Today I will be discussing a handful of easy to do and very important stretches to help keep you limber and healthy between your chiropractic appointments! 

Hey everybody! It's Dr.Bob here with Lowcountry Chiropractic with another exciting blog dedicated to your body and your lower back. I hope everyone is staying safe and well out there. Today, we are going to be talking about stretches dedicated to the lower back and the lower part of your body. A lot of patients come in with complaints about lower back pain, stiffness, tenderness, and other similar issues.  I will be discussing some very simple and effective stretches today that everyone can do to help with this kind of pain, no matter if you're working at home on your computer, on a construction site, or in a traditional office setting. If you add these stretches into your life every day, they can help save you and prevent you from injury. These stretches help if you have a job that requires you to lift heavy things. One thing I will say though before we get into today's blog, these stretches are not a substitute for chiropractic care. Chiropractic care and stretches are two different things. Stretches are meant to elongate your muscles and keep them toned and loose so they don't seize up and pull the vertebrae out, irritate the nerve, and cause a subluxation. If you have a subluxation, the stretches aren't going to fix the subluxation, which is what I'm here for! 

I want to give you four main stretches to use every day. These are stretches that I give to my patients all the time. The first needs to be done in the morning before you get out of bed. This is especially for my readers who wake up very stiff in the morning and it takes time to straighten up and out of bed before you can get moving for the day. This stretch is wonderful, so I recommend you giving it a chance and see how your body improves over time when adding it into your schedule! 

• You need to begin by laying on your back. 
• Your knees will be pulled up towards the ceiling with your feet flat on the mattress.
• Your head will need to be resting on your pillow.
• Take both hands and grab one of your knees and pull it into your chest and hold it there for about ten seconds, or longer if you want.
• Keep your other leg up, do not straighten it out. Straightening it out will put a tremendous amount of stress on your lower back.
• Once you've held one knee for at least ten seconds, switch to hold the other knee. 
• Once you've done each knee by itself, you are going to pull both knees up to your chest and hold them there for at least ten seconds. I like to cross my ankles when I do so. 
• When you're holding both of your knees, you want to pull them into your chest as best as you can to get the best stretch out of this position as possible.
• Please remember when you're doing this, that you want to think about what you're trying to accomplish with this particular stretch. Your lumbar spine has a natural curve to it. Most injuries occur because of stress at the back of the disc or the back of the bone. So, you never really want to extend and rotate when you stretch because that movement can hurt you. This movement closes the spacing in between the bones in the back, pinching things down. All of the exercises we will be talking about today are flexion exercises, which means you're bending forward which opens up the back discs, lets all of your spinal fluid flow freely, and stretches your muscles at the same time. I would recommend doing this particular stretch four or five times in a row, a set is holding each knee once and pulling both knees in your chest.
• This stretch is also great to do when you get home from work or when you get done for the day if you're working from home, and also great when you go to bed at night! 

This second stretch is for people who sit a lot. There are a lot of people out there who sit for hours during the workday, which can be particularly hard on the body. You should be doing this particular stretch every half hour or so, maybe even more. Don't just sit in the same position all day hunched over your desk and your computer. When you sit there for hours, everything begins to tighten up. Gravity settles down into your discs and it's not a healthy situation. So, what can you do? Very simple! Stretch! 

• Get into a comfortable seated position, sitting upright with your feet on the floor.
• Reach down and touch your toes and let your body hang out there for a bit, letting gravity do its thing. 
• Sometimes I take a deep breath while I'm leaning over and touching my toes, and then blow out. This will give you an added moment of relaxation. 
• Hang out in this position for about ten seconds, or more if you choose.
• Once you do this, stretch to either your right or left side while you're still leaning over. This will stretch the opposite side of your back that you're leaning away from.
• Once you've stretched in one direction, switch to the other side.
• Take this stretch nice and slow, and please do not bounce your body while leaning over or moving from either side.
• Leaning forward and to both sides is one set for this stretch, and you will want to repeat this stretch four or five times.

