 25 Things you can do to save our planet! Change starts with action. What actions can you take to make change to the world around you? Here is a list of 25 earth friendly initiatives you can make now and join us in celebrating the earth! 1. Plant a tree. 2. Be an activist, fight for climate change. 3. Make a donation to a non-profit organization that supports the planet, like McKenzie River Trust 4. Join a cleanup, volunteer with McKenzie River Trust 5. Use a reusable water bottle 6. Eat a plant based meal. 7. Use reusable eating utensils. 8. Carry a reusable shopping bag. 9. Go paperless. 10. Eliminate using plastic. 11. Compost. 12. Meal prep. 13. Go pesticide -free. 14. Buy local food. 15. Take shorter showers. 16. Turn off lights when not in use. 17. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. 18. Reduce. Use less, buy less, wear your clothes more than once. 19. Reuse. Join your local Buy Nothing Facebook group. 20. Recycle. 21. Use energy efficient light bulbs. 22. Bike more, drive less. 23. Store food in reusable containers. 24. Join a conservation organization. 25. Teach children how to respect nature and the environment. Instagram Challenge Join us in making changes to benefit our planet, for each one that you share on social media, you’ll earn a raffle ticket - the more raffle tickets you earn, the better chances you have of winning! Here's how to participate:
McKenzie River TrustWe are sponsoring McKenzie River Trust this month, all raffle donations will go directly to their organization because we are proud of what they do to protect Oregon's natural lands. 
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By: Zea Kwon-Page There is a stereotype that horse girls are crazy. And I supposed, as a horse owner, there is a little bit of truth to it. I do not think that it is helpful or productive to term things “crazy,” since it just adds stigma to mental health issues, but it is very true for me, and many of my horse-owner friends, that we make a lot of sacrifices for our four-legged babies that the average human would probably find incomprehensible. It was only natural then, that when my mare, Casey, started having mysterious lameness issues, I sought out every possible solution to help her feel better.  The Woes of a Failed Racehorse Casey is an OTTB. For those who are not in the horse world, that means she is an “off-the-track-Thoroughbred,” aka a failed racehorse. I don’t really know why or how she failed on the racetrack, but I know that after she bounced around from reseller to reseller, before eventually ending up at my former trainer’s barn. As you can imagine, being a racehorse can be really hard on the horse’s body, but it also really messes with their mind, since they are not always treated like living, feeling creatures on the track. While my former trainer tried to work with her, there were still a lot of issues that ultimately led to Casey being turned out in a big pasture for several years.  When I started looking to buy a horse, my former trainer suggested that instead I should try working with Casey, which ultimately led to me falling in deep love with her and begging to buy her. It didn’t take long though for her history to catch up with her. Shortly after buying her, she had a suspensory ligament tear in her hind leg that required months and months of physical therapy to recover from. When we finally got the all-clear from the vet, we then had a mysterious lameness that couldn’t be definitively pinpointed. “Lameness” means when a horse is not moving correctly, almost always due to pain somewhere. Finding the source of this pain proved to be a big challenge.  And this is where the “horse crazy” term comes into play. I had my highly qualified vet take more than one look at her and we x-rayed various parts of her body. I gave her pain killers, anti-inflammatory drugs, hock injections, and expensive supplements to no avail. Left with no answers, I then turned to more holistic methods. I had an osteopath come out to work on Casey - Casey met her with an attempted kick… I had a massage therapist come out - Casey absolutely LOVED it! Massage did make her feel better, but the positive effects seemed to wear off after about a week. With no answers to show for all the attempts at care, I finally decided to try equine chiropractic care and I'm so glad I did. Equine Chiropractic Care I was initially very skeptical about chiropractic care. Without fully understanding it, I feared that Casey could get hurt in some way, but at this point I was desperate for any solution. I just wanted her to feel better and be happy, and so was willing to stretch my comfort zone so Casey could return to hers. I went with a very well-referred equine chiropractor (who asked to not be named). This chiropractor has been working on horses for many years and is extremely knowledgeable. When Casey had her first appointment, I was very nervous, which I think the chiropractor could sense. They started out by asking me about Casey and what the issue seemed to be. They then ran their hand across her body, shockingly lightly, to see where she was responsive. It was magical to watch, the chiropractor was literally barely touching her, but Casey was communicating with them through her eyes, facial expressions, and body movements. After doing a thorough examination, the chiropractor explained to me their findings, which were that Casey was essentially out of alignment in her entire body. She had subluxations in her upper cervical vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, and sacral vertebrae. In layman’s terms, her spine was out of alignment in her neck, lower back, and pelvis region. This caused pressure to be put on her nerve roots, which resulted in inflammation. Her brain was sending energy down her spinal cord, but since the subluxations were interrupting