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Strategies to Be Proactive for Seasonal Allergies

Strategies to Be Proactive for Seasonal Allergies

With beautiful Spring flowers comes the dread of seasonal allergies. With the pollen count always going up, getting your spring allergies under control will be important. Here are some tips to help you  enjoy your outdoor adventures.

What causes seasonal allergies?

Allergies and the symptoms that come with it of sneezing, runny nose, coughing, watery/itchy eyes, etc. are a part of your immune system response. When you’re exposed to an allergen your body is triggered to release a chemical called histamine. When histamine enters your bloodstream, it makes your blood vessels leaky, especially those that run through your nose and eyes. This is why the most common seasonal allergies reaction is a runny nose or watery eyes.

How can you treat Seasonal allergies?

Depending on the area you live in, your allergies may fluctuate from season to season. The key is to take proactive measures to prepare your body or the pollen onslaught common during the Spring months. To do this, it often helps to start an anti-allergy regime in the Winter or very early in the Spring, like in April, so you are able to enjoy the great outdoors without feeling miserable.

The doctors at Corrective Chiropractic recommend using Allerplex. As an all-natural blend of Vitamins A and C, you’re able to get the healthy dose of nutrients your body needs to overcome and reduce the symptoms related to seasonal allergies. Also, including a unique combination of organic minerals, peptides, and enzymes, Allerpex is able to:

  • Reduce the production of mucus often associated with allergies
  • Boost your liver function
  • Enhance the synergistic relationship between your lung and heart

To ensure your allergies stay in check, taking Allerpex in conjunction with regular chiropractic visits can be the one-two punch you need to knock allergies out for good.

Can chiropractic care help with allergies?

The short answer is yes! The exact mechanism of how allergies wreak havoc on the body is not completely understood, however, research has proved that when your body is under stress, being able to manage your allergies becomes a challenge. Your nervous system is intimately linked with your immune system. Which means, when your nervous system is misaligned (particularly with spinal misalignments in your neck), your immune system will inevitably compromised. And, when your immune system is weakened, allergens can have an even greater effect on your body, leaving you with allergy symptoms that will quickly make your life miserable.

When you receive chiropractic treatments, doctors are able to gently manipulate the joints and soft tissue of your spine back into alignment, restoring the healthy connection and communication between your nervous system and immune systems.

Are you ready to kick your seasonal allergies to the curb? Consider making a comprehensive back evaluation appointment with Corrective Chiropractic. We will assess your current medical profile, perform a spinal assessment and answer any questions you may have. It’s time to start living your best life, regardless of the season. Give us a call today at 404-355-5499.

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Simple Tips To Improve Your Sleep Cycle

Simple Tips To Improve Your Sleep Cycle

How many nights have you spent in bed, tossing and turning and being unable to sleep, only to wake up the next morning groggy and tired? If you answer many times, that’s a sign that your body clock, otherwise known as the “circadian rhythm” is out of sync with your sleep cycle.

There are many things that can cause this. Maybe you’ve worked night shifts for a long time that switching into day shifts has messed up your body. Or overnight cram study sessions, work deadlines, a newborn baby needing to look after. Nonetheless, it’s a problem that can affect your mental, emotional and physical state. Not sleeping right will make you cranky and lethargic, but in the long term it will seriously damage your health.

In 2015, research  has shown that there is a link between disrupted circadian rhythm and risk factors for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

For such a high price to pay, you obviously gain more than just a good night’s rest if you change the way you think about sleeping. Here are some simple tips that will help.

Optimize Your Bedroom for Sleep

Make your  bedroom a sanctuary  – a place where you can rest and relax to the utmost. It’s your comfort that’s important.

Some people find sleeping with nightlights or light peeking through difficult. Switch off light-emitting objects and get thicker curtains to block outside sources. If you’re sensitive to noises too, these curtains also muffle sound –  very helpful if you’re living in the city.

Consider investing sleep optimization technology such earbuds weighted sleeping masks if you sleep a lot in shared spaces. The microbeads touch on key relaxation pressure points and blocks out light, making it the perfect alternative if you sleep with a pillow on your head. There are a lot of ambient noise apps and sleep earbuds you can try if you fall asleep faster with ambient noise.

Remember those warm, sticky summer nights that keep you awake? Ambient temperature plays a role in the sleep cycle. Turn the aircon’s cool settings down a little, cooler temperatures induce sleep better.

Keep distracting objects such as your phone in a drawer so you won’t be tempted to play with it when you can’t sleep. Making your sleeping environment optimal for sleeping, and that means removing things that prevent you from doing so.

Your Pre-Bedtime Rituals

What do you do before bedtime? They may be the culprits for keeping you awake.

Eating and drinking before bed, especially when you’re stuffed, isn’t just bad for your digestion, it also negatively impacts the quality of your sleep. There’s a heaviness that’s present when lying down with a full stomach that persists while your food is being digested, and it takes a while for it to go away. By that time, you’ve probably missed your bedtime.

Inversely, going to bed with an empty stomach is also bad. Your hunger will keep you awake, the churning in your stomach will wake you up. It’s ideal to eat a light dinner a few hours before sleeping, light being the keyword.

Some people’s sleeping problems are usually due to coffee late at night. Caffeine and nicotine, being stimulants, will keep you up and will wreck your sleeping habits. Alcohol will make you sleepy but you’ll pay for it with a parched mouth and bad aftertaste when you wake up.

Avoid late afternoon naps if you can. If it’s unavoidable, set an alarm for no longer than 30 minutes. The energy you gain, if unspent, will make you alert and active when you should start feeling sleepy.

Regularly exercising in the day will also help. You benefit by maintaining your weight and protecting your health, and it will also tire you out so by evening you’ll want to crash into bed. Keep your  regimen in the morning though, exercising boosts epinephrine which increases your heart beat and makes you more alert to react, which is the opposite of sleepy.

Sometimes, it’s not the environment or our habits that keep us awake. It’s the worries that hound us that make it hard to just shut down. Find an outlet for your thoughts to clear your head. Writing your thoughts in a journal helps. Try turning off the noise in your head by thinking, “Okay, that’s enough for today. Things will be better when I wake up”.  This mental trick will condition your brain into slowing down and starting the sleep cycle.

Stick to a Sleep Schedule

It’s the irregularity of our habits that confuses our body. Create a pre-bed routine and try to follow it as much as you can.

For example, start by having a light dinner. Take a warm bath after eating. This a cue for your body that you’re getting into relaxation mode.  Studies show taking a warm bath 90 minutes before bedtime helps in getting deep sleep. Then a nightcap. There are lot of herbal drinks you can take an hour before bedtime that helps induce sleep. Lavender tea is especially popular because it helps relieve stress, decreases anxiety, and improves sleep quality especially among people with anxiety and anxiety-related disorders. Don’t do this in your bed though. Your bed should only be for sleeping, making love and relaxation and it’s important that your body realizes this association.

Also, pee before sleeping. The call of nature will wake you up regardless, so better head to the toilet yourself.

Preventing yourself from mental stimulation is key. While there’s nothing wrong about reading a few pages of a novel, watching a bit of Youtube, you’ll never know what’s going to capture your attention. How many times have you been kept up by an idea that struck you before bed time? Precisely. That’s why it’s better to keep away from them.

Wake Up Right

Waking up plays a part as big as your bedtime routine in the sleep/wake cycle. Your body wakes you because you need food after fasting.

Have a hearty and healthy breakfast. It should include plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, multigrain cereal) and no sugar. Your body will remember when breakfast is, so you’ll eventually wake up at the same time everyday.

During the day, get yourself some sunshine! Get a healthy dose of sunshine, but remember the sunscreen. A short, 10 minute walk will soak up the sunlight you need for your body. It releases hormones that increase the feeling of wakefulness.

Better yet, start your day with a morning jog – you’ve worked up a sweat, plus you’re fully awake!

 It’s About Cues, Habits and Discipline

What your body needs is consistency. It needs you to follow a sensible, day-to-day routine to know when you power you up and shut you down. Starting  a healthy sleep/wake routine to improve your sleep cycle is going to be hard, even more difficult trying to stick to it.

In the beginning it’s going to be challenging forcing yourself to go to bed earlier than usual, and you might just end up staring at the ceiling. But eventually, when your body picks up on your cues and adjusts, it sleep will visit you earlier.

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Chiropractic Care Can Help Ear Infections

Chiropractic Care Can Help Ear Infections

Ear infections are often a common and frustrating occurrence that most parents have to deal with. As the frequency of these infections increase, parents seek out the safest and quickest ways to help ear infections for their children.  When it comes to all natural remedies, chiropractic adjustments may be leading the way in curbing childhood ear infections. Understanding the medical science behind them can shed light on why adjustments may be able to help.

How Do Ear Infections Start?

Generally speaking, an ear infection can present itself as severe tenderness in the ear or side of the head. Depending on its severity, it may be followed with high fevers that persist for days, ringing in the ear, sleep disturbances, and loss of appetite. As the infection and fluid in the middle ear spreads, the symptoms often get worse and can accelerate to:

  • Extreme pressure causing debilitating headaches.
  • Difficulty hearing or sensitivity to even common sounds
  • Loss of balance or persistent dizziness

With these symptoms lasting anywhere from a few days to weeks, having a non-invasive way to help and prevent the onset of ear infections is important.

How Can Chiropractic Help Ear Infections?

In a recent pediatric study, the role of chiropractic care in helping ear infections was studied.

When antibiotics were left futile and only altered the child’s attitude and disturbed their sleep patterns, the parents turned to chiropractic care. Upon examination, the one-year-old infant showed signs of spinal misalignment in several areas. After receiving safe, spinal adjustments, twice a week for 6 weeks, the ear infections reduced in severity and the recurrence of ear infections ceased.

Is your child suffering with persistent ear infections? Are you looking for an all natural way to help? At Corrective Chiropractic, we invite you to schedule a complimentary spinal evaluation for your child. We have a proven track record working with the littlest of patients and are associated with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Click here to schedule your child’s first appointment.

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Why You Should Start with a Corrective Plan

Why You Should Start with a Corrective Plan

In health care, having a plan is the best way to ensure that you are able to achieve optimal results. Similar to how a personal trainer may put their clients on a nutrition or exercise regime to follow  your chiropractor should do the same. According to the experienced chiropractors at Corrective Chiropractic, these are the five reasons why your chiropractor should put you on a corrective plan.

Corrective Plan Can Help Assess Your Spinal Health

When your chiropractor creates your corrective plan, they will do a thorough assessment. This is designed to get an accurate understanding of where your trouble spots are. This also helps see the level of misalignment you currently have, and the severity of your back issues. This is your baseline reading and gives your chiropractor a clear picture of what the future sessions will have to address to help you achieve the best results possible.

Monitoring Your Progress is Easier with a Corrective Plan

Without a plan in place, it will be difficult for your chiropractor to track what issues are still present. A corrective plan enables you to more completely track how you feel. Is also allows you to track what areas may continue causing you pain and discomfort. As the sessions progress, your chiropractor will be able to determine if you are achieving better health results or if a plan modification is needed.

Pinpoint Any Recurring Issues

If you visit your chiropractor sporadically it will be hard for them to have a thorough assessment of your back health. In these cases, you are continually updating them on how you feel and your initial pain areas. By having a spinal treatment plan, you are able to ensure that all of your pain areas are addressed and that your chiropractor has a near real-time glimpse into your back health, without the lengthy debriefing that occurs during infrequent visits.

Help Make Lifestyle Adjusts

Most lower back and neck pain can be traced back to how we sit or the activities we engage in. Working with your chiropractor, you will be able to get insights into how you can improve your back health through easy-to-implement every day practices such as avoiding slouching when looking at a mobile device. The key to a sound corrective plan is to find your most troublesome areas and learn how to lessen the stressors that may be exacerbating your discomfort in these areas.

Corrective Plan Keeps Your Back Healthy in All Conditions

In many cases, with regular visits, you and your chiropractor will be able to spot patterns of pain. For example, after a week of strenuous workouts, your chiropractor may notice that your lower back needs more attention. Whereas, after prolonged time sitting in front of your computer, your cervical spine may need adjusting. Either way, knowing these common stressors in your life can be factored into your corrective plan, allowing you to get the sustained relief you need.

