If you sit behind a desk all day with little or no activity, you could be compromising your physical health, mental health, and brain health which could impact your productivity at work. From a physical standpoint, it isn’t healthy to remain in one position for too long. It can lead to various health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Experts advise getting up and walking around every hour or so or do exercises at your desk.

Healthy brain function can also be impacted by inactivity. If you sit at work without moving for long periods of time your brain could suffer. The lack of activity could cause it to enter into a state of slumber which can lead to a decrease in brain processing speed and short term memory loss.

It can also impact a person’s ability to learn or retain new information. This is why it is so important to create an organizational culture that encourages movement as part of their workday.

There are four areas where you can incorporate movement into your own workplace: policies, places, people, and permission.

Policies

Create written policies that encourage and advocate movement during work hours. Incorporate moving workstations, moving meetings, flexible scheduling, more breaks when meetings run long, and a movement friendly dress code.

Provide information and training to all employees and leadership underlining the importance of the policies and explaining the importance of movement as well as what they can do to support the initiative.

Places

Create workspaces that are conducive to movement, adjusting workstations so that they encourage active movement and incorporating active movement into current processes and workflows while minimizing the time employees spend sitting.

Seek out software and applications that encourage users to stretch or get up and move while they are working. Make stairwells more accessible and appealing, improve common areas, and encourage collaboration that requires moving to various workstations or common areas.

People

Identify employees who are good role models for movement and train them for leadership roles so that they can encourage other employees to make movement a part of their work day. Train them in the policies regarding movement and task them with helping to create a culture of health and movement within the organization.

Organize groups to walk during breaks or meet in common areas for light stretching and other types of movement. Sponsor contests and competitions with prizes for employees who achieve set goals.

Permission

Educate all employees and all levels or management or leadership on the benefits of movement and how it can positively impact personal production and performance as well as organizational outcomes. Stress that moving during the work day should become a normal activity and must be welcomed and allowed. Emphasize that it is the task of all employees to make a culture of movement the norm as opposed to the exception.

The benefits of bringing movement into the workplace extends far beyond healthier employees and increased production. Employees perceive themselves as valuable to the organization and morale is increased. This improves employee engagement on the job and they invest more into their work as opposed to just doing a job. They are happier, empowered, and more productive at work and take more of an active role in business outcomes as well as their own health.

Of course, employees will also enjoy individual benefits such as increased blood flow, as well as improved problem solving, better alertness, and enhanced creativity. A workplace that incorporates movement into its culture is a healthier, happier place to work with healthier, happier employees. You can’t afford to not implement this simple, effective strategy into your own organizational culture.

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In Health,
Dr Ashlin Gasiorowski

There was a time when Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, was laughed off as “kids being kids.” Research has shown, however, that ADHD is a neuro behavioral disorder that is often diagnosed in children. In fact, 1 in 10 children receives a diagnosis of ADHD and experts are taking notice of the condition’s impact in learning and even daily living.

ADHD Drugs – Dangerous Game

Traditional treatments for ADHD are often heavily dependent upon medication, particularly stimulants like Ritalin. This drug has long been the standard for treating children diagnosed with ADHD and it, along with other similar drugs, have been shown to be somewhat effective in treating the symptoms of the condition in many patients. Unfortunately, that is not all that these drugs do.

Several of the drugs marketed specifically for ADHD are schedule II controlled substances and act very similar to amphetamines. Drugs including Ritalin have effects that closely mimic those of cocaine. Several of these drugs have been linked to cardiovascular problems in children and teens. Many of them are highly addictive.

Drugs like Adderall have become street drugs abused by teens and college students who enjoy its “speed” effects or who use it to stay awake so they can study. Some young women are abusing the drug by taking it as a diet aid.

Aside from all of this, though, are the effects a child’s brain and body undergo when they take the medication as prescribed. There is usually a distinct behavioral and personality change which often presents as a “dulling” or “stoned” reaction.

There are also great concerns that too little is known about the long term effects of taking ADHD drugs. It is a dangerous game to play with a child’s life.

Studies and Research

Several studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of chiropractic as a viable therapy for ADHD. A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics in 1989 was one of the early studies to explore this. The conclusion of the study was “impressive evidence” that the majority of the subjects did improve while using specific chiropractic care.

