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One of the questions I often get when talking about Essentials of Life Chiropractic in public is, does your office offer nutritional advice? And my answer to that is yes ! In fact, we believe so strongly in the value of patient education that we created a special space in our office called The Learning Lounge , where we do various workshops on things from nutrition, to sleep, to stress management and posture. We also offer something called our Blueprint for Optimal Health Workshop , which is for all of our new patients, and that teaches patients what to do outside the office to get the best results possible. So yes, in addition to nutritional advice, we offer all this different lifestyle advice to help people get the absolute most out of their health and wellness journey here in this office. For more information on what we have coming up, you ask our team here . Or, just ask at your next appointment. Be Well Dr. Tony

Here at Essentials of Life Chiropractic, it's a place where kids and families come to get well and to stay well. The hand prints and foot prints you see on our walls are kids who have been adjusted in this office. In fact, 30% of our practice is under the age of 15. Why does someone that age need a chiropractor? Well, chiropractic here at Essentials of Life is all about keeping the spine aligned and the nervous system clear. It is important that that spine and pelvis stay properly aligned, especially as it's growing and developing. And that nervous system? Well, that controls the healing and function of the body. So in order for kids to heal, to function, to grow, to develop to their fullest potential, it is important that those spine and nervous system stays properly aligned and the nervous system stays clear. And that's what we're here to do. This is how we help families get well and stay well here at Essentials. Be Well Dr. Tony

Spring and summer sports here are already swinging into gear. And I know at least for myself, that I'm definitely excited to get back out on the golf course, get back outside, and just start doing active stuff outdoors again. So a lot of the conversations that we've been having in the office here with especially our young athletes , but even our weekend warriors, is how do I prepare my body for this coming season and make sure that I help prevent myself from having those injuries and prevent myself from having anything that may pop up? Stretching and mobility is going to be a great piece in the puzzle for that care, that long-term maintenance for us to help in that preventative measure. Chiropractic can also be a wonderful way to help your body recover from your injuries that you may have. If we have a strain to a muscle, if we have a tweak to a joint, chiropractic can be a great balance with the efforts that you're putting in to care for the soft tissue, to care for the muscles and the ligaments. Those are the things that are moving our joints, that are responsible for caring for the patterns of the mobility that we use every single day. And so if those muscles, those joints aren't being well-supported and don't have good mobility, chiropractic can help you restore that joint range of motion to help further the improvement that's going to be coming from the soft tissue change during that healing process. And we found that can actually accelerate the sensation of not only feeling better, but getting back to your sport feeling more confident when you return, because not only does the muscle, the soft tissue feel better, but the joints are also functioning at their best capabilities. So if you find yourself a little bit out of sorts from a spring sport or if we have any challenges that pop up here as we get into summertime, chiropractic can be a great way to help out along the way. Be Well Dr. Daniel

Hey everyone! Some of you might notice when you're coming in the office we see a lot of babies and kids here in the office. And a lot of people really ask the question, why? But also they're really scared to honestly bring a baby in. And the reason why is because they have pictured in their head that we adjust a baby very similar that we do an adult, which is completely not the fact at all. The case for that is that we're very gentle in our adjusting no matter what we do, but for babies especially. So I'm going to talk through an example of what it looks like to get a baby adjusted. Kids are a little bit different, as they grow up, we're going to adjust just slightly different. But for a baby, a newborn especially, this is what you'll see. So basically you'll see me just come under their pelvis, sometimes, do some ranges of motion for baby here, just a little rocking back and forth. Usually what we're looking for, again, are the muscles. We're also looking for any of the joints that aren't moving very well in there. Because babies should be very flexible, and if they're not, they had some sort of trauma during birth or something later on. So usually that's what you'll see from that. So when it comes to the neck adjustment, basically what we're doing is just doing little movements from side to side. Also, you'll see just a little bit of movement side-to-side every now and then to test where the range of motion is. But again, we want to make sure it's balanced from side to side, especially if this baby or newborn is nursing, or again, we don't want them to have torticollis. We want to make sure things are free flowing and make sure the nervous system is functioning properly. So that is how we adjust babies here in the office, it's not scary at all, and it's very important for their nervous systems. Be Well Dr. Lisa

