As the world emerges from its winter hibernation and embraces the life and beauty that is spring, many people sequester themselves away in their climate controlled environments (home, work, etc.).  Why is it that when Nature puts on such a glorious display so many people shy away from it?  Unfortunately, allergies are the offending culprits that keep so many people from enjoying the beauty in green.

We see their affects, but what exactly are allergies?  Allergies are the immune system’s response to unfamiliar and unwanted stimuli in the body.  When your body is attacked from within by viruses or bacteria, your immune system releases antibodies to fight it.  When your body is attacked from within by pollen, grasses, pets, etc., your immune system releases histamine to fight it.  Allergic reactions are the result of your immune system overreacting to an unwanted or unfamiliar stimuli.

So what can chiropractic do for allergies?  After all, don’t chiropractors focus on spinal health?  It is true that chiropractic activities deal mainly with corrections specifically in spinal alignment.  However, that does not mean that the scope of chiropractic work is limited to the realm of spinal difficulties.

Chiropractors seek to improve a patient’s overall health by providing a healthy support system for the body.  The spinal column is foundational to the very structure of the body.  Without the spinal column, the body would be limited in its ability to stand, move, or even perform general functions.

Spinal alignment can even impact your body’s immune system.  Your body’s immune system is driven by your nervous system and your hormones.  Both of these things rely heavily upon the spinal system for communication with the rest of the body.  Your nerves run right through the spinal column, so if the spine is compromised, so is your nervous system, and therefore so is your immune system.  Chiropractic care can help treat your allergies by helping your body run at its greatest potential efficiency.

The first year of life is one of growth and change. Every day is something new. And every visit to the doctor’s office means a new vaccination. But should you get them? Are they safe?

Unless you have done a lot of research on the topic, you might not even question the need for vaccines. When you have a baby, the vaccines begin, and you go with the flow. There is so much change in your life, its easy just to take the advice of your pediatrician.

You know that vaccinations are normally required to attend school. You know that vaccinations are designed to prevent your child from contracting illnesses that could be life threatening. What you may not know is whether childhood vaccines are a good thing or not.

And increasingly, more evidence is coming through every day that questions the need for vaccines.

Childhood vaccines are supposed to rid the world of certain illnesses that can be dangerous to babies and small children. These illnesses include smallpox, polio, scarlet fever, whooping cough, and many others.

While vaccines seem to coordinate with the decline of the disease, the truth is that many illnesses were already declining before the utilization of childhood vaccines. Even polio declined in areas like Europe where the use of the polio vaccines was not as widespread.

There are also health risks involved with the use of childhood vaccines. These health risks include dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, allergies, and even a risk of possible brain damage – all from making sure your child receives his shots.

There is even a possible link between the use of childhood vaccines and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). In 1975, Japan raised the age for vaccinations from two months to two years – and SIDS practically disappeared. When Australia decided mandatory vaccines were not required, about 50 percent of families did not vaccinate their kids – and the SIDS rate dropped by about 50 percent.

As a parent, it is up to you to decide if the risk of a damaging health problem is worth the benefit of the vaccine – especially when you consider that many children do not receive vaccines and, yet, they remain healthy. Take your research farther by utilizing the internet and the library to make an informed decision for your child. Or talk with your chiropractor. Living healthy doesn’t always mean doing things the same way its been done in the past.

The stress builds. The headache begins. And depending on the severity of it, you may experience anywhere from a dull, throbbing sensation all the way up to debilitating pain and nausea.

Over 90 percent of all Americans experience headaches. Some are occasional. Some frequent. And if you’ve ever had one, you know how they can make your day that much worse.

Yet for most, its simply a matter of popping a couple of pills and going on your way. Who can let a headache hold you back from you busy life?

Have you ever thought of what is causing your headache? And if there is a way to make them go away for good?

Its called chiropractic.

Chiropractic care involves spinal manipulation, and makes small adjustments to areas of your spine that may be out of adjustment.

Headaches have a variety of triggers. They can be from environmental stimuli, such as noises, lights, and stress. They can be from lifestyle choices, such as diet, sleep patterns and exercise.

Yet almost all headaches – up to 95 percent of them – are not caused by disease; they are associated with the tension residing in your neck. And our inactive lifestyles are playing an active role.

For instance, when you sit for long periods in front of a computer, tension can build. Your posture may be incorrect. You may irritate a joint or muscle that already is stressed. As as the tension increases, your headache begins.

Your chiropractor will perform spinal manipulation – an adjustment – to improve the spinal function and alleviate stress currently in place within your system. And when performed on a regular basis, will not only help you manage your headaches, but may help you improve your overall health as well.

From there, it may be little things that help. A new chair at your desk. A different posture as you type. An improvement in your diet or a change in the supplements you take.

With just a few small changes, you’ll notice the difference.

When is it too early to introduce your kids to chiropractic care? Never.

Even birth can cause severe trauma to a newborn. Chiropractic care isn’t about curing an ailment or improving a condition that has existed for awhile. Instead, chiropractic care goes to the root of the problem, and works to improve the health of the nervous system by removing and irritants at the core of your body – your spine.

Chiropractic care for kids can include many things, including:

• Colic

• Poor sleeping patterns

• Nursing problems

• Spitting up or reflux

• Digestion

• Constipation

• Ear infections

• Asthma

• Growing pains

• ADD/ADHD

• Bed wetting

• Incontinence

• Learning disabilities

If you’ve ever had chiropractic care as an adult, you know it can help you live a more healthy lifestyle. It can help you feel better when you move from activity to activity, whether it’s a weekend of skiing or a week in front of the computer.

The same advice applies to your kids.

Chiropractic care helps adjust your child back into alignment, giving them the ability to move about their days in a healthy way.

Chronic pain can come in many shapes and forms. You might find yourself suffering with chronic pain in your arm or your leg. You might find yourself dealing with painful headaches on a daily basis. Your feet might constantly be in pain or your shoulder might feel like it is on fire.

Chronic pain is pain that will not go away, even when it is treated with medication. If you suffer from chronic pain, you have probably paid a visit to your doctor. He or she may have ordered more tests or prescribed medication.

In a perfect world, the tests would reveal a problem that is easy to fix. Or, the medication would work right away, giving you the pain-free life you need. However, we do not live in a perfect world – in many cases of chronic pain, tests and medications do not work. They do not work because your doctor is only focused on the site of the pain. Chronic pain may only rear its ugly head in one area of your body – but that does not mean the root of the pain is in the same area.

The truth is that chronic pain can be a sign of a spinal problem – one that might be corrected with chiropractic treatment. Pain in your legs or arms may be linked to a spine in need of adjustment. Headaches may be linked to a neck in need of adjustment. The spine is a crucial element of the body – if something is not right with your spine, it can lead to pain in other parts of your body.

If you suffer from chronic pain and your doctor cannot find the source, consider a visit to the chiropractor. For many sufferers of chronic pain, relief is felt in just a few treatments. Your chiropractor will help you pinpoint the source of your pain and help you map out a treatment plan. You deserve to live a life free of pain – and your chiropractor may be able to help.

In a perfect world, we would all live healthy lives. Unfortunately, from the time we are born, the elements around us begin taking their toll. And whether its little things like tripping on the sidewalk as we’re walking out to the car, or major things like a severe car accident, all of it impacts our health.

Every day our bodies experience a certain amount of stress. Stress can make the muscles and ligaments in your neck tighten up and lock down, placing even more stress upon the spinal column. And when you’re out of adjustment, everything in your body has to work a bit harder to overcompensate for the problem areas.

While there are many things that can leave your upper cervical out of adjustment, here is a list of the top items you may be doing every day.

1. Sleep on your stomach.

2. Sleep on your side without the proper pillow for support.

3. Falling asleep on the couch or chair.

4. Reading in bed with your head tilted to look down at the book.

5. Stretching your head by rolling it in big circles, side to side.

6. Staring at a computer screen hours each day.

7. Gripping a phone between your ear and your shoulder.

8. Having a small child climb and wiggle in your arms.

9. Flipping your hair to keep it out of your eyes.

10. A car accident of 5 miles per hour or greater.

11. Playing volleyball, soccer, basketball or any other type of recreational sport with your friends.

12. Lifting weights the wrong way.

13. Doing a yoga pose incorrectly.

14. Falling off your bike.

15. Mountain biking.

16. Skiing.

17. Popping your own neck for adjustment.

18. Having someone else pop your neck for adjustment.

19. Using your smart phone for texting all day long.

20. Doing one activity for long periods of time.

Do any of these sound familiar?

The easiest way to stay healthy and avoid the stress down the road is to be proactive and start upper cervical adjustments today. Are you ready for your adjustment?

If you have been experiencing back pain, neck pain or even pain in your arms and legs, you may have a herniated disc. Herniated disks can happen without warning – for example, if you have been in a car wreck or suffered a slip and fall. Herniated discs can also develop over an extended period of time due to bad posture, imbalanced hormones or even because of a genetic pre-disposition.

But what is a herniated disc? Can you self diagnose? And once you know you have a herniated disc, what are your options?

Your spinal column contains vertebrae and spinal discs. The spinal discs act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae. The discs contain a soft center. If this soft center ruptures or bulges through the wall of the disc, you have a herniated disc.

There are actually many terms for these kinds of injuries, including herniated disc, slipped disk, ruptured disk, and bulging disk. The bottom line: one or more of your spinal discs is damaged.

When a spinal disc is herniated, you can have various pain problems. In some cases, a nerve gets pinched, causing arm and leg pain. While many herniated discs are minor enough that they heal on their own, some people face chronic back and neck pain. If the herniated disc is quite severe, your doctor may advise you to consider surgery. Yet you can also look for non-surgical treatments, including chiropractic care and decompression of the disc.

Your chiropractor will start with an overview of your health and will look for several things.

Are your reflexes intact?

Is there loss of muscle strength?

Is there loss of sensation along the nerve path?

He will also look carefully at your posture, using x-rays as necessary to pinpoint the exact problem.

