Washington Park Chiropractic

There are valid reasons for putting your kids to bed at a reasonable hour, not the least of which is that it guarantees them adequate sleep.

It also conditions them to stick to a schedule and gives you a little much-needed time for yourself after tending to their needs all day.

 Here’s another important reason to get the kids off to bed: Too little sleep can lead to a bad habit: overeating. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reduced sleep time (less than six hours compared with more than eight) is associated with an increase in energy consumption – often in the form of snacks – without any increase in energy expenditure. In other words, if kids sleep less, they tend to eat more, but don’t expend energy during the extra time they’re awake.

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  ….and the Aware Parent

Obesity rates for adults and children remain a growing concern. With the rate of obese adults reported to have doubled in the past 30 years and the rate of obese children tripling in the same amount of time, there are several factors that may have led to these statistics.

While we know that sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary choices are a definite area of concern, research is showing that the actual manufacturing and production of some food items that are considered staples in many diets could be a primary factor.

The History of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)?

Until the year 1957, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) didn’t exist. It wasn’t until a couple of researchers named Marshall and Kooi developed an enzyme called glucose isomerase that could work on corn syrup to rearrange the molecular composition of glucose and convert it to fructose.

Glucose isomerase causes the isomerization, or rearrangement, of glucose. When natural glucose in corn syrup is converted to fructose, the syrup becomes sweeter. High fructose simply means that the percentage of fructose is higher.

The significance of being able to genetically alter corn syrup from a mildly sweet syrup to a profoundly sweet syrup was not lost on the corn growers and it couldn’t have come at a better time. In 1977, new tariffs and sugar quotas made importing sugar more costly. With the increase of sugar costs, production costs on new dietary staples rose significantly. The producers of these items needed a more cost effective alternative sweetener.

It was in 1984, when soft drink makers like Coca-Cola and Pepsi began using high-fructose corn syrup, that it really jumped in general acceptance. Production grew from about 3 million tons in 1980 to about 8 million tons in 1995. Read the rest of this entry →

Source

By Jocelyn Leidenfrost

It is incredibly important to take care of your back.  This may be an obvious statement to anyone reading this blog on the Washington Park Chiropractic website, however, many people take their healthy spines for granted and as a result may suffer injuries later in life.  As for me, I have been taking extremely good care of my back since I was diagnosed with scoliosis in the 6^th grade.  For about four years I wore a back brace almost all day and night to prevent further curvature.  I would take my brace off for several hours a day while I was at my dance studio, in gym class, or running around at soccer games or practices.  After I would outgrow a back-brace I would get ‘molded’ for a new one; I was told this was similar to getting a cast even though I have never broken a bone on my body other than a finger (knock on wood)!   I would also do exercises every night or day to strengthen my back and take hot baths before bed to relax my muscles.  My mother was always by my side and I still fondly remember our visits to my orthopedic doctor who always told me that I could still do anything in the world that I wanted to, as long as it was legal.

Screenings at Washington Park Chiropractic

For anyone reading this with children, I think it is absolutely crucial to have your kids get yearly scoliosis screenings. In my case, my middle school offered free screenings but it wasn’t until my pediatrician did a scoliosis check that I found out.   Dr. Goodman has found scoliosis in several children over the last few years (when their pediatrician missed it!)  Regular check-ups with our doctors will ensure that your child’s spine is cared for early on.  About 7 million people in the United States are affected by scoliosis and surgery can possibly be avoided if caught soon enough. 

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By Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC

Over and over again when I am around a child who is lets say “cranky” I casually ask their parents when they go to sleep.  The answer is generally after 8pm and then the crankiness makes sense.  The time a child goes to sleep is just the beginning of healthy sleep habits.  Also important are the duration of sleep and the sleep quality.

Sleeping Toddler

As the mother of a 2 1/2 year old and another one on the way, sleep has become a hot topic at home and in my practice.  There are many ways to teach good sleep habits and I will suggest a few here, but the most important things to accomplish are:

1. Sleep at an early time – even 6:30!

2. Plenty of sleep – 12+ hours and never waking before 7am!

3. Restful sleep

Healthy sleep habits will lead to a child with better concentration, better mood and better temperament.  Infants and children need between 12-16  hours of sleep per day!  There are so many opinions about sleep and how to encourage it, but the method I used was absolutely, hands-down so easy and effective.  I strongly recommend that parents of infants and toddlers who need help with sleep refer to the full resource: http://www.sleepsense.net/ but I have included a few nuggets below.  Keep Reading: Read the rest of this entry →

 It’s common knowledge that the school cafeteria has become just another franchise; foods aren’t healthy and well-balanced. Vending machines offer chips, cookies, sodas and all kinds of other junk foods that children shouldn’t be eating. This creates a challenge to parents that many have decided to ignore.

 Accepting that it’s a lost cause many parents have rationalized that the rest of their children’s meals are healthy and nutritious so they can be lax regarding lunch. This is a misconception, considering what is being served in the majority of school cafeterias.  

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Children and Stress
“Children today are responding to emotional stressors in ways that we can’t imagine…”
We don’t typically associate childhood with stress. Children don’t have bills to pay, demanding jobs or kids of their own to worry over, so why would children possibly be stressed? This may be how we think, but the sad fact is that children today are being diagnosed with high-anxiety, depression and a myriad of other psychological disorders resulting in more children being on psychosomatic drugs now than ever.

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