I am here in my home office, also known as my Chiro Cave, talking about my five favorite at-home tools to use to improve muscle recovery and ease muscle soreness. 1.) Foam Roller - This is a fantastic tool that you can get. You simply place it on the ground, and you can roll onto those tight knots in the muscles. 2.) Lacrosse Ball - This is much better than a tennis ball or a racquetball because it's a lot firmer. I can get further into those tissues. 3.) Massage Gun - Speaking of tight knots and muscles, these vibrating muscle guns are fantastic. Most of them come with a lot of other attachments, too. Highly recommend those. 4.) Heating Pad - The heating pad I have is filled with flaxseed. This gives a little bit of weight to it, as well. Simply pop this in the microwave for a couple minutes, pull it out, throw it wherever you need. That can start getting some heat into the muscles, too. 5.) Epsom Salt Bath - Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, fantastic for helping relieve tight muscles. Now all of these things are in addition to stretching. So there you go. My five favorite at-home tools for muscle recovery. Be Well Dr. Tony

Hey, everybody. If you're like me, you're probably starting to feel a little bit more of that momentum out there from the sunshine, those rays getting into the body and giving you a little bit of that energy and a little bit of activity. So let's channel that activity and that energy into one of those habits or routines that you were thinking about maybe around the start of the new year or around the wintertime when it didn't feel so good to start to try and do something new. But now that we got a little bit of that extra vibe going on outside, coming through the sunshine here, maybe a good time to start and feel good about starting. Get a little bit of momentum here with those things through the springtime so that when summertime hits and those summertime activities get going, you already have your good healthy habits in place to support you, keep you bouncing back for all of those extra activities that you're going to be feeling in this Minnesota summertime. So get started on some of those new habits and new activities with the extra energy from the sunshine, and we'll see you in the office. Be well. Be Well Dr. Daniel

This week marks the fifth year anniversary of when I had to have an ankle surgery. See, when I was growing up, I was a young athlete and experienced a lot of ankle injuries, and I never had anyone that would help me properly rehab those or adjust those. And so I eventually developed a giant bone spur on the bottom of this bone sticking into that ankle joint to the point where I couldn't even move my ankle. And if I tried to run, it would instantly swell up and cause a ton of pain. So here are the essentials of life chiropractic. That is exactly why we also do extremity adjusting. So if you ever have issues with your shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles, knees, hips, be sure to tell us that so that we can help adjust it and hopefully avoid a potential surgery down the road. Be Well Dr. Tony

Hey, everyone. We are going to be talking about proper travel ergonomics. So whether you're traveling via car on a long car ride to some destination, or around the cities or even sitting on a plane, there are some things that you should know that are really going to help you and make sure you don't hurt yourself during your vacation or while you're at home. So let's go right at it. Let's go right into a chair. So how we should be sitting if you're in a chair or on a plane, you should have this nice 90 degrees by your knees, 90 degrees up this way, in your back to hips. And when you're looking, let's say you're on a computer, or let's say you're on a plane, one that has the screens in front of you, make sure that it's at a level where you're not looking down. So again, if you have your laptop on a plane or if you were looking down, just make sure to try to have it right in front of you eye level so you're not doing this. So that's going to be proper for, again, if you're on a plane. Now, sometimes you don't have the rest. So again, like this. And over time what happens is we do this. I totally get that, even when you're driving. So what you want to do to re-correct yourself is come back, but you can bend your legs back, scoot your butt back to where your sits bone is hitting the back, and then come up from there. That should help regain that curve in that low back that you're looking for, so you're not putting as much stress on your spine. So if you can try to do those as best as possible, you're less likely for you to hurt your spine or get some stiffness and soreness. So just go right back to those and you should be great. Have a great time. Be Well -Dr. Lisa

