Chiropractic care doesn’t treat allergies. So, why do so many people with allergies mention that they see improvement by receiving care in our practice?
There are many signs of an allergic reaction. Itchy eyes. Runny nose. Sneezing. Skin rash. More serious reactions can include constricted air passageways, vomiting and even death. All this from a handful of peanuts, an encounter with a cat or microscopic grains of pollen in the air!
If everyone reacted to these common substances, we could fix the blame squarely on the nut, dander, shellfish or pollen. But not everyone reacts.
What is it?
Your nervous system is the master system that orchestrates your immune system, glandular system, respiratory system and every other system that reacts inappropriately to an allergen. Normally, these systems help you respond and adapt to the world around you. But suffering from uncontrollable sneezing around a house cat is probably an inappropriate reaction.
If your nervous system isn’t working correctly, you don’t work correctly. So, rather than direct our attention to the countless potential allergens, we locate and reduce the disturbances we find to your nervous system.
Each of us was born with the capacity to withstand or adapt to stress. If we’re unable to deal with things we eat, breathe or come into contact with it may be because our margin to adapt is used up.
Pretend that this bucket represents your capacity to adapt to the physical, emotional and chemical stresses of life. Every stressful encounter your body faces, fills up your bucket.
If your bucket is already full and you encounter pollen, foods or other chemicals, your bucket overflows. When that happens, people say they’re having an allergic reaction. But what they’re really saying is, “I’ve lost my ability to adapt. My margin is used up.”
So, we don’t treat allergies. We look for ways to restore your ability to adapt to allergens by locating and reducing disturbances to your nervous system. Simple, really.
We’d love to discuss your specific allergy issue and how chiropractic may help.
It started with a routine trip to the store.
Suddenly you hear a screeching of tyres and the harsh sound of metal hitting metal. In the split second before you can brace yourself, you feel your car moving from some unseen force!
If you visit the emergency room, you may be given a clean bill of health because you don’t have any broken bones. You might get a prescription to reduce the muscle spasms caused by structural changes in your neck or lower back.
After what you’ve been through, you’ll need a health professional that truly understands soft tissue injuries, spinal biomechanics and rehabilitation strategies.
Whether it was a little incident in the car park, or two cars attempting to occupy the same space in an intersection, you need people who know how to work with lawyers and insurance companies.
If you’ve been in a car accident, give us a call. We’ve been through this many times. Not only can we usually offer drug-free care, we can help put this behind you once and for all.
It’s tempting to minimise your own injuries because your car has sustained little or no damage. Research shows that occupants can be injured considerably more than what you’d expect from a dented fender or a broken taillight.
A disc can’t slip. But it can wedge, bulge, protrude and herniate. Chiropractic care may help.
Each spinal disc has a jelly-like “ball bearing” core that is contained by bands of fibrous tissue. Healthy discs give you flexibility for normal turning and bending. Improper lifting, slips, falls and car accidents can cause the core to shift:
Herniation – disc wedging narrows nerve openings. Obvious symptoms may not be present.
Protrusion – like a blister, the disc bulges where it is the weakest, causing nerve pressure.
Prolapse – with the cushioning and separating compromised by rupture, movement is painful.
The most serious disc problem is a prolapsed disc in which the soft centre ruptures and leaks.
The disc is a special cartilage between the bones of your spinal column. It attaches to the vertebra above and below it. This creates the separation between spinal bones so pairs of nerves can exit the spine.
For over 117 years, patients have been seeking chiropractic care, not only as effective relief for back and neck problems, but for improved function in all areas of their life. Our philosophy is simple, get well-stay well. Despite all that our team can provide by way of injury recovery, back and neck problems and headaches, our favourite kind of work is dealing with people who love taking care of themselves!
From our experience, we are seeing fewer interventions during childbirth, expecting mums who are far more comfortable during pregnancy, athletes who keep going while their team mates falter, children who never seem to be sick or off school, accountants and lawyers who can now manage long days at a desk and adults who no longer fear activity through pain and disability! This is the stuff that make our job fun!