It also called for more studies to be conducted to further explore the possibilities that chiropractic care offers. Another study published in Explore (NY) in 2010 also provided strong evidence that chiropractic adjustments has significant benefits for patients with ADHD.

Chiropractic for ADHD

Chiropractic is steadily gaining ground as a viable, effective, non-drug treatment for ADHD patients. Doctors of Chiropractic are teaming up with chiropractic neurologists to help move children away from the drugs. As they create chiropractic based ADHD treatments they not only free children from the unpleasant side effects of the medication, they also introduce them to a healthier lifestyle.

The patient is put through a variety of tests including a brain function exam. Their auditory and visual reflexes are tested as well as other assessments to determine not only the problem, but the specific manifestations of the problem as they relate to the patient. This results in a very individualized treatment plan that is tailored specifically to the patient’s needs, unlike “one size fits all” approach of drug therapy.

Through these individualized programs, data on the patient’s progress is constantly being gathered and compiled by the chiropractic neurologist. Often, children who go through such programs not only experience a significant grade improvement in the first three months, they also experience improvement in their academic performance even after the program is complete.

Improvements in patients who use drug therapy only experience the improvements as long as they are taking the drugs. Chiropractic neurology changes the brain function of the patient so that they enjoy its effects and benefits for life.

If you or a loved one is suffering from this condition, give us a call. We are here to help!

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In Health,
Dr Arman Hemmat

Your spine goes through a lot each day. It provides structural support and houses the central nervous system which carries impulses from the brain throughout the body. When it isn’t working as it should, the entire body can be affected. Chiropractic has long been praised as a way to keep the back healthy. Well, now we’ll get down to the nitty gritty and examine just why it is so good for your spine.

It improves your posture

Posture is not only good for your spine, it is beneficial for the entire body. It keeps the body in proper alignment which, in turn, allows the muscles to work as they should.

This prevents abnormal wearing on the surfaces of the joints and allows joint and muscles to work more effectively and efficiently. Good posture helps to prevent injury and even helps with proper organ function.

However, many people have poor posture and don’t even realize it. Chiropractic can help bring the body into alignment and improving posture which greatly benefits the spine. The patient then enjoys improved range of motion and even more energy as the body does not have to work so hard to compensate for misalignments and poor posture.

It helps to relieve pain

It is estimated that as much as 90 percent of people experience back pain at some point. Considering all that the back goes through in a typical day, it isn’t much of a stretch to think that there might be some pain involved at times. This is especially true if the back is not properly aligned.

Chiropractic is traditionally thought of as a treatment for back pain, but what many people don’t realize is that it is also used to treat pain in the knees, ankles, feet, hands, and jaw. When there is pain in the body it will often try to compensate by adjusting to take the pressure off of certain areas.

This can cause misalignment which can impact the entire system, causing pain and stiffness. A chiropractor may treat these problems with various chiropractic techniques, specific exercise recommendations, and even dietary changes in order to relieve the pain.

It strengthens the spine to support the body

The spine is the primary support for the body. When it breaks down, the body suffers. Regular chiropractic treatment ensures that the spine remains in proper alignment which, in turn, keeps the body in proper alignment.

It helps with joint health as well as the health of the related muscles and ligaments. Your chiropractor can also recommend stretching and strength building exercises to help keep your spine strong and supple.

Chiropractic helps to keep the back flexible which aids in preventing injury. A strong spine is also less likely to become misaligned or experience pain. This can greatly improve your quality of life as you are more flexible and mobile.

It improves overall health

Chiropractic is good for your spine which means it is good for your overall health. While many people think that its only purpose is to treat back pain, chiropractic actually focuses on total body wellness.

All too often problems within the body are interrelated. For instance, back pain could be the result of an altered gait due to an ankle injury, or a headache could be caused by a misaligned neck due to improper sleep positions (or even the wrong pillow).

Chiropractors do address the symptoms but they also delve into the problem to discover the root so that true healing can occur. This not only makes the spine healthy, but the entire body as well.

I hope you found this article helpful and gained some new knowledge from it. Please, leave a comment or feel free to ask questions. Also, Let your Friends and Family know about the article by sharing it on Facebook.

In Health,
Dr Arman Hemmat