I’m Waking Up with a Stiff Neck!

Life is stressful enough during the day that it seems truly heartbreaking that many us cannot get the restorative sleep we need each night. Tossing and turning causing insomnia is an epidemic in the U.S., but worse, some of us wake up with actual pain and stiffness. It’s a completely normal way to start the day, right? Wrong.

Sometimes it’s the mattress being too soft or unsupportive. Or maybe the too thick hotel pillow has gotten your number. Sleep posture is very critical to spinal health. The neck has a forward arch, and this has to be preserved for there to be maximal relaxation of the spinal cord and nerves. Also, the head needs to be supported when turning to side sleeping. The pillow needs to be thick enough so that the head does not fall towards the shoulder, stretching the muscles and delicate nerves on the side of the neck.

You need to rest your spine each night so that the tissues can repair and heal. It is important that muscles are able to relax and the bones of the neck are not placed into abnormal postures. Ever fall asleep on an armrest of a sofa or in a car or plane? Most of us have experienced the stiffness that comes with this, but some of us have spinal bones that are already sprained and displaced from old injuries, which means good sleeping posture is even more critical. Simply a minor change from our usual bed or pillow is enough to make for a stiff neck in the morning. Or perhaps you thought a stiff neck in the morning was normal because it has gone on for years.

One of the more common problems for morning stiffness is neck and body position. Stomach sleeping is a definite no. In this position, the neck will be twisted excessively. The best positions will be side lying with adequate head support, or flat on the back with a proper neck-support pillow. These types of pillows allow the cushion to push upwards into the curve of the neck, while the head is cradled. Usually pillows are simply too thick and these can cause the neck to be in a forward stressed position which stretches the nerves and spinal cord.

If you’re waking up with a stiff neck, then it could be how you’re sleeping or whether your pillow is right for good neck sleeping posture. For better sleep habits, better neck function and less stress on your nerves and spinal cord visit your chiropractor today to discuss the proper sleeping posture and pillow for you.

Source: www.chiro-trust.org

Vitamin D–Are you getting enough?

Would you believe that the majority of the population- up to 90% of adults in the United States- is believed to have a Vitamin D deficiency? Many physicians are starting to take this vitamin deficiency very seriously; in fact Vitamin D is one of the most recommended supplements by physicians today.

Most adults are believed to be at least somewhat deficient in Vitamin D, however, people with dark skin, who live in northern regions of the world where less year-round sun exposure is experienced, and those who are overweight have an even greaterchance to be deficient.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the newest statistics demonstrate that more than 90% of people with darker skin pigments (Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians) living in the United States now suffer from Vitamin D insufficiency, while 75% of the white population is deficient. (1)

As the population of overweight and obese adults and children has risen steadily over the past several decades, so has the incidence of Vitamin D deficiency symptoms. Sadly, this Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with increased risks of developing common cancers, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and various infectious diseases too. (2)

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What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and fatty tissues. This means that increased body fat has the ability to absorb Vitamin D and keep it from being used within our body. Vitamin D is somewhat different than other vitamins because our body makes most of our Vitamin D on its own, rather than solely relying on food sources.

The way that our bodies make Vitamin D is to convert sunshine into chemicals that are used by the body. The cholesterol in our skin converts “previtamin D” and makes it into usable vitamin D3 which is sometimes also called provitamin D (3). Previtamin Ds first travels through the kidneys and liver in the blood stream, and then is converted into a biologically active and usable substance called calcitriol.

Vitamin D actually becomes a hormone within our body, particularly a secosteroid hormone. What we know as Vitamin D is really a precursor to a steroid hormone. It impacts not only our skeletal structure, but also our blood pressure, immunity, mood, brain function, and ability to protect ourselves from cancer. (4)

 Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

The “5th” Season

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are all seasons of the year. Recently, a 5th season was added. Did you know that? Neither did I. Apparently the 5th season is a very special season, it is also a ‘rotating’ season depending on the time of year.  In the Spring and Fall we have “Allergy” season, and in the Fall and Winter we have “Cold and Flu” season.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases each year people in the United States will get 1 billion colds. But feeling sick isn’t the only thing that happens. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 22 million school days will be lost each year due to colds. And as most parents know, when kids miss school, parents miss work.

Will you be one of the 1 billion colds? Will your children miss school this year too, forcing you to miss work?

The “COLD” Hard Facts about Colds
It’s estimated that there are 200 viruses out there that can cause colds. And despite what many people think (and your grandma may have told you), there’s no evidence that cold weather, large tonsils or other such old wives tales can make you get a cold. Evidence does suggest that stress and having allergies can increase your chances of getting a cold.

Colds are caused by viruses such as the rhinovirus, the coronavirus, and more. These germs take up residence in the lining of the nose and grow, eventually attempting to infect the body. If your body is weak or unable to resist the germs you get sick. Colds generally last from about two days to two weeks.

Cold Symptoms
We all know what a cold feels like; runny nose, stuffy head, low grade fever, sore throat, cough, headache. If you have these symptoms it’s most likely that you have a cold. Although treatment of colds is a topic of controversy, there are preventative steps you can take to not get a cold in the first place!

Here are 5 Steps to Beat a Cold or Flu
1. Eat Real Food and Cut out the Sugar
What I mean by real food is food that is most natural, found in nature with the least amount of processing involved before it reaches your table. I’m talking fresh or frozen (preferably fresh) fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, and antibiotic free meats.

Sugar is one of the worst things to consume, especially if you’re trying to stay healthy – and who isn’t? Sugars weaken the immune system and help bacteria to grow. Avoiding sugars is key to staying healthy, particularly when you’re under stress or in the middle of cold and flu season.

2. Exercise
Although when you think of preventing a cold you don’t necessarily think ‘I’d better exercise if I don’t want to get sick,’ this is one of the best ways to improve your overall health and stay healthy during cold and flu season.

According to researcher Michael Flynn who studies the impact of exercise on the immune system at Purdue University, thirty minutes of exercise, three or four times a week, is the best way to boost your immune system. Any more will actually begin to have the reverse effect.

3. Sleep
Now this old wives tale still holds true today. When you’re sick you need to get plenty of rest, but you can’t really ‘catch up’ on sleep or makeup for weeks or months of too little sleep.

Getting enough sleep on a regular basis is key to maintaining good health. Studies show that lack of sleep is associated with health problems and the inability to lose weight. According to the Harvard Women’s Health Watch one adverse effect of not getting enough sleep is a compromised immune system.

4. Stress LESS
There’s nothing like stress to bring on all sorts of physical ailments including colds and flu’s. According to Laurel Mellin, associate professor at the University of California in San Francisco, 80% of health problems are stress induced.

5. Get Adjusted
The nervous system controls and coordinates every others system in our body even your immune system. So, when a nerve interference is interrupting your nervous system from functioning properly, your not going to be 100% healthy. Gentle, specific, scientific chiropractic adjustments correct the cause of your health condition, allowing your body to heal and recover over time.

No one wants to come down with a cold or the flu anytime. When you take the above seven steps to stay healthy you’ll not only beat colds and flu’s, you’ll be protecting your body from other more serious chronic diseases that could really compromise your health down the road.

Until Then-
Walk in Excellence, Conviction and Comfort with a total spirit of Love

-Dr. Erica

Sources:
http://draxe.com/7-steps-to-beat-a-cold-or-flu/