What to do in your 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy
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What To Do During Your 2nd Trimester Of Pregnancy

What to do in your 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy

You’ve made it past the first twelve weeks and the reality of pregnancy starts to set in. You’re having a baby! Congratulations! It’s now time to start preparing for the birth of your child and your life as a parent. This time may seem overwhelming but I want to remind you to relax and use this time to connect with your baby. In order to have the most enjoyable pregnancy possible, I’ve created a list of things to focus on so you know what to do during your 2nd trimester of pregnancy.

1) Reduce your Stress Level

Throughout pregnancy, your baby is extremely sensitive to stress hormones. These hormones cross over the placenta and can have a significant impact on your baby. Taking care of your baby means taking care of yourself too! Whether this involves a foot massage, meditation, candle-lit bath, or going on an evening walk, indulge in activities that allow you to slow down and nurture yourself. Use this time to relax and to really connect with your baby.

2) Create your ideal “Birth Team”

Once you know what type of birth you would like to have (e.g. birthing center, home, hospital birth), decide who you want as a part of your “birth team”.

When patients ask me for advice about creating a birth team, I strongly suggest hiring a midwife and doula. A midwife is highly trained to provide exceptional medical care for mom and baby during the pregnancy, birth, and post-natal weeks. A doula is there to support the mother physically, emotionally, and spiritually. A doula gives the mom the utmost confidence and support during the birth process.

Regardless of who you choose to be a part of your special day, make sure that your birth team honors the type of birth you wish to have.

3) Attend a Birthing Workshop

Pick a birthing workshop that reinforces the type of birth you would like to have. Educate yourself on the different types and choose one that inspires and empowers you! Corrective Chiropractic will host 2 different childbirth classes this fall, Hypnobabies and Baby Steps. These amazing classes educate and honor the body’s natural ability to give birth.

4) Maintain Good Posture

As pregnancy advances, you will start to experience gravitational changes. As a result, women compensate for the additional weight by widening their stance during pregnancy. This widened stance hyperextends the lumbar spine, compressing the disc spaces between the vertebrae. In order to maintain proper spinal biomechanics during pregnancy, I recommend that every pregnant woman goes to see a chiropractor. Chiropractic adjustments ensure proper alignment for better posture and a more comfortable pregnancy.

 

We’re Here to Help

If you have any questions about your second trimester of pregnancy, would like more information on a birthing class, or would like to get your posture checked, call Corrective Chiropractic at 404-355-5499 or leave a comment below.

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Farmers Market
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Atlanta Farmers Markets

Summer is upon us, and that means fresh farm food is at its prime! Atlanta has so much to offer its residents, especially its focus on and access to myriad local famers. One need not look terribly far in this city to find a farmer’s market booming with fresh produce, homemade delicacies, and eager food-lovers seeking out the best products for their weekly meals. Here is a list of Atlanta farmers markets happenings. Wherever you look, local food is not too far away!

Atlanta Farmer’s Markets 2014

Atlanta Farmers Markets

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How to Choose A Sports Chiropractor
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How to Choose A Sports Chiropractor

 

If you play sports and are looking for how to choose a sports chiropractor, this article is for you! If you’re looking for a chiropractor who specializes in sports then it is important to think about your goals. Most of the athletes we care for have 2 goals:

  1. Not get hurt and be able to play sports forever
  2. Perform at their optimum potential and be their best athlete

We take these goals into consideration and use our resources to help each patient achieve those goals.

The first thing to look for in a chiropractor who specializes in sports is one who plays sports and is fit themselves. Personally, I have been an athlete my whole life competing in marathons, Ironman’s, crossfit competitions, and other local weightlifting events. The worst advice someone can take is from someone who is not athletic and has no idea on how athletes function.

One of our best athletes Emily Bridgers, top female crossfitter in the Southeast, says “I don’t know how someone who works out regularly does not get adjusted”.

Emily came in feeling great but, upon further review of her hips, she had imbalances and one hip was higher than the other. Through our specialized corrective techniques she was able to balance her hips naturally and is now competing at her highest level while feeling her best.