This third stretch is my favorite! I do it before and after I go to the gym, before and after I run, and I do it before and after I need to lift something heavy. This is a perfect stretch for anyone out there in the construction field who is lifting anything heavy. Please make sure to do this stretch along with all the stretches we've talked about today. If you add all of the stretches we will be talking about today into your routine, you're going to prevent a lot of bad injuries. If your muscles are looser and then you put weight on them, they're going to handle it a lot better compared to if they were wound up and tight. You can do this next stretch multiple ways, either by leaning onto a desk or chair or carefully balancing without one. 

• If you don't have a chair or desk to hold onto, carefully get into a squat position. 
• Bend down and let yourself hang there between your legs. Gravity is going to take over when you do this. You're not doing a lot of work, you're just going to be hanging out and letting your body be stretched by gravity. 
• Hold this position for about ten seconds. 
• After this first ten seconds, lean to either your right or left side and stretch it out. Once you lean to one side, lean to the other. 
• Repeat this whole process at least 4 to 5 times! 
• If you have a desk or something to hold onto to do this stretch, you can change up your stretch a bit. Hold onto the piece of furniture and lean back into your squat and then stretch your body forward. It is a very similar stretch, but you will just get a deep stretch that you can control by leaning onto a piece of furniture.

Stretch number four is a stretch called a child's pose. The child's pose is a yoga stretch. Some of you may be familiar with this, and if you are, you know what a wonderful stretch this is! 

• First, you need to get down on your hands and knees. 
• Sit back into your knees, you're going to try and touch your rear end to your feet.
• While keeping your rear end and feet touching, you want to move the rest of your body down and as close to the ground as you can get it, with your arms straight out in front of you.
• Elongate your body once you reach this position. 
• Hold this position for at least ten seconds.
• After this first ten-second hold, bring one arm in and keep the other stretched out in front of you. This stretches the muscles from your armpit down to your waist. 
• After holding in one arm for ten seconds, switch with the other arm. 
• After going through these steps, you'll want to repeat the process another 4 to 5 times. 

These four stretches are amazing for your lower back. While we are talking stretches today, I want to give you a few more simple stretches to add to your everyday life to help stretch out your piriformis muscles. The sciatic nerve goes through the piriformis muscles, so sometimes it is easy to blame sciatic pain on your lower back when it is coming from the piriformis muscles. When this happens, your piriformis muscle has tightened up and is squeezing that sciatic nerve, and that is not good! These next two stretches are to help you work on your piriformis and your psoas muscles, which are your hip flexors. The hip flexors are attached to the front of your hips and back in your lumbar spine. Sometimes you can get lower back pain and it's actually related to your psoas being tight. To stretch your piriformis muscles: 

• Lay on your back with your knees pulled in and your heels on the ground. 
• Take one leg and pull it up, putting your ankle of one leg on the knee of another, making a triangle shape with both legs. 
• Reach in between your legs, and grab the back of your knee, and pull it towards you. 
• This action will stretch the muscles of the opposite side that you're pulling on.
• To stretch even more of your muscles, your going to take the opposite arm of the leg that's up and over your knee, and pull it towards that side, while the hand of the leg that is up will be laying at your side to steady you. 
• Do this on both sides of your body! The tighter side is the one that you will want to spend more time stretching. 

You can stretch your psoas muscles in many different ways, but today I am just going to give you a few options on how to stretch them. 

• Sit up in a chair with one leg crossed over your knee, with your ankle sitting on top of that knee. 
• Keep your back very straight and you are going to push down on the knee of the leg that is crossed. Push it into the floor.
• Do this for ten seconds on both sides a few times. The side that is feeling tighter needs to be stretched longer. 
• You can also stretch the psoas by getting into a lunge position.
• Once you're in the lunge position, lean forward and right into the floor with the leg that is in front. 
• Keep your back very straight when you do this, do not arch your back! 
• Do this with both legs at least 4 to 5 times! 

All of these stretches are good basic. every day, effective stretches. They are effective if you keep up with them and make time for them in your busy schedule. if you don't do them every day, they won't help you as much as they could. Now that you have this blog as a reference point, there aren't any excuses not to do them. However, let me reiterate, these are stretches. This is not self-prescribed chiropractic care. These stretches will help you, but if you have a subluxation in your spine, you won't be able to stretch it out. When you have a subluxation, that is when you need to call me! If you're suffering out there and you need relief from the pain in your lower back, are experiencing sciatic pain or other pain, make sure to look us up, come find us, and we will be happy to help you in every way we can! I'm Dr. Bob, and remember, I've got your back covered! Until next time, take care! 

