Washington Park Chiropractic

By: Sylvia Montoya

January brings us a New Year, as well as cold & flu season. In my house, we up the ante in winter by using Essential Oils. I have school-aged kiddos, and germ sharing abounds! My arsenal includes the use of essential oils for colds, in baths & body oils, to disinfect, clean, and in air fresheners. They make the house smell great too, without all the artificial chemicals

Soo…what are they? Essential Oils are a liquid distilled from plants, and contain the true essence of the plant it came from. They are highly concentrated and a little goes a long way. Essential oils can provide psychological and physical therapeutic benefits. These benefits are usually achieved through methods including inhalation and application of the diluted oil to the skin.

Some of my favorite germ arsenal oils are Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lavender, Lemon, Roman Chamomile, Frankincense, and Ravensara. In wintertime, I make a Eucalyptus and Lemon spray to use around the house to freshen the air and kill germs. I also add a few drops of Eucalyptus & Tea Tree to a handful of oil and rub it on my kiddos’ feet and chests at the first Read the rest of this entry →

From Forbes magazine, written by Alice G. Walton. Worth the read, in my humble opinion!

This is the second of a two-part series on yoga. The first, “The Science of Yoga,” examined the biological changes that yoga produces in the body and brain.

Having explored the nuts and bolts of yoga’s amazing health benefits, it seemed natural to switch from the objective to the subjective, and take a look at what yoga has been shown to do in the mind. After all, many people say that after starting yoga they feel mentally stronger, more relaxed, less depressed and more level-headed than before. Heck, I’m the first to admit it’s the best therapy I’ve ever had. So to discuss how and why these changes occur, I turned to two well-recognized  and seasoned practitioners.

Stephen Cope, director of the Institute for Extraordinary Living at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, explains that yoga itself is a form of meditation, and herein lies its power. “Yoga provides attentional training and self-regulation,” he says. “In practicing yoga, we’re training our awareness to attend to the flow of thoughts, feelings and sensations in the body – and to be with these different states without self-judgment or reactivity.” Read the rest of this entry →

Oncology Massage is something that in the past two years I have brought to the top of my priority list because my father has stage four lung cancer.  I am lucky that he has not had too much trouble with his treatment until recently.  When I was going through massage school we were always taught that cancer is a contraindication.  More research and experience with the treatment of cancer has occurred since then and now massage has been found to really aid in the entire process from treatment to recovery.  I decided it was time to take action and see what I could do.

Recently, I took a continuing education course on Oncology Massage at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy.  This course discussed the types, treatments, and possible side effects of the process of having cancer.  We learned how to help prevent and treat lymphedema and peripheral neuropathy due to chemo treatments.  The peripheral neuropathy treatment can also help people with diabetes suffering as well.  Bottom line massage aids in relaxation and reminds people that they are not a human pincushion.  This alone can help cancer patients make it through their treatment process easier.

I would love to have the opportunity to help anyone who is or has been treated for cancer!

By: Jenny Wetzel, Office Manager

As promised….a blog about the ergonomics of walking your dog! I’m pretty certain my upper back pain a few weeks ago was due to yoga, but dog-walking is near and dear to my heart. I have had my Great Dane for three and a half years and have walked/jogged with him almost every day since I got him! Walking a 120 lb. dog is definitely not always easy. As other dog-walkers know, your best friend can give you quite a pull when they see a squirrel, another dog, or any other special and exciting thing.

I have tried a few different things to prevent soreness or muscle strain, and have also done a little research just for you! Here are a few tips to keep your body healthy while you’re walking the pooch:

Stay Balanced

As with any other ergonomic topic, we encourage you to do things equally on your right and left side. If you have one dog, switch hands halfway through your walk. If you have two or more dogs, it’s likely that one or two pull more strongly than the other. Even if you feel like you need the puller(s) in your dominate hand in order to control them, try switching hands. Your other side will become stronger eventually.

Watch Your Posture

This is just as important when you’re walking your dog as any other time. Stand up straight. Keep your shoulders back and down. Try to avoid rolling your shoulders forward to accommodate a pulling dog.

Stretch After Your Walk

The tendency is to roll your shoulders forward while walking your dog. If you are unsuccessful at keeping your shoulders back while walking, try a quick stretch for the front side of your body when you get Read the rest of this entry →

By: Jenny Wetzel

As I sit here at the front desk of Wash Park Chiro with nagging upper back pain (which of course has been lovingly treated by Dr. G, Dr. Schwabe, and Ashley), I can’t stop wondering if it was my yoga class three days ago that started this problem. (Shoulder stand, to be specific.) I decided to consult Dr. Google, and I wanted to share one article I found on MSN Health addressing my concerns. To all you yogis, dedicated to a daily or weekly practice or just occasional drop-ins, take a look to learn about the benefits and risks of your yoga practice. (Sidenote: my pain may also be the result of walking my 120 lb Great Dane….stay tuned for a blog on proper ergonomics for walking your pup!)

“Back pain is common, but what causes it can vary. So, it’s tough to recommend one perfect exercise or treatment. Some people find that sitting for long hours aggravates their back, whereas others, like you, seem to find the opposite. And similarly, some people find that exercise such as running is no problem at all, whereas others find that anything vigorous is uncomfortable, and that only stretching helps.

Yoga is a tricky option. Anecdotally, some people swear that yoga helped their back problem. And while there is very little research on yoga injuries, one 2005 randomized clinical trial in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggested that yoga is an effective treatment for chronic low back pain. The researchers studied 101 adults with back pain. Read the rest of this entry →

By: Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC

Have you ever wondered why people get the flu mainly in the winter and not in the summer?  It is just a coincidence that there is more sunlight in the summer?  Exposure to sunlight is just about the only way our bodies produce Vitamin D.  There are very few dietary sources of it.  Because of this, there continues to be more evidence pointing toward the importance sufficient levels of Vitamin D in flu prevention.

Researchers have always known that levels of Vitamin D drop drastically in the winter months when sunlight is less available.  Additionally, flu outbreaks historically occur when when solar radiation is at it’s lowest (in the winter).  Therefore it is easy to see the connection between increases in flu and decreases in Vitamin D.  Lately more and more research is supporting this connection. Vitamin D is used by immune cells to fight the virus and it helps moderate the overall immune response and limits inflammation.  While most of the research is theoretical and based on case studies it is hard to deny the link between sufficient levels of Vitamin D and flu prevention.  In addition to flu prevention, Vitamin D can seriously impact prevention of cancer and autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.

Large numbers of children and adults are deficient in Vitamin D.  This may be because the RDA of Vitamin D for children and adults is 400 IUs daily.  However, many Vitamin D researchers are Read the rest of this entry →

Our massage special this month is Volcanic Stone Massage, offered by Amanda Miller, LMT.  Here is what she has to say about this style of massage….

The weather outside isn’t quite frightful…yet, but it is getting colder.  A volcanic stone massage is a great way to stay toasty and treat your body well!  Hot stone massage feels soothing and indulgent, but there are also some real benefits of this modality.

The stones are heated in water before the massage begins, and placed on specific areas of the body to help release superficial muscle tension and prepare the body for deeper work.  The warm, smooth stones are incorporated throughout the massage to relax the tissue, improve circulation, and release toxins held in the muscles.  The heat from the stones makes the muscles more pliable, and allows for work to be done at a deeper level.  Volcanic stone massage is both relaxing and therapeutic – it relaxes the mind and the body, alleviates stress, and reduces pain.  It can be used to treat anything from minor aches and pains, to fibromyalgia, MS, arthritis, insomnia, or depression.

This season, beat the winter woes by spending some time being kind to your body and treating yourself (or someone you love) to a toasty volcanic stone massage!

90 minute – $95 (Reg Price $115)

60 minute – $65 (Reg Price $85)

30 minute – $35 (Reg Price $55)