Getting Through Menopause

There is a natural end to our body’s reproductive cycle that every woman goes through called menopause. This can bring up a lot of fear in us mostly because we’ve heard from the older women in our lives about the hot flushes that occur randomly, the mood swings and the feeling of loss of control of our body. The 2 main hormones that contribute to symptoms are estrogen and progesterone.

Both men and women produce estrogen but women produce more. Estrogen also has a role to play in maintaining bone health. Imbalances in this hormone and as women age we notice symptoms such as loss of bone strength and an increase in the the rates of fractures (1). In men as they age their estrogen levels also drop and may notice an increase in belly fat or loss of libido.

Progesterone is responsible not only fertility but for an overall general wellness of the body. It has natural anti-inflammatory proprieties that make it a wonderful hormone for producing a calming effect on the brain and boosting the immune system which can relieve aches and pain.

So what can chiropractic do to help with menopause? Our chiropractors look at the nerve interference from the spine that tell the brain about the levels of hormones in the blood. The communication pathway runs through he spine. Chiropractor deal with dysfunctions of the spine. This includes the pelvic joints. A force applied to these joints can have a direct impact of the reproductive organs such as the uterus that have direct attachments to the pelvis.

If you are looking for a natural way to help with menopause symptoms then talk to your chiropractor to see how this is right for you.

Have a listen to our chiropractor talk more about this.

References

1. Tanner, D.A, Kloseck A, Crilly R.G. Chesworth B & Gilliland J. Open Access. Hip fracture types in men and women change differently with age. 2010. https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2318-10-12

3 Tips for living your best life

Being too busy has become the new norm and worn as a badge of honor but being too busy can be detrimental to your health. So in this blog post instead of using the work "‘busy’ I am going to use the word ‘priority’. It automatically changes the view point of our topic.

Everyone has a lot of priorities in their lives which makes taking time out to look after yourself a bit of a luxury. So we tend to keep pushing ourselves hoping to get on top of things but eventually end up at the point of exhaustion.

Taking time to do some simple self care habits regularly may help to avoid burnout and keep stress levels more manageable. It can also help you function at your best so you end up being more efficient and productive. Try these 3 tips to start your journey of self care.

1. No matter how many priorities you have you should always make time for your body. Exercise is not only good for your overall physical health but your mental health too. The weather in Albany, WA doesn’t always help when it comes to getting outdoors for exercise so try something new. Try swimming or yoga or dance classes. Check out the Australian Physical Activity Guideline for the average amount of exercise you should be getting.

2. Emotional well being plays a very important part in avoiding burnout. The first step is to recognize that your thoughts can impact your bodies ability to function. Now try this simple exercise. Write down all the things you say about yourself, both positive and negative. Go on… Write it down. Next to each line, write down if this is something you were told or if it was something you made up about yourself. An example could be “ I am not a good friend” This is something that I’ve made up about myself because I have lost a few friends over the years. Now Write down all the things that you are doing that is the opposite of this. e.g I am helpful, caring, nurturing, fun and approachable. Once you’ve figured out that the excuses you’ve been telling yourself are fooling nobody you can start telling yourself that you deserve it e.g I am a good friend because I am helpful, caring, nurturing, fun and approachable.

3. Spend your time and money on things that matter to you. For example if you love spending time with your family then spend the money on booking a weekend away with them. If you feel recharged after doing yoga then spend your money on some classes where you can do more and maybe even learn more techniques. If you love a sport then you might want to invest in good equipment to help you be your best and do more of what make you feel good. There are only 24hrs in a day. What you do with self care time can help you live a happier and more motivated life.

If you are struggling with your priorities then please ask for help. There is no more time we can create only how you deal with time. Be productive by getting your priorities set.

How to use trigger point balls

Sometimes you may feel like you really need a someone to put their elbow into a certain spot! Or you may feel like it just needs to be “cracked”. BUT you cant get in to see your chiropractor for weeks…

One of the ways we encourage our clients to stay pain free in between sessions is by using a spikey ball or a trigger point ball.

Spikey Balls work on the myofascial system (superficial layer of connective tissue) to reduce muscle tension, improve blood flow, increase body awareness and aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Making them perfect for knots and tight areas. They are a great way to perform self care and release those knots

HOW TO: You can simply sit or lay on your Spikey Ball and you use your body weight to apply pressure to a tight muscle.

• By using pressure and specific movements you can encourage the Spikey Ball to really target those deep trouble-spots and also encourage the brain - body awareness.

• DO NOT USE your Spikey Ball if you have a recent injury or trauma which has broken the skin, caused inflammation of a joint, or if you are badly bruised – if in doubt ask your practitioner.

• Watch Dr Priya show you how to use the ball for helping relieve shoulder tension here.

Call us on 98 000 670 to purchase Spikey massage Ball or to get some advice on how to use them specific for your needs.

Choose walking!

Albany’s weather has become cooler and the days getting shorter. It’s important to maintain our health and well being by remaining active. Walking is a great place to start if you haven’t been exercising much lately, or even if you want to try something new. Having a walk planned to do on a fine day will help get you out and enjoy the sun your body craves during winter.

As you may know, walking has many positive benefits. Some of them are

• Improve posture

• Increase heart and lung health

• Relieve spinal stress

• Boost energy levels

• Improve memory

• Increase Vit D levels

• Bones and joints become stronger

For many parts of Albany and Great Southern, the change of season is brought to life through an array of autumn colours. Why not take your walk to the next level by visiting a beautiful local walking or hiking spots. We’ve created a list of walk that you can try and they are dog friendly too.

The Luke Penn walk is an easy to moderate level trail that offers great views while walking along the river. This is one of our favorite walks. See all the trees change from green to orange. It is graded as a Level 2 with a distance of 14.5km.

Our next suggestion is the Point Possession Heritage trail. You will need to drive to the start of the walk but the views it offers of Albany port and the channel are spectacular. Its graded as a level 3 and requires climbing up a steep rock face. This can become slippery when wet. There are ropes to help pull you up. You may even spot some dolphins or whales from lookout points along the trail.

If you are up for a challenge with your walking then try the Bald Head walk. Make sure you allow a full day for this grade 4, 12.5km walk. This hike is challenging but very achievable and will test your endurance for long walks. It has stunning views of the Southern Ocean and King George Sound to keep you motivated to see what’s over that next hill. Unfortunately pets are not allowed on this trail.

Spinal Health Week 2021- Sore back? Consider a Chiro!

Spinal Health Week is the (Australian Chiropractic Association) ACA’s flagship campaign, which will take place this year on 24-30 May 2021! This year, the ACA is raising awareness of the causes and negative effects of back pain, with the 2021 theme
‘Sore Back? Consider a Chiro’.

With back pain being a true burden in the community, Australians are being urged to consider all their healthcare options when it comes to the treatment and intervention of back pain.

According to the Institute of Health & Welfare, around 4 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems. It is also estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives.1  While pain is the main symptom, we know low back pain is now the leading cause of disability worldwide.2

Whether you are experiencing pain from bad habits like inactivity, suffering from an exercise injury, or just want to maintain your spinal health, chiropractic care may help you get back to their best self.

So this May, when your are talking to family and friends make sure to tell them to Consider a Chiro whenever they are in pain- although chiropractic is great for preventing pain before it happens.

Click here for more info.