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Wellness Blog

Our Wellness Blog is a resource for our patients and community to have access to Dr. Michelle and all the knowledge that she has acquired over the 15+ years of Network Spinal Analysis and Chiropractic Care.

Wellness RhythmsWellness Blog
stress-hormones-image
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Understanding Short-Term and Long-Term Stress Hormones: How Chiropractic Care Can Help Release Them

Are you experiencing short or long-term stress?

In our fast-paced world, stress has become an unavoidable part of our lives. Whether it’s work deadlines, personal challenges, or everyday pressures, stress can have a profound impact on our physical and mental well-being. When it comes to stress, it’s important to distinguish between short-term stress hormones and long-term stress hormones. This blog post aims to shed light on these two types of stress hormones, specifically cortisol, and epinephrine, and explain how chiropractic care can help release them. Read on to discover how you can regain balance and lead a healthier, stress-free life.

 

Understanding Short-Term Stress Hormones:

1. Epinephrine (Adrenaline):

    • Also known as adrenaline, epinephrine is the hormone responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response.
    • Released in response to acute stressors, such as sudden danger or a challenging situation.
    • Increases heart rate, boosts energy levels, and improves focus temporarily.

 

2. Cortisol:

  • Often referred to as the “stress hormone,” cortisol plays a crucial role in the body’s response to stress.
  • Released in higher levels during prolonged or chronic stress.
  • Helps regulate blood sugar levels, suppresses the immune system, and assists in metabolism.
  • Elevated cortisol levels can impact sleep by:
    • Disrupting the natural sleep-wake cycle.
    • Increasing alertness and making it difficult to fall asleep.
    • Reducing the duration of deep, restorative sleep.

The Impact of These Stress Hormones in the Long Run:

1. Chronic Elevation of Cortisol:

Prolonged exposure to high cortisol levels can lead to a variety of health issues, including:

    • Increased blood pressure
    • Weakened immune system
    • Impaired cognitive function
    • Weight gain
    • Sleep disturbances

2. Epinephrine’s Effects on the Body:

Extended release of epinephrine can result in the following symptoms:

    • Chronic anxiety
    • Digestive issues
    • Increased heart rate
    • High blood pressure
    • Decreased immune function

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Decrease Cortisol and Epinephrine:

1. Restoring Spinal Alignment:

  • Adverse mechanical cord tension and subluxations can contribute to stress and tension in the body.
  • Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper alignment and function of the nervous system by reducing nerve interference. This helps your body reorganize how it’s holding stress and tension and promotes relaxation.
  • By alleviating stress held in the body, chiropractic care can aid in reducing cortisol and epinephrine levels.

2. Enhancing Nervous System Function:

  • The nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating stress hormones.
  • Chiropractic care improves nervous system function and adaptability, enabling better communication between the brain and body.
  • By optimizing nervous system function, chiropractic adjustments help restore balance and adaptability to stress, and decrease the release of cortisol and epinephrine.

3. Reducing Muscle Tension:

    • Chronic stress often leads to muscle tension and stiffness.
    • Chiropractic adjustments help relieve muscle tension, allowing the body to relax and promoting overall well-being.

  • As muscle tension decreases, cortisol and epinephrine levels can also decrease, leading to a reduction in stress and its negative effects.

4. Promoting Balance and Adaptability:

  • Chiropractic care focuses on promoting balance within the body, both physically and neurologically.
  • By restoring balance, chiropractic adjustments enhance the body’s ability to adapt to stress and maintain overall health.
  • This improved adaptability can help regulate the release of cortisol and epinephrine, preventing their chronic elevation.

Conclusion:

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but managing its effects is crucial for our well-being. Understanding the difference between short-term and long-term stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine, can help us take proactive steps toward stress management. Chiropractic care offers a holistic approach to releasing both short-term and long-term stress hormones, allowing the body to restore balance and function optimally.

By addressing the underlying causes of stress and promoting overall well-being, chiropractic care can effectively decrease cortisol and epinephrine levels. This reduction in stress hormones can lead to improved sleep, enhanced immune function, better cognitive performance, and overall improved quality of life.

If you’re looking to regain control over your stress levels and achieve better overall health, consider scheduling a no-obligation free consultation with Wellness Rhythms. Our team of experienced chiropractors can provide personalized care and help you develop effective strategies for managing stress. Take the first step towards a healthier, stress-free life today!

 

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SafeHouse - Start Network Care
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

Start Network Care With A Donation to SafeHouse Denver

Help Someone You Care About As You Help Those Hurt By Domestic Violence. For a $39.95* Donation to SafeHouse Denver, you will receive your first New Patient Consultation with Dr. Michelle MacCarthy, this initial visit includes:

  • Health Consultation
  • Spinal Examination**
  • One Gentle Network Adjustment
  • Computerized Nerve System Testing and Evaluation
  • Follow up Visit to Review Health Recommendations with Dr. MacCarthy

*A $357 value for your $39.95 donation to Safehouse Denver! 100% of your donation goes to Safehouse Denver!
**Spinal x-rays if needed.

SafeHouse Denver assists adults, children, and youth in reclaiming their right to a life free of domestic violence. Visit their Events Page for a bit of info on our event.

Start Network Care so You Can Feel Great Again!

Space is Limited Call Now for Your Appointment (303) 722-1104

Chiropractor Denver Wash Park Integrator
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

The Integrator – A Chiropractic Adjusting Instrument

The Integrator chiropractic adjusting instrument is precise, scientific, and safe. It allows a gentle, effective, specific adjustment of the Vertebral Subluxation without twisting the spine.

The benefits of Integrator adjustments have been measured by scientific research published in major peer-reviewed medical journals.

The Integrator is safe to use with patients of any age.

 

The attributes that make an Integrator adjustment something special and powerful:

  • 1. PRECISE: When using an Integrator you can pinpoint the exact point on the spine that requires adjustment of nerve frequency. Manual adjusting lacks this degree of accuracy.
  • 2. SPECIFIC: The force, frequency of energy, torque, speed, and thrust provided by the Integrator have all been tailor-made to deliver the perfect amount of energy to help normalize nerve function. Breakthrough from a mechanistic attempt to facilitate neurological change to a system that ensures tonal change.
  • 3. GENTLE: An Integrator adjustment can be delivered with the spine in a perfectly relaxed neutral position with the perfect amount of force: Whereas a traditional adjustment requires the spine to be stretched to a position of tension followed by the manual thrust by hand to sufficiently open the spinal joints to activate a cavitation response.
  • 4. FAST: The incredibly fast but shallow impulse is one of the secrets to the effectiveness of this adjustment while being so gentle.
  • 5. RECOIL: Another of the secret ingredients built into the Integrator is recoil. This bounce in the impulse increases the body’s response.
  • 6. TORQUE: Subatomic particles, atoms, muscles, and human bodies move in three dimensions. The three-dimensional impulse of the Integrator maximizes the effectiveness of the human body.
  • 7. EFFECTIVE: The benefits of Integrator adjustments have been measured by scientific research and this research has been published in major peer-reviewed medical journals.
  • 8. RELIABLE: The way that the Integrator delivers an adjustment is very consistent and reliable so that the right amount of force and energy is transmitted on each and every adjustment.
  • 9. CONSISTENT: The systems that are used in TRT and the features of the Integrator are very standardized which means that several practitioners using the same method can deliver the same results and experience.
  • 10. RECOGNIZED: The Integrator holds several patents and is a legally marketed device for the adjustment of the Vertebral Subluxation; only available to licensed Doctors of Chiropractic. Source
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait -Best Chiropractor in Denver Network Spinal Analysis
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

Do Good Things Come To Those Who Wait?

“Hi, Patty! I haven’t seen you for almost two months, great to see you again!” I greeted my practice member as she came in to see me early last week.
“Yep, it’s been a while but I wanted to wait until I was done with all of my yard work and raking before I came in to see you,” she answered.
“Why is that,” I inquired.
“Well, I didn’t want to come in when I knew I still had work to do that could mess me up,” she responded.

Although I don’t hear this kind of remark all that frequently, it still pops up often enough that I wanted to address it.

Many people are stuck in thinking that the purpose of the adjustment is to eliminate something. That is, they believe the reason to get checked is that they might have something they shouldn’t have, like pain, spasm, inflammation, or interference in the nerve system (i.e., subluxation). This thinking is actually totally backward. It’s not that something is present in your body that shouldn’t be there. The truth is that you have LOST something you need in order to be healthy and happy and to fully express life!

Allow me to explain this in a way that is very easy to understand.

Light is energy. When it is present, we know it. We also know when it is absent because we experience what we call darkness. But the truth is that darkness is not a thing in and of itself, it is really the lack of something else! When we have only a little light energy present, we call the room DIM. When we have more light energy, we call it BRIGHT. And when we have lots of light energy present, we say it is BRILLIANT!

