Episode 29: Yoga, Health and More with Shirlee Williams

Shirlee is a local health crusader, and lucky for me, a very good friend! She joins me today to talk about what led her to open a yoga studio, the importance of mediation, and she shares how she prioritizes her own health. Tune in for a great little conversation!

You can learn more about Shirlee on her website.

Hungry for more? Check out the rest of the Adjust Your Life Podcast episodes!
If you’re more of a reader than a listener, you may prefer checking out some blog posts!
If you love conversation, reach out here, I’d love to hear from you!

Holistic Pediatric Care

With my extensive training in pediatrics I have a lot of fun in my practice caring for families, and always love seeing children. If you’re curious as to why I see children and why kids benefit from Chiropractic care, check out these blog posts: here and here.

Just like in adults, there are many lifestyle factors that will affect a child’s expression of health and their response to Chiropractic care. The quality of food they are given (and any intolerances), how much movement and play they are experiencing, their sleeping habits, and any emotional or mental stress they may be experiencing will dramatically affect their health.

I have many conversations had with parents about what else they can be doing to support their child’s health, and I encourage all parents to ask questions and gather information to make informed decisions, and providing information has always been one of the foundations of my practice

In addition to clinical care, there is an extensive lending library in my practice, workshops, an interactive web community, videos, the Adjust Your Life Podcast, and weekly articles for parents. I also have an extensive network of other health professionals and resources within our community with whom I can connect you with to make other changes in your health.

If your child is not experiencing the level of health they deserve, what are you missing? Is there something else that might be supportive to their health that you may have overlooked? Can you speak with your health professional about it? Do you need a referral to someone else to help you find the answers you need?

In my experience, when lifestyle changes are combined with chiropractic care, the transformations are profound. If your child is struggling with a health challenge, reach out! We might be able to offer you some ideas and help get you on the right path to health.
let’s make some changes!

Episode 28: How Can We Support Our Families During Times of Stress?

I’m joined by Psychologist Maddi Rundle in this conversation, and I loved it! We discussed why it’s important for us to take care of our emotional response as parents, how to communicate difficult situations with children of all ages, and why ‘feeling our feelings’ is essential to moving forward.

If there is ever a time to understand these ideas, it’s now.

P.S. It’s longer than the usual 10 minutes because it was so good!

 

Episode 27: 5 Ways To Lower Your Stress

Stress is inevitable in our lives, but how we respond to something that is stressful is up to us!

Stress is bad for your health, so in this episode I share the 5 most common tips I give people to help shift their perspective and find a little more joy in their every day life.

Which one of these tips can you start today to adjust your current level of health?

Hungry for more? Check out the rest of the Adjust Your Health Podcast episodes!
If you’re more of a reader than a listener, you may prefer checking out some blog posts!
If you love conversation, reach out here, I’d love to hear from you!

Why I Love Intermittent Fasting

A few years ago now my trainer suggested I try fasting. I can’t recall the specific reasons why it came up or why we were discussing it, I think it was just because it is such a healthy habit and he believes its a good practice. When I work with people who’s expertise I trust to support my health, I tend to ask questions but listen to their advice. So I tried it, and now have been doing it consistently for the past 3 years.

Research and resources are plenty, but the simplest thing for you to understand with fasting is this:

When you limit the energy required for digestion within your body, it frees up energy to focus on healing and repair.

When you do this consistently the effects of this are cumulative! Fasting is known to be a healing intervention for a number of chronic and degenerative health challenges, but it also has tremendous benefits when you are healthy and well and want to stay that way for a long time. By consistently adding fasting into your life you will support your digestive system, improve the function of your immune system, help your body get back to its natural size and shape, and even slow down the aging process.

I added fasting to my life because of the health benefits, but here are the other benefits I observed:

Changed my Relationship with Food

I love to cook, I love great food, but like many people sometimes I ate not for nourishment but because it just tasted good, filled some craving, or it was a social situation.

