Month: April 2019

Acupuncture and Dry Needling

Acupuncture and Dry Needling

Dry Needling Acupuncture and dry needling are effective forms of treatment for many conditions. Dry needling involves small acupuncture needles being inserted gently into the skin around trigger points in the muscles and ligaments. Dry needling helps to reduce muscles tightness and tension, relieving pain 

Time to Start a New Family: 5 Ways to Maximize the Chances of Getting Pregnant

Time to Start a New Family: 5 Ways to Maximize the Chances of Getting Pregnant

Planning a new baby in your family should be an exciting, fun time. But for many people, getting pregnant can be difficult and stressful. When you want a baby so badly that it’s all you think about, this fun time often turns to a time 

How Technology is Damaging Your Posture

How Technology is Damaging Your Posture

Technology is responsible for many aches and pains that we face, and this is because when we use it, we are not in a natural position. There are ways and means around this and this includes sitting in an ergonomically designed desk space and not spending too long on our cell phones. Although modern technology can be a good thing, this should be used in moderation and used responsibly if you want to limit the amount of damage that it is having on your posture.

Why Having Good Posture is Vital

Good posture is essential to limiting the amount of back pain, shoulder or neck aches that we face through straining ourselves in everyday life. This is even more important if you work in an office where you are sat on a computer for hours each day. Good posture can minimize the wear and tear of the joints and ensures that you are comfortable each day. The better your posture, the better your balance and the less energy you require for normal everyday tasks.

How Technology is Affecting Posture

When we consider how we sit when using technology, we can easily see how it is affecting our posture and the damage we are slowly causing to our bodies. If you have ever sat too long playing a computer game or slumped over your mobile, you know how sore and stiff you can get. When we sit in the same position for hours, our muscles and ligaments become strained and begin to release impulses to our brain to change our overall posture. Ignoring these aches and pains will only worsen the situation, so at the first sign of pain, consider stopping the activity.

Mobile Phone Use

Our smartphones are causing many problems, not just to our backs. Everywhere you look, people are staring at their screens. If you take a good look around at how people are sitting, it is not a natural position. In fact, we are often bent, slumped, and causing more wear and tear to our muscles than we could possibly know. Holding your cell phone in the same hand each day can lead to wrist and finger joint issues too. Each time you decide to lean your head 2 cm forward to look down at your screen, you are adding an extra 5 kgs of strain to the spinal joints. Imagine doing this repetitively every day and you can see how severe damage can occur.

Strain Injuries

These types of injuries occur when we repeatedly strain ourselves whilst using technology. Often this is seen when people are playing computer games and spend a lot of time tensing with a remote in hand. Many gamers experience pain in the thumbs or wrists after too much gaming and this is a sign to cut back. Too much texting can cause similar pain in the hands. Tech neck is another term used by professionals for those who have strain injuries to the neck due to too much cell phone time. To learn more about tech neck and how to prevent it, follow the link.

Accidents Due to Technology

Technology isn’t just responsible for damaging our posture through repeated use; it can also damage our posture through accidents. As we all become more glued to our screens, emergency departments are seeing more and more injuries because of mobile phones. Being mindful of your environment at all times is crucial and, therefore, that text can wait! People have damaged their spine, broken bones, and torn ligaments due to walking with phones in their hands and consequently walking into other people or poles. Car accidents can also occur due to people taking their eyes off the road to look at their cell phones, and this can have a significant impact on your posture and spine, or even worse, could be life-threatening.

Preventing Damage to Posture

For some, using technology is part of their everyday routine or part of their jobs and, therefore, it cannot be avoided. Although we should make a conscious effort to use our technological devices less, when it cannot be helped there are ways to prevent posture damage and any aches and pains that come with overusing technology. Below are some of the easiest ways to reduce the stress that is put on the body when using cell phones, computers or playing computer games.

Taking Regular Breaks

One of the most important ways to protect your posture is to take regular breaks, as and when you feel you need to. Whether you are playing a game, sitting on your cell phone or at your desk at work, it is good to make a move every 30 minutes or so. This could mean standing up and stretching, going for a drink, changing positions and checking your position. You should be sitting correctly when at a desk to minimize bad posture and pain.

Having the Correct Setup

When using your smartphone, as well as limiting the time spent on it, the way you hold it can have a lot to do with how badly your posture is affected. If you have your device at the level of your eyes, you will prevent tech neck and other straining related injuries. When playing computer games, there are many gaming chairs that are specially made to ensure that you can play your games in comfort whilst protecting your posture and spine. If you work in an office, you should be supplied with everything you need to protect your posture, including a desk chair that can be changed according to your height, a computer screen that can be moved to eye level and somewhere to rest your feet. For more information on how your desk should look to maintain good posture, click here.

