The season of gratitude and giving can be a painful time for some people in many ways. “The holiday season will soon be upon us,” seems as if it’s being uttered earlier every year. Millions of people are already planning celebrations and drafting gift lists to see them from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day. For America’s more than 67,000 chiropractors, November and the coming of winter is their signal to prepare their own special kind of contribution.
We mean the gift of health and wellness to those around them, and it’s never more precious than during the coldest of seasons. Let’s explore all the reasons why chiropractors can expect to be busier than any other time of year and how they can make a huge positive difference to community health over the holidays.
Soothing Slow-Moving Bodies...
For all the season’s glitter and warmth, it brings chillier temperatures and atmospheric pressure changes. These conditions make joint fluids and muscles more sluggish, which can result in restricted movement, exacerbation of existing pain, or the creation of new aches.
A drop in barometric pressure can also cause tissues, tendons, and muscles to expand, putting pressure on joints and nerves. Chiropractors can help treat all of these so their patients can be more comfortable and mobile throughout the holidays.
...And Aiding Active Ones
Then there’s the nation’s love of winter sports. One hint of snow and a host of amateur and experienced winter athletes grab their skis, snowboards, skates, and toboggans and head for the hills. Great fun but also a major cause of holiday injuries. A higher number of sports fans nursing sprains and dislocations will be looking for relief in the coming months and turning to chiropractors to get it.
Chiropractors can give the gift of pain prevention as well as pain relief. They do so by issuing winter sports-specific communications to existing patients, offering safety advice, and, if necessary, asking them to come in for treatment so they’ll be as physically conditioned as possible before hitting the slopes.
Being There for Common Accidents
You don’t have to be Mikaela Shiffrin to get injured during the holidays. The number of slip-and-fall accidents skyrockets during this period due to icy and wet conditions. These incidents can happen to anyone at this time of year, whether they’re working outdoors, crossing the street, or just checking their mail.
The musculoskeletal consequences of these accidents can be severe, especially for those of a certain age or with preexisting physical problems. Chiropractors can be there for anyone who has literally fallen afoul of one of the season’s more dangerous sides and help them get back on their feet slowly and safely.
Safeguarding Against Sneaky Seasonal Weight Cain
Many people pack on a few extra pounds over the holidays. Since this is often minimized as merely a temporary drawback of the season’s plentiful food, it can go unrecognized as a potential contributor to physical pain.
That extra weight may be all that’s needed to cause a person’s bones or joints to suffer. Chiropractors can try to protect their patients from seasonal pitfalls by promoting some best dietary practices for healthier holidays.
Chiropractic Care and Its Wider Health Effects
The holiday season brings some particularly unwanted gifts in the form of coughs, colds, and flu. Germs and viruses make easy prey of us all during Fall and Winter because we’re already colder, more stressed, and more run-down than at any other time of year. The spine, once again, is connected to well-being through its connection to the immune system. A chiropractor’s stress-busting benefits certainly don’t hurt.
The more stressed a person is, the more susceptible they are to germs because of increased cortisol production. This has a suppressive effect on the immune system by limiting the production of white blood cells, which are vital to fighting off germs. The longer we experience stress, the greater the chance that a temporary infection might develop into a disease.
Hypertension affects 47% of American adults and is linked to cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and death. It’s not hard to imagine how this condition can be dangerously exacerbated by the stresses of the holiday season. One study in the early stages of hypertension-related chiropractic research indicated that chiropractic adjustment significantly lowered blood pressure in a test group of subjects who underwent adjustment of the Atlas vertebra. Some subjects were even able to stop taking their blood pressure medication.
Such results are, of course, the best-case scenario, but at the very least, the great stress relief that can come from reduced physical pain and increased range of motion. Chiropractic helps reduce a patient’s general tension and, hopefully, their hypertension.
The Mental and Emotional Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Fall and winter don’t just mean chillier, gloomier weather. It can also be a cold and dark time in the mind and heart. Levels of depression increase sharply during the holiday season for several reasons, while the financial demands and general anxiety associated with celebrations, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, can be extremely stressful.
Then there is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which can affect up to 10% of the population depending on their geographical location. Depression in any form can lead to a lack of motivation and lower energy levels — two things that can cause already struggling muscles and joints stay active. Decreased motion carries the danger of physical deterioration that will only increase a patient’s holistic discomfort.
Promoting physical well-being through chiropractic visits can play an immensely powerful role in combatting low mental and emotional states. As every chiropractor knows, the spine is the superhighway of the human nervous system, and its manipulation can help patients feel better in mind, body, and spirit.
This is because manipulation of the spine — and indeed, anywhere else on the body — can contribute to increased hormonal activity. This activity can spur the production of the “feel good” and stress-regulating hormones serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins such as dopamine (not to mention the simple happiness of pain relief).
Any of these chemical sensations can lift a patient’s spirits, improve their mood, and help make the occasional lows easier to manage. Thus, chiropractic treatment can help patients this holiday season by easing their suffering in areas that reach far deeper than muscle and bone.
Give the Gift of Health
The end of the year is a chiropractor’s most promising time to give a unique gift to their patients via shared knowledge and a tailored wellness program. Chiropractic may not work miracles, but it can positively impact patients in ways that significantly improve their lives. As patients embark on the frenzied panic of last-minute holiday shopping, remind them that there is no better gift than one of health for their loved ones. Encourage them to give a gift card to visit your office, a therapeutic pillow under the tree, or a topical as a stocking stuffer.
The power truly is in every chiropractor’s hands to make this holiday season a healthier, happier one for their communities.
officer ness Kristi Relationships Hudson (CPCO). is She a certified serves for ChiroHealthUSA professional as the Director compliance where of Busishe has helped to educate DCs and CAs on establishing simple and compliant financial policies. You can contact Kristi at [email protected], 888-719-9990 or you can visit the ChiroHealthUSA website at www.chirohealthusa.com.
