“Why Chiropractic Care for Kids?”

Learn when and why you should start your children under chiropractic care!

Video of Dr. Claudia Anrig (ICPA): Chiropractic and how it fits into the wellness lifestyle for today’s families.

Guess what?! You can start your child on the read to health and wellness even in utero! Chiropractic offers a gentle and safe approach to an optimally functioning nervous system and a life of health and wellness!

Don’t have a local chiropractor! Call Dr. Tijana at 706.254.4579 to schedule your first appointment for YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY!

Have additional questions? Contact me below, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Website, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

 

Pregnancy Nutrition for Baby & Mommy

For many women, and even their partners, pregnancy may be a time to develop healthier eating habits, for the benefits of the mother and the child. Including more nutrient-dense foods and cutting out caffeine and junk food is usually a good way to start. Here is a list of helpful suggestions on what to include and what to avoid in terms of diet in order to optimize the health of the mother and child throughout and following the pregnancy:

Nutrient-dense foods are needed for the growth and development, which includes essentials, such as protein, calcium, omega-3s, iron, B vitamins (folate), vitamin C, fiber, zinc, and magnesium.

• Protein as building blocks for the mother’s growing body and the baby’s development (recommended 70 g/day):
  • Good choices: grass-fed lean meats; plant-based protein, such as quinoa and nut butters; eggs; beans, nuts, and legumes
• Iron to accommodate for increased blood volume, higher production of hemoglobin, proper blood supply for the placenta, and cognitive development for the baby (recommended 27 g/day)
  • Good choices: spinach; beans; legumes; dark green leafy vegetables; grass-fed lean meats
• Calcium for proper bone development (recommended 1000 mg/day):
  • Good choices: yoghurt with live cultures; nuts & seeds (sesame seeds); other dairy products in moderation (look for grass-fed options)

• Omega-3s  & omega-6s fats (DHA & EPA) for development of brain, nervous system, eyes, placenta, and overall tissue growth (recommended 30-40 g/day:
  • Good choices: avocados; nuts & seeds; olives; cold-pressed oils (e.g. olive, grapeseed, flaxseed, sunflower, and coconut oils)
  • Because mercury crosses the placenta, it is important to eat fish low in mercury exposure: herring, rainbow trout, wild-caught salmon, sardines, and whitefish. Fish should not be eaten raw!
• Vitamin B‘s, specifically folic acid, to prevent neural tube defects of the spinal cord & brain (recommended 400 mcg/day):
  • Good choices: dark green leafy vegetables; beans; lentils; gluten-free grains
• Vitamin C for proper development of teeth, bones, and connective tissues, and it aids absorption of iron (recommended 85 mg/day & breastfeeding women 120 mg/day)
  • Good choices: dark green leafy vegetables; guava; peppers; kiwi; citrus fruits; strawberries; Brussels sprouts; cantelopes
• Water for increased demand on the body, enough hydration, increased blood volume and healthy blood cells, breast milk production, and keeping the body at the optimum temperature (especially important during the hot summer months)
• • Dehydration can lead to headaches, nausea, cramps, dizziness, edema, and preterm labor in the third trimester; can relieve symptoms of morning sickness, indigestion, and heartburn; prevent urinary tract infections, hemorrhoids, and constipation.
  • Quick test: check your urine for color, which should be pale. If it’s dark, drink more water.
  • How much is enough? Ideally, drinking half the body weight in ounces should be sufficient, which will change as the weight of the baby increases.

Weight gain can be a slippery slope during pregnancy. It is only necessary to eat an additional 300 calories a day, mostly in second and third trimester. Excess weight gain can be associated with serious medical conditions:  gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, longer labor times, and increased chance for medical interventions, such as induced labor and Cesarean section.

Daily prenatal vitamin and mineral supplements are a way to add a few missing ingredients, as most people do not get all the nutrients from food we eat. Researching a supplement that contains 100 to 200 percent of the recommended dietary intakes for vitamins and minerals would be ideal.

Remember to enjoy life and the foods you eat. There is no need to deprive or limit yourself, but it is important not to overindulge in foods that are not high in nutrition. This can be especially tricky if you are experiencing food cravings as the hormones are somewhat unstable. It is also important to maintain a modified exercise schedule throughout the pregnancy, (e.g. walking, swimming, yoga, etc.), as well as a regular chiropractic adjustments to remove subluxations, maintain proper spinal and pelvic alignment during a time of significant postural changes, and allow for overall good health!

All of the food choices and habits should involve safe, low bacteria foods for the optimum health benefit of the mother and the baby. Therefore, keep in mind the following practices:

• Read labels on every processed product.
  • Avoid additives, sugar, artificial anything. Rule of Thumb: If you cannot recognize the food or pronounce it, don’t eat it!
• Avoid undercooked meatsby eating meat well done.
  • Consider the same principle for deli meats due to the possible presence of listeria bacteria. If you have to have it, consider a heated sandwich to kill unwanted microorganisms.
• Avoid raw and smoked fish due to high risk of food-poisoning-causing bacteria and mercury exposure.
• Avoid raw eggs due to salmonella exposure in dressings and homemade mayonnaise.

• Avoid unpasteurized foodsand drinks by making sure that the process of pasteurization is heated to a temperature that will kill present microorganisms.
  • This includes soft cheeses that may contain the bacterial listeria: bleu cheese, camembert, feta, brie, and Mexican-style cheese like the three quesos (blanco, fresco, and decrema)
• Avoid artificial sweeteners, as many of them are overly chemically processed and are not safe for pregnant women, or anyone else, for that matter. Choose a natural source of sweeteners, if necessary, like raw honey or even sugar in the raw.
  • Back to the previous Rule of Thumb: avoid anything artificial due to the extensive chemicals involved.
• Try herbal teaswith no caffeine or decaffeinated as a soothing beverage, but exercise caution.
  • Opt for smaller amounts of teas made from ginger, lime blossom, peppermint, roasted barley, rose hips, and thyme.
  • Avoid  anise, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, ephedra/ma huang, European mistletoe, hibiscus, horehound, Labrador, lemongrass, licorice root, mugwort, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, rosemary, sage, sassafras, stinging nettle leaf, vetiver, and yarrow.

Even though, these lists may seem daunting and extensive, it is a short period of time to be mindful of what is the best for the child and the mother. Baby’s nutrition begins in utero, allowing the best possible start into the world with the best ingredients and a hefty dose of love!

Have questions? Contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy

Chiropractic care can be instrumental before, during, and after pregnancy to maintain a well functioning nervous system for the mother and the baby to prepare for a successful pregnancy. Many times pregnancy discomforts are assumed to be a part of the process, but there is no need to suffer. Chiropractic offers a safe, gentle, hands-on approach to combat pregnancy difficulties, such as nausea, heartburn, constipation, back pain, pubic pain, and others. Being under regular chiropractic care will allow for a subluxation-free pregnancy without joint and nerve dysfunction, allowing the body to transition through the stages of pregnancy and prepare for a successful birth experience with a properly aligned spine.

Maintaining a healthy spine during the pregnancy is extremely important. Here are some tips on keeping the spine in a good and healthy shape with a lower risk of injury to abdominal and pelvic musculature as well as the spine and pelvis:

When sitting up from a lying position: Bend the knees, roll over to one side, and push up with the arms, instead of using, and possibly straining abdominal muscles.

When standing: Keep the knees unlocked. Do not push the tummy forward with the hands on the hips. Wear comfortable, supportive shoes and refrain from wearing high heels. Before standing up, make sure to maintain full contact with the ground by placing your feet firmly first. If twisting the body, move the whole body starting with the feet. Avoid carrying other young children whenever possible to decrease the risk of abdominal injury. If standing for extended time period, place one foot on a small box or something similar to reduce the pressure, and possible pain, on the low back; and switch legs often.

Exercise: Perform regular moderate cardio- and strength-training routine. Keep the pelvic floor muscles strong. Stretch gently every day. Develop a breathing routine, especially concentrating on the lower abdomen and if stressed. Do prenatal yoga to strengthen your muscles, practice breathing, and cultivate a sense of calm. Swim for non-weight-bearing exercise to make it easier on the joints.

