Rather than seeking medications to alleviate pain or discomfort, regular chiropractic care is a natural health alternative that has been helping pregnant women find relief and better health during pregnancy for decades.

Here are a few ways that chiropractic care can help during pregnancy:

Chiropractic can help address pregnancy-related problems

Most importantly, chiropractic can help address some of the problems that can occur following the physiological and endocrinological changes that happen during pregnancy. Most women will notice pelvic and postural changes, a protruding abdomen and increased back curvature. Chiropractic can help with any misalignment and also help with back pain.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, “establishing pelvic balance and alignment is another reason to obtain chiropractic care during pregnancy.” A misaligned pelvis may not only reduce the amount of space available for the baby – a restriction called intrauterine constraint – it may also make it challenging for the baby to get into the optimal position for delivery, possibly leading to difficult labor or an invasive intervention such as a c-section. (American Pregnancy Association, americanpregnancy.org)

The goals of chiropractic in the case of patients who are pregnant is to help support the conditions for a natural, non-invasive birth, reduce the difficulties of labor and delivery, and relieve any back pain, neck pain or joint pain.

Chiropractic can help manage stress

Regular chiropractic adjustments support not only the spine, but also the central nervous system, which the spine protects. A healthy central nervous system is important for managing stress and strain, which are especially of concern during pregnancy.

Chiropractic during pregnancy is safe

Chiropractic is a safe and natural process. A professional chiropractor knows how to adjust his or her techniques to accommodate for an individual’s specific needs and conditions, particularly during pregnancy. And improving a pregnant woman’s comfort in a safe, natural and drug-free way can only be good for the baby as well.

Yours in health,

Dr. Russell Kun

Evergreen Chiropractic

“I felt like I had been hit in the back of the neck with a sledge hammer.”

“I thought the top of my head was coming off.”

These were noted descriptions of symptoms following motor vehicle collisions analyzed by Dr. Ruth Jackson, MD. In her study, “The Positive Findings in Neck Injuries” (American Journal of Orthopedics, August-September, 1964), Jackson analyzed 5,000 patients with neck disorders, and found the following:

• 90% of neck disorders are caused by trauma.
• Of the trauma cases, 85% are caused by motor vehicle collisions.
• 77% of those with disorders of the cervical spine are caused by motor vehicle collisions.

In cases of whiplash caused by head-on collisions, the joints of the neck are forced beyond their normal passive range of motion, which can result in strains, sprains, hemorrhages and inflammation, dislocations or even fractures.

The good thing is that the body has an amazing, natural ability to respond to injury with healing power. However, the body’s healing process is not perfect. For instance, in the case of a sprain, the “healing of sprained ligamentous structures takes place by the formation of scar tissue which is less elastic and less functional than normal ligamentous tissue,” notes Jackson. Scar tissue means restricted mobility. “Sprains result, therefore, in some degree of permanent injury.”

In the years since this study, vehicle collisions and whiplash injuries have only increased. But systems of care, in particular chiropractic, have dramatically helped people suffering from whiplash injuries.

Chiropractic adjustments not only realign vertebrae to relieve pain and support the central nervous system. They also help the body maintain its range of motion during the healing process. After a neck injury, when the body is laying down scar tissue to help stabilize and heal the spine, the chiropractor realigns the cervical bones. These bones also function as levers, directly pulling on tendons and ligaments and keeping them from forming an amorphous mass of scar tissue that can shorten muscles and restrict range of motion.

In other words, chiropractic adjustments maintain body mobility following injury and help the body better heal itself. And that’s good news indeed.

Yours in health,

Evergreen Chiropractic

1666 E Olive Way

Seattle, WA 98102

(206) 323-1666

www.evergreenchiropractic.com

Reference: Ruth Jackson, MD. The Positive Findings in Neck Injuries. American Journal of Orthopedics. August-September, 1964, pp. 178-187

While chiropractic techniques work to restore core body strength and nervous system functioning, which can help you to better overall health, you also need to be conscious of what you are putting into your body. Healthy food choices can make a huge difference in how you feel and how your body performs.

That means eating natural foods and avoiding manufactured “foods.” If you really want to know what ingredients go into a Chicken McNugget, read this MSN article.

Yours in health,

Evergreen Chiropractic

1666 E Olive Way

Seattle, WA 98102

(206) 323-1666

www.evergreenchiropractic.com

A fever is your body battling against bacteria.

Many drugs that people take when they have a fever are counterproductive because they inhibit the body’s natural defenses against viruses and bacteria, which live only in a very narrow temperature band. When your body’s temperature reaches above 98.6 degrees, that’s your body’s method of killing off viruses and bacteria. Taking drugs like aspirin to relieve fever can actually work against your own body. Of course, in cases of very high temperatures, you should seek a physician right away. But in most cases, choosing a holistic alternative like chiropractic is preferable, because chiropractic is an approach that works with, not against your body. Carefully administered adjustments realign the spine and stimulate the body’s natural immune response to help fight off viruses and bacteria.

Yours in health,

Evergreen Chiropractic

Evergreen Chiropractic Capitol Hill

1666 E Olive Way

Seattle, WA 98102

(206) 323-1666

Instead of treating cold or flu symptoms with medications that can have deleterious side effects, chiropractic offers a healthy, safe alternative. Better yet, regular adjustments can stimulate the immune system to fend off illness and keep you in good health.

To stimulate the immune response, a chiropractor will adjust the mid back. There is a part of the nervous system on either side of the thoracic spine called the sympathetic nervous system which controls your fight-or-flight response as well as your immune response. The immune response is responsible for the release of antibodies and white blood cells that fight off infections in the body.

If you are feeling under the weather—or better yet, before you are feeling under the weather—visit your chiropractor for an immune-boosting adjustment.

Yours in health,

Evergreen Chiropractic

Evergreen Chiropractic Capitol Hill

1666 E Olive Way

Seattle, WA 98102

(206) 323-1666

In his practice, Dr. Russell Kun takes a comprehensive, biophysics approach to adjusting patients that goes beyond treating symptomatic flare-ups. His techniques work to restore the structure and core strength of the body and also prevent such debilitating problems as arthritis and degenerative disc disease.

Evergreen Chiropractic also incorporates natural, complementary methods like therapeutic exercise, traction and massage to ensure that patients experience optimal results.

1666 E Olive Way
Seattle WA 98102
Phone: (206) 323-1666
Fax: (206) 323-1669
http://www.EvergreenChiropractic.com/