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How Acupuncture Works

1/3/2019

Post by Carly Samish, LAc, LMT

Acupuncture uses very thin, flexible needles to gently stimulate very specific points to help the body to regain balance. A treatment often uses less than a dozen needles and can reduce pain, increase circulation, release endorphins, calm stress, and strengthen the immune system. Many people experience relaxation and a feeling of well-being as a "side-effect" of acupuncture, as well as improvement in their particular health concern. Acupuncture is safe and comfortable for all ages.

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Headaches and Chiropractic Care

11/20/2018

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Post by Matthew Hidy, DC

If you have a new severe headache that is unlike any pain you experienced before and feels like the “worst headache ever,” then I highly recommended that you seek emergency care to rule out any life threatening possibilities. Hospital emergency rooms are excellent at detecting and treating infections, bleeding, and blood clots.
However, if repeated headaches are a ‘normal’ experience for you, then please schedule an appointment to discover if chiropractic care can help reduce the intensity and frequency of your symptoms. Physical medicine is a great complement to other treatments, especially if your pain persists after you have met with another health care provider who determined your health to be stable.
Many patients with moderate to severe headaches receive chiropractic care and often notice improvements by the time they leave their appointment. These cases are extremely encouraging and inspire me to continue finding new people to help. I am excited to learn about each new patient to understand their goals and concerns.

Looking forward to meeting you!
Matthew Hidy, DC

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Road Trip Without Spinal Side Effects

11/6/2018

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Post by John Tanasse, DC

The vast majority of patients we see in our office suffer from the effects of positional monotony, whether it be nine hours of Netflix, Stranger Things, eight hours behind a screen tediously picking through spreadsheets, seven hours of Grand Theft Auto in your simulated Mclaren, or six hours sitting in real traffic on your morning and afternoon commute through JBLM. When we endure these long periods of repetitive NON motion while sitting, we experience high tension without movement placing unique and unsustainable strains on our neck and back structures. And, as it turns out, we bring many of the same unwanted bodily displeasures as experienced with repetitive motion activities, such as sore necks, sore backs, muscle tension, trigger points, headaches, to name a few.

The simplest strategies for combating these related issues boil down to committing to continuous and frequent positional change. The mantra, “your next position is your best position”, is useful. How frequent you ask? A general rule of thumb is that no more than 20-30 minutes maximum should be spent in any one position without movement. What does that look like in a car without taking three days to get from Seattle to Portland? Move the back of your seat by ten degrees forward or backward every 10 to 20 minutes. Also, queue up some 1970’s R & B and dance in your seat to Earth Wind, and Fire, or Cool and the Gang. This will help prevent positional stress and sleepiness as well. In addition, commit to at least one rest stop for every two hours of driving. That doesn’t mean you have to pack a picnic, but do take the time to stretch and move your legs for a few moments and allow your back a reprieve from bending. This can be accomplished in less than a five minute pit stop.

We get a lot of questions about which supports to use while driving. This depends on many factors, such as, what kind of vehicle are you driving? What are the seats like? What is your back like? How long is the drive? In general, driving is a seated posture that removes the contour of your lumbar spine because your back is bending forward in this position. There are the traditional lumbar contoured back cushions that can help to maintain some contour. While this can help a bit, it’s no replacement for moving or changing positions frequently. Like with any chair, whether “ergonomic” or not, a car seat compromises your back when movement ceases for prolonged periods of time. An alternative to a lumbar contour cushion would be to fold up a hand towel into about a 6X6 inch square and place this directly under and behind your sacrum (base of spine). Many in car racing circles have found that sacral support prolongs comfort and staves off fatigue when driving for longer periods of time. Another useful support that we have prescribed for many of our commuters/travelers, is a foam wedge that is placed on the seat that minimizes hip flexion while seated. This improves your ability to maintain lumbar contour.

A few additional tidbits for making car travel more back friendly would be to bring an ice pack, throw it in the cooler, and after an hour into your travel, sneak it between your t-shirt and the seat back for 15 minutes. Do set a timer, as too much ice is not helpful, and neither is frostbite. Lastly, avoid reaching into the back of your car to lift an item, such as a purse or backpack to the front seat. As with most low back injuries, the combination of loading and rotating/bending your spine is sure way to bring on low back irritation.

Hopefully you find with a few basic actions, your car rides are smoother and you arrive at your destination with less back pain, and a little left in the tank for another dance.

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SAD, Stress Reduction with Acupuncture

10/23/2018

2 Comments

Post by Jeff Hauser EAMP, LAc

SAD or Stressed during this time of the year? Acupuncture can help you thrive, instead of merely survive, during the fall and winter here in the Pacific Northwest!

Although stress and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) are a found all around the world, we in the PacNW seem to be particularly hit hard when the seasons change, the loss of daylight becomes apparent, and the busyness of the holiday season looms ahead. The good news is Acupuncture is a very effective, drug-free therapy choice that can help you whether you suffer year round, seasonally, or just occasionally from these or other issues.

Managing severe anxiety or depression generally includes talk therapy, which might not provide results for months, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Beyond that, it can require anxiety medication, which can have serious side effects of their own.

