Ricky – Vital Life Chiropractic

Can Chiropractic help with Energy?

Burnout, exhaustion, fatigue. We hear these words all the time in our busy, bustling society. The body is a machine, and when the body does not function properly, it can affect how we are able to live our lives. We can often feel tired or overwhelmed, but when our body is stretched to it’s limit, we can because exhausted, and exhaustion can wear on the body’s overall health. Many people seek out ways to help manage their energy levels such as drinking a caffeinated drink, or making sure their bodies are well fed with fuel, but what causes this fatigue and what are the best ways to combat it?

Understanding Fatigue

Fatigue is defined as extreme tiredness or weariness resulting from mental or physical exertion. This can make a person feel weak and sluggish and can cause them to struggle to complete their daily tasks. Over time, constant fatigue can have a wear not just on the body but on the mind as well, causing problem solving and critical thinking to become more difficult. If you have ever lost a night of sleep, you know that the next day you feel groggy and the easiest assignment can feel like climbing a mountain

Fatigue can be caused by a multitude of reasons. Often times it can be traced back to a lifestyle habit such as poor sleep habits or lack of exercise; sometimes fatigue can be a symptom of depression. Unrelenting fatigue can even be a symptom of a deeper issue. Fatigue is a common symptom of sleep apnea, and can also be a sign of physical stress and mental stress.

Studies have shown that sleep deprivation and the fatigue that accompanies it produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. So if […]

Chiropractic and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Chiropractic and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

What is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome?

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) are a group of rare inherited connective tissue disorders. The most common symptoms include:

Joint hypermobility.
Stretchy skin.
Fragile skin that breaks or bruises easily.

EDS can affect people in different ways. For some, the condition is relatively mild, while for others their symptoms can be disabling.

Can I be adjusted safely if I have EDS?

This tends to be the most important question for new practice members who are coming in with a diagnosis of EDS. When it comes to getting adjusted with EDS, it is safe to receive chiropractic care, but you’ll want to let your chiropractor know of your diagnosis in case they want to modify the way they adjust you based on your diagnosis and symptoms.

What type of chiropractic technique should I try?

In our experience, if your EDS symptoms are moderate to severe, you will want to receive chiropractic care that involves a technique that uses less force. For example, you may want to avoid manual adjustments and instead try instrument-assisted adjustments. In our office we use a chiropractic technique (Torque Release Technique) which uses a gentle, specific, and effective tool to deliver adjustments.

What are the benefits of receiving chiropractic care while having EDS?

As mentioned, one of the most common symptoms for people with EDS is hypermobility of the joints. This not only means that a person with EDS has a higher likelihood of dislocating joints, it also means that the effects of everyday life can take a bigger toll on an EDS patient’s spine […]

Why Should We All Assess the Health of Our Nervous System?

Why Should We All Assess the Health of Our Nervous System?

How much do you know about the nervous system? You probably know that it includes our nerves, brain and spinal cord, and you also probably know that pinched nerves are not fun. Other than that, most people aren’t aware of the function of the nervous system and the huge role that it plays in our body and health!

The Nervous System in a Nutshell:

The nervous system consists of the brain in our skull, the spinal cord that is housed in our vertebral column, and the complex branching of nerves that go to all the tissues and organs in our body: from the skin in our scalp to the tips of our toes! And truth be told the nervous system is way more complex because it can be further divided into the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, the somatic nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, cranial nerves, and much more, but this is all beyond the scope of today’s goal!

The nervous system’s job is to work as a messenger in your body through electrical impulses. Through these messages, the nervous system allows you to have voluntary control of your body. For example, it allows you to move your body however you want, to sing, to dance, to do sports. It also allows you to control your breathing, for example it allows you to take a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and to hold your breath if you so desire it. The thing is that the nervous system also does so much more than this!

Also, the nervous system controls all of the things that we do involuntarily. It keeps us breathing when we’re asleep, it coordinates metabolic processes such as our digestion and blood pressure. Did you know the […]

Can Chiropractic Help With Fibromyalgia?

Can Chiropractic Help With Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition characterized by widespread pain throughout the body. It affects twice as many women than men and it affects about 2% of the population or 4 million adults in the United States. Fibromyalgia can also be flared up by illnesses, physical trauma or emotional stress. According to the CDC, fibromyalgia symptoms can include:

Musculoskeletal pain and stiffness, often through the entire body.
Fatigue and tiredness.
Depression and anxiety.
Sleep issues.
Memory, thinking or concentration issues.
Tension headaches or migraines.
Digestive issues (i.e. irritable bowel syndrome)
Pain in the face or jaw.
Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

The cause behind fibromyalgia is still uncertain, but the most researched theory behind fibromyalgia pain is that at some point in a person’s life, their nervous system changes in a way that this person experiences an increased sensitivity to pain. This can happen numerous ways, such as:

One can have increased levels of chemicals that signal pain, resulting in inaccurate pain signals.
Pain receptors develop a memory where they overreact to both painful and non-painful
stimuli.

How can Chiropractic Treatment Help?

The nervous system coordinates and regulates the function of every tissue, organ and system in your body. As we saw, in the case of fibromyalgia patients, there’s an issue in the functioning of the nervous system that affects how your brain processes pain signals.

Chiropractic treatments are all about optimizing the communication of your nervous system. The aim is to correct vertebral misalignments that put pressure on the nerves that relay information to and from the brain. By removing this nerve interference, chiropractic adjustments can improve the functioning of your nervous system which in turn can help support people suffering from fibromyalgia. By restoring structural integrity, chiropractic care can also help to alleviate pain, […]

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