August 2021

IMPORTANT DATES:
Dr Olivia is returning from maternity leave and beginning work on Friday Mornings from August 6th and Wednesday afternoons from August 11th 2021.
At this stage, the Practice will be closed on Friday August 13th due to Dr Olivia and Dr Michelle both being away.

Fee Change

Please be aware that as of September 1st there will be a small increase in our fees, our first increase since February 2020.
Increases are:
Standard visit – $56 to $59
Determining own care – $65 to $70
VIP – $48 to $52
Children – up to 12 yrs. $48 to $52
Prepay visit – 3 visits $144 to $153
Family of 3 – $120 to $135
Family of 4 – $148 to $160
Family of 5 – $165 to $185
Our aim is to always make care, especially for every family member affordable. Please note that every family member is given the same appointment space as an individual is given, so the family rate does represent a substantial saving.
If you have any concerns, please speak to Sharon, Rachael, Dr Michelle or Dr Olivia.

What Causes Changes In My Spinal Alignments?

Our spinal joints are designed to move in a specific way depending on where they are in the spinal column.
With injury (falls, slips, motor vehicle accidents etc), poor posture, chemical stress (e.g., dehydration, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption) and mental and emotional stress, our spinal joints can lose their ability to move properly, thus becoming misaligned.
However, the most common cause of spinal misalignment is how we position or hold our bodies repeatedly, that is, the posture we adopt when sitting, lying, standing, performing our work or exercising.
Right now, as you read this, how are you sitting? Are you slumped over, legs crossed, head down, and sitting on a slight angle? When you watch TV, are you curled up with your head turned on an angle to view the screen?
What about as you lift weights in the gym, is there someone watching you to make sure your technique is right and that the weight isn’t too heavy or are you just muscling the bar up? Do you spend hours in front of a computer or hunched over looking at your iPhone or tablet?
You see the more you move your body or hold it in a particular position, the more you tell your body that that position or movement is normal. If this movement pattern is incorrect, it can create abnormal changes in the muscle and joint tissues, and if left uncorrected, (think adjustment), can lead to damage and eventual breakdown of the joint.
So next time you experience back or neck pain, and you can’t remember a specific injury or causative event, think about how you have been moving or holding your body because the most common reason for changes to your spinal joint motion is the posture and movement patterns you perform repeatedly throughout the day.
If you have any queries about this or how best to sit, stand or position yourself at work, please speak to Dr Michelle or Dr Olivia.

Reminder

➢ Mobile phones – Please turn to silent BEFORE entering the Practice. If you need to make or answer a call, please take it outside.
➢ Please remember to remove ties, belts, empty pockets and remove shoes before your adjustment

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the and the answers are simple

Dr. Seuss

RECIPE – PUMPKIN CREAMY CHICKEN

Ingredients:
800 gms of chicken thigh, cut into small bite size pieces
1 Medium sized spaghetti squash
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
400 gms of pumpkin puree (steamed and then mashed)
1 x 270 gm tin of coconut milk
3 garlic cloves
½ yellow onion, diced

Olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Cut up cauliflower into pieces, place on backing paper on an oven tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over.
  2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, scrape out excess seeds and threads, place on another oven tray with backing paper skin side up.
  3. Place cauliflower and squash in oven at around 80®c for around 20-25 minutes or until cooked. The squash is cooked when you touch the skin and there is a slight give to it.
  4. Now using a large pan or frying pan with a lid, place around 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook garlic until fragrant, add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.
  5. Add chicken to the mix and place lid on and cook until its about 2/3 cooked.
  6. Now add the pumpkin puree, the can of coconut milk, and spices directly to the chicken, garlic and onion mix.
  7. Mix thoroughly; add salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Once cauliflower and spaghetti squash are cooked, remover from oven. Using a fork, de-thread the spaghetti squash by running the fork the opposite way of the threads.
  9. Add spaghetti squash threads, roasted cauliflower and chicken sauce mixture and place in a glass baking dish and place back in oven for around 5-10 minutes or until slightly golden on top.
  10. Remove and let sit. Enjoy.

Supplementation

Patients often ask if they should be taking any particular supplements to help improve their joint and muscle pain.
Firstly, it’s important to remember that eating a well-balanced diet, high in vegetables, good fats, lean sources of protein, small amounts of fruit, nuts and seeds, and little, if any, of packaged or processed foods and alcohol, will go a long way to providing the necessary supplements to aid joint and muscle repair and recovery.
However, when specifically talking about improving joint pain, it may be necessary to include these.

  1. Magnesium- Magnesium is involved in the relaxation of smooth muscle (think arteries, veins, respiratory and digestive system) and striated muscle (think biceps, hamstrings etc), therefore important for aiding blood pressure and digestion as well as aiding with muscle recovery after excessive physical work or exercise. Magnesium is one element that is frequently lost from the body through excessive sweating or consumption of high processed carbohydrate diet.
  2. Omega 3 Polyunsaturated fatty acid- Commonly found in oily fish (salmon, sardines, herring), grass-fed lamb, beef and chicken and eggs, avocado, seeds (chia) and olive oil. Omega 3 PUFA’s help to reduce inflammation in the body, so really important for joint health, especially if you suffer from any form of arthritis. Great to take as a supplement as most salmon in Australia is from farmed sources so often low in Omega 3 PUFA. When choosing fish, always look for deep water, wild caught and a smaller to medium size fish as larger fish eg. mackerel, can be high in heavy metal toxicity such as mercury.
    When buying omega 3 PUFA as a supplement, cheap does not always equate to good! If you open a container of Omega 3 supplements and it smells fishy, the product is considered rancid and you won’t get much benefit from it. Aim to include around 1000 mg of the 2 main acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
    So, look for high levels of these in each tablet or liquid from. Low amounts per tablet can mean that you will be consuming higher amounts of filler ingredients which won’t help your joint health in the long run.

One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do It Now!

Paulo Coelho