Chiropractic
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a natural form of health care that focuses on subluxations (misalignments) to your spinal column, which effect your nervous system. When your nervous system does not work properly, your body cannot heal itself, resulting in poor health or function. These subluxations can reduce your bodies ability to adapt to its ever changing environment. Chiropractors use specific spinal adjustments to correct the subluxations and restore proper function to the nervous system, permitting normal nerve transmission and assisting your body to heal on its own. The Chiropractic spinal adjustment is a precise force to a specific part of the spinal segment that corrects the misalignment. 
Chiropractic is also utilized for overall wellness care and increased quality of performance. When you are in proper alignment, and your nervous system works as it should, our ability to react and adapt to every day activity functions at its best. 

"Medicine is the study of disease and what causes a man to die. Chiropractic is the study of health and what causes man to live"
- B.J. Palmer, The Developer of Chiropractic
Chiropractic Techniques 
While studying at Palmer College of Chiropractic, Dr. Jessica learned different techniques as part of her curriculum. The Palmer Package is a group of manual adjusting techniques. With these different techniques, we are able to cater to individual needs of each patient and make the adjustment more effective and comfortable. The Palmer Package includes Diversified, Gonsted, Activator and Thompson Drop techniques. In addition to what Dr. Jessica learned at school she has also been trained in by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) in techniques specific to pregnancy and pediatrics. 

Prenatal Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is essential as there are several physiological and endocrinological changes that occur in preparation for creating the best environment for the developing baby.
Making sure there is pelvic balance and alignment is another reason to receive Chiropractic care during pregnancy. When the pelvis is misaligned, it can cause intrauterine constraint, reducing the amount of room available for the baby. A misaligned pelvis can also make it difficult for the baby to move into the best possible position for delivery. This can in turn affect the mother's ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth. 
Dr. Lockhart is highly trained in prenatal chiropractic care.  She is certified in The Webster Technique which is designed  specifically for pregnancy to promote optimal pelvic and spinal alignment to ensure optimal pregnancy, fetal growth and a healthy labor and delivery. Dr. Lockhart's chiropractic table is equipped with an abdominal swing away so there is room for soon to be mom's growing belly, as well as a set of pregnancy pillows to make your adjustment as comfortable as possible.

What are the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy?

Chiropractic care during pregnancy can provide benefits for the soon to be mothers. Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include and during labor:

Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
Controlling symptoms of nausea
Reducing the time of labor and delivery
Relieving back, neck or joint pain
Preventing any unnecessary intervention during labor
 
For more information and articles on pregnancy and chiropractic check out ICPA4kids.org 
Chiropractic and Children
Chiropractic Care and Acute Conditions in Children

 
Misalignments in a child's spine can start as early as birth. 95% of babies are misaligned at birth, especially when medical intervention is used in delivering your baby. Acute conditions not only can start from birth, but as the child grows they can come from falls, injuries sustained from sports and other accidents. Chiropractic care benefits children by gently correcting the spinal alignment to promote proper nerve function and growth and also improve overall health. When vertebral joint are misaligned either from the birthing process or from a blow or fall, muscle tissue and nerves may also be affected. When children have misalignments a number of conditions may present such as colic, fussiness, trouble nursing, constipation, acute earache, upper respiratory issues, muscle (growing) pains, neck and back pain. Chiropractic spinal adjustments are a gentle approach to restoring proper spinal motion and relieves nerve pressure, allowing the body to heal properly and removing the possible causes of conditions. 

Chiropractic Care and Chronic Conditions in Children

Chiropractic America reports that natural, drug-free chiropractic care is sometimes more effective than traditional medical approaches for chronic earache, scoliosis, and neck pain. Headaches and sleep disorders of nonspecific causes respond well to spinal adjustments, which affect and repair interrupted neural pathways. Asthma, allergy symptoms, and patterns of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also be improved with chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Care and Prevention of Ailments

Regular routine Chiropractic care starting at a young age may help prevent the above ailments before they begin. Proper spinal alignment may delay or prevent degenerative bone or joint disease. In addition to maintaining overall health, regular visits will help instill the value of preventative and proactive health care in children. They will be more likely to monitor and manage their health as they grow up and less likely to be afraid or in denial of any health issues.


- Chiropractic kids start healthy and stay healthy-


Wellness Care
Chiropractic care is often thought of when you are experiencing some kind of pain, whether it is neck pain, back pain or headaches.  What many do not realize, is that chiropractic is a health care that involves all aspects of wellness, including exercise, nutrition, personal development, stress relief and overall feeling great. Wellness care is designed to maintain your improved health and spinal function, and prevent the return of original condition once spinal correction has been obtained.  
 
