One of the most common questions I get from patients is, “Is chiropractic care safe for children,” or “Can my children come in here and receive chiropractic care?”

The answer is yes, chiropractic care is safe for kids, and yes, you can bring your kids in to receive chiropractic care.

The thing you need to know is that chiropractic care is not “age related.”  Anyone from newborns to people 100+ years old can experience the benefits of chiropractic care.

Someone who doesn’t understand chiropractic may say, “My child doesn’t have back pain, so they don’t need chiropractic care.”

However, that’s the wrong thinking.  That would be like saying, “My child doesn’t have any teeth that have pain, so they don’t need to brush their teeth.”

Doesn’t make sense, does it? 

The bottom line is that when you take care of things, they are always better.  That could be your body, your teeth, your car…whatever.  When you neglect your body, you pay a price.  When you take care of your body, it simply works better and feels better.

Children who get chiropractic care feel great just like their parents.  They also don’t get sick as much, and their bodies are able to grow and develop without any structural problems.  And it’s also very safe.

A new study by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) was just published this month in the biomedical journal, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.

As far as safety is concerned, out of 5,438 office visits, there were only 3 adverse events from the chiropractic care, a .00055% chance of anything going wrong. (That’s well below a 1% risk factor, so based on the results of this study, children have a 99+% chance of having no problems receiving chiropractic care)

In the study, both parents and chiropractors indicated there was a high rate of improvement with respect to the children’s presenting complaints.

So this study showed that chiropractic care for children was very safe and very effective.  There are a lot of great benefits of having your kids get chiropractic care, so if your children aren’t receiving chiropractic care, now is a great time to get them started!

I just came across some really cool news about chiropractic care that I wanted to share with you.

The health insurance company Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield did a one year pilot study in 2008 to measure patient quality of care, and the results of this study were just released.  What they found out about chiropractic care is very remarkable.

They found that there are significant clinical outcomes and health care cost reductions directly attributable to the use of chiropractic care.

What this means is that chiropractic care did a very good job of getting results for patients, and those who used chiropractic care had lower total health care costs.

People using chiropractic care were also less likely to have surgery than similar people in the pilot study who did not receive chiropractic care.

While this is not the first study of its kind, this is the most recent proof that chiropractic care has a profound positive effect on your health and quality of life.  And for those people who choose to receive chiropractic care on a regular basis, they will not only be healthier, but their health care costs will be lower.

If you know somebody who’s been struggling with their health, pass this information on to them and let them know that chiropractic care can help them out.

Most people I know like to eat healthy foods, and the cool thing is you don’t have to sacrifice flavor or variety to eat healthfully.  In fact, there are two types of “super foods” that can help you fight disease and live longer…and they come in many tasty varieties.

According to cardiovascular health expert Dr. Shah, as reported in Men’s Health magazine, these two super-food groups are:

1. Inflammation-fighting cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, collards, daikon, horseradish, kale, mustard greens, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, and watercress.

2. Blood pressure lowering berries, including blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

Dr. Shah recommends that you indulge in both food groups daily – at least half a cup of crucifers and half a cup of berries.

You’ll find that these fruits and veggies are ideal for mixing with other healthy foods.

Twice a week, consider stocking up on:

2 pints of blueberries
6 bananas
6 red delicious apples
6 pears
2 grapefruits
1 watermelon
2 bunches of broccoli
2 red peppers
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
2 avocados
mushrooms
a bag of baby spinach

If you are eating these foods on a regular basis, you will be eating really healthy.  And with so much to choose from during the summer months, you should have no trouble getting a daily dose of inflammation fighters, blood pressure reducers, and vitamins that your body needs to stay strong and free of disease.

This fall, the swine flu vaccine will be coming out and everyone will be telling you that you need to get it.  Now, I’m not going to tell you whether or not you should get it, because that’s a decision you need to make for yourself.  However, I am going to keep you informed about it so you know what’s going on and so you can make an educated decision.

In the coming weeks and months, you will hear things on the news about the swine flu, and the vaccine that is coming out.  But you are not going to get the full story on TV or in the paper.  I will share with you information you’re not supposed to know about and information that authorities will refuse to admit.

I found this information on the natural news website.  The information below is written by Mike Adams.  Make sure you read it and stay informed about this hot topic.

Here are 10 things you’re not supposed to know about the swine flu vaccine.

#1 – The vaccine production was “rushed” and the vaccine has never been tested on humans. With any testing or safety data, nobody knows if the vaccine will be safe, or if it will cause side effects.

#2 – Swine flu vaccines contain dangerous adjuvants that cause an inflammatory response in the body. This is why they are suspected of causing autism and other neurological disorders.