We have a strong emphasis on Family Chiropractic Care simply because, what is good for my spine, must be good for yours.
“But why would kids need checking? They don’t get sore backs!”
That’s right! But think for a second about what a growing spine goes through! Birth-crawling-falling-walking-running-tackling-wrestling-sitting and sitting and sitting- accidents…the list goes on. The process of damaging a spine begins early. You don’t just wake up at 40 saying “Whoops, my back’s sore time to fix it!” although thousands do!
Chiropractic is a safe, inexpensive and extremely effective way to keep your spine and nervous system function like it was designed to. It’s like servicing your car. You don’t wait until the oil light comes on to get it fixed, our approach is exactly the same, a little bit of care and maintenance can go a long way to extending your sporting, family or productive life.
Consider Chiropractic as part of your routine. You will be glad you did.
Nothing has a greater impact on your spine than the way you stand, sit and sleep. It can’t be overstated. Prolonged sitting, particularly with school aged children or office bound workers have an extremely high likelihood of succumbing to neck and postural related problems.
The symptoms can vary from headaches, persistent neck stiffness, blurred vision, poor flexibility, needing to constantly rub your neck to depression, anxiety and memory loss. This can have catastrophic effects on work performance, sleep, concentration and make you moody, irritable and sore.
With effective chiropractic care, correct flexibility can be restored and with regular maintenance, you can ensure it stays that way!
The same can be said for your lower back. Prolonged standing at sporting events, standing behind desks, on a shovel or working in a production facility can all contribute to posture induced lower back problems.
Contrary to what you may have heard or believe, your spine and neck are designed to move. Not once a day, but as often as it can. What we know is exercise and play not only promotes endorphin release and lubricates the spine, it stimulates the nervous tissue, invigorates muscles and promotes growth, healing and strength.
Chiropractic care is the single most effective way to manage posture and function for someone always under stress.
With a forward head tilt, the ligaments at the back of your neck are under constant strain. The ligaments are strained, the muscles stretched and more than likely, the nerves which exit from beneath the skull and between every bone in your neck can be compromised.
The term “sciatica” refers to an irritation of the sciatic nerve, which begins at the base of your spine.
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body and is roughly the diameter of a finger. It branches from the spinal nerves in the lower lumbar and sacral regions. It then joins together to form one very large nerve that extends all the way down the back of your leg to your big toe. Not all leg pain is sciatica, but most sciatica involves leg pain.
During treatment we will investigate how the muscle became tight, thus causing the sciatic nerve pain. It could be due to a fall, your sitting position or your bones may be out of alignment. Understanding the root cause will help us to treat you to reduce the chance of recurrence in addition to providing immediate sciatica relief.
Sciatica sufferers often complain of severe, often unbearable pain along the path of the nerve. Symptoms may be noticed down the back of the thigh, buttocks, calves and possible the lower leg, ankle and toes. You may also be getting numbness, tingling, pins-and-needles and/or burning into one or both legs, ironically, the painful leg may also feel numb.
Sleeping, sitting, walking, bending, turning or standing maybe difficult or even impossible. It is quite difficult to find any type of comfortable position to relieve the pain.
The variety of techniques used to care for sciatica at Life Chiropractic and Wellness Centre has been proven, over the last 10 years to be incredibly effective. For decades, chiropractors and patients have observed benefits in chiropractic spinal adjustments to relieve the pressure being placed on the sciatic nerve. Many sufferers of sciatica have experienced dramatic relief of their pain after Chiropractic care.
Chiropractic is not a treatment for asthma. However, many who suffer from asthma report improvement by receiving chiropractic care.
There is research that suggests a link between the spinal column, the nervous system and the respiratory system. This may be why many have mentioned improved breathing by consulting our practice.
