Chiropractic Research
Read the latest news and research on how chiropractic care can benefit you and your family!
Can Chiropractic Care Help Incontinence?
The bladder serves a specific function for the body, and when it doesn’t work properly, it can lead to urine leakage due to lack of sphincter control, also known as incontinence. On average, one-fourth of Americans today report suffering from urinary incontinence, and it affects both men and women. While many think that this problem only occurs in older women, it actually affects both men and women between the ages of 30 to 60, as well as those older than 60. Women in the younger age range report instances of incontinence more often, at 30 percent, while less than 5 percent of men in this age range report experiencing incontinence. Health factors such as obesity, smoking, diabetes, kidney disease, multiple pregnancies, or prostate problems can contribute to bladder leakage. There are many methods available to you to control or correct incontinence, but you may also be surprised to know that chiropractic care can alleviate the problem of incontinence. Methods for Correcting Incontinence To correct incontinence, some people can simply change certain behaviors in order to improve bladder function. For instance, monitoring and limiting how much you drink at one time can help control how full your bladder gets. Bladder [...]
The Importance of Proper Spinal Curves
It is no secret that chiropractic care is used to treat all kinds of ailments beyond just the spine and musculoskeletal system. But many people seek chiropractors primarily for the treatment of back or neck pain or various spinal disorders such as scoliosis (C- or S-shaped spinal curve), lordosis (curved lower back), or kyphosis (abnormally rounded upper back). However, very few people are aware that a healthy adult spine, running from the base of the skull to the pelvis, when viewed from the side should have a gentle S-shaped curve. The neck and lower back regions are concave and the thoracic and sacral regions have a convex curve. The spine is basically a series of bones stacked with cushions to absorb shock, and its main function is to support body weight and protect the spinal cord. Due to this incredibly important job, it is very important to keep the spine strong and in proper alignment, both retaining necessary spinal curves and avoiding abnormal spinal curves. Spinal Curves Dictate Proper Posture Spinal curves are responsible for accurate posture while standing and sitting. Ideal spinal curve prevents the onset of any spinal curve disorders and also improves balance, stabilizes muscle, improves muscle [...]
National Infertility Awareness Week & How Chiropractic Can Help with Infertility
April 22nd to 28th is National Infertility Awareness Week. The week was instituted by a group called Resolve. This group is part of the National Infertility Association and they strive to help those struggling with infertility by providing access to care, support, community, and education. As part of our contribution to National Infertility Awareness Week, we here at Vital Life Chiropractic want to share our knowledge about the experience some women have had overcoming infertility through chiropractic care. Who Struggles with Infertility? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just older women who struggle with infertility. Women and men of all ages can face infertility, which is simply the inability to get or stay pregnant. About 10% of women in the US between ages 15 and 44 face infertility, a diagnosis that is given only after one full calendar year of actively trying to conceive with no viable pregnancies resulting. Men alone contribute to about one third of infertility issues, while women alone contribute to about one third, and the remaining one third of infertility cases can be attributed to both men and women with infertility. What Are the Common Treatments for Infertility? Most medications that are prescribed for infertility are [...]
New Study Finds That Birth Interventions Are Linked to Short- and Long-Term Health Concerns in Babies & Children
A new study out of Australia reports that children born with medical interventions are more likely to have short- and long-term health issues. A group of international researchers teamed up with researchers from Western Sydney University, and they looked at a number of interventions during labor and delivery and the effect they had on babies in the first 28 days, as well as the effect they had on children up to 5 years of age. The study looked at 500,000 women who had healthy, low-risk pregnancies and gave birth from 2000 to 2008. The medical interventions that were studied include induced labor, hormones to speed up labor, delivery by vacuum or forceps, and delivery by Cesarean section. The babies who were born with one of these interventions experienced more jaundice and feeding problems in the first 28 days than babies who were born through a spontaneous vaginal delivery. Additionally, C-section deliveries left babies with more low temperatures that required more medical intervention. Some of these short-term risks were already well-known, and these are the concerns that parents are informed about when weighing the risk and reward of the intervention during labor and delivery. However, parents are not made aware of [...]
Can Chiropractic Help My Anxiety?
With more than 18% of the adult population suffering from some sort of anxiety disorder, anxiety is ravaging the US population. Even though anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and other mental disorders can lead to a variety of other health problems and dangerous behaviors, only about a third of those with anxiety disorders are seeking some sort of treatment for their anxiety. Most commonly, anxiety treatment includes some sort of medication and maybe counseling or talk therapy. But one main reason so few people utilize anxiety treatment is because of the risks that come with the medications. Nausea, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, memory problems, blurred vision, dry mouth, weight gain, fatigue… the list of anxiety medication side effects goes on and on. Living with untreated anxiety is not an option for some people and those side effects don’t seem worth it, so what are you supposed to do? Hormonal Balance Is Key The entire body is controlled by the central nervous system. One of the primary functions of that system is to produce, regulate, and utilize hormones in our bodies. All of our hormones work together to influence our sleeping patterns, changes in mood, and weight loss or gain, and they help [...]