When you partner with Corrective Chiropractic, we work with you to create a detailed spinal treatment plan that leverages our proven non-invasive and all-natural treatments. To schedule a complimentary phone consultation with one of our most trusted chiropractors, at a location convenient to you, click here.

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Does Your Child Have Text Neck?

Does Your Child Have Text Neck?

According to Pew research, for 21st-Century teens, having a smartphone and spending upwards of 9 hours a day on it, has become the norm. Though this trend is no different from the addictiveness that adults have with their cell phones as well, the damage to the neck muscles can be greater for the younger demographic. This is called “Text Neck”. As your child’s body changes, having improper posture can put undue strain on the muscles, the bones, and in turn the spine.

As the number of hours spent on mobile devices is expected to increase, it is essential for parents to put a back care plan in place to counteract the health effects that prolonged technology use can cause.

With extended cell phone use, a physical condition, being referred to as “text neck” is emerging and proving that teens and young adults are at the greatest risk.

What is “Text Neck?”

When your child spends time on their phone, they are often looking in a downward posture, keeping their head, neck, back, and spine in one, often uncomfortable position. Though it may feel comfortable, in the moment, holding this craned-neck posture for hours or frequently throughout the day inadvertently puts the cervical spine at great risk. The cervical spine supports the neck and head and is positioned at the top of the spine. Having incorrect posture puts this portion of the spine out of alignment. When that occurs, chronic neck and back pain can quickly make simple movements very painful and inhibit your child’s growth and physical development.

It is difficult to predict what the long-term effects of having a prolonged craned-neck posture can have on overall health. However, medical researchers speculate that the increased use of mobile devices may come with a future increase in early-onset arthritis of the neck.

Despite the evidence pointing to long-term effects, research studies have found that text neck can cause immediate health problems such as severe upper back pain, strained neck and shoulder muscles, and pinched spinal nerves. And, children and teens are the most at risk of developing these debilitating conditions, as their mobile device usage is nearly two times greater than adults.

How do you prevent text neck?

The short answer is to limit cell phone and mobile device use per day, limiting it to no more than 1 hour a day. However, the longer term solution to prevent chronic back and neck pain is to maintain a straight posture when viewing a mobile device. Making regular visits to an experienced pediatric chiropractor can be the most effective way to address spinal misalignment at its source and correct any muscle and spinal issues before they evolve into a more long-term issue.

The welcoming and knowledgeable chiropractors at Corrective Chiropractic are specialized in correcting text neck, even in the smallest of patients.

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Your Nervous System Helps Your Immune System

Your Nervous System Helps Your Immune System

Chiropractic treatments are all-natural, non-invasive, and are a medication-free way to manage your allergies. The onslaught of sneezing, runny noses, watery eyes, and even wheezing are all your body’s natural defense against seemingly harmless substances. Your allergic reaction or allergies are caused by your immune system initiating an exaggerated response to substances (like pollen in the Spring, or dust, ragweed – you name it) that are otherwise harmless to your body.

With regular chiropractic adjustments, through the allergy season and beyond you’ll be able to:

Boost Your Immune System

When you spine is misaligned, your nervous system is not able to function properly. This means the communication between our brain and the rest of your body is impacted, including your immune system. Often the more severe the misalignment in the spine, the worse the allergies become. The brain is not able to regulate the histamines your body produces. This causes you to sneeze, cough, and wheeze more than normal.

Regulate Your Stress Hormones

A properly aligned spine will enable your brain to better control the stress hormones your body produces and releases. This in turn allows you to feel less stressed and your body will overall be less tense with regular chiropractic adjustments. The more stress you have and feel, the more your immune system will be impacted and the greater toll your allergies will have on your body.

Enhance Your Breathing

Similar to the immune system, your respiratory system is controlled by your nervous system. By making sure your nervous system is functioning at its best, you’re better able to regulate not just how you breathe but how your body responds to irritants that may enter your body through your nose or mouth. It is these pesky irritants that disrupt your immune system and cause an allergic reaction. The better equipped your body is to destroy or contain these airborne irritants the less severe your allergies will be.