#3 – The swine flu vaccine could actually increase your risk of death from swine flu by altering (or suppressing) your immune system response. There is zero evidence that even seasonal flu shots offer any meaningful protection for people who take the shot. Vaccines are the snake oil of modern medicine.

#4 – Doctors still don’t know why the 1976 swine flu vaccines paralyzed so many people. And that means they really have no clue whether the upcoming vaccine might cause the same devastating side effects. (And they’re not testing it, either…)

#5 – Even if the swine flu vaccine kills you, the drug companies aren’t responsible. The U.S. government has granted drug companies complete immunity against vaccine product liability. Thanks to that blanket immunity, drug companies have no incentive to make safe vaccines, because they only get paid based on quantity, not safety (zero liability).

#6 – No swine flu vaccine works as well as vitamin D to protect you from influenza. That’s an inconvenient scientific fact that the U.S. government, the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies hope the people never realize.

#7 – Even if the swine flu vaccine actually works, mathematically speaking if everyone else around you gets the vaccine, you don’t need one! (Because it can’t spread through the population you hang with.) So even if you believe in the vaccine, all you need to do is encourage your friends to go get vaccinated…

#8 – Drug companies are making billions of dollars from the production of swine flu vaccines. That money comes out of your pocket — even if you don’t get the shot — because it’s all paid by the taxpayers.

#9 – When people start dying in larger numbers from the swine flu, rest assured that many of them will be the very people who got the swine flu vaccine. Doctors will explain this away with their typical logic: “The number saved is far greater than the number lost.” Of course, the number “saved” is entirely fictional… imaginary… and exists only in their own warped heads.

#10 – The swine flu vaccine centers that will crop up all over the world in the coming months aren’t completely useless: They will provide an easy way to identify large groups of really stupid people. (Too bad there isn’t some sort of blue dye that we could tag ‘em with for future reference…)

The lottery, they say, is a tax on people who can’t do math. Similarly, flu vaccines are a tax on people who don’t understand health.

(Source: Natural News, July 28, 2009)

Now, whether or not you agree with this information, it’s important to get ALL of the information.  One thing I know about your health care system is “everything is not always as it seems.”  So stay informed, get the facts on both sides of the discussion, and let me know if you have any questions.

With all the stress going on these days, I’ve noticed a lot of people complaining about headaches.

So I wanted to send you a quick email to share with you 5 ways you can eliminate headaches before they even start…WITHOUT pills!

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1. Obey Your Alarm Clock
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According to Dr. Lisa Mannix, a spokeswoman for the National Headache Foundation in Chicago, pressing your snooze button may turn you into a head case. As it turns out, snoozing in for more than an hour after the alarm clock goes off can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and set you up for a tension headache later in the day.

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2. Eat Smart
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The substances in processed food–such as nitrates in luncheon meat and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in some ready-to-eat food items–can trigger a migraine in certain people. To be certain that you don’t get “hit in the head” when you least expect it, grab an easy-to-eat fruit when you feel hungry. Better yet, make an effort to lessen your consumption of processed food.

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3. Get Adjusted
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In her article, “Stop a Headache Before It Starts,” Jaydine Sayer explains: “The main sensory nerve in your forehead is rooted at the base of your neck–which is why experiencing muscle tension there or in your shoulders can lead to head pain.”  When the spinal bones in the neck get locked up and subluxated, it will cause muscle tension and nerve irritation that can cause headaches.  Getting chiropractic adjustments regularly easily solves this problem for most people. 

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4. Drink Water
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Doctors reveal that dehydration is a common cause of headaches. When your body loses fluids, you also begin to “wilt” like a parched plant. All your body functions go haywire and pretty soon you’ll feel your head throbbing.

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5. Take a Breather
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Tension headaches set in when you’re stressed out. This is when your cortisol and adrenaline levels surge. When this happens, your body is forced to pump out sugar. “The rapid change in glucose levels can set you up for pain. You have to give yourself a few minutes to decompress so stress won’t get to you,” states Sayer.

There you have it. You can avoid the agony of a mind-numbing headache by doing these simple things. There’s no need to pop pills when you can get rid of pain the natural and healthy way!

I was doing some research online the other day and found some information that I thought worthy to share with you.

I know that many of my patients are either parents or grandparents, and if you aren’t, this is still important information to know.

A recent study done late last year at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic has shown that chiropractic care provides a lot of benefit for children who have colic.

If you’re not sure what colic is, it’s generally defined as persistent crying, not likely to be soothed by a caring parent, mainly occurring in the late afternoon and evening in infants who are well fed and healthy.

