Unpredictable Weather

Posted by: The Balancing Center Dr. Daniel Helgerman

Perhaps you have heard the saying, "If you don't like the weather in Chicago, wait five minutes!".  As one who has never lived in the northern Midwest before this past year, I have a comical appreciation for this exaggeration of truth.  I have never lived in a place that can be sunny and fairly warm, rain, and snow all in the same day!

Not only does the weather change fast, but life changes fast!  We often find ourselves in a situation we wouldn't have imagined several hours earlier.  Although life often gives us unexpected joys, the unexpected painful experiences often sink much deeper into our memory.  The love we have for our family and friends, the financial security we have in investments, the pride we take in our career all leave us vulnerable to feeling strong emotions when life changes unexpectedly. 

Nothing in life is guaranteed.  The only constant is change itself.  We have only 2 choices: embrace change and adapt or become defeated in our denial and rigidity.  At The Balancing Center we are not only interested in the biomechanics of the human body, but the human experience itself.  Memories, emotions, images, and thoughts are all remembered and recycled deep in the brain and nervous system.  They form the basis of our beliefs about ourselves as well as the world, and are responsible for the initial formation of many habits. 

To break free from these patterns of thoughts, actions, or emotions we first need a new perspective.  Intentional chiropractic care and bodywork can help one integrate past experiences within the body so that they do not create such intense resistance to present changes.   Releasing past traumas also lessens the stress on the body so that each new additional stimulus doesn’t feel so overwhelming.  Because the brain and nervous system are responsible for coordinating all events in the human body, restoring the proper alignment and self-correcting nature of the spine makes you the most up to date, functional, and adaptable version of yourself possible.  

The changes of life do not need to frighten us or cause excessive grief.  Instead, we can use them as fuel for growth.  With each new day, each new experience, and every unexpected weather occurrence, there is a lesson to be learned and perspective to be gained.  Chiropractic care and bodywork help initiate this learning and growing.  Although sometimes changes may be uncomfortable or even painful, if we wait five minutes, the sun will come out again.  

Sunshine: Medicine for the Soul

Posted by: The Balancing Center

What would summer be without sunshine?  Summer is characterized by beautiful warm weather that invites us to enjoy the outdoors.  In our modern era we are constantly working and socializing indoors.  It is rare that we spend much time outside, especially when the weather is cold.  When it is pleasant outside in Chicago there are literally hundreds of ways to get outside and enjoy this wonderful summer weather, from street festivals and outdoor concerts to meet-ups or wonderful Lake Michigan with its clear blue water, cool breeze, and sandy beaches. 

Getting outside and enjoying the sun has more benefits than the obvious mood enhancing qualities.   Vitamin D, a hormone we can synthesize when sunshine beams on bare skin, has been known to decrease heart disease, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, depression, asthma, autism, chronic pain, bone loss, allergies, autoimmune diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,  and some have even sited it to be a deterrent of cancer due to its immune boosting properties. 

Vitamin D boosts the immune system, promotes relaxation, and healthy bone growth by increasing intestinal absorption of the key minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc.   By spending 20 minutes per day in the sun, the average adult can get a sufficient amount of vitamin D to receive these benefits.  Often times the 20 minutes we spend outside away from all of life’s demands soaking up the sun will be one of the best parts of the day.   Finding a quiet, private spot outside to enjoy lunch is ideal.  More vitamin D is absorbed without sunscreen and with less clothing. 

If you are someone who wants to make sure you receive your daily dose of vitamin D regardless of whether the sun is shining, taking supplements is a great and affordable way to reap all these benefits.  It is recommended that people ingest up to 1000IUs of Vitamin D3 per 40lbs. of body weight.  I personally use Innate Choice D3 drops.  They are highly absorbable and great for people who don’t like to swallow pills or risk sun exposure without sunscreen. 

Sunshine and laughter are abundant during the summer time, and for the soul there is no better medicine.  Nothing is better than enjoying a day outside with family or friends.  Just as I reminded us all to stay independent for Independence Day, I urge you all to take full advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy every moment you can outdoors and in the sun!  Don’t let the sun set on the summer.  

Maintain Your Independence

Posted by: The Balancing Center

July 4^th, 1776 was the day the United States of America officially declared independence from Britain.  The core issue outlined in The Declaration of Independence was summarized in the phase, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

As a chiropractor I believe these rights extend to our bodies as well. All day, every day you experience life through the wonderful vehicle of your body. Because you only get one body, your future abilities to enjoy life are effected by your day to day efforts to use it actively and appropriately!

