Treat the Cause

Symptoms are not the cause of sickness, but a manifestation. By removing the symptoms, are you leaving the sickness to advance?

Treat the Cause

Symptoms are not the cause of sickness, but a manifestation. By removing the symptoms, are you leaving the sickness to advance?

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Amplifeied

Pregnancy Update: Consuming Nuts Does Not Raise Your Child's Allergy Risk

Peanut allergies affect about 2% of the population in the United States and many of our schools are bumping up nut restrictions to help protect the children who are deathly allergic. Parents want to know what they can do to reduce their child's risk of a nut allergy and with the conflicting information out there you can be left in confusion. Women were once told by their doctor to avoid nuts in pregnancy to avoid triggering allergies while others said that avoiding nuts during pregnancy might increase your child's risk of being allergic. So who's right?

New research published in the JAMA Pediatrics found that children whose mothers ate nuts during pregnancy at least five times per month were 69% less likely to have nut allergies than the moms that rarely ate nuts. This study involved more than 8000 children born to female nurses.

According to Dr. Ruchi Gupta of Northwestern University, the results support the advice that women should not restrict their diets in pregnancy unless they are allergic to nuts. Peanuts are a good source of protein and folic acid, which can help prevent certain birth defects. "Mothers-to-be should feel free to curb their cravings with a dollop of peanut butter!", he advises.

Dr. Michael Young, a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, who led the study reports that even though allergies can be inherited, the maternal component seems to be more relevant than the father's gene's.

So what should you do?

1) Don't avoid foods during pregnancy but instead expose baby to many different flavors and tastes to broaden the palate. This may come in handy when you introduce new solid foods as well :)

2) If the family is not allergic, try some new ways to use peanut butter. Add it on apple slices or slather some in the middle of a celery stick. (Ants on a log, anyone?)

Why Should Your Doctor Treat Back Pain Differently in Women?

They say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, so why do doctors treat their back pain Journal of Pain study release in January 2012, women reported pain levels that were 20% higher on average than men with almost every condition.

the same? Women and men visit the doctor at approximately the same rate when it comes to back pain however new research suggests that women feel pain more intensely than men do. In a

In addition, women’s gait pattern differs from men’s in the fact we swing our hips while walking to add a “sashay” to our walk while men’s hips primarily move up and down. This additional hip movement in women puts a higher demand on our joints and muscles which can cause more complex pain that is harder to treat. Back pain in women is more about the delicate balance of joint motion and muscle stability during motion which, when out of balance, can cause increased pain, muscle spasms, and sciatica (pain into the buttocks or leg). To make matters even more complex, women’s fluctuating hormone levels can also cause joint laxity and increased swelling in joints that aren’t moving properly.

At AlignLife, we customize our treatments to target your specific problem and we pride ourselves on educating you so that you can set health goals and partner with us to meet those goals. I am always excited to see the results of our integrative treatment and love when patients are able to return to an activity they have been missing. My goal is always to reduce your pain and get your body stable so you don’t have the same condition occurring over and over again.

When you have back pain, it can interfere not only with your work and recreational activities but it can affect your relationship with your kids and your husband as well. I’ve seen many women in my office who suffer with pain at work and then come home with such exhaustion from dealing with the chronic pain that they can’t play with their kids or even hold a conversation with their husband. This is no way to live!

I had a patient who was a mother of two and a stay at home mom who had such severe back pain she wasn’t able to pick up her 18 month old daughter or play with her 6 year old son. Her health goal was to not only get rid of her back pain but to play in the backyard with her kids. With a treatment combination of chiropractic care for pain relief, home exercises to strengthen muscles, and nutrition enhancement to improve healing, we were able to get her pain free in 2 weeks and playing soccer with her son in just 6 weeks!

If you’re suffering from back pain, even if it comes and goes, or dealing with pelvic floor issues such as pain during intercourse, incontinence, or even organ prolapse, then you need to call AlignLife to setup a consultation to find out what you can start doing today to get your body back in order.

Resources:
1) Smith et al. "Gender Differences in Pelvic Motions and Center of Mass Displacement During Walking: sterotypes quantified." Journal of Women's Health Gender Based Medicine. June 2002 11(5):453-8
2) Hunt et al. "Do Women Consult more than men? A review of gender and consultation for back pain and headache." Journal of Health Services Res & Policy. April 2011 16 (2): 108-117
3) Maserejian et al. "Disparities in physicians interpretations of heart disease symptoms by patient gender: results of a video vignette factorial experiment." Journal of Women's Health Oct 2009 18(10): 1661-7

Andrea Schnowske, D.C. is a local chiropractor at AlignLife that specializes in family wellness with a specific interest in women. AlignLife is a chiropractic and natural health center that has been serving the community since 2007 and has locations in seven states. They are located at the corner of Glen Ave and Sheridan Rd in Peoria IL and are open six days a week including Saturdays.