 The difference between normal and common is something that I talk about often with my clients. Just because something is common, doesn’t mean that it is normal. For example, struggling with energy and fatigue is common but that doesn’t mean it is normal. Just because the majority of society is struggling with something, coping with something, dealing with something, doesn’t mean it is normal. Normal means that it shouldn’t be happening in the first place. Aching in the morning when you wake up is common but not normal. Having an uncomfortable pregnancy is common but not normal. Struggling with digestive problems is common but not normal. Difficulty sleeping is common but not normal.
The list goes on. Insert any particular complaint someone may have into the sentence. When your body whispers at you that something isn’t going right, do you listen or do you just brush it off as being “normal”? Listen to what your body is telling you and recognize what is normal and what is not. Listen to the whispers of what isn’t normal before they become screams. Getting adjusted increases the brain-body communication and connection, and brings awareness to your brain of the different areas of your body that need their functions regulated. Whether something is whispering or screaming, an adjustment will help your brain recognize what is going on and work accordingly. I emphasize to clients that being proactive with your health means staying on top of your care when you hear a whisper or not. Waiting until you hear a scream will only mean that you are going to have to pay more and do more to get to the bottom of what is happening with your body. Don’t let your health become an emergency! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan
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 I recently gave a talk at my local business networking group regarding chiropractic care and its effects on your health. My main goal was to empower the listeners to take responsibility for their own health, as we are in the winter months and “sick season”. You are not at the mercy of the germs floating around us on a daily basis. You decide whether you are going to create a welcome environment for those germs or not. All of us come into contact with viruses and bacteria on a daily basis. Our immune systems have the capabilities to fight them off. However, if you haven’t been taking care of yourself, it will be harder for your immune system to do its job.
Here is a list of ten things that each of us can do that will increase your body’s ability to defend itself and stay healthy through the winter months:
If you have any questions about these tips, feel free to reach out to our office! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  How often have you heard a mother say she is working on “getting her body back” or “bouncing back” to normal, meaning pre-baby? Let’s think about this though. Can a woman’s body really go back to where it was? No, it can’t. From the moment she is first pregnant, her body is forever changed. A series of changes in her body began at conception, beginning with hormones. Then, as the baby grew, the uterus expanded, and the pelvis shifted to accommodate. Along the way, the mother may have experienced other changes in her body in her appetite, mood, energy levels, sleep, the list goes on! Her body literally grew another organ, the placenta, to help sustain the growing life inside of her. Postpartum, the body then shifts into a new state - the uterus shrinks down, the site where the placenta was attached heals, the pelvis shifts, lactation begins, if she had a C section the cut scars over, stretch marks will begin to fade, weight may be lost or gained, and she now begins a new stage in life as a mother, caring for the baby that she grew for 9-10 months. So with all these changes, is going back to a pre-baby body truly a thing? No, I don’t believe so. I had a client tell me her goal was to feel “normal” again, but once you’ve had a child, it is now a new normal. It may feel awkward, you may feel uncomfortable in your own skin, you may not recognize your body, but just as your child is learning about the world around them, you are learning a new part of yourself. You grew an actual human being inside of your body, how incredibly amazing is that?! Instead of focusing on trying to be like you were before, embrace the new. It can be scary, it can be hard, especially when you don’t recognize yourself. But I encourage you to lean in to this new season of life. I have been there, I am still there, learning to love this new version of myself. Being a mom is one of the most rewarding AND challenging roles in the world. Instead of focusing backwards, let’s look forwards, and focus on creating an intentional, loving life with our families! If you are looking for support during this time, reach out to myself or Dr. Liz. We would love to support and empower you through this season of life. Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  The birth of a baby is a special time, as a family welcomes a new life into the world. The process of birth is a significant transition for both the mother and the baby. The mental and physical aspect of birth changes a woman forever. She learns the true extent of her body’s capabilities and is pushed to her limits, and sometimes beyond. The baby is transitioning from a dark, warm place out into the bright new world. Birth is raw, real, messy, beautiful, and life-changing.
As a prenatal and pediatric chiropractor, I am an advocate for women and their babies. A mother should be able to birth in an environment that is supportive and loving. Her baby should be able to transition into life outside the mother in a calm and nurturing way. If you have ever birthed a child or been at a birth, you know birth can be dramatic and traumatic. It is not uncommon for mothers to experience emotional distress following a birth. The same goes for babies. Birth is beautiful, like I said, but is also a stressful process on both mom and baby. According to one study, approximately 80% of babies are born with an upper cervical subluxation, meaning there is a misalignment in their upper neck. Getting adjusted after birth allows that baby’s nervous system to adapt to their new environment in the best way possible. Mothers just had a massive change, physically and chemically. The pelvis is dramatically shifting, as are her hormones. Getting adjusted supports her body during this time of transition. Moms, is a chiropractor on your birth team? How about your baby’s health team? At our office, both chiropractors have taken advanced training to be able to take care of moms and babies, and we would love to be on your team! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  A Fever is Your Friend!