that, it caused weakness and radiation in her lower back and hips. Due to these subluxations, she was incredibly muscle-sore essentially everywhere, since she was having to compensate for these subluxations. Her shoulders were especially sore. Since her lower back and pelvis were unable to “push” her forward due to pain, she was having to “pull” herself forward with her shoulders, which is not how horses are meant to move. Having this knowledge made me better understand what was going on with her and how to fix it. It now made sense why the veterinarian couldn’t determine what was wrong with her, because it wasn’t just one part of her body that was hurting, it was everything. We had taken x-rays, but not of her spine, since the lameness was presenting more like a leg injury. The drugs had only masked the pain, but since we were not treating the actual cause, it hadn’t improved her overall symptoms. Massage had really helped the muscle soreness issues, but again, since we hadn’t addressed the root cause of that muscle soreness, it inevitably came back. It was a lightbulb moment for sure. After the equine chiropractor explained all of this to me, they then adjusted Casey - which is a very interesting event to watch unfold, because horses are rather large animals. The chiropractor moved at Casey’s pace, adjusting one subluxation at a time, then giving Casey a chance to breathe and relax which gave me room to do the same. As they moved down her body, it was evident just how much pain was leaving her body. Her eyes softened and she began relaxing into the adjustments. When the chiropractor finished, Casey just stood there with a blissful look on her face. The chiropractor handed the lead rope back to me and explained Casey’s care plan moving forward. She would get adjusted every week for the first month, then every two weeks until her symptoms started to subside. They also stressed the importance of physical therapy in helping Casey to improve. As they explained, since she had been compensating for her pain with her body for so long, she had trained herself to move in certain ways that were less painful. Those ways of moving though, were incorrect. Now that her spine was correctly aligned, if she continued to move in those ways, her muscles would work against her, and it would cause more subluxations in the future. Since she had been in that compromised position for so long, the muscles were pulling the vertebrae back into that subluxation. By doing physical therapy, we would be pulling the vertebrae in the opposite direction, into the correct alignment. The chiropractor gave me specific exercises to work on with her on a daily basis in between adjustments. They included backing up (even better if it was on a slight up-hill), trot poles to get her to extend and stretch her back, long and low movements (where she could drop her head and again, stretch her back), neck stretches, and a lot of walking.  I followed Casey’s care plan religiously. We did all of the physical therapy recommendations and we did all of the adjustments on the recommended schedule. It paid off! She was slightly sore for a few days after each adjustment, but then she was suddenly able to move again without pain. At each consecutive chiropractic visit, the chiropractor would remark on just how much happier she seemed, and she would have fewer and fewer subluxations that needed adjusting. Her behavior went from being extremely agitated and nervous, to be able to relax and focus. Her body also physically started to change for the better. She started developing muscles along her back and in her neck. It became clear just how much stronger she had become and felt like I had discovered a miracle treatment!  Stronger and Better
After about six months of frequent and consistent chiropractic care, Casey was doing phenomenally. She graduated to a once a month chiropractic treatment plan, which she is actually still on, years later (although, since she is still a failed racehorse prone to doing stupid things, we sometimes have to have emergency adjustments). She went from being so hurt in her body that there were days where she would literally refuse to move, to being so healthy and strong in her body that we were able to accomplish some amazing athletic feats. We’ve ridden up mountains, galloped through fields, jumped gigantic jumps, and gone through trail obstacle courses. She is now a whopping 18 years old, which is not young for a horse, and is still going strong and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Not only that, but getting her the care that she needed really built her trust in me and helped mend her mind. She was such a nervous, flighty mess before chiropractic care. I used to not be able to give her days off, because if I did, she would actually try to kill me the next time I rode (and this folks, is why you should always be wary of a “free” horse). Now, she still has moments of being hyper, but she never tries to hurt me, she is happy to go on rides, and is so good that I even have trusted her enough to let children ride her. I always say that my favorite thing about animals is how true they are. Horses won’t lie. They don’t know what the placebo effect is. I didn’t change anything else about Casey’s life, other than adding in routine chiropractic care, and that one difference made her life exponentially better. Her progress inspired me to seek chiropractic care for myself - which, not shockingly at all, made me feel a million times better in my own body. As a horse rider, my spine was really not happy with how many falls I’ve had over the years. And my treatment plan almost exactly mirrored Casey’s, because believe it or not, humans’ spines are not that different from horses’! I went from being scared of chiropractic care to being a true advocate of it - to the point that I now actually work at Pure Life Chiropractic. Chiropractic care changed Casey’s life, and through that, changed mine as well. So yeah, some people might say that I’m another “crazy horse girl,” but it most definitely is worth the nickname.  