You have a stuffy nose and watery eyes, is it a cold or allergies?

Ever since I was young, it seemed that in January I would get a really bad cold that would takes weeks to get over.  I would get worse for a week, and then I would get a high fever and have to stay home for a week to get over that.  Then it would take a week to get completely well.  Never giving it much thought, I just assumed that my destiny in life was to be sick most of January.

It is true that January falls in the peak colds and flu season.  Many people also assume that they get a cold or flu this time of year.  Others are suffering from allergies, but many see allergies as some sort of a weakness that sickly people are susceptible to.  Which are you suffering from?

Colds are caused by one of over 700 viruses known as rhinoviruses because they attack the mucous membrane of the nose and throat.  As they reproduce, the body responds with inflammation of the mucous membrane and begins making antibodies that are designed specifically for that virus.  The inflammatory response causes the release of histamine, which causes increased blood flow to the tissue as well as causing the eyes to water. The increased blood flow causes the tissue to swell.  Antibodies are designed by the body for a specific foreign protein, such as a virus, and take time to replicate.  Most antibodies made go outside the body to the skin, mucous membrane, and gut.  In the case of a virus, the body also makes antibodies in the blood to fight the virus as it invades the cells.  Once the antibodies are ready, the body starts a full-on war, with shock and awe, against the protein invading it.  Immune enzymes work better at higher temperatures, so the muscle begin contracting to create more heat.  This continues until the battle is won.

Allergies are also caused by foreign proteins, but not bacteria or viruses.  The pollen enters through the nose and contacts the mucous membrane.  The body perceives it as an invasion and responds with the same inflammatory response.  But pollen doesn't invade the cells, so the body does not need to fight with the enzymes that need higher temperatures.  No fever is produced.

If allergies go unchecked, the mucous can become trapped in the sinuses.  This gives a place for bacteria to breed, and the sinuses become infected.  Then the body needs to use the enzymes that need higher temperatures, and a fever is produced.  Also, the swollen, inflamed tissue inside the sinuses becomes very tender.

To know what is going on, the simplest test is to take your temperature.  If you have watery eyes and a runny nose with no fever, you probably have allergies.  If you have a temperature, then press firmly on your eyebrows and cheek bones.  If either area is tender or sore to the touch, then you have a sinus infection.  If not, then you have a cold or the flu.

As it turned out, I was having an allergic reaction to cedar (mountain juniper), and that was developing into a sinus infection.  I suffered unknowingly, and haven't had a bout since I started treating the allergy with homeopathic remedies that control symptoms and reduce sensitivity to the allergen.

Be Outrageously Healthy

The only thing that makes sense is to be unreasonably happy. - Dan Millman

It is the nature of things to fall apart over time.  Human bodies are subject to factors that cause this:

-          Gravity

-          Climate

-          Microbes (viruses and bacteria)

-          Pollution

Our bodies overcome this under the direction of the central nervous system, including the brain.  These processes include:

-          Healing

-          Repair

-          Replacement

-          Regeneration

Regardless of how young you are, take care of your health or it will fall apart.  Nutrition, exercise, and maintaining a properly functioning nervous system are the keys to good health. 

The Greatest Generation, born between 1903 and 1923, were blindsided by their longevity.  They lived approximately 20 years longer than their parents, but took no better care of themselves.  They found themselves living in worn out, sick bodies for 10 – 20 years and coined the phrase, “If I had known that I was gonna live this long, I would’ve taken better care of myself.” 

Don’t put yourself in the same position; current longevity projections are amazing.  Actually, you may live 150 years.  Take good care of your body now, so that you can live a long, healthy life!

The Way We’ve Always Done It

My mother says that in the 1950s, when the Interstate Highways were first built, my grandfather, driving in the right lane like a good motorist, would come up behind a slower moving vehicle and slow down to stay at a safe distance behind it.  After following for several miles he would say, “I guess he’s not gonna speed up,” and pass.

The left lane had been open the entire time, but Grandpa was used to driving on two-lane, two-way roads where passing was a risky maneuver.  It was simply the way he’d always done it, and it had always worked.  He saw no need to change it.  But he would have saved time if he had learned the best way to use the new freeways.  It would have also been less risky to pass than to follow, for if the car ahead had stopped suddenly he would have had to take action to avoid a collision.  And since that was in the time of leaded gasoline, he was unknowingly exposing his family to more tetraethyl lead than if he had passed and moved on.

The practice of medicine is, by definition, the treatment of disease.  The definition of health is “an optimum state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  Doctors trained primarily the treatment of disease are not well equipped to help people maintain health.  People go to them because that is who they have always gone to.  Chiropractic is a new and better idea.  A way to get well and stay well without risky drugs or surgery.  By restoring normal function of the nervous system through removing interference caused by spinal misalignment, your body can fully express life. 

Your body needs little help to function properly, it just needs the interference removed.

