Low Force Techniques: Another Chiropractic Approach To Healing

Chiropractic techniques of healing the body, especially the neck and back areas, are a known alternative. These do not involve the intake of drugs and certain medicines and do not require the patients to undergo surgery. These only involve realigning the spine in order to restore fluid movement. The most that patients feel when undergoing this procedure is the natural cracking of the discs. These are the perfect alternatives to achieving relief from discomforts associated with spinal and disc conditions. However, for those who do not feel comfortable with the cracking sound, low force techniques are the answer.

Low force techniques do not involve cracking and twisting the spine. There are also two techniques under thesethe Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) and the Activator Method. Dr. DeJarnette created the SOT as a low force technique. Under this technique, the patient is examined for any one of the three distortions. When this has been done, adjustments are applied either in the prone or supine position by putting blocks under the two sides of the pelvis.

When the adjustments are to be done on the neck area, the strokes should be gentle and more focused on the proper function of the vertebrae in units. The reward here is felt when the motion of the neck is returned to normal. This type of low force technique does not work against the body but rather works with it and gravity is used to create a balanced foundation. Since many lower back pains originate in the pelvis, this type of back pain responds pretty well with this chiropractic technique.

Children greatly benefit from this technique, as they do not usually like to be applied with forceful adjustments.The activator method, on the other hand, is another technique, which makes use of a spring load tool. The evaluation is also done in the prone position or face down position. This is to enable the chiropractic to identify the misaligned vertebrae, which cause the pain and malfunction. While the patient relaxingly stays in this position, adjustments using small movements provide the relief. This technique combines and applies the different developments in orthopedic, chiropractic, and neurological examinations.

Aside from providing relief to back pains, the activator method can also be used to identify inequalities in the length of legs as well as other issues in the bodys mechanism. Low force techniques are another means of providing natural cure to ones health.

Kids' Sugary Drink Intake Drops When Calorie Data Is Displayed

When calorie data on sugary drinks is displayed in convenience stores, teenagers buy fewer of them, especially African-Americans and children from lower-income neighborhoods, researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reported in the American Journal of Public Health (11.15.2011).

Sara Bleich, PhD. and team set out to determine how three ways of providing teenagers with calorie data might impact on their purchasing and consumption of sugary drinks. They placed three kinds of different posters:

Calorie poster - one said that a fruit drink has 250 calories

Percentage of daily intake poster - it said that the fruit drink had 10% of their daily recommended calorie need

Physical activity poster - this one informed that they would need to run for 50 minutes in order to use up the calories contained in a fruit drink or soda

The authors found that purchases of sugary drinks dropped by approximately 40% if posters were displayed compared to providing no information at all.

The physical activity poster had the greatest impact - this reduced sugar-sweetened drink purchases by 50%.

The authors informed that their study is unique in comparing how different types of posters influence teenagers' purchasing habits.

A Holistic Approach To Inflammation

Inflammation is one of the ways the body responds to stress. Stress to the body can come in different forms such as an illness or a physical injury. While inflammation can be helpful initially, too much of it is not good for the body. For example when you have a cold, your body may respond initially with inflammation in the form of a fever. This can help to kill the virus, but then the inflammation should go away. If the body is constantly stressed and there is continuous inflammation, this can take a toll on the body over time.

After a period of time, the body may develop chronic inflammation. This is commonly associated with numerous health problems. Chronic low grade inflammation is known to be linked to disease and premature aging. There are several diseases with inflammation including arthritis, asthma, infection, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and cancer to name a few of them.

If you have any one of these diseases, you are likely to have accompanied inflammation. Inflammation can cause free radicals which cause cell destruction and other problems in the body. If you want to have better health, a good strategy is to minimize inflammation. Decreasing inflammation has been shown to help lower the effects of disease and improve function in the body.

There are several different methods to reduce inflammation in the body. Some methods are more invasive including medication or even surgery. These methods often carry side effects that can lead to other health problems. It is wise to seek natural and holistic methods to deal with inflammation that support the body's ability to heal itself. Simple methods to improve inflammation include getting proper rest and plenty of exercise.

There are certain foods that we can consume that effectively reduce inflammation in the body. It is also important to control our caloric intake to avoid weight gain. Maintaining a healthy weight can help avoid inflammation. Eating processed foods, red meat and junk food are likely to cause more inflammation and should be avoided. It is also good to avoid refined flours and eat whole grains instead which help reduce inflammation. They also are better to maintain a healthy weight instead of refined flours which are easily converted into fat in the body. You should also avoid sugar, candy and desserts.

It may seem easier to eat processed foods and junk food in the beginning, but continuing this lifestyle can lead to disaster in the end. Developing a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will help to minimize inflammation and keep your body healthier.

How Ayurveda can Help by Reducing Constant Stress?

In the very recent times it has been noted that people at every corner of the globe are falling victims to stress. Stress is now the global disease that beckons several other deadly ailments. In both developed and under developed countries more and more people fall victim to stress related problems. Recent researches have proved that most of the common ailments of the modern period are related with constant stress. Ayurveda, the age old medical system can throw light on this aspect and widen the avenue to better health without stress.

Stress causes the secretion of some hormones especially adrenaline and nor epinephrine which associated with different stress hormones like the cortisol and cortisone raise blood pressure, heart rate, sluggish metabolism rate and trigger blood glucose level. Stress is the root cause of constriction of the vessels of blood and lowers the blood clotting time. Stress is also responsible for premature ageing. If a man is a victim of constant stress his life span is sure to be shortened. There are genetic factors that cause the stress related problems too.

There are so many medicines in psychiatry to combat stress, but if taken regularly they can be habit forming and it is very hard to come out of the grip of these drugs. But to some extent counseling, bio-feedback techniques, hypnosis are worthy of mention. But it has been assessed that so long an inflicted person can not come out from the deep cavern of stress and strains he can never be relieved totally. Ayurveda has come forward with the aid. The system of holistic medicine refers to some yogic exercises and deep breathings along with some herbal medicines that can bring drastic change to the life of the stress-victim.

It has been observed that the breathing pattern of the stress inflicted person is very shallow and fast. Deep breathings can offer him immediate relief. Meditation takes the vital role by alleviating the stress related problems. The yogic asana, pranayama and meditation bring a tranquil effect on the mind and help the inflicted person to combat stress. There are different massages in Ayurveda along with the herbs to cool down the nervous system and the mixture of Ayurvedic medicines with the massage brings miraculous results. There are herbal hip baths that help in rapid improvement of metabolism.

Ayurvedic herbs such as Aswagandha, Brahmi, Gelsemium, Aconite, Tulasi and Arjuna can bring instant relief if prescribed properly. But the best method is to use herbal oils on the scalp and offer regular massage.