Homeostasis

Homeostasis: The ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes

The key to health is homeostasis. It is the constant regulation of all body functions. Dis-ease occurs when the body falls out of balance, usually due to its surroundings. Environmental factors cause our bodies to make an adaptation to restore homeostasis or balance.

Temperature is an environmental factor that our body responds to and makes an adaptation to. If we are too cold, our body will begin to shiver. Shivering is an involuntary firing of our muscles in an effort to produce heat and warm our core temperature back to optimal temperature. When our bodies are in an environment that is too hot, we begin to perspire and give off heat via convection in an effort to lower our core temperature back to optimal.

Homeostasