Text neck, Tech neck and Chiropractic care by Dr Carrie Staller

Hi Everyone!

Check out the latest blog article from me at the Heart Spring Health blog! 

Please send to anyone you know who may be experiencing unnecessary headaches, neck and back pain, or numbness/tingling/weakness or pain down the arms or into the hands. 

"All that texting is taking its toll on our bodies, leading to a new condition that’s afflicting an increasing number of mobile users. Known as text neck, or tech neck, it can strike anyone who uses technology that forces the head down for long periods of time, causing chronic pain and even premature arthritis."

And as always, you can contact Heart Spring Health at 503-956-9396 to set up an appointment with me.

Happy Wednesday!

Dr Carrie

Cervicogenic Headaches: Could your headaches be a pain in your neck?

Hi Everyone!

Check out my latest blog article on the Heart Spring Health blog. It's all about Cervicogenic headaches, which are headaches that can be coming from your neck.

Chiropractic care is *amazing* for managing cervicogenic headaches. 

Stop reaching for those aspirin, and come see me at Heart Spring Health today! Let's get those headaches gone for good. 

Did you know that headaches can come from your neck?

Headaches can be so tricky! 

There are so many different causes of headaches, including dehydration, hormone imbalance, blood sugar and eyestrain to name a few. Sometimes it takes some good old fashioned detective work to figure out where they are coming from.

Did you know that your headaches might be coming from your neck? 

Cervicogenic headaches get their start from the neck. Sometimes they can happen because the joints in your neck are not moving the way they're supposed to. In that case, an adjustment may be just what you need!

Other times, headaches can come from trigger points hiding in your neck. These sneaky spots of irritation hiding in muscles in your neck can send pain to different areas of your head and face...even your jaw!

If you've been noticing headaches that keep coming back and you want to get rid of them for good, schedule an appointment with Dr Carrie today to see if she can help!

Stretch of the week (aka: Tight muscles, be gone!) Neck AND Upper Back

I see it all the time: people massaging the side of their neck trying to provide some temporary relief from the soreness that slowly gets worse as the day goes on. Anyone who spends more than 30 minutes at a time sitting in one spot—whether  you’re driving, working on the computer, studying, or doing general desk work – knows what I’m talking about.

Have you ever asked yourself if you’re targeting the right spot? Sometimes, when your neck is sore, the pain might also be coming from somewhere else. ..like your upper back! It’s very common for tight muscles in the upper back to refer pain into your neck and shoulders, and they can even cause headaches!

Here’s an easy modification you can make to a simple stretch that will help you target a problem area in your upper back:

Place your right hand on the left side of your head and gently pull your neck toward the right. This will stretch the left side of your neck. Repeat on the right.

**BONUS MODIFICATION** 

Image:highpointwellness.wordpress.com

After doing the stretch described above, shift the direction of your stretch by pulling your head slightly forward and to the right to stretch your left upper back area. Repeat the stretch on the left.

You’ll be surprised by how much relief you can get from this one simple stretch!

One important thing to remember: Tight muscles are tight for a reason. If muscle tension is caused by poor posture, stress, or a muscle imbalance, the pain in your neck will surely be back to haunt you! Pop by your Chiropractor to see if they can help you find the source of your pain, and help it disappear for good.

Stretch of the Week (aka Tight Muscles, Be Gone!): Pectoralis Stretch

If you spend more than 2 hours of your day working on a computer, lifting, pushing, or carrying things around, here’s a stretch that will target a muscle you didn't even know was tight!

The Pectoralis muscle, which stretches across your chest, is more important to your daily activities than you’d realize. Not only does it allow you to move your shoulder in several directions, but it’s a big reason why your arm stays attached to your body. The next time you throw something, you can thank your pectoralis for keeping your arm from flying across the room!

When the Pec muscle is tight, it can cause tension or pain in your chest, shoulder, and upper back. It can also pull your shoulder forward, causing you to slouch and ruin your posture!

Rest your right forearm on a wall or doorpost, keeping your arm parallel to the floor. Make sure your body remains facing straight ahead while you take a step forward increase the stretch. Repeat on the left. (If you stretch one side, you always want to stretch the other!)

You can do this stretch any time throughout the day to relieve tension in your chest, shoulder, and upper back. You’ll be amazed at how much relief you’ll feel from this one simple stretch!

If you have any concerns about whether this stretch is safe for you, or if your shoulder or back tightness is starting to get in the way of your daily activities and happiness, pop by your Chiropractor to see how they can help get you back on track.

Happy Stretching!

The Official “B” Cheat Sheet: Your Guide To Understanding B-Vitamins

We've all heard of B vitamins. We know that they’re important, and that we need them to stay healthy. But what exactly do they do for us? How much of each vitamin do we need each day? Most importantly, what’s the best (and, ahem, the easiest) way to work them into our diets?

Here are the keys to decoding these B’s

If we understand the roles they play in our bodies, it becomes easier to see why not getting enough of them every day will result in certain problems. As a group, the B’s work together to keep the cells in our bodies healthy – this goes for the skin, blood, and nerve cells. What does this mean for you? Well, if you are lacking in the B department, you’ll develop problems with the skin (rashes, acne) blood (anemia) and nervous system (numbness/tingling, altered brain function, birth defects). 

