South Windsor Neck & Back - November 2018

Spinal The

COLUMN NOV 2018

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Life Celebrating What I’m Thankful for This Year This year has been filled with plenty of reasons for Angie and me to be thankful — where do I even begin? I’ve celebrated one year of owning SouthWindsor Neck & Back this fall, and we’ve been so lucky to have the support of our patients and employees. It’s been a period of transition with a few bumps in the road, but I’m confident about where we are. If it weren’t for the patients, we wouldn’t have this practice, and I wouldn’t be able to live out my dream. I’m so thankful that they continue to put their faith in me. In my personal life, Angie and I were afforded the opportunity to explore the magnificent country of Peru. We experienced Machu Picchu and the Amazon River, ate some incredible food, and got to know wonderful people. We took time to really delve into the country and immerse ourselves in the culture. It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. This past spring, I was also overjoyed to watch my only son, Dylan, graduate from high school, and now we’re navigating his major transition to college life in Los Angeles. But what I’m probably most thankful for is that Dylan is still alive today. This summer, Dylan was on vacation in Hawaii with some friends, and he mistook the shallow end of a pool for the deep end. Dylan smacked his head on the bottom of the pool and wound up needing four stitches. He was also diagnosed with a concussion. As a parent, that’s the worst phone call you can receive, especially when you’re nowhere near your child. The saving grace was that it was Dylan who was calling me; this reassured me that he was going to be okay.

Luckily, I have a chiropractor friend in California who was able to treat and help Dylan. He’s still on his way to healing, since concussions take time to heal, but thankfully this friend of mine specializes in post-concussion syndromes. Having a trusted peer utilize methods that I promote for healing on my own son is gratifying. I knew they would help Dylan, and it furthered my belief in the healing power of chiropractic care. The flight home from Hawaii was horrible for Dylan, as the pressure put his noggin in immense pain, and unfortunately, he was unable to accompany Angie and me on his graduation celebration trip to Peru. We’ll still find a way to celebrate with him, though — this time for both graduating and his life — once he is fully recovered and catches his breath from starting college life. Now that both Dylan and SouthWindsor Neck & Back are returning to stable ground after periods of transition, we can begin looking forward to the future. As for our practice, we hope we can become more involved with the community and help with charitable organizations. We’re looking forward to what 2019 will bring for us at SouthWindsor, but we’re certainly thankful for what this past year has given us. –Dr. Chris Colby

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Whenever an activity involves heavy lifting or repetitive motion, it’s important to take steps to prevent injury. While back pain, carpal tunnel, and sore shoulders are normally associated with work-related injuries, it’s important to note that these issues can also result fromworking in the kitchen if you’re not careful. With the big feast coming up at the end of the month, here’s a guide to pain-free cooking! Mix It Up Even if you’re“just”chopping carrots or peeling potatoes, youmay be exposing yourself to a repetitive strain injury. Standing for long periods with your shoulders hunched forward is also bad for your back. While it’s always important to keep an eye on your posture, the best way to avoid pain and stiffness is to do a mix of activities in short bursts. If you’re cooking with family, consider swapping jobs every six or sevenminutes to give your body a break from the same motions and positions. Use Your Tools If you are older or suffer from arthritis, this is an especially important point. Ergonomic kitchen utensils are available tomake many cooking tasks, from slicing to stirring, easier to handle. Using ovenmitts rather than pot holders also lets you grip hot items with greater confidence and reduces the likelihood of an accident. Cooking Avoid Injury This Thanksgiving Pain-Free The benefits of regular chiropractic care extend beyond just making your back feel better. It’s been shown that visiting a chiropractor regularly can help patients increase their flexibility and mobility while improving many other chronic conditions. Among these debilitating conditions is a common source of pain that actually isn’t that normal for a body: headaches. According to a recent large study, about 38 percent of the population experiences tension-type headaches, and about 44 percent of those affected by headaches reported a loss in productivity at work, home, and school. Rather than popping pills to rid your body of the pain, targeting the root cause of this ache will help your body avoid them in the future. Your neck and head are irritated when you experience a headache, and ignoring this pain is ignoring your body. When you see a chiropractor for your headaches, you’re taking an active stance for your body’s health. Your chiropractor will evaluate your overall health, symptoms, and the location of the pain to determine what is causing your headaches. Chiropractors will adjust your neck, back, and spine to realign your body. Most people with chronic headaches can experience less pain with the help of a chiropractor, and those suffering from the more severe migraine pain have reported a high success rate as well. DAILY Headaches

Lifting the Turkey All right, here’s the big one: One of the easiest ways to hurt your back is to lift a heavy object while simultaneously twisting your torso— the exact thing one might do when trying to take a turkey out of the oven in a single fluidmotion. Do not put yourself and the feast at risk. Lift with your legs, straighten all the way up, and then turn to where you want to carve it. No one wants to throw their back out before Black Friday. We hope you have a safe and happy start to the holiday season. If any aches or pains develop as the weather gets colder, feel free to swing by and let our physical therapy experts get youmoving again!