On July 25th – July 27th she will compute on ESPN in the Crossfit Games in California.

We tell all of our athletes: “If you want to train at an elite level then you must take care of yourself at an elite level.”

This is why chiropractic is a staple for a healthy body as well as adding in other tool such as massage, foam rolling, yoga, and acupuncture. The key to sustained health and longevity is being proactive and taking steps to betterment BEFORE pain shows up.

Your Turn

What are some of your favorite sports to play? Leave comments below!

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Should My Baby Be Checked By A Chiropractor?

Should my baby be checked by a Chiropractor

One of the most common questions I’m asked is “Should my baby be checked by a Chiropractor?” The real question: “Why is your baby NOT under chiropractic care?!?”

Before we can answer why infants should be checked by a chiropractor, we have to understand what chiropractic is. Chiropractors work with the nervous system- the information highway that coordinates all of our bodily functions including breathing, digestion, and immune responses. When the spine is misaligned, the nerve messages are interrupted and result in impaired nerve function. If left uncorrected, this can dramatically affect the health of a child. Chiropractic adjustments correct the misaligned vertebrae and restore proper nerve function, allowing the child to live each day at their maximum potential.

Why would my baby have nerve interference?

A recent study showed that 80% of infants have some sort of nerve interference from the birth process. Unfortunately, this problem is under-publicized and under-treated. During the average birth, a doctor will use 60-90 lbs of pressure to pull the baby out of the birth canal. The likelihood of nerve interference only increases with additional birth trauma: prolonged labor, drugs used to increase contractions, vacuum/forcep extraction, or cesarean section delivery. Imagine the effects this can have on the infant’s spine and nervous system!

What happens when there is nerve interference?

In most cases, infants may not present with any symptoms initially. Other times, newborns may experience colic, irritability, difficulty feeding or latching, eczema/skin irritations, digestive issues, sleeping problems, or neurological defects due to impaired nerve function. If this is left undetected and uncorrected, these problems may develop into learning difficulties, sensory impairments, asthma, allergies, ear infections, hyperactivity, or other health problems as the child matures.

So why is chiropractic important this early in life?

Given that 65% of a child’s brain and nervous system development occurs during the first year of life, it is imperative to ensure that your baby has every opportunity to maximize nerve function during this crucial period! Each child deserves to live life at his or her optimal level.

Is chiropractic safe for kids?

Chiropractic is extremely safe for children and adults! Infants are adjusted much differently than an adult counterpart because of their small size and age. The infant adjustment consists of a gentle fingertip contact applied to specific areas of the spine.

Get Involved

Do you take your children to a chiropractor? We’d love to hear your reason for starting, or not starting, care for your entire family. Please leave comments below!

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How Can Chiropractic Helps Allergies?

Ahh Choo!!!

Welcome to allergy season. This is the time of year when allergies are high and the medical community and Big Pharma start rolling out the ads. They trick us into believing allergies are BAD and must be fought with Zyrtec or some other pharmaceutical drug we see on TV. Have you ever stopped to think why do allergies exist?

So, why do you think allergies exist?

Do you think it is because G-d gave you the allergy gene or rather that it could be a disruption in your body’s functioning? Have you ever considered that allergies may be protective mechanisms of your immune system adapting to stress?

Seasonal Allergies

Various seasons of pollination occur throughout the year and people react differently with each one, if at all. In the mid-Atlantic states, tree pollination happens between February and May. Grass pollination happens from May – June and weeds from August – October. Some people experience symptoms in one season while others experience symptoms in all three. However, this begs the question that, if pollen is out, why does everyone not experience symptoms?

The answer is in an uncoordinated immune system and lack of ability to adapt to the stress. Some people can handle the stress overload of pollen without symptoms and some cannot due to compromised immune systems from lifestyle choices (diet, exercise, time spent sitting) and circumstances.

