Chiropractic and Kids

Some of you have asked for a recent picture of my kids. Above is a photo from our hike along the Little Miami river last weekend. I love spending time outdoors with them!

Most of you know that we adjust a lot of kids at the office. I realized recently that we see tons of babies and toddlers, and many high schoolers. However, we don’t see quite as many kids in the elementary school age group. As a parent of kids in this demographic, I think I know why! There are so many activities, sports and schedule commitments it can be hard to fit one more thing in the schedule. Of course high schoolers have these full calendars also – but they tend to be able to transport themselves to the office independently.

Families with the young kids that come to see us tend to find the after school times on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays convenient. We also see a spike on MLK Day, Presidents Day, Spring Break, Summer Break and Winter Break. These are all great opportunities to get the kids nervous systems’ clear!

Video: Heidi Haavik’s Guide to Chiropractic Care

Researcher Heidi Haavik’s video is a nice summary of how chiropractic helps the body function optimally.

Podcast: Knees Over Toes: Fix Knees, Calves, Shins & Shoulders – Ben Patrick | 1127 | Dave Asprey

I’ve enjoyed learning from Ben Patrick. He was a recent guest on Dave Asprey’s podcast. If you would prefer to listen rather than watch, you can do that here.
Here is a link to one of Ben’s recommended videos from the podcast:

Tibialis Raise

Podcast: Lower Back Pain: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention of Lower Back Injuries and Pain

Dr. Stuart McGill is a renowned expert on back pain. I’ve read his book, The Back Mechanic. You might enjoy watching the video above to learn about his approach. If you would prefer to listen you can do that here.

Article: 8 Healthy Habits Linked to Living Decades Longer

Image Souce: https://images.pexels.com/photos/8939945/pexels-photo-8939945.jpeg

The objective of this first study was to estimate mortality risk and longevity associated with individual lifestyle factors. The study assessed 276,132 military veterans.

This study is the one of the the first where the concept of prevention is being used to estimate life expectancy.

The concept of lifestyle medicine uses evidence based lifestyle interventions such as adoption of a whole food eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections as a low risk approach for the treatment and potential reversal of chronic diseases.

Noncommunicable chronic diseases are associated with >80% of all health care dollars and are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States.

Positive social connections lowered the risk of dying by 5%
Restorative sleep lowered the risk of dying by 18%
Minimal alcohol consumption lowered the risk of dying by 19%
A whole food healthy diet lowered the risk of dying by 21%
Stress management with minimal anxiety/depression lowered the risk of dying by 38%
Regular moderate exercise lowered the risk of dying by 46%

The second study looked at 700,000 US Military veterans between 40 and 99 years old.

People who adopt eight healthy habits by the age of 40 may live about two decades longer than those who don’t.

The effect is lower, but still significant, for people who have these eight habits by the time they are 60.

Healthy Diet (mostly whole foods)
Physical activity (regular moderate exercise)
Sleep (sleeping well, 7-9 hours a night)
Mental Health (managing stress)
Relationships (maintaining positive social relationships)
Alcohol Use (minimal)
Smoking (never smoking)
Opioid Use (not having opioid use disorder)

These eight habits were correlated with a lower risk of dying from any cause.

Physical activity influenced longevity the most.

Moderate exercise- equivalent to at least briskly walking a few blocks each day- was associated with a 46% lower risk of dying…than being sedentary.
Those who never smoked a 29% lower risk of dying versus current or former smokers.

Men who adopted all eight habits by the age of 40 would live 23 years longer.

Women who adopted all eight habits by the ago of 40 would live 23 years longer.

If people implemented the habits by the of 60, they could extend their lives by up to 18 years.

These 8 lifestyle factors don’t involve medications.

This is very powerful because it shows that individuals really can have a say over their future health.