Taking Control of Your Health
The Stern Chiropractic Newsletter
Featured Topic: SUMMER SAFETY FOR CHILDREN
Referral Corner:
The Greatest Compliment my Patients Can Give is the Referral of Their Friends and Loved Ones. Thank You For Your Trust. This month, I would like to thank the following people for their trust: Lee Truger, Paula Comm, Dr. David Kanarek, Rhea Kleeblatt, Eduardo Gonzalez and Sue Stern.
Charity Corner:
Stern Chiropractic is collecting donations for The Buffalo Grove Friends of the Park. A matching contribution will be made by Stern Chiropractic (certain restrictions apply). Please join me in helping fund more programs and the development of more facilities for all to enjoy.
Topic of the Month : SUMMER SAFETY FOR CHILDREN
Summer is a time of vacations, sports and all types of outdoor fun but there can be some hidden dangers. I hope these tips help keep everybody safe this summer.
Water parks can be a great way to beat the heat but remember the following:
– Diving into shallow water can cause irreversible spinal and brain damage and possibly death.
– To reduce the risk of injury to your neck and low back, go down the water slides on your back rather than your stomach.
– Children should wear water footwear to decrease the possibility of slips and falls.
At the Amusement park, to reduce the risk of incurring a whiplash type injury on the rides that whip around, hold one hand behind the neck while the other hand grasps the railing.
Trampolines – The number of spinal injuries from large trampolines in backyards is high. There is no right way to be safe on this equipment. The risks outweigh the fun and it is recommended that you get rid of these hazards. If you still want to use it, make sure there are always several people spotting at different sides in case the jumper looses their balance.
Soccer – Recent information suggests that younger players could be at a higher risk of severe head trauma, neck injuries and headaches due to heading the ball. The American Chiropractic Association suggests youngsters hold off heading until at least age 10-11.
Skateboarding and Rollerblading – Make sure your children are wearing the proper protective gear which includes helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and especially wrist guards. Besides the normal scrapes and bruises, wrist fractures caused by falling onto outstretched arms are very common.
Sports Injury Prevention:
No Pressure – Remember, sports are supposed to be fun. Don’t push high performance too much because it can cause increased stress which can lead to injury.
Warm-up before you start. Try to warm up all your muscles with special focus on the muscles you will be using in the sport you are playing.
Cross Train – encourage your kids to play different sports in order to develop their whole body and not just certain sport specific muscles.
Start moving – Adults and children should get out and be active. Enjoy the nice weather. Break away from the video games and TV sets. You have a greater risk of negative long-term health affects from a sedentary lifestyle then many of the other dangers listed above.
Water – Teenagers and up should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day and more when they are active. Younger children should drink five 8-ounce glasses per day.
Take a Good Multi-Vitamin Daily – Most Americans need additional vitamin and mineral supplementation for proper health (this means a high quality vitamin – if you want to know more about that, call me and I would be happy to talk to you about this). For young athletes, additional Vitamin C along with the multi is a good idea. Vitamin B and amino acids may help reduce the pain from contact sports. Thiamine can help promote healing and Vitamin A can strengthen scar tissue.
Eat a Healthy Diet – Everything within moderation is my theory. Eating some sweets is okay as long as you make sure you are getting plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low saturated fat proteins such as fish, beans and white meat fowl (without the skin).
Avoid trendy supplements used to enhance performance. These products can either be a waste of money or worse, they could be dangerous. Talk to your chiropractor before starting any nutritional supplement.
Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated and carbonated drinks. These drinks have no nutritional value, the caffeine is not good for you and the carbonation will interfere with building proper bone density.
Get Plenty of Rest – Eight hours of sleep is ideal for young athletes. Sluggishness, irritability and loss of interest could indicate that your child is fatigued.
Last, but not least, remember, if your child does get hurt, would like to improve his/her athletic performance (via a more finely tuned nervous system) and/or would like to be and stay healthier Chiropractic Care is the way to go.
Free Athletic Stretching Clinic for Children and Adults, Saturday July 13th from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. at Stern Chiropractic. Pre-registration is required.
FREE Spinal and Gait Evaluation for all Children under 18 during the month of July. Call today to schedule your child’s appointment.
Products of the Month : Children’s Probiotic Powder
Do your children have gassiness, belching, diarrhea or constipation? Do they get regular sinus infections? Have they been on antibiotics? If you have answered “YES” to any of these questions, there is a good chance that they may be deficient in the proper gut flora (lactobacillius Acidophilus and bifidobacterium). These are the good bacteria in your digestive tract that promote good digestion and help fight off other invading infective agents. Children’s Probiotic powder provides the right blend of good bacteria to help restore the proper balance to your children’s digestive tracts and to help resolve the problems listed above.
I hope this information helps you take control of your health and your life! If you have any questions, feedback or have any suggestions for future topics, please call or email me.
If you know someone who would be interested in receiving this newsletter, if you would like to receive this newsletter via email, or if you would prefer to no longer receive this newsletter, please let me know.
Don’t forget the importance of maintaining your health with regular chiropractic and acupuncture care.
Sincerely,
Gregg Stern, D.C., FICPA