 The first x-ray that I look at is a side view of my patient, called the lateral. This x-ray helps me look at and see the curves of the body and the whole spine, and I look at the disc space between every vertebrae to see if there is any arthritis in the spine. Arthritis shows up as little spurs or hooks on the bones. The x-ray that I have pictured here, and what I am looking at as I write this, is that of our young woman painter, she does not have any arthritis and the disc spaces between the vertebrae look good! Look closely at this picture. I would personally like to see a little more of a curve in her lower back so it looks a little more like a C. Her back is pretty straight, as is her neck. I would also like to see more of a curve at the top of her neck, too. Even with these wants, her back looks pretty good overall! ​​

Now, let's talk about the second x-ray called the A to P, which is the front-to-back x-ray. When I take this picture the patient is looking away from me, meaning the x-ray is looking at their back straight on. I do this because when I adjust my patients they are lying face down, and I want to mirror what I am going to see on my table when I adjust them.  As you can see from the third picture here, there is a scoliosis or a curvature in the middle of her back, which is not normal. The bones in the middle of her back should be straight and lined up perfectly with the rest of the spine. When you look closer at the 4th picture, you can see that her pelvis on the left side is much higher than the right side! ​​

Cholesterol is something we should all take very seriously, but there is still a lot of misinformation out there about it that we need to understand. Today Dr. Bob will be debunking some of the most common myths about cholesterol with the help of Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Hey everybody! It's Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic. I hope everyone out there is doing well and staying healthy. Today, we are going to be talking about cholesterol. I first want to say that this information that I am sharing with you comes from Dr. Joseph Mercola, and he is awesome. He has some great information about all kinds of health issues. I encourage you to visit his website, www.mercola.com. He is an osteopathic doctor and has a very natural and holistic medical approach to his work. This information comes from an article he wrote in April of 2016, and I want to give total credit and props to him for this information and inspiration of this blog. I have taken some notes and wanted to share them with you. The topic of the article is cholesterol myths that you shouldn't believe.
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Myth #1 Cholesterol Is Bad! 
We always hear about how high cholesterol will cause  heart disease. That is not exactly the case. Get this fact! The liver makes three-quarters of the cholesterol that exists in your body. Now if your liver is making cholesterol, would your liver make something that is bad for you? I wouldn't think so! That's really the case. The body actually needs cholesterol, and it is very important for several reasons. 

• It's a key component of the cell membranes in your body. The membranes that surround your organs, your blood vessels, and your glands are made up of cholesterol. To keep your organs healthy and operating as they should you need to have cholesterol, as it is a major component of their membranes. 
• Cholesterol interacts with proteins within the cell and helps with intercellular communications between the cells, and helps cells communicate with one another. This is so important because cells are interdependent and help with your overall functions and health. ​​
  
• Without cholesterol, your whole digestive process can get messed up. 
• About 25% of the cholesterol in our body lives in our brain. Cholesterol is important to the health of the synapsis in the brain. The synapses are the spaces between the cells called the neurons, and neurons are your brain cells. To help with cellular communications in your brain, they need cholesterol. This process helps you think, learn, and remember things. 

Myth #2 High cholesterol is caused by a bad diet. 
The reality of it is that only about 20% of your cholesterol is related to the food that you eat, making 80% of the cholesterol found in your body genetic. It has to do more with the liver's inability to get rid of excess cholesterol in people who are genetically inclined to produce more cholesterol. So, it's not really what we eat; a lot of it is genetic! We need to look at someone's genetics, study them, and pay attention to their family's medical history before placing blame on anything else. 

What is a healthy cholesterol level? The bottom line is that a healthy level varies by person. Your medical doctor will usually say that you have to have cholesterol under 200 and your LDL levels (the bad cholesterol) need to be under 100. In all honestly, these levels vary by person. There are some ratios and measurements that are much more accurate than total cholesterol. Total cholesterol is really not a good indicator of heart health. What is a good measure is the ratio of HDL (the good cholesterol) in your body divided by the total cholesterol. That number should be greater than 24% and is a great measure of whether you're in the right range of heart health. 