By: Ashley Rose Salvitti (trigger warning: loss, home birth) My pregnancy journey and how it inspired my job at Pure Life Chiropractic, my passion for supporting other women during pregnancy and the creation of our Baby Love Workshop (February 23rd at the Oregon Birth & Wellness Center). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MY PREGNANCY JOURNEY Some of you may recognize this belly! Last November I got hired as the front desk receptionist and worked all the way up until the week before my baby boy Westyn was born in May of 2021. What you might not know is why that pregnancy was so significant for me, why Chiropractic Care was such an essential part of my prenatal care and why I created the Baby Love Workshop. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BABY LOVE WORKSHOP First of all, what is the Baby Love workshop you ask? We’ve collaborated with Crystal Massey of Eden Midwifery and the Oregon Birth & Wellness Center to create a workshop on Prenatal and Postpartum care. Dr. Jenn Nyberg, our clinic director and Pure Life Chiropractic and Crystal (both Moms of 3) will share their knowledge and experience on prenatal and post-partum care and provide resources and tips on a healthy pregnancy, delivery and recovery care. All ages are welcome, seating is limited and advanced registration is required. $10 suggested donation to the Oregon Birth & Wellness Center or free for community members. Now, here's my story. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - JADYN ROSE WAS BORN, I BECAME A MOM! I’ve always wanted to be a Mom. My Mom was my hero growing up and I wanted to be that too for my kids. I was 31yrs old when I got pregnant. It was unexpected, but was the catalyst for all the good in my life and ended up being the perfect timing. I had a wonderfully healthy pregnancy, full of joy, optimism, and eagerness to meet my first born. On March 10th, 2015, Jadyn Rose was born at home. She likes to tell people that she was born in a hot tub in our living room, and she’s not wrong! The delivery was as expected (hard as hell), but what I didn't expect was such a traumatic recovery. It's something that many women don't talk about (the truth about postpartum)! I found that my body (that was in shape during pregnancy) took a beating during delivery and it took a long time to heal. At the time, I owned my own business. Initially, I was able to juggle being a Mom and business owner but as she grew, it became more challenging. I struggled with how to care for both of the things that I was ultimately responsible for, but I made it happen. As Moms always do. Three years later, my best friend got pregnant and I knew it was time to start trying again for a sibling for Jadyn. A few months later, I was pregnant and the timing was perfect again! This time, things didn’t go as planned. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AN UNIMAGINABLE LOSS I was 29 weeks pregnant, chillin on my couch after dinner, when I realized it had been a long time since I had felt my baby move. I ate a Snickers ice cream bar, drank a big glass of OJ and laid on my left side waiting for my baby to show me that she was ok. No movement. My midwife came to the house and used the doppler to hear the heartbeat. When she couldn’t find it, we went to the emergency room to hear the worst news a parent could ever hear, “I’m so sorry, there’s no heartbeat.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in disbelief. We were smooth sailing in the 3rd trimester - how could anything go wrong now? I went home and lost it. I had to tell my daughter that her sister was dead in my belly and I had to go to the hospital to deliver her. The next few days were extremely emotional for us but we were surrounded by wonderful family and friends in the care of our midwife team and the L&D staff at Providence. My sister took the first flight out of NC to be with me and was in the hospital that evening. They induced me slowly so I spent 2 days walking around the hospital with a big baby bump that I used to be proud of and love for people to talk to me about, but now I was so so scared someone would ask me when I was due and I would have to tell them that my baby was dead and I was there to deliver a stillborn. I got all the drugs, I didn’t want to feel anymore pain. Lena was born at 5:14am on September 29th, 2018. I got to hold her lifeless body and kiss her wrinkled face. Her hands and feet were so small I fit my wedding ring around them. We held her and cried. We were supposed to love her, care for her, keep her safe and watch her grow. She was the 4th member of our family, she was the missing link, the baby we had dreamed of and now all we had was the next 10 hours with her. Just those moments in the hospital. We lost a lifetime. The doula took pictures of the birth. I cherish those pictures with her and I'm thankful for the time we got to spend with her in the hospital. Her Daddy played his guitar to her as she laid lifeless, I know her soul was probably dancing around his head as he played. Saying hello and goodbye to your baby in the same day is never something a parent should have to do. Our lives have been forever changed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TWO PINK LINES, PREGNANCY AFTER LOSS I immediately became pregnant again, not trying to but not trying not to. I was not ready emotionally or physically. I was still deep in processing the loss of Lena and not yet healed. I wanted a baby so bad and was excited to be pregnant again but with the tainted lens that loss created on pregnancy, I was a nervous wreck. Like many other loss Moms, I