Athletes and Chiropractic

Experts estimate that 90 percent of all world-class athletes use chiropractic care to prevent injuries and increase their performance potential. All NFL teams rely on Doctors of Chiropractic in different ways. Even if you are not a high performance athlete, prevention saves time and money by helping you stay well and perform your daily tasks the best you can.

Preventing "seasonal" sickness

Regular chiropractic care, healthy lifestyle choices and low stress helps decrease the chances of you getting those "seasonal" sickness.  When your spine is in proper alignment and there is no added stress on your nervous system, your immune system can function the way that it is meant to. When your immune system is fully functional, then your body is able to fight off sickness that is common in the changes seasons.  Many patients reported having more energy and overall feeling well with regular care, as well as not being sick when others around them are.


Chiropractic and Addiction 

Chiropractic care as you have read above does help with body aches and pain, it can also help improve mental health as well.  Chiropractic adjustments create a properly aligned spine that in turns allows our body's to function at its best. One of the benefits is that the spinal adjustments can help release dopamine, which is the "feel good" chemical in a person's brain that gives them an overall sense of well being. Chiropractic care for those going through recovery is nonparallel in its effectiveness for treating pain from accidents, injuries and a lifetime of drug and alcohol use. 



The Connection Between Chiropractic Therapy and Addiction Recovery
By LYLE R. FRIED, CAP, ICADC, CHC In Addiction Recovery, Relapse Prevention
Posted August 7, 2015

“As an individual who received chiropractic care as part of my treatment program at The Shores, I can say that it most definitely was an integral part of my recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.” —Robin Bright (The Shores Treatment & Recovery Alumni)

What exactly does addiction recovery have to do with your spine?

Much more than you would actually think.

The Research: Chiropractic Therapy for Addiction Recovery
In 2001, a research study performed at a Miami rehabilitation center showed us exactly how chiropractic care and addiction treatment are linked together. In the study, performed by Jay Holder, there were 98 patients who were separated into three different groups.

Group 1: Participants received the standard level of addiction recovery treatment provided by the facility, which did not include chiropractic therapy.
Group 2: Participants were told they were receiving chiropractic adjustments, but were not. They were actually seen by the chiropractor who was mimicking the act of performing adjustments.
Group 3: Participants from the third group were provided the actual chiropractic adjustments as promised (using the Torque Release Technique).

Here’s the results:

Group 1: 74 percent completed their addiction recovery treatment.
Group 2: 56 percent finished their addiction treatment.
Group 3: Those who did receive chiropractic, excelled in their treatment. 100 percent of this group made it through to completion.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care in Addiction Recovery
A man getting adjusted in addiction therapy
What was so special about the chiropractic care received by the third group? And how can it help you make the most of your addiction recovery? Here are a few of the benefits that third group reported:

Stress Relief- The beginning of your recovery is often filled with uncertainty, anxiety and even discomfort. Finding a way to relax and let go of all that stress isn’t something you may know how to do. Chiropractic treatment is a way to achieve the stress relief needed during this difficult time.
Emotional Comfort- At this point in your recovery, you may be experiencing a wide range of overwhelming emotions that you are unsure how to deal with. Chiropractic therapy helps to bring about an inner stillness and a clear mind. This, in turn, can allow you to process your thoughts and emotions in a more healthy and positive manner.
Decreased Pain- In some cases, pain is the cause individuals begin using substances they later become addicted to. Chiropractic therapy can help to identify and relieve that pain.
Chiropractic therapy offers additional benefits, like decreased cravings, decreased depression and anxiety, improved mental performance, lower cortisol levels, improved blood circulation and increased oxygen levels.

Dr. Jay Holder, explains the relationship between chiropractic therapy and positive outcomes in addiction therapy like this:

“How does a misalignment in your back interfere with the flow of chemicals in the brain? Emotions and feelings are felt not just in your head, but in your spine as well. If your spine is misaligned anywhere along its length, that condition can interfere with the proper operation of the limbic system and the flow of reward chemicals in your brain. Chiropractic therapy gets the dopamine flowing again, balancing the brain reward cascade.
Of the 18,000 addiction programs in the U.S., the success rate with a 30 day drug-free model is about 46 percent with a retention rate of 60%"


Nutrition and Corrective Exercises
Corrective Exercises
During your care, Dr. Lockhart may discuss with you some home exercises and stretches for you to perform to continue to forward progress and enhancement of your care and overall health. These exercises will be based off of your care and what you need as an individual. She will make sure they are modified to what you can do.

Nutrition
Health not only comes from a well functioning nervous system, but also what we put in our body to nourish it. This includes food, fluids and supplements. When it is appropriate in your care, nutrition and supplements can be advised. We carry Standard Process and Mediherb supplements.
For more information on Standard Process visit standardprocess.com
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