Tonal techniques are among the most gentle in chiropractic and often include very light adjustments to the body (though some of us do still use manual adjustments). Doctors who practice tonal techniques also tend to also incorporate cranial, visceral (meaning organs and guts), and in some cases, energy work into their practice.

Ultimately what a tonal chiropractor is looking for are signs of stress (activation of the sympathetic nervous system) and signs of ease (activation of the parasympathetic nervous system).

Isolation has been a major theme for 2020. I’ve been seeing it manifest in many, many ways, and it seems to be intensifying as the year progresses.

Healthcare providers and practitioners are under enormous amounts of mental stress. Caring for patients who are struggling, while maintaining safety protocols, donning masks for entire shifts, and balancing the anxiety of “what’s next?” is casting a shadow over everyday life. And that’s on top of the extra stress of taking care of patients who are extra stressed, while being extra stressed ourselves.

On one hand, this makes self-care incredibly important. On the other hand, self-care has its limitations—and providers need professional support too.

Recently a friend with a brand new business asked me “How did you learn to relax on your days off?”

Most business owners are wildly familiar with this sensation, of being exhausted but unable to relax, of knowing that you need a day off but being unable to pull your brain away from work.  This is a work in progress for me, as it is for many business owners and entrepreneurs.  As such, I called in my business coach to help me answer this question.  

Holidays are supposed to be a time to celebrate—to give thanks (AKA practice gratitude), and spend time with family. Instead, that often turns into high-stakes gift giving, overeating Jello salad (personally I think we’re playing fast and loose with the word “salad” here, but maybe that’s just me), and a mad dash to innumerable gatherings with family members we don’t connect with for the next 11 and a half months.

It’s not hard to see how any version of that can be a financial, emotional, and nutritional burden. So how can you avoid it? Let’s talk about a few reasonable solutions to reducing holiday stress.

Headaches have the unfortunate stigma of being a sign of weakness. But for those who don’t experience them regularly, it can be hard to explain how debilitating the pain can be. 

What’s more is that when we do have head pain, it can be tricky to pinpoint the cause, as there are many different types of headaches. Today, we’re going to dive deeper into the four most common types I see in my office—and what you can do at home to help treat and prevent them.

Have you ever noticed that scientific evidence seems to say something different every day?

Keeping up with evidence is a sizable challenge. Many people make it their full-time jobs, and barely manage to scratch the surface. That said, even a non-expert (you) can take some simple steps to critically evaluating evidence that will help you manage your health decisions.

With kids back in school, cooler weather approaching, and more activities taking place indoors, the not-so-welcome cold and flu season is also upon us. This year in particular, with our extreme alertness to anything viral and/or respiratory, it’s more necessary that we keep ourselves aware of the possibility of getting sick—and be proactive about taking steps to keep ourselves healthy.

Conscious control of breath allows you to utilize each inhale and exhale for a purpose. Every phase of the breathing cycle, and each type of breathing has advantages and disadvantages. Knowing what each phase does and consciously using each of them is one of the most foundational sets of life hacks you can have in your arsenal (and it’s easier than making Bulletproof coffee). Here are just a few.

Breathing is one of our body’s core functions.  It is both incredibly simple to do and infinitely complex in its variations. There are many, many breathing techniques that can serve a multitude of purposes—and in the current culture, breathwork is something we could all use a little more of. You can use it to calm your mind and body, diffuse panic attacks, increase your alertness, promote weight loss (it turns out that we actually lose weight as we exhale—more on that another time), achieve spiritual breakthroughs, and get hallucinogenic highs… all without the aid of drugs or supplements.

You know the scene: It’s approaching noon and your stomach is rumbling. But you just have one more thing to do before you take a break for lunch. That one thing turns into five things and suddenly it’s way past meal time and you’re scrounging around the break room or the fridge (or your smartphone delivery app) for something to eat. Anything to eat. And once you find that something, you haul it back to your desk to mindlessly eat it while you check your email, scroll through social media, or start a new project. Sound familiar?

We’re not great at taking the time we should to pay attention both to the foods we prepare and the way we eat. No judgement—we’ve all been there. But the truth is that connecting to our food is actually a key part of our mental and physical health. That’s why we’re diving into specifics about how to eat more mindfully, and reap the benefits of connecting to your food. And we’re starting with how you chew.

Most of us spend several hours per day, five to seven days per week working.  For a lot of us, that means being at a computer-based workstation for more than 20 hours per week.  A sketchy set up for your workspace can kill your mood, hamper your ability to focus, and cause lingering pain in your back, neck, and shoulders. 

Whether you’re working from home, or trying to set yourself up for success in the office, these six simple steps will help you set up your work space to boost you mental game and save your neck, back, and shoulders.

During sleep, you body stores long-term memories, repairs damaged tissues, flushes out toxins, and even repairs your DNA.

Just one night of sleep deprivation can impair motor function, decrease response time as if you’ve been drinking and cause a healthy person to respond to sugar like a type-2 diabetic – increased blood sugar level and decreased sensitivity to insulin.

It’s something we neglect in favor of finishing projects, going to baseball games, or to binge watch the latest season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix.  (Been there, done that.)

People who are well rested have quicker reaction times, improved memory, faster healing, increased immunity, and lower body fat.  They also enjoy lower rates of everything from car accidents to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.