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Sleep Deprivation and Chronic Fatigue
Most people know that you should get a good night’s sleep, but many people are unable to achieve this consistently. Many people also don’t realize all of the physical effects and symptoms of not getting this important sleep. This article will go over the effects of not getting good sleep on a regular basis, as well as, strategies you can use to improve your sleep.
Common symptoms
Symptoms of sleep deprivation, sleep fatigue or chronic fatigue can include any of the following: feeling like you are in a fog, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, vague aches and pains, headaches, muscle tension, tiredness irritability/edginess, inability to tolerate stress, learning and/or social problems, frequent infections, blurred vision, alterations in appetite (wanting or craving sugary foods), depression, breathing disorders, decreased productivity (can’t seem to accomplish anything and/or no interest in doing things). You can see that the list of symptoms is pretty long and varied.
Strategies
There are several strategies for improving your sleep, the first step is to look at why you are not getting good sleep – is it because you are in pain and keep waking up because of the pain, or are you a parent with young children at home who wake you up for help, or have you never had or developed good sleeping habits, or are you thinking about all those stressful things in life and you just can’t get to sleep until you are exhausted?
You must try to correct or manage that instigating issue, as well as work on getting more restful sleep. For many health issues – not getting adequate sleep will in turn worsen your health issue (because the body can’t heal) which usually also makes it more difficult to get good sleep and everything becomes a vicious cycle. So we must try to stop both parts of the vicious cycle.
For more information and for the full text of the Scoliosis article, click the link below.
July and August are Scoliosis Screening months at Zager Chiropractic Services in Floresville Texas.
If you have a family history of scoliois, or if you are concerned that your child may have scoliois or is developing scoliosis, you can schedule a free scoliosis evaluation with Dr. Zager for your child. The appointment should take about 10 – 15 minutes. Dr. Zager will evaluate your child and see if there are any signs that your child is beginning to or has developed scoliosis.
She may also give you some simple exercises that will help strengthen your child’s musculature and reduce the scoliosis. If there are signs of scoliosis developing, Dr. Zager will also recomend a treatment strategy which may include: chiropractic adjusting, stretching and strengthening exercises, x-rays for further evaluation, and/or referrals.
If you live in the Floresville or south San Antonio area, you can call 830 393-6554 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Zager.
Top 10 Wellness Tips from Dr. Zager
1. Start walking 20 minutes three times a week
2. Drink at least 2 glasses of water a day (in addition to your other liquids)
3. Make sure you get 7+ hours of sleep a night
4. Get a chiropractic adjustment to make sure your body is balanced and there are no Subluxations
5. Stop and smell the roses (slow down and relax for 10 minutes every day)
6. Use a smaller plate and bowl for your meals.
7. Strengthen up some of your Core Muscles daily
8. Improve your posture
9. Increase your portions of vegetables and fruit while you decrease your portions of carbohydrates.
10. Add 2 snacks a day (morning and afternoon). Great snacks include: yogurt (live active cultures), nuts, cranberries, small amounts of cheese and fruits, trail mix bars.
Ask about our individual wellness programs or our small group wellness programs, if you want or need help taking control of and improving your health and wellness.
- ¨ The older we become, the more we should take a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement (our bodies just need the extra help as we get older), but remember that just because you are taking supplements doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat healthy.
- ¨ If you have lots of joint pain (arthritis, stiffness, disc problems, and/or back pain) you would most likely benefit from taking supplements such as glucosamine with chondroitin, Vitamins A, D, and E, and Omega 3, 6, and 9.
- ¨ If you have nerve problems such as sciatica, radiculopathies (numbness, tingling), headaches, and/or high stress you would probably benefit from taking supplements with Vitamins B Complex and Vitamin C, and Omega 3, 6, 9.
- ¨ To improve your immunity you should take Vitamins A , C, and B Complex.
Don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Zager about nutrition the next time you are in the office and her recommendations for good quality vitamins and supplements.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is described as a lateral deviation of the spine - a curved spine. Viewed from the back, your spine should look straight, there shouldn’t be any curves off to one side or another.
