Stress Buster: Sit Up Straight

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To Your Health
March, 2015 (Vol. 09, Issue 03)

Stress Buster: Sit Up Straight

By Editorial Staff

What do you feel when you’re stressed? If you’re experiencing a high level of stress right now, this may be an easy exercise for you. For many people, the physical reaction can include a sense of painful, stiff weight on the neck and shoulders; as if some mysterious force is pulling you down, urging you to curl up into a little ball and avoid the stress triggers. That’s stress in a nutshell, and one of the consequences, as you might imagine from the above picture, is poor posture.

According to a recent study, stress might not only cause poor posture; the opposite might actually be the case. The study compared upright, seated posture to slumped seated posture to evaluate how different postures affected emotions / mood, particularly in the face of stress. Results showed that “upright participants reported higher self-esteem, more arousal, better mood, and lower fear, compared to slumped participants.”

sit up straight - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark The researchers’ concluding remarks were even more revealing: “Adopting an upright seated posture in the face of stress can maintain self-esteem, reduce negative mood, and increase positive mood compared to a slumped posture. Furthermore, sitting upright increases rate of speech and reduces self-focus. Sitting upright may be a simple behavioral strategy to help build resilience to stress.”

The take-home message: Sit up straight and reduce your stress! By the way, proper posture is also a great way to prevent spine-related aches and pains. Talk to your chiropractor for more information.

Science Lesson: Why Chiropractic Can Relieve Your Low Back Pain

Home » Blog » Science Lesson: Why Chiropractic Can Relieve Your Low Back Pain

To Your Health
March, 2015 (Vol. 09, Issue 03)

Science Lesson: Why Chiropractic Can Relieve Your Low Back Pain

By Editorial Staff

 Doctors of chiropractic are known for treating low back pain – and preventing its recurrence – and recent research emphasizes the science underlying their effectiveness. A recent study suggests chiropractic care (spinal manipulation) can reduce LBP, but it also suggests chiropractic can increase spinal disc height.

Why is that important? Well, loss of intervertebral disc height is one of the traits of low back pain. Discs are the ligaments between the bony vertebrae that act as shock absorbers for the spine. As we get older, our discs have a tendency to get smaller, which can lead to all kinds of problems, including pain. Fortunately, as this study suggests, chiropractic can help.

That’s good to know no matter your age and the condition of your spine. Talk to your doctor of chiropractic for more information. A healthy spine means a healthy you!

 

senior health - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark