Getting the most from Your Family Wellness Chiropractic

Your kids won’t be young forever so enjoy spending time with them while they’re young and enthusiastic about “Family Time”. To help you get motivated, here are some fun and affordable family activities.

Make a Time Capsule

This will get younger children’s imaginations flowing as they imagine being grown up with their own little ones and opening up a box they packed when they were little – just don’t bury the box. If it’s buried then it will typically be a mess when it’s unearthed. So pack your box with big stuff: artwork or school reports, a recent family picture and letters to your future selves. You can also pack the little stuff: movie stubs, a printout of a Facebook page and a toy with its batteries removed so they don’t corrode. Things that won’t stand the test of time include: delicate clothing, food or CDs/DVDs that won’t keep up with technology. Don’t forget to toss in a silica-gel pack from your most recent shoe purchase to absorb moisture and set a date for the big reveal in 25 years or so.

Put on a “No-Talent Show”

Encourage the silliness and give out awards for the worst jokes and goofiest face or sounds. Make sure that you score extra points for originality and heartiest laughter.

Start a Family Book Club

Most school-age children are required to read in their own time but making it a family affair may remove some of the stigma. Choose stories that will appeal to all members of the family – no matter their age. Choose book titles that have humor for both children and adults. Let one person read aloud, or take turns so that you can experience the story unfolding together. For book recommendations that will be enjoyed by the entire family visit realsimple.com/familybooks

Go on a Scavenger Hunt

This is a fun activity for every age. Be sure to limit the territory to the backyard or inside the house. For those who live in colder climes consider the basement or a large room in the house. The benefit is to encourage them to look for (and notice) objects that they usually overlook. Set a time limit (30 minutes for 20 clues should do it) and supply each child with a bag to hold his booty and a list of clues. Spark their imagination with things that are open for interpretation, like “something that smells really bad” or “an object that starts with the letter K”. This also keeps siblings from clobbering each other racing for the one blue spatula. When time is up, tally who found the most items. Aside from bragging rights the winner gets a fun prize, such as a gift certificate to the movies or other treat for the whole family.

As your Doctors of Chiropractic, we are committed to your family’s overall health and wellness. This is why we provide educational information to help you better understand and care for your spine.

What is Subluxation?

Our spine protects our spinal cord, which is the message highway from our brain to all of our other muscles, tissues, organs and glands via the nerves that exit between each vertebra. Commonly known as the “central nervous system”, it’s the master controller of all of your body’s systems. If just one vertebra is even slightly out of alignment, it can cause nerve interference. This nerve interference is the result of a subluxated vertebra or vertebral subluxation.

In its simplest terms, vertebral subluxation is the result of a vertebra becoming misaligned or fixed out of position. Since the nerves travel between the vertebrae, this can result in nerve interference. This is similar to pinching a straw and less liquid being able to get through. Similarly, nerve interference can cause the messages from the brain to the muscles, tissues, organs and glands to be inhibited.

If the messages from the brain are not getting through it can manifest in symptoms completely unrelated to back and neck pain. Every system of the body is controlled by the central nervous system: immune system, digestion and elimination, respiratory system, etc.

The brain’s signals being received without interference can ensure that the body is functioning at its best.

© 2014 Generations