All posts by Dr. Brad
Managing Child Fevers
“Burlington Chiropractor Discusses Whether Fevers Are Actually Good For Your Children”
Here is some very enlightening information for you if you are quick to bring the temperature down if your child is having a fever.
As you already know, we live in a world that is full of germs, viruses and bacteria.
When your child gets run down or gets subluxations in their spine, and everybody does, the germs will often times multiply to vast numbers creating an infection.
This is when the body’s immune system kicks in and generates a fever.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/03.08.2012.child.fever.1.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/child.fevers.jpg width=500 height=299 /]Now, we have been told as were our parents and our parents’ parents that fevers are bad for you and that we should do everything that we can to get rid of them.
And the most popular way that is recommended for us to get rid of a fever is to take medication.
Parents, you need to understand that when it comes to fevers, you have been lied to!
The truth is most fevers are not bad for your children.
In fact, they are a good thing because they are part of your defense mechanism against germs, viruses and bacteria.
The body creates the extra heat on its own so that the germs that are causing the infection cannot survive.
Even though actions taken to reduce a fever may make one feel more comfortable, they are not desirable when someone is fighting off an infection.
And the reason they are not desirable is this; without a proper fever, the germs that are causing the infection will survive longer than they should which means that you child will be sick longer than they should.
We will learn more about fevers next week, but in the meantime if you would like more information on this topic or you have other questions or concerns about your child’s health, call us at 903 335 LIFE (5433).
Please remember that consultations are always free of charge and that we are here to help families just like yours build healthy, vibrant, drug-free lives.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Appointment With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Impacts Of Prolonged Sitting
“Prolonged Sitting – How Much Time Should Your Child Spend Sitting Down?”
Here is some very important information every parent should know about how much time their children should spend sitting down.
Now, there are many, many things that kids do that require them to sit; at the dinner table, in school, doing their homework or practising a musical instrument but this should be the extent of it.
And I know you are asking yourself “why?”, so let men explain as this is very, very important. In fact, it is vitally important!
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.28.2012.prolonged.sitting.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/prolonged.sitting.jpg width=500 height=299 /]Every parent must understand that their children’s spines are highly plastic and will mold to the activities that they do most often.
Prolonged sitting will eventually change the spine from its healthy, normal S-posture to the unhealthy and dangerous C-posture.
The reason why the C-posture is dangerous is because it restricts normal breathing and compresses vital organs that were designed to function while upright and while in motion.
Also, it has been shown that too much sitting will slow down your metabolism ( which means that you will gain weight ), impair your cardio-vascular health, impair your immune system function and your digestive function.
Not only are the effects of sitting detrimental to your health, they will actually increase your mortality rate exponentially! This means they will decrease your life expectancy.
It is so true that people who live long lives and healthy lives are people who do not spend their days sitting. So, for the sake of your children’s health, parents please keep an eye on how much time your kids spend sitting.
And , if you would like more information on how chiropractic can help your kids maintain a healthy posture ( because this is what chiropractor’s do ), call us at 905 335 LIFE ( 5433 ) or you can always schedule an appointment to have their posture examined.
Consultations are always free and remember that we are here to help families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives.
Please call today.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Treating Tonsillitis
What Every Parent Needs To Know About Tonsillitis From Our Burlington Clinic
Here is some very important information for parents with children suffering from tonsillitis.
Tonsillitis is a condition where the tonsils become inflamed, swollen and sore making swallowing very painful and difficult.
The most popular forms of medical treatment are anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotic therapy or removal of the tonsils by tonsillectomy.
What concerns me however is that most parents do not realize that your tonsils are immuno-competent tissue and are your immune systems first line of defense against germs entering the body through either the nose or mouth.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.21.2012.tonsollitis.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/tonsillitus.jpg width=500 height=299 /]
When the tonsils are removed, so too is the first line of defense which will allow the germs to penetrate deeper into the throat, bronchial tubes and lungs.
This is why it is not uncommon for kids who have no tonsils to experience more bronchial infections and lung infections.
From a chiropractic perspective, if a certain body part is prone to infections, this means the nerve supply is not adequate enough creating fertile ground for germs to flourish.
And this is often the case in kids who have spinal misalignments and pinched nerves in the upper neck region.
This is a common place for misalignments to occur and tonsillitis is a common result.
As a parent you need to know that chiropractic care has helped thousands and thousands of kids recover from to nsillitis by correcting spinal misalignments in the neck.
And, you will also appreciate that chiropractic treatments are all natural and do not involve the use of drugs ,medications or surgery.
Now, if you would like more information on how chiropractic care can help your child with their tonsillitis, please call 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can always schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.
Remember, we are here to help families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Improving Child Nutrition
“How You Can Save Money And Improve Your Children’s Health At The Same Time”
Here is some very important information for all parents regarding snacks for their children from our Burlington Clinic.
Let me tell you a story ….
The other day I was waiting for one of my kids to finish their exercise class and I noticed a bunch of parents bringing in snacks for their kids who were on a break. What alarmed me was that all the kids were brought either donuts, cookies, muffins, french fries, fast-food hamburgers, coffee or a huge container of pop.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.14.2012.child.nutrition.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/child.nutrition.jpg width=500 height=299 /]Except for one who was already snacking on celery sticks, carrots and drinking a bottle of water.
