After a tough winter, many of you are looking forward to heading down south for some much needed sunshine and tropical weather.   March break traveling has notoriously been stressful, especially at the airport! Keep you and the family healthy (and sane) prior to arriving to your destination by keeping these 3 tips in mind:

1.  Check in early.  Many airlines provide the option to check-in online either through their website, or through their own mobile app to secure your seats, notify the airline of your baggage, and to get your boarding pass.  While you may have to wait in line at the airport to actually check-in baggage and verify your passport credentials, these lines are often shorter and move a lot faster.

2. Invest in rollable luggage.  Reduce strain on your back by investing in rollable luggage.  Lugging heavy baggage around (especially when rushed) can cause serious injury to your back, neck and shoulders.

3. Wear comfortable clothing.  Whether you are going to be standing on your feet, sitting in cramped spaces for extended periods, or running from terminal to terminal, have the proper footwear and dress comfortably to accommodate for the best and worst-case scenarios.

Safe travels!

Athletes are taking centre-stage at the Olympics in Sochi!  It’s easy to forget that there is often a team of coaches, therapists, and support networks who are all involved in timing and maximizing performance when it counts.  The benefits of chiropractic care as part of a high-performance athlete’s regiment is not new, however, the practice has been made more prominent as both the US and Canadian teams have deeply integrated chiropractic into their respective programs.

Read how Canadian chiropractors help Olympic athletes straighten up in Sochi.

Read more about how Dr. Moreau oversees the medical care and medical team selections at the Games, and develops a nationwide network of health care providers to support Team USA athletes.

Last week, we described the signs and symptoms of SAD.  This week we are focusing on natural treatment options and preventative measures.  While SAD can’t be cured, the options below can certainly help to relieve your symptoms.  Natural treatment and preventative measures for SAD typically consists of light therapy, mental well-being, a healthy diet and physical conditioning.

Light Therapy.  In addition to being key in the prevention of seasonal affective disorder, regular exposure to light that is bright, particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people with this disorder, especially during the fall and winter months.  Light therapy is commercially available in the form of light boxes, which are used for approximately 30 minutes per day. The light required must be of sufficient brightness, approximately 25 times as bright as a normal living room light. Contrary to prior theories, the light does not need to be actual daylight from the sun. It seems that it affective disorder. The most common possible side effects associated with light therapy include irritability, insomnia, headaches, and eyestrain.

Mental Well-Being.  As with many other forms of depression, a key component to treatment includes counseling with a therapist.  Individual, group, or family options are available and these sessions will help cultivate ways to handle the symptoms, and how to help prevent future depressive episodes. If you have had SAD for a long time, your family members may also benefit from counseling as well.  While it may be difficult to be social while in a depression, simple outings such as dinner or coffee with a close friend help to keep your mood and outlook positive.

Diet & Physical Conditioning.  Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise during the holiday season certainly has its challenges!  A little restraint goes a long way, and with a busy, but well-planned social calendar, healthy eating days can be planned in advanced.  While diets tend to be customized accordingly to your metabolic needs, the general rule of thumb for a health meal consists of leafy greens, lean proteins while reducing as much as possible, refined sugars, sodium, saturated fats and simple carbohydrates.   Finding it difficult to get out to the gym in this weather?   Look at exercises that can be performed at home with limited space, or bundle up and go for a hike around the neighborhood and try to discover something new about where you live!  Eating right and exercising are critical to an overall healthy lifestyle and can be achievable with a little planning.

While not considered a typical treatment for SAD, there are many benefits of integrating chiropractic care into your treatment and prevention plan.   A healthy central nervous system and spine are important to maintaining physical and emotional well-being.  Chiropractors take a natural approach by correcting vertebral subluxations and reducing nerve interferences in the spine.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our introductory series on SAD.  If think we can help you, or are interested in learning more about chiropractic care and how it can benefit, please contact us!