October 2024 Newsletter

From the desk of Dr. Brown…...

October is Spine Health Awareness Month!!

The purpose of Spinal Health Month it is to bring awareness about the importance of spine health. A healthy spine means good body movement, more energy, improved digestion and immunity, and better mental and physical abilities to get you through our hectic days!

Statistics show 8 out of 10 people will at some time during their life experience low back pain. A significant number of Americans suffer from secondary health problems caused by spinal conditions preventing them from leading productive lives. Having your spine checked for subluxations, getting those corrected as needed helps avoid many of these health problems.

83% of the population see a MD for their back pain. Those who see a chiropractor report more satisfaction with their chiropractor compared to those who saw the medical doctor.

It is smart proactive health care to have your spine checked regularly!

New research coming your way!
Please make sure to also read Dr. Hervat’s article found in this newsletter about the effects of poor posture on your brain health!! It is incredible! Good stuff to know especially for our children.

Lastly….
In honor of October is Spine Health Awareness Month, see below for information about a “We’ve Got Your Back Day”!!! on Saturday October 26th.

‘til next time….
Dr. Brown
 

Office News

It's Spine Health Awareness Month and we're celebrating

You're Invited to "Got Your Back" OPEN HOUSE Saturday, Oct 26th 9am12pm

 

• Existing Patients – donation based adjustments, first come first served!

• Not a patient yet or know someone who needs their spine checked? – Free spinal screenings, first come first served!

• Stay and watch our new Excel Family Chiropractic Videos!

• Refreshments will be served.
   

A Heartfelt Thank You!

Dear Excel Family Chiropractic & Wellness,

On behalf of our school, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your overwhelming generosity in donating school supplies for each and every one of our students. Your kindness has touched our hearts. We were truly overwhelmed by your donation of school supplies and drawstring backpacks for our students and staff.

Your support goes beyond material gifts, it is a testament to the compassion that binds our community together. As it says in Proverbs 11:25, " A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." You have refreshed our small but mighty school, and we pray that your business will be blessed abundantly in return for the generosity you've shared.

May you continue to prosper and grow and may God's favor rest upon the Excel Family for the way you have invested in Mt. Zion Christian School. With sincere Thanks and Many blessings,

Jacob Coehoorn
Principal
Mt. Zion Christian School

Thoughts from Dr. Hervat

Stand up straight.

Shoulders back, chin up.

We hear these things and fix our posture…for the next 30 seconds until the slouch creeps back in. Bad posture has become the norm; office jobs with long periods of sitting, heavy labor jobs working bent over and lifting all day, scrolling through our phones for hours on end.

Dr Brown and I have been traveling recently for our continuing education classes. I love learning new things and getting a refresh or updates on current information. One of the classes I attended was on postural neurology, essentially how our posture affects our brains and nervous system. The research is startling, that something as relatively simply as good posture can have a profound effect on our nervous system.

Loss of the curve in the neck, cervical hypolordosis, is associated with decreased blood flow to the brain, decreased awareness of our bodies in space, decreased stability, increased dizziness or loss of balance, and loss of motor function. I don’t know about you, but none of that sounds good to me!

Cervical hypolordosis is not a condition only found in the aging population. One study found that 73% of children present with moderate to severe forward head posture(1). 73%! Children are in the prime of their cognitive development and it is being stunted by poor posture. Our brains are consistently learning and these children are learning poor posture.

Mobility and upright posture have also been associated with aspects of cognition(2). In a time where mental decline as we age is on the rise, improved posture may be part of the solution. Patients with chronic low back pain even demonstrated 10-20 times more loss of gray matter in the brain on MRI(3). Loss of height as small as .5 cm has been associated with increased mortality(4). Chronic pain and poor posture are causing physical changes in our brain structure and even increased mortality.

We cannot afford to let poor posture continue. I hope you and your family are already coming in for posture correcting adjustments (and doing your home exercises), but if you know someone who could benefit from better posture, please have them call us today or join our office in celebrating Spinal Health Month at “Got Your Back” day October 26th from 9-12. See you there!

Dr. Emma

1. Chandoliya, Hemendra, Varsha Chorsiya, and Dhananjay Kaushik. "Prevalence and Levels of Forward Head Posture among School Going Children." American Journal of Epidemiology & Public Health 5.1 (2021): 22-25.

2. Cohen, Rajal G., et al. "Mobility and upright posture are associated with different aspects of cognition in older adults." Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 8 (2016): 257.

3. Apkarian, A. Vania, et al. "Chronic back pain is associated with decreased prefrontal and thalamic gray matter density." Journal of neuroscience 24.46 (2004): 10410-10415.

4. Iwasaki, Tsuyoshi, et al. "Association between height loss and mortality in the general population." Scientific Reports 13.1 (2023): 3593.