Chiropractic Adjustments and Allergies

Therefore, it is crucial not to miss chiropractic appointments, during this season. Chiropractic adjustments help to balance the body and improve all functions and processes. As a chiropractor in Atlanta, I check for misalignment through various tests and see where there is nerve pressure blocking the body’s ability to function at 100%. I then make gentle adjustments to free the nerve.

Your body was designed for perfection and to function at a state without the use of drugs and surgery. By keeping it properly aligned with balanced nutritional and lifestyle choices, you can experience the highest level of health, even amidst the highest pollen counts!

Get Involved

Do you experience allergies? If so, do you experience symptoms throughout the year or only certain seasons? Read this tips to prepare your self from unwanted allergies in spring season.

Tell us your story by leaving a comment below! Request your appointment here!

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Chiropractic Benefits of Full Body Vibration – Live Vibe

At Corrective Chiropractic, our goal is to always be cutting edge and have the best technology to produce the best results for our patients. As of March 2014, we have invested in 2 Live Vibes. The Live Vibe is the newest body vibration therapy that helps increase our patients results goals) (by helping them get the correction they need. We invested this to add more value to our patients.

Live Vibe Full Body Vibration is mostly used by professional athletes, at home, health clinics, etc. This whole body vibration tool has lots of known benefits like muscle strength, correct loss of cervical curve, improve overall body posture and balance, increase health immunity, reduces pain, revitalizes the musculature around the spine, and provides exercise and vitality to patients with inactive lifestyle.

When using the Curve Restoration Unit (traction on wall), you will turn on the Live Vibe to get 3x the benefit of helping to rebuild the neck curve. The Live Vibe is also effective for osteoporosis or osteoarthritis patients that need help with remineralizing bone and increasing bone density.

When you stand on the Live Vibe, your muscles will make rapid adjustments to adapt to the stimuli and this will help reclaim your balance and allow you to stand up taller.

Professional Athletes

The results with vibrating plates has been shown to be exceptional. When you do some research, you’d find that many professional athletes and well-known people are using vibrating platforms to workout.

Below are some professional sports teams that utilize whole body vibration. I always say, the best way to train and care for your body is similar to how professional athletes train and care for their body.

  • Anaheim Ducks
  • Atlanta Braves
  • Blue Jays
  • Calgary Flames
  • Chicago Cubs
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Dallas Stars
  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • LA Avengers
  • LA Dodgers
  • LA Kings
  • LA Lakers
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Miami Heat
  • New York Giants
  • New York Mets
  • Oakland Raiders
  • Philadelphia Flyers
  • Pittsburgh Pirates
  • San Diego Chargers
  • San Diego Padres
  • S. Korea Soccer
  • St. Louis Cardinals
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Tennessee Titans
  • Toronto Blue Jays
  • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • US Olympic Training

 

Our Goal

Our goal is to keep providing you with the best corrective chiropractic care in Atlanta, investing in a tool like Live Vibe is just one way we work to help you achieve optimal health. Request your appointment now!

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Why do you need PROBIOTICS when using Antibiotics?

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THE INSIDE INFO ON YOUR INSIDES

When we feel those sinus-like symptoms start to kick in, our society tends to turn to antibiotics like amoxicillin. The antibiotics then eliminate both the thriving and harmful bacteria that is intruding on our systematic physiological flow (“anti”- against, “biotic”- living organisms). We have so much concern with bacteria in and on our bodies that we go to extreme lengths to eradicate them- all of them (which means destroying the destructive and beneficial little buggers alike).

Here is a run-down of what happens when antibiotics are introduced to the body:

Antibiotics wipe out all bacteria, good & bad –> No good bacteria left to  fight off remnants of virus/disease –> Bad bacteria strengthens & becomes resilient to antibiotics –>

SCORE:

Bacteria- 1

Body- 0

Now, please do not misunderstand me- I believe antibiotics have their place in our lives (i.e. In emergency situations). However, when we take them, we have to be so intentional about also giving our bodies plenty of probiotics to help support their natural ability to rid themselves of harmful illnesses. In Joyce Killian’s article “The Overlooked Role of Probiotics in Human Health” in Life Extension Magazine, April 2012, she explains the impact that probiotics have on a person’s overall health. Our bodies depend on these organisms for healthy immune functioning (as the gut is host to more than 70% of the immune system), decreased inflammation, and gut flora balance. Probiotics also group together to line the intestinal walls, hence acting as a shield against the determined and harmful bacteria that want to escape into the body. Protecting the gut is foundational to a healthy and thriving body.


