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This Fall Yard Work Saftey Tips

Yardwork Safety

yardwork2

Before you rev up the lawnmower or reach for your rake this fall, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) cautions you to consider the possible consequences: upper or lower back strain, neck strain and pain in the shoulders.

Just as playing football or golf can injure your body, the twisting, turning, bending and reaching of mowing and raking can also cause injury if your body is unprepared. Like an athlete, if you leap into something without warming up or knowing how to do it properly, the chances of injury increase. To prevent unnecessary strain and pain, consider these simple tips before you get started:

  • Wear supportive shoes. Good foot and arch support can prevent some back strain.
  • Stand as straight as possible, and keep your head up as you rake or mow.
  • When it’s still warm outside, avoid the heat. If you’re a morning person, get the work done before 10 a.m. Otherwise, do your chores after 6 p.m.
  • When raking, use a “scissors” stance: right foot forward and left foot back for a few minutes, then reverse, putting your left foot forward and right foot back.
  • Bend at the knees, not the waist, as you pick up yard equipment or piles of leaves or grass from the grass catcher. Make the piles small to decrease the possibility of back strain.
  • Wear a hat, shoes and protective glasses. To avoid blisters, try wearing gloves. If you have asthma or allergies, wear a mask.
  • Drink lots of water before and after your work.

Tips on Using Outdoor Equipment

The equipment available today for lawn and leaf management can turn the average homeowner into a lawn specialist overnight. But the use of weed trimmers, leaf blowers and hedge clippers also has sent many aspiring landscapers to the office of their local doctor of chiropractic.

ACA cautions that using this equipment can result in back and neck pain, as well as more serious muscular strains and tears. The repetitive motion that your body undergoes when using such equipment can create a host of mechanical problems within the body. It is essential to operate your equipment properly. If you do not, the pounding your body endures may be multiplied. The following tips can help you safely enjoy a productive day in the yard:

  • Regardless of what piece of equipment you use, make sure it has a strap and that you use it. Place the strap over your head on the shoulder opposite the side of your body from the device. This will help normalize your center of gravity.
  • Be sure to switch the side on which you operate the equipment as often as possible, and to balance the muscles being used, alternate your stance and motion frequently.
  • Try ergonomic tools. They’re engineered to protect you when used properly.
  • When mowing, use your whole body weight to push the mower, rather than just your arms and back.
  • If your mower has a pull cord, don’t twist at the waist or yank the cord. Instead, bend at the knees and pull in one smooth motion.
  • Take frequent breaks from the activity of the day. Muscle fatigue may be felt when using any of these devices for an extended period of time.
  • If your equipment is loud, wear hearing protection.

Simple Stretches

While it is critical to operate yard equipment safely, it is equally important to prepare your body for the work you are about to do. To help avoid injury, be sure to include a warm-up/cool-down period that involves stretching. Breathe in and out slowly throughout each stretching exercise until the muscle is stretched to its furthest point. At that point, hold your breath in; when you relax, breathe out. Stretch gently and smoothly. Do not bounce or jerk your body in any way and stretch as far as you can comfortably. You should not feel pain. Get the most out of the time you spend in the yard with these stretches:

  • Stand up and prop your heel on a back door step or stool with your knee slightly bent. Bend forward until you feel a slight pull at the back of the thigh, called the hamstring. You may need to stabilize yourself by holding on to a garage door handle or sturdy tree branch. Hold the position for 20 seconds, then relax. Do it once more, and then repeat with the other leg.
  • Stand up and put your right hand against a wall or other stable surface. Bend your left knee and grab your ankle with your left hand. Pull your heel toward your buttocks to stretch your quadriceps muscles at the front of your thigh. Hold that position for 20 seconds, relax and do it again. Repeat with the other leg.
  • Weave your fingers together above your head with your palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds to stretch the side of your upper body, then reverse. Repeat two or three times.
  • “Hug your best friend”- Wrap your arms around yourself after letting your breath out and rotate to one side as far as you can go. Hold for 10 seconds; then reverse. Repeat two or three times.

Chiropractic Care Can Help

If you experience pain or discomfort following yard work, contact Dr. Vanderslice. He is a chiropractor and is trained and licensed to treat the musculoskeletal system and can also help you lead a healthier life by focusing on wellness and prevention.

» For more information on prevention and wellness, or to make an appointment call him at The Chiropractic Center of Marietta at 770-422-9288 today.

