A while back, a colleague in northern California told me that he had started to ask most of his patients to practice "oil swishing" to support healthy teeth and gums.
Oil swishing - sometimes called oil pulling - is a simple Ayurvedic practice that involves swishing about one tablespoon of oil in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes once daily, typically in the morning. Read more about Oil Swishing To Support Healthy Teeth and Gums
To have healthy shoulders that allow you to comfortably use your arms overhead, it's essential that your shoulder blades are optimally mobile and that you have good motor control over their movement along the posterior wall of your rib cage - the scapular mobility exercises shown in the video above will allow you to fulfill both of these requirements for healthy shoulder function. Read more about How to Improve Scapular Mobility to Support Healthy Shoulder Function
Like your hip joint, your shoulder joint has a ball-in-socket design, but the socket isn't very deep. In fact, it's quite shallow, which is what allows your shoulder the broad range of motion required to efficiently perform overhead activities. Read more about How to Improve Shoulder Stability and Function
When hamstrings and calves are short and hypertonic from lack of mindful use and stretching, their tendons can generate a low-grade backward pulling force on the tibia or femur, which predisposes the quadriceps and patellar tendon that runs along the anterior portion of the knee to injury. This is why regular stretching of your hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and soleus is essential to supporting healthy knee function. Read more about Exercises for Knee Pain
Over the past two decades, I have utilized spinal adjustments, stretching, acupuncture, soft tissue work, and every major modality used in physiotherapy to address a wide range of back and hip issues. While all of these therapies can be helpful, in my experience, the most effective way to support a healthier lower back and pelvic region is to improve the functional strength of the muscles that control your core region. These muscles include your lower paraspinals, abdominals, hip flexors, and hip extensors.
For a look at two of my favourite exercises for strengthening the core region, please have a look at the following video:
Being a chiropractor, acupuncturist, and a certified tennis nut, over the years, I've found that a few specific stretches, massaging techniques, and strengthening exercises can reduce risk of elbow and wrist injuries. Most of the top pros bring their own physios with them on the road to do some of this work for them, but it's easily done on your own with some know-how. Read more about Natural Ways to Treat and Prevent Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow, and Chronic Wrist Pain
Around this time every year, I like to review our Amazon account and share a short list of items that our family has been very happy with. Without further ado, here is a look at 9 items that we're glad we invested in: Read more about 9 Favourites From Our Amazon Shopping List in 2015
If anyone among your parents, siblings, or children have had colorectal cancer, it's generally prudent to undergo periodic colonoscopies as a screening measure. How often you have a colonoscopy depends on your overall health status and the quality of your bowel movements, so be sure to let your physician know what your diet and lifestyle look like as you decide on a screening schedule. Read more about 2 Main Causes of Colorectal Cancer and How to Prepare For a Colonoscopy
