I just wanted to thank you for the (laser) treatments. I have improved and have only a local ache in the area of my left hip. The sciatic pain is almost 0%. I seldom need Advil and my ability to walk without pain is increasing. You are very nice people and I appreciate the care that you gave. I expect that you will be successful and pray that you will all be happy!

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Myofascial Release:  This is a rapidly growing branch of massage therapy that involves gentle stretching of the skin (tissue) to release restrictions in the fascial/connective tissue that surrounds the muscles, organs and body systems.  This treatment eliminates pain, restores motion and is performed with no lotion, oils or creams but instead done with hand on skin contact.  Benefits include improvement of soft tissue mobility, pain relief, increase in restricted movements often caused by injury and poor posture, strengthening of the immune system, improvement in nerve function, increased circulation and decreased fascial tension beneath scar tissue.  You can speak with Kasmir at anytime to determine if Myofascial Release is a treatment that would be appropriate for you.

Hot stone Massage:  Although vastly popular, especially in spa setting, few people know the depth of the benefits of hot stone and its application in a clinical setting.  It is a style of hydrotherapy that involves water treated stones that can be placed at certain sites of the body which promote relaxation and help open the body’s meridians, also known as energy pathways.  The therapist uses the hot stones with full stone in hand-body contact which helps easily perform deep tissue manipulations.  Benefits of hot stone massage include promotion of deep muscle and tissue relaxation, improved circulation and balance as well as soothing the nervous system.  It also relieves stress and pain, detoxifies and accelerates metabolism. This treatment is offered in one hour or one and a half hour durations, costs are $95 and $130 plus applicable taxes.

Maternal Massage:  Gaining a great deal of popularity among expectants mothers as the benefits are becoming widely studied and known, maternal massage has the capacity to assist in labour preparation as well as ease the  common aches and pains associated with pregnancy.  It has the ability to positively affect a woman’s experience in all stages of pregnancy, labour and post-partum periods by promoting relaxation and working on the physical changes of the body throughout the pregnancy.  Maternal massage also encourages a nurturing maternal touch.  Benefits include stress reduction, relaxation, increased circulation and decreased swelling; musculoskeletal pain and strain is reduced, improved physiological functioning, improved gastric motility as well as labour preparation and facilitation for a quick and smooth birth.

Sports Massage:  This treatment is based on pre and post event; Pre-event massage stimulates circulation, calms nervous tension and prepares the athlete for optimal performance while reducing the chances of injury.  Post-event massage relieves soreness and assists in the removal of lactic acid and other waste products, it also decreases inflammation.  Sports Massage allows athletes to reach peak performance sooner and sustain peak performance longer with a decrease in injuries.  Athletes often note an improvement in flexibility as well as help in rejuvenating muscles more quickly after intense workouts or events, which can extend the span of an athlete’s career.

The next most obvious question may be whether chiropractic is safe for infants and small children, and the answer is a resounding yes!  A chiropractic treatment for children is quite different than that for adults, mostly in that it is much softer and gentler.  Children’s joints are looser and easier to move, mostly because they do not have years of poor posture, bad ergonomics, old injuries and tight muscles fighting against them.  It is also for these reasons that children respond at a much faster rate than adults, often only requiring a few treatments to achieve the desired result.

It is important to remember that Chiropractors do not just treat the back but are doctors whose scope of practice includes diagnosing and treating conditions related to the nervous system, muscles, bones and joints of the whole body. Many Chiropractors include manual therapies like adjustments and soft tissue, modalities like ultrasound and laser, exercises, postural advice as well as dietary and lifestyle counselling in their treatments.  Chiropractic may be the answer you are seeking for your family’s health care to achieve optimal functioning and tap into the inherent healing abilities of your body.

Dr. Megan Wambolt, BSc. DC

Let’s begin this article with a few easy questions:

#1 – Do you get the oil changed in your vehicle on a regular basis, or do you wait until your engine seizes and major repairs are needed? 

#2 – Do you brush your teeth everyday and see your dentist for regular cleanings, or do you leave it until cavities and gum disease develop before seeking treatment?

#3 – Do you study for important exams, or wait until the paper is in front of you before worrying about it?

