One of my new mama patients once laughed because she didn’t know what to put her baby in in winter. “What do babies wear?” She asked herself before diving into the world of furry bear and moose outfits as well as baby bunting outfits galore online… It was funny to her because she had planned all the way through her child’s birth on supplies, but somehow had forgotten this crucial piece of the puzzle. 

As parents, there’s always something new we didn’t expect. Sometimes it could have been “obvious,” but without the experience ourselves, we can do our best by following the advice of trusted professionals. I hope I can be one for you today in this article! 

Here are my best tips on how to keep your family healthy in Winter. 

Warm & Cozy Nutrition for Immunity

In Winter, your body loves to be warm. This goes for our diets too! Mmmmmm….. Get that soup, stew, and brothy yumminess of the season. And, spice it up! Warmth can be created by temperature or from spice. For a “softer” and sweeter spice, add cinnamon and nutmeg to your coffee, tea or latte. And, take your time, love. Enjoy yourself and the nourishment that you provide your body during the chilly months. For kiddos, try to make a spin off their favorite foods. Soups in thermoses can be an easy, clean mean too. 

For adults, you can also try to slip in some micro green powder shots to make sure you get nutrients from vegetables and greens. It’s nice especially when you think you might not make your veggie count for the day. For kiddos, sometimes you can slip some in a smoothie. They may or may not detect it, haha! Go slow on this addition… Cheers!

Minding Your Mental Health

As we all know nowadays, mental health is just as important as physical health. When one slips, the other is soon on it’s way! How can we protect our own mental health and our children’s? So many ways! Here is a collection of my favorite mental health tips, split between kiddos and adults (though many overlap!).

For Adults:

• Variety! Life is too short to live the same day twice. Take a new way home, try a new food spot. Do your hair different. Play!
• Journal (even just make a list of 5 things you’re grateful for)
• Go Outside (in any way, shape or form)
• Call a friend or family member
• Reset (taking a breath and saying ‘reset’ helps or 5 mins of meditation/breathing… we can ‘start over’ and reset any time we want to – even if we’ve just made a mistake, or several roadblocks have just set us back.)
• Chiropractic. (You know I had to get that in here somehow, I couldn’t recommend it enough, which is why it became my career and life calling. When the body can communicate with itself better and prioritize areas out of alignment, we trigger its biological self-healing response.)

For Children:

• (Same goes for the kids!) Variety! Mix it up. Play with different friends/babies. Or, go on an adventure!
• Art! Making or seeing it, it has a wonderfully positive effect on children of all ages.
• Music. Ditto.
• Om chanting. This!! When started young, it can be so soothing and help them drift into sleep or simply know it’s time for breathing and calm.
• Chiropractic. (Yes! It is helpful for humans of all ages.)

Herbs & Supplements

First of all, elderberry syrup for the win. This amazing syrup is a sort of health tonic and it tastes amazing! The whole family will love it. You can even make it yourself. Here’s a recipe. Plus, I love the creator’s style: “Try drizzling it over pancakes.” Yes. Elderberry has shown to be effective in boosting immunity as the berries are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants. Take it daily or when you feel the onset of a cold. 

Next up, Thieves oil. Legend has it that tomb robbers would protect themselves from the plague with this essential oil and it worked – they never got sick (according to historical accounts). The blend contains Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary, all which do their part in boosting our body’s immunity. For kiddos (and adults), you can (as long as you are fully aware of and have your pediatrician’s support for the use of oils), put a droplet on your child’s foot. Again, please, please make sure you are fully educated on herbs and supplements before using them with children. If you need advice, contact a Pediatric Naturopath for a consultation. My favorite is Dr. Meg Hammel at Children’s Naturopathic Center of Colorado. 

All in all… go with your gut on Winter protection for health and wellness (and interestingly… taking care of your gut will help too!) Probiotics should be on this list too!!). And if you’ve been wanting to try family chiropractic, click here to get scheduled! When the whole family feels good, the whole family is good.

