do their cardio exercise if nothing else.
First of all, pick your exercise of choice. Walking, jogging, stationary bike, it doesn’t matter and set aside 15 minutes.
The first 2 minutes are your warm-up and the last 3 minutes are your cool-down. Both of these are a nice, steady easy pace. For the 10 minutes
in between you are going to step up your pace 2 or 3 times for the first 15 seconds of each minute.
Whatever is comfortable for you.
Just get moving.
And for the next 45 seconds you are going to slow it down to a moderate, steady pace. You are going to do this for each of the 10 minutes in between your warm-up and cool-down.
This is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and one of the benefits of interval training is it will increase your metabolic rate and burn stored
fat for up to 36 hours afterwards.
Fifteen minutes every other day.
That is all you need to do. (Besides your chiropractic care and healthy food choices).
Now there are many different variations of HIIT depending on your fitness level. What I have just described here is a very basic approach for the
beginner.
If you want to learn about modifications to HIIT, please call me. Remember there is never any charge to talk to me.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email your questions to me directly by clicking on the link at the top of our
home page.
Life Chiropractic Centre … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.
Dr Brad Ivanchuk is also a canfitpro Certified Personal Training Specialist.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation with Dr. Brad at the Burlington Clinic
Fighting Obesity
“Here’s A More Effective Approach For Fighting Obesity”
Hello everyone. Dr Brad here and I am a Burlington, Ontario chiropractor at Life Chiropractic Centre on Guelph Line.
Today we are going to talk about obesity.
A few weeks ago the New England Journal of Medicine reported that more than 10% of the world population is now obese.
And that obesity is leading to wide-spread health problems and millions of pre-mature deaths.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/06.23.2017.obesity.bi-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/obesity.jpg width=500 height=305 /]In November of 2015, the New York Times reported that despite years of effort to reduce obesity in America, it continues to be on the upswing.
And things are no better here in Canada.
Up to 60% of the adult population are overweight or obese according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation and what is even more disturbing is that 13% of kids aged 3 to 19 are classified as being obese.
So why is it, despite all the effort and increased awareness about exercise, healthy food choices, diet and the dangers of obesity, that this problem continues to get worse?
One reason is that most people who choose to exercise in an attempt to lose weight, often times get frustrated and quit because they see little to no results. And we are going to spend some time talking about this in our next posting.
But the biggest reason in my opinion, and we spent a lot of time learning about this over the past few weeks and it certainly bears worth mentioning again, is too many stress hormones.
Remember that spinal misalignments and postural distortions will signal your brain to flood your body with stress hormones.
And one of those stress hormones is cortisol. Good in the short-term but bad for you in the long-term. And all the research tells us that long-term exposure to cortisol will lead to weight gain and obesity.
So, a more effective and logical approach to obesity would be this.
First, address all spinal misalignments and postural distortions to bring all your hormones back into a healthy balance.
Second, learn how to exercise effectively. Thirdly, make healthy food and diet choices.
You can find volumes of good information about this on the internet.
All you need to do is take the time to do your due diligence. Or you can seek professional guidance for this.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your kids may have, please call me.
Remember that consultations are always free of charge and these also include a free posture check. We offer this as a community service.
We also offer family appointments where we can check everyone at the same time. And this is recommended because spinal problems and posture distortion patterns tend to run in families.
Our phone number here in Burlington is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email me directly by clicking on the link found on our home page.
Remember too that good posture is always by design and never by circumstance.
Life Chiropractic Centre … 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