​In our final video blog for the year, we’d like to share with you some tips for a healthier new year.
Let’s start with a different perspective. Instead of commonly used phrase of “New Year Resolution”, how about we talk about “New Lifestyle”, a new way of life. When it’s a new way of life, it will become something that is a part of you. It’s not merely a list of things or actions to do or to tick-off.
When we want to start something new, adopting a new habit or breaking patterns; we need to do it regularly. At the same time, they need to be achievable so that you can always celebrate your accomplishment every day. Celebrate each of the actions that contributes to the “new healthier you”.
There’s no need to spend money and commit to a gym or pay a nutritionist just yet, but here are 3 things you can do daily as foundations of the “new you”:

• Move
• Breathe
• Meditate

Move – Work your way up towards 30 minutes of walk each day. If you’re beyond that, then do 1 hour. If you’re beyond that, challenge yourself in various physical ways, especially resistance training where you maintain muscles’ function. Whatever it is you end up doing, can you stick to that routine, daily?
Breathe – Belly and Nose. Let’s keep it simple to that. Can you send your breath to your belly first, then ribs, then upper chest. Can you do a gentle breath in and out, through the nose only and keep that mouth closed. Get into that pattern first before doing anything else fancy.
Meditate – This doesn’t have to be sitting still, humming, and chanting mantras. How long you do this is entirely up to you. It’s all about purpose and intention. Mindful meditation. It’s not about emptying your thoughts but focusing on the things that can help you keep going. For example:

• Daily gratitude and being thankful for your loved ones and the basics that you have access to daily
• Focusing on the beauty and wonders of nature while you walk
• Noticing what you feel while you walk or sitting still, the breeze, the sound, the muscle twitches, or whatever else it may be
• Having an appreciation for the body’s ability to heal and its intricacies to develop a loving appreciation to take care of it more.
• Allowing that “Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery”, so what are you going to do or who are you going to be “today”?
• Work on discovering your purpose, so that you can be excited for each day you wake up

Hope you can adopt these things as foundations for the new healthier version of you.
 
Love and blessings to you all, Happy New Year!
Dr Ian and The Sprouting Health Team

​There is a significant proportion of children and adolescents that experience thoracic spine pain and low back pain (1). It can decrease the overall quality of life, especially if it is unattended and progresses to be chronic (2). Do you or a loved one experience back pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.
 
“In a systemic review it was reported that the annual prevalence of low back pain in children and adolescents is 33.6%” (1)
 
Most spinal pain (neck and back pain) episodes for children and adolescents are relatively brief. However, 31% would have a recurrence of spinal pain over one year. Up to 25% have three or more episodes over one year, and approximately 13% reported to have episodes lasting five or more weeks (3,4). Spinal pain can limit physical activity for the younger population, whether it be at home, school, sports and all the extracurricular activities, which would lead to numerous long term consequences and reduced quality of life(5).
 
There is a recent research article, where they did a mixed studies systematic review of rehabilitation of back pain in the paediatric population. A part of it looked at ten quantitative studies, which included 8 randomised clinical trials and 2 non-randomised clinical trials, and one qualitative study. Evidence was found that in adolescents with low back pain, spinal adjustments plus exercise may be associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing clinically important pain reduction versus exercise alone (6). Though more studies and research would be needed to further substantiate these findings, initial findings is quite positive.
 
If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage spinal pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist.
 
“It’s important to manage and rehabilitate the body as soon as possible and not allow issues to become chronic”
 
 
1. Calvo-Munoz I, Gomez-Conesa A, Sanchez-Meca J. Prevalence of low back pain in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis. BMC Pediatr. 2013;13:14.
2. Schopflocher D, Taenzer P, Jovey R. The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada. Pain Res Manag [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2019 Jan 31];16(6):445–50.
3. Dissing KB, Hestbaek L, Hartvigsen J, Williams C, Kamper S, Boyle E, et al. Spinal pain in Danish school children - how often and how long? The CHAMPS Study-DK. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):67.
4. Santos VS, Leite MN, Camargo BIA, Saragiotto BT, Kamper SJ, Yamato TP. Three in Every 10 School-aged Children in Brazil Report Back Pain in Any Given Year: 12-Month Prospective Cohort Study of Prevalence, Incidence, and Prognosis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2022;52(8):554–62.
5. Manansala, C., Passmore, S., Pohlman, K., Toth, A. and Olin, G., 2019. Change in young people's spine pain following chiropractic care at a publicly funded healthcare facility in Canada. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 35, pp.301-307.
6. Yu, H., Southerst, D., Wong, J.J., Verville, L., Connell, G., Ead, L., Mior, S., Hestbaek, L., Swain, M., Brunton, G. and Shearer, H.M., 2024. Rehabilitation of back pain in the pediatric population: a mixed studies systematic review. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 32(1), p.14.

​Stress in today’s society is not getting any lower. We have previously talked about how chiropractic care can assist in the management of stress levels. (1-2) This time we want to expand on what we covered last time by also giving you a simple breathing exercise to assist in self-management of your stress levels.
 
A common way of measuring the body’s response to stress, as well as overall wellbeing, is heart rate variability (HRV). It is often assumed that heart rate should be rather constant, but is in fact, quite the opposite, a higher variability is associated with better health. Our HRV also will be impacted by mood and mental wellbeing, especially depression and anxiety have a large negative impact. (3-4)
 
So, “How on earth does breathing help?” I hear you ask. Well, a study published this year has started to give us this answer. They found that by regulating your breathing with rhythmic breathing or 6 breaths per minute had positive impacts on HRV. By holding to 6 breaths per minute it is hypothesised that you can impact your autonomic nervous system, and gas exchange efficiency (how well you absorb oxygen from the air). (3-4)
 
Another study from 2019 reported that using breathing techniques such as these helped in improving decision making as well as reducing stress levels. (5-6)
 
A simple breathing exercise to realign the body and brain is this:
                    1. Slowly inhale through your nose to a count of 4.
                    2. Hold your breath for the count of 4.
                    3. Exhale slowly through your mouth to a count of 4 or more.
Repeat this until you feel your heart rate slow down and your body begin to calm. It really can be that simple!
 
 
 

1. Borges, B. L. A., Bortolazzo, G. L., & Neto, H. P. (2018). Effects of spinal manipulation and myofascial techniques on heart rate variability: a systematic review. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 22(1), 203-208.
2. Roy, R. A., Boucher, J. P., & Comtois, A. S. (2009). Heart rate variability modulation after manipulation in pain-free patients vs patients in pain. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 32(4), 277-286.
3. Steffen, P. R., Bartlett, D., Channell, R. M., Jackman, K., Cressman, M., Bills, J., & Pescatello, M. (2021). Integrating Breathing Techniques Into Psychotherapy to Improve HRV: Which Approach Is Best?. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 191.
4. Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 12, 353.
5. De Couck, M., Caers, R., Musch, L., Fliegauf, J., Giangreco, A., & Gidron, Y. (2019). How breathing can help you make better decisions: Two studies on the effects of breathing patterns on heart rate variability and decision-making in business cases. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 139, 1-9.
6. Melnychuk, M. C., Dockree, P. M., O'Connell, R. G., Murphy, P. R., Balsters, J. H., & Robertson, I. H. (2018). Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama. Psychophysiology, 55(9), e13091.

 
 

Understanding Sciatic Pain And How Chiropractic Care Can Help
 
Sciatic pain, or sciatica, is a common condition that causes sharp, radiating pain along the sciatic nerve—the longest nerve in the body. This nerve runs from the lower back through the hips and down each leg. For those who suffer from sciatica, the pain can range from mild discomfort to debilitating, often accompanied by numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness.
 
In many cases, sciatica originates from issues with the spine. Common causes include herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or misalignment of the vertebrae in the lower back. Misaligned vertebrae can compress or irritate the sciatic nerve, triggering pain and other symptoms. Poor posture, repetitive strain, or sudden injuries can all contribute to spinal misalignment, exacerbating sciatic pain.
 
Why choose chiropractic care for sciatic pain?
 
Canadian chiropractic guideline initiative have compared current evidence on the effectiveness, lower risks of adverse events, and equivalent treatment costs. The guideline suggests that having a nonsurgical multimodal approach including manual spinal therapy should be the first line of treatment for acute or chronic lower back pain sufferers, regardless of the presence of leg pain.[1]
 
A randomised controlled trial looked at the effectiveness of spinal manipulation for patients with acute lower back pain and sciatic pain, by comparing active spinal manipulation(asm) with simulated spinal manipulation(ssm) in these sufferers. The results showed that the patients in the asm group experienced significant reductions in pain and improvements in function compared to the ssm group.[2]
 
How chiropractic adjustments can help
 
Chiropractic care focuses on restoring proper spinal alignment to promote overall nerve health and function. Here’s how chiropractic adjustments can alleviate sciatic pain:
1.  Reducing nerve compression: gentle spinal manipulations can help realign the vertebrae, relieving pressure on the sciatic nerve.
2.  Improving mobility: adjustments can restore proper movement to the spine, reducing stiffness and improving range of motion.
3.  Decreasing inflammation: by enhancing blood flow and reducing nerve irritation, chiropractic care can lower inflammation and accelerate the healing process.
 
If you’re struggling with sciatic pain, consulting a chiropractor can be a crucial step toward recovery. By addressing spinal alignment and nerve health, chiropractic care offers an effective and holistic solution to help you get back to your daily activities pain-free.
 

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Reference

1.         Bussières, a.e., et al., spinal manipulative therapy and other conservative treatments for low back pain: a guideline from the canadian chiropractic guideline initiative. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 2018. 41(4): p. 265-293.
2.         Santilli, v., e. Beghi, and s. Finucci, chiropractic manipulation in the treatment of acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion: a randomized double-blind clinical trial of active and simulated spinal manipulations. The spine journal, 2006. 6(2): p. 131-137.