Stop sickness at the front door with this simple protocol when you have the first hint that a cold is approaching.  Our resident Acupuncturist/Herbalist/Master Healer, Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac., B.Phar., offers her tips for how to remain healthy during the cold season.  The key she says is to “stop virus invasion into the body at the earliest stage.”

Preventing a cold from taking hold is not difficult if you act early.  This means taking actions as soon as you start feeling any symptoms – sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, slight headache, chills, warmth/feverish, stiffness of the neck, etc. – coming on.  When you start to experience these symptoms, the virus is knocking on the door, trying to penetrate deeper into the body, while the body is recruiting its defenses.  If your body misses this earliest opportunity to expel, then the virus will start to invade deeper into the system, causing more severe and persistent symptoms.  Once you reach this stage of more intense symptoms, it becomes more difficult to ease the symptoms and the cold might have to run its course (usually about 10 days).

Remember that the initial invasion stage happens very fast, often within a day.  So, you have to take care of yourself as soon as you start feeling symptoms.

Here are some simple natural recommendations to turn away common cold and flu at the earliest stage. These measures help to boost the body’s natural defenses and close the door on cold bugs.  Please try these as soon as you start feeling any of the symptoms listed above.

Tips to Keep a Cold at Bay:

• Take Vitamin C 1,000 – 1,500 mg/day (when healthy 500 mg/day). Food-based (natural or whole food) vitamin C is more potent than synthetic ones.
• Take 4 drops of Oil of Oregano 4-6 times a day (available from Mika).
• Drink ginger tea (Boil 3 cups of water and add peeled and sliced ginger root (a thumb size piece).  Cook for 30-40 minutes until the tea turns to dark yellow.  Add honey to 1 cup of tea to help sooth the throat, if you like.)
• Drink Echinacea tea (Alvita), Echinacea Immune Boosting Tea (Yogi Tea) and/or tincture (Nature’s answer)
• Take Chinese herbs for cold & flu (available at Mika).
• Gargle with salt water if you have sore throat.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat warm food, especially vegetable soups, to sweat out.

For more information:

Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist

704-981-1461

www.loveandcompassion.com

‘Twas the night before a big meeting, preparations were made,

Would we sleep a few hours before the screaming invades?

Outfits laundered, feedings complete, Mommy and Daddy were prepared to retreat,

First there was whining and then full bore, we knew we’d be up a few hours more…

If you are a parent who has experienced a colicky infant, then this story is all too familiar.  Excessive, unexplained crying/fussing for hours a day, multiple days a week, for an extended period, in an otherwise healthy infant is not music to my ears either, but unlike many parents, I was able to adjust my children regularly when they were infants.  Certainly, I am biased concerning the benefits of chiropractic care for most everyone, but in the case of colicky babies, there is good research to support the benefits of spinal alignments.

It has been posited that colic is caused by birth trauma and/or spinal misalignments in infants^[1]  and if you’ve witnessed a natural delivery, you can imagine how this could impact a newborn’s spine.  Whether the treatments are referred to as chiropractic adjustments, manipulation, or spinal alignments, the goal is the same – to restore normal spinal motion.  Treatments for infants are not the usual adjustments to which parents might be accustomed.  The correction for a baby appears more as maintaining gentle pressure to areas of the spine with the fingertips.

A May 2009 analysis reviewed 16 cases of infants receiving chiropractic care.  In all the cases, upper cervical misalignments were found in all subjects and chiropractic intervention helped to resolve symptoms of acid reflux and colic^[2].  More recently, a Danish study^[3] determined that a decline in excessive crying in infants receiving chiropractic treatment for colic was not a function of children simply outgrowing their excessive crying behavior and therefore lends support for the implementation of chiropractic care in these cases.

The benefits of early chiropractic interventions don’t just allow parents to sleep better while their infants are a few months old.  An October 1999 study found that colicky infants treated with chiropractic care experienced fewer instances of  “temper tantrums, fell asleep more quickly, and stayed asleep longer than the untreated control subjects” at least up to 2 to 3 years of age^[4].

I certainly understand that parents have concerns about any new treatments that their children receive.  New responsibilities and sleep deprivation make all your decisions about a newborn challenging.  If you have any questions, please email me at info@matthewschiro.com or call Matthews Chiropractic Center at 704.841.3833.

