These exercises should be done daily and as consistently as you brush your teeth.  Your spine is the home of the nervous system which controls every function of your body and it needs to be healthy so that you can be healthy.
It is well known that core and postural muscles provide spinal stability. So we need to keep these muscles active and strong.  They say it takes 90 days to develop permanent muscle change.  This means that it is very important that you are consistent with your daily spinal hygiene.
By strengthening the core and postural muscles in both the neck and back we can decrease stress on the spine, therefore, maintaining the health of our nervous system.

How do we do this now?
Starting with the cervical spine perform a resisted isometric exercise:
• Hold your head straight in the best posture you can throughout the exercise.  The amount of pressure, the time held and the repetitions can all be increased as your neck strengthens.
• Place your hands behind your head. Keeping your head still apply pressure with the hands and resist with the head. Hold for 2 – 3 seconds then gently release.  Do up to 5 repetitions.
• Place your hands on either side of your head. Apply pressure and resistance on the right side for 2 – 3 seconds then gently release. Now repeat on the left side for 2 – 3 seconds.
• Place your hands on your forehead. Taking care to keep the correct neck position and without dipping the head forward apply pressure with the hands and resistance with the head.  Hold for 2 – 3 seconds.

For the lumbar spine we will use a physio ball / balance cushion:
• Sitting upright and balanced on the cushion or ball you will do 4 movements.  Bend your spine forwards and back – imagine putting a C shape in your spine, 10 times.
• The second movement is side to side, dropping the left side of your pelvis to the chair and lifting the right side.  The right shoulder will drop a little to the right hip to create the C shape. Now repeat to the other side doing 10 repetitions.
• The third movement is rotation to the left.  Rotate your waist anticlockwise around in circles as if you were using a hula hoop. Do 10 repetitions.
• The forth movement is rotation to the right.  Rotate your waist in a clockwise direction. Do 10 repetitions.
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The balance cushion is also a great tool to use on your office chair if you sit a lot during the day. It will help activate core muscles while you work.

To view a video of Dr Susan showing you exactly how to do these, click on the following link: 
https://youtu.be/Z31cS65NNy4

Spinal hygiene exercises should be done daily and as consistently as you brush your teeth.  Your spine is the home of the nervous system which controls every function of your body and it needs to be healthy so that you can be healthy.
Full range of motion is very important to your spines health.  If the joints and muscles are not functioning properly they may affect the range of motion.  Reduced range of motion has been associated with arthritis and many other spinal diseases.
The structure of the spine, consisting of vertebrae and discs allows you to bend, turn, twist and stretch.  Your spine is made to MOVE!  So if you want it to be healthy you have to move it.

So HOW do we do this?
Starting with the lumbar spine:
• Bend forward as if you were trying to touch your toes. Round your spine and relax your head and neck. Soften the knees. Do not bounce or force the position. Hold for 5 – 10 seconds. Roll up through the spine slowly leaving your head to come up last.
• Now bend backwards from the standing position while placing your hands on your lower back for support and looking upwards to the ceiling. Hold for 5 – 10 seconds. Again recover slowly.
• Place your hands down at your sides and bend to the left while sliding the left hand towards the left knee. Hold this position for 5 – 10 seconds. (Try to keep facing forward without twisting or rotating the spine).
• Now bend towards the right side, sliding your hand down your leg towards the right knee. Hold for 5 – 10 seconds.
• Place your hands together in front of you holding the wrists as a lever and twist as far as you can to the left pulling on the right wrist. Remember not to bounce to force yourself further.  Hold this position for 5 – 10 seconds.
• Come back to standing straight and twist all the way to the right.  Hold for 5 – 10 seconds.

Now do the cervical spine (Hold each position for 5 – 10 seconds):
• Drop your head forward, relaxed taking the chin to the chest.
• Bend the neck backwards looking up to the ceiling – if this position causes dizziness stop and contact your chiropractor.
• Bend your neck sideways to the left as if you are trying to put your ear on your shoulder. Try not to twist while doing this.
• Bend your neck sideways to the right, trying to put your ear on your shoulder.
• Turn your head to the left as far as you can taking the chin over the left shoulder – again if this causes dizziness contact your chiropractor.
• Repeat the head turning over the right shoulder.

