NUCCA helps Passionate Golfer

Dr. Cecilia Yu was featured in an Upper Cervical Blog in helping an avid golfer’s 16 years of back pain. You can find the piece @ golfer's healing journey.

Are you suffering in your game? Are you ready to play at your best level? Let’s see if NUCCA can be the addition you’ve been looking for.

Biggest Stressor on the Human Body?

There probably has not been a need for you to think about the question: What is the biggest stressor on the body? But knowing the answer can be a HUGE “ah-HA!” moment for your health & wellness. In this day and age of fast paced society + technology, the typical answer to said question would be…Fast food/diet? Work? Financial stress? However, this answer rise above all the other correct answers. *drum roll* Its GRAVITY! You’re probably thinking…what on earth? How does Newton’s falling apple have any association with biggest stressor on the human body? Well, if you can imagine the downward pressure of gravity on an object, then you can imagine a force pulling your head straight down towards the earth. Think about you (representing gravity) and a soda can as the human body. If you’re trying to crush it with a vertical - straight down force…it is actually a bit more difficult than if there’s already a twist in the soda can. So if your atlas is misaligned, then it cannot support the weight of the head with its centre of gravity. The head “kinking” off at an angle would then create a twist in the spine much like that of a twisted soda can. This becomes a physical stress onto the body. Until the head is positioned again in its true centre of gravity, the stress on the body will remain.

Our spine compensates to the abnormal pressure resulting in a high shoulder and pelvis; maybe a twist to the hips also. This often then presents with symptoms of neck, back pain, headaches, knee pain, etc. We become the human version of Leaning Tower of Pisa.

What’s the remedy? Careful mathematical calculation of how the atlas is misaligned in relationship to the skull and also its relationship to the rest of the spine. It is only when we know where the problem is the only way to know how to fix it. To see if you may be out of alignment, contact your local NUCCA chiropractor.

Catch your Zzz’s

Sleep:  Can’t live without it..literally.  We need it to process the things we learn, to rejuvenate cells, to heal the body through the immune system, and now there’s even statistic on how it affects the cardiovascular system.  Annually, with daylight sayings when we loose an hour of sleep in the spring.  There’s a marked 24% increase in heart attacks the day after.  In the autumn, when we gain an hour of sleep.  There’s a 21% reduction in heart attacks respectively (Dr. Matt Walker).  This also applies toward auto accidents.  All of this change from just a simple one hour change to sleep.  Needless to say, sleep is quite an important aspect of daily living.  In fact, its 1/3 of our life.  Any health professional can agree that a person’s overall health is at its best with adequate sleep.

Which is why through out time, there’s always been debates, studies, discussions surrounding sleep. So many different articles on the best sleeping position, the best pillow, the best mattress, and even the best temperature to fall asleep in. Of course, the best of the best would be whatever works well for your Zzz’s. With so many consumer options to perfect your sleep (including numerous apps available for white noise, sleep tracker, & the likes); sleep has been muddled with seemingly infinite combinations. In reality, its a simple yes/no question: did you sleep well?  with many follow up questions of “do you feel well rested? are you tired/groggy? and did you dream?”

Aside from following the typical rules that have been written serving as a guideline for “good” sleep:  limiting caffeine by a certain time, cutting the alcohol, working out, eating the last meal before 7pm, avoiding triggers such as the news and screen time at night.  There are additional physical factors to focus on.  As a chiropractor, I have to be slightly biased and say the key to great sleep and energy the morning after is the neck positioning during sleep. Why? Your upper neck specifically houses your brainstem, which allows for proper nerve flow and sensory that control your whole body. Neutral positioning of your head, neck, and shoulders allow for a stress free brainstem, leading to a betters sleep for a better morning after, which leads to a healthier you.

How do we achieve that neutral head/neck position? Choice of mattress is a very personal one and it needs not be discussed for the purpose of this piece. Find one that you are comfortable with and can fall asleep with easily based on comfort and temperature. With more and more mattress companies including a free trial run with purchase, its easier to find the perfect mattress to your spinal liking. The pillow, however, can be a little bit more complicated. The ultimate goal of a pillow is proper (and neutral) neck and head support. Imagine as you are upright, a straight line running midline down from centre of your skull, thru the glabella (between the eyebrow), nose, and sternum (aim for midline between your shoulders).  That line as you are vertical needs to be maintained when you are on your side.  Any pillow that influences the integrity of said line is not a good pillow.  Seems simple enough right? When in doubt, ask your local chiropractor for help. Sometimes, your general physical discomfort upon waking up or even pain during the night can be a result of the nervous system misfiring due to the atlas misalignment.

Sleep is as important as eating and breathing. Without it, our bodies will shut down.