Sleep: Place a pillow between the knees and another at the breast level to support the upper body without introducing rotation in the upper portion of the spine.

Allow proper rest and relaxation: Schedule a prenatal massage as often as possible. Avoid lifting heavy objects by asking for help. Do more yoga. Meditate.

Maintain a regular spinal check-up schedule with your local chiropractor for some remarkable benefits:

• Less discomfort in carrying the baby in the third trimester and during the delivery
• Significantly reduced labor times
• Decreased need for painkillers

Chiropractic aids in correcting body’s imbalances, evident in misalignments and overcompensations in posture. The presence of these misalignments,  vertebral subluxation, will interfere with the nervous system’s ability to communicate with the body through distorted brain messages. Allowing the nervous system to meet its challenges with less overall stress will be able to improve the chances of healthier pregnancy naturally. Improving health and well-being from inside out through chiropractic as well as proper nutrition and movement, will help you make significant strides to prepare the body for the New Life.

Have questions? Contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

Improve Your Fertility

About 10 percent of reproductive age couples have trouble getting pregnant. Many women are waiting to have children later in life due to building their own careers or taking more time before tying the knot. After the age of 35, the decline in fertility starts to accelerate, which largely depends on the stressful lifestyle. These types of lifestyles cause a woman’s body to shut down as a means of survival.

These stressors manifest as:

• Daily stress
• Work issues
• Busy social schedules
• Poor nutrition and malnourishment
  • Poor food choices
  • Too few calories
  • Too many of the “wrong” type of calories

Nutrition

Eating a balanced and nutritious diet is important and it varies from one person to the next. Reducing deficiencies through healthy diets may be by increasing the amount of essential fatty acids in the diets, more leafy greens and less caffeine. Consulting with your holistic physician and/or nutritionist is important to help manage your dietary habits.

Stress Reduction

Reducing the amount of physical, chemical and emotional stress is an important part of the puzzle when it comes to fertility. Women have a tendency to be hard on themselves, often overlooking that it is crucial to nurture and care for the body, mind and spirit, in order to care for another. The process of fertility treatments can be scary, overwhelming and stressful, especially if the body is not responding the way we anticipate.

Yoga

Yoga offer a complimentary alternative care method for connecting the body and the spirit. Finding a calm, centering place allows one to slow down, breathe and be kind to ourselves. It may be difficult to force the body to always do things biologically, but working on how to react to certain life circumstances and upsetting processes and experiences. Being gentle while approaching a yoga practice is important, especially for women going through treatments or trying to get pregnant strenuous exercise is usually not the best.

Benefits of yoga:

• Blood flowing to key areas in the body, such as the pelvis
• Opens up the lungs for more oxygen and energy flow
• Stretches the hips, waist, and back for better posture and stability
• Building strength, stamina, flexibility and security
• Deeply soothes and relaxes the whole system
• Aligning the energy from inside and out
• Create a community and relationship with others

Chiropractic

Chiropractic aids in correcting body’s imbalances, evident in misalignments and overcompensations in posture. The presence of these misalignments,  vertebral subluxation, will interfere with the nervous system’s ability to communicate with the body through distorted brain messages.

The spinal compensations resulting from the subluxation may result in distorted pelvic positioning, causing the baby to get into an unfavorable position for birth, possibly breech. The nerve pressure and tension caused by the spinal compensations in the spine may lead to improper signals to be sent to various organs and tissues, such as the heart and lungs in the mid-thoracic region; kidney and liver in lower-thoracic and lumbar regions; and unfavorable uterus in the lower-lumbar and sacral region. This tension or pressure will interfere with the brain stem’s ability to coordinate the messages being sent to the body by the brain and with proper distribution of hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone.

Allowing the nervous system to meet its challenges with less overall stress will be able to improve the chances of conception naturally. Improving health and well-being from inside out through nutrition, yoga, and chiropractic will help you make strides and prepare the body for the New Life.

