8 Tips To Get Your Kids Eating Healthier

1. Introduce new items gradually: Offer your child one new food to try along side the familiar ones.  This way the change will have less of an impact.
   
   
2. Offer a choice: If you struggle to get your child to eat salad, try putting each of the ingredients into a separate bowl (like a salad bar) and let them choose which items they want in their salad.  This idea would also work with wraps or burritos - offering a variety of healthy options to fill it with. By offering you child a choice, they will be more likely to eat their creation.
   
   
3. Make your child a sous chef:  Give your child tasks in the kitchen that are age appropriate.  Simple tasks such as peeling, washing or mixing as well as chopping for older kids.  Getting your child involved in the meal preparation will make them more open to tasting the food they have prepared.
   
   
4. Avoid bribes: Using food such as sweets as a reward for your child can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food that often continues into adulthood.
   
   
5. Don't force it:  Forcing your child to finish their food teaches your child to override their body's signals and ability to recognize when they are hungry or full. 
   
   
6. Start early:  The older your child is, the harder it can be to introduce new, healthier foods.
   
   
7. Lead by example:  You cannot expect your child to eat healthy food if you don't, so be a model for healthy eating.
   
   
8. Don't give up: Continue offering healthy foods to your child, even if they initially resist.  Give that particular food a break and re-introduce it at a later time.  Just because your child hated broccoli at 9 months old, does not mean they will always hate it.

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This week I heard something on the news that made me think about chiropractic. (Surprise, surprise!)  It was about Tiger Woods.  I learned that he had to bow out of last week’s Player’s Championship because of neck pain that was spreading down his arm.  My first thought was that he had a subluxation (a.k.a. misalignment) in his neck that was causing his pain. My second thought was, of course he has a subluxation!  Look at how much stress he’s been under the past 7 months!!  It was only a matter of time before it affected his body. 

Stress is a major cause of disease. It’s also the major cause of subluxations.  It doesn’t matter what kind of stress it is- physical (falls), mental (worries) or chemical (scents)- stress is stress and too much of it isn’t good for us.

We can all agree that Tiger has been under an extreme amount of stress lately.  Hopefully you don’t have anywhere near that much stress in your life, but it’s still important to manage the stress you do have by:

1. Sleeping
2. Exercising
3. Meditating
4. Eating well
5. Drinking water
6. Expressing yourself
7. Calming your nervous system by getting adjusted

These are a few steps that will help decrease the effect that stress can have on your life and body.

What do you do to bring your stress levels down?

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Continued from a few weeks ago, here are some more misconceptions people may have about chiropractic.

Myth #4: Chiropractic is dangerous.

Reality:  Recent research states that patients are no more likely to suffer a stroke following a visit to a chiropractor than they would after stepping out of  their family doctor’s office.¹   This means that there is no increased danger from getting a chiropractic adjustment than there is by going to your medical doctor's office. In addition, another study found that treatment of neck pain with anti inflammatory drugs, like Advil, cause 100-200 deaths per million cases. ² Compare this with the ratio of 1-2 cases per million for chiropractic. It’s about 100 times safer to go to a chiropractor than to take over the counter medication.  That’s something to think about!

^{1.Spine 2008 (Feb 15); 33 (4 Suppl): S176-183
2.J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther.   1995 Oct;18(8):530-6.}

Myth #5:  Chiropractic is only for adults.

Reality:  We know the importance of regular checkups for our child’s teeth and eyes but draw a blank when it comes to checking his spine.  Most adult problems that chiropractors deal with actually have a start in childhood.  The ‘growing pains’ of an 12 years old boy can become crippling low back and leg pains in adulthood.  Better to stop it at the beginning, than to wait until it gets worse. 

 
Myth #6:  Spinal adjustments are uncomfortable.

Reality:  Most times a spinal adjustment itself will not hurt at all. In fact a great sense of relief will be experienced. On some occasions it may feel like someone is momentarily pressing on a bruise. As your body adapts to your adjustments, you may experience some additional discomfort, similar to the sensation of tender muscles after starting an exercise program. Over time, as your nervous system integrates the effects of the adjustments, most people feel a continuing sense of ease. This is one reason many people make chiropractic the cornerstone of their wellness lifestyle.

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This is Part One of a two part article about some of the myths associated with chiropractic.

Myth #1:  Chiropractic is addictive.

Myth #2:  Chiropractic is just for back pain.

Myth #3:  “I can crack my own neck/back.  I don’t need a chiropractor.”

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That is one of my favourite songs of the holiday season but the past few days, it's been really true to life! It has been bitterly cold outside and for some of us it's an excuse to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good movie. For others, this cold weather is wonderful because they get to ski, skate, snowboard or toboggan in the fallen snow. Unfortunately, there are  people for whom the cold weather is not fun at all because they feel achier and stiffer as the weather gets colder and damper.

We all know someone who is a human barometer who they can tell what kind of weather we are going to have simply by which joint is hurting! I have a dear friend who broke his ankle a few years ago, and he always knows if it’s going to rain, snow, or hail. Have you ever wondered why this happens? A possible reason is that your nervous system is meant to help you change according to the environment you're in.

When it’s hot, you sweat because the perspiration evaporates and cools you off. When it’s cold, you shiver because moving your body creates warmth. An injury, like a broken bone or a severe sprain, can affect that joint’s ability to adapt properly to temperature changes. Often, even after the injured joint is healed, the pain flares up during cold or damp weather. One thing to keep in mind is that the cold weather can affect you even if you haven't had a serious injury. Even seemingly minor neck or back pain can lead to increased pain in the winter.

So what can you do? Do you have to live with this every year when winter comes around?  Is the only solution  moving to the south?  There is another option! Getting chiropractic adjustments on a regular basis will keep your spine straight and get your nervous system healthy, which will help decrease your pain and your increased achiness in the cold. As your nervous system and joints get stronger, you won't notice the changes in weather as dramatically.

