Goodspeed Chiropractic - Nevada City, CA

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Goodspeed Chiropractic - Nevada City, CA

Dr. Goodspeed has been practicing the art and science of chiropractic for 25 years. Many of her photographs are on display at the office. magazine.

She is a graduate of Nevada Union High School ('87) and earned her bachelor's degree in Holistic Healing from San Francisco State University ('92). Dr. Goodspeed chose Life Chiropractic College West for her chiropractic education because of the emphasis placed on the innate intelligence of the body that is taught there. Dr. Goodspeed's gentle, effective techniques are always tailored to the needs

of each individual. Overall health, age, occupation, and hobbies are considered when designing treatment plans. Chiropractic treatments are given in conjunction with muscle therapy, nutritional or ergonomic education, and/or stretching and strengthening exercises, as needed. Dr. Goodspeed is a marathon runner, and enjoys hiking, cooking, and photography. She has also kept off a 75 pound weight loss for 23 years and is passionate about teaching others the joy of delicious healthy eating. Dr. Goodspeed is a yoga instructor, director of the Goodspeed Chiropractic Running Club, and a frequent contributor to Swell! Treatments are available for acute, chronic and wellness care for children and adults. Schedule your appointment today and open the healing power of your body's own wisdom.

16/01/2025

Tacos + rainbows + chiropractic care?! It’s a match made in heaven!

16/02/2024

Happy February to you!

I want to jump right in to the second installment of my Foundations of Health series. Last month I wrote about sleep (that newsletter will be paraphrased in an upcoming article in The Union newspaper - be on the lookout!), and this month I'll be writing about MOVEMENT.

Movement is essential to good health. It lubricates and flushes our joints, helps to build strong bones, exercises our heart and lungs, it's great for circulation and coordination, and helps to alleviate stress. Movement helps strengthen our muscles, and boosts our metabolism.

I'm talking about exercise here, that is, sustained movement. And as the adage goes: The best exercise is the one you'll do. Indeed it is important to find one or two types of exercise/movement that you find enjoyable and practical to your location, budget, lifestyle, and ability...and do them!

It's no secret that "the doing" part of exercise is a challenge for many of us, so today I want to focus on what I consider to be the best exercise: Walking.

I consider walking the best exercise because it is budget friendly, requiring no equipment, is easily accessible for most people (if you have mobility issues and are unable to walk, please don't stop reading as I'll be providing some alternatives that mimic the effects of walking), and because of it's top-notch neurological benefits and versatility.

First the neurological: Walking is one of a few exercises that involve simultaneous activation of an opposite arm and leg, with alternating activation of anterior (flexor) and posterior (extensor) muscle groups. (Wow - this is awesome good, nerdy stuff, right?!) This is known as a "cross-crawl" pattern, is first seen in babies as they start to crawl, and helps with neurological development and coordination. Well guess what? Because the cross-crawl pattern requires heavy left and right brain hemisphere communication, it helps adults with coordination, balance, and brain health too! Walking also activates our core and back muscles, helping to keep us upright, which in turn helps with cognitive function. I'll say that backwards: A slouched posture provides less stimulation to the brain and therefore dims our proverbial bulb over time - it's true!

For those of you with mobility issues, the cross-crawl pattern can be mimicked in a chair by raising an arm and opposite knee simultaneously, alternating sides. Other alternatives you can come speak with me about are: on the back with an exercise called Dead Bugs, on the hands and knees with Bird-Dogs, or on your stomach with alternating opposite-arm, opposite-leg Supermans.

The versatility of walking is also what makes it so wonderful. Walking can be done in remote mountains (a.k.a. 'hiking'), barefoot on a beach, or in the middle of a busy city (a.k.a. urban hiking/exploration). Walking can be done alone, with a friend, with a partner, or with a dog. Walking can be done in silence and used for a time to check in with yourself and process life events, or it can be done with your favorite music. You can listen to a podcast or audiobook and use it as learning or entertainment time. You can do a walking meditation in silence or listening to guided meditations or singing bowl recordings. Thich Nhat Hanh, famous Buddhist monk, peace activist and author once wrote "Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet." Lovely.

Some of my favorite walks:
Walking the dogs while listening to an episode of The Moth storytelling podcast.
Walking up and down the Yuba River trails, listening to the river.
Walking a silent Nevada City loop that begins and ends at Three Forks, where I stop for a treat afterwards.
Urban hike: The San Francisco CrossTown Trail. (There's an app for that!)
Urban Hike: Self-Guided Mural tours in Sacramento. (There's an app for that!)

I'll finish with some simple tips:
- It doesn't need to be exotic - walking out your front door is fantastic!
- Start slow. Five minutes out and five minutes back, and build up from there.
- Scan the ground about 15 feet in front of you instead of looking down at your feet.
- Multiple short walks in a day are actually better. Think: four 8-minute walks, or three 10-minute walks.
- Talk to me if you need ideas or inspiration!
- If 'exercise' turns you off, but 'movement' sounds nice, change your language! Tell your friends and family "I'm going to go move this morning."