Similarly, heat is energy. When it is present, we know it. We also know when it is not present because we experience what we call coldness. But the truth is that coldness is not a thing in and of itself, it is really the absence of something else! When we have only a small amount of heat energy present, we say it feels COOL. When we have more heat energy, we say it’s WARM. And when we have lots of heat energy being expressed, we call it HOT!

You also have energy within your body that animates you that is, it makes you ALIVE. We call this energy your Life Force. When you are not expressing any Life Energy, we say you are DEAD. When you are expressing only a little of this Life Force, we call it being SICK. If there is a little more, we say you are HEALTHY or WELL, and if you fully express your Life Force, we say you are WHOLE!

When you are fully expressing your Life Energy, your internal resistance to physical, chemical, and emotional stresses is very high. It allows you to not only handle (adapt to) these things, but you consistently heal and you actually have the capacity to get the most out of every effort you give to life!

The correct thing to do is not to wait until you have encountered something that messes you up but to instead make sure your nerve system is clear before, during, and after every activity. Maximize your expression of Life Energy with a positive focus, a lifestyle, and by getting checked every week or two by your chiropractor. And, if you know you will be, are, or have been exposed to more challenges than usual, get checked again! That way you will continually GROW in every way!

It has been said that good things come to those who wait – I beg to differ! What are YOU waiting for? Schedule Your next appointment today!

Healthy BBQ Tips
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

Healthy BBQ Tips for the 4th

Top 4 Healthy BBQ Tips

Fire up the grill!? We’ve got some great tips for keeping your BBQ meals extra healthy for Independence Day.

Choose a lean, unprocessed protein
Consider using lean turkey burgers, salmon, tuna, veggie burgers, or grill-friendly extra-firm tofu.

Stock up on fresh veggies
Kabobs are a backyard BBQ favorite!? Use your favorite vegetables to whip up some hearty, tasty skewers.

Don’t show up too hungry!
If you’re the guest rather than the host, make sure you have a quick healthy snack before you head to the party.

If you are trying to lose weight
Take a look at your liquid calories. Beverages now supply more than 20% of the calories in the average diet. Most liquid calories come from soda or alcoholic beverages. Studies show that people who get calories from beverages tend to subsequently eat more than those who get the same number of calories from solid food.

Have a fantastic 4th of July and share these Healthy BBQ Tips with friends and family!

Yours for health and wellness,
Dr. Michelle MacCarthy, DC

 

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holiday cheer
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

The Holidays Are Here!

Happy Holidays Friends and Family!

During 15 years of serving people with chiropractic care, I have learned something about this time of year. December seems to get to everyone somehow!

There is more stress, our routines get all jumbled up, we eat differently, everyone around us seems to be coughing, and we buy lots of presents for everyone!

That’s why getting your spine checked for subluxations is even more important this time of year. Research has documented the connection between nervous system function and immune system function. Chiropractic care is proven to keep us healthier during flu season. And, simply put, pain makes us cranky!

Holidays are about being with friends and family. Time with them is precious, and I want you to enjoy the experience as much as possible and for them to enjoy time with you! It’s an honor to serve you, your family, and your friends. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Happy Holidays!

Dr. Michelle

10 Ways To Reduce Stress This Holiday Season
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

10 Ways To Reduce Stress This Holiday Season

Do you or a loved one need to reduce stress? Are you feeling pulled in different directions this holiday season? If so, you’re not alone.

It’s that time of year when many people shift gears and the holidays take center stage. Often, the holiday season is not all comfort and joy. It can be a time of high emotional and physical stress. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can reduce stress this holiday season.

 

10 Ways To Reduce Stress This Holiday Season

Here are some suggestions for reducing stress so that you and yours can enjoy the holiday season:

  • Take a break each day for yourself. Try meditation, prayer, a nap, or read a book. These are ways of reducing stress and energizing the body.
  • Eat properly and drink lots of water. Don’t use the holidays and stress as a reason to overeat. Although the holidays bring with them sweet treats and other appetizers, try not to make food the prime focus. And remember, just because someone offers you something, you do not have to accept.
  • Maintain your regular exercise routine and get to bed at your usual time or earlier.
  • Watch your alcohol consumption. Although some people believe alcohol decreases your stress, it is only a temporary solution.
  • Don’t overdo work, eating, drinking, or being merry. Overindulging in any of these areas is draining afterward.
  • Plan ahead and allow extra time for shopping and travel. Stores, airports, and highways are extra busy this time of year.
  • Breath is great for reducing stress and anxiety at the moment especially when dealing with difficult people, crowds, or standing in line. Breathe in your nose and out your mouth. Place one hand on top of the other resting them on your chest or belly as you feel your breath under them.
  • Getting a massage is an excellent way to reduce stress and relax.
  • See your chiropractor to maintain a healthy spine and to improve energy flow. The chiropractic adjustment helps relieve stress, improve function and increase energy.
  • Remember to be thankful for everyone in your life. Take time to smile as you connect with them.

With the additional stress this holiday season, it’s important to practice some de-stressing activities, so your holiday is the festive and joyful time you want it to be.

Please leave your comments below and feel free to share this article with friends and family!

I hope you have the best holiday season ever!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

COREscore Network Chiropractic Denver CO Chiropractor
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic ,

How the COREscore Measures Nerve System Stress And Why That’s A Big Deal

What is the COREscore, anyway?

Let’s start with the CORE. We all have essential cores within our bodies. You’re probably familiar with the core around your waist, known as our support core. There is another core within your body, and that is the vertical core, like the core of an apple. That’s what we refer to as your communication cord or spinal cord, connecting your brain to the rest of your body to coordinate and control body function.

COREscore Network Chiropractic Denver CO ChiropractorAt Wellness Rhythms Chiropractic, we use state-of-the-art technology designed to detect stress and tension built up in your spinal cord and Nervous System. Stress causes subluxations that can block nerve energy flow affecting your health and well-being.

With this advanced technology, we scan your nerve system to understand where you are holding onto stress and tension and by measuring how deeply that tension is affecting the spine, muscles, and nerves.

Information from the COREscore helps develop a personalized care plan to manage your health and future wellness.

For the COREscore three different sensors are used to determine where stress and tension are building up in your body. The score of each scan determines your COREscore, representing how stress is affecting nervous system function and your health.

  1. Surface electromyography (S-EMG) is designed to understand how efficiently the muscles are supporting your spine.
  2. The second technology is the Rolling Thermal Scanner specifically designed to measure the function of the nerves that control the function of organs and glands.
  3. The third technology is known as Heart Rate Variability. It gives an understanding of how your heart rate and rhythm are being affected by stress. This test helps us understand how much reserve your body has for managing stress and how well you can adapt to the day-to-day stresses that are inevitable in each of our lives.

The nervous system is all about coordinating the function of the muscles, glands, and organs. A small percentage of the nerve system is for sensory input, hot, cold, touch, feel pain, etc. That means that how we feel is not the best way to know how our nerve system is functioning.

The COREscore is an advanced method of measuring how stress is affecting your nervous system, health, and well-being.

Let others know about the importance of having a COREscore checkup by sharing this post. Your feedback is important, so please, leave your comments.

What’s your COREscore? Contact Wellness Rhythms Chiropractic now to schedule you and your family for a COREscore evaluation.

Still, have questions? Watch these videos describing COREscore in further detail!

Nerve System Function Denver chiropractor
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic ,

Nerve System Function

What is the Nerve System Function?

The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all of the nerves that connect these organs with the rest of the body. Together, these nerves are responsible for the control of the body and communication among its parts. It is essentially the body’s electrical wiring.

When the Nerve System Functions becomes stressed subluxations occur causing decreased nerve energy flow resulting in disease. Network Spinal and Network Care Chiropractors correct subluxations restoring ease and health to the body.

 

Learn more here!

 

Bike Independence Pass Chiropractic Denver CO
By Dr. Michelle MacCarthy Network Chiropractic

Network Spinal Analysis Research

To view and download the full version of these Network Spinal Analysis Research articles click here

On a standing wave Central Pattern Generator and the Coherence Problem (from ongoing research at the University of Southern California)

Jonckheere E, Lohsoonthorn P, Musuvathy S, Mahajan V, Stefanovic M. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control 5 (2010) 336 347. doi:10.1016/j.bspc.2010.04.002

Reduction of a Lumbar Scoliosis; Improved Cervical Curve in a Geriatric Patient Following Network Spinal Analysis Care: A Case Study

Ray K, Knowles D, Knowles R. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. June 10, 2013. pp 18-28

Improvement in Vision in a Patient with Diabetic Retinopathy Following Network Spinal Analysis Care

Irastorza M, Knowles D, Knowles R. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. February 16, 2012. pp 25-30

Reorganizational Healing as an Integrally Informed Framework for Integral Medicine

Senzon S, Epstein D, Lemberger D. Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 2011 6(4), 113-133.