1. Clinical Chiropractic 2004 (Dec); 7(4): 180-186 [↩]
2. J Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic May 2009: 1-7 [↩]
3. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2010(Sep); 33(7): 536-541 [↩]
4. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2009 (Oct); 32(8): 635-638 [↩]

“Activating Inner Healing Power”

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm @ Matthews Chiropractic Center
Charlotte Office: 10800 Independence Pointe Parkway, Suite E, Matthews, NC 28105

- Eastern Secrets of Improving Health

Everyone has the inner healing power.
It is now the time for you to tap into the unlimited capacity within…

At this lecture, you will learn about Oriental Medical perspective including:
- What are causes of illnesses/diseases?
- How to strengthen your immune system?
- How to maintain healthy balance?
- How to accelerate your healing process?
- Followed by Q &A

For more information and reservation, please contact Mika @704-981-1461, email at office@loveandcompassion.com, or visit www.loveandcompassion.com.

Photo courtesy of James Jordan

Chiropractors are tasked with correcting posture, realigning spinal segments, and maintaining good spinal motion.  Often patients are doing things to upset this delicate balance in their bodies without even knowing.  Two common concerns are carrying a wallet in a back pocket and toting a bag over one shoulder (book bag or handbag).

Fat Wallet in Your Back Pocket

If you have read in this space before, you may recall me espousing on the dangers of carrying a thick wallet in your back pocket.  Sitting on a fat wallet is one of the easiest ways to unlevel the pelvis.  Usually back pockets are situated right under our “sit bones” when we are seated.  If you put your hands under your backside while sitting you can feel two prominences (the ischial tuberosities) that bear our weight while we are seated.  These bones are part of the pelvis, which forms the foundation for our spine.  Putting a book, wood block, or wallet under one side can twist the pelvis and cause the spine to lean away from that side.  Imagine the effect of driving a few hours with your bulky, rear stowed wallet in place.

Shoulder Overloaded

While the effect of carrying a thick wallet in your back pocket is more likely to upset the low back, shouldering a bag on one side is more likely to bother the upper back.  And, carrying enough weight on one shoulder can strain the low back as well.  Holding a heavily laden handbag on one shoulder puts significant stress on the muscles of the shoulder, neck, and upper back as the body tries to maintain the shoulders level and the spine vertical.  Prolonged one-sided carrying can overwork and injure muscles that try to maintain this balanced posture.

Avoid Imbalance

• Remove unnecessary items from your wallet or purse to thin or lighten.
• Store your wallet in a front pocket while sitting.
• Carry handbags across the chest and book bags on both shoulders to distribute weight more evenly.
• Alternate the shoulder that you carry on regularly.

Following these suggestions should help you to avoid straining muscles and putting the spine in a compromising position.  If you should still find yourself dealing with neck, shoulder, or low back pain, come in to Matthews Chiropractic Center to get it checked out.  When the body eventually accommodates to a postural change, then you will be carrying around another problem waiting to upset the balance of your good health.

Mika Ichihara

I had hoped to offer the services of an experienced acupuncturist at Matthews Chiropractic Center for a long time.  With the arrival of Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac., I am finally able to say that a Master Healer will be providing holistic healing, in multiple forms, at Matthews Chiropractic Center.

Integrated Healing from Japan

Ms. Ichihara has recently moved from Manhattan, New York, where she established a unique private holistic practice over the past decade.  Mika who is originally from Japan, is a successor to various styles of ancient Asian healing methods dating back to 1600’s Japan.  As a Master Healer, she applies hundreds of years of healing knowledge combined with updated Modern Medical awareness to create “A natural integrative approach for holistic healing”— specifically customized to each individual’s health needs.

Her treatments are not only for stress and pain relief, but also many internal conditions, such as digestive trouble, respiratory difficulty, immune system enhancement, hormonal issues, infertility, psychological conditions and more.  Please visit her website, www.loveandcompassion.com , for a more complete list of conditions that can be treated as well as other information.

Holistic Acupuncture

In addition to treating manifesting symptoms, she focuses on treating the root cause that develops multiple signs and symptoms.  Her protocol is designed to activate and restore your original self-healing mechanism by regulating organ functions and enhancing the immune system.  The body’s intrinsic self-healing mechanism is often diminished due to excessive stress, emotional challenges, pollution, chemicals and other external environmental factors, so that our body is unable to heal by itself.  A complete cure derives from within.  Along with her treatment, she will teach and guide you how to cure your conditions in a natural way. Rest assured acupuncture is safe to combine with conventional treatments you may already be receiving.

Integrative Approach

She applies acupuncture, Chinese herbs and dietary instruction to help heal your physical and psychological conditions in a more natural way.  In addition, she offers other alternative approaches to support your emotional and spiritual well-being: Reiki – Energy & Spiritual Healing, Spiritual Reading, Meditation and Feng Shui.  These methods will help you create inner peace and balance which plays the significant role in healing and wellness.

For more information

To make an appointment or inquiry, please call 704-981-1461 or email office@loveandcompassion.com. For more details about Mika’s practice, please visit: www.loveandcompassion.com.