Colic is a condition with no known treatment protocols that have been proven to be entirely effective, so having a study that shows positive results with chiropractic care makes chiropractic a reasonable option that parents may want to try.

By the seventh day of the study, crying was significantly reduced by about 2 hours on average.  Four weeks later, colic had disappeared in 82% of the infants undergoing chiropractic care.

Pretty cool, huh?

The bottom line is that a properly functioning nervous system is just as important in infants as it is in adults.  Stress and other imbalances have a negative affect on our bodies.  In children this can cause colic and other symptoms.  And as you can see by the results of this study, chiropractic care is proven method of helping children get healthy safely and naturally.

So if you know someone who has a child with colic and it’s not getting better, send them this article and have them give me a call and I’ll be happy to help them out.

Source: www.mycentraljersey.com, March 16, 2009

I want to share with you some quick tips on how you can evaluate a food label in 15 seconds or less and know if that food is healthy or not!

It’s really important to know how to read the basics of a food label because sometimes that’s the only way you’re going to know what you’re really eating.  Here’s a quick checklist you can use to evaluate the foods you are buying.

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Trans and saturated fats
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In the U.S., all packaged foods come with a nutrition facts label. The first place my eyes go is to the fat content. I draw my personal line in the sand at trans fat. We don’t need it, and there is always another food option without it. Trans fat is man-made fat that comes from dubious preparation processes. If an item has any, it goes back on the shelf.

Next, I look at saturated fat. We don’t need much of it, and if we eat meat or dairy products, then we have probably met our requirements without it needing to be in our other foods.

Next to the number of grams, you’ll see the percentage of your daily requirement that the food contains, eliminating the need for math. If that number is high, be wary. Of course, you must evaluate what you’re buying. Olive oil, for example, is a fat, so it’s going to have a high number. However, you don’t use much. Potato chips, on the other hand, would have a lower number, but you might eat the entire bag, so you should consider that. But that’s obvious stuff, right?

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Sugar
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Get instantly suspicious if this number is high. Sports foods are supposed to have sugar because you want to quickly replace blood glycogen lost during exercise. All other foods don’t need it. If you’re buying a dessert item, you’ll expect a high ratio of sugar, but for anything else, you’re probably getting a cheap product that’s poorly produced. Remember that many “low-fat” foods have a lot of sugar—it’s not technically fat. It just makes you fat.

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Sodium
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Prepared foods usually have high levels of sodium.  Also, oftentimes, you can find an “organic, nonfat, low-carb,” purely healthy sounding food item that has over 1,000 milligrams of sodium, which is around half of your “recommended daily allowance” (RDA). What you’re generally looking for from these three “s” ingredients (saturated fat, sugar, and sodium) is a low number, and it only takes a few seconds to figure it out.

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Fat, Protein, and Carbs Ratio
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When choosing a food, you probably already know a few things about it. If it’s butter, you’ll expect all fat; candy will be high in sugar; and things that sit on a shelf may have a lot of sodium. For meals, however, you’ll want to take a quick notation of the amount of fat, protein, and carbs.

If you’re on a strict diet, this ratio is very important, but if you’re not, you just want some balance. A nice round number is 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. You can then assume that your prepared “meals” would be better if they reflect a similar balance.

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Length of Ingredient List
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Now just take a quick glance at where it says “Ingredients.” If it’s under about 10 items, don’t worry about it. If there’s a long list of ingredients, take caution.  There will be ingredients that you can’t pronounce and you might not want to be eating things you can’t even pronounce.  If it’s somewhere in the middle, I may take a closer look, but in general I keep it simple.

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Summary
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There are a few “evil offender” ingredients that people tend to look for, but we’ve covered them. By checking off the trans fat, sugar, and sodium listed above, we’re assured there won’t be any MSG, high fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils in this section.

By adding a mere 15 seconds per item, you may not have the perfect diet, but you can certainly make sure it’s not terrible. This is not an exact science, but your diet doesn’t have to be either. Eat better and get more exercise. Beyond this, we’re nitpicking.

I found some new information on stress from the American Chiropractic Association that I thought would be of value to you and your family.

A new Associated Press-AOL Health Poll confirmed that millions of Americans are suffering from stress-related pain and headaches as they find themselves struggling with tough economic times. 

In light of these alarming new survey results, patients may wish to consider the benefits of chiropractic care for the treatment and prevention of stress-related headaches and muscle pain, says the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

“In today’s economy, financial problems and pressures can certainly escalate stress, which in turn can contribute to common muscle pain and headaches. It’s important not to ignore the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety,” notes ACA President Glenn Manceaux, DC.

