Dr Camille Fontaine-Morin DC

04/01/2024

Love when research shows us the true impact of a Chiropractic adjustment. Specificity in the joint matters this is why we don’t adjust any and all segments, it’s why we analyse and only adjust what needs to be adjusted. Thanks Heidi Haavik for the hard work you do!

Turns out you only get changes in prefrontal cortex sensorimotor integration if you apply your HVLA thrust at a subluxated segment! 🧠

We have had another study published!!! What a great way to start 2024!! 🎊

Our study is called ‘A randomized controlled trial comparing different sites of high-velocity low amplitude thrust on sensorimotor integration parameters’. It’s just been accepted for publication in Scientific Reports.

The study looked at whether it matters where we apply the HVLA thrust when measuring prefrontal cortex processing changes. And it turns out it does! We only got the brain changes when the chiropractors applied the thrust at a subluxated segment. No brain changes occurred when a thrust was applied to a healthy segment. It’s logical of course, but still needs to be investigated.

A big thank you to my co-authors Imran Khan Niazi, Samran Navid, Christopher Merkle, Mian Imran Amjad Nitika Kumari, Robert J. Trager, and Kelly Holt You guys are an AMAZING team. ❤️

And a massive thank you to our funders. This study was funded by Australian Spinal Research Foundation (ASRF) (Grant no. TRG2019-3) and the Centre for Chiropractic Research Supporters Program at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. We simply cannot do any research without your support! Thank you 🙏

10/12/2023

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted so I thought this would be a good time for me to re-introduce myself to those who are new to this page.

My name is Camille and I’m a chiropractor who works in methven/ashburton New Zealand at . Although I now permanently live in New Zealand, I was born and raised in Vermont,USA and my family is Canadian (so lucky me I’m a dual citizen).

I moved to New Zealand to study at one of the best chiropractic colleges in the world, NZCC. I graduated over 2 years ago and now get to call Methven home.

My passion as a chiropractor lies in helping people see the potential of their bodies and help unlock the movement and goals they want to achieve. I love seeing people of all ages, from kiddos to our more wise population, from high level athletes to office workers. The best part of my job is just seeing how much of an impact a simple adjustment can have on someone’s life.

When I’m not in the office, those of you who know me already know I’m usually always out in nature. In winter I’m out skiing every weekend and in the summer I’m on some adventure hiking or biking and travelling. I’m always open to suggestions on new places to visit and hikes to go on so please let me know where you’ve been!

I’ve created this page to educate my community about chiropractic and the benefits it offers. But also I want people to get to know me as a chiropractor and see what I get up to outside of work. Hopefully you learn something new or connect with what I share 🥰

04/11/2023

Pain is not the problem… it’s a signal

Take a moment to really think about that. The pain isn’t the problem it’s just letting you know there is one.

So then why do we always focus on treating pain and taking it away? Why aren’t we asking why the pain is there and listen to it?

Sometimes this is obvious like with a cut or an injury. Other times though it’s not so obvious and it could be your body trying to tell you to move and get up, or that the joints not doing what it should, or perhaps the signal is actually the problem.

Make sure you asking these questions and truly wonder about pain more than just accept pain killers and muscle relaxants when it happens. Have people in your life you want you to ask those questions and help find the real cause as to what the pain is signalling to.

Make sure you have a chiropractor on your team to do this for you. We will make sure your spine and nervous system allow for accurate and clear signals and to make sure they aren’t happening for no reason.

15/10/2023

Goals 🥅

Spring is such a great time of year to focus on setting goals and to checkin on how the year has been and make plans for the future.

My role as a Chiropractor is not just being in the office adjusting patients, it’s also about personal growth and community involvement. This means planning conferences to attend and seminars to register for and events to plan for you guys.

I want to make sure I’m up to date on research and techniques and ways to serve my community better beyond just being in the office. By furthering my knowledge in chiropractic, I get to better serve my community.

Exciting things are in the works for the next few months and for next year! Looking forward to it!

08/10/2023

Being well adjusted is not just about getting regular chiropractic adjustments…

It’s about the things you do, eat, and adapt to in the seconds, minutes, hours, and days you do outside of your appointment.

Chiropractic is all about the whole body approach, and while adjustments need to be performed by a Chiropractor, there is so much you can do and take responsibility for to ensure better outcomes with you adjustments.

Next time you get adjusted see what else you can do between adjustments to ensure that you have the best outcomes with your care.

01/10/2023

Just a little reminder that you are beautiful, strong, and brave 🥰

Positive thoughts play a huge role in how we see and hold ourselves. Did you know that when you have negative thoughts and words said to you, your posture changes and your cellular chemistry changes too? You start hunching your shoulders, and look down, and try to make yourself smaller. You biology changes to a stressed or sympathetic states and our brain chemistry change.

If this becomes a common thing, your brain assumes this is the behaviour and body posture that it should be in all the time, and adapts to make this a permanent thing. Obviously this is not something we want to

So try and find ways to incorporate positive thoughts with your self talk and see how much better it makes you feel.

Changes in posture don’t always happen due to physical experiences, so this is why as a chiropractor I always take a look and check how people are doing with this mental health. I want to ensure we are serving you in all aspects of your health not just the physical ones.

24/09/2023

What does HEALTH mean to you? ☀️😀💪

Does health mean the absence of something bad? Such as you’re healthy when you’re NOT sick or unwell or tired or feeling off? You’re only healthy when you’re feeling good or when something that makes you sick isn’t bothering you?

OR….

Is it when all of your coping factors like diet, exercise, sleep, hormones, nervous system, environmental factors,etc are working as efficiently as they should as a way to prevent the sickness? This means people are focusing on the preventable aspects of health and how to enhance them to stay healthy.

This is the true difference between sick care (what medicine focuses on) and health care (what chiropractors focus on). We don’t wait for you to be unwell then treat you to a point where you are “healthy” again. Instead we want to promote and enhance the things in your body and life that ensure health.

Some might find this hard to grasp and understand but if you’re finding a gap in your healthcare routine or want to have ways to better support your health, reach out to your local chiropractor to get the support you may need.

17/09/2023

Every person has a doctor inside of themselves! 🩺👩🏼‍⚕️

Take a moment to think about this! Each of us has the inborn ability to heal within us all. It’s what our bodies are designed to do and what has allowed humans to survive continually through natural disasters and sickenesses.

As long as we are in the right environment and settings, our bodies will be able to do this. Now this is the important part: being in the right environment and setting. The society we live in now is not as clean and toxin free as it used to be, therefore we need to be more proactive with our health care!

So things you can do to help support and embrace this is:
- Eat whole foods, fresh food, and organic if possible
- Drink lots of water
- Move your body everyday
- Make sure your nervous system is interference free so it can adapt to these stressors
- Take time to heal

Many of these you can do by yourself though the use of specialised healthcare professionals can maximise your efforts and ensure ideal results.

10/09/2023

Listening 🎧

When was the last time you truly stopped and listened to what was going on around you? When did you take the time to truly take in and observe the world going on around you and truly listen the the conversations going on around you?

What did you notice? Perhaps how fast paced of a society and world we live in? Perhaps that before you weren’t really listening to the person in front of you? Perhaps you truly saw the world with a new lens?

The more fast paced and disconnected our society becomes, the less we truly stop, listen, and be present in the world we live in. Whenever I interact with the people I see in my practice, I truly take the time to let them be heard, to be present with them, and listen to their needs.

This ability to stop and listen to the person in front of you is one of the biggest things I’ve noticed sets chiropractors apart from other professions. We want to know how your day was, what hobbies you have, what your family got up to on the weekend…etc. This helps us understand you!

So if you’ve been searching for a healthcare professional who makes the time for you and listens to you, find a chiropractor to make that a reality.

03/09/2023

Springtime 🌸🍃

As we transition into another season, I think this is an important time to set goals for the rest of the year and think about little things we want to work on.

For me personally, springtime is when I start getting more energy, I get excited about the sunshine and want to find ways to be outdoors any chance I get, I refocus my training for hiking and biking, and of course I start thinking about what I’m going to start planting in my garden.

When I set these goals and little changes, I remind myself that consistency is the key to making these changes. Little changes but consistently make bigger differences than big changes here and there.

This is the same when it comes to Chiropractic care, small changes and regular adjustments make for big changes over time. A one off adjustment just doesn’t make lasting impacts.

So as we move into spring, take a look at the little things you want to focus on for the remainder of the year and ensure that you book in your regular chiropractic appointments to keep up your progress.

20/08/2023

Don’t underestimate the importance of regular Check ups!

I recently had an interaction with someone who was explaining an experience they had not too long ago. They were explaining they had an appointment with a dentist, and they had been contemplating about cancelling it since they felt they were doing a good job brushing their teeth daily and flossing and nothing was really bothering them.

However, they ended up going, but at this appointment the dentist caught early signs of a cavity. This took the person by surprise, since they were positive they were doing such a good job on their own and had no signs of anything being wrong.

Lucky they did go, or else it would have been a much more complex treatment further down the track if they had chosen to wait until things were painful.

This interaction helped me remind people the importance of regular check ups, even when you feel that things are “good” or “just the same”.

Don’t let you “feeling good” be the reason you don’t go see a Chiropractor! Let’s help keep you healthy and functioning well, so we avoid issues down the line.

12/08/2023

Adaptability 💪

Sometimes our bodies are faced with challenging and difficult situations and your body has 2 choices: adapt in a beneficial way or maladapt.

To ensure your body adapts in an advantageous way, your body needs to be working optimally and fully aware of what is happening to it. This means your nervous system needs to be firing at full capacity and not have any restrictions in its function.

The best way to get this to happen is to go see a chiropractor to assess how your spine and nervous system are functioning and to get adjusted to optimise it’s ability even further. Chiropractors are experts at this and are there to ensure your body is ready for challenges that you may face.