felt robbed of the joy surrounding pregnancy and was constantly worried that I would have another loss. And I did. I miscarried that baby at 11 weeks. It was painful both emotionally and physically. I didn’t have the support that I had through my stillborn experience, after all it was "just a miscarriage”, but to me, it was yet another baby I had lost. I felt broken. My husband was to be deployed later that year and the timing wasn’t right to try again, I couldn’t deliver without him nor did I want him to miss his baby’s birth and first few months out of the womb. I decided to take a break and wait until he got back. In the meantime I would work on getting healthy physically and emotionally. While he was gone, I sold my business (that caused an unimaginable amount of stress on me) and sold our house and packed up all our belongings. My husband returned from deployment in October 2020 and we moved to Eugene and started trying again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LENA’s GIFT // CHOOSING HOPE On Lenas 2nd birthday we got a gift that I believe she sent, a 2nd pink line aka BFP! Like any other loss Mom knows - with that joy also comes fear, but I was determined NOT to let that stop me from feeling joy. I shared our pregnancy on social media very early because even though loss is so common that early, it wasn’t going to stop me from loving that baby, from the very start. I made the decision to choose hope and made that my constant mantra throughout this pregnancy. I knew that the best thing I could do to support the outcome of the pregnancy was to take care of myself, both physically and emotionally, and so I made that my priority. I was sicker than any other pregnancy in my past so for the first 3 months, I just gave myself grace. I rested as much as possible and tried to do 3 things each day: drink water, take vitamins, and move my body - whether that was a walk, stretch or yoga. I also practiced deep breathing and meditation whenever I was feeling anxious and practiced positive pregnancy mantras. I got a job at Pure Life Chiropractic because I knew the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy and was experiencing lower back pain and headaches, so I wanted to make sure I included it as part of my care plan. My headaches went away within a couple weeks of care and as my body grew and changed, adjustments and massage supported my growing belly and helped prepare me for delivery. I hired Melissa Reeves as my coach, who helped me connect with my body through somatic healing. Rachel Basolo as my doula and was so thankful to have someone to count on during pregnancy for support who would also be there for my delivery. I participated in Positively Pregnancy Group through Nurturely, to connect with other women who were expecting and gain new knowledge and tools and prepare for life with a baby. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A WELL SUPPORTED HOME BIRTH Although we had planned a hospital birth with a doula, around 24 weeks, my husband and I decided we wanted to explore the home-birth option for this delivery. We met with Crystal Massey from Eden Midwifery, the only certified nurse midwife in the area and immediately felt the difference in the care we received. It was such a personal connection, in the comfort of our own home. It felt right and I’m so glad I trusted my intuition. Leading up to our due date, I prepared for the delivery by drinking red raspberry leaf tea, continuing my chiropractic care and massage and a series of acupuncture visits scheduled with Dr. Kali (starting at 32 weeks), and she was amazing. I created a birth altar and was ready to welcome our baby boy. My water broke on Friday May 28th at 12:20pm and Westyn was born less than 7 hours later, safely at home. There’s no feeling in the world like holding your baby for the first time, it was the biggest relief to have my baby boy safely in my arms. I’m so thankful for the people and resources that helped me through this pregnancy journey. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BABY LOVE: An advanced workshop on prenatal and postpartum care My passion for supporting women through their pregnancies has grown out of my experience of pregnancy, loss and hope. I created the Baby Love workshop to help provide information and resources for pregnant mamas in the area who want to support a healthy pregnancy journey, hosted by my boss, Dr. Jenn Nyberg and my midwife, Crystal Massey. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to hear them talk, share their knowledge and bring together others in the birthing community. Please join us Wednesday February 23rd at 6pm, tickets are limited and advanced registration is required, click here to reserve your seat now. $10 suggested donation to Oregon Birth and Wellness Center. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - By: Ashley Allen Chiropractic saved my daughters life. Here's Claire's story:  Birth to 7 weeksI never knew true love until I became a mother and had to fight for my baby’s life. Claire was born on December 8 of 2015. She was born at 37 weeks and 5 days, a very tiny 6 lbs 8 oz. The first couple weeks were great we were adapting to being a family of 5. We started getting concerned because she was vomiting after every bottle. I took her to her pediatrician and they were immediately concerned because she had lost weight. That started our very long journey. From that point on we were at the doctor every other day for weight checks, trying different formula, trying acid reflux medications and adding calories to her formula. Finally when she was 6 weeks old we saw a new doctor, Claire was only weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz. At that visit the doctor told me she had completely fallen off the growth. At that time the doctor decided Claire needed to be hospitalized so we could run tests and find out why she was not gaining weight.  First HospitalizationThe next day I took Claire to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane Washington where we were admitted for 5 days. They placed a feeding tube that first day and just monitored her. The following day they did a gastric emptying study and found that she has gastroparesis. Her stomach was paralyzed. They started her on a medication call Reglan and sent us home. Over the next couple months the vomiting continued, she was gaining weight but extremely slowly. Her doctor was still concerned because she wasn’t showing much if any improvement. So he made the decision to send us to Seattle Children's Hospital for a second opinion.  Second HospitalizationI was preparing for out visit to the doctor in Seattle and I called and asked the likelihood of being hospitalized and I was informed it was very unlikely but to come prepared for the worst since we’re coming from so far away. The appointment comes and the doctor walks in the room takes one look Claire and says she’s being admitted. He then asks about her medication reglan and told me he doesn’t even like to put teens on that and told me to stop giving it to her immediately. We get admitted and they started a new safer medication and decided to run some more tests and make sure the first hospital didn’t miss anything. Thank goodness nothing was missed. They placed another feeding tube through her nose and all feeds went through that she had nothing by mouth. We were in Seattle for a total of 10 days, hardest days of my life.  Trying ChiropracticOnce we got home from Seattle Claire was about 6 months old and my mom started seeing a chiropractor and mentioned Claire and he told my mom to schedule her an appointment. I called and got her in right away. I was willing to try anything to help my baby. When we started seeing the chiropractor we were going 3-4 times a week for adjustments and within 1 month she was off all medications and was finally thriving she was hitting all her developmental milestones and was spitting up much less. Claire was still super small at this point she was wearing size newborn clothes and size 1 diapers.  Claire TodayToday Claire is a very healthy and happy 6 year old who is in the 40th percentile for weight and 70th for height. She is my living miracle and I am beyond thankful that chiropractic gave me a future with my daughter. Motherhood is the hardest thing you’ll ever do in life but it is also the most rewarding. The first year of Claire’s life was the most difficult yet amazing year to see her grow and learn new things and celebrate her first birthday when that was almost denied to her. I am so passionate about chiropractic care for everyone as I have seen first hand the amazing benefits. Without it I’m sure that Claire would not be as healthy as she is and living her best life without it.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Theresa and Curtis Leach. They’ve been patients of Pure Life Chiropractic for over a year on and off. Since they've started care, they’ve transformed their lives and truly are new and better versions of themselves. Not only do they look different (weight loss, increased movement, bigger smiles, better posture) but they also feel better (no diabetic issues, decreased pain, increased range of motion) and they’re able to do the things that they couldn’t do before such as walking barefoot, gardening and standing long enough to cook for their family. Not only that, but since they’ve started care, they’ve taken the advice of our providers and incorporated new daily habits that have contributed to better health, such as the Sid Smoothie and Home Care Exercises. We are proud to have them as part of the Pure Life Chiropractic community! They’ve been recognized as Patients Of The Month and were willing to take the time to interview with me and share their experience with our clinic.  Ashley Rose: Theresa, tell me why you and Curtis decided to seek care at Pure Life Chiropractic? Theresa: We started Chiropractic care in Michigan, and went to one place in Eugene that did not do x-rays, profile pictures or an exam before they worked on me. So, I looked into the internet and the name “Pure Life” stuck out because I wanted a pure life! After going through the exam, the very first one where they take X-rays and they help you through it they tell you the process and they don't touch you until after that exam is done, which is a very good thing. They then set you up with therapies, adjustments and massages as insurance permits. They also help you with their experience, strength, and hope as human beings, not just a very professional staff. I actually came in wearing this (big t-shirt). I'm now looking like this (showing her new slim body) and I have full movement, close to full movement in a 35 year old shoulder injury. Ashley Rose: What other improvements have you seen in your health and well-being since being a patient? Theresa: I have been able to achieve the goals that I set here. One of them was just standing up long enough to cook for eight people, I do that a lot. Another one was to garden. I have a fantastic Garden- just a HUGE garden and I’ve actually been able to share some of my produce here! For Curtis, he's been able to get up off the bed!!! Curtis: Yeah, and I've walked Barefoot, something I haven’t done since 98! Ashley Rose: Oh WOW! Theresa: He had an injury in 98, where he fell off the roof three stories! He landed on his feet next to a running saw! So, he's had a little trauma over that and he's actually allowed them to work on his feet here, because he never has allowed people to touch his feet. Curtis: Yep. Theresa: In 15 years of marriage plus the couple of years we went out, I had never ever cut his toenails! I have recently been able to do that!
