Washington Park Chiropractic

By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

Chiropractic care during pregnancy should be an essential part of women’s pre-natal care.  Currently, chiropractic care is not traditionally thought of being included in most women’s pre-natal care plan.  However, we have begun to see an increase in the medical community referring to chiropractors for the management of not only back pain but to ensure an easier birthing process.  Here’s why…

There are an overwhelming number of women that have gone through or going through pregnancy that experience low back pain.  Pre-existing postural and mechanical imbalances that you had before pregnancy are likely to be overtaxed and heightened during the pregnancy process.  This is mostly due to the rapid growth of the baby and your body’s normal structural adaptations not keeping up, not to mention the biochemical changes that occur that cause ligament laxity.  Chiropractic care before and during pregnancy can help to relieve and prevent the common musculoskeletal disorders associated with pregnancy.  With proper spinal and pelvic alignment through chiropractic care you will be able to experience greater comforts and lifestyle improvements. 

Pre-Natal Care For The Baby

Regular pre-natal chiropractic care appointments can help increase comfort for the baby as well!  As your baby develops, greater stress is placed on the uterus and the ligaments suspending the uterus, this is known as uterine constraint.  If your pelvis and sacrum are out of balance in any way, the ligaments suspending the uterus are torqued and twisted in a way that puts constraint in the uterus thus preventing the developing baby from getting into the optimal position for an easier birth.  Read the rest of this entry →

By: Dr. Jake Simpson

Just about everyone on the road knows about or has heard about “whiplash.”  But what is it exactly?  What happens to our bodies during whiplash?  What are the short and long term effects of whiplash?  And what can a chiropractor do to help with whiplash? 

What Is Whiplash and What is Happening to Our Bodies?

Upon impact, your body pushes deeply into your seat.  Your head, momentarily isolated by your neck, delays its reaction while your body quickly reaches the limits of your seat.  The, your body instantly and violently changes direction, moving forward as your seat belt works to keep you stationary.  As your seatbelt engages your head then starts to move backward in the opposite direction of your body.  Unlike your body being restrained by the seat belt, your head is free to move being jerked back and forth…most of the time beyond its normal limitations anatomically. 

Outside of our normal anatomical limitation is when injury occurs.  In the case of whiplash, we are tearing muscles, tendons, ligaments, other connective tissues and in some cases breaking bones or causing brain damage. 

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

We live in a society in which we are surrounded by technology and innovation.  In many cases this great for increased production, convenience, saving time, saving lives, and being more connected to family and friends, etc.   However, in many cases technology and advancements may affect our health…negatively. 

We all know or have heard about the major carcinogenic chemicals or bad habits that lead to chronic diseases from cardiovascular disease to cancer.  There is an ever-growing  collection of data supporting the connection  with some of the major players include smoking/tobacco use, poor diet, excess alcohol usage, etc and their relationship to disease.  But what about some of the less known toxins that we don’t hear about day in and day out that have been linked to cancer and disease? 

I want to educate you about 5 toxins that we are surrounded by daily.  We find these toxins in household cleaners, containers, electrical equipment, beauty/hygiene products, and clothes/fabrics to name a few.  Is it impossible to stay away from these toxins completely?  No, not really unless our government protection agencies outlaw them completely and/or we move to a completely natural environment.  However, we can be more chemically conscious and help to do our part in reducing the usage of these goods and help us live a less toxic lifestyle. 

5 Toxins to Try and Avoid:

BPA- Bisphenol A

What it does:  BPA is the building block of many lightweight plastic containers. 

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By Dr. Jake Simpson

Thanks in part to the non-fiction book Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race In the World written by Christopher Mcdougall, the barefoot running craze has blossomed over the last few years.  Born To Run chronicles a tribe called the Taramuhara that among other things, runs barefoot.  These tribe members are known to run further and faster with virtually no injuries compared to other more developed societies.  As the books title suggests, these tribe members are “superathletes.”

Barefoot running has opponents from each side of the court; some suggesting barefoot running is the end-all-be-all of running, with their counterparts warning us of increased risk of injury.  Hopefully I can meet you in the middle summarizing the key points of each argument. 

