Q: My hands and feet often feel cold. Can acupuncture help with this? A: This issue is quite prevalent in both males and females. Acupuncture can treat this by improving blood circulation. The traditional Chinese medical theory explains this by balancing the yin and the yang within one’s body. You can see the difference with one treatment, and multiple treatments will work to solve the root of the problem and maintain the improved circulation.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is commonly seen in sports such as soccer, rugby, and skiing. Although many individuals initially recover well, the ongoing instability often prevents return to sports and leads to further knee injury, and the risk of developing future osteoarthritis becomes increased. Bracing is rarely sufficient. Surgical reconstruction performed early, within 3-6 weeks, helps to minimize the risk of further injury. ACL surgery should be treated as an urgent matter: assessment, diagnosis, and surgery can usually be completed within a few weeks. The athlete, elite, or weekend-warrior can then start early rehabilitation to maximize the benefits of the knee reconstruction.

Believe it or not, disease in our pets is related to weight gain as often as it is to weight loss. Diabetes, back degeneration, torn ligaments, heart problems, and skin problems all can be related to excess body condition. Pet owners utilize tricks to get animals to lose weight, but the real trick many times is to convince pet owners that they can love their pet with exercise and affection that isn’t food-related! Make games out of feeding, with toys that contain low-calorie food. Have your pet checked for metabolic disease. It is important to address body condition!

For most people, HEALTH is our greatest possession. But we often don’t realize how important our health is until we lose it. The effects of poor posture and trauma accumulate over the years. Muscles, joints, ligaments, and nerves are damaged, often without symptoms. What starts out as stiffness in the neck or back is replaced with severe, debilitating pain, which prevents us from living our lives. What’s the ROOT CAUSE? How BAD is it? What can I do about it? These questions need to be answered if you want to deal with this health problem. Your chiropractor can help you. Schedule an examination today to kickstart your LIFE again!

Experiencing pain is normal, although also unpleasant. Think of pain as an alarm system, alerting you to dangers that affect your body. When pain becomes persistent, it can be problematic. There may be some ongoing inflammatory reactions in the tissues that cause the persisting pain. The tissues may have healed but are not yet healthy; muscles may remain weak and underused, there may be motor control issues with the core muscles. Your physiotherapist can be part of the team of health professionals that help you design a unique treatment program that addresses your pain issues and physical impairments.

Menstrual pain, also called dysmenorrhea, comes in many shapes and forms, and that is because each and every one of us is unique. There are several ways to combat menstrual pain; however, many of these methods come with uncomfortable side effects. A proper diagnosis with a registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner can help balance out hormones with acupuncture treatment. By treating the body’s chi, the hormones will naturally balance themselves out. In a recent Australian study, acupuncture was found to provide significant menstrual pain relief, and the relief was increased by more frequent acupuncture sessions.

Christmas is coming and so are dangers for your pets. Cats like to climb Christmas trees and chew on garland and tinsel, and that can damage their intestines. Dogs like all of the foods we like – including leftovers and raw foods, and that can give them pancreatitis, diarrhea, and vomiting. Pets only want your love and attention as a present – GIVE it to them. And don’t forget, if you have been putting off a dental cleaning for your pet, book it now so that holiday company isn’t “blown away” by your pet’s bad breath.

Three common non-optimal strategies for transferring loads through the low back, pelvis, and hips are butt-gripping, back-gripping, and chest-gripping. Butt-grippers subconsciously tighten their butt, either on one or both sides of their pelvis, all day. Back-grippers subconsciously lift their chest to correct their posture all day. Chest-grippers subconsciously squeeze their chest or upper abdomen in an attempt to flatten their lower abdomen. All three of these non-optimal strategies can result in pain and discomfort. A physiotherapist can determine whether you fall into one of these three categories and can recommend exercises to counteract and prevent the use of such strategies.

Have you heard of tech neck or text neck? Posture is becoming a significant health concern in modern times. Seventy percent of people today have sitting-based jobs and the use of mobile devices is increasing every year. The net result is poor posture called anterior head carriage. This posture pushes the head forward (the equivalent weight of a bowling ball), causing strain on the soft tissues of the neck and upper back. Poor posture can damage muscles, ligaments, joints, and nerves, causing joint dysfunction and pain. Imagine what happens when you sit at a desk for eight hours a day, week after week!

Total knee replacement is the most definitive treatment for advanced osteoarthritis. This procedure is typically done in a hospital setting, with 3-5 days of hospital stay. In recent years, it has become clear that healthy individuals can be discharged from the hospital on the day of their surgery, to safely and conveniently recover at home. Having surgery done at a medical centre provides a welcome alternative to hospitals. This can help reduce complications associated with hospitalization, and for many patients, the convenience and comfort of being at home with family is much preferred over the rustle and bustle of a busy surgical ward.