You may even start to enjoy winter—miracles can happen with chiropractic!

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Experts suggest that increasing daily vitamin D intake is the best way to raise your body's resistance to the flu this winter.  Vitamin D is naturally acquired through exposure of the skin to sunlight and, to a lesser extent, from food.

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Do you feel this way during the holidays? Like you want to cry?  Stressed and overwrought? Like Coco the cat*, we all have to do things that we don’t want to do, especially over the holidays.  That can lead to more stress and make happy times less so. It's hard to avoid stress but there are some things you can do to decrease it.

What?  Hard to believe that getting adjusted will help?  Getting chiropractic adjustments can make you more relaxed and at ease because adjustments help rebalance your nervous system. When your nervous system is balanced, you achieve a sense of calm that is deep and full.  It’s like your whole body and mind become peaceful and connected with each other.  Worries tend to melt away and problems don’t seem that big anymore.  All in a few minutes. It’s quite amazing actually.

Chiropractic can be a part of your holidays to help you get through the rush and actually enjoy the process! Now that would be really be a Christmas miracle!!

*BTW, this is my cat Coco.  She was not happy to play a reindeer but she was eager to eat the treats I offered her (which is what she was doing when this picture was taken—no part of her was harmed to take this photo, except for her pride).

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Autumn is a great time to refresh, recharge and renew.  For many people it's when they, once again, try to lose weight.

FACT: Over 90% of all conventional attempts at weight loss fail.

In my experience, the more drastic the diet, the harder it is to stick to it. I believe in a gradual approach to making changes in the diet. Making changes too quickly can be hard on the body and very difficult to maintain. My strategy for weight loss focuses on improving overall health and quality of life.

Here are the key points:

* Set Realistic Goals - While some people will lose 5 lbs in the first week, most of which is water, an average of 1-2 lbs per week is a healthy  amount of weight to lose. If it took months or years to put the weight on, it is unreasonable to expect to lose it all within a few weeks!

* Dietary Changes - Completely cutting out important foods such as protein, carbohydrates or fats is a common mistake. It is important to find the right balance of these foods and choose those which are unprocessed and unrefined. Introducing new, healthful foods into the diet is just as important as reducing the unhealthy ones.

* Detoxification - making sure your body can properly eliminate toxins is very important when trying to lose weight. Using specific herbs to cleanse the body can improve your metabolism and allow your liver and other organs to function more efficiently.

* Improve Digestion - An impaired digestive system will affect how well your body breaks down food and absorbs nutrients as well as how quickly it can eliminate toxins.

* Movement - Some form of physical activity is an important aspect of reaching and maintaining your healthy body weight. Find an activity you enjoy- whether it's playing a sport, taking a yoga class or simply walking.

* Raise Energy Levels - A person struggling with excess weight may also suffer from low energy levels. Ensure your body is receiving the proper nutrients to help you feel energized!

If you look at your "diet" as a temporary measure and plan to return to your old eating habits once the desired weight is achieved, you will likely fail. Maintaining weight loss requires a permanent lifestyle change. It's a life-long commitment to taking care of your body.

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Over the last few years, I've developed quite the soft spot for Giant Pandas.  In the beginning it was mainly because of my logo and how my practice was identified; but as I've learned more about these animals, I've become really fond of them.  They embody so many great qualities: they are strong, smart, family oriented, loving. They can even be very human-like when taking care of their young.  My favourite story about pandas is about one mother bear who was having trouble looking after her cub.  Her caretakers decided to show her a video of another panda taking care of her cub properly. That's all it took!  After that, she had no problems being a mother to her cub. Amazing animals.

I was reminded of all this because today, the Toronto Sun website (www.torontosun.com) published photos released by the Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Breeding  and Research Centre in Zhouzhi County, China. They are of the mother panda named Lou Sheng watching over her twin cubs as they take their first steps.  It reminds me of how a human mother is with her baby - loving, gentle, supportive and playful.

I hope you will enjoy these pictures as much as I did.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2009/09/18/10980086.html

To help protect the species, Pande Family Wellness Centre adopts a Giant Panda every year through the World Wildlife Fund.  If you would like to learn more, please visit www.wwf.ca

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"What kind of pillow should I use?"
It's a common question that I hear from my patients. The answer depends on how you sleep. The proper pillow for your sleep position can prevent neck pain and even improve the quality of your rest.

So, do you sleep on your side or on your back?

If you're a side sleeper, the height of the pillow is important. If the pillow is too flat, your head will be tilted down and if it's too fluffy, it will be tilted up. Either can make you wake up with a kink in your neck. The perfect pillow will be thick enough to allow your head to be aligned with the rest of your body, without inclining it at an angle, like your head is when you are standing up.

If you mostly sleep on your back, then you want to make sure to provide support for your neck and the best pillow for that is a contour one. It will cradle the curvature of your spine so that your head is aligned with the rest of your body. When your neck is not supported, your muscles will continue to work throughout the night instead of resting and you may wake up feeling tired and achy. The contour pillows have a thin side and a thick side. When sleeping on your back, it may be more effective to use the thick side however, if you have a slighter body frame, the thinner side may be the best for you.

You'll notice that I haven't talked about stomach sleepers yet. From a chiropractic perspective, this is the least desirable way to sleep because it forces you to turn your head to one side or the other for a long period of time. This can cause neck pain, headaches and tense neck muscles. That said the best pillow for sleeping on your stomach, is actually no pillow at all! If you must have one, then get the flattest pillow you can find. This will prevent your neck from being propped up and turned at the same time.

A few simple changes in your sleeping habits could be the difference between waking up to a "good morning" or to a "pain in the neck"!

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