“Taking care of your health during times of personal difficulty can not only help to alleviate related aches and pains, but it also can help you feel more positive about your situation.

“If your stress-related pain is not resolving on its own, visit your doctor of chiropractic. Working in partnership with your other health care providers, your doctor of chiropractic can offer a whole-person approach to health and wellness,” Dr. Manceaux suggests.

Doctors of chiropractic provide drug-free, non-invasive treatment options for many types of pain and inflammation. For example, chronic back pain, neck pain, joint pain and headaches can often be reduced with the appropriate combination of chiropractic
adjustments, rehabilitative exercises and lifestyle counseling – all of which are offered by doctors of chiropractic in a patient’s personalized treatment plan.

A significant amount of evidence has shown that the use of chiropractic care for certain conditions can be more effective than traditional medical care, or prescription medications, with many patients feeling improvement shortly after their first couple chiropractic visits.

So if you or a family member is experiencing additional stress right now, hold off on the pills and come in and de-stress your body with a chiropractic adjustment.  You’ll not only feel better, but it’s also a much healthier approach to your health.

Are quick workouts beneficial?  That’s a question I get asked from patients every once in a while.  The answer is…of course!  The more exercise you do the better, but even quick workouts are better than no workouts.

There are a lot of reasons why a consistent fitness routine should be one of your top priorities.  The number of benefits of exercise is overwhelming.  And everyone has 15 to 30 minutes each day to devote to taking care of themselves, wouldn’t you agree?

Here are the findings from 3 fascinating studies on the benefits of a “quick workout.”

1. It sharpens your hand-eye coordination.

A study conducted at the University of Minnesota at Duluth reveals that a 15-minute exercise session can temporarily give you that added energy to do tasks like driving or designing.

2. It helps you think on your toes.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign state that people are able to process information faster after you sweat it out for 30 minutes.

3. It prevents blood sugar spikes.

Worried about your blood sugar levels? Experts at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor observe that a 90-minute workout improves the muscles’ ability to take sugar from the bloodstream. When done regularly, this could help reduce the risk of diabetes.

With these powerful bits of information in mind, you should definitely set aside a few minutes each day to get some exercise. Sweating it out for a few minutes can make a world of difference in your life.  Just get in a routine of doing it and it’ll be a habit before you know it!

Have a great day!

Dr. Chris Van Wyk

One of the problems people have is figuring out how to be more productive.  And with cell phones, emails, the Internet, and instant messaging, it’s easy to lose focus at work or home.

So in this article I wanted to show you 3 quick tips to help you combat the ‘negative’ effects of technology that many of us fall victim to.

In 2006, Microsoft research conducted a study to try to find out how long it takes for people to return to a task when they’re interrupted by an email or an instant message.

The results were not encouraging.

While the average “task recovery” time was pegged at 15 minutes, more than a quarter of the subjects didn’t return to the task at hand for two hours.

Dr. Eric Horvitz, the principal researcher for and the study’s co-author revealed: “We found that people, once interrupted, take the opportunity to do other things, like check more email. Or go to news or sports pages.”

Moreover, Horvitz adds, when people do finally start working again, they don’t reach their earlier level of concentration for 10 more minutes. Thus, the total time lost as a result of an email or instant messenger distraction is 30 minutes. The disturbing verdict: That’s the best case scenario.

Psychiatrist Dr. Ned Hallowell of the Hallowell Center concurs with the findings of the Microsoft Research study and suggests the following moves to keep you focused and help you become as productive as you can be:

1. Make your mornings count.

Hallowell points out that when people have a “morning burst.” This means they have a rush of energy and a sharper focus. So, as Hallowell advises, do about 60 to 90 minutes of work before you check your email or go online or turn on the TV. He adds: “We should all be ruthless about shielding [this time] from all distractions.”

2. Control yourself.

Instead of checking your email every hour, instead check it once in the morning and once in the evening.  Or try checking it at only 2 or 3 specific times each day.  You should also be just as disciplined with your instant messenger, and use of the Internet.

Learning to ignore disruptions and distractions is crucial to your productivity since it takes so long to get back on track once you’ve been interrupted.

3. Use Your Time Wisely.

Evaluate your Internet surfing habits and Television habits and come clean about how much time you spend doing these things.  Chances are you can cut several hours a week from your Internet and TV time to be more productive doing something else, like accomplishing your New Year’s Resolutions.

The bottom line is you want to use technology, but not be a slave to it.  I’ve heard several experts say that distractions are the number one reason why people having a hard time achieving their goals and being as successful as they’d like.

Don’t let that be you!

Have a great day,

Dr. Chris Van Wyk
Van Wyk Chiropractic