Let’s talk fevers! Your body has natural defenses and responses to germs it encounters. One way is to heat your core temperature to kill off invaders. Fevers are good! Your body is naturally intelligent and has systems in place to keep you alive and functioning well, and fevers are an example of this. If your child spikes a fever, it can be a concerning thing as a parent. There is a healthy range of temperatures though, so it is good to know what these are. Up to 104 degrees, a fever can be beneficial. At 102 degrees, your body will produce a group of proteins called interferons, which will help prevent a virus from replicating. At 103 degrees, any nutrition to your spleen (an immune organ) will be shut down to prevent any bad bacteria from getting nutrients or multiplying. So while there are conservative ideas out there regarding how high a fever should go, know that artificially lowering a fever will prolong an infection or even make it worse. So, if you or your child gets a fever, don’t panic. Your body is doing exactly what it needs you to get you healthy again. Monitor symptoms but try to avoid using an antipyretic like Tylenol right away to allow the body to do what it needs to. Remember, you have an innate intelligence in you that knows what it is doing! And of course, get adjusted! Your nervous system is closely tied with your immune system. A chiropractic adjustment helps modulate immune function, which is necessary during a time when your body is working to manage bacteria and viruses. If you’re feeling under the weather, do two things: don’t cancel your chiropractic appointments and if you don’t have one, make one! We’d love to see you! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  Starting in the fall, the ads pop up everywhere, urging us to get the flu shot to protect ourselves and our loved ones during the flu season. Here’s my take: there is no such thing as a flu season. There is sugar season, stressed out season, we’re-all-in-close-quarters season. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are well known holidays that come with a large heaping of sugar in the form of candy, desserts, drinks, you name it. Sugar is a highly inflammatory chemical and decreases your body’s ability to fight off illnesses. The more sugar you eat, the more inflamed your body is. I have noticed in my own body a correlation between times when I indulged and then a few days later, ended up with a cold. Coincidence? I think not.
What do I mean by stressed out season? The holidays are stressful! There are events constantly, gifts to buy, meals to prep, family is in town visiting, the to do list feels never ending. When you are in a stressed out state, your body has a decreased ability to fight off sickness. When we are in close proximity to others, as we are in the colder months because hey, who wants to be outside when it’s freezing, it is easier to pass along viruses and bacteria to one another. So what can you do to not fall victim to the “flu season”? Watch your sugar intake! There is nothing wrong with eating a piece of pie at Thanksgiving. But do you need three desserts plus a sugar drink? No. It is short term satisfaction with long term inflammatory effects. Develop coping mechanisms for stress. Can you disperse your to-do list amongst those around you? Only you know what triggers a stress response in your body. Think about ways that you can mitigate this stress from increasing. And as for close quarters during the winter, wash your hands, be mindful of when others are sick, and get fresh air! It may be chilly out, but being outside is great for the body and mind. Now what does this all have to do with chiropractic care? Research shows that chiropractic adjustments decrease inflammation in the body, increase your ability to respond and adapt to stress, and help your body heal and fend off sickness! This is a trifecta of reasons to see your chiropractor this winter. Reach out if you have questions or are ready to get on our schedule! Peace, Love and Wellness Dr. Morgan  Who holds you accountable to your actions? A friend? A family member? How about you? Do YOU hold you accountable for your actions? You are the only one who actually knows what actions you take, what decisions you make on a daily basis. Do you let yourself slide by or do you make sure you uphold your word?
I thought of this recently as it applies to working out. I’ve been struggling to get back on the workout wagon since my family moved. I know the benefits of working out, and have definitely felt it in my own body when I was consistent and intentional with my movement. But I’ve begun letting excuses slip in and not holding myself to my word. It might seem as if not holding yourself accountable only affects you, but this isn't true. When I don't workout, not only do I suffer but my family suffers. I'm not showing up the best version of myself, as a woman, a wife, a mother. Everything that we do or don't do has a trickle down affect. As the new year is about to roll around, it is traditionally a time of setting goals/targets/resolutions for a new and better you. The thing is that you don't need a new you, just a more accountable one. To take the actions needed to make the changes that you say that you want. This is why we have created the Primal Reset. This January challenge is designed to hold you accountable to the targets you set for yourself. It will help you lay the foundation to actually make the changes you've been saying you want, but never have been able to pull off. Change is hard, having a team surround you can be the game changer that you need. Here's what you'll get:
The price increases after Christmas, so give the gift of health to yourself, not only will your body thank you, but your family will too! Click here to buy now Peace, Love and Wellness Dr. Morgan  Today a lot of you will stop and give thanks for what you have. You will spend time with loved ones and relish the time you have together. You may come together over a meal, a football game, a fun run, or just around a table. However you spend Thanksgiving, it's awesome that we are able to truly focus on our blessings.