Congratulations! You have now taken your spine through a full range of motion.  This is a great exercise to teach your children so they can grow up practicing proper spinal hygiene.

To see a demonstration of this, go to our videos, or click on this link: ​
​http://www.fourwayschiro.co.za/videos/spinal-hygiene-video-1-basic-range-of-motion

1. Why is breathing so important? 

To breathe is to bring oxygen into the body (as we inhale) and to eliminate carbon dioxide (waste/toxins) out of the body (as we exhale). 
Every part of your body needs oxygen to survive. 
If we don’t eliminate the carbon dioxide it leads to acidity which places major stress on the body. 
Breathing is controlled by and affects the nervous system. Breathing in stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight) and breathing out stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest/digest/heal). We need these to be in balance for the body to function at its best. 

2. How should we breathe? 

Place your one hand on your belly button, and the other on your upper chest/shoulder/neck area. 
Breathe in slowly for a count of 5 allowing your belly to expand into your hand that is on the belly button first, without tensing the neck and shoulders. Visualise the diaphragm (which sits under the lungs), moving downwards, drawing the air in. 
Breathe out slowly for a count of 7 allowing your belly button to fall down and the diaphragm to move back up into the lungs, pushing all the air out of the lungs completely. 
Be aware that the heart rate and breathing become synchronous. Feel the relaxation and the calmness and repeat for 12 deep breaths. 

3. When should we do this breathing? 

This focused abdominal breathing should be done every morning before you get up, and every evening before you go to sleep. It should also be done before every meal, as it helps the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in so that you can digest your food. You can also do it when you are in traffic, when you are sitting on the loo, when you are standing in a queue or waiting for a meeting. 
And definitely do it before your adjustment while you are waiting as it helps to get your autonomic nervous system in a coherent state, which makes you more receptive to receiving the best adjustment you can get. 

So go forth and breathe dear beings   

More and more we are becoming aware how the choices we make every day are what contribute to our health and wellbeing.  Our choices on a day to day basis are cumulative so if we consistently choose the healthy food option, or regular exercise, over time we become healthier.  The reverse is also true; regular bad food choices lead to a body that is depleted in essential nutrients and over time will not be able to repair and heal the way we expect our bodies to be able to.
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So here are some areas that can make a huge difference over time with a little attention every day.

1. Practice a Positive Mind-set.  We often have automatic negative thoughts that invade our thinking – notice these thoughts and replace them with something positive.  A moment of gratitude works well!
  
2. Refreshing Sleep.  This is an area that needs more and more attention in our busy, overloaded lives.  Sleep is essential for our body’s repair and healing processes.  Go to bed at the same time and wake at the same time every day. Reduce any expose to screens and blue light for an hour before you are going to sleep.  Make the room as dark as possible.
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3. Move Your Body.  We are all familiar with how important exercise is so make it a priority to get some exercise every day.  Do your spinal hygiene exercises. Standing, bend forward and touch your toes, then come up and bend backwards arching your spine, then come upright and bend sideways in each direction and then rotate looking over each shoulder. Do the same movements with just your head to loosen up your neck.

​4. Posture – Sit Up Straight.  We sit too much and this is causing as many health issues as smoking does. Simply taking your spine into extension – lift your arms to shoulder height, look up to the ceiling and lift your breastbone, will help reverse that forward computer posture. Do this at least once every hour that you are sitting.

5. Nourishing Food. Our food provides the nutrients that our bodies need to heal and repair – so put good quality in so that your body will last well into the future.  A few simple changes can make the world of difference.  Add more vegetables, the wider the variety of colour, taste and texture the better. Drink more good quality water. Avoid additives, preservatives, sugars and processed foods.
​

We hope that these tips will make a difference in your life so that you stay healthy and energised for long into the future!
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​We had a very successful talk on Saturday in preparation for doing the 10 Day Metabolic Detox over the next 10 days.  I wanted to give a little summary of what we spoke about which might motivate you to join us doing this detox or perhaps give you some inspiration to join us on the next one!  We recommend that you do an efficient detox at least twice a year because even though our body is always going through a detoxification process it may not be doing it as efficiently as it could for various reasons like nutrient deficiency, stress or genetic factors.
So are you toxic? Do you need to be doing a detox?

The question is no longer if you are toxic but rather how toxic we are.  The CDC has found that most Americans have over 200 toxins in their blood and urine and I’m sure that here in South Africa we are not far behind.
These toxins are all around us in our household cleaning products, our skin care products, the plastics we use, pesticides and other chemicals we spray on our growing food as well as additives we put into our processed food.

Genetics, environmental exposure, diet and lifestyle can affect our ability to excrete these toxins which leads to a build-up of toxins in our body, an increase in the toxic burden.  This is impacting on our quality of health.  The symptoms can be subtle and have probably been building up over months and years.
Low energy levels, chronic fatigue, muscle aches and pains or more severe fibromyalgia. Difficulty concentrating or brain fog is common.  Noticing that you’re more sensitive to certain foods or odours and perfume.  Behavioural changes, irritability and headaches can all indicate a level of toxicity, as can changes in your gastrointestinal function or abdominal pain.
​
So the aim of the detox is to normalise the body’s ability to process and excrete toxins while temporarily reducing the toxins coming in.
Detoxification is an energy dependent process that needs calories and nutrition to fuel this process and support the detoxification pathways.  The liver is the main detoxification organ which needs vitamins, minerals and amino acids from protein to work properly. Unfortunately juicing and other fasting programmes can actually deprive your body of essential nutrients needed to support detoxification so while these may good to do for other reasons we prefer this method to detox the body.
The benefits of a good detox are more energy and less fatigue. Improved memory as the brain fog lifts. Less cravings for coffee and sugar to help you get through the day. Less water retention and even a shift in weight as you reduce your levels of inflammation.

How do you get started?
Fill out our questionnaire on your level of toxicity.  This will give you a baseline of how toxic your system is.  Mild toxicity will respond to the 10 day programme but if you have severe levels of toxicity you may want to consider the longer programme.

The programme is broken down into 3 steps:
1. Initial clearing – this is where we eliminate the foods that can be causing toxicity such as processed foods, sugar, red meat, coffee, alcohol.  We suggest starting on a Monday so that when you get to the most intense part of the detox it falls over the weekend when you can rest and support the detoxification process.
2. Metabolic detoxification – here we eat only selected foods, reducing all allergenic foods such as dairy and nuts while increasing our nutritional supplements.  You can eat as much as you need to of the selected foods, we don’t want you to be hungry.
3. Reintroduction – at the end of the detox we start reintroducing the foods that you have eliminated slowly.  Your body is more sensitive and when you put these foods back you may notice a reaction such as bloating, skin changes or changes in your energy levels.  This may indicate that your body has always had a sensitivity to these foods and you would benefit in eliminating them for a longer period.

Here are some tips to improve the success of your detox:
• If you are a huge coffee drinker it would be wise to reduce your coffee intake for a week or two before you start your detox programme and increase your hydration by drinking plenty of purified water.
• Don’t overscoop your nutritional supplement – it is measured to last the whole programme.
• Regular elimination is very important.  The toxins have to get out via our bowel and urine so increase your fibre and drink more water.
• If you weren’t sure yet – please drink plenty of water, this is a detoxification process and we are encouraging the body to flush these toxins out.
• Eat plenty of food from the recommended food list.  Don’t get hungry – your body needs nutrients to efficiently metabolise these toxins.

Do the questionnaire again at the end of the programme and be amazed at how the symptoms have changed in just 10 days.  Again we recommend you do a detox twice a year – so we will see you in September!

For online support www.ClearChangeProgram.com
​

​​DON'T SHELVE THE PLANK

February has the perfect number of days for a 28 day Plank Challenge !!
Planking is a practiced pose and so we start off with an easy 20 seconds and work our way up to holding the position for 240 seconds. You did just do the maths right !  And I hear you  groaning, “ A 4 minute plank, why would I do that to myself ?”
Here's why -
• Straight up efficiency with a smile
Doing the plank exercise improves your posture.  A good posture boosts your mood, increases your productivity and ensures that you are able to breathe more effectively.