Ashley Rose: What medications were you able to reduce after starting care? Theresa: When I came here I had like 10 or 11 medications I was on. I'm now on 1 which has been lowered and I only keep it because it's a seizure medication and I drive - which I'm able to do now. Not just because of the medications, but because I'm stronger. Ashley Rose: How does Pure Life chiropractic help you live Life Without Limits? Theresa: Because I'm able to move! I'm able to get out of bed. I get bored, I start pacing in my house. I’m up to like 5000 steps a day- when I couldn't make 1000 when I started wearing a watch. Ashley Rose: How long have you been a patient? Theresa: I’ve been a patient for approximately a year. I had to take some time off due to insurance and I came back due to the fact that I’d kept up with my own therapies at home and came back and you can get in better shape.
Ashley Rose: What is it like having a team of practitioners at PLC caring for you? Theresa: I like to see many Doctors because they all have their different strengths and methods. I like all of ours! I love how they do it. I like how Dr. A does my feet. Dr. J - I like how she does my neck! Ashley Rose: What is it like doing therapies? Theresa: Now it feels great! But, doing my therapies has been difficult at times. I loved my first traction because it stretched my stomach and everything and that’s what started tightening my stomach. I'm now doing traction that’s straightening my neck, I don't have a big lump anymore. Wobble chair, it takes a minute to get it down. But once you get it down it's fun! And the hydrobeds! OH MY GOSH! Those are just free to use for anyone! Curtis: I really like the neck exercises and the lower back. Because of my fall, I couldn't hardly walk. Now I can do that and I can sleep at night too, without taking pain pills! If it wasn’t for you guys, I’d still be taking pain pills. Ashley Rose: That makes me so happy to hear! Is there anything else you want to say? Theresa: I just love this place! This is like my second home. Every time I'm on the way here and they’re like - “Oh God, she’s going to be in a better mood”! Because I come out of here feeling good. Ashley Rose: What's your favorite thing to do here? Theresa: Massage. I love the massage here, but the Hydro bed runs a close second! PLC Community Testimonials
If you suffer from lower back pain, the thought of doing any type of strenuous exercise can seem daunting, mostly out of fear of injuring yourself. You're not alone as a good majority of people (especially those who work at a desk 8-10 hours per day) are right there with you. So, what can you do? Here are three relatively easy, low-impact, high-return exercises you can do to strengthen your lower back. If you feel pain doing the exercises below, shorten the range of motion or perform the moves more slowly. Child’s Pose Gently relieves tension in the lower back. When your pain is acute, use these easy moves to gently mobilize — increase the pain-free range of motion — in your back. To Do This Exercise: 1. On a mat or blanket, kneel down, and if possible, sit on your heels. 2. Lean forward, extending your arms in front of you, and rest your head on the floor in front of you. 3. Hold the position for 30 seconds to two minutes. If It Hurts: Cross your arms on the floor and rest on your forearms.  Clam Supports healthy hip movement, which takes pressure off the lower back during everyday activities. To Do This Exercise: 1. Lie on your left side with your knees bent 90 degrees in front of you and your feet stacked. 2. Keeping your feet together and your hips vertical, lift your right knee as far away from your left as possible. 3. Hold for a moment, return to the starting position, and repeat for 15 reps. 4. Turn onto your right side and perform 15 reps. If It Hurts: Make sure your lower back doesn’t twist throughout the movement and limit the move to a pain-free range of motion.  photo credit: PopSugar Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch Restores proper positioning of the hips, taking tension off the lower back. To Do This Exercise: 1. Kneel on a mat or pad and step your right foot flat on the floor in front of you. 2. Keeping your torso upright and your back in its natural arch, lunge forward towards your right foot. 3. Press the top of your left foot into the floor behind you. 4. Hold the stretched position for 30–45 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. If It Hurts: Contract your abs and flatten the lower back as much as possible throughout the stretch. Also, try shifting your hips back and coming out of the stretch a bit.  photo credit: Hip Flex Tips  If you're out of practice when it comes to exercising or if you're recovering from an injury, your best bet is to get started with a low-impact routine. But, just because we call it low-impact does not mean it should be considered a low-result workout. Low-impact exercises help you burn calories and lose weight just as well as high-impact moves.