As we enter into the allergy season, you don’t have to suffer!

In fact, there is an all-natural and proven way to manage your allergies and boost your energy levels too. To learn about the non-invasive chiropractic treatments and how they are helping Georgia and South Carolina residents kick their allergies to the curb, click here.

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Chiropractic Treatments Can Help Ear Infections

Chiropractic Treatments Can Help Ear Infections

When it comes to treating your child’s ear infections, most parents will agree that the fastest and safest option is preferred. Being one of the most common childhood illnesses in the world, ear infections can be helped with a host of all-natural remedies, including by your local chiropractor!

Generally, an ear infection starts with soreness in the ear or side of the head region. It can also be followed by a fever, fluid draining from the ear, trouble sleeping, and loss of appetite.

As the fluid begins to build up in the middle ear, the symptoms often get worse and can include:

  • A popping or ringing sensation in the ear.
  • Extreme pressure buildup or a pushing feeling on the ear and head.
  • Difficulty hearing or sensitivity to loud sounds
  • Balance problems, dizziness and coordination problems

If your child suffers from frequent ear infections, having these symptoms persist for days or continuously over a long period of time makes it hard for antibiotics or other medications to treat.

That’s why more and more parents are turning to chiropractic to help their child’s ear infections.

Here’s the science behind it…

In 15 cases evaluated by medical researchers, a study found that having frequent chiropractic adjustments measurably decreased the symptoms and severity of ear infections.

When your spine is misaligned, this negatively impacts your nervous system, which, in turn, affects how your body functions and how it can ward off infections. With regular alignments, even performed once every few months, your nervous system will be primed to perform at its best and will enhance your child’s immune system to be able to fight various infections, including ear infections and allergies.

But, that’s not all!

Research has attributed chiropractic treatments to helping reduce or reverse sleeping issues, digestive problems, even helping to regulate mood and behavior.

If you’re considering having your child visit a chiropractor, be sure they have a proven track record of experience working with the littlest of patients and are associated with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). The kid-friendly and experienced doctors at Corrective Chiropractic specialize in pediatric adjustments and would be happy to discuss your child’s needs during a free phone consultation. Click here to schedule your appointment.

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Manage Your Pre-Holiday Stress By Visiting a Chiropractor

Manage Your Pre-Holiday Stress By Visiting a Chiropractor

As the weather changes and the daylight hours get shorter, work responsibilities begin to pile up. The chaotic hustle and bustle of the holidays start to creep in. We all naturally get stress.

In fact, according to psychologists, the average level of stress during the Fall months is the highest of all seasons. And, with more stress comes more strain on your body. How you handle that wear and tear on your body can mean the difference between making it to Summer feeling rejuvenated or nursing discomfort and pain that seems to be getting worse.

Here are the top three reasons why visiting your chiropractor is the best way for you to handle the pre-holiday stress:

Eliminate Muscle Tension from Stress

When you encounter stress, your muscles naturally tense up. This can impact how you walk, sit and perform tasks throughout your day. And, if left uncorrected, this can start to wreak havoc on your ability to sleep, exercise, and just enjoy life. Having a chiropractic alignment helps to restore your body’s natural functioning. It also loosens the tension building up in your body.

Get Your Body Back on Track

Your body’s functioning is rooted in your central nervous system. And, if your spine is not in alignment, your nervous system is negatively impacted. This can manifest itself in digestive, respiratory, immune, and even sleep issues that may not be easily corrected. An experienced chiropractor will be able to perform non-invasive and all natural procedures to get your spine back in alignment and your body running on all cylinders.

Fix Your Posture for Improved Health and Less Stress

With mobile devices being an integral part of our day, how we sit and the length of time we spend sitting have played a role in how our muscles and skeletal system function. “Text neck” puts extreme strain on your neck muscles and can lead to crotched posture and further back discomfort. Having the proper posture as you may spend more time seated, through the Fall and Winter months can be the best way to help you manage your spine health. A well-trained chiropractor will be able to evaluate your posture, adjust it, and help you stay healthy and energized through the holidays.