Chiropractic seeks to remove that interference.

If you or someone you care about is looking for an answer to a health problem, we would love to help.

Woywood Family Chiropractic

12702 Toepperwein Rd, Suite 140

Live Oak, TX

210-646-9060 www.LiveOakChiro.com

Live Healthy – Stay Active – Fulfill Your Dreams

Queasy Stomach

We all feel it sometimes – nausea, cramping, bloated.  Many will run to the pharmacy for a remedy.  But they all have side effects.  So what can we do to take away these debilitating symptoms without replacing them with others?

There are several options.  Misalignments in the upper neck can cause nausea and vomiting.  Chiropractic adjustments to this area may eliminate these symptoms.

There is also strong evidence supporting ginger’s calming effect on the stomach.  It is available in several forms, liquid, capsule, tablet, and powder.  This is particularly effective for motion sickness.  If you find yourself feeling sick on an airplane, order a ginger ale.  If you are prone to motion sickness and want to go ride rollercoaster, take a form of concentrated ginger with you.

If motion sickness is not the source of your queasy stomach, there is another remedy that you will find more effective.  Phosphoric acid, which is a very weak acid, will settle the stomach if you are suffering from a virus or bacteria that is upsetting it.  This remedy is available at our office and can also be taken to combat morning sickness.

If you or someone you know is suffering, let them know about these all-natural remedies.  Get well without introducing further risks to your health.

Live Healthy – Stay Active – Fulfill Your Dreams

Woywood Family Chiropractic

12702 Toepperwein Rd, Suite 140

Live Oak, TX 78233

210-646-9060             www.LiveOakChiro.com

Is Being Pregnant a Pain in the Back?

Pregnancy and back pain go together.  As the baby gets bigger and weight is added, Mom’s spine is under increasing load.  Also, the weight shifts forward, increasing the sway, or lordosis, of the back. This increases the pressure on the nerves exiting the spine.  Hormones designed to allow for the birth itself soften the ligaments and allow the spinal vertebrae to move out of place.  All of this combines to result in low back pain.  And that is a commonly accepted complication of pregnancy.

The obstetrician advises that the only thing that can be done for it is Tylenol™ and ice.  Mom tries that and finds that it gives little to no relief.  The doctor says that there are no other options that will not harm the baby. 

Determined that she won’t just sit around suffering, she calls a chiropractor only to learn that the doctor would want to see x-rays of her spine before he would adjust her.  Since she’s pregnant, she can’t have x-rays, and the doctor won’t help her.  She gives up and suffers through the rest of her pregnancy. 

When labor begins, her back goes in spasm with each contraction.  Now, she is dealing with back labor, a very painful, miserable delivery ensues.  Her pregnancy has been awful for her.  She never wants to have another child.

The months of suffering could’ve been avoided if she had only known that not all chiropractors require x-rays for every patient.  If she had called other chiropractors, she would have eventually found one of us that will take pregnant women as new patients.

In our office, delight in taking care of women who are building the world’s future in their bodies.  If 

you or someone you know is pregnant, please give us a call.  We offer massage, natural medicines, and physical medicine modalities as well as chiropractic adjustments

Woywood Family Chiropractic

12702 Toepperwein Rd, Suite 140

Live Oak, TX 78233

210-646-9060             www.LiveOakChiro.com

For the Love of the Children

It is vitally important to understand that through the spinal cord and nerves the brain directs a child’s development, growth, and function.  Normal growth, function, and development depends on the normal function of the nervous system.

It is well known by both researchers and healthcare providers that misalignments of the spine interfere with flow of nerve impulses and can lead to many of the unwanted conditions that children suffer with every day.

This interference can prevent normal growth and development and stop them from reaching their fullest potential.

Sadly, these misalignments may NOT be accompanied by obvious symptoms like pain, soreness, or swelling and may go undetected for years.

Misalignments of the spine can be caused slips, falls, injuries while playing, learning to walk, accidents, and even the birth process itself.

Signs of spinal misalignment include poor posture, scoliosis, ear infections, asthma, allergies, growing pains, poor concentration, skin disorders, stomach pain, hyperactivity, poor sleep, headaches, and even more serious illness and disease.

Chiropractic care is safe and effective in eliminating spinal misalignments in children.

If you love a child, have them checked for spinal misalignments before it is too late.  Ask about our Children’s Checkup package TODAY.

Help them Live Healthy, Stay Active, and Fulfill Their Dreams!

Woywood Chiropractic Wellness

210/646-9060                   www.LiveOakChiro.com

The Man in the Glass                                              

                          

                                                                                               

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.                                                                                         

-          Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.  (1934)

                Don’t cheat yourself.  Give your body time to heal itself with natural aids like chiropractic, massage, and natural Integrative Medicines to support the process.  First, try to get well without introducing new risks to your health as you do when you take drugs or, worse, have surgery.

Take care of the person in the glass.