Asthma cases seem to be rising at an alarming rate. Some think it’s due to a combination of factors, especially the increase of chemicals in our environment.
These days, airtight, super-insulated homes can trap chemicals, moulds, formaldehyde and other irritants. Even the increasing use of cesarean births, antibiotics and our fascination with germ killing have been cited.
If these factors were the only issue, why wouldn’t allchildren living in the same house and breathing the same air, suffer equally?
Your diaphragm is the primary muscle used for breathing. Nerves that control each breath leave your brain and exit the spinal cord in the mid-neck (C3, C4 and C5) area. Spinal problems in this area can have a profound affect on the nerve supply to the diaphragm.
Reducing vertebral subluxations in the spine may help restore proper nervous system control of the lungs and improved function can begin.
In fact, research published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research documented the results experienced by 81 children with asthma who received chiropractic care. The two-month study revealed that those under care saw a 45% decrease in the number of “attacks” and that 31% of the subjects voluntarily chose to decrease their medication.
All this from improved nervous system control of the lungs!
Chiropractic care may help reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. Naturally, we can’t make any promises, however, if your son or daughter has subluxations, and they are the cause of their symptoms, many have found relief with conservative chiropractic care. Call our practice and let’s discuss the possibilities and get your questions answered.
Pain of any kind is a signal that something’s amiss. Some people silence their symptoms with a pain reliever and ignore the message. But that would be like removing the battery to quiet a smoke detector!
The nerve-rich facet joints on the back side of each spinal bone are a common cause of back pain. The pain can be a sign these interlocking “fingers” aren’t moving correctly.
The discs between spinal bones can be involved, too. Trauma can cause the soft, pulpy material in the middle to bulge, putting pressure on nearby nerves.
We’ve helped many people with safe and natural chiropractic care. However, other choices include:
Specific chiropractic adjustments can help improve spinal function. By restoring the way your spine works, discs and soft tissues may heal, nerve involvement may be reduced, pain can ease and better stability can return.
Headaches are common, but they’re not normal.
A common cause of headaches is from spinal bones in the neck that aren’t supporting the head properly. You might not notice your reduced ability to turn your head. But these vertebral subluxations affect nerves, muscles and even the blood supply to your head.
Our thorough examination detects vertebral subluxation patterns that could be causing your headaches. If vertebral subluxations are present, you’re likely to benefit from chiropractic care.
Pain relievers of various types are the most common approach to headaches. In our practice we take a more natural approach. Our objective is to find and reduce the underlying cause of a headache.
Some are surprised to learn that their headaches are being caused by problems in their lower back! The upper spine compensates, shifting the head off centre, causing headaches.
While we can’t guarantee results we have a high success rate with patients who get headaches. Give us a call. Let’s sit down and discuss your unique situation.
Our thorough examination detects vertebral subluxation patterns that could be causing your headaches. If vertebral subluxations are present, you’re likely to benefit from chiropractic care.
“It was like a knife behind my eye!”
There is nothing like headaches. They can strike with little warning and cause debilitating pain – especially those starting in the neck and referring to the head, behind the eyes, beneath you skull and into the sinuses. The most common headache (90%) of all is the ‘muscle tension’ headache.
The most common areas people experience headaches are behind the eyes, the top of the neck, under the skull, through the sinuses, between the temples and at the top of the head. The way chiropractic helps is through improved flexibility and function of the neck. The relieved tension has been a mainstay of chiropractic’s effectiveness in helping Headache sufferers for over 117 years.
Migraines are the lancing, sickening and debilitating. They cause sensitivity to light, nausea, can last for hours and piercing pain behind the eyes. Correcting function of the neck, sinuses and restoring flexibility are key in dealing with nearly every type of headache sufferer.
Imagine balancing a 12 lb. (5.5 kg.) bowling ball on the tips of your fingers. All day long. That’s just one of many things your neck must do. Your neck and shoulders work hard. Even the smallest deviation in the relationships of the seven bones of your cervical spine (neck) can cause pain and reduced head and neck mobility.