When is the last time you visited a chiropractor? 

If it has been longer than 6 months, then now is the time to schedule an appointment! The friendly doctors at Corrective Chiropractic will be happy to give you a free phone call and answer any questions you may have.

You deserve to be stress-free (or at least pain-free) now and through the end of the year!

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What Age Can a Child Start Seeing a Chiropractor?

What Age Can a Child Start Seeing a Chiropractor?

From when your child is born, their body undergoes an immense amount of growth over the first four years. Children’s muscles stretch and their bones grow. This is why we make sure they are in alignment can help with their development and overall health. Getting your child chiropractic treatments early on in life can help them reduce any physical pain. It can also help any discomfort they may feel during growth spurts.

A child’s spine experiences the highest rate of expansion during the first 10 years of life. Simple events like wearing a heavy backpack or having poor posture can take a toll on how their spine develops. When the spine is misaligned, this impacts the nervous system. This can result in a host of illnesses and conditions: such as colic, asthma, ear infections, bedwetting, even a weak immune or digestive system.

Taking your child to receive chiropractic treatments can be an effective way to keep their spine healthy during development years.

Do pregnancy and pediatrics chiropractors need specialized training?

All chiropractors receive some basic pediatric training during their doctoral program. Some may pursue more in-depth courses as part of their continued education. Likewise, some highly-trained pediatric chiropractors also engage in research in the field of pregnancy and pediatrics chiropractic medicine. If you are seeking out a reputable pediatric chiropractor in your area, consider consulting the list of chiropractors recognized by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.

The friendly doctors at Corrective Chiropractic have over a decade of experience working with children, as young as a few months old, to ensure that their spine is in perfect alignment as they grow and thrive. If you would like to explore our techniques or want to learn more about how chiropractic treatments can help your child stay happy and healthy, contact our Atlanta (locations in Alpharetta, Buckhead, Decatur, Sandy Springs, and Woodstock) and Charleston, SC area office today at 404-355-5499, or schedule a free initial consultation here.

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How to Choose The Best Pregnancy and Pediatrics Chiropractor

How to Choose The Best Pregnancy and Pediatrics Chiropractor

During your pregnancy, you want nothing but the best for your baby. Finding the right pregnancy and pediatrics chiropractor may be high on your list. You deserve a chiropractor that has experience with pregnancy chiropractic techniques to ensure you are healthy and pain-free throughout your pregnancy.

Assess Your Pain Areas

Knowing where you are experiencing pain and discomfort can help you identify the best pregnancy chiropractor to meet your needs. You can also ask specific questions and get targeted information about how they can leverage safe chiropractic treatments. For example, if you are having lower back pain, as a result of your pregnancy, seeking out an experienced pregnancy chiropractor who specializes in treating this can be the best solution.

Ask About Their Pediatrics Chiropractor Experience

How long has the practice been open? How many pregnant patients do they treat? What techniques have they found to be successful for pregnant women experiencing back pain? These are all questions you should ask to determine if the pregnancy chiropractor is the right fit for your needs. An experienced chiropractic treatment clinic will be able to provide ample information in this regard. They will be happy to address all of your questions and concerns during the initial visit.

Check Pediatrics Chiropractor References

Always ask for testimonials or to speak with former patients. It is always best to do your own due diligence before accepting any treatments. Checking for online reviews and Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings are also great places to verify the practices’ credibility and ability to provide quality care.

Ask for an Initial Consultation

Most trusted pediatric and pregnancy chiropractors will offer a free back evaluation to discuss your areas of pain. This is a great time to ask questions about their experience and inquire about what specific chiropractic treatments they use to help pregnant women manage back pain throughout their pregnancy. If they require you to commit to services before you are able to discuss your needs, this is a major red flag.

If you are looking for an award-winning and friendly pregnancy chiropractor with a proven track record helping pregnant women eliminate back pain, then contact the experienced doctors at Corrective Chiropractic today at 404-355-5499 for a free, no-strings-attached consultation.

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