As opposed to counseling, people treated with acupuncture often see results after one session, and the results improve with continued treatment. Depending on where the needles are placed, acupuncture can cause the nervous system to produce painkilling chemicals, jump-start the body’s natural ability to heal itself, or stimulate the part of the brain that controls emotions, including anxiety and depression.

So whether you're new to the region, or are a PacNW native, acupuncture can help you with seasonal or chronic mental and physical health issues in a natural, pain-free way. Call Tanasse Chiropractic today to start feeling better and enjoying all the beauty that surrounds us!

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Helping Moms With Pregnancy

10/11/2018

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Post by Matthew Hidy DC

I am often asked by curious patients if we treat mothers during their pregnancy and I am happy to say yes! Working with expectant mothers is especially fun because we have the privilege of following mothers through the many changes she will experience before and after birth.

The word dystocia is used in medicine to describe a difficult labor.Problems can occur with the Power, Passage, or Passenger as defined by William’s Obstetrics. The power is the expulsive forces, the passage is the bony pelvis, and the passenger is the presentation/position/development of the fetus. If any of these three areas have dysfunction than dystocia can occur. Fortunately chiropractic care can often help the mother’s body move better with less pain so that there is less interference during birth.

Recent Case Study:
A mother in her last month of pregnancy presented to our office with a diagnosis of a transverse fetal presentation from her medical doctor the day before. During the exam I found some pelvis restrictions and tenderness on a round ligament of the uterus that attaches to the pelvis. With gentle treatment after the exam, the mother experienced less tenderness, felt less tightness, and less stiffness overall. The following day, her obstetrics doctor re-examined her and found the baby with the proper head down position. Our whole office is very happy for her, and her MD recommended continuing with chiropractic care.

*Disclaimer*:
Every patient is unique and needs to be evaluated independently.
Chiropractors in the state of Washington treat the mother and never the fetus. After the child is born, they can begin chiropractic care, too.

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Gua sha Treatment: Therapeutic Scraping That Gets to the Bottom of It

10/4/2018

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Post by Carly Samish, LAc, LMT

Gua sha, or scraping therapy, is a traditional healing modality that alleviates pain, muscle tension, and restricted movement. This simple technique is becoming more well-known in medical communities as its benefits are rediscovered and appreciated.

Gua sha uses a round edged tool to firmly stroke areas of tension, breaking up areas of congestion in the muscles and tendons. It effectively treats headaches, neck aches, persistent tension in the shoulders, back, and hips, and even plantar fasciitis. Gua sha can break up and soften scar tissue making the scarred areas less painful and more functional.

Gua sha is great for focusing on chronic muscle knots, especially stubborn ones that just seem to snap back into tension even after massage therapy.

Expect some colorful results on the treated areas. Gua sha draws out a temporary discoloration, which is the superficial vessels flushing out the stagnated blood and fluids. This discoloration goes away in a few days as normal circulation clears out the area and brings fresh blood flow. This is not the same thing as a bruise since the tissues are not injured but are releasing toxins, fluids and heat to the surface.

This research study shows that Gua sha increases microcirculation at the surface of the body for healing purposes, and is not causing bruising or tissue damage.

I have personally seen and experienced wonderful results with Gua sha in my massage and acupuncture practice. Clients often feel immediate relief from stubborn pain and tension and it can play an important role in injury recovery.

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Exterminating Sugar

10/2/2018

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Exterminating Sugar

Four great flavors that work well together in our office are Chiropractic, Massage, Acupuncture, and Nutrition.

Yet, four great tastes together, pink hearts, orange stars, yellow moons, and green clovers, has General Mills celebrating 54 years of Lucky Charms retro junk food cereal, which has etched its place in the collective heart and pancreas of those who fell prey to the magically delicious jingle during Saturday morning cartoons.

So, what’s the big deal?

As summarized in WebMD, excessive sugar impairs your brain, your mood, your teeth, your joints, your skin, your liver, your heart, your pancreas, your kidneys, your body weight, and your sexual health.

One of the single most powerful actions to move the momentum of your health in a positive direction is to bring your sugar intake down from the flood of a fountain drink machine, to the drip of a 33 degree icicle.

No doubt it can be a hard nut to crack. What to do? Everyone in our office has done a 5 week Restart facilitated by Carol Layton NTP. https://www.carolelayton.com/ This no starve approach to kicking sugar, and other known dietary irritants out, works and resets the dietary stage for factory setting performance. Immediate benefits include improved blood glucose control, better and more even energy, squashed fatigue, extinguished chronic inflammation, better rest, fewer aches and pains, efficient digestion, and renewed sense of being proactive about your health. You can do it. Without the sugar, it’s magically delicious!

Earnestly,

John Tanasse, DC

2 Comments

How Acupuncture Works

Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Road Trip Without Spinal Side Effects

SAD, Stress Reduction with Acupuncture

Helping Moms With Pregnancy

Gua sha Treatment: Therapeutic Scraping That Gets to the Bottom of It

Exterminating Sugar

TANASSE CHIROPRACTIC

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