Integrative Health and Wellness Center

01/15/2023

Why good posture matters? Good posture is important to balance: by standing up straight, you center your weight over your feet. This also helps you maintain correct form while exercising, which results in fewer injuries and greater gains. And working on balance can even strengthen your abilities in tennis, golf, running, dancing, skiing — and just about any other sport or activity.

Not an athlete? It still pays to have good balance. Just walking across the floor or down the block requires good balance. So do rising from a chair, going up and down stairs, toting packages, and even turning to look behind you.

Poor posture isn't necessarily a bad habit, either. Physical reasons for poor posture include:
- Inflexible muscles that decrease range of motion (how far a joint can move in any direction). For example, overly tight, shortened hip muscles tug your upper body forward and disrupt your posture. Overly tight chest muscles can pull your shoulders forward.
- Muscle strength affects balance in a number of ways. The "core muscles" of the back, side, pelvis, and buttocks form a sturdy central link between your upper and lower body. Weak core muscles encourage slumping, which tips your body forward and thus off balance. -Strong lower leg muscles also help keep you steady on your feet.
Also, protect yourself from the damage of chronic inflammation.
Science has proven that chronic, low-grade inflammation can turn into a silent killer that contributes to cardiovas­cular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and other conditions.

The good news: You can improve your posture with a few simple exercises. -Balance-specific workouts address posture and balance problems with exercises that build strength where it counts and stretches that loosen tight muscles.
-Quick posture checks in the mirror before and during balance exercises can also help you get the most from your regular workout.
- And increasing your core strength and flexibility can help you improve your posture noticeably in just a few weeks.

Good posture means:
1. Chin parallel to the floor
2. Shoulders even (roll your shoulders up, back, and down to help achieve this)
3. Neutral spine (no flexing or arching to overemphasize the curve in your lower back)
4. Arms at your sides with elbows straight and even
abdominal muscles braced
5. Hips even knees even and pointing straight ahead
body weight distributed evenly on both feet.
When sitting down, keep your chin parallel to the floor; your shoulders, hips, and knees at even heights; and your knees and feet pointing straight ahead!

11/09/2022

Babies NEED tummy time! At 11 months old, this little cutie should have a nicely rounded head, developed S curves in his neck and low back, and flexible legs that move in and out of various sitting positions. But, largely due to lack of time on his tummy and OVERUSE of "baby containers" such as bouncy seats, swings, and car seat carriers that go from car to grocery store to restaurant, he has positional plagiocephaly (flat skull) a big ol' C curve in his spine preventing him from getting on hands and knees to crawl, and hips and legs so tight he can't even straighten his knees! And these are only the outwardly visible problems...too much pressure on baby's spine and vision centers of the brain from lying on their backs are detrimental to development! So....tummy time, tummy time, tummy time! Do it!
Tummy time IS absolutely important for development! It doesn't have to be on the floor, but can be on the caregiver's chest, supported over their lap or bent knees, or on a nursing pillow for younger babies. Many of the comments we've read are stating babies shouldn't be placed in "unnatural" positions or those they can get out of. As developmental therapists, we specialize in the timeline of babies moving from the flexion posture (fetal position) through anti-gravity extension. The ONLY "natural" position for a baby is flexion. If you lay an infant on their back, i.e. In extension their arms flail and they think they're falling (this is the Moro reflex) and is why we swaddle babies to keep their arms and legs tucked in close like they were in the womb. The flexion tummy time provides is in fact very safe and natural. I urge you to find a specialist in your area if your baby struggles with reflux and isn't tolerating tummy time that can help develop strategies that will promote being off of their backs. The baby in the picture fits this description.

11/09/2022

Kissing your baby changes your breast milk. Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby’s face, which then travel to mom’s lymphatic system. Mom’s body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk. What?!

03/23/2022

Ramadan(The Islamic month of fasting) is on it's way and here are some known benefits of consuming dates. Not only do they taste good and are light enough on the digestive system to break your fast with; but they also have many health benefits that help with diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol and thyroid problems.

12/29/2021

This is the LAST thing you should use in your home.
Did you know that Lysol spray is purposely made sticky? You spray it in the air and it doesn’t actually diminish odors, it masks them. The sticky spray particles are inhaled by the user (and anyone who has the misfortune of being nearby) coating the hairs in the nose so you can only smell the Lysol. The bad smell is still in the air, you just can’t smell anything but what is stuck up your nose.

The sticky particles are also inhaled into your lungs. Your lungs will produce mucous to rid the lung cilia of the sticky substance. Excess mucous floods your lungs, causing chest congestion, wheezing, hopefully coughing to clear it out, but ultimately, you are drowning in your own phlegm. This is an asthmatic reaction that can send the sensitive to the Emergency Room.

Lysol also has other harmful effects that damage body systems; endocrine disruptors, central nervous system effects.

Lysol is actually classified as a pesticide by the FDA!

12/29/2021

Feeding Toddlers 101

For preschoolers, talk about what foods do in our bodies! Use actual nutrition principles. Create a message that is easily understandable for a 3-4 year old. Here are basic messages:

Sometimes Foods:
🍞 Grains (Sugars) - Help us move by giving us energy
🥚 Proteins (Beans, Dairy, Eggs, Meat, Nuts) - Make our muscles strong
🥞 Fats (Avocado, Butter, Coconut, Olive Oil) - Help our brains think

Fruits and Vegetables:
❤️ Red - Gives you a strong heart
🧡 Orange - Helps you see in the dark
💛 Yellow - Helps your body heal cuts
💚 Green - Gives you super powers to fight off sickness
💙💜 Blue and Purple - Give you a strong brain
🤍 White - Gives you energy

12/29/2021

12/29/2021

THE LIVER AS ENDOCRINE ORGAN: We are hormonal beings

As you dig deeper into physiology, you begin to see that the body is a systems web driven by chemical messengers (hormones) being transported between organs.

The classic endocrine circuit of pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, go**ds, and pancreas, has been expanded over the years to include other body organs. For example, we know that adipose tissue (fat) is very metabolically active and produces adipokines. A recent article expanded the endocrine functions of the liver, suggesting that the liver produces HEPATOKINES, which play a role in metabolism in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and even brain.

Perhaps it's no surprise since we already knew the liver is a POWERHOUSE! All the more reason to keep our livers happy and healthy to ensure that the other organs get the proper signals.

12/29/2021

MICROCOSMS & MACROCOSMS

As ancient traditions realized long ago, we are the sum of our parts. What you manifest in your phenotype is the end product of the inner workings of cellular activities on a more collective scale.

Similarly, we can also work from outside to inside through our behaviors and actions to affect change at the level of the individual cell. Truly, there is no division between our macroscopic expression of Body-Self and our microscopic constellation of Cell-Self.

We are each our own Universe!