The B’s also work together to keep homocysteine levels in check. Homocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood that is broken down by the B vitamins. Research is still being done on the long-term effects on the body, but many studies have found a connection between high levels of homocysteine and an increased risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and bone fractures.

If that weren't enough, B’s play an essential role in turning the foods we eat into the energy we use every day, a process called metabolism. I’ll discuss metabolism in more detail in a later post.

Several simple sources of B-Vitamin Goodness

Ok, so now that we understand why these B’s are so important to us, which foods can we eat to give us our Vitamin B fix?  Different meats such as liver, beef, and fish are great sources of some of the harder-to-find B’s such as B5 and B12. Other good sources of B vitamins include: nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy products, mushrooms, whole grains, beans and leafy greens. B7 is a particularly difficult vitamin to find in generous amounts in food, but you'll find it in eggs, chard, peanuts and liver.

Fair enough, but how much do I need?

It can be tricky to make sure we’re getting enough of our B vitamins in our daily diet to stay healthy. Because of this, you may want to supplement with a multi-vitamin. Something important to remember: People who have restricted intake of certain foods as a result of vegetarian or vegan diets, or who are already managing certain conditions that deplete the B's in our body, may also need to supplement with whichever B they are lacking. Certain medications and even your age may also affect how well you can break down and use your B vitamins. Before starting any supplementation routine, please see your Doctor to make sure you take exactly what you need for your specific nutritional needs. Just like anything in life, too little OR too much of something can lead to problems.

Get to the good stuff!

Good news! I've compiled a nifty cheat sheet for you to use at home to help keep these B’s straight. Each section provides a mini-breakdown on how much of each B you need every day, what will happen if you’re not sneaking enough into your diet, and the foods that provide the highest B-bang for your buck.

 “But we are a practical group!” you cry out. “We demand recipes!” To reward your enthusiasm, I've included examples of meals packed to the brim with beautiful B’s at the end of this post.

B1	Thiamine	How much do I need: 1.5 g per day What if I don’t get enough: Altered brain function! Emotional disturbances! Weakness/pain in limbs! Irregular heartbeat! (Rare: Beriberi disease!) Where can I get it: sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, pork, fish, cauliflower, eggs, kale
B2	Riboflavin	How much do I need: 1.2 mg per day What if I don’t get enough: Cracked lips! Inflamed tongue! Skin disorders! Where can I get it: milk, cheese, mushrooms, almond, dark leafy veggies
B3	Niacin	How much do I need: 14-16 mg per day What if I don’t get enough: Insomnia! Skin disorders! Diarrhea! Dementia! (Rare: Pellagra disease!)  Where can I get it: chicken, beef, mushrooms, peanut butter, legumes
B5	Pantothenic Acid	How much do I need: 5 mg What if I don’t get enough: Acne! Nerve dysfunction! Where can I get it: meat, whole grains, broccoli, avocado
B6	Pyridoxine	How much do I need: 1.5 mg What if I don’t get enough: Anemia! Rashes! Depression! High blood pressure! Where can I get it: grains, nuts, potatoes, starchy veggies
B7	Biotin	How much do I need: 30 micrograms What if I don’t get enough: Thinning of hair! Rashes! Depression! Tingling in arms/legs! Where can I get it: leafy greens, peanuts, eggs
B9	Folic Acid/Folate	How much do I need: 400 micrograms What if I don’t get enough: Depression! Anemia! Birth Defects! Where can I get it: leafy greens, beans, lentils, sunflower seeds
B12	Cobalamin	How much do I need: 2.4 micrograms What if I don’t get enough: Anemia! Depression! Constipation! Memory loss! Nerve dysfunction! Where can I get it: fish, beef, cheese, eggs, yogurt, milk

White potato (large, baked, with skin); Salmon, (½ fillet); 1 cup cooked spinach with mushrooms

B1        [][][][][]     55% 

B2        [][][][][][][][][][]     95% 

B3        [][][][][][][][][][]     100%

B5        [][][][]    45%  

B6        [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]    140%

B7        minimal

B9        [][][][][][][][]    85%  

B12      [][][][][][][][]    80%

Hamburger, (beef patty, 90% lean) 1 Avocado, 1 cup mushrooms, wheat  bun;  ½ cup black beans, ½ cup brown rice

B1        [][][][][]    55%

B2        [][][][][]    55%

B3        [][][][][][]   60%

B5        [][][][]   40%

B6        [][][][]   40%

B7        0%

B9        [][][][][][][][]   80%

B12      [][][]    35%

1 cup of Lentils, 1 cup of Spinach, 1 Avocado, 1 cup mushrooms

B1        [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]    140%

B2        [][][][][][][][][]   85%  

B3        [][][][]    40% 

B5        [][][][][][][]    75%  

B6        [][][][][][][][][]   90%  

B7        minimal

B9        [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]   310%

B12      0%

2 Egg omelet with Spinach and Mushrooms

B1        0%

B2        [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]    130%

B3        0%

B5        [][][][][]    55%  

B6        0%

B7        minimal

B9        [][][][][][][][][]   95% 

B12      [][][][][]    50%  

1 cup of Oatmeal with ½ cup sunflower seeds

B1        [][][][][][][][]    80%

B2        []   15%

B3        [][]   25%

B5        [][][][][][]   65%

B6        [][][]    35%

B7        0%

B9        [][][][][][]   60%

B12      0%