The Positive Effects of Chiropractic Care on Blood Pressure
Nearly one third of the US population has high blood pressure, and nearly half a million deaths are linked to high blood pressure each year. It is also a contributing factor in a number of very serious health conditions, including stroke and heart disease. Blood pressure is simply the force of the blood pushing against the blood vessel walls. Your body needs oxygenated blood to flow throughout your circulatory system to make your organs function properly. Blood pressure is taken by looking at two numbers, the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is the top number and is the force that occurs when the heart pumps blood into the arteries. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, which is the force created by the heart resting between beats. A normal blood pressure is below 120/80, an elevated blood pressure is 120-129/80, and anything above that is considered high blood pressure. There are a number of risk factors associated with high blood pressure, most of which are controllable. Obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and high-stress levels all make a person more likely to develop high blood pressure, or hypertension. High blood pressure can, over time, lead to tears in [...]
How Can I Find Relief from Allergies?
Coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, itchy throat… allergy season in Georgia is in full swing! Even though it’s early March and the temperatures are still cold, seasonal allergies are starting to take effect, and allergy sufferers are starting to avoid the outdoors and carry tissues around with them constantly. Seasonal allergies are one of the biggest health complaints for people across the US, and even more so in the South. Not much is known about what causes allergies, but since not everyone experiences them, it’s clear that they result as some sort of miscommunication between the brain and the body. Some studies have linked allergies and stress, while others simply cite genetics as a reason for most allergies. While seasonal allergies are the most common, many people also have allergies to various foods, medication, or substances. These types of allergies are generally more severe, with reactions including hives, wheezing, itchy skin, and even anaphylaxis. The way that our body responds to anything we’re allergic to is similar, whether it’s a medication or a food, and the main difference is simply in the severity and manifestation of reactions. Immune System Dysfunction When your immune system decides that a particular thing is harmful [...]
Chronic Back Pain Doesn’t Have to Be Your “Normal” Anymore
Just about everyone has experienced back pain at some point. It may be a minor ache, a stabbing sensation when you move a certain way, or a severe radiating pain that has kept you bedridden for days or weeks. Pain in any area of the back is an indication that something is amiss, but a lack of pain doesn’t mean that everything is perfectly fine. Some people with severe scoliosis have reported little to no back pain, while those with only one minor subluxation (spinal misalignment) have been in debilitating pain. Back pain is one of the main reasons people begin seeing a chiropractor, and although it’s unpleasant, back pain is a great tool for getting you in the door of your Lithia Springs chiropractor’s office and getting you on the road to better health and a better life. Back Pain Can Be an Indication of Something More Back pain is usually the result of a subluxation, or a misalignment of the spine. When one vertebra is twisted or pushed to one side, the muscles have to make up for the lack of balance, and that often results in sore back muscles. A minor subluxation can easily be corrected with [...]
Diabetes Prevention and Management with Chiropractic Care
Diabetes finds its root cause in the pancreas, the organ that creates insulin and helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Insulin signals the body to absorb the glucose found in food to convert it into energy. Without it, blood sugar levels can become dangerously high and a variety of problems can result. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to create any insulin or enough insulin to function properly. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body simply responds incorrectly to insulin. Nearly 10% of the US population has diabetes, and another third of the population has prediabetes. Medical costs for those with diabetes are nearly twice as much as those without diabetes, and those with diabetes can expect to live between 10 and 20 years less than someone without diabetes. How Do We Fight Diabetes? So what do we do? As Americans, as children of aging parents, as parents of growing children… how do we fight this rampant, widespread disease? We begin by taking steps to improve overall health. The two most significant risk factors of type 2 diabetes (the most common variation) include being overweight and being inactive. We can start by encouraging our family and [...]
Migraines & Chiropractic
Most people know that chiropractic care can help relieve back and neck pain, as well as other musculoskeletal discomfort. But did you also know that it can help relieve headaches, sometimes even instantly after an adjustment? Not only that, but consistent chiropractic care can reduce the severity and frequency of the mother of all headaches: migraines. Many individuals under chiropractic care even report complete cessation of migraines! Migraine Medication Only Covers Up Symptoms The most common treatment for migraines includes medication and rest. Most migraine sufferers report that being in a dark and quiet room helps to alleviate their migraine symptoms—or at least it doesn’t make them worse. While medication can get you through a particularly terrible migraine and help you fulfill your daily responsibilities, it does not provide a long-term solution. First off, it doesn’t really treat the actual issue—the thing that is causing the migraine. It simply is covering up the symptoms, which is great short-term, but won’t result in relief over an extended period of time. While triggers for migraines may be different for everyone, most migraine sufferers have one thing in common: spinal subluxations. Chiropractic Is the Best Option for Migraine Relief A subluxation is a [...]