Getting the Most Out of Your Care Starts with You

Posted by: KC McCorriston

Foundational Movement Practices are one of the distinctive and unique aspects the care we provide at our center. When a new patient begins care, the first three appointments set the foundation for their care. During the first and second appointments we focus on gathering information, examining, evaluating, reporting our recommendations and expectations, and making the initial upper cervical correction. The third appointment is also longer than a regular office visit with time set aside for the doctor to teach the patient about our Foundational Movement Practices. These movement practices are something the doctor will fine tune and build on throughout your care. They are designed by the doctors themselves, and can be adapted specifically for each person. Foundational movement practices are great ways to integrate the spinal correction into your life, handle some of the discomfort that can arise during the healing process, and, can also help you hold your adjustments better! They are ways to teach your body how to move and use itself. As you use your body in a way that supports optimal function, you can go beyond relief and and actually support the healing process. The movement practices help to get your spine moving in a healthy way. They also provide support and consistency as you fine tune your exercise program and navigate your daily life.

I personally find that after sitting at a desk all day, my back can sometimes feel stuck. If I take five minutes to do the Rock and Roll and Forward Fold, my whole body feels more loose and comfortable. Another movement practice that I find helpful is the Morter March. It helps reset the the nervous system and brings more energy into the body. If you ever have any questions about Foundational Movement Practices, let us know. We are here to support you.

In Case You Missed It...Some Truths about Inflammation and Joint Pain

Posted by: Dr. Ken Bennett

September’s topic was Joint Pain and Inflammation. So if you couldn’t make it or didn’t know about it, I wanted to share some of the information discussed. Just so you know, we do this every month and anyone and everyone is welcome from 6 to 7pm on these Wednesday evenings. This won’t cover everything but if you want more information just ask me or one of the other doctors when you’re in the office for your next adjustment. So here we go…

Joint pain does not occur without inflammation. However, inflammation can occur without joint pain. I’m sure what you really to know is where does inflammation come from and what can you do about it.

Two main things cause Inflammation: Trauma and Diet.

1. There are two types of trauma:

A. Shock trauma – high impact, short duration; such as an accident or injury. In a very short period of time, the impact creates misalignment throughout your body’s joints.

B. Strain trauma – low impact, long duration; such as repetitive work and poor posture. How does repetitive work and poor posture create trauma? Over a long duration, it creates imbalance in the alignment of your joints.

Underlying theme? YES!

Misaligned joints lead to improper motion, aka wearing and tearing and grinding of the joints. This equals inflammation which left over time will lead to decay, degeneration, pain, arthritis and a decreased quality of life. (If you are a patient and any of this is new information please talk to one of the doctors about that on your next visit.)


2. Diet

I could go on forever on this one but, in brief, the foods we eat on a regular basis can create inflammation throughout our entire body. The primary culprits of this are sugar (any grain, cereal or pasta with the exception of brown rice) and dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc). How? That’s another blog but lets just say our bodies are not really designed to digest sugar and dairy. The fact is sugar and dairy create inflammation.


Now for the good part, what can you do about it? First, you must understand some people can get away with doing one of these things and feel better, however others need to do more. Everyone is different. The longer your body has been inflamed, usually the longer it takes to overcome.

1. Find out if your body is structurally balanced. We are experts at finding and correcting the cause of structural imbalances.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat less sugars (grains) and dairy.

3. Find out which supplements are best for you. Supplements can do a lot of different things to help with inflammation.

a. Enzymes can help digest poor dietary choices and work directly on inflammation.

b. Take Omega-3 fish oils, they are anti-inflammatory and basically just good for your overall health.

c. Detox your cells. The cleaner your cells are the easier it is for your body to efficiently and effectively minimize inflammation. We have extremely effective ways to detox your body, just ask.

d. Antioxidants help to minimize and clean up the substances that create inflammation and also feed your cells the nutrients needed to be healthy.

The bottom line is you are in control. You are directly in control of your diet and the supplements you take. If you’re not sure if your body is balanced, schedule an appointment and find out.

Consider everyone at The Balancing Center a resource. Our mission is to help people, feel better, get healthy and enjoy life. We love questions. Just ask next time you have one.

Healing Takes Place Over Time

Posted by: Dr.Dan

We often find ourselves in the position of reminding patients that healing takes place over time. We have been conditioned to believe that alleviating the symptom means that we are better. At the Balancing Center we strive to get you feeling better as quickly as possible and for as long as possible...and we know that in many cases...Healing takes place over time.

Here are three main considerations

#1. It took time to get where you are. So there is momentum going that direction. It takes energy and time to stop whats going on, reverse it, and move in the right direction again.

#2. Priority. The nervous system runs everything in the body. Although we are designed for wellness we are programmed for survival, and there are many things going on in the body that we are not aware of. Pain is usually a high priority and people usually get out of pain before they are well, whole, and healthy. However, there is a priority system to healing, sometimes the pain is secondary to other problems. Remember... the foundation needs to be poured before the walls and roof can go on, so patience is a virtue

3. The physical limitations of matter. We have a chart in the office that shows how muscles heal in a matter of days, bones heal in a matter of weeks, nerves heal in a matter of months, and connective tissue can take 3- 6 months, sometimes up to 18 months. So if some one's problem is being caused by instability of the ligaments , they will be subject to exacerbation or aggravation on a more regular basis because the ligaments aren’t strong enough to hold.

