Back to School!

February is Kids’ Month at PCC!!

To coincide with the return to school, we thought we’d focus on some issues regarding our kids’ health as we head into another school year.
Firstly, we are looking at how we can help our children (and ourselves!) emotionally when we return to school after the break.

Speak positively about the school holidays

We know that as parents you are excited about school starting back as you return to routines and don’t have to keep the kids entertained all day! ;) There are bound to be times in the holidays that you haven’t felt like the best parent or your children have driven you crazy! Try and let go of thinking of those times and as the holidays come to an end, have a chat to find out what your kids liked most about the holidays and share what you enjoyed too. Telling them positive things about their time at home with you reminds them that although you’ve been fed up sometimes, they haven’t been pests the whole time!

Listen

Have you ever heard your child say something like “I don’t want to go back to school! I hate school!” Yep, most kids say this as the start of term looms near. And, it may well be that they’re just grumpy about not being able to sleep in anymore. Or they could be concerned about who their teacher is. One way we can respond is to say “You’ll be alright; you’ll see all of your friends again!” or “Why don’t you like school? You’ve got it so easy!” When we say this, what your child might think is that you haven’t listened and are just palming him off.

Instead, another way to respond is to sympathise (without going overboard) and let your child know that you have heard them and that you acknowledge it is hard to go back after a long time off. Something like “Yeah, it’s hard to get back into routine and not be able to sleep in anymore, isn’t it?” or “You’ve enjoyed running in bare feet all summer, it’ll feel weird to wear shoes and socks again, won’t it?” After all, adults feel that way after a holiday too!

When we respond to children this way, two things happen: Firstly, they feel like we have listened to what they’ve said. And secondly, if there is a real issue with school that they are concerned with, a conversation has been started, making them feel more inclined to open up about exactly what it is they are worried about.

Ease yourselves into it.

After a long break, it’s very hard to automatically jump back into our old routines. Go easy on the after-school activities and extra things on the weekends at first, particularly if your children are young. As a parent, you will also need time to adjust and get used to packing lunches and running here and there. Taking time to relax and reward yourself after having the kids at home with you and juggling work and childcare could be just what you need to get the term off to a great start.

Rhonda Mackay


*Rhonda is a writer and mother of 2 girls. She has a special interest in emotional health and enjoys both the laziness of the school holidays and the peace of the school term in equal amounts! ;)

 

 

 

Magnesium - Why is it so important?

After last week’s post, our good friend and Naturopath Sharon Hespe commented on the benefits of magnesium to help with the symptoms of TMJD. So today, we thought we would talk about magnesium and how important it is for the healthy functioning of our bodies.

Magnesium is an element that is essential to all living cells. As our body is unable to produce its own magnesium, we are required to get it from other sources (see below). Magnesium is essential for:

·         Muscle and nerve function

·         Blood glucose control

·         Energy production

·         Enzyme functions

·         The transport of calcium across cells

 Some signs that you may be low in magnesium:

·         Muscle cramps

·         Dizziness

·         Fatigue

·         Anxiety

·         Nausea

·         Type II Diabetes

·         Poor memory

·         High blood pressure

 Foods that are high in magnesium:

·         Almonds

·         Cashews

·         Black beans

·         Avocado

·         Potato with the skin on

·         Bananas

·         Oatmeal

·         Salmon

·         Broccoli

 

If you are concerned about your intake of magnesium, talk to either Alisa or Sharon (www.sharonhespe.com) will help you to understand how you can improve it and advise whether or not a supplement may be helpful.

Common Ailments and Chiropractic Care

Today we start our series of posts looking at common ailments and how Chiropractic care can help with management of pain and ultimately healing of your body. Once each month we will look at a different health concern and discuss what you can do naturally to help your body.

Firstly, we are starting at the top of the body with Chronic Jaw Pain or TMJD.

 

What is TMJD?

TMJD stands for Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction. It is characterised by chronic pain and restricted movement of the muscles surrounding the jaw’s chewing joint and the joint that connects the lower jaw to the head. Pain and discomfort can also radiate through the face, head and neck. TMJD makes chewing and sometimes even talking uncomfortable and/or painful.

 

What is the cause?

It is thought that TMJD is caused by many factors, but primarily tension through the jaw from clenching, grinding teeth whilst awake or asleep and excess chewing of gum seem to be the main culprits.

 

What can you do?

The first step is to get to the source of your TMJD pain. Are you particularly stressed or anxious? Do you habitually clench or grind your teeth? Finding and dealing with the root cause will put you on the road to recovery. Also, regular Chiropractic adjustments will help release tension, and realign the structure of your palate and jaw to ensure correct biting and chewing motions are being used.

 

To help reduce stress and tension that may be present as you sleep, ensure you are properly winding down before bedtime.30 minutes of quiet time preparing the body and mind for sleep instead of transitioning straight from the computer, phone or TV to bed will help ease tension in the jaw and face and ready you for sleep.

In the meantime, pain relief is best achieved by regular stretching and relaxing of the jaw muscles, hot and cold packs and keeping a close check on your stress levels to keep your pain under control as you heal.

 

 

 

 

 

Moving into 2014

Welcome back! How was your Christmas break? Are you all ready to put those New Year’s Resolutions into practice? J

One very common resolution that people make for the New Year is to get to the gym and lose the weight that they put on whilst indulging over Christmas. But when we make this resolution are we focusing on only one benefit of exercise and movement? I.e. weight loss.

Sure, weight loss boosts our self-esteem and lessens the stress on our body’s organs but have you considered movement as a nutrient that is as essential to our bodies as, say, Vitamin C?

We’ve known for a long time that regular exercise helps our bodies guard against heart disease and high blood pressure. It also reduces stress, increases muscle strength the aides in the replenishment of red blood cells.

Another benefit of regular exercise is the release of endorphins, our “happy hormones”. When they are released, we can enjoy a reduction of stress, improved sleep and the warding off of feelings of depression and anxiety.
 
So perhaps when we make our fitness resolutions, focusing on movement as an essential nutrient (and not just a way to help us lose a dress size) is one way we can keep motivated and prioritise movement as an essential part of our lives.

 

 

*Image courtesy of www.optimumtennis.net