AMI Chiropractic Clinic Blog

EXERCISE IS THE BEST MEDICINE Bottom Line: Nearly every major risk factor for chronic disease can be lower with as little as 15 minutes of moderate exercise per day. As you age, the cells in your body can become damaged, your metabolism slows down, and you lose muscle strength. Daily exercise has been shown to actually slow down the typical aging process. The catch is that if you aren’t exercising consistently, you may be unknowingly accelerating the aging process and increasing your risk of chronic disease. Why it Matters: Even 15 minutes of exercise per day can lower your cardiovascular risk. Activities like walking, swimming, and yoga are great choices to start with. Being aware of your cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure numbers are important. Keep in mind that many of those numbers can be improved without medication. Simply adding daily exercise into your life can make a tremendous impact on your overall health and well-being. Regular exerci...

Stretch Your Way to Better Health Bottom Line: Stretching each day is an integral part of improving your overall health. Even if you’re not an athlete, stretching provides important benefits for both your mind and body. Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to stretch. Knowing the differences, and understanding the proper technique will help you stay more energized throughout the day and can also improve the flexibility of your joints. Why it Matters: The days of “static” stretching are long gone. Static stretching, or bouncing as you stretch, can cause injuries and pain. Health experts now recommend dynamic stretching, which can release muscle tension, increase energy levels, and improve the delivery of nutrients to your muscles. Dynamic stretching should be performed at least 2-3 days a week for a minimum of 10 minutes per session. Benefits of Stretching include: Improved Flexibility - stretching can enhance your flexibility by keeping...

Headaches Everyday? Read This! Bottom Line: Life can be busy and stressful. Sound familiar? If so, you may likely start experiencing headaches more frequently, and they may be more severe. Chronic headaches are a good indication that your body needs attention, whether that’s related to a lack of quality sleep, nutritional challenges or even postural issues, all of which can contribute to a developing a vicious cycle of daily headaches. Those daily headaches are a signal from your body that something needs to change. While researchers have struggled to place an exact cause on every type of headache, they have discovered an array of risk factors that can lead to the development of chronic headaches. The foods you eat, the stress in your life, and even how you move your body and spine, can either increase or decrease the likelihood of experiencing headaches. These daily headaches aren't something you "have to live with." Top research publications in...

How To Find Natural  Relief From Headaches What Can You Do? Natural (or organic) healthcare solutions are now being recommended by many leading healthcare organizations because of the associated reduction in dangerous side-effects and high rates of patient satisfaction following treatment.  Three of the most effective natural solutions for reducing the frequency and severity of headaches include Magnesium, Chiropractic care, and B-vitamins. Taking a Magnesium supplement has the potential to reduce the occurrence of migraine headaches without any of the side-effects typically associated with painkillers, and if stress is a significant factor in your headaches, B-vitamins may be a natural fit for relief. Additionally, Chiropractic care helps to correct the postural changes and muscle tension which are a couple of the leading causes of migraine headaches Here at the AMI Clinic in Bedford we use a combination of spinal manipulation, myofascial therap...

YO UR BODY IS DESIGNED TO MOVE Bottom Line: Your body is built to move. Every spinal disc and joint is designed to help you sit, stand, run and well…move! Your discs are soft enough to flex as you bend forward and back. The spinal facet joints slide as your turn and twist, the ligament-connected spinal bones keep you supported as your muscles push and pull.Your body is an incredibly strong and resilient system! Why It Matters: New research has started to give us a glimpse at just how important movement is in our life. For example, movement of the spine has been shown to stimulate and accelerate the healing process. In fact, movement is so crucial in the healing process that even people who have spine surgery are encouraged to get up and to move as quickly as possible after surgery.         All the bones, muscles, ligaments and joints of your spine are specially designed to support movement.       Movement of the individual ...

Tape: All Hype Or Scientifically Sound? Bottom Line: It’s difficult to find a single sporting event where you won’t see an athlete wearing colorful tape somewhere on their body. You may have wondered what it is, and more importantly what it’s used for. The tape is called kinesio tape and was initially developed by a Chiropractor about 40 years ago. It works by stimulating proprioception, which is the medical term for knowing where your body is in space. Why it Matters: Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and it’s loaded with small sensory nerve fibers that are responsible for proprioception. Placing tape in specific areas of your body across the skin provides sensory input that gives your brain more information as you move. This additional information has been shown to help improve balance, reduce pain, and support proper movement patterns. -       Tape worn on the skin provides your brain with more info...