Chicago Chiropractor, Acupuncture & Natural Health

More and more parents are seeking chiropractic care for their children. Many spinal problems seen in adults began as early as birth. Even so called 'natural' birthing methods can stress an infant's spine and developing nerve system. The resulting irritation to the nerve system caused by spinal and cranial misalignment can be the cause of many newborn health complaints. Colic, breathing problems, nursing difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions and chronic infections can often be traced to nerve system stress. Since significant spinal trauma can occur at birth, many parents have their newborns checked right away. As the infant grows, learning to hold up the head, sit, crawl and walk are all activities that affect spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic.

As your child grows and begins to become mobile, they fall many, many times on their sacrum. This impact may also cause misalignments, restricted motion, or chiropractic subluxations in the spine and pelvis.

Children are beginning competitive sports at an earlier age than ever before. As the child begins to participate in regular childhood activities like skating or riding a bike, small yet significant spinal misalignments (subluxations) may occur. If neglected, the injuries during this period of rapid growth may lead to more serious problems later in life. Subtle trauma throughout childhood will affect the future development of the spine leading to impaired nervous system function. Any interference to the vital nerve system will adversely affect the body’s ability to function at its best.Trauma can result from any sport, from football to dance. This trauma may be blunt trauma, as in football, or it may be more of a repetitive stress such as constant hyperextension in the gymnast every time they dismount. Either way, these stresses and strains, which may or may not cause pain, can cause harm to a developing child and their joints, muscles, and/or nervous system.

One of the most common reason parents seek care for their child is trauma from an injury of some sort. These misalignments may or may not result in immediate pain or symptoms. Regular chiropractic checkups can identify potential spinal injury from these traumas, make the correction early in life and help avoid many of the health complaints seen later in adults. Proper spinal hygiene is an important key to better health. Another sought out reason for care is the resolution of a particular symptom or condition. Parents seek care for conditions such as colic, ear infections, asthma, allergies and headaches (to name a few) because they have heard from other parents that chiropractic care can help.

Chiropractic care is safe and gentle for the pediatric population. Many think the pediatric adjustment looks like the adjustment which is performed on an adult. This is not true. A much gentler touch is used on the pediatric patient, typically using the fingertips of the doctor to sustain a gentle contact for correction. On the littlest patients this pressure is about that which could be applied to a ripe tomato without breaking or damaging the skin. Most kids like getting adjusted just like their parents!

Hello everyone!

Lately we've been seeing a lot of people coming into the Chicagoland area, specifically the Jefferson Park, Norwood Park, Edison Park, (or northwest side of Chicago in general) looking for a replacement to their former chiropractor. Now, I've been going to my chiropractor for years and don't really think she can be replaced, but if I were to ever move I'd be scrambling to find another!

I'm here to tell you that you don't have to look any further than our office! We offer so many techniques and treatments, that you're bound to find what you liked about your former chiropractor, and chiropractic office. Recently we saw a patient who was so relieved to see that we used an activator, because she felt it was most comfortable and used by her former chiropractor in Wisconsin. Being able to give patients what they want, close to their new home is another reason why I love my job.

If you're new to the area and are looking for a chiropractor with a specific technique or device that they use, here's a list of what we use at Seaman Chiropractic Center:

Hello interwebs! Hope everyone's week is going very well, here at Seaman Chiropractic Center, the best chiropractor on the northwest side of Chicago, we are wrapping up our week and welcoming two new patients today. Whew, what a great week, full of improvements and new faces. Keep em coming, guys.

I wanted to share with you a really informative article I found, centered around chiropractic myths and chiropractic truths. Here are a few:

Chiropractic care and massage therapy are both used to alleviate many problems of your body.  Evanston’s chiropractor Dr. Seaman says, “both work to relieve pain caused by injury, arthritis, and many other physical conditions.” Used together it can help ease pain, better your life and your health without using drugs or medications.

Yes, acupuncture is safe – and effective – during pregnancy. Acupuncture is not a substitute for Western prenatal medical care. Instead, it offers complementary care that has many benefits. And because acupuncture has very few side effects, many pregnant women now seek this alternative to drug therapy for a number of common pregnancy complaints. The modern practice of acupuncture is based on historical diagnostic theories, with roots for treatment in pregnancy that go back for over 2,000 years. But its use today relies on modern, evidence-based medicine and standards of safety. For example, acupuncture by licensed practitioners has strict standards for needle sterility and safety.

Is chiropractic care safe for children? Yes! North Park Chiropractor Dr. Cynthia Seaman has special methods of adjusting children so that it is gentle, yet just as safe and effective as an adjustment on an adult. She uses a much gentler touch on the younger patient, typically using her fingertips to sustain a gentle contact for correction. On the littlest patients this pressure is so minor; children enjoy it and feel it as a mini massage. Most kids like getting adjusted just like their parents!

Adjustments for children are also very beneficial, and may even prevent many conditions if caught early. Many spinal problems seen in adults began as early as birth. Even so called 'natural' birthing methods can stress an infant's spine and their developing nerve system. In childbirth doctors pull the baby out by its head causing irritation to the nervous system.  Spinal misalignments can be the cause of many newborn health complaints. Colic, breathing problems, nursing difficulties, problems sleeping, allergic reactions and chronic infections can often be traced to nerve system stress. Essentially, their immune system isn’t functioning as well as it should or could be.

Chiropractic is dedicated to restoring the body’s ability to regulate and heal itself through normalized nervous system function.  The nervous system controls all organs and structure in the body.  Most Norwood Park chiropractic patients come in for back, neck, knee or shoulder pain.  What most people don’t know is that most of this pain is either from body or mental stress. 

Stress can come in all shapes and sizes.  Trauma stress can be from birth, sports injuries, and any kind of accidents or falls in the past.  Simple everyday things like your posture, regular activities or even lack of activities can lead to stress.  Toxins in the body are also considered stress like caffeine, tobacco, prescription drugs and alcohol.  The junk people put in their bodies like additives, processed foods, preservatives and prepared food also contribute to stress in the body.  Stressing over your job, your financial situation, relationships, and being angry can take a toll over your body as well.

Neck pain is a very common condition.  It is said that three quarters of Americans have suffered from some sort of neck pain at some point in their lives.  New research published in The Annals of Internal Medicine found that chiropractic care along with simple exercises were better for reducing pain than taking medications.

There are a lot of structures in your neck. Your bones are strapped together with ligaments; tendons attach your bones to muscles and your neck is full of muscles. You’ve also got millions of nerves all over the place.  In short, your neck is a very busy place. 

32 year old Kim Kardashian, who is 4 months pregnant, felt ill and was rushed to the hospital this week accompanied with boyfriend Kanye West.  Her busy lifestyle is too much for her body to keep up with since she is now expecting.

Last week when Lady Gaga canceled her tour due to chronic hip pain, everyone was in shock. This “bump in the road” as lady Gaga described her hip replacement was due to a show injury. 

No one knows the exact details of her accident but many conservative measures could have been taken before a major surgery was done.  Patients with degenerative joint disease in the hip have been able to delay and avoid surgery in many cases.

Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose injured his leg in Game 1 in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs in 2012. Derrick Rose says finding out he had a torn ACL was like death.  A torn ACL usually occurs when a twisting force is being applied to the knee and the foot is firmly planted on the ground or upon landing. A torn ACL can also result from a direct blow to the knee, usually the outside like might happen in a football or rugby tackle.

When the diagnosis of a herniated disc is given, most medical doctors will say surgery is the only treatment option for this condition.  What would you say if we could treat this condition with natural healthcare? Chicago chiropractor Dr. Seaman has successfully treated many disc herniation patients including post-surgical patients that continue to have pain even after surgery. 

A disc herniation (ruptured disc) doesn’t mean the end of the world.  The soft portion of the disc spills out like the inside of a jelly donut.   A disc herniation can happen because of many different reasons.  Structural imperfections (scoliosis), misalignments, vertebral jamming and imbalance of musculature can all cause your disc to rupture.  When a herniated disc bulges out from between the vertebrae, the spinal nerves and spinal cord can become pinched and that when symptoms can appear.  Symptoms usually include severe back pain and sciatica pain, numbness or tingling from the back, buttocks, and all the way to the foot. 

There are many different reasons why patients get arm pain explains Skokie chiropractor Dr. Cynthia Seaman.  Old injuries from childhood, spinal stress or subluxations, arthritis, constant overuse or simply sleeping in an awkward position can cause arm pain. 

The most common reason for arm pain is a pinched nerve in the neck or upper mid back (brachial plexus: network of nerves that supply the arm, forearm and hand).  Pain usually travels down the arm on the top or bottom, a painful ache, tingling and/or numbness may also occur.

Niles Chiropractor Dr. Cynthia Seaman describes subluxations as distortions in your body that interferes with your body’s internal communications from the brain to all body parts and back again.

Subluxation has 5 damaging components:

1. Joint damage.  Leads to degenerating discs and joints (commonly known as “arthritis”)

2. Nerve damage. Your brain, spinal cord and nerves are unable to send information at its maximum capacity. A pinched nerve is like static on the line-reduced information on how to function to all cells, reactions, organs and muscles. 

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition, but isn’t only the product of age explains Edison Park chiropractor Dr. Cynthia Seaman.  You can get osteoarthritis from an injury, accident, or instability of a certain joint.  Different conditions such as scoliosis, a short leg, flat feet or anything that produces an uncomfortable, unstable, unleveled or rotated joint can also cause osteoarthritis.