Food sources of probiotics

Sauerkraut – Kombucha (fermented tea) – Fermented vegetables

Organic fermented dairy (from grass-fed animals)

 

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32 Years Old
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32: Life Lessons & Best Secret

 

As many of you remember, my birthday is my time to reflect on life and the previous year. Most people review their year from January – December, but personally I like to review each age.

Last year, I wrote the article “31 Lessons in 31 Years“, and it discussed thirty lessons I have learned in my life. Since I have not learned thirty-two new life lessons since my birthday last year, I want to share the “gem” or “golden nugget” I learned at 31 that transformed my life.

Like every human being in the World, I have challenges in my life. These are not challenges that prevent me from living an amazing life but they are just “stuff” that occur personally, professionally, financially, socially, and emotionally. The challenges I experience can only prevent me from living an amazing life IF I allow it to do so. The only thing blocking or stopping me from an amazing life is the person I see when I look in the mirror.

Focusing on the “Stuff”

This year I focused on looking at this “stuff” as tests from the Universe to see how strong of a person I am; if I can overcome a trying situation then the Universe will provide me with more abundance and happiness. Many do not realize, but we are constantly tested to see how much we can handle. Once we get to a point when we say “Life is amazing and perfect”, then usually a test is around the corner. This test shows up in my different forms but the only grades are pass and fail.

Failing means reacting negatively, allowing circumstances to consume your life, or not choosing to be proactive when situations arise. Following a failing score, the Universe will keep you at that level in your life or bring you back down to where it thinks you need to be.

Being Tested

An example of a test personally was when I went to dinner at Seasons 52 four years ago. On the way out to valet I looked in my wallet and only saw two $5 bills. I thought to myself, “I can’t give the valet a $5, so I should ask for change.” Unfortunately at this younger age I was not aware of “tests” and how the Universe worked, so I gave the gentlemen $5 and asked for $3 back instead of giving this young, hard working kid the full $5. The Universe was testing me to see if I was ready for the next level of success and if so, how much. Unfortunately at that time, I failed by not giving the valet the full $5 so the Universe humbled me.

Passing means you moved past negative situations, stopped letting others affect you, or you did the right thing. You will always know your score because if your life stays status quo, then you have been failing however, if you are living a life of true happiness, then you are passing.

For example, last year my wife came home from dinner and told me she lost her phone. I had to be up early the next morning, so I was asleep when she told me that she thought she left it in her taxi. She called the company from my cell phone but unfortunately could not track down her phone nor knew what action steps to take. I woke up patiently and found her iPhone using the “Find My Phone” app and hunted it down through the streets of Buckhead.

Eventually the taxi stopped, and she got the phone from the driver. The driver and her passengers were completely shocked that we tracked the phone down successfully but this challenge was a test, a test of my patience and selfless commitment to my wife. Since that experience, our relationship has moved to another level of growth.

None of us on this Earth are ever put here to be unhappy, and everything that God created was designed for success and growth. Everything!

My Challenge to You

Take note, and be observant in your life because everyday there are tests to determine which level of life you are ready to experience.

Focus on this year to see how you’re being tested and watch your life grow drastically even times when these tests can be scary. Trust the process, and trust the outcome!

Get Involved

We all have a story to tell about life lessons, I’d love to hear yours! Please leave comments below.

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Can Chiropractic Help Heart Disease?
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Can Chiropractic Help Heart Disease?

Can Chiropractic Help Heart Disease?

When people think of heart disease, many usually think of clogged arteries or a sedentary life with little exercise to strengthen the heart muscle. What many people don’t know, though, is that Chiropractic has been showing to help your heart. So, todays article is for those wonder, “can chiropractic help heart disease?”

We live in a World where at least 50% of the population will suffer from heart disease and not because of genes or age but because of our lifestyles. Many people around the World live longer and rarely get heart disease, but it is because of their more proactive lifestyles, which have been instilled in their cultures.

Beyond eating healthfully and exercising regularly, chiropractic can drastically impact our heart health in a positive way.

What Research Has Found

Recent research by medical provider Dr. George Bakris out of the University of Chicago Hypertension Center found that a misaligned spine can lead to high blood pressure. He took 50 patients with high blood pressure and gave half of them a real chiropractic adjustment and the other half a series of fake adjustments.

Those with the real chiropractic adjustments experienced improved blood pressures as systolic (top) numbers lowered by 14 mm. In conclusion, receiving a chiropractic adjustment lowered blood pressure better than 2 medications and has zero side effects.

Heart Disease & Posture

As many of you are aware our office focuses on structural correction to combat the postural patterns to which we subject our bodies everyday. The most common pattern is Anterior Head Syndrome where the head is shifted forward over the ears.

According to Rene Cailliet, the University of California’s Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, “This posture can add up to 30 pounds of abnormal leverage pulling the entire spine out of alignment and may result in the loss of 30% of vital lung capacity.” As forward head posture decreases lung capacity, it prevents the body from effectively oxygenating cells. This can lead to asthmatic conditions, blood vessel problems, and heart disease.

Therefore it is so essential to see a corrective chiropractor to make sure your head tilts back and the curve in the neck is structurally sound.

More To Come

For those who think chiropractic is solely for improving neck pain, back pain, and headaches, this month is dedicated to teaching chiropractic care’s positive effect on the heart. Stay tuned for great opportunities to learn why getting your spine corrected and maintained exponentially increases your quantity and quality of life, especially for your heart.

Get Involved

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave comments and questions below for our next articles relating to chiropractic and your health.

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immune system
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Best Time To Start Chiropractic Care

Best Time to Start Chiropractic Care

When many people first visit our office they’re in shock at the average age of our patients. Most people are expecting to walk into an office full of older people with back and neck pain, but not expecting to walk into an office of young, healthy people. We do take care of many people that are in the baby boomer generation but most of our patients choose to be “proactive” and are in their 20’s to 40’s. So, perhaps you wondering about the best time to start chiropractic care? We will discuss the topic in this article!

Starting BEFORE the Pain

Speaking of our patient base, this younger generation chooses to get adjusted and see a chiropractor BEFORE pain happens and a problem becomes worse. Many of our patients have seen the suffering their parents and grandparents have gone through with drugs and surgery and want to prevent that route at all costs.

When it comes to any disease, including osteoarthritis of the spine, the process can be stalled with proper care. Similar to taking care of your teeth before they rot or eating clean before you become overweight, many people younger people in Atlanta tend to take care of their spine early before it becomes too spine.

What’s A Good Time to Start Seeing A Chiropractor?

The human spine was designed to last. When kept in proper biomechanics, the spine can go strong for 120 years. Unfortunately, the spine often shifts out of alignment and stays this way for years since people do not seek chiropractic care. Only a trained corrective chiropractor can retrain the spine to go back to normal once it reaches this level.

To give you a comparison, I like to use the example of a care and it’s alignment. The longer you go without taking it to a mechanic for an alignment, the faster your tires wear out and the sooner you find yourself breaking out the wallet to replace them.

Unfortunately, with the human spine, once it wears out then there is little that can be done to reverse course. It’s essential to make sure you’re in alignment before it becomes too late. This not only prevents wear and tear to the vertebrae but also keeps the body functioning optimally. When the spine is in its proper alignment the brain and spine communicate more effectively with little pressure.

Get Involved

Did you start chiropractic care young? Leave a comment below with age you, or your children, started chiropractic care!

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