Newsletter - May/June 2010
In this month's issue . . .
- Chiropractic Care for Children
- What is Meditation and what are the Benefits of Meditation?
- 10 Thoughts on How to Say Young.
- Our Wonderful Bodies.
Chiropractic Care for Children
Many adult spinal problems start in childhood and people don’t realise that children and even babies can benefit from gentle adjustments, thus preventing some of the problems which may occur later in life.
Children’s growth rate is very fast and it is important to keep their bodies healthy at this time. Even at birth problems can occur and their spines can suffer excessive stress which causes interference to the nerves (vertebral subluxaton*). This can go on to effect the child’s health and potential development.
Childhood is also a time when children have many falls and strains on their bodies. These falls can cause slight damage to the spinal nerves which are not noticeable at the time, but which can cause problems later. The child then goes on to play sport, ride bikes and possibly horses. During all these activities they are likely to fall and these probably minor incidents all add up to further damage which can effect the child reaching their fullest potential.
Many children grow up plagued with problems such as fatigue, nervousness, poor concentration and headaches. Heavy bags of school books also pose a problem with posture. Children don’t often complain of backache because their spines are pliable and adapt, thus the child goes on into adulthood with a spinal problem. Chiropractic care has often proved to be the most effective means of early correction of these problems.
*Vertebral sublaxaton is a chiropractic term which describes signs and symptoms which occur as a result of a misaligned or dysfunctional spinal joint segment. It is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate, spinal nerves. Spinal nerves are the nerves that come out from between each of the bones in your spine, they make up your nervous system. Your nervous system controls and co-ordinates all the functions of your body. If the messages from the nervous system are not properly getting through, your body will not function properly. To be fully healthy it is important that your nervous system functions properly.
PLEASE REMEMBER:
We are here to help you . . .
This practice can offer you support both for your body and for your mind and spirit. Our Chiropractors and our other therapists including acupuncturists, counsellors, masseurs, hypnotherapists, reflexologists and aromatherapists are all here to provide advice and support. Please don’t hesitate to ask any of us for guidance or help.
What is Meditation and what are the Benefits of Meditation?
There are many types of meditation
Guided Meditation – You simply sit or lay comfortably in a quiet place with your eyes closed and listen to a guide or a tape who will help you visualize: for example gardens, some fountains and pools or the sea; or alternatively you may be taken on a visualised journey. This is an enjoyable and very relaxing experience. Towards the end your guide will gently bring you back to awareness of your surroundings.
Mindfulness Meditation – Sit, preferably on the floor with your legs crossed for this meditation. Make sure you are comfortable. Close you eyes and observe your breathing, reminding yourself to relax. If thoughts enter you mind notice them and the gently let them go returning to your breathing. If an emotion arises, observe it, don’t dwell on it or label it as good or bad, just let it be and return your thoughts to your breathing.
Candle Meditation – You keep your eyes open and focus on a candle flame, gently drawing thoughts back to the flame when they wander. Candle meditation can be profound and deep.
Breathing Meditation – You sit comfortably in a quiet place with your eyes closed, allowing your hands to rest in your lap. Take some slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, emptying your lungs on the out breath. Then breathe normally whilst concentrating on your breathing, drawing your mind gently back to breathing when it wanders.
Walking Meditation – As the name implies you can do this meditation whilst walking. You take time to notice your body and how it feels; you relax the muscles in your face, shoulders and arms. Take a few deep breaths relaxing further as you exhale. Then begin walking becoming aware of the movement of your body and your breath. Keep gently bringing your thoughts back if they wander
Meditation takes practice, I recommend that most people start with guided meditation as this helps you to stick with it and learn the necessary skills. It is the quickest way to experience the wonderful benefits of meditation. Just think how your mind is working all day and every day, it also works at night when we are asleep. It is our ally as it helps us to work out problems and make decisions, but it can also be our enemy when it nags at us and worries us, raising our stress levels and heart rate, sometimes unnecessarily.
Benefits - When we meditate our heart rate and breathing slow. Blood pressure usually returns to normal and our immune system (adversely affected by stress) improves. Meditation helps you sleep better, can lead to a more positive outlook on life and reduce stress levels. Many athletes use meditation to focus on achieving goals and to recover from injury. Business leaders use meditation to help deal with pressure and make clear decisions. Meditation can benefit us all, none of us want to be stressed and we all want to be happy, healthy and relaxed.
Jan Brand
If you are interested in learning more about meditation please ask one of our team.
Don’t forget that we also have therapists who provide the following treatments:
Acupuncture - Aromatherapy – Chiropody – Personal Life Coaching - Counselling Homeopathy - Hypnotherapy - Indian Head Massage – Kinesiology - Metamorphic Massage Neuro Linguistic Programming [NLP] - Polarity Therapy - Reflexology Rehabilitation Exercises including Pilates - Rejuvanessance - Remedial Massage SCIO Quantum Healing - Restylane Wrinkle Reduction and Frown Line Treatment
Sunflower Therapy For Children.
10 Thoughts on How to Say Young.
- Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them.
- Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
- Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain just idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil's workshop’ and the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
- Enjoy the simple things.
- Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
- The tears happen. Endure, grieve and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
- Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, or something else. Your home is your refuge.
- Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
- Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the shops, even to the next county; to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
- Tell the people you love, that you love them, at every opportunity.
A few one-liners:
- Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled.
- If you have lost something, it will be in the last place you look for it.
- Money can't buy happiness, but it does make misery easier to live with.
- It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.
- No one is listening until you make a mistake.
Our Wonderful Bodies.
Our body chemistry is vital from the moment of our conception. Chemicals are used by our bodies when we wake, sleep, cry, laugh, digest, think, laugh and heal. If any of the chemicals are missing or not in the right quantity our body doesn’t function properly.
Even modern day medicine has not been able to replicate all the chemicals and the chemical reactions in our bodies.
Our bodies know how to run themselves properly. Twenty four hours each and every day our intelligence uses our nervous system to send information to each cell in our body, thus effecting every part of our body including how we feel, think, move etc. However, if the nervous system is interfered with in any way, the brain cannot send all the necessary information to the cells in the body and your health and well-being is effected.
Remember Chiropractic adjustments correct the interference allowing your nerves to function properly, thus allowing your body to function fully and you to feel well.