Gratitude is extremely important for us. It is part of what makes us a healthy human. It can help attract what we want in our lives to us. And it allows us to stop and be present to all that is going well in our life, even if we are in the middle of a shit storm. But, the world we live currently doesn't always allow us to practice gratitude as much as we should. Even during the holidays it can be left at home as we rush from place to place, gathering to gathering, and stressor to stressor. Our bodies take a beating and we can no longer keep up, leaving us stressed out, sick, tired and drained. Taking the time, even just 5 minutes, to stop, breathe and name 3 things that bring you gratitude help to change your harried state to one that is more peaceful. So as you count your blessings today, I challenge you to take this same gratitude and practice strengthening it on a daily basis. Use a journal and write down things each day that you're thankful for. Spend time with your significant other expressing gratitude for something. From having the dishes emptied from the dishwasher to a smile you received from a driver who let you into traffic to a note given to you by someone you love. Everything is on the table for gratitude and the more you are looking for it, the more you'll find things to be grateful for. What are your top 3 today? Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful for you who is reading this, for the snow that has been coming down all day and bringing the quiet that only snow can, and for the note that my husband gave to me out of the blue yesterday. Peace, Love and Wellness Dr. Liz  There are a ton of misconceptions about Chiropractic. Everyday I'm in my office I get to witness powerful stories from clients on what they are experiencing through their care. Some are just what you might think - resolution from low back and neck pain and then there are days that surprise me! Even though I intellectually know what's possible, sometimes seeing really is believing. That's why I've decided that once a month I'm going to dedicate this blog to telling stories about what has happened in my office. One of the biggest reasons for doing this is that our current health status is dismal. We are told that we are victims of our circumstances and genes and unless we get on said medication there is no hope for us. I call bullshit. This next story is about pain resolution, but the way it happened was still a surprise!
Some of you may know that my husband Ian owns a gym. One of his coaches, John, had been dealing with wrist pain for quite some time. He had hurt it while doing a heavy barbell movement called the 'clean'. Basically, you take the bar from the ground to your shoulders in an explosive movement, catching the weight with you hands in an extended position. Anytime you ask your body to do things that are hard, there is an element of risk to it. John caught the barbell in a way that 'tweaked' his wrist. Except that it wasn't just a tweak because months later he still couldn't do certain movements in the gym without pain, including pushups. After months of checking in with him to see how he was doing, and constantly hearing about no change, I finally told him to sit so I could check out his arm and wrist. What I found were articulations within the elbow and wrist that had been jammed into a less that optimal spot. When joints don't work as they should, they send a pain message back to the brain. A lot of the time, the body can create the change needed without any help from an outside source. But, sometimes the body needs more help. I was able to adjust the joints that needed more help, and voila! With normal functioning joints, the pain message was no longer needed and John now has full motion and function in his wrist. One adjustment. Chiropractic care can be that powerful. When you have your spine adjusted, you are improving the flow of information to the brain allowing the nervous system to send messages to your body that will ultimately improve function. Any joints that aren't working as they should, are sending messages that will cause aberrant outcomes. Over time this will eventually lead to pain, discomfort, dis-ease and dysfunction within the body, because we can only compensate for so long. This is why myself, my family, and my staff get checked at least once per week. An optimal spine leads to greater health outcomes. Peace, Love and Wellness, Dr. Liz Full disclaimer: Normally, I don't only adjust an extremity that is painful. I am doing you a disservice to only look at the spot with pain because your body is connected from top to bottom so a pain in your wrist may be originating from somewhere else.  We know that the Earth has four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. During the cold, barren winter, nature lies in wait. In the spring, the early rays of the sun and warmer temperatures are an invitation for growth. Buds appear on branches and tiny green shoots appear on the ground. Summer is a time of flourishing, as those fledgling plants and buds becomes fully grown plants, flowers, fruit, etc. Fall is a time of harvest. What was sown in the spring is reaped during this time, in preparation of the winter ahead.
Have you ever considered how the seasons are reflected in you? During the winter we often talk about hibernating. We eat warm, nourishing meals. We spend time indoors with loved ones. Energy levels may be lower. During the spring, we eagerly look for signs of warmer weather. We begin to plant. We spend more time outdoors. During the summer, we thrive outside. The days are long. There is an abundance of activities available to us with the warm weather. Fresh fruit and vegetables are staples in our diet. As fall begins, the days get cooler. An abundance of root vegetables and gourds are now available. I think of fall as a time to begin to slow down, to note how the year has gone, how did plans go, did goals get met, and so on. As a time of harvest, fall is a time to do the final push on projects for the year. As fall wraps up in the next couple of weeks, I challenge you to the final push. Then as winter starts and we hibernate once more, take the time to reflect on what was and set intentions for what's to come. Peace, Love and Wellness Dr. Morgan |
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