Physical, emotional or chemical stress can affect the frequency and severity of neck pain. For many of us, the neck and shoulders are the “weakest link in the chain” and so stress shows up here.
Often, emotional stress is the overlooked culprit. Ever hear of something being a “pain in the neck”? Fear, anger or frustration can trigger the tightening of our neck muscles without our even being conscious. In time, chronic muscle spasms set in. Which can lead to headaches.
Some over-the-counter pain reliever might dull the pain, but it ignores the underlying cause!
Generally, we see two types of neck pain cases. Minor neck and shoulder pain involve sensations of discomfort, stiffness or soreness. If these symptoms last for more than a day or so, occur frequently or were preceded by an accident or some type of injury, we consider it major.
We see this sort of thing all the time. It’s almost routine. Chiropractic care has a history of producing excellent results with those suffering from neck pain. And we do it naturally, without drugs or surgery.
At Life Chiropractic and Wellness we specialise in reducing interference to the nervous system in the neck. Many of our patients find that chiropractic care gives them relief from both minor and major neck and shoulder complaints.
Call or email us with your question. Schedule a no-obligation consultation and find out if you’re a good candidate for today’s safe and natural chiropractic care.
At first glance, most people don’t see the connection between chiropractic and pregnancy. However, there are four stages in which having an optimally working nervous system can help both mother and child.
Chiropractic care prepares the body to be as strong, supple and balanced as possible to carry the pregnancy.
Regular chiropractic care during pregnancy appeals to mothers who seek a natural approach to better health.
Many rely on chiropractic care to help assure optimum biomechanics of the hips and spine in the hopes of reducing the need for interventions during the birth process.
Even natural births can stress a baby’s spine. Breastfeeding problems can arise if the baby has a subluxation and is unable to comfortably turn its head to one side.
Relax. We use special approaches to make our adjustments safe and comfortable for you and your child.
Research shows that Chiropractic care helps to relieve back pain for up to 85% of pregnant women as well as maintaining pelvic balance which allows for less intervention during labour and reduced labour time. Chiropractic care also plays an integral role in helping to ensure that the developing baby is in the correct position and ready for delivery.
Dr Candice Dugmore is certified in Webster’s Technique which has a high success rate in turning babies from a posterior, or breech position to the correct ‘head-down’ position. They will adapt their techniques to accommodate the changes in a mother’s body shape and range of movement throughout the stages of pregnancy, and will cater their care specifically to your needs and the needs of your baby.
During pregnancy, a mother’s body goes through enormous hormonal, postural and physical changes. In addition to this, mothers don’t tend to “slow down” very much due to work and family commitments.
Chiropractic care helps your body adapt to the changing pressures of pregnancy as well as contributing to the harmonious growth and development of your baby. As your baby grows, considerable stress is placed on muscles, ligaments, joints and overall posture of a woman’s spine. To make matters worse, the pelvis may begin to rotate to allow for the developing baby. This can lead to distortion of the surrounding connective tissue and pelvic dystocia (a common cause of failure to progress in labour.)
The body of evidence to support the benefits to Athletes under care has never been stronger. From professional cycling teams, Ironman and social triathlete, rugby and soccer stars to morning joggers and the hardened “Boot Campers”.
We are all our own champions (or just our children’s heroes!) Choosing chiropractic care for both injury prevention and performance enhancement is now a decision any team or competitor must make to ensure longevity in their sport.
Many amateur and professional athletes are sidelined with avoidable injuries. Some sit it out due to ineffective treatment while others are playing well below potential. It can be as simple as an unbalanced spine. Performance coaches, athletes, and doctors are realizing that pain killing drugs are not the answer. Covering symptoms, deceiving the athlete into actions with potentially catastrophc effects. As much as any other health profession, the chiropractic approach to sport closely relates to the needs of the athlete.
