Interesting News

Health Alert: Many Public Defibrillators Failing Over Past Decade.

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Health Alert: Many Public Defibrillators Failing Over Past Decade.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that there have been 72,000 reports of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) devices failing since 2005. AEDs are portable devices that are usually found in public places that are designed to save lives by automatically detecting potentially deadly heart rhythms and delivering an electrical shock to restore a normal heart rhythm. Based on the findings, the FDA plans to strengthen its approval process by inspecting manufacturing facilities and having manufactures file annual reports on device performance.

Food and Drug Administration, January 2015

Chiropractic: Musculoskeletal Pain Affects School Teachers.

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Chiropractic: Musculoskeletal Pain Affects School Teachers.

An assessment of 486 self-evaluation surveys from female school teachers in Saudi Arabia reveals that musculoskeletal pain is surprisingly prevalent in the profession. Their most common complaint was low back pain, followed by knee pain, heel pain, shoulder pain, upper back pain, hip joint pain, ankle pain, and neck pain. Furthermore, nearly half (46.1%) of the teachers surveyed claimed that their pain affected their teaching performance. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, November 2014

Health Alert: Mercury Air Pollution = Mercury in Ocean Fish.

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Health Alert: Mercury Air Pollution = Mercury in Ocean Fish.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment report that the increasing amounts of mercury measured in ocean fish may be the result of rising mercury levels in the atmosphere. After analyzing past data, investigators found that mercury concentration in ocean fish is rising lockstep with increasing mercury emissions into the air. Assistant researcher Dr. Paul Drevnick warns, “More stringent policies are needed to reduce releases of mercury into the atmosphere. If current deposition rates are maintained, North Pacific waters will double in mercury by 2050.”

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, February 2015

Exercise Tip Of The Month

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10-reasons-every-woman-should-try-crossfit-promo-image

Women are often afraid to lift weights for fear they will look too “bulky”, but actually that’s not what happens.

Women can and should do weight lifting exercises if they want to shed body fat and achieve a toned physique. Strength training 30 to 40 minutes twice a week for 4 months, could increase an average woman’s resting metabolism by 100 calories a day, meaning you’ll be burning calories even when you’re not exercising.

Acupuncture Now Available

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Acupuncture and back pain

Back pain (especially lower back pain) is a common chronic pain issue. Acupuncture is a physical therapy that has become a popular and well-researched method for managing this pain. We are excited to now offer acupuncture at Aberdeen Chiropractic.

Acupuncture Now Available In Winnipeg

Treatment consists of inserting needles at various points on the body and through the skin. Needles are not meant to cause pain, harm, or discomfort; in fact many patients barely feel anything at all when the needles are inserted.

A professional acupuncturist will target specific points for treatment called meridians, with some being of special benefit to painful structures in the back.

There are a few meridians that an acupuncturist may focus on for back pain that are actually not IN the back at all.

Some acupuncture points for lower back pain are:

  • back of the knees points
  • foot points
  • lower back points
  • hand points
  • hip points
  • stomach points

Points for upper back pain (also called thoracic spine or T-Spine pain) are often very different. These can be found on the head, neck, shoulders, and upper back.

By stimulating these points, parts of the nervous system are also stimulated to relieve pain. Acupuncture can also provide pain relief from other similar neuromuscular issues for which there may not be too many pain remedy options.

These include:

Acupuncture and Science

There are a few ways by which acupuncture is thought to work for back pain:

  • Stimulates nervous system. Trigger points stimulated by acupuncture could release chemicals from the spinal cord, muscles, and brain. Some of these are naturally pain-relieving.
  • Releases opioid-like chemicals produced in the body. Along the same lines as the theory above, acupuncture may release pain-relieving chemicals. These naturally occur in the body and have similar properties to opioid pain relievers. (Hydrocodone or morphine are examples.)
  • Releases neurotransmitters. These are hormones that send messages regulating the on/off mechanisms of various nerve endings. Acupuncture may stimulate some that shut off pain.
  • Triggers electromagnetic impulses in the body. These impulses can help speed the body’s way of handling pain, including the release of endorphins.

Regardless of how it works, trials on acupuncture for treating back pain show great results with very little risk of side effects.

Some 2012 researchTrusted Source involved reviewing almost 20,000 people with chronic pain. They were given authentic acupuncture treatments, fake treatments, or no acupuncture at all. Those who received real acupuncture experienced 50 percent improvement in their chronic pain issues. 

Two similar reviews from 2013 showed strong favor for acupuncture as successful therapy. These were specifically for chronic lower back pain.

One these studies expressed promise that acupuncture could be better than most pain medications.

CranioSacral Technique Is Here!

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CranioSacral Technique is especially good at treating headaches.

CranioSacral Technique is here and now available at Aberdeen Chiropractic!

Dr. Natalie Carriere has come on board offering CST, Karen Specific Technique (KST), Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Dry Needling and rehabilitation at Aberdeen Chiropractic.

What is CranioSacral Technique? What does it treat?

CranioSacral Technique (CST) is a light touch treatment method of relieving pain and dysfunction.

CST releases tension to allow the entire body to relax and self-correct. Using gentle, light touch you are evaluated and treated to reduce pain and physical stress.

Because it is such a gentle technique, not is considered an excellent treatment option for patients of all ages, especially newborn and elderly patients who are concerned with what is seen as traditional Chiropractic treatment.

For more information or to book an appointment with Dr. Carriere please call us at 204-586-8424 or email at info@aberdeenchiropractic.com

Don’t Have Enough Time to Exercise? 

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Bottom Line:

You’re busy and you’re stressed out. Well, you’re not alone. 

These are two of the most common reasons people give for not exercising consistently. Ironically, these are the two exact reasons you should be exercising and moving your body! 

Moving your body releases endorphins which help you feel good, relaxes your mind which reduces stress, and burns calories to keep you looking great. 

Why it Matters:

Your body is meant to move. Long hours commuting in your car or sitting at a desk can place a lot of stress on your musculoskeletal system. 

If your spine and core muscles are weak and unstable, then you are more likely to suffer an injury which can cause a downward spiral that impacts your relationships with food, sleep, and exercise. So taking a pro-active approach to your exercise routine is crucial to live your best life. Chiropractic adjustments are an essential part of the picture because they can help you feel good mentally and keep you moving physically. 

  • Maintaining a healthy weight can decrease the risk factors for cardiovascular and heart disease.
  • Even 15 minutes of light exercise can make a difference in your overall health.
  • Exercise can help you feel good both physically and mentally.

Next Steps: 

Schedule time every day to exercise. But, don’t get discouraged if you feel like you aren’t doing enough. Rome wasn’t built in a day! 

Even 15 minutes of walking during your afternoon break can provide you with the health benefits you are looking for. Burning an extra hundred calories per day (which could be accomplished with 10 minutes of walking) adds up to thousands of calories each month. Continue that trend, and you will notice inches falling off your waistline before you know it! 

Science Source(s): 

The Role of Exercise and Physical Activity in Weight Loss and Maintenance. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 2015

Stiff neck??

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One of the most common causes of a stiff neck are trigger points in the levator scapulae muscle. This muscle runs up the side of the neck from the top of the shoulder blade. It helps to shrug the shoulders and move and stabilize the neck. When trigger points form in this muscle they will produce pain and stiffness in the neck. Deep tissue trigger point massage applied to these knots is an effective treatment method.

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