Technology is responsible for a lot and we as a society need to realize what we are doing to our postures in order to make a change for the better. Minimizing the use of technology is the best way to prevent bad posture, but regular chiropractic visits and being aware of how we are sat whilst using technology can aid in preventing a damaged posture.

5 Tips for Brain Health and Aging

5 Tips for Brain Health and Aging

Aging in good shape and health depends on many factors including the physical environment, lifestyle changes, and genes. Regardless of how healthy a person is, their brain and mental functionalities must change with age. A person’s brain starts to decline in memory as one reaches 

Planning for a New Baby

Planning for a New Baby

If you’re pregnant or just considering a baby, it’s never too soon to start planning. Focusing on your health will ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Whether it’s your first, second, or third baby, planning early for your pregnancy is essential for the 

Learn More About Your Health With Genetic Testing

Learn More About Your Health With Genetic Testing

Genetic testing has become much more prominent in the past year or two. The focus has been on nationally advertised tests that are focused on finding out about your ancestry, but there is much more to discover when choosing genetic testing.

Choose a Provider

Find a provider who is licensed to operate in your state and whose website or other information describes the experience in the areas of testing you’re interested in. For example, if you’re concerned about your cancer risk, you should see that area of expertise prominently mentioned in their literature. Another common reason for genetic testing is to check for abnormalities in the chromosomal makeup of you and your partner, prior to planning to have children.

Understand How It Works

Most commonly, you will either spit into a tube or swab your cheek. If it’s done with a home delivery kit, it’s important to follow the directions for collecting the sample to avoid contaminating the sample. The company that does your testing will use one of the many microarray service providers who are out there. This provides a baseline to compare your sample against for certain abnormalities and risk factors.

See if You’re Covered

Your insurance plan may cover testing if a doctor has referred you. This is generally due to a known risk factor, like a family history of a certain type of cancer. If you are receiving drug therapy for a disease or condition, genetic testing is sometimes used to determine the optimal dosage for you. Absent such factors, you cannot expect insurance to cover testing to find out what your family or ethnic makeup is.

Genetic testing is advancing healthcare at an exponential rate. It promises to allow us to understand our risk factors in a way we’ve never understood them before. You need to recognize the difference in various testing providers to choose the one that’s right for you.

Treating Opiate Addiction with Opiates – The Good, Bad and Downright Ugly

Treating Opiate Addiction with Opiates – The Good, Bad and Downright Ugly

There is nothing new about treating opiate addiction with other addictive drugs. That is a sad fact and one which has always been questioned by medical professionals and lay people alike. However, in recent years newer drugs have been added to the list of acceptable 

4 Active Exercise Classes You Need to Try in Your Lifetime

4 Active Exercise Classes You Need to Try in Your Lifetime

In order to become healthy, one must focus on proper nutrition and more movement. Eating nutritious foods will do you more good than eating less ever would. If your fitness level is not where you’d like it to be just yet, you can still take 

3 Tips for Starting a Dermatology Practice

3 Tips for Starting a Dermatology Practice

The beauty industry is one of the only fields that can survive all economic situations. During The Depression, women still found a way to purchase their $1 lipsticks because they wanted to continue to feel pretty during those dark times. During economic downturns, your sales and business income may drop off a bit, but if you plan well, you can survive the challenge.

If you are interested in opening a colorado dermatology specialists practice, you would be entering a field that continues to see improvements thanks to technological advancements. This lead to more services you would be able to provide at reasonable prices.

Here are three tips for starting a dermatology practice.

Limit Staff

Technically, you can handle all the services you are going to provide by yourself. Since you are the one who is certified to practice, you could run the business alone. As you begin to grow, you can hire a receptionist who will handle incoming phone calls, paperwork and appointment confirmations. Then, you can consider hiring a dermatology assistant who is also certified but may still need to complete more school hours.

To get started, you are encouraged to limit the size of your staff. As your practice grows and your schedule is overflowing with appointments, then, you can begin to provide jobs.

Lease Equipment

When the first computer was released, it was expensive and very large. It is not that much different for equipment used in medical practices. If you are being mindful about your budget, it is a good idea to lease the equipment you intend to use to treat patients. As the demand for your services increases, you can complete a cost analysis to decide if it will be cheaper to buy instead of lease.

Insurance

Medical insurance policies do cover advance dermatology treatments. When you open your practice, therefore, you need to decide if you are going to work with insurance providers.

Opening your own colorado dermatology specialists practice is an exciting venture. To get started, take into consideration staff size and the insurance you will accept.

The Best Skincare Routine to Follow for Every Skin Type

The Best Skincare Routine to Follow for Every Skin Type

Wouldn’t it be great if your skin feels good and starts looking flawless all the time? If you want your skin to feel great and complexion to look as gorgeous and flawless as possible, you should never skip out on your skincare routine. The right