The following are a few favorite low-impact activities along with some ideas for getting the most out of your exercise. Walking Walking is by far the most popular low-impact exercise, and to get your heart rate up, there are some things you may want to try.
Walking the Stairs Walking up stairs, whether they're real stairs or the revolving staircase at the gym, can be an incredibly intense workout and a great way to get your heart rate up. If you're a beginner, try adding a few minutes of stair climbing to your usual workout. You'll find you don't have to go very fast to get your heart rate up. Hiking Hiking can be another robust, low-impact activity, especially if you're hiking on an incline. The changing terrain requires a lot of work from the lower body and walking up a mountain involves the large muscles of the glutes, hips, and thighs - precisely what you want for an intense cardio workout. Add a backpack, and you're burning even more calories. Step Aerobics Step aerobics can be a great alternative if you like choreographed exercise. Because you're stepping onto an elevated platform, you can typically get your heart rate up without doing any jumping. Using your arms can add more intensity to the workout as well. Other Alternatives You can also choose other activities that have no impact, but still offer high-intensity workouts like cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, or rowing. Any of these activities can be intense if you work hard, but you may also want to cross-train with impact activities to keep your body challenged in different ways.  Most patients consult our office because they have an ache or a pain. Their goal? Relief. That's our first objective.
We'll conduct a thorough examination, revealing areas of spinal dysfunction. Based on the findings of your examination, we will prepare and offer a care plan designed to give you the best results in the shortest amount of time. Our goal is to go beyond the short-term relief and work to correct the underlying issues. When you begin your road to recovery, visits are frequent. Each visit builds on the one before, so keeping your appointments will help you get the best results. Often what happens next changes everything. After a series of visits, you'll start feeling better. And, in feeling better, you might decide to cut back on your visits or stop treatment altogether. But, if you continue your treatment, we'll be able to treat your muscles, and soft tissue that left untreated could cause a relapse. When you continue your care, visits will become less frequent, and progress will be less dramatic. However, the healing continues, and you move into what we call "Wellness Care." In this phase, your body is supported to do and feel its best. We also understand that sometimes you don't have a choice about when you end your care. Whatever you choose, we're here to serve and help support you in your decision. Your health affects everything you do and everyone you know. With so many people depending on you, it makes sense to invest in your health. A program of chiropractic checkups can help you be the caring parent, the loving spouse, the understanding friend, or the dependable employee. Invest in your health. You're worth it! To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors, please give us a call at 541-343-5633.  There are many, many causes of subluxations (misalignments in the vertebrae) that can inhibit optimal health. While they are not avoidable, it helps to recognize these causes so that treatment can be sought when they occur.
Here are five common causes of subluxations and what you can do to feel better.
What to do if you've suffered one of these subluxations: If your body isn't feeling quite right due to one of these common subluxation causes, relief is just a phone call away. At Pure Life Chiropractic, we can provide an assessment of what is going on with your spine, address and make suggestions for how to adjust your daily living so you'll have better spinal health, and provide the necessary treatment (typically an adjustment) so you'll start to feel better. Please give us a call to schedule your appointment today at 541-343-5633.  Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes Yield: 8 pancakes Ingredients
Instructions
*The batter should be thick, however, if the pancake batter becomes too thick (different coconut flours are more absorbent), just add more almond milk, by the tablespoon. Adapted from the Healthy Maven. |
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