Despite all the information available regarding nutrition and what is good to eat and what is not, it seems that a lot of parents still do not know.
So, for the sake of the health and well-being of our children, let us review the importance of good nutrition.
All the doughy foods ( donuts, cookies etc.) are high in fat and calories and provide very little nutritional value.
These types of foods are quickly converted into sugar once they enter the body which shocks the pancreas into pouring out insulin.
Insulin is required to regulate your blood sugar levels and soft-drinks which can contain up to 40 gm of sugar will have the same effect.
If the pancreas is secreting high levels of insulin on a regular basis, the body can eventually become insulin resistant.
Insulin resistance can then lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
The french fries and fast-food hamburger are also high in fat and calories, so they too pose the risk of obesity but another danger with these types of foods is the trans-fatty acids.
There have been several nutritional studies that show time and time again that trans-fatty acids increase your risk of developing heart disease.
And, I would almost guarantee that the fast-food hamburger meat is not organic which means it is full of filler, growth-hormone and antibiotics.
These things are not good for anyone’s health.
And feeding your children coffee or caffeine in any form is not a good idea.
It is a drug which means that it is addictive and it is a stimulant which means that it is dangerous to give to kids, especially if they are participating in sports.
The danger lies in the increased stress caffeine places upon the heart.
So, the best choice by far was the child eating the celery sticks, carrots and water.
These cost way less to purchase, they are nutritious, safe and they have no future consequences.
Always consider the future consequences when buying food for your family.
That way you will automatically make better choices.
Parents remember this … for the first time in modern history, the life expectancy of the current generation of kids is LESS THAN THEIR PARENTS! And, this is due in a large part, to the foods that they eat.
For more information regarding this topic or any other questions or concerns that you may have about your child’s health, please call 905 335 LIFE (5433).
Remember that we are here to help families just like yours build healthy, vibrant and drug-free lives.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Appointment With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Chocolate Good For Your Heart
“Good News If You Have A Sweet Tooth”
A study published in the British Medical Journal, Aug.2011 shows that chocolate consumption significantly reduces cardiovascular disease risk factors, including coronary heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
The study conducted at the University of Cambridge in England, viewed seven independent studies of cocoa consumption among more than 10,000 participants.
The authors concluded that increased chocolate intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Those who ate the most chocolate were able to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 31 %, and stroke by 29 %.
This is because of the long known benefits of polyphenols found in chocolate and their ability to protect the heart from the build-up of atherosclerosis or plaques.
Certain dark chocolates provide some of the greatest sources of these healthy plant molecules in our diet.
The majority of the benefits of chocolate on heart disease are from special cocoa flavonoids which have been shown to clinically lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
The BMJ cautions however that commercially available chocolate products contain high levels of sugar and fat which can increase weight gain.
But there are cocoa products found at health food stores ( eg. Goodness Me ) which contain the health benefits of cocoa without the added sugars and fats.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Treating Childrens Sports Injuries
“Common Children Winter Sports Injuries Treated At Our Burlington Chiropractic Clinic”
Here is some very important information for parents who have children who participate in winter sports and the most common injury to look out for.
Now that there is increased awareness regarding head injuries and concussions with most kids now wearing protective head gear, the next most common area that is subject to frequent injuries in children is the lower back and tailbone.
There are several winter sports that can be potentially dangerous to the lower back and tailbone which include skiing, snow-boarding, hockey, figure skating, public skating, tobogganing and even curling.
[Flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/02.08.winter.sports.injuries.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/winter.sports.injuries.jpg width=500 height=299 /]
All of these pose the risk of injury to the lower back and tailbone especially if one falls directly on them.
As a parent, you need to understand that direct falls on the tailbone and lower back can alter the alignment of the pelvis.
It is very important that the pelvis is in perfect alignment because it is the foundation of the spine and the skeletal system.
If the pelvis is tipped or twisted or both due to a fall or repetitive falls, this can set the stage for conditions such as lower back pain, sciatic leg pains, spinal curvature (scoliosis) and even spinal degenerative disease.
These conditions are not always an immediate result of trauma to the lower back or tailbone, but if the misalignments to the pelvis are not corrected immediately, they eventually will be.
And, they can have a dramatic effect on one’s quality of life and their ability to participate effectively in sports.
In fact, I rarely see an adult with lower back problems who did not suffer some sort of trauma or trauma’s to their lower back and/or tailbone as a child.
So, if your child has fallen on the ice or snow and landed directly on their lower back or tailbone, a chiropractic check-up is essential.
If you do not have a family chiropractor, remember we are here to help in any way that we can. You can call our office for more information or you can always schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) and we have office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and most Saturday mornings.
Please call today.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Cell Phones Bad For Kids Health
“New Study Shows Cell Phones Exceed FCC Exposure Limits By As Much As Double For Kids”
A scholarly article on cell phone safety published recently in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine reports that cell phones used in the shirt or pants pocket exceed Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) guidelines and that children absorb TWICE as much radiation from phones as do adults.