The second measurement is to look at your triglyceride levels, or the levels of fat circulating in your bloodstream. The triglycerides divided by the total cholesterol should be under 2 for a healthy heart. Another good way to measure heart health is to look at the fasting insulin levels in your body. If you're eating a lot of refined sugars,  your body produces more insulin, which is there to take the sugar out of your bloodstream. Elevated insulin levels are bad because they promote fat accumulation in your body. An indicator of heart disease is the accumulation of fat in your body, especially belly fat. 

More Things To Consider For Measuring Heart Health 

• The NMR Profile. This looks at the LDL (the “bad cholesterol”) levels in your body. These LDL molecules are not all bad. The larger or fluffier ones are very good for your body. It is the smaller LDL molecules that can infiltrate the bloodstream and cause inflammation and damage. The NMR profile will tell you how many fat fluffy LDL molecules you have versus how many small and dangerous ones you have. 
• Fasting blood sugar is also a very important ratio to understand. Research has shown that if your blood sugar is between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter, that means you are at a 300% higher risk for heart disease. 
• Iron levels are very important. Increased iron levels in your body are known to damage your blood vessels. 

These are all key components for the types of testing you can do and things you need to consider when searching out if your heart health is ok! 

Myth #3 Margarine is better for you than butter. 
This is a myth because it has been proven that vegetable-based oils are bad for you;  they increase the bad levels of LDLs in your body, and can cause heart problems. What you want to be doing instead is to eat more animal-based fats (eggs and butter) rather than plant-based fats.  Omega 3 fats are also a great example of fats to eat and are found in fish. 

Considering Medications
The last thing we are going to talk about is statin drugs. These are the drugs that are used to control cholesterol levels in your body. In general, they're not very effective. In fact, studies have shown that they only benefit about 1% of the population that takes them. They also deplete your coenzyme Q10 levels in your body. This material is responsible for energy production throughout your body, helping it work and function properly. If you don't have enough coenzyme Q10,  you won't have enough energy production for your body to work as it needs to. Your heart needs an extreme amount of energy to function, so lower levels of coenzyme q10 can lead to heart disease. 

What are the healthy non-prescription ways to treat your cholesterol and heart disease? 

• Decrease the number of grains and sugars you eat in your diet. 
• Eat a lot of raw vegetables and fruits. 
• Eat a lot of animal omega 3's that are found in fish and krill oil. 
• Decrease your intake of vegetable oils and trans fats in your diet. 
• Increase consumption of avocados, coconut oil, and butter. 
• Eat fermented foods.  Fermented foods are great for you and increase the good bacteria in your digestive tract and in your mouth. It has been proven that poor oral health can lead to poor cardiac health. 
• Increase your levels of vitamin D. It decreases the amount of plaque growing in your arteries. 
• Exercise a lot, especially high interval training. 
• Decrease smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. 
• Increase your sleep. 
• Go see a chiropractor! Chiropractic care helps the brain and the body communicate better, and it helps all functions of your body stay healthier. This includes your immune system, your digestive system, the production of hormones, and all the things that go into maintaining a healthy body and a healthy heart. 

I hope all of this information helps! Again, special thanks to Dr. Mercola for this incredible information. I hope you've learned something new today that you didn't know beforehand, and I hope you can apply it to your everyday health. If you're having trouble with any aspect of your health, please contact us! We would love to give you some advice and possibly get you started with chiropractic care! Until next time, I am Dr. Bob and I've got your back covered. 

To read the full article I based this whole blog off of, please follow the link below! 
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/20/cholesterol-myths.aspx

Chiropractic care is safe and effective for everyone at every stage in their lives. Today, we will be discussing chiropractic care for the elderly; benefits, safety, and common myths! 

Hello everyone, it's Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic! Welcome back to the blog. I hope you are continuing to stay healthy and well out there, and I hope you've started to take the advice I discussed in my last blog to heart. Making those healthy additions in your life can make all the difference, keep you healthy, make you feel good, and so much more! Always know that I'm here to answer your questions or to schedule you for a consultation;  just give us a call or shoot us an email!
 