Chiropractic is about your body performing and functioning at its best. Having your sbody assessed for muscle imblance and nerve interference on a regular basis allows for maximum performance. Studies show increased oxygen intake, blood circulation, muscle reaction times, coordination and recovery from injuries not to mention decreased risk of injury.
Chiropractors are now selected for the Olympic Games, national and world championships in track and field, cycling, swimming, volleyball, power-lifting, aerobics, and triathlons.
A study in the US tested 50 athletes. They were divided into 2 groups. One group received regular Chiropractic adjustments, and the other served as controls. Eleven tests were used to measure aspects of athlete ability including: agility, balance, hand-eye coordination, power and reaction time. Nothing else was changed. Training and diet remained the same.
After 12 weeks, the same tests were performed. The control group exhibited minor improvement in 8 of the 11 tests. However, the Chiropractic group exhibited more than 30% improvement in all tests.
Colic is a general term describing a baby that is consistently unhappy. Primary symptoms include prolonged periods of cramping and crying, moaning and groaning, restless sleep, etc
The problem is generally due to one of three reasons:
While not all Chiropractors treat babies and some only consider the musculoskeletal faults, we take a special interest in colic. Dr. candice Dugmore has a special interest in treating and caring for babies.
A great website dedicated to helping parents learn what they can do to help: www.TreatColic.com
Take thorough history and examine.
Based on findings, we will give you the best course of action to follow.
We generally treat babies on 3 visits over a period of 7-10 days. The vast majority experience significant relief or at least some degree of improvement.
Bedwetting takes a tremendous toll on children. Embarrassment. Alarms. No sleepovers. Plastic mattress covers. Frustration. Unable to fit in. Even nappys.
Up to the age of four or five, most children have poor bladder control at night. But after that, the inability to stay dry at night may be a sign of an underlying problem. While chiropractic is not a treatment for bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis), countless children have been helped with safe and natural chiropractic care.
Two key muscles control the emptying of the bladder. Their technical names are the detrusor and trigone muscles. Nerves that exit the spinal column in the lower back and sacrum control these muscles.
During the early years of life, the sacrum has five separate segments. Later, they fuse together to form the triangular-shaped bone that adults have at the base of the spine. If these segments misalign (falling, learning to walk, ride a bike, etc.) they may compromise nerves that are responsible for bladder function.
We look for these sometimes subtle misalignments during our examination. When these misalignments are reduced with safe and natural chiropractic adjustments, nervous system control and regulation of the bladder may often be restored.
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological TherapeuticsThe Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeuticsdocument many studies showing the positive benefits of chiropractic care.
Since chiropractic care isn’t a treatment for bedwetting, a thorough examination is necessary. If the bedwetting is caused by nerve interference from the spine, many children see great results with chiropractic care. Find out!
We approach these cases with sensitivity and compassion. Your son or daughter will appreciate and understand our explanations.
2023 All Rights Reserved Dr. Candice Dugmore
We are here to assist you before, during and after your visit to The Life Chiropractic & Wellness Centre, so that you can feel equipped to take control of your healthcare.
Please call us if you have any questions relating to our treatment options on 041 581 1177.
Cost: R480 per session / R300 if same day as Chiropractic appointment
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is considered to be the leading evidence based multidisciplinary tool in the conservative management of subacute and chronic conditions relating to the musculoskeletal system.
Shockwave therapy is a multidisciplinary device used in orthopaedics, physiotherapy, sports medicine, urology and veterinary medicine. Shock wave therapy is a noninvasive method that uses pressure waves to treat various musculoskeletal conditions.
High-energy acoustic waves (shock waves) deliver a mechanical force to the body’s tissues. Its main assets are fast pain relief and mobility restoration. Together with being a non-surgical therapy with no need for painkillers makes it an ideal therapy to speed up recovery and cure various indications causing acute, subacute or chronic pain.