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson

You see it on television, you hear it on the radio, you see it magazines, Internet pop-up ads, newspapers, and you even see it on billboards.  You can probably guess what I’m talking about…The absurd claims of quick fixes for weight loss, an overwhelming number of pharmaceutical company advertisements, the latest and greatest exercise program, and a seemingly countless number of vitamins and supplements all claiming to cure the world of disease.  Okay…so that might be a bit of an overstatement, but the fact is it can all be incredibly overwhelming.  As a consumer you are bombarded with far too much information to sift through accurately, and many times the information contradicts itself… and worse, sometimes the information is presented in a fashion that blurs truth, turns out false and/or is not substantiated by well executed clinical trials.  The fore mentioned advertisements are a part of multi-billion dollar industries that utilize creative marketing campaigns to hype for the next quick fix.  So… what can you do to be a well informed consumer? 

First Things First:Consult a Health-care Professional before taking or doing ANYTHING health related!

The first and most important thing in attempt to manage your health is to consult a professional.  More often than not, if you feel like you should be taking or doing something for your health you probably have some sort of sign, symptom, past history of disease or genetic predisposition to disease.  Before you do anything, make sure you contact your healthcare provider with any comments, questions or concerns.  DO NOT tell yourself, “This is an all-natural product, it should be fine” or “Its exercise, how can it be bad for me?”    

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

So often in my practice I have patients come in with a comment more or less like this, “I went to this one chiropractor and he did this ______, you’re not like him/her are you?”  Now, whatever you or someone else puts in that blank is totally subjective, but the fact is, the chiropractic profession is very broad in its specialties, practices and/or philosophies.  In general, there is not going to be one chiropractor that practices the exact same as another.  There are countless techniques, many specialties, and even more philosophical beliefs from one chiropractor to the next.  This can be, and understandably so, confusing to some, but this is the case with all professions.  It is our responsibility as patients or consumers to find what is most comfortable with us as individuals and that will ultimately lead to a better end outcome.  In an attempt to be politically correct and in an attempt to not offend other chiropractors, I will give you my opinion on the topic.

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

“My head feels like it’s in a vice”, “My headache wraps around from the back of my head, above my ears and around the back of my eyes”,  “My eyes hurt, I see funny twinkling lights, and I can’t be around loud sounds.”  These are just a few of the many descriptions Dr. Lisa, and I hear on a daily basis from patients describing their headache.  Headaches are one of the most common conditions or complaints that enter the doctor’s office.  There are many types of headaches, all with their own individual characteristics.  Generally, headaches can be classified as primary headaches or secondary headaches.  Some of the primary headaches include:  Tension, Cluster or Migraine headaches.  The secondary headaches are the cause of some other condition including: car-accidents, due to an infection, sinus troubles, jaw or dental conditions, a vascular injury, medication side effect and psychiatric disorder, etc.  Today there have been great strides made in understanding headaches, their causes and their various treatments.  

As you probably know, the standard medical treatment revolves around the use of pharmaceuticals and/or injections.  Of course in the case of some of the secondary headaches due to an infection, medications or surgery are going to be necessary to combat the infection or deal with a surgical emergency.  However, with many of the primary headaches, medications may work for many sufferers in the short-term, but many headaches sufferers complain about their headaches recurring chronically.  If you find yourself frequently utilizing over-the-counter medications such as anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen: Advil, Nuprin; Naprosyn such as Aleve) or Tylenol, I suggest continue reading…

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

It is well known that exercise is very beneficial for your health.  Most of us understand that exercising is beneficial for losing weight by burning excess calories stored as fat.  We understand that exercise is good for our cardiovascular health by lowering our blood pressure and cholesterol levels.  Some of us may even know that exercise is beneficial for diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar.  The fact is, exercising is beneficial for nearly every body system and every bodily function when done appropriately.  For our purposes of this blog I just want to highlight a few token benefits of exercise on brain health. 

Train Your Brain

What if someone told you that you could think more clearly, boost your memory, perform better, elevate your alertness, or feel more calm, happier and euphoric?  Would you be interested?  Of course you would, and simple exercise can do this, and even better… it is free of cost and free of dangerous or life threatening side effects. 

When we exercise, we are stimulating our nervous systems in ways being sedentary could never do.  Read the rest of this entry →