headaches and chiropractors

10 REASONS TO VISIT YOUR CHIROPRACTOR DURING THE HOLIDAYS (THE FIRST 5)

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1. TRAVEL

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for most people.  Whether you are traveling by car, plane, or train, traveling can cause extra stress to your life.  Sitting for extended periods of time can cause your body to be stiff and your muscles to tighten.  Lifting heavy suitcases can cause low back pain.  Sleeping on air mattresses or uncomfortable couches can put a “kink” into your neck.  Chiropractors can help ease your body out of pain and get you back to feeling like yourself again.

2. STRESS

Family time is wonderful, but it can also be stressful.  Trying to make every event on your family’s holiday calendar can be daunting and cause you to get stressed out.  When you mentally get stressed out, your body may respond with tense muscles, headaches, insomnia, and even stomach pains.  Chiropractic is a wonderful way shift your mindset towards positive thoughts and can get your mind and body healthy again.

3.  BAD WEATHER

Weather in Colorado is unpredictable.  Today as I am writing this, the snowfall totals are over 10 inches for Fort Collins.  Snowy conditions not only cause car accidents, but they can also cause slips and falls.  Hopefully, these instances don’t happen to you; a car slides into you, you rear-end someone at a stop light, or you slip on your driveway.  Pain may not develop immediately but can result hours or days after.  If these unfortunate events do happen, it is important to get checked by a chiropractor right away.

4. SHOVELING

Going along with the snowy conditions that are likely to happen around the holidays, comes the clean-up of such weather.  The snow must go somewhere, and someone has to move it.  Shoveling can cause flare ups to already existing pain, but it can also cause new pains.  You may not be using proper form as you lift incredibly heavy snow with your plastic shovel.  Make sure that your shovel is the correct length for your body, and is sturdy enough to help you lift the snow.

5. DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

The holiday season does not get a good reputation for being the healthiest time of the year.  Heavy, dense meals are common and sweet treats are the norm.  With an increase in these comfort foods, many of us tend to not get enough fruits and vegetables into our diet.  Without a proper amount of fruits and vegetables, your digestive system will begin to slow down.  Chiropractic can help maintain proper digestion by freeing up misalignments in your spine, allowing the nerves to properly get to your digestive tract to keep things on schedule.

 

Want to learn more? Check out part two of this blog series to see 5 more reasons you can benefit from a trip to the chiropractor this holiday season!

HEADACHE SOLUTIONS

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Many people think that migraines and headaches are normal occurrences, and that everyone gets them. While they are common, they are definitely not normal.  People in Fort Collins experience common headaches all of the time, and they just begin to live with them.  These headaches and migraines can actually affect a person’s entire day, and sometimes they may need to even skip work.  When a person has to skip work frequently, the economic burden begins to build.  There are both direct health care costs and indirect costs of absenteeism.

“The direct cost of migraines ranges from $127 to $7,089 per victim, and the indirect cost due to absenteeism $709 to $4,453 per victim, making migraines an economic burden to the individual, the insurer, the employer, as well as local, state and federal entities who experience a lowered tax base from lost wages. It was also reported that between 2005 and 2006, there were 1,729,555 physician office visits, 186,603 advanced imaging procedures, 59,589 other diagnostic procedures, and 22,168 hospital days with a primary diagnosis of migraine or headache; all of which are paid by private or public insurers, or out of the pockets of individuals. In short, the costs are staggering and a burden to the economy.”

One study shows that “chiropractic was 57% more effective in the reduction of headaches than drug therapy. In addition, it was reported that, with the drug group, “58% experienced medication side effects important enough to report them … Using the 57 % increased effectiveness that chiropractic has over drug therapy (leaving out the overlap that chiropractic could help without drugs) and the $24 billion U.S. employers pay for headaches and migraines annually, the savings from chiropractic care would approach $13.7 billion annually” (original source here).

Chiropractic care is not only beneficial to your body, but also your wallet.  When you begin to realize that chiropractic care will save you money in the long run, it only makes sense to get you and your entire family checked.  More money saved means you can enjoy more of the fun activities Fort Collins has to offer!