How Chiropractic Care Can Help You With Persistent Head Pain

Furthermore, if you and your chiropractor have explored all of your options and your symptoms don’t improve, they can help you find other forms of treatment and care. Chiropractic care is focused on getting your body to perform and function at the highest level it can, and while it can realign your body back to its normal state, sometimes your headaches are a symptom of a larger issue, such as a brain tumor or temporomandibular joint dysfunction, a disorder characterized by discomfort and limited movement of the jaw. Your chiropractor delves into the inner workings of your body, and they will be able to tell you if they suspect your headaches are actually a symptom of something even larger than poor alignment.

Don’t live another day with chronic headache pain. Find out how South Windsor Neck & Back can help you by calling 860.644.2437.

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L ocal Families HELP FEED

And Keep Your Friends Healthy

Accepted and requested donations include the following: soup, canned or fresh fruit, applesauce, fruit cocktail, stuffing and gravy mixes, canned or fresh vegetables, instant potatoes, pie crust and filling, boxed desserts, cookies, juice, boxed bread mix, coffee, tea, flour, sugar, evaporated milk, peanut butter, jelly, marshmallow fluff, raisins, oatmeal, canned ham, peanuts, and $15 gift cards for a turkey. So, refer your friends, help keep local families fed this Thanksgiving, possibly win a free turkey, and get your back health checked this November. Learn more about this special opportunity by calling South Windsor Neck & Back at 860.644.2437. For more information about the meal drive, call 860.648.6361 ext. 319.

As you prepare to gather around the dining room table with your friends and family, take time this holiday season to think of those who can’t fill their tables. This November, South Windsor Neck & Back is helping to supply Thanksgiving meals to South Windsor residents while providing those who give back an opportunity to check their backs. South Windsor Neck & Back is accepting food donations for South Windsor Department of Human Services. New patients who bring in 7–10 items to donate by mid-November will receive a free new patient exam and one raffle ticket towards our free turkey giveaway. As for our loyal returning patients, if you donate 7–10 food items at our clinic and refer a new patient to us, you will receive two raffle tickets to enter into our free turkey giveaway. The South Windsor Department of Human Services will be collecting the packaged goods and delivering grocery bags to families of three members or less and boxes of food to families of four members or more.

Shepherd’s Pie

Scrumptious

Ingredients

• • • •

1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil

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2 stalks celery, diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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1 tablespoon tomato paste

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1 1/2 cups garden peas Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (recipe below)

2 pounds lean ground beef or lamb 2 tablespoonsWorcestershire sauce

1 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced

1/2 cup beef stock

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Directions:

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4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

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1 cup grated mature white cheddar Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Fill a large saucepan with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft, about 20 minutes. • Once the potatoes are at the desired softness, drain them and place back into the saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi-smooth consistency. • Once at desired texture, add cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in the peas. 6. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of ground beef mixture and spread. Once mashed potatoes cover the entire surface of the dish, rake through with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place the dish into the heated oven and cook until browned, about 20 minutes. Serve.

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4 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup heavy cream

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Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Add butter and oil to a large skillet onmediumheat. Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until tender, about 7–10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Once vegetables have softened and started to brown a little, add tomato paste and mix. 3. Add ground beef and cook until beef is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. 4. Add theWorcestershire sauce and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

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Inside This Issue

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Thankful for Life

3 Tips for Pain-Free Cooking Treating Your Headaches November Food Drive Special Colby’s Kitchen

The Best DIY Gifts

Looking for gift ideas that don’t break the bank but still show the special people in your life how much you care? Do-it-yourself (DIY) gifts are the way to go. Here are a few ideas to put together on a chilly night. Pull out your crafting supplies, turn on some holiday tunes, and get creative. Best DIY Gift to Make With the Little Ones: Handprint Apron Aunties, uncles, and godparents will love a gift that incorporates their favorite little ones, and it’s a great way to get the kids in on the project. Choose some unadorned aprons from your local craft or home goods store and some acrylic paint in a variety of colors. Then get crafty! The kids can use their handprints as a starting point and add other decorations as they like. You can also find some fun ideas on the blog Little Page Turner, like painting a butterfly from your kids’stamped footprints. Have fun with it! Best DIY Gift for Your Bestie: Personalized Mug You only need a mug and an oven-safe or porcelain marker to create this personalized gift. Use a mug you already own, or pick one up from the dollar store or thrift store, and get expressive! You could write a sweet or funny message (“but first, coffee” for Everyone Gift Id as Best DIY on Your List

or“two shots, hold the chatter”) or list their favorite beverage (“coffee, no sugar” or“green tea”). Write something that makes them think of you, or create a simple drawing. Enjoy the artistic freedom as much as they’ll enjoy your thoughtful gift. Best DIY Gift for Someone Special: Memory Map Utilize a map, a pair of scissors, some glue, and your memories of meaningful places to create this sentimental gift. Choose map locations that are meaningful to you and your special person —where you met, where you celebrated special moments, where you first lived — and cut them out in geometric or heart shapes. Then, glue the cutouts to a piece of matboard. You can add kind words at each point, or let the places explain themselves. Place in a frame and gift to your loved one.

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860.644.2437

“Relief today ... function for life!”

www.functionforlife.com