For most patients, disc injuries are related to a herniated disc, and your chiropractor can provide various treatment options and adjustments to relieve your pain and other symptoms.

For a few, your disc injury may be so severe its beyond the help of your chiropractor. If you are experiencing loss of strength, sensation, reflexes or other unusual findings, a spine surgeon may be more appropriate.

In either case, the key to relief is getting in and finding a solution that works for you as quickly as possible.

In today’s world, different viewpoints on medicine are abundant. Some stick with western ideas and will only visit traditional doctors. Yet when that doesn’t work, where do you turn?

One concept that is growing in acceptance is the idea of wellness medicine instead of focusing in on the problem after it occurs. Through wellness medicine, the focus is put on keeping you healthy instead of finding a problem that has already occurred. And as we begin focusing more on healthy living, the practice of chiropractic is becoming more popular.

If you live in the South Denver suburb of Centennial, its important that you find a chiropractor close by. Chiropractic is different than a traditional doctor you may only visit once per year. Chiropractic relies on adjustments, and in many cases you will visit your chiropractor on a regular basis for adjustments. Being close by ensures you will stick with your schedule.

Many things have changed in recent years that is making chiropractic more acceptable. Chiropractic services can’t be administered by just anyone willing to “crack your back”. Chiropractors are full fledged doctors and have the degrees to prove it. They complete undergraduate work, medical school with chiropractic specialty, and are licensed to take and read x-rays as well.

Chiropractors usually take one of two approaches. Some focus on “pain” and specialize in acute or immediate care. Others specialize on “lifestyle” and offer health plans to keep you healthy and out of the traditional doctors offices.

Chiropractic is not something you seek out when you have a problem. Instead, chiropractic should be something you seek out to stay well. With regular adjustments, you can correct “problems” that may not have surfaced yet, and in general improve your overall health. Chiropractic care has the belief that our bodies were made to work in certain ways. Subluxations or spinal misalignment prevents the body from working at its optimum level. Through regular adjustments, your body will stay on track, meaning you can avoid the traditional “problems” that send most people into the health care system, over-medicating them along the way.

If you are in Centennial, Colorado and are looking at changing the way you approach your health, Dr Jason Watts with Watts Chiropractic may be your solution. Contact us today.

When it comes to chiropractic care, you probably imagine a chiropractor adjusting the bones of your back and sending you on your way. While this is true, in a sense, the truth is that chiropractic care goes much deeper than just minor adjustments for immediate pain relief. While chiropractic care does provide pain relief, it also prevents pain from ever surfacing. It is a form of care that, when utilized on a regular basis, can become a core part of your overall health.

Upper cervical chiropractic care focuses on the upper part of the spinal column, known as the upper cervical spine. While this is not a large section of your spinal column, it is a very important section because it is the area that supports your head. The first cervical vertebra is known as the Atlas and the second cervical vertebra is known as the Axis. When this area of the spinal column is misaligned, it can lead to a number of health issues, including pain in the neck, back, shoulder, leg, and foot.

The misalignment causes tension and irritation near the brain stem. This can lead to elevated blood pressure, digestive problems, allergies, and headaches. When the cervical spine is out of alignment, it leads to a condition known as vertebral subluxation, which can have lasting effects on your body and overall health. Seeking treatment from a chiropractor can alleviate this condition and reduce the health impact. Your chiropractor can make adjustments to your cervical spine, which will help to get the vertebrae back in alignment. Once the vertebrae are aligned, you will begin to notice a decrease of the symptoms.

When used in combination with an overall health plan, cervical chiropractic care can help to ensure that you lead a long, healthy and pain-free life. If you are ever in doubt about particular ailments, consider talking not only to your physician, but also to your chiropractor. Your cervical spine could be out of alignment and you may need chiropractic care.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that is becoming more common everyday, especially in women aged 50 and older. Statistics show that women suffer three times more then men, and those under the age of 30 account for less than 10 percent.

In order to treat CTS, finding the root cause would seem like the optimal place to start. Yet even doctors and health experts admit to having no way of pinpointing what causes this condition to arise. Researchers are looking into many different areas, including genetic predisposition, direct injury, diabetes or hypothyroidism.

With no “magic cure”, the best place to start is by taking steps to prevent it as soon as the first symptoms are visible. Mild pain around the carpal tunnel, numbing or tingling sensation around the thumb and fingers, burning sensations, weakness, loss of griping strength, and swelling on the hand or wrist can all be symptoms.

Instead of relying on “pills” or surgery, many people are now looking for alternatives, and the best place to start is with chiropractic. New chiropractic methods have been introduced over the last few years that are proving to be highly effective in eliminating the symptoms associated with CTS.

Chiropractic focuses on adjusting your spine and bringing you back to a state of natural health. If your body isn’t performing at its optimal level, every part may suffer in the process. Adjustments will be made to your spine, wrists, elbows and even shoulder areas to help alleviate the joint pain and control numbness.

If you think you have the first symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, don’t wait for them to get stronger and more painful. Do something today; make your appointment to find out how chiropractic can make a difference in your life.