Today, I wanted to turn the tables and talk about chiropractic care for a certain age group. I've mentioned before that the myths and misinformation about chiropractic care can get in the way of individuals receiving life-changing treatment that can improve their overall quality of life. I hear these excuses and reasonings why individuals shouldn't get care all the time; I'm too young it's not safe, I'm too old it's not safe, I'm pregnant so it's not safe, I'm not in pain so I don't need chiropractic care. All of these reasons are incorrect. Today, I want to discuss and talk about chiropractic care for the elderly.
 

• Is Chiropractic Care Safe For The Elderly?

First and foremost, absolutely! According to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, chiropractic care for the elderly is a safe and effective alternative. It is one of the least invasive options for multiple different types of pain and can help avoid serious surgeries that could come with a very difficult healing period. According to Dr. Cheryl Hawk, a professor at the Texas Chiropractic College in Pasadena, TX says that chiropractic care is one of the safest interventions for the care of back pain in the elderly. The risk of any problems or harm from chiropractic care is similar to having a very serious problem after receiving a shot, which is very little. The most common side effects can be muscle soreness and stiffness, which can be addressed with drinking plenty of water, a well-balanced diet, and rest. These side effects are very similar to how you'd feel after starting a new workout plan. There is no age limit for chiropractic care. To guarantee this safety, the chiropractic treatments are modified to fit the age of the patient to best suit their issues and body. Modifications are made to the changes to the neurological and musculoskeletal systems that come with aging naturally. A 30-year-old will receive different treatments than an 80-year-old!
 

• What Are The Benefits of Chiropractic Care For The Elderly?

Chiropractic care offers so many benefits to anyone that seeks out and receives care, it's one of the many reasons why I love what I do! You might be surprised at the number of benefits chiropractic care can give the elderly.

• As I mentioned in my previous blog, chiropractic care can help strengthen and maintain your immune system. The elderly are one of the most affected groups when it comes to poor immune systems, especially during this pandemic. Getting consistent chiropractic care can help build up and maintain a senior's immune system.
• One of the most common reasons we see patients is to help them deal with pain. As you age, your body could be experiencing more pain due to arthritis, bad knees, a bad back, and many other reasons. Chiropractic care is a natural pain management system; it can help these issues from getting worse and can potentially get rid of the pain you're experiencing altogether.
• Chiropractic care can help increase mobility in seniors, allowing them to get around without the need of a nurse or family member, a cane, or a walker. Chiropractic care can help improve flexibility, align your joints, and help with tightness in the muscles, allowing seniors to move as they please and be able to conduct activities of daily living.
• Balance can be improved and restored with chiropractic care. Elderly individuals who are prone to or at risk of falls truly benefit from chiropractic care, as treatments have been known to stimulate spinal receptors to improve coordination and balance.
• Chiropractic care can help manage, stop, and decrease the degeneration of the spine. 
• Seniors can see a decrease in joint degeneration across the board if they receive consistent chiropractic care. Subluxations can cause the spine and other joints to wear out and break down much easier than they are meant to. This can cause serious pain, loss of mobility, inflammation, and many other painful issues. Chiropractic care decreases spinal degeneration and other arthritic changes by properly aligning the spine.
• Chiropractic care can help prevent seniors from using over the counter pain medications.
• It can help seniors avoid going under the knife for what can be very invasive procedures like hip, knee, and back surgery.
• Chiropractic care can lead to an overall better quality of life, health, and wellness. It can allow seniors to move and get around to enjoy their favorite activities, allow them to spend time with their families, help them stay healthier, sleep better, digest better, concentrate better, have improved memory, and my other wonderful attributes.
• Improving one's health, range of motion, balance, and stability not only improves one's quality of life, but it can also help seniors live at home longer on their own without a family member or a nurse having to move in, or having to move into a nursing home. It can also provide a senior's family peace of mind, knowing how much happier they are living at home, and knowing they are much safer from falling or slipping thanks to a stronger and healthier back.
• Due to the fact that chiropractic care has a connection to the brain and its health, Medicare has accepted chiropractic care as an approved healthcare cost they will cover in the treatment of Alzheimer's and Dementia. Research is still happening on this topic, but many believe chiropractic care could help in the prevention or even prolong the years before either of these diseases appear.

