Pregnancy and Chiropractic

Consult Your Chiropractor During Pregnancy

According to a study at Spine Universe, almost 80% of pregnant women experience some type of back pain. There are a number of treatments that are available and of course pain remedies that are present during the labor and birth of the baby too. With pregnancy lasting nine months, there are other ways to make pregnancy comfortable for both the mother and the unborn baby. A 1991 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, said that 84% of women who received chiropractic care experienced a decrease in back pain during their pregnancy. It was also reported that women who continued to have chiropractic care and performed exercises reported a less painful childbirth as well. In other research by Spine Universe, there are a variety of types of back pain and other pains that women experience in their pregnancies. 42% experience pain in the posterior superior iliac spine , 54% experience pain in the groin areas, 54% in the coccyx, and 33% in the pubic symphysis. In 80% of pregnancies, most of the back pain will be localized during a woman's pregnancy. But by the third semester, at least 50% of women experience back pain. Other recommended ways to sooth a woman's pain during pregnancy include activities such as sleeping on your side, keeping good posture, eating and exercising properly, and using tools like a pregnancy pillow, or support belt. By adding chiropractic care to a woman's medical care during pregnancy, performing proper exercising routines, and staying fit, it is possible to reduce back pain experienced during pregnancy.





Dr. Zach's Comments:

• Chiropractic Care during pregnancy has helped thousands of women in the US and around the world experience less pain, more activity, faster deliveries, and less complications. Truly, a chiropractic exam should be mandatory for all expectant mothers, and not only to relieve or prevent back pain.




• Chiropractic is based on the premise that YOUR BODY WAS DESIGNED FOR 100% OUTSTANDING HEALTH. Your nervous system controls and coordinated that state of health and it will do so perfectly if nothing interferes with it. Misalignment and Injury to your spine can interfere with nerve system function and cause you to migrate away from a truly healthy state. Chiropractic Care can correct those misalignments and injuries and restore normal nerve system function and therefore your health.




• Not only that, but a women's back and pelvis go through some serious changes during pregnancy in order to prepare her for the delivery of the child. The pelvis must expand a great deal to allow baby to enter our world, and misalignments or injuries to the spine can prevent that pelvic expansion. No pelvic expansion equals difficult delivery and possible intervention.




• What husband, mother, or father wouldn't want to make his wife or daughter's pregnancy as pain free, risk free, and worry free as possible and at the same time assuring a faster, safer delivery of baby at the same time. Chiropractic and pregnancy just make sense!

Eat Your Way to Good Heart Health

More Reasons to Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

Flavonoid, a substance found in many fruits, vegetables, and even chocolate can reduce cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, according to a new study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers examined data relating to more than 34,000 women free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the beginning of the Iowa Women's Health Study, which took place between 1986 and 2002. Over a 16-year period, CVD, as well as coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and total mortality were measured. Intake of total flavonoids was also monitored, and divided into seven subclasses -- including anthocyanins found in blueberries, raspberries and red wine; flavanones from citrus fruits; and flavones, which are found in parsley and celery. The women whose diets contained high amounts of anthocyanins -- which give blueberries and red grapes their color and have also proven to be powerful antioxidant sources -- were less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, or from any other cause than those whose diet included little or no anthocyanins. Flavanone intake was linked to lower risk of death due to coronary heart disease; flavone intake was associated with lower risk of death for all reasons.

Dr. Zach's Comments:

• If you read the first article today, you may think that there are a number of "magic bullets" you can take to prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, etc, but the truth is none of these substances prevent, cure, or ward off these diseases.


• Your body is innately (naturally) designed to maintain health and prevent disease, and it will accomplish this task perfectly if you give it pure and sufficient amounts of good foods and nutrients, avoid toxicity and deficiency, and allow your body clear communication pathways.


• Flavonoids are just one of many necessary substances your body requires you to eat so it will appropriately self-regulate, and the best way to get sufficient nutrition is through fresh uncooked foods that are in season, locally grown, and preferably organic. Blueberries, raspberries, and peas are peaking or past peak. You may find them on sale in the grocery store, so load up on them. There are also many vegetables coming into season such as broccoli, beans, and zucchini. Seek these foods out and good health will follow.

Smart Babies

DHA Supplementation During Pregnancy

New research reaffirms that DHA supplementation during pregnancy improves cognitive function in infants and children. A study published this month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that infants born to mothers who consumed DHA from fish oil (300 mg/day) demonstrated better problem solving abilities than those who consumed a corn oil placebo.
This data supports earlier work published in 2003 that showed children born to mothers who supplemented with 2 tsp Cod Liver Oil daily during pregnancy and lactation had higher IQs at age four when compared to children of mothers who consumed placebo.
Maternal DHA intake during pregnancy is far below the currently recommended amount (minimum of 300 mg/day), which may be contributing to the unprecedented incidence of neurological and behavioral problems that face children today.
During the last trimester of pregnancy, mothers selectively transfer DHA to the fetus to support the growth of the brain, eyes, and nervous system. Without sufficient intake, mothers become
depleted of DHA and increase their risk of suffering major depressive symptoms in the postpartum period. In fact, population studies have shown that lower intakes of DHA are associated with higher rates of postpartum depression. It is well established that the essential fatty acid, DHA, is a critical component to a healthy pregnancy. However, a recent survey of expecting mothers showed that in 68% of the women surveyed, their doctor never mentioned DHA, and half of the women surveyed had never heard of it.


Dr. Zach's Comments:

• Omega 3 fatty acid of which DHA is one are essential to good health. Understand that they ARE NOT just another supplement to boost your health, but are molecules your body absolutely needs. In fact, your body will malfunction without them. Here's a list of conditions that have been associated with deficiencies of Omega 3 fatty acids: ADHD, Depression, Post Partum Depression, Alzheimer's, Heart Disease, Heart Arythmias, Skin Disorders, and many more.


• Why are Omega 3 fatty acids so important? Because they are in a class of molecules called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). Essential means you have to have them and you have to get them through your diet because you body will not create them on its own. Fatty acid refers the to components of the molecule: an amino acid (protein) and lipid (fat) combination. EFAs make up the outer membrane of nearly every cell in your body. That's important because the outer membrane is the cells "filter" and regulates what can or cannot get into the cell. If the cell cannot properly regulate what goes in or comes out of it, it cannot regulate it's health, and if it cannot regulate it's health...disease sets in.


• Where do Omega 3's come from. You can get Omega 3 fatty acids from the following: Wild game and fish (especially marine animals), grass fed meets (beef, bison) and free range poultry, flax seeds and oil, and supplements (fish oil, cod liver oil, flax oil). You cannot find Omega 3s in Grain fed beef or bison, grain fed poultry, farm raised fish.


• The fact that Omega 3s are so very important to our lives and our bodies is what keeps me an Omnivore and not a Vegetarian. There is no way our ancestors and therefore the Human race could have survived without Omega 3 fatty acids from animal sources, and they certainly did not run around chewing on flax seeds.


• Get your Omega 3s. Period. The easiest, most effective, safest way is through a pharmaceutical grade fish oil.