The Wellness Tribe | Denver Family, Pediatric and Prenatal Chiropractic

Located on S Pearl St in Denver, Colorado, The Wellness Tribe is owned and founded by Dr. Maggie McInnes. As a vitalistic chiropractor for the whole family, Dr. Maggie  uses holistic training and a focus on total wellness in her chiropractic practice. She is also trained in the Webster Method for expecting Moms and can adjust infants, toddlers and big kids too. Learn more about Dr. Maggie here.

Resources:

Elderberry Recipe

https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2018/01/homemade-elderberry-syrup.html

Elderberry Health Properties

https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/elderberry

Thieves Oil History

https://myhealthessentials.ca/thieves-oil-history-blend-benefits/

Thieves Oil Info

https://www.allthingsmamma.com/50-ways-to-use-thieves-essential-oil/

The post How to Keep Your Family Healthy in Winter appeared first on The Wellness Tribe Denver Chiropractic.

vi·tal·ism

/ˈvīdlˌizəm/

“The theory that the origin and phenomena of life are dependent on a force or principle distinct from purely chemical or physical forces.”

Mechanism V. Vitalism (What Makes Vitalistic Chiropractic Different?)

Eastern and Western medicine are hemispheres apart. They are directly opposite each other. And, there are innate reasons why. Before we get into how they are different, how are they the same? Both seek to heal, it’s just the difference of when. Western medicine is described as largely mechanic. There are different parts of the body (nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, etc.), and each is attended to by a specialist of those precise areas, called upon when the body is experiencing dis-ease. It is largely a reactive mode of medicine, and supremely necessary at times such as an appendectomy or injury. 

Eastern medicine, and correspondingly, Vitalistic Chiropractic, is a preventative type of medicine that seeks to heal the entire body by allowing the nervous system to communicate without disruption by removing blockages. Vitalistic Chiropractic specifically removes these blockages by adjusting the vertebrae to allow the body to heal itself and align. When the spine is out of alignment, we call it subluxation. This in turn reduces your nervous system’s capacity and diminishes your overall health potential. 

Our Bodies Can Heal Themselves With Help From Chiropractic Adjustments

It’s more than just “cracking your back.” Chiropractors who enable vitalistic techniques analyze the entire body and are able to pinpoint disruption. A Vitalistic Chiropractor helps you regain your energy flow. Subluxation, or misalignment, is often caused by toxins, stress, and trauma. Think about the times in your life when you felt the worst. (Don’t worry, we won’t be here long.) It was hard right? You probably weren’t sleeping well, or you may have just gone through a particularly difficult time in life. Maybe you weren’t eating nutritiously, but rather were ingesting food laced with chemical processing instead of natural, healthy ingredients. Life was out of alignment.

Now, think about the times when you felt amazing! You had great relationships with your friends, family and co-workers. And, you were exercising and eating nutritious foods. Maybe you were also partaking in self-care practices like meditation and yoga. In sum, your body was communicating within itself and the outside world, effectively. This is vitalism at its core: healthy communication. Vitalistic Chiropractic recognizes and aides this flow with targeted and intune adjustments to the spine and vertebrae to help every part of the body function in unison. It doesn’t compartmentalize. Nor, does it “fix” a problem. It helps your body solve its own dis-ease by facilitating its natural rhythm and healing abilities. 

Finding a Vitalistic Chiropractor in Denver (Meet The Wellness Tribe!)

There are many types of chiropractic clinics and offices in Denver, yet not every doctor practices Vitalistic Chiropractic. Many still treat sports injuries and chronic pain, or offer “affordable” solutions to quick fix you. Yet without the special adherence to vitalism, many standard chiropractic sessions will leave you healed only momentarily, with the pain returning in a matter of time.

A Vitalistic Chiropractor will help you get on a plan for long-term health and wellness through a series of sessions aimed at aligning the body to heal itself in between the times you see your Chiropractor, knowing that with proper alignment, you have the potential to heal yourself. Recognizing that energy flow through the physical plane of the nervous system is what separates Vitalistic Chiropractic from the rest.

The post What is Vitalistic Chiropractic? appeared first on The Wellness Tribe Denver Chiropractic.