Reconnected me With my Body

Once I started fasting it was easier to listen to how I felt and whether I really needed food or not. My awareness about my hunger changed, and the amount of food I need to feel satisfied did as well.

Clarity of Thought & Mental Focus

This is by far the biggest reason I continue to fast regularly. After my first 18-hour fast, the clarity of my mind was astounding. I felt as good as I have in the past doing 2 week cleanses but in so much less time!

Consistent Benefits

Allows me to eat whatever I want the rest of the days. My diet is still really clean but if you’ve seen any of my instagram posts you know I love pizzas, and a really great burger. And cupcakes.

Lost Weight

Not intentional but it happened, I move easier, feel more like myself.

Many people are overfed and undernourished, and many people eat more than they need. Talk to your Chiropractor, naturopath or health provider about it! For most people there is no challenge and the only benefits are good ones, but it’s always best to get some professional advice. Do some research, then try it and see if its right for you.

6 Ways to Support Your Immune System

Many people in my practice comment that they seem to get sick less often, and that when they do succumb to cold, flu or infection of some kind, they recover faster.  Chiropractic care is not a treatment for your immune system, it’s simply one of the things you can be doing to keep your body healthy and support your resilience.

Some other tips to support your immune system include:

1) Wash your hands with soap throughout the day. Avoid antibacterial products.

2) Reduce/Minimize/Avoid sugar and processed foods. Load up on antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables.

3) Hydrate! Increase your water intake to continuously flush your system of toxins.

4) Move your body every day with some form of physical activity.

5) Use salt water rinses to flush your nostrils and gargle with it once a day. Salt water will help the proliferation of bacteria.

6) Get plenty of good quality sleep! Sleep is when your body heals and regulates many functions.

Give your body what it needs to function properly, and you’ll be surprised at how well your immune system will perform!

Child with a fever.

Everything You Need To Know About Fevers

As both a Chiropractor and a mother, I have personally seen the benefits of a more natural approach to children’s health, and seen hundreds of children thrive without reliance on pharmaceuticals for everything that ails them. My sons are 13 and 17 years old, and I can  count the number of times I have taken their temperature.

They rarely get sick, but when they do fall ill, I understand the importance of monitoring them, giving them love, fluids and nourishment, and letting their body deal with the bacteria or virus on their own. They have never taken any medication (and yes, that is a fact I am proud of!) and I have certainly never given them any medication to treat a fever. Here’s why:

What is a Fever?

A fever is a raise in the body’s core temperature above:

37.8    If taken orally
37.2    If taken under the arm

Fevers Are Part of a Healthy Immune Response

Fevers are actually one of the body’s first lines of defence against bacteria and viruses.  By raising the temperature inside the body bacteria cannot survive!  The number of circulating white blood cells increases (important immune system fighters), the amount of iron in the blood (which bacteria need to survive) is moved into the liver where it is stored, and many toxins are released through perspiration.

Fevers Are a Good Thing!

They are the sign of a healthy, functioning immune system.  A fever on its own is not a reason for concern.  It’s important to monitor your child for other signs of possible illness (runny nose, tugging at ears, coughing, etc.) before assuming they are sick.  Other factors can also be responsible for an increase in body temperature (i.e.over-dressing, physical activity, heat exposure). When in doubt, seek advice from a health professional.

If Your Child Has a Fever

Watch them for other signs of a possible illness. Ensure they eat nutritious food (unprocessed, low-sugar, unrefined, whole foods), get adequate rest, and increased fluid intake (broth, diluted juice, H2O). If they are breastfeeding increase the frequency of feedings. Give them extra love, comfort, and reassurance their body is strong and working well to help them heal.

Can Chiropractic Care Help?

Yes. Spinal adjustments can provide beneficial support of the immune system, and subsequently, can help reduce a fever since the body is more easily able to process the bacteria or virus within. Fever is no longer needed because the infection subsides.