• Keep on hopping gym bunny
The plank engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously. It strengthens your shoulders, hamstrings, glutes and core. Increased stability protects you from other workout injuries meaning less days off from your workout schedule.

• Bending becomes a breeze
As your core strength increases, your body is able to move better and
handle every day activities thus reducing lower back pain

• Goodbye creaky joints
Weight-bearing exercise lays down new living bone tissue and increases circulation to the joints.  Strike a plank pose regularly and you have healthier bone density without any jarring impact which can do harm.

Knowing all of that, makes being able to hold a 4 minute plank seem like the best gift February's 28 days could give us. The best part is that you can plank anywhere with no special equipment required.
We are definitely up for the challenge.  Time to dust your plank poses off the shelf,  challenge your friends and family and join us.

Here's how -
Like our Facebook page and join the Plank Challenge event. (Button link to the event)
Watch our “Strike the pose” video for a guide to achieving good plank form (Link to video)
Share your planking pics on our Facebook page each day for the 28 days.

​​Champagne glass in hand, all excited for the coming year, I prompted a conversation about resolutions. A family member's answer was “ The only successful New Year resolution I've ever made, is not to make any”. This was as the countdown to 2019 began, perhaps a little too last minute to change his mind.  It got me thinking about this tradition and why New Year resolutions are so seldom achieved.

So on a new found mission to make my hastily scribbled list a reality, I chatted to more people, I did some reading and I reflected a little on why my previous resolutions haven't stuck. I wanted to share my new found wisdom.

1. Intention is far more important than “musts” and “shoulds” - the immediate tendency with being told to do something, is to rebel even if we told ourselves to. On that note, if your resolution is about meeting someone else's expectation, it does not have your intent behind it and chances are, you will let it go somewhere around February.
By making the resolution more about the intention, we create a sense of direction instead of destination, of moving forward instead of arriving.  This makes every action towards the intention a success.  The key is to believe that you can and replace all negative self talk with positive, kind words.

2. Deprivation and punishment are not motivating.  Make the goal more about what you are gaining than what you may feel you will be “giving up”. It is easier to stick to something when you are visualising the reward instead of avoiding the punishment.

3. Dream BIG !!  Then break it down into segments to avoid the BIG becoming the overwhelming. Create a plan and check in with yourself on a weekly basis. I am going to repeat, be kind to yourself.   Be willing to adjust your environment or circumstances where possible,  to alleviate obstacles and know that moving a few of this weeks tasks to next week is not a big deal.  Remember the BIG DREAM, don't derail it completely because this week didn't work out the way you'd hoped. Follow your intention and move forward. Celebrate EVERY success.

4. The why is far more valuable than the how. The desire creates personal meaning and even when the how aspects get a little tough, the why remains motivating. If your why is because you should or must, read the first one again and reevaluate whether this resolution deserves to be on your list. When you write down the resolution, write down the reason for it too.  Go back to the reason when you feel the resolution coming unstuck.

5. There is a belief that we are “innately perfect and that our job is to come home to that”.  Nothing about your resolutions needs to be more perfect, nothing about your actions towards your goals, needs to be more perfect.  If you wait for every star to align and every T to be crossed, you will likely never start. If you look at what is missing in everything you achieve, you will probably not continue. Celebrate how perfect you are in your imperfection and enjoy the journey.


My original hastily scribbled list now represents a number of ways to leave this year feeling like I have not achieved what I set out to. So, my options were to follow the advice and abandon the concept altogether or take another look and start over.

And so, the fireworks and champagne have come and gone and we are fast approaching that awkward time when it is too late into January to be wishing each other Happy New Year and my list of resolutions has yet to be finalised, but I am more positive about the direction I am taking and less inclined to feel that I have complied with an expected tradition.

If you had decided to abandon yours, perhaps you will reconsider.  Keep them simple, quality over quantity and most of all let each one be meaningful and life enriching for you.

Happy 2019. May all your dreams come true !