The paper entitled “ Exposure limits: the underestimated exposure of cell phone radiation, especially children”, notes that the industry-designed process for evaluating microwave radiation from phones results in children absorbing twice the cellphone radiation in their heads, up to TRIPLE in their brain’s hippocampus and hypothalamus, greater absorption in their eyes and as much as 10 times more in their bone marrow when compared to adults.
The paper’s authors include three team members from the Environmental Health Trust: Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, Lloyd Morgan, Senior Science Fellow and Ronald B. Herberman, MD.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Children Recurring Coughs And Colds
“Does Your Child Constantly Taking Cold Remedies And Antibiotics For Recurring Coughs And Colds?”
Here is some very useful information for parents whose children are constantly requiring cold remedies and antibiotics for recurring coughs and colds.
One thing that you must understand as a parent is that it is not normal for your child, or anyone for that matter to be sick all the time with coughs and colds. Our bodies were designed to express health, not sickness and it really isn’t a good idea to be giving your child cold remedies and antibiotics on a regular basis.
These can be quite toxic and detrimental to the body in a variety of ways.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/01.31.2012.child.colds.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/child.recurring.cold_.jpg width=500 height=299 /]Frequent or recurring coughs and colds usually mean that your child has poor immune system function.
This can be the result of their immediate environment at home, or at school, their diet and especially if they have poor spinal alignment.
What many parents do not realize is that your spinal alignment has a direct impact on your immune function.
The immune system is under the direct control and influence of the nerve system and if the nerve system is compromised due to poor spinal alignment, so too will be the immune system.
A child’s body cannot defend itself properly against the germs that cause coughs and colds when their immune system is compromised.
In fact, nobody’s body can.
Now, if you need help getting your child healthy again, give us a call at 905 335 5433 to get more information or you can always schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.
We have office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and most Saturday mornings.
Remember we are here to help families like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Appointment With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Chiropractic Care And Pregnancy
“Benefits Of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy From Our Burlington Clinic”
Here is some very valuable information about the benefits of receiving chiropractic care during your pregnancy.
It is no secret for those of you who have already had children that pregnancy can be very stressful on the spine, especially during the 3rd and final trimester.
It is not uncommon for expecting mothers to experience lower back pain, sciatic leg pains, numbness in the thighs, heartburn, indigestion, headaches and swelling in the hands and feet just to mention a few of the more common symptoms associated with pregnancy.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/01.25.2012.chiropractic.care.pregnancy.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chiropractic.care_.pregnancy.jpg width=500 height=299 /]These symptoms usually arise from the extreme changes in spinal posture and pinched nerves that result from carrying a heavy load out front in the lower abdomen where the baby lies.
Because chiropractic deals specifically with spinal posture and pinched nerves, our treatments have offered expecting mothers a great deal of relief from these uncomfortable and annoying symptoms.
In fact, it is not unusual for mothers who received regular chiropractic care throughout the entire term of their pregnancy to report having a quick and easy delivery.
This means no forceps deliveries, no vacuum-assisted deliveries and no c-sections all of which can cause potential complications for both mother and child.
So, if you are expecting a child or you are in the planning stages of having a family, and you would like to find out how chiropractic care can help, please call 905 335 5433 for more information, or you can always schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.
Our treatments are safe, totally natural and it would be well worth your while to take the time to learn how chiropractic can benefit the pregnant mother.
Remember that we are here to help in any way that we can.
Please call today.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Digestive Upset In Babies
“Treating Digestive Upset, Splitting Up, And Fussiness In New Born Babies At Our Burlington Clinic”
Here is some very useful information for parents who have noticed that their newborn is a fussy eater or often times spits up after feeding.
This problem may be due to something in the mother’s diet if she is breast-feeding that may be causing digestive upset in the baby.
The problem foods can usually be identified by eliminating certain food groups in the mother’s diet & I would start by first eliminating spicy foods, then fried foods, then all dairy products & then raw vegetables.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/01.17.2012.fussy.eater.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/fussy.eater_.jpg width=500 height=299 /]These foods have been known to make for unfavourable breast-milk which often times does not agree with little stomachs.
If this does not solve the problem for you, then there is most likely a spinal issue.
The baby may have a pinched nerve in their neck which will not allow them to get comfortable when breast-feeding.
How you will know this is that the baby will choose to breast-feed on the same side all the time.
Or, they may have a pinched nerve a little lower down in their mid-back which will affect the nerves to their digestive system.
Now, you may be wondering how new-borns can get pinched nerves but it often does happen as a result of the birth process which is a physically stressful event for the mother & especially for the baby.
How chiropractic can help is by gently treating the spine to eliminate the pinched nerves which will allow for more comfortable feeding & better digestion overall.
I have been in practice for over 25 years & it has been my clinical experience that chiropractic care can be of a huge benefit for baby’s who are fussy eaters or have digestive upset.
So, if you are looking for a solution for your baby, why don’t you call our office to make an appointment for a free initial consultation where we can discuss this in more detail.
We have office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & most Saturday mornings. Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) & we would welcome the opportunity to help you & your family.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic