Newsletter August 2012

Until I have a better format for the Newsletter in general, here are just the articles of our first newsletter. Enjoy!

Welcome to Our First Issue

Welcome to the first newsletter from Simply Chiropractic! We are excited to begin offering a monthly newsletter that we hope will enlighten you on various topics, and in turn help you live life to the full.

This is Ashley, Dr. Matt’s wife. I would like to start by introducing you to our family. Dr. Matt and I have been married for 6 years and we have three active children. We have lived in Fishers our entire marriage and have experienced 3 beautiful home births. Our children are 4, 2, and almost 1. I am blessed to be able to stay at home with them and believe me; they keep me on my toes! I am now stepping into an assistant role with Dr. Matt so you may start seeing me at the office sporadically. I enjoy writing and hope to find topics that appeal to you all. I did not come from a super healthy background, but after meeting Matthew, I have come to embrace a new lifestyle that sees Chiropractic as one of the core pieces to a healthy state. If you are new to wellness, or are always looking for the newest way to maintain a healthy state of being, you are in the right place. However, life can not be all about the pursuit of wellness and disciplines. We need to balance the serious with a bit of humor here and there. After all, “a joyful heart is good medicine.” 

I look forward to sharing the things I have learned over the past few years and any new tidbits that come along.

Health Care Classes Will Clear Things Up!

As we come to our 1 year anniversary of Simply Chiropractic, we have decided to begin holding health care classes each month. These classes will begin September 4^th at 6:30pm. They will then be held on the first Tuesday of every month. The classes will be on various topics and you can expect to see the topics listed in your monthly newsletter. Also, if you “like” us on Facebook, you can be up to date on the details of all our upcoming events.

Our topic for September will be: Headaches: Possible Causes and Natural Remedies. We hope you will join us as we dive into some of the leading root causes of headache and neck pain, PLUS some easy and non-invasive solutions that will have you putting down that pain killer.

Each class will be open to patients and non-patients alike. AND everyone will walk away with a free gift just for attending

Upcoming Topics

September (4th): Headaches: Possible Causes and Natural Remedies

October (2^nd): Essential Oils and their Role in Everyday Life.

November (6^th): High Fructose Corn Syrup: What Everyone Should Know.

December (4^th): End of Year CELEBRATION with live entertainment!

Why? Why? Why?

I have preschoolers which means I get asked “why” a lot. But now I have a few whys of my own.

Why…

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why is it no matter what color bubble bath you use, the bubbles are always white?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end you try first?

Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a drive way?

Why isn’t phonetic spelled the way it sounds?

Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?

Why is it called a funny bone? When you hit it, it’s not funny!

Why do we put suits in a garment bag and garments in a suitcase?

Why are men and women’s shoe sizes different?

Why are steam rollers called steam rollers? They do not produce, get rid of or have anything to do with steam?

(taken in part from crazythoughts.com)

We are a Referral-Based Business

We here at Simply Chiropractic are always grateful for referrals. There is no greater compliment. For that reason, Dr. Matt has chosen to focus his marketing budget towards the reward system put in place when our current patients refer a friend. When that friend signs on for care not only does the new patient receive a bonus, but you do too! So if your budget doesn’t allow for as much care as you would like, or you just like getting free stuff, send our information to a friend whom you think could benefit from our services. See our website or ask Dr. Matt for details!

A Green Summer 

Never Tasted So Sweet

PART 1: The Prep Work 

As a busy mom, I am always looking for healthy convenience food. When I find something that works, I love to share. When it is too hot to cook and you are looking for a quick, healthy lunch, look no further than a fruity protein shake. I know that doesn’t seem like a quick fix, all the cutting a prepping…by the time I am finished I am starving and cranky! Well that is all about to change. With a little prep work done just a couple times a month, you can have smoothies in a flash! The foundation for our smoothie is banana and avocado. We were in the midst of introducing table foods to our littlest kiddo when we came upon this great staple in our home. The Banacado Cube! The name “Banacado” came from a friend of mine and I am on a mission to make it stick! Now, I make this mixture every couple of weeks to keep us in a steady supply.

Bananacado Cubes

Here is what you will need:

• Blender of some sort (Magic Bullet, Immersion Blender, Food Processor whatever you prefer)
• 2 Avocados for every 3 Bananas
• Fruit Fresh (Made by Ball and can be found in the canning aisle)
• Ice Cube Trays (One for every batch) A batch = 2 Avocados and 3 Bananas

Toss your batch in a bowl (or in the bullet or in your food processor)

Sprinkle with Fruit Fresh (about a Tablespoon)

Blend until smooth

       

Pour in Ice Cube Trays and cover with plastic wrap.

Then cover with foil and let freeze over night.

   

The next morning, pop the cubes out and put them in
Gallon-size Freezer Bags and pop them back in the freezer.

Viola! You are prepped and ready should the craving for a sweet smoothie hit you. This is a great way to salvage a large quantity of fresh fruit. We tend to buy in bulk and when the fruit starts to turn less than peak, we blend it and freeze it in cubes. The uses for bananacado are endless! Shakes, baby food, pancakes, breads!

The next segment will feature my go-to breakfast or quick lunch depending on the chaos of my day. Until then, try and make 1 new healthy habit stick in your life.

Doing My Homework

When I was first being introduced to Chiropractic (before I became a patient). I told Matthew that if he gave me material to read, and not preach at me, that I would keep an open mind. I was very skeptical of the entire field of Chiropractic, but honestly couldn't tell you a thing about it except that they "pop" peoples' backs. I would find out that even that wasn't entirely accurate. 

The book pictured above is the first book he gave me to read. I read it cover to cover. It explains the history and science behind Chiropractic. (Yes, there is science behind what they do) I would encourage anyone who wants to understand Chiropractic, as a field of healthcare, to read this book. It is a fast read. And if you comment on this post I will give randomly pick one person to receive a free copy.

This book helped to open my mind to one of the greatest health-care tools in my life.

Happy Birthday To Me...

Today happens to be my birthday! I (for some reason) always envision this day as a day to be spoiled. More with time and attention that anything else. Well, this past weekend my husband helped to arrange for me to head south to Nashville for a couple of days to visit one of my dearest friends. I was so excited I began planning and chattering about it the whole week prior. Finally, Friday came and I was on the road by noon. I really enjoyed the drive down there. The silence (I usually have three noisy travelers) was so wonderful. I also got to listen to an audio book... UNINTERRUPTED. 

The trip was wonderful and just what I needed to refuel me to be the Mom I know I can be. It also gave me time to reflect on SO many things. I began thinking of birthdays past and was particularly reminiscent of the first birthday that Matthew and I were together.

(7 years ago)

Matthew and I had only been dating for about 6 weeks. It is unfortunate to have a birthday so close to the beginning of a relationship, but we met 4 days before Valentine's Day so this seemed like a piece of cake (no pun intended). He came to me with the perfect gift. Since the start of our relationship, he had been giving me information on Chiropractic. I promised to do some research, read his materials, and keep an open mind. If you remember my first post, I was not a believer in Chiropractic at the start, but he was so passionate and sincere about his profession that he made me want to know more. In that six weeks I opened up to the idea of it all and so for my birthday he made me a patient.

To some of you that may seem weird. Why not just make me a patient? Why make it a gift? Well, because that is precisely what it is, a gift.

He took my x-rays and analyzed them and adjusted me for free. It was a gift of service (and I would find that that is his primary love language so that makes the gift that much more special). Now I have to be honest, I was still VERY apprehensive about having a traditional neck adjustment done. Lucky for me, he is specially trained in the NUCCA technique. (for more info on that technique, click on the word) He respected my hesitation and only did NUCCA and lower back adjustments (and did so for the first YEAR of care). In a future post I will go into the journey that was my first month of care, but today I want to focus on the gift.

He began seeing me as a patient 3 times a week for a few weeks. Having just started his own practice and not charging me. When I told him of the benefits I was experiencing, he would truly be joyful with me. He never seemed prideful about the results, just genuinely happy for me.

A month after my first visit was a common time for me to be getting seasonal allergies. People at work were complaining of their sinus headaches and runny eyes/nose. It clicked with me that I was fine. I mentioned it to him one day and he just smiled and said, "That is a common benefit we see of our new patients." I was so excited to not have to deal with them and honestly seven years later, the only time I struggle with them is during pregnancy. And even then they are not as intense as before.

So now Chiropractic is also in the list of one of the nicest gifts anyone has given me.

Up All Night...Until the Adjustment, That Is.

This story came up in conversation tonight and I felt it was worth sharing

This is Levi. He is now 4 years old, but he was only 1 week old in this picture. About a week after this picture was taken, Chiropractic became one of my favorite things on Earth.

We have been blessed with very easy-going babies. They sleep well and have minimal fussiness. Because they have had chiropractic in their life from the beginning, I cannot say whether that was just the way they are wired or if the chiropractic has influenced some of that behavior. I am inclined to believe the latter, and here is why.

Two weeks after our first child was born we were winding down for the night. My husband would often take the first shift and stay up a little later while I caught a few hours of sleep, then we would switch. At 10pm it was my turn to be with the little guy. I fed him and rocked him, hoping that he would soon slip into dream land (and that I could do the same). This had been the trend and I felt that it should continue. By midnight, I got the sense that this was NOT how tonight was going to go. I tried my best to sooth him and cuddle him, but I was loosing steam. By 2am I was a bit ragged. I had spent the last three of four hours calming a fussy baby, but if I stopped moving for even a second, he would start crying again. I finally brought him into the bedroom and woke Matthew. I begged for him to take the next shift. I needed some sleep! He graciously (and sleepily) got up and took little Levi into the living room. He returned about 15 minutes later with a sleeping child!
"What did you do?!" I asked. I had been trying everything to sooth him.

"I gave him an adjustment and within a few minutes he calmed down and was sound asleep about 10 minutes after that."

Several thoughts/emotions ran through my head.
1.) I was once again reminded of how wonderful chiropractic is.
2.) I was SO grateful that my husband was a chiropractor. (How else could I get him adjusted at 2am?)
3.) I realized I wasted three hours of sleep trying to soothe a baby that needed an adjustment.
4.) I started kicking myself for not asking him to adjust him three hours ago.


This is one of those events that changed how I diagnosed the little issues with my children. I know longer just wait and watch. I sense an ailment coming on and I get them adjusted. This may not fix the issue, but what if it does? It is an easy preventative measure that has NO UNDESIRED SIDE EFFECTS. But the side effects I experienced that night was sleep!

I have not had a colicky baby, but I have friends who do. If you know someone who is dealing with this issue, please click on the link below for more info on how Chiropractic is a known resource for colicky babies. The research is out there. You can also just Google  "Chiropractic and colic".

colicky babies and chiropractic

If at First You Don't Believe...

If someone would have told me 10 years ago that Chiropractic would be a part of my life, I would have laughed right in their face. I was one who easily joined in on the joke that Chiropractors were quacks. My position came from one of ignorance, but it was how I felt nonetheless. All of that changed in February 2005.

Matthew and I met at a young adults’ ministry in 2005, the common question of “What do you do?” came up rather quickly. He told me he was a Chiropractor. Well, instantly I counted that against him. All of my preconceived notions about his profession came to my mind, but he was nice so our conversation continued. He was so passionate about helping people that I began opening up to the idea of chiropractic. I asked for literature so that I could make my own decisions. He was respectful of this and provided factual information about the science of chiropractic. After several months, I became a patient of his. As a young twenty-something woman, I didn’t feel that I needed chiropractic, but kept an open mind and gave it a go.  A month into my treatment, allergy season hit, and I typically fall prey to the runny nose and stuffy head. People at my office were all complaining of these symptoms when it dawned on me that for the first time in years, I was not experiencing those symptoms! I relayed that to Dr. Ferris and he just smiled and said, “That is one of the first things people notice.” The next benefit that I experienced was I began sleeping through the night. I thought it was normal to wake up several times a night, tossing and turning to get comfortable. It is amazing how much we put up with and chalk up to normal just because they are consistent in our lives.

Fast forward 7 years.

Dr. Ferris and I are married and have had three children. I can’t tell you how great it was to have chiropractic throughout all three pregnancies! With every pregnancy, as the belly grows the center of gravity changes. The spine slowly alters its position to accommodate that. Chiropractic helped to ease many of the discomforts associated with the vast changes a pregnant body endures. I also can’t imagine living life with a baby, a 2-year old and a 4-year old without some pain. But I almost NEVER take painkillers. This may seem odd to most but let me tell you my remedy to the daily aches and pains that comes along with common activity.

My days consist of carrying around any one of my three children several times a day; up and down stairs, to and from the car, etc. Then there are the errands around town; lugging heavy bags to the car and in the house. Finally, I have a house to keep. Sometimes my cardio workout comes from cleaning my house! The next morning, I am feeling it. You know that stiff neck the aches that start in your shoulders and make their way up the sides of your neck. I usually get a headache due to the pain I started the day with. An easy thought is to go to the medicine cabinet and find the painkiller. Here is MY solution. I load the kids in the car and call my husband to schedule an appointment. Since I have been going for a while I am on the maintenance plan. I come when I need it and I am self aware enough (now) to know when I do. I get an adjustment and I fell like a new woman! The headache subsides and the stiffness is eased. Within an hour or so I feel 100%. Trust me if I didn’t believe in this I wouldn’t take the time to write you. I am passionate about being aware of what I put in my body and I am leery of the long term side effects of painkillers. I know that the adjustment has no unpleasant side effects, but it can have a positive ripple effect over other ailments in my body. I am treating my whole body wellness, not just covering a symptom that has a root cause.

I realize this sounds bias, but I hope you see where I started. I was a non-believer plain and simple. I “felt” fine so I didn’t see the need at first, but after experiencing what “feeling good” really was, I would never go back! Beyond explaining my own personal benefits, I can tell you that Dr. Ferris is passionate about assisting people in finding their real “feeling good” point. Don’t settle for “just dealing with it” anymore! 

Welcome to my blog. I am on a mission to educate people on the benefits of chiropractic. I want to share my experiences both past and present. I hope to link you to helpful resources that encourage you to give your body what it needs to reach its fullest potential.