Can a Fever be Dangerous?

Untreated fevers caused by viral or bacterial infections do not rise inexorably, and will generally not exceed 105 degrees because the body actually has a built-in mechanism to prevent an infection induced fever from reaching 106.  Temperatures that climb to these levels are part of the cycle that normally occurs when the body is trying to fight the infection.  Although 95% of childhood fevers never reach 105, those that do often peak and then start to descend as the body heals.  Only in the cases of externally caused fevers (heatstroke, poisonings, etc) does the body’s inborn mechanism fail, and it is in these cases where fevers can exceed 106 and warrant immediate attention.

When to Visit the Emergency Room

Head to the emergency room if your child has a fever that persists for more than 3 days, develops other symptoms such as difficulty breathing, vomiting repeatedly, muscle twitching or other strange movements; is an infant younger than 2 months of age; cries inconsolably, has a high-pitched or weak cry; is difficult to waken, excessively drowsy, confused or delirious; has been exposed to an environmental toxin or ingested something poisonous; has had a seizure, a stiff neck or has purple spots on their skin; has difficulty breathing and does not feel better once nose is cleared; is acting very sick; or has underlying risk factors for serious infection.

If none of these are present, TRUST the body’s wisdom to use a fever as an adaptive response to restore health. Look to support your child’s health overall with a variety of preventative measures rather than symptom management. The long-term benefits are proven and your child will thank you!

Disclaimer: Chiropractic care supports overall health and healing, but is not a cure or treatment for fevers in children.

Episode 25: Heart Health With Dr. Jack Wolfson

February is widely known in the healthcare field as Heart Health Month. In honour of this lovely time of year, I have Board Certified Cardiologist, Dr. Jack Wolfson join me, to discuss the myths of heart disease and lifestyle factors. You won’t want to miss this one!

If you’re looking for more ways to keep your heart healthy and happy, check out this blog post.

Don’t Stress! Your Heart Will Thank You

As a Family Chiropractor I am lucky to see people everyday who choose to invest in their health and are actively making choices to feel and function their best. Something that comes up consistently in conversation with people is stress, and it’s often connected to the changes I observe in their body and the injuries I see.

According to The Heart & Stroke Foundation, “Although stress happens first in the mind, it has strong effects on the body. People who have high levels of stress or prolonged stress have higher cholesterol or blood pressure. They may be more prone to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), a stroke risk factor.”

Emotional and mental stress create tension in your body and affect all body systems, including your muscles and joints! It’s important to regularly check in with yourself, assess your emotional health, and make changes if needed.

These are the 5 tips I suggest often, and ones I implement in my own life:

Let Go

You always have a choice in how you handle any situation and how you let it affect you. Holding negative feelings toward someone doesn’t hurt them, it hurts you! Who are you holding anger towards? What do you need to let go of?

Focus on the Good

What you dwell upon expands. If you focus on what you don’t have, that’s all you will see. Focusing your thoughts on victories instead of defeats will help you develop an attitude of gratitude and a greater sense of self-worth. When you change the way you look at things, often the things you are looking at change.

Be Thankful

The secret to happiness is not found by seeking more, but in developing an appreciation for what we have. A powerful exercise is the use of gratitude journal to reflect on day-to-day success, or simply take a few minutes to think of 5 things you are grateful for in your life. You will be pleasantly surprised how it will shift your mental state.

What’s Your Purpose?

A big question I know, but one that you need to make the time to think about. Are you living your life with purpose, plans and passion? If you could do anything you wanted to, what would it be? It’s never too late to re-design your life and pursue any dream you have. What steps can you take to start moving in that direction? Baby steps still take you forward!

Laugh!

Laughter is “the most inexpensive and most effective wonder drug”. It suppresses the secretion of stress hormones, boosts your immune system, reduces inflammation. Let’s face it – there is nothing like the feeling of a deep belly laugh! Are you laughing enough? Connect with others and share some fun.