​Renee Lee

Dr Susan and myself have been discussing the epidemic of broken brains in our videos that we have posted on our face book site (https://web.facebook.com/pg/fourwayschiro/videos/?ref=page_internal) over the last few weeks.

What is a broken brain you might wonder, and do I have one? If you are suffering from irritability, mood swings, or forget where you place your keys, or someone's name, or even something more serious like depression, anxiety, bipolar, ADD or ADHD, dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or autism to name a few, then you have a broken brain. 

​Often though the cause of these symptoms may actually be in the body. The gut and brain are in close communication with one another, and the immune system. The microbiome (all the bacteria) in the gut is responsible for producing about 90% of the neurotransmitters found in the brain. Those feel good ones, like serotonin and dopamine, as well as even acetylcholine (where a lack of this may cause us to forget words for instance) and GABA (where a lack of this would cause anxiety). This microbiome may become damaged through the use of medications and antibiotics, the foods we eat (animal protein with antibiotics) and the water we drink (chlorinated). The gut lining may also become more permeable  allowing undigested food particles and other toxins to filter through. Gluten has been shown to do this, in everyone! The immune system does not recognize these foreign particles and initiates an attack, an inflammatory response, which releases cytokines which tell the brain that there is an attack, and so the glial cells in the brain also initiate an inflammatory response. We end up then with an inflamed system, and an inflamed brain, which then leads to the symptoms like brain fog, poor focus and concentration, memory loss, mood disorders and the like. 

​Other things that contribute to or cause this are our poor diets, high in sugars, processed foods, damaged vegetable oils and fats, colorants, additives, preservatives, GMO's, toxins (from pesticides, arsenic in the water, plastics) and heavy metals (mercury in fish and fillings, aluminium in foil and vaccines) as well as nutrient deficiencies. Chronic stress, sedentary lifestyles and lack of sleep also cause inflammation, anxiety, and even damages the hippocampus causing memory loss. 

​Where in the past it was thought that we were born with a certain number of brain cells and that the brain never made new ones. Once cells were damaged, or if you had a learning difficulty  or developed dementia, there wasn't a lot you could do about it and it would just get worse over time. We know now however that this is untrue and that the brain is neuroplastic, that it can rewire itself and even grow new brain cells ! Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to rewire the brain and promote neuroplasticity. Eating a brain healthy diet rich in good fats (coconut oil, avocados, omega 3's), phytonutrients (colourful vegetables), especially broccoli, have been shown to promote neuroplacticity and reduce inflammation too. 

​In my next blog I will list 7 basic steps you can do to help you to heal your broken brain and achieve an ultramind. 

​Dr Nicole Bernic

​

​Statistics reveal that 80% of the population will experience lower back pain at some point in their life. With such a high statistic, we decided to create a video series of simple exercises that you can perform on a daily basis to help to prevent and manage lower back pain.
We created 4 videos, where you would start with video 1, and perform these exercises every day for a week, before progressing onto video 2 and adding those exercises to those from video 1 every day for a week, before progressing onto video 3 and then finally video 4.
Please scroll through to the video page and take a look at these videos and perform them daily for a month.
​Research shows that the muscles atrophy rather quickly after any type of injury or insult, but take 3 months of rehab to correct. So once you have done the month, pat yourself on the back! well done! Continue doing all the exercises for another 2 months, even if it is only every second or third day, just try to keep it up. 
If you feel pain with any of these, please call your chiropractor.

After our spring workshop to help us get the spring back in our step on 9 September we were motivated to follow a 10 day detox program. We created a short video clip that you can view by copying and pasting the following link in your browser: https://www.facebook.com/renee.lee.9638/videos/10210562424203279/
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We are all exposed to toxins via the water we drink, the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the house hold cleaners we use, the hygiene products we put on our skins. All these toxins inhibit our body's natural ability to heal.
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The Fourways Chiropractic team have challenged each other to shelve the excuses and put away the doubt.
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We challenge you to join us on 2 October 2017 our 10 DAY DETOX journey.
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Please email reception@fourwayschiro.co.za and like and follow us on facebook for further information.