When you see kids running around on the beach playing or adults throwing a frisbee it is apparent how much enjoyment there is in the freedom to move. Oftentimes people forget this. I see able bodied twenty five year olds standing on the escalator instead of walking. I see people calling an Uber rather than walking the half or quarter mile to their next location. It is almost as if people choose to use their healthy bodies as little as possible even though the ability to move is one of the greatest gifts and freedoms a human being has. 

Physical inactivity makes the body progressively weaker and stiffer, which takes away freedoms once taken for granted. Just like in a democracy, citizens of a country must use their freedom appropriately to protect their rights; we need to move our bodies to be able to continue to happily and efficiently move as we age. Next time you find your inner voice complaining about the effort of climbing a flight of steps, be grateful for the ability to do so. Next time you are in walkable distance to your next business engagement, leave early and enjoy the fresh air and rejuvenation of walking. If it is not comfortable for you to do these everyday activities come into The Balancing Center so we can re-connect  you to your natural ability to move. This Independence Day take full advantage of the freedom of movement you have, no matter how small or great, recognizing it as integral to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.     

by: Dr. Helgerman 

                                                                

Healthy Products Might Only Be "Skin Deep"

Posted by: The Balancing Center

The snow might be wet outside but the air is dry as a bone inside. I don’t know about you but my skin is about ready to revolt and head for warmer, more humid climates. If it weren't for buckets of lotion and conditioner, I’m sure I would have left a long time ago.

Of course, how do you find that perfect lotion in a literal ocean of choices? You have hundreds of different brands, formulas, and scents to consider and that’s even before you look at the label on the back of the bottles.

Why the back of the bottle? Because the increasingly important question that savvy consumers ask is: What’s in my product?

And for too many cosmetic products, including lotions, shampoos, cleansers, makeup, and more, the back label is a block of gibberish. You have multiple kinds of parabens, sulfates, dimethicones. There’s the vague word “fragrance,” which is a blanket term that covers a host of other troubling ingredients. Some of these long words refer to perfectly safe chemicals and others...not so much.

How are we supposed to know what’s in the products that are going on our faces, hands, eyes, and lips? Luckily for us, in this information age, finding safe products is a matter of a quick internet search. Even luckier, there is a fantastic directory called the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

The EWG database is a fully searchable catalog of over 70,000 cosmetic products. They rate the products from Low to Moderate to High hazard and list how much scientific data are available about the individual ingredients in those products. Brands have their own ratings as well and you can search by brand, product, or even by ingredient!

This database is invaluable to the conscious consumer. Not every "organic" product is actually healthy and not every healthy product is easily identifiable. A product’s impact on the environment is also taken into consideration, (which can help you help the planet by, for instance, showing you how to prevent the negative effects of bioaccumulation).

Through this database, I was able to find a wonderful line of hair and skin care products that are vegan, cruelty free, paraben free, sustainable, and made from organic ingredients. (Carina Organics out of Canada, if you are interested!)

So hopefully you can beat winter fatigue by reinvigorating your hair and skin care collection with products that you can use in health!

Integrative Care Heals the Whole

Posted by: The Balancing Center

Have you ever caught a cold because you were experiencing incredible amounts of stress? Have you ever found that you get sick at the worst possible time, when you are already depressed or swamped with work or dealing with relationship or family troubles?

While some might call your situation a coincidence or bad luck, those with an integrative perspective on wellness would see nothing coincidental about it. This is because health issues are rarely just physical issues; they often arise in direct conjunction with or even because of the mental and emotional stressors in your life. And even if these problems are just physical, one problem might be related to several others and you might not even know it!

One faulty gear can interfere with the rest!

At The Balancing Center we believe that health problems are multidimensional, involving physical, emotional, and mental states. We therefore offer multidimensional solutions to get you out of pain and into wellness, energy, and vitality. We help you discover and apply the right, integrative combination of doctor care and self-care to maximize your recovery and your overall state of health.

What might go into your customized care plan? Well, there's no one answer! Since every person is unique, every care plan is unique. The Balancing Center offers an array of health and wellness services, integrating chiropractic care with bodywork, energy synchronization, supplements, and more.

The Balancing Center features the N.U.C.C.A. technique as its signature chiropractic care, a specific kind of care that focuses on adjusting the upper cervical vertebrae. Dr. Daniel Fedeli, Dr. Ken Bennett, and Dr. James Tickel also practice B.E.S.T. and NET, synchronizing your mental, emotional, and physical states and releasing traumatic patterns. The doctors teach you their signature Foundational Movement Practices to retrain you to sit, stand, and move better, allowing you to integrate your chiropractic care into everyday life.

The Balancing Center’s bodyworkers, Barry Krost and Mary Holmquist practice various kinds of therapeutic techniques, including Ortho-Bionomy, cranial-sacral therapy, myofascial release therapy, and more. These therapies help to clear stress, relieve tension, and increase your energy.

We are also always excited to offer Orenda products and partnerships. Orenda offers a variety of supplements that support your body’s natural functions and health systems, including your immune system, your endocrine system, and your pituitary gland. We also sell a variety of supplements from other trusted partners-in-health. You can get your daily dose of Vitamin D, iodine, digestive enzymes, and fish oil at the office.

Besides these specific services and products, we strive to provide general resources for health and wellness, from diet to exercise to healthy thinking. We advocate integrating a dynamic combination of techniques to first get you healthy and then keep you healthy. A variety of tactics creates a strong health strategy that you can use as your master plan for increased and continued wellness, now and far into the future!

Sit Better and Be Healthier through Chiropractic and FMP!

Posted by: The Balancing Center

The Washington Post recently published an informative and helpful chart on the medical science behind the dangers of sitting for too long and how to offset and counter those effects.

Dr. Ken demonstrates correct seated posture.

Their recommendations are simple, sensible, and easy to incorporate into your workday or relaxation time. They are, however, are missing two other, important recommendations:

1. Visit your chiropractor for regular adjustments.

Regular adjustments not only get you and keep you out of pain--they also help keep your spine aligned and your body balanced. This means that while you’re sitting, you won’t be putting uneven pressure on isolated parts of your body. Regular adjustments also prime your body for health and activates its self-correcting nature. Remember, you are designed to be well!

2. Learn and implement the Foundational Movement Practices.

The Foundational Movement Practices, falling somewhere between exercise and yoga, are series of simple movements that retrain your body to sit, stand, and move better. The FMP also help you hold your spinal adjustments longer, which creates a stronger foundation for even more physical, mental, and emotional improvement. They are great to implement while you are at a desk job because they teach you how to locate and then engage the correct bones and muscles used in seated postures. The FMP can further alleviate chronic back and joint pains as you retrain your body’s muscle memory to engage in healthy, dynamic postures.

You can learn more about the FMP on our website or YouTube page, where we have PDF instructions as well as instructional videos.

Call the office today for an adjustment! You can even add 10 minutes to the end of your visit to get a hands-on FMP session!

They say sitting is the new smoking. And we say that it doesn’t have to be!

Go Upstream to Find the Problem!

Posted by: The Balancing Center

Imagine you live by a river, brown from chemical pollution, gritty from agricultural runoff, choked with debris. You work hard to clean it up and manage to get it decently restored. But a few weeks later the river is right back to where it was: brown, gritty, choked...out of balance.

And then you travel a few miles north and discover the factory that is actually responsible for all the problems appearing miles downstream. Without working to have the factory improve its waste management, any downstream clean-up efforts become mere stopgaps.

Often when people deal with health problems and pain, their situation is like the story of this river. When you are ill, it is easy to become distracted by the most apparent evidence of a problem, usually pain or discomfort. And while pain is a powerful sign of illness, it is often the last sign that something is wrong. Cleaning a river that is still being polluted only provides a temporary solution. Addressing pain, symptoms, and side effects without discovering the source of your health problems will only provide temporary relief.

That’s where we can help! When you visit The Balancing Center to experience our care, the first step we take is to travel “upstream” in your spine to discover exactly what root causes are contributing to your pains, sufferings, and imbalances. Rather than “cracking” separate areas of your back, we focus on your upper cervical vertebrae to realign your neck and head. This is because your upper cervical vertebrae has a controlling influence on the rest of your spine and body. This is how we uniquely specialize in getting to the root of the problems that are robbing you of your vitality and interfering with your life. By uncovering these underlying conditions, we can provide customized care to get you out of pain and back into balance!

Once we address your upstream problems, your body is clean and clear to receive the full benefits of the other wonderful care you provide for it: regular exercise, calming meditation, a nutritious diet, all three or more! We help provide you with the balance and connection your body craves in order to enhance your body’s wondrous ability to heal itself. You are designed to be well. We help you on the path to achieving that healthy design.