Common symptoms from scoliosis include: back pain, neck pain, muscle spasms, leg pain, and headaches.
When should you look for scoliosis?
When should you start looking for scoliosis signs? Scoliosis really starts to show up in the pre-teens, because as a growth spurt starts the inequities in the spine begin to show up. A simple visual test of having the child bend over at the waist and inspecting their back to make sure it is straight is a good beginning. Look for shoulders being unleveled, hips at different heights, one shoulder blade winging, and their head not over their pelvis. If your child is beginning to complain of back pain, they should be evaluated by a chiropractor for scoliosis. If there is a family history of scoliosis, your children should all be checked by a chiropractor when they are pre-teens or even earlier.
How do you treat scoliosis?
Chiropractors will evaluate the scoliosis and the progression of the scoliosis. This may be done visually and with some simple orthopedic tests, and it may include x-rays. For young children, x-rays may not be recommended if the scoliosis appears to be mild and responds to treatment. Chiropractic treatment consists of gentle adjustments (moving the vertebrae) and then specific individual exercises to help strengthen the person’s muscles to help keep the vertebrae in place.
For more information and for the full text of the Scoliosis article, click the link below.
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Vitamin A: is good for your skin, hair, teeth, eyes, bone growth, and reproduction. You can get it from carrots, green leafy (spinach), milk products, fortified cereals, fruit.
Vitamin Bs (more than one type needed B2, 6, 9, 12 etc.): are important for general body growth, red blood cell production, releasing energy from carbohydrates, many enzymes need the Bs to work correctly in protein metabolism, and for the nervous and immune systems. You can get it from lean meats (chicken, fish, pork), eggs, legumes, leafy green vegetables, dairy products, and fortified cereals.
Vitamin C: is important for the biosynthesis of collagen, certain neurotransmitters, the immune system, and is also involved in protein metabolism. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C specifically citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, potatoes, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe.
Vitamin D: is essential for promoting calcium absorption, maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling. It is found in sunlight, cod liver oil, fish (salmon and tuna), beef liver, and some egg yolks.
Vitamin E: is important as an antioxidant to protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, and it is involved in immune function. It is found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils are among the best sources of alpha-tocopherol, and significant amounts are available in green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals.
Vitamin K: is important for blood clotting. Deficiencies can occur after long treatments of anti-biotics. The normal bacteria in the large intestine can also produce Vitamin K. People on blood thinners should talk to their physicians before taking Vitamin K. It can be found in cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables.
Maintenance or Wellness Adjusting is when you come in periodically for a “tune up” to make sure that your vertebrae are staying in the correct alignment. Coming in for these periodic adjustments helps prevent the vertebrae from getting too far out of place and causing your original pain to return.
¨ Many people ask how often should I come in for a maintenance or wellness adjustment—and part of my answer is that it depends on the your age, your physical activities, and your underlying condition. Let me give some general guidelines. For someone who has had their initial problem corrected and wants to come in on a maintenance or wellness schedule—it ranges between every 2 weeks to once every 8 weeks.
- ¨ The older you are—the more frequently you should get adjusted—simply because your body has gone through a lot more and has more wear and tear on it.
- ¨ Someone who is sedentary all the time should come in a little more often than someone who is moderately active (who walks, swims, exercises).
- ¨ Someone who plays physical or contact sports or has high activity levels will come in more often—every 2—4 weeks, especially if you play football, soccer, cycling, lacrosse, horse back riding, rodeo, roping, etc.
- ¨ The same for people who have physically demanding jobs in construction, ranching, farming, and mechanics.
- ¨ People who don’t have any disc injuries, osteoarthritis, reversed neck and/or low back curves, or neck or back surgeries can usually go between 6—8 weeks for adjusting,
- ¨ People who do have any of those structural conditions have had their pain syndromes for awhile and should come in a little more frequently between 3—6 weeks.
The bottom line is, if you are not on a regular maintenance schedule and you start to feel stiff and sore for more than a couple of days, you should call and come in for an appointment, before things get too far out of adjustment. It is easier to correct something before it gets too acute.
 Scoliosis is described as a lateral deviation of the spine—a curved spine. Viewed from the back, your spine should look straight, there shouldn’t be any curves off to one side or another. Common symptoms from scoliosis include: back pain, muscle spasms, leg pain, neck pain, and headaches.
Scoliosis is rated by the degree of the curvature. The higher the degree, the more pronounced the scoliosis. Most scoliosis progress at a slow degree; however, there are some that progress fast – especially during growth spurts. Scoliosis tends to affect more girls/women than men, and many are genetically based. I have seen granddaughters, mothers, and grandmothers all with the same scoliosis – just at different degrees.
Without treatment, the scoliosis will become more pronounced with age. By the same token, the earlier you treat a scoliosis the less impact the scoliosis will have on your life.
When should you start looking for signs of scoliosis? Scoliosis really starts to show up in the pre-teens with growth spurts. If your child is beginning to complain of back pain, they should be evaluated by a chiropractor for scoliosis. If there is a family history of scoliosis, all your children should be checked by a chiropractor when they are pre-teens or even earlier.
A simple visual test of having your child bend over at the waist and inspecting their back to make sure it is straight is a good beginning. Look for shoulders being unlevel, hips at different heights, one shoulder blade winging, and/or their head in front of their shoulders.
How do you treat scoliosis? Chiropractors will evaluate the scoliosis and the progression of the scoliosis. This may be done visually and with some simple orthopedic tests, and it may include x-rays. For young children, x-rays may not be recommended if the scoliosis appears to be mild and responds to treatment. Chiropractic treatment consists of gentle adjustments (moving the vertebrae) back into their correct position. Dr. Zager also always gives her patients specific individual exercises to help strengthen the person’s muscles which help keep the vertebrae in place.
What if a scoliosis is left untreated? Most mild to moderate scoliosis are simply “watched” by physicians. However, if it is left untreated it will progress further over time. There are many people who if they had had their scoliosis treated early would not have had as much back or neck pain later on in life. It is much harder to treat and to completely resolve after the back has had years of being in the “wrong” position with uneven wear on the bones.
July and August are Scoliosis Screening months at Zager Chiropractic. Dr. Zager will perform courtesy scoliosis screenings for all school age children. Just contact our office to set up the screening—it takes about 15 minutes and is free of charge.
Headaches
Most people at one time or another get a headache. For some, simply taking a couple of pain relievers, such as aspirin, will knock the headache down and let you continue on with your day. That is fine for an occasional headache; however, if you have repeated headaches you should get checked by a physician or a chiropractor to determine the cause and a treatment plan to correct the underlying problem.
Kinds of Headaches
There are several different types of common headaches (that I will cover here) : tension headaches, sinus headaches and migraines. Read more in the newsletter to see various strategies to relieve these types of headaches, including chiropractic adjustments, foods to avoid, and exercises to do.
What is the Treatment
By gently adjusting the cervical (neck) and upper thoracic (midback) vertebrae, a chiropractor can take the pressure off of pinched nerves, restoring the normal nerve impulses, and helping to balance the surrounding musculature; thus, decreasing or alleviating the headache.
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Neck Pain
Many people with neck and arm pain go to chiropractors to help relieve their pain. This also includes people with numbness in their hands and arms or headaches that stem from the neck.
What is the Cause?
When the cervical or neck vertebrae are misaligned or “subluxated” they can cause several different types of pain. The first is an ache from tight and stressed muscles that are trying to pull the vertebrae back into place. The second is a sharp pain from either the joints, the discs (padding between the vertebrae), the nerve roots that get “pinched” or the ligaments that are injured. This sharp pain can go up or down the spine or out across the shoulders. Thirdly, you can get numbness or tingling down either or both arms all the way to the fingers. Depending on where there are misalignments or subluxations in the neck will determine where the pain or tingling occurs.
What is the Treatment
By gently adjusting the cervical (neck) and upper thoracic (midback) vertebrae, a chiropractor can take the pressure off of pinched nerves, restoring the normal nerve impulses, taking pressure off of the discs, decreasing the pain or numbness, and helping to balance the surrounding musculature.
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