See the trend here?  Your answers may seem obvious, but that is only because you have an ingrained philosophy on these topics which guides your decisions. 
So this ultimately begs the most important question – what is your healthcare philosophy?  More specifically, do you believe there is a difference between health care and sick care?  If you ask me, or almost everyone else in the complimentary and alternative health care system, there is a difference.  A big difference. 

In my point of view, the absence of disease does not mean you are necessarily healthy.  Similarly, good physical health is only part of the issue, even though it is the aspect of health in which I specialize.  In reality, good health encompasses mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health.  Improve one, and you have a better chance at improving the others. 
So why all the philosophy stuff?  Here’s why:  Because your philosophy determines the actions you take.  As a chiropractor and co-director of a multi-disciplinary health care facility, I strive to stay on top of the latest research, implement the newest forms of health care technology, and improve my treatment techniques.  However none of these efforts will make a difference if the philosophies of my patients do not match with my own.  If a patient is expecting sick care, and I deliver health care, they will without a doubt be disappointed. 

In my perspective, the fundamental difference between health care and sick care is the willingness to engage in preventative maintenance.  In the questions above, you most likely chose the preventative maintenance options because you are educated on these topics, and have developed a philosophy based on the facts and opinions you’ve heard.  In fact, you’d probably call me crazy if I suggested that you stop changing your oil or brushing your teeth.  Yet in my experience this preventative attitude has only partially made its way into physical medicine, which deals with every muscle, joint, nerve and bone in your body (and accounts for the majority of visits to healthcare practitioners). 

Too often I hear the question, “Doc, can you fix me?”  I usually reply with an appropriate, “yes I can help, but you’re not broken”.  For most injuries / conditions that present to my office, the body is doing what it is meant to be doing – defending itself.  If you just arose from seven straight hours of tedious computer work and you neck feels sore, you are not broken.  Your body is not a lemon and most importantly, you are not sick!  However too often these everyday aches and pains are treated with sick care.  Patients have been trained to believe that something is wrong with them, and are looking for a “cure” for their “disease”.  The truth is, you may just need to start changing your oil and stop waiting for the engine meltdown. 

Sick care is meant to prevent you from dying – it saves your life.  Health care is meant to improve your quality of life, and should be used much more often, to prevent you from having to use the sick care interventions.  The patients I have which engage in regular chiropractic treatment on a maintenance basis begin to realize this fundamental difference.  Combine these maintenance visits with an improved diet and regular exercise, and these patients start to become truly physically healthy. 

My sick care patients complain that nobody has been able to help them.  My health care patients feel in complete control and help themselves. 

My sick care patients are looking for a “cure” without the willingness to work for it.  My health care patients work hard for themselves, so they never are in need of a “cure”. 

My sick care patients encounter significant obstacles on a daily basis.  My health care patients don’t have a reason to slow down. 

My sick care patients are in the shop with engine repairs, while my health care patients get their oil changed. 

The decision seems simple, but in practice there are many perceived barriers.  Time and money are two of the most common.  The truth is, time and money are saved by practicing health care instead of sick care.  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with regular care for your body is easy and relatively inexpensive, especially once you have developed healthy habits.  Missing work for two weeks because you “threw your back out” is expensive and time consuming. 

So the next time you are experiencing one of life’s little aches and pain, ask yourself this question:  What is my healthcare philosophy?  If your answer is anything but preventative maintenance, consider empowering yourself, pick up your phone, and make a change. 

Yours in Health,
Dr. Chad Mykietiuk, DC

The female body undergoes a crucial metamorphosis after conception has occurred to grow nurture and prepare to deliver a child. It must be acknowledged that these changes come along with some not so welcome symptoms that can be prevented and treated at this time but not cured. One culprit is the increase in the hormone Relaxin which assists your growing uterus and ligaments but also wreaks havoc on spinal and pelvic joints, leading to sharp pain with movements or chronic headaches at the base of your skull. Any change in joint  position in the spine can put excess stress on spinal nerves as they exit the spinal cord which in turn can contribute to such common pregnancy ailments as insomnia, dizziness, sinus trouble, arm and hand pain, indigestion, frequent urination, constipation, leg cramps, swelling, low back pain and many others. Seeking the care of a chiropractor who is accustomed to treating pregnant women to make sure that spinal joints remain in good alignment for the duration of baby growing and post delivery can keep painful symptoms at bay and improve new ones as they crop up in each trimester. Chiropractic treatments can be modified to accommodate a growing belly and flexible joints, and is completely safe to both mom and baby.  Chiropractic can also be safely administered to turn a breech baby in the final weeks without any invasive or dangerous procedures. When chiropractic is paired with pregnancy massage by a qualified Registered Massage Therapist it can aid achy muscles, breathing difficulties and open up the pelvic cavity to prepare mom for the eventual birth of her child.

Other resources that can be a wealth of knowledge include Dieticians which can not only aid in developing healthy eating habits for the duration of your pregnancy but also give helpful tips on reducing nausea, heartburn and other GI upsets that come along with carrying a baby. Naturopathic Doctors can offer natural supplements and homeopathic remedies that work internally or topically to reduce common symptoms, and your local yoga studio or gym can provide trainers with a background in pre and post-natal fitness to keep your body in good working order which is both preventative and proactive in maintaining your best health.

So if you find yourself pregnant and reaching for some Tylenol® next time your low back acts up or you’re kept awake due to heartburn, consider reaching for the telephone to call your local wellness clinic instead.

Dr. Megan Wambolt, BSc DC

Clients benefit from this type of setting, as they are readily able to access alternative treatments should they feel one particular method is not portraying the results initially hoped for.  Multiple disciplines are also able to complement, and in some cases increase, a client’s recovery by integrating more than one treatment.  Clients have often seen tremendous outcomes when a treatment plan has been created among the practioners involved, tailored to each unique and individual portrayal of a condition, in order to address all necessary concerns from each treatment perspective.  For example, when massage therapy and chiropractic services are combined, the muscles get the appropriate assessment and treatment by the massage therapist and the joint restrictions are evaluated thoroughly and addressed by the chiropractor.  As tight muscles pull our joints out of alignment sometimes and joint restrictions place undue stress on the surrounding muscles, both these treatments complement the other greatly.

Recognition and respect for the area of specialization of each profession is the basis of true multidisciplinary integration and is achieved through each professional learning what other professionals do, what they can contribute, and how they can complement.  When practioners can confidently and happily refer clients to another practioner to ensure they are receiving the best care and results, treatment in a multidisciplinary centre often reinforces to the client that they are receiving optimal care and their health is the primary concern and goal.

Massage therapy has been integrating into healthcare for many years now, from helping to identify the early onset of conditions with primary healthcare, to collaborating in settings to aid in the return to work, to helping those recover post-surgery.  As it appears, multidisciplinary integration is at the forefront of healthcare in the twenty-first century.

Laura Knight, RMT

Yet Drs Wambolt and Mykietiuk felt that there was still more they could do help patients understand the importance of a healthy nervous system and how it functions. The Insight Subluxation System™ is a completely non-invasive tool with zero side effects, which measures how our spinal nerves are performing.  There are two components: one which measures surface electromyography or sEMG.  This technology measures the action potential or electrical impulses sent by our motor nerves which exit at each level of our spinal column.  When there is pressure or stress put on our spinal nerves, the motor component of these nerves can lead to muscles that are tight, weak, spasm or tire easily.  The sEMG measures the amount of muscle contraction around the spine as an indicator of how these motor nerves are functioning.  The second component is a Thermal Scan which measures and compares the skin’s temperature from one side to the other for the length of our spinal column. This is a measure of our Autonomic Nervous System, the nerves which control our organs and glands – things which we generally do not control and cannot feel minor changes in.  There is an Autonomic component to each spinal nerve as well which reacts when pressure or stress is exerted upon our spinal nerves.  Skin temperature is used as a way of measuring the stress at these levels which may be an indicator of how other organs such as our liver and pancreas, or glands such as our adrenals or lymph nodes are functioning.

The Insight Subluxation System is not a substitute for your practitioner’s history, physical or diagnosis but an adjunctive tool which helps demonstrate to patients in an objective manner what practitioners feel when they perform joint or muscle palpation.  Each scan produces a unique visual presentation of your Thermal and sEMG results compared to ‘normals’ which you can keep for your records and compare over time as you progress through a course of treatment.  This new Spinal Scan is now a mandatory part of the initial exam at Village Wellness offered with no extra charge until October 1st 2009.  Any current or past patients may make an appointment to have a 15 minute scan completed without any obligation.  Friends and family are welcome to have a complimentary scan done, this includes newborns to centenarians as well.

To make an appointment to see how your nervous system is functioning please call Gillian at 835-5033.

What is the goal of detoxification?
Put quite simply, detoxification is the process of eliminating toxins.  Our bodies perform this function on a daily basis through the actions of the liver, intestines, sweat glands, bladder, and lymphatic system.  Therefore, it stands to reason that in order to achieve additional detoxification we need to support these organs of elimination in their natural functions. 

How can the organs of elimination best be supported?
There are three main ways to support the organs of elimination:
- Organ Nourishment: this is primarily achieved through using herbs and nutritional supplements that have an affinity for the organ in question.  For example, the herb Ceanothus americanus is excellent for strengthening the lymphatic system, while the amino acid L-glutamine works to heal irritations in the large and small intestines that might impair bowel function.
- Organ Support: each organ of elimination requires different vitamins, minerals, and foods to help it function properly.  For example, the colon needs adequate fibre to produce healthy stools and the liver requires antioxidant precursors like selenium and zinc to properly process toxic substances.
- Organ Obstacle Removal: if you accidently left your bathtub filling and flooded the washroom, it wouldn’t make sense to clean the mess until you turned the faucet off.  Similarly, it is crucial to minimize the number of toxins you expose yourself to when undergoing a cleansing plan.  This requires actions like eating wholesome foods, minimizing alcohol consumption, and taking time for mental relaxation.

What steps should I take to start my own detoxification?
It depends on what your personal goals are.  If you’re looking for a simple health boost, you can:
- Eat wholesome foods and avoid processed ones
- Drink eight glasses of water per day, two of which are lemon water to promote liver function
- Exfoliate before showering by lightly running a dry loofah over your body several times
- Do five minutes of deep breathing per day
- Exercise regularly to optimize circulation

If you are interested in undergoing a full-scale detoxification program, it is best to do so under the guidance of a registered healthcare professional.  That individual should:
- Give you individualized dietary advice to determine which foods you should eat and avoid
- Select detoxification herbs best suited to you that won’t interfere with conventional drugs you may be taking
- Determine which detoxification-supporting nutrients your body may need
- Help you to implement relaxation and exercise techniques into your life
- Assist you in gradually starting and stopping your cleansing program to avoid shocking your system

Should I use over-the-counter detoxification products?
Some “detoxification” products simply contain laxatives and diuretics, which can be habit-forming and simply cause one to lose “water weight”.  Also, many common detoxification herbs have the potential to interact with pharmaceutical drugs and alter their function.  Consult with a naturopathic doctor or another healthcare professional with extensive training in herbal medicine, nutrition, and pharmacology first. 

Summer is a time of vitality and strength – the perfect time to nurture those elements of you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Bryan Rade, ND

When purchasing a new back pack, as many parents and children do this time of year, one should look for:
• a light weight bag that is the same length as your child’s torso; sits no higher than the top of their shoulders and no lower than the top of their hip bone
• wide (at least 2”) adjustable straps with padding that does not cut into their arms or armpits
• a waist strap and possibly even a chest strap
• a padded back with many compartments to evenly distribute the weight

When packing a back pack one should always place heavy items closest to the back and place odd shaped items near the outside to prevent them from poking into your child’s side or back.  For elementary aged children the back pack should never exceed 10% of their body weight; for junior and senior high school children their back packs should never exceed 15% of their body weight. 

 Parents should check their child’s bag regularly to make sure they aren’t transporting unnecessary items daily.  If their bag exceeds these limits, have them carry extra books or lunches in their hands. Once your child has their new, appropriate back pack all set to go, make sure they place it on their back from table height or lift it properly with their knees bent rather than bending at their waist.  Be sure to adjust the straps so that the bottom of their back pack lies in the curve at the base of their low back.  By using the waist strap they re-distribute 50-70% of the bag’s weight off their upper body and onto their pelvis, which is much better suited to carrying this type of load, taking the extra stress off of the joints in their spinal column.

Repetitive loading of heavy back packs for many years combined with poor ergonomics can lead to chronic back pain throughout adulthood and impact quality of life.  Small things you do now are important to your child’s health long after they’ve left their days of back packs behind.  If your child has back or neck pain that lasts more than 2 or 3 days you should consult your local chiropractor for an assessment of their spine biomechanics, alignment and posture.

Dr. Megan Wambolt, BSc DC