There are several things that we do to approach these situations, one way is our integrative movement practices which help train the body to use itself the way it was designed, putting healthy stress on the ligaments...Some experts in the medical field don’t even believe that ligaments can heal once they’ve been stretched or torn. Fortunately, we’ve seen proof of the opposite, when you get the body’s tension balanced you get the flow of energy going through the body which can actually create repair. Utilizing our approach of Balance/Support/Integrate we find that most patients experience significant and consistent improvement within the first 3-6 weeks, many get total relief in a matter of days. We also find that the people who stick with us over time and go through the constructive healing process....maybe experiencing periodic symptomatic episodes....often end up feeling better, staying better and enjoying their more fulfilled, productive lives, with the coaching, guidance and supportive at the balancing center.

Side Effects: Are they worth the risk?

Posted by: Kasey McCorriston




"Dr. Dan!" I hear one of the patients say from the waiting room, "besides the work we are doing here, I think I might have found another piece to the puzzle."

As I am sitting at the front desk I turn my ears on, hoping to hear what the puzzle piece was. "Well I was watching TV the other day and I saw the commercial for the cholesterol medicine I was taking. I see this commercial all the time, but this time I actually stopped and listened to the list of side effects that the medicine has. I realized that all of the side effects were things that I was experiencing."

I stop what I am doing, now fully engaged.

"So what did you do?" Dr. Dan said.

The patient replied with, "I stopped taking it, and I feel a lot better."

Walking down the hallway I heard him tell the doctor how sensitized he was from the commercials, how he had seen them so many times and never listened to the 30 second long list of side effects. Thinking about this, I realized that's just the purpose of these commercials. How they are set up is literally a sales tactic. I know that prescription drugs can be effective for symptoms, and also are necessary for some situations. I just hope that people research drugs before they consider using them. I hope that people actually listen to the commercials, side effects and all. I hope people consider safer and more effective ways of treating the problem, versus the symptoms. I hope we can all take a minute to stop and think about the things we are putting into our bodies and evaluate effectiveness and alternatives. As always, our office is here as a resource and springboard.

You already know this...

Posted by: Dr. Ken Bennett

…at least I’d think you do since you’re reading our blog which means you have more likely than not been to and benefited from The Balancing Center. If that’s the case I wanted to let you know that even Consumer Reports thinks you are making a great investment in your health. Just click on the link below to see a short news interview about the benefits of chiropractic.

If you haven’t been to The Balancing Center or were unaware of the improved health and vitality you can achieve through chiropractic care. I encourage you to watch this video. We also have a lot of great videos and information on our website that explains how our approach is very unique and specialized, unlike other kinds of chiropractic.

One quick fact for you.

80% of all visits to a M.D. end in a prescription! If you like pills and like covering up symptoms that's great news. For those of you that want to treat the cause of the problem, give us a call, that’s what we specialize in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0sUyKpe6L4&feature=related

Crisis Prevention

Posted by: KC McCorriston



In our society, people tend to take their car into the shop after something has broken down, install anti-virus software after their computer has got scammed, watching what they eat after they've gained ten pounds, and go to the doctors after their body has had some kind of crisis. One thing that we try and teach people is prevention. If you take care of things on a more regular basis (even if that just means once a month, or a few times a year) your crisis times will be less intense and take less time to handle. Having worked at the office for over a year now I am starting to understand patterns, especially the patterns of patients. We receive many calls from people in crisis trying to get in with the doctor as soon as possible. They then find themselves needing multiple adjustments to got back on course. Once back on track, they often say that they want to revise their treatments and start coming in for regular care so that they don't find themselves frenzied in a time of crisis. In my experience at the front desk, people who have integrated chiropractic care as a part of their lifestyle keep their body functioning well are better equipped to handle emergencies. They're body is more resilient and able to be healthy and balanced. We are here for all of our patients, whether it be a crisis or just a regular check up, but from my perspective I see the benefits of keeping yourself healthy and coming in to see the doctor on a regular basis.

The Secret Is Out AboutThe Balancing Center

Posted by: Franklin Drob


As most of us know from our direct experience, something special occurs between the time of entering the center and when we walk out. Over and over again, I have observed several patients walk in quietly, only to leave with a big animated smile and a “thanks doc,” sentiment. Witnessing that transformation reinforces my confidence that I am truly in the right place. Part of my role at the center is to share the unique BC message with the rest of the world. Although the doctor’s schedule fills up, we still recognize that our unique message of care is still needed out in the world. After brainstorming with the doctors, it became clear that we need to take this show on the road and impart some of these pearls of wisdom with the rest of Chicago. As a result, Dr. Fedeli, Dr. Bennett, Dr.Taka and I came up with “Employee Productivity Programs.” Let’s face it we don’t know what we don’t know. Many of us know we want to be healthy, but we do not know how to integrate healthy practical solutions within the framework of our work and familial responsibilities. Therefore, we now offer programs to Chicago based business that immediately improve the lives of all those who participate. Our website has descriptions, but in summing up, our talks plus a nervous system check provides immediate results. In addition, Dr. Bennett’s discussions are fun because he takes seemingly complicated topics about the body and explains it in a way that is easy and fun to understand. I have shared his material with my network of friends and now I feel like I’ve been able to help those closest to me and now I invite you to do the same. For more information contact me to coordinate a health talk at your place of business or personal event and let’s share the best kept secret in Chicago.