Restoration of the Cervical Curve and Improvement in Neurological Function in a Patient Following Network Spinal Analysis

Rohrbach T, Knowles D, Knowles R. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. September 15, 2011. pp 99-103

Editorial: Seeds of Meaning, Transformations of Health Care, and the Future

Senzon SA. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. December 2010;16(12):1239-1241. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2010.0785

On a standing wave Central Pattern Generator and the coherence problem

Jonckheere E, Lohsoonthorn P, Musuvathy S, Mahajan V, Stefanovic M.

Biomedical Signal Processing and Control 5 (2010) 336347. doi:10.1016/j.bspc.2010.04.002

Reorganizational Healing: A Paradigm for the Advancement of Wellness, Behavior Change, Holistic Practice, and Healing

Epstein DM, Senzon SA, Lemberger D. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. May 2009;15(5):461-64. PMID: 19450165

Editorial: Reorganizational Healing: A Health Change Model Whose Time Has Come

Blanks RH. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. May 2009;15(5):461-64. PMID: 19450161

Letter to the Editor: Network Spinal Analysis

Jonckheere EA. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. May 2009;15(5):469-70. PMID: 19450163

Improvement in Attention in Patients Undergoing Network Spinal Analysis: A Case Series Using Objective Measures of Attention

Pauli Y. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, August 23, 2007; 1-9

Quality of Life Improvements and Spontaneous Lifestyle Changes in a Patient Undergoing Subluxation-Centered Chiropractic Care: A Case Study

Pauli Y. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, October 11, 2006; 1-15

Chiropractic Care of a Battered Woman: A Case Study

Bedell L. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, July 20, 2006; 1-6

Wellness lifestyles II: Modeling the dynamic of wellness, health lifestyle practices, and Network Spinal Analysis.

Schuster TL, Dobson M, Jauregui M, Blanks RH. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. April 2004;10(2):357-67. PMID: 15165417

Wellness lifestyles I: A theoretical framework linking wellness, health lifestyles, and complementary and alternative medicine.

Schuster TL, Dobson M, Jauregui M, Blanks RH. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. April 2004;10(2):349-56. PMID: 15165416

The Transition of Network Spinal Analysis Care: Hallmarks of a Client-Centered Wellness Education Multi-Component System of Health Care Delivery

Epstein D. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, April 5, 2004; 1-7

Successful In Vitro Fertilization in a Poor Responder While Under Network Spinal Analysis Care: A Case Report

Senzon SA. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, September 14, 2003; 1-6

Insult, Interference and Infertility: An Overview of Chiropractic Research

Behrendt M. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, May 2, 2003; 1

Chaotic Modeling in Network Spinal Analysis: Nonlinear Canonical Correlation with Alternating Conditional Expectation (ACE): A Preliminary Report

Bohacek S, Jonckheere E. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, December 1998; 2(4): 188-195

Reduction of Psoriasis in a Patient under Network Spinal Analysis Care: A Case Report

Behrendt M. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, December 1998; 2(4): 196-200

Changes in Digital Skin Temperature, Surface Electromyography, and Electrodermal Activity in Subjects Receiving Network Spinal Analysis Care

Miller E, Redmond P. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, June 1998; 2(2): 87-95

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: About the Cover (cover picture)

Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 1998; 2(1): Cover

An Impairment Rating Analysis Of Asthmatic Children Under Chiropractic Care

Graham R, Pistolese R. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 1997; 1(4): 41-48

A Retrospective Assessment of Network Care Using a Survey of Self-Rated Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life

Blanks RH, Schuster TL, Dobson M. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 1997; 1(4): 15-31

Network Spinal Analysis: A System of Health Care Delivery Within the Subluxation-Based Chiropractic Model

Epstein, D. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, August 1996; 1(1): 51-59

 

Additional links to Network Spinal Analysis Research:

A Retrospective Assessment of Network Care Using a Survey of Self-Rated Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life.

The Network Spinal Wave as a Central Pattern Generator

The Chiropractic Vertebral Subluxation Part 10: Integrative and Critical Literature From 1996 and 1997