Have questions? Contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

Latest website update!

Latest website update! Call TODAY for appointments for you & your family! #yourhealthnow #cultivatehealth #DrTijanaDC http://ow.ly/a44GE

Holistic Family Chiropractic: Cultivating health & wellness for the whole family

• Chiropractic
• Nutrition
• Biomedical Assessment
• Stress Management
• Fertility
• Autoimmune Disease
• Chronic Pain
• Chronic Health Issues
• Sensory Integration
• Neurological Re-education
• Therapeutic Yoga for Individuals/Couples/Groups
• And many more….

Feel free to contact me here to help you evaluate the state of health for you and your family, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

Nutrition + Environment = Epigenetic Changes

Dis-ease is a combinational process of genetic alterations and epigenetic changes in the gene expression, all while under direct and indirect influence of environmental factors. While conventional genetics has spent a significant amount of time dissecting the hereditary factors that affect carcinogenesis, the reversible epigenetic mechanisms are focusing on discovering how to maintain and control the appropriate expression of the DNA formation in a wide variety of phenotypic alterations in abnormal cells. DNA methylation is one of the primary epigenetic modifications that directly influences differentiation, genomic imprinting, DNA mutation, and DNA repair, without altering the DNA coding sequence.

When assessing environmental influences, nutrition, lifestyle, and exposure to toxins are in the forefront of the discussion. The epigenetic changes are initiated during the prenatal critical time period through maternal nutrition that will ultimately effect the development of the fetus into adulthood, as evident in the Agouti gene study demonstrations.

As the body works in synchronicity of numerous biological processes, a balanced symphony of appropriate nutrient levels is essential for chemical reactions leading to DNA methylation. These nutrients (folate, betaine, choline, zinc, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12) function as cofactors or intermediates, so an imbalance, either excessive or deficient, will consequently result in inappropriate gene expression. Alcohol, arsenic, lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, coumestrol, equol, genistein, nickel, and many others will additionally influence DNA methylation and cancer susceptibility. These toxic elements have become stimulating epigenetic factors in the general environment, from the dietary sources to the direct and indirect environmental pollutants.

The toxic exposure to non-organic elements that cause grave epigenetic alterations in gene expression result in significant endocrine disruption of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The disintegration of the HPA axis marks a hormonal derangement that can be transferred over generations, regardless if the insult occurred in-vitro or in adulthood. The HPA axis is also sensitive to dietary factors and environmental toxins. For example, bisphenol A (BPA) is a known endocrine disruptor, is carcinogenic on its own as it increases cancer susceptibility through developmental reprogramming as a result of epigenetic changes following exposure in utero.

Unfortunately, the interactions between toxic food and environmental toxins may exponentially increase the harmful effects on gene expression. The result is a combined burden of severe environmental toxicity on children and adults, whose body systems are unable to appropriately address the reversible epigenetic changes with nutrient deficiencies and disrupted endocrine function.

This discussion certainly is quite intricate. A substantial amount of research is still being conducted. I encourage you to ask questions and explore more!

Feel free to contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Yours in health, Dr. Tijana

Natural Remedies for Infants

31 Natural Remedies for Colds, Congestion, Coughs, and Fevers in Infants (Newborn to 6 Months) http://ow.ly/8X5iy

Breast milk is one of your biggest resources! It helps to increase hydration, receive antibodies, use breast milk’s antimicrobial properties, fight infections, and many more.

If using any additional products, ensure that the products come from clean, organic sources, especially if there is skin contact involved. Since it will be introduced in the blood stream within 20 minutes, it is essential that the products, such as oils, lotions, and rubs, are in their purest form possible.

Taking your infant to a pediatric chiropractor will help the healing process, both if there is a health concern or for preventative care. Maintaining an intact nervous system is vital part of achieving optimal health for the infant. Some helpful FAQs here.

If you have more questions, feel free to contact me here or at drtijana.dc@gmail.com.

Yours in health, Dr. Tijana

Educate about pregnancy!

It’s important to be educating regarding your state of optimal health each day, especially when pregnant! http://ow.ly/7PBwo