Oct 02, 2018 | 0 comments | View Post

A Great Fall Dinner | Chicken Pie

~this recipe can serve up to 6~

2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lg carrot
… 1 celery stalk
1/2 of large white onion
5 T spoons of butter
1/4 C of whole wheat flour
2 C chicken broth
1 C of Rice milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 t Thyme
1 t lemon juice
1/3 C peas
1/2 C green beans

Boil Chicken, dice when done. Bake sweet potatoes (take your fork and poke holes over the potato to keep the skin from breaking) according to their size from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour with oven set on 400. You will want to wrap potatoes in foil and put them on to a pan because they will leak. Sute’ celery, carrot and onion with the butter for approximately 5-7 minutes and then add flour and cook for 1 minute on medium to high heat. Slowly add broth and milk stirring constantly. Cook until it thickens and add peas, green beans diced cooked chicken. Add Salt and Pepper to taste then add Thyme and Lemon juice. Cook until chicken an vegetables are heated.

Allow frozen puff pastries sheets to thaw for an hour cut them into shape or size wanted and bake according to package directions.

Enjoy, Dr. V

Quick, Simple, Healthy

Oct 31, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post

Absurd Vaccine for Boys?

New Cancer Vaccine for boys
Excerpts from articles by Dr. Joseph Mercola

School-age boys are now being advised to get vaccinated with Gardasil, Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine, according to mainstream media reports. Previously, the vaccine was only recommended for girls.The new male recommendation is based on the notion that boys could get throat cancer if they have oral sex with an HPV-infected girl.According to some, however, recommending Gardasil to boys is little more than a scare campaign aimed at gaining market share from teenage boys.Even the advice to give mandatory Gardasil vaccinations to young girls is simply disease mongering designed to sell vaccines. This is because girls who have HPV do not automatically get cervical cancer.Girls who have healthy immune systems, and who lead healthy lifestyles, have little risk of developing cervical cancer from HPV. It is only girls who have compromised immune systems that may be vulnerable.

Medicine Net May 18, 2007
This could be a new low for the pharmaceutical companies, recommending a vaccine for boys that’s designed for a body part they do not have. It is my belief that this is an obvious and reprehensible attempt to sell more of their ineffective and potentially dangerous Gardasil vaccine.After all, if Merck pulls this off, they will have doubled Gardasil’s target market, with a corresponding doubling of their profits as well.Let’s face it. The topic of cancer can be a highly emotionally charged event with potentially devastating consequences. Drug companies are EXPERTS in understanding how to manipulate these negative emotions to their advantage. They employ some of the most effective marketers on the planet and know full well how to maximize these fears to their advantage.This is an important decision, and if you have not carefully studied it, and are responsible for making the decision for yourself or for your children, then I would implore you to spend serious time CAREFULLY analyzing both sides of the argument. A wrong decision could have absolutely devastating consequences for you and your children.You can use the links on my Favorites Page to start your journey.  Once you carefully study the evidence you will understand that the boys who receive the proposed Gardasil vaccine will begin to experience side effects, just as their female peers did. Fear Drives Profits UpUnfortunately, the effectiveness of the drug company’s marketing campaign is such that the majority of the public will believe this new campaign on how to “protect” their children using the Gardasil vaccine. Fortunately, you will know better.This is the same old story as fear is typically the the driving force used to sell vaccines and other medications, as you can see by the links below.

Cancer is Not Caused by a “Vaccine Deficiency”

You may be wondering about the real cause of cancer, and for that matter any and all disease. Please realize that in no way, shape, or form is it related to a vaccine or drug deficiency. Nor is it caused by some random event that is waiting in the wings to strike you down.I had previously believed that in the majority of cases, what “causes” cancer and illness is a breakdown in your system due to an unhealthy lifestyle and exposure to toxins in your environment. Now I am convinced that unresolved emotional trauma is the primary factor in most cancers, and the best approach to understanding this is German New Medicine.   While unresolved emotional trauma is likely the primary cause of cancer, you can influence your exposure to this by modifying traditional risk factors. How? With these 12 lifestyle changes that will cut your cancer risk in half. Getting back to the topic of Gardasil, I’d urge each and every one of you to do your homework before deciding whether or not to vaccinate your son or daughter. If you do the research and decide this or another vaccination is NOT for you, you do have the legal right to refuse it.If you would like more details, my new book Take Control of Your Health has an entire chapter devoted to this topic, along with a thorough Appendix that tells you step-by-step how to legally avoid vaccinations.

Jul 20, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post