We see a lot of infants and toddlers here at Essentials of Life Chiropractic, and we hear a lot of great and amazing questions. And did you know teething and ear infections actually go hand in hand? Teething creates a lot of inflammation in the gums, which can radiate pain up into the ear. So, if your toddler or infant are pulling at the ears, that's okay. It could just mean that they might be teething at that time. And there's a lot of inflammation, which leads to a lot of drooling, which also means that they might get fluid in their ears from all the drooling. That's, again, very normal. It's okay if they have fluid in their ears. That doesn't mean it's an infection, it just means that they have a lot of inflammation, and there's a lot of things you can do for that. Chiropractic's great at relieving a lot of that stress by making sure that drainage from the ear down into the throat is happening correctly, and we're effectively using the nervous system for that. And did you also know that ear infections are usually 80 to 90% viral? They're not even bacterial, so most of the time they don't need an antibiotic. So, we always go for the watch-and-wait approach. Yes, there's a point where you might need that, but in most cases it'll just go away on its own, usually between three to five days. If you need any other tips or tricks regarding ear infections or teething, contact our office or talk to us at your next visit. Be Well Dr. Lisa

All right, getting through one of the coldest weeks of the year here, and a lot of the questions that I'm getting asked around this time of year each year, despite the cold, is, "Dr. D, how do I stay active in the wintertime? It's hard for me not only to stay motivated, but to feel like there are things that are accessible for me to do because the things that I like to do involve being outside and it's cold." And so the thing that I like to recommend for folks is to think about yourself in a way that a professional athlete would think about their body in their off-season. And so if you're a person that likes to get out in the garden, or if you're a person that likes to get out on the golf course or even spend time hiking, there are probably things that you can be doing right now to fill in some of the gaps that you felt during your season last year. And so again, if you're a gardener, maybe it would be good for the first time that you spend any time crouching down to be prior to the first time that you spend time crouching down in your garden. And so maybe we can squat down and come back up and spend some time maybe on the hands and knees to prepare the body to be able to adapt to that experience. For a golfer, right, maybe we can work on stretching and mobility of the hips or strengthening your rotation. And so there are many things that you're going to be able to do that don't necessarily require a lot of equipment or even the ability to be outside that are going to speak to something that you actually enjoy doing, and it's going to be much easier to motivate yourself to do that. So I would encourage you to think about yourself in that way. And if you have any questions or any directions that you'd like to have, please do ask your docs and they'd be more than happy to give you a little bit of tidbit here and there to just try to get the wheels turning for you. Be Well Dr. Daniel

We all know the winter months can be very challenging on the immune system, so let me give you some tips for keeping the immune systems as strong as possible in these cold winter months. Number one , keep that nervous system clear and balanced with regular chiropractic care. The nervous system controls the immune system. Number two , drink plenty of water. It's very dry in winter months, and staying hydrated will help flush toxins out, as well as keep the cells, tissues, organs of the immune system nice and hydrated. Number three , make sure you get plenty of sleep. Sleep is where the body repairs, and that includes the immune system. Number four , stay active. Keep that activity up. Activity, getting the heart rate up, increases blood flow, which brings oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the cells, and then takes away all the waste and carbon dioxide, as well as activity specifically activates the immune system. Speaking of oxygen, try and get outside and get some fresh air. We are cooped up inside all day long, and our bodies need that fresh air and oxygen. Number six , consider adding supplements like vitamin, D, zinc and elderberry to your daily routine. Be Well Dr. Tony

Hey, everyone. I've got exciting news! In just a couple of weeks, we are going to be plunging into a frozen lake. Doesn't that sound exciting? Maybe not, but let me tell you why we plunge into a frozen lake. We are here to support the Special Olympics of Minnesota. We do this every year because it helps those with intellectual disabilities throughout the entire year and throughout Minnesota. So we are very excited to help support them. Additionally, we are looking for more brave souls to join us in the plunge. Who else wants to be part of the crazy group? I know you do. If you want to, please go to our Facebook page. I'm sure we'll have something there to sign up. Or if you're one of our patients, there will be some QR codes in the office, and you can plunge with us. If you don't want to plunge, but you're like, "I'll pledge you because I don't want to be part of that craziness," that's okay too. You can pledge and encourage someone who is a little scared to plunge this year. Or you can just be part of the craziness without getting cold, which is sometimes a good idea too. Or you could just pray for us, as we all need some extra prayers for our crazy lake-jumping adventure. That's all for today. Have a good one, guys. Be Well Dr. Lisa Our Polar Plunge Page