As always, please reach out of you have any questions. I hope this information is helpful, educational, and de-mystifying.

See you on the streets!

In Health & Healing,
Heather Goodspeed, DC
ph/text: 530-264-6368
email: DrHeather95959@gmail.com

19/01/2024

Happy 2024! Let’s go back to sleep!

There is no shortage of talk about health this time of year. But what is “health” and why do we desire it so? For me, health is an ease of living, or ease in the functioning of living. The ability to walk up stairs without losing my breath. The ability to bend over and tie my shoes. Having energy and stamina to play with children or grandchildren. Sure-footedness on a mountain trail. Being able stand and cook my favorite meal without back pain. Clear-mindedness. What does health look and feel like to you? I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts!

Over the next several monthly newsletters I’ll be going over some of the big, foundational aspects of health and well-being, and how to be consistent with them. Today I’ll start off with the non-negotiable: SLEEP.

Our bodies are designed to spend about 1/3 of the time asleep. For that reason alone we can deduct that it is pretty gosh darn important to our existence! Indeed, sleep is when our brain and body rest, recuperate, regenerate, and detoxify. Cellular rejuvenation and repair happen primarily during sleep. Literally any ailment or injury has REST as one of the recovery requirements. Sleep also helps with executive function, that is, following directions, processing information, memory, creative thinking, emotional regulation, focus, and the like. A good nights sleep quite literally allows for better learning and recall, emotional self-regulation, and injury prevention. Here are some tips for good sleep hygiene:
Avoid caffeine after lunch.
Avoid or minimize ni****ne and alcohol.
Stop eating and drinking at least two hours prior to bedtime.
Exercise, but any intense workouts are best done in the morning or afternoon rather than evening.
Keep your bedroom dark and quiet.
Invest in a good pillow and (firm) mattress.
Be consistent about what time you go to bed.
Electronics. Stop using your hand-held electronic devices two hours prior to bedtime, and charge your device overnight in an area out of reach from your bed, preferably in another room. Also worthy of it’s own paragraph:

Electronics are a significant sleep disruptor these days. Be it the arousing, melatonin-blocking blue light or the stimulating content being viewed, electronics can really wreak havoc on our sleep patterns. The good news is that our devices are equipped with some tools to help. The ‘Health’ app on your device can be set to give alerts to stop using said device and when to go to sleep. The ‘Display & Brightness’ setting can be auto-set to day and night modes based on sunrise and sunset of your location. The night mode emanates a more yellow light that is less stimulating than the usual blue light. You can also use the ‘Focus’ function to pre-set Do Not Disturb and Sleep hours.

Along with the tips above, here are some products that may also assist in a better nights sleep:
Low-dose THC gummies. Camino blueberry sleep gummies, available at Elevation 2477 in Nevada City, are a good product with no lingering effects in the morning.
Therapeutica sleeping pillows, available at my office.
Eye masks. Locally made, and beautifully hand-dyed silk masks can be found at LuciaLaFerme.com.
Magnesium glycinate has some calming, relaxing effects. I will be putting in an order soon, please let me know if you would like a bottle or two.
Apps such as Calm or Insight Timer offer a variety of sleep music and sounds, just be sure to set up your device and bluetooth speaker out of reach! (Alexa can also be commanded to play sleep sounds for 30 minutes.)
Blue light blocking glasses. These vary greatly in price depending on if they are over-the-counter or built in to your existing eyeglass prescription.

Please reach out if you have any questions or comments. I wish you a wonderfully deep nights sleep!

In Health & Healing,
Heather Goodspeed, DC
ph/text: 530-264-6368

Address

Opening Hours

Monday	08:30 - 16:30
Wednesday	10:00 - 18:00
Thursday	10:00 - 18:00
Friday	08:30 - 16:30

Telephone

+15302646368

Website

http://www.goodspeedchiropractic.com/

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Our Story

Dr. Goodspeed has been practicing the art of chiropractic for 21 years. She is a graduate of Nevada Union High School ('87) and earned her bachelor's degree in Holistic Healing from San Francisco State University ('92). Dr. Goodspeed chose Life Chiropractic College West for her chiropractic education because of the emphasis placed on the innate intelligence of the body that is taught there. Dr. Goodspeed's gentle, effective techniques are always tailored to the needs of each individual. Overall health, age, occupation, hobbies, and nutrition are considered when designing treatment plans. Chiropractic treatments are given in conjunction with muscle therapy, nutritional or ergonomic education, and/or stretching and strengthening exercises, as needed. Dr. Goodspeed is a marathon runner, and enjoys hiking, cooking, and photography. Many of her photographs are on display at the office. She has also kept off a 75 pound weight loss for 20 years and is passionate about teaching others the joy of delicious healthy eating. Dr. Goodspeed is a yoga instructor, director of the Goodspeed Chiropractic Running Club, and a frequent contributor to Swell! magazine. Treatments are available for acute, chronic and wellness care for children and adults. Schedule your appointment today and open the healing power of your body's own wisdom.