 

• Myths To Ignore When Seeking Chiropractic Care For The Elderly

I hear these myths and tall tales all the time in my office, and I know there are even more out there that I haven't heard yet. I wanted to share a few myths and false facts to throw out when considering treatment. Each of these statements is false;  don't let them get in the way of receiving the treatment you need!

• Chiropractic care is dangerous!
• I'm too old for chiropractic treatments.
• Chiropractic care is expensive, and I can't afford it on my pension or retirement funds.
• Chiropractic care only treats back pain.
• Chiropractic care isn't covered by insurance.
• Chiropractic treatments rarely work.
• Your bones will grind against one another when you get treated, and it'll hurt!
• There is no scientific proof that chiropractic care works.
• Chiropractors are not real doctors.
• It's just a fad!

Remember, each of these items is false! If these are the reasons why you have been staying away from treatment, let us remedy that now! Give us a call or schedule an appointment with us right away!
 

• Preparing For Your First Adjustment

Going to your first chiropractic appointment at any age can be overwhelming and make you a little nervous. Sometimes the worry and fear of not knowing can be what causes a person to not get the treatment they need. With that in mind, I wanted to provide a list of how to prepare for your first chiropractic appointment.

• Make sure to show up a little early for any last-minute paperwork.
• Dress comfortably and in clothes that don't restrict movement.
• Be honest with your chiropractor about your medical history, what medical issues you have, what pain you're experiencing, and so on. While I'll be able to tell a lot about you from your exam, I won't be able to read your mind.
• You might be asked to also get an x-ray or other tests so your chiropractor can understand more about your body and what troubles you might be experiencing.
• Prepare for an adjustment on your first visit!
• Remember, this won't hurt. Your chiropractor will go at a speed that is comfortable for you and will answer any questions you might have during your visit.
• Be prepared to leave with some homework! Your chiropractor might ask you to do some stretches, buy a new pillow or a new office chair, or recommend some light exercises to help your alignment and overall health improve. These adjustments will also make your quality of life in between appointments more manageable and comfortable.
• Please drink plenty of water and rest after your adjustment!

 
I hope all of this helps! Please know we are here for you at any stage of your life and can help you at any stage of your life. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to come in for a consultation give us a call! Stay healthy and safe, readers! Until next time, I'm Dr. Bob and I've got your back covered!

As we are all preparing for a happy holiday, I wanted to share with you a few tips and ideas on how to stay healthy and safe through all of your holiday events and plans!
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Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog! It's Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic! I hope you all are doing well out there, and hope that you're staying healthy and well. I know it doesn't really feel like winter yet here in Charleston, but during these last few weeks of 2020
make sure to prepare yourself for cold and flu season, for the seasons to drastically change at the drop of a hat, and make plans to keep yourself healthy! Remember that your health is in your hands; why not improve your health journey now as we embark on a new year? Make time for chiropractic care, make time for exercising, getting plenty of sleep, eat well, and drink plenty of water. The holidays can make it easy to forget all about these important things, but give yourself the gift of your best health yet. You deserve it after 2020 and all of its challenges, so go ahead and give yourself this gift! I am here to help you along the way, so please don't hesitate to reach out and give us a call. I am always excited to be a part of your health journey and to help you feel your best.

I do want to take the time to thank everyone who was a part of this year's holiday promotion! From
all of us at Lowcountry Chiropractic, thank you so much for participating and helping us give back to
our community. Thank you for donating all of your nonperishable food items to the Lowcountry Food
Bank, and ensuring that Christmas and the holidays for so many of our neighbors will be happy. You
helped so many families have plenty of food this time of year, and you helped them stay healthy and
safe. That is truly an incredible gift. It was also wonderful to see so many returning patients, meet
new patients, and to experience the holiday season with our holiday promotion with you! Congratulations to all of the winners of our contest, I hope you enjoy your prizes! Thank you again for
joining us in giving back this year. Every little bit always helps!

As a little gift from me to all of you, I wanted to give you a little checklist of things to help keep you
healthy, safe and feeling your best during the holiday season. You might not even realize it, but the
holidays can do more damage to your body than you think possible. It can be the most wonderful
time of the year to spend with your loved ones and celebrate, but it can leave your body tired, sore,
and with new painful, difficult subluxations. Remember too that this holiday season will be different
than the rest. Please make safe decisions when gathering, celebrating, and having holiday parties.
Be safe, be happy, and be merry! Also, make sure to take this checklist to heart. You are giving so
much to others this holiday season, so make sure to take these few extra steps to give back to your
body. Your back will really appreciate not going into 2021 with new subluxations!

● Eat well during the holidays! Don't forget the rainbow this time of year! While all of our favorite salty and sugary treats will be constantly around us, (safe) gatherings with your loved ones will mean all kinds of fun dishes, and the draw of eating out or getting takeout will be plentiful. Try and remember to eat the rainbow and maintain your healthy diet as much as possible. Eat your green leafy veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Remember to keep up with eating all the foods I've talked about in the past that help prevent and eliminate inflammation.
● Make sure to stay active this holiday season, and include the whole family in your activities. Chilly weather can cause muscles and tendons to get cold when you're working out, so please make sure to properly warm-up and cool down, stretch, and drink plenty of water. Make sure to keep up with getting plenty of rest. Take advantage of any time off and get caught up on your rest and relaxation. Remember, even though rest is important, moderation is still key. Make sure you keep up with your chiropractic visits too. If you haven't added chiropractic care into your healthy lifestyle, make sure to do so! Right now is the perfect time to get started with us to kick off a bright and healthy new year.
● Be very cautious when decorating! While we all want to be the Griswold's, heavy lifting and time spent in awkward angles on a ladder can do some serious damage to your back! Make sure to lift your Christmas trees, boxes of decorations, and lights properly. When lifting these items, make sure to lift with your legs and knees and not your back. If you feel a little bentout of shape after you decorate, come see me to make sure everything is properly aligned and that there are no new subluxations that have appeared!
● Even before the 2020 pandemic, I would stress to my patients to continue to wash their hands frequently. Now I encourage it more than ever. I know you've been asked to wash your hands a lot this year, but please keep it up! Don't forget to add vitamin D3 to your healthy regimen too. This important supplement can help strengthen your immune system and help fight off any sickness trying to get into your body!
● Remember to enjoy all of your favorite holiday drinks, dishes, snacks, and goodies in moderation. This includes long movie days, Netflix binges, long afternoons spent reading, and long days shopping out at the malls or on your couch online. Make sure to take a moment to rest, moments to get up and stretch and moments to stay active with each of these activities.
● Give yourself breaks from long drives if you are planning on traveling, and plan ways to avoid eating tons of fast food while out and about.
● Just like you prepare for guests, try and stay ahead with everything in your life during the holidays! Prepare healthy meals to enjoy ahead of time so you aren't tempted to eat out.
● Plan activities with your loved ones that don't center around food. Planning a walk with your guests is a great way to get started with this!
● If you are traveling this year and you have a long drive ahead of you, take a lower lumbar pillow with you to relieve some of the stress and pressure that can build up on your lower back.
● Don't drive straight through to your holiday destination. Make plans to stop and stretch and walk around a little bit every couple of hours.
● While it might be tempting to lounge during these long drives, make sure to maintain the best posture that you can while you're driving.
● If you're a passenger during these long holiday trips, make sure to give yourself a break from scrolling through your phone and reading. Looking down for long periods can put a lot of pressure on your neck, leading to headaches or shoulder aches. Make sure to give yourself some device-free time!

I want your holidays to be as wonderful as you are planning them to be. What will help this become a reality is considering this list and taking control of your health. Let this holiday be the reason for the season, a time to give back to others, a time spent with your loved ones, and the time you take control of your health. Thank you, again for being a part of our holiday promotion everyone! I also want to take a moment and thank all of you for helping all of us at Lowcountry Chiropractic have a great year. Thank you for working with us when our schedules changed, as we navigated through the pandemic together, and for supporting what we love to do and love to offer our patients. This couldn't have been possible without you, and we are forever thankful for your support and love. From all of us at Lowcountry Chiropractic, we hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday and a fantastic new year. Until next time and next year, I'm Dr. Bob and I've got your back covered!