Things That Bring Happiness

Happiness is a great blessing. It takes many things and many people to make a happy life. Most importantly, happiness inspires others as nothing else will.

Life is real, life is earnest. Draper once stated, "WE do not know what the future may bring, but we do know what we can bring with us to the future.

Blessings that bring us greatest happiness are those that are shared with others. For example, wishing you happiness and a day without tears can bring you a plus in store for the coming years with the best of everything. The personal birthday cards I do personally do as much good for me as it does the recipient. As I do my cards, I tend to visualize the smile it may bring when opened.

Be a friend to your mate, yet be even more than a friend. No one can calculate the infinite debt of joy two married people owe to each other. It hurts if the spark dims, and worse if it cannot be illuminated once again.

There's a lot more joy in living then you find along the way a very special person whom you love more each and every day. That's why it's such a pleasure to greet and to express kind wishes for continued joy and endless happiness.

James Whitcomb Riley beautifully stated; "it's the songs you sing and the smiles you wear that's making the sunshine everywhere."

Life is not a selfish or private existence. It is meant to be cooperative, based upon sharing joys and sorrows and making the best of everything. Edwin Markham wrote;

There is a destiny that makes us brothers;

None go this life alone.

All we send into the life of others

Comes back into our own.

The question is, what are you sending into the lives of others. Is it peace, joy, and love, or is it resentment, trouble, and hate? Remember ... as you sow you also reap.

Persons often excuse their shortcomings saying they are ill, that pain and misery keep crowding into your life against their will, and pushing aside their genuine wishes for good. Not a good excuse at all, but rather whining instead of getting into action and committing to good health. Changing a woeful diet is a great start. And, joining a yoga class or fitness program can change a life forever. Plus you meet some incredible people along the way. Nice perk! And remember chiropractic, as it addresses your nervous and hormonal systems - a good thing to keep in check should you wish to remain healthy and active.

"Believe that you can do anything!"

Sunscreen Understood

A summertime sunscreen Q & A:

(1) Once applied, how long does it take sunscreen to thoroughly penetrate the skin to begin protection from UVB rays?
     Answer: Sunscreen protection begins about one hour after lotion has been applied

2) Once protection begins, how long does protection last when using sunscreen lotion with 30 SPF (sun protection factor)?
     Answer: "in general" an SPF 15 sunscreen provides 15 minutes of protection, while an SPF 30 gives about 30 minutes of protection.

3) Does waterproof sunscreen wash off when you go in the water?
     Answer: "Waterproof" sunscreen will in fact come off in water.

4) Does sunscreen prevent your skin from converting sunlight into vitamin D?
     Answer: Dermatologists and scientists have still not been able to determine if sunscreen interferes with the skin's production of vitamin D from sunlight exposure.

Sunscreen has often been referred to as the "The snake oil of the 21st Century."  However, it is wise to utilize contemporary sunscreen products for skin protection. Even some protection is better than none.

There are certain foods and supplements that everyone (and especially those who get a lot of sun exposure) should be consuming in abundance.

Vitamins C and E are very important to relieving stress to the skin. Research has stated that a folic acid deficiency is "a major contributor to skin cancer risk." Folic acid is destroyed rapidly by heat, cold, and exposure to light, including sunlight. So it's sunlight's destructive effect on folic acid in the skin, not the actual sun exposure itself, that accounts for a significant part of the skin cancer problem. Folic acid (along with vitamin B12 and zinc) is absolutely key to DNA reproduction and repair."

The best dietary sources of folic acid include spinach and other dark green vegetables, brewers yeast, lima beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, wheat germ, and liver from organically raised animals. In addition, supplementing with 1,000 mcg of folic acid daily is beneficial, and even more if you spend a good amount of time in the sun or have a family history of skin cancer.

"Sunscreen, like relationships, are useless except when applied properly."

Pregnancy & Low Back Pain

Chiropractic care for the pregnant woman can offer invaluable help when it comes to low back pain and discomfort. It’s hard enough for the pregnant woman to deal with the hormone changes associated with pregnancy, and there is no need to have to put up with low back pain or leg pain. Many women believe that low back pain is normal with pregnancy, and something that they simply have to cope with. Wrong!

Ironically, once the pain becomes too intense to deal with, is when the pregnant mother seeks help from the chiropractor. Expecting mothers are encouraged to see their chiropractor early during the stages of pregnancy. Experience in dealing with the pregnant patients is important, because they can offer many treatments and some great advice.

Besides getting pain relief, many women report that chiropractic care aids in the ease of delivery. Several research papers have been published on manipulative therapy for low back pain in pregnancy, and report great results (Diakow 1991, Epstein 1959, Parsons 1994) and specifically, manipulation of the sacroiliac joints (Berg 1988, Daikow 1991, Golightly 1982, Sandleer 1996, Sands 1959). Manipulation of the low back in pregnancy is a very low risk procedure (Daikow 1991, Hitchcock 1976, Philips 1995, Sandler 1996)

Hormones, specifically Relaxin, which peaks in the first trimester and at delivery is believed to soften the pelvic structures to allow for delivery is one of the causes indirectly for the low back pain. According to the research by Bookhout 1988, and Perkins 1998, the sooner the pregnant patient is treated, the better the opportunity for successful management. Other contributing causes being the altered bio-mechanics of the musculoskeletal system due to the developing fetus and its contribution to your altered center of gravity, in turn putting altered stress on the bio-structures.

The many options chiropractors have in treating the pregnant patient such as:

• Comfortable positioning for successful manipulation
• Safe manipulation techniques such as low force, instrument, muscle energy techniques, mobilization
• Soft tissue therapy including a variety of techniques usually applied to the varius muscles/tendons/ligaments surrounding the low back/pelvis/legs
• Physical therapies including moist heat, ice, massage
• Supportive devices such as low back supports designed especially for pregnancy
• Exercise instruction and recommendations
• Ergonomic and activity modifications

Get a referral from your OB/GYN physician who is educated to the value of chiropractic. And, speak to others that have benefited by chiropractic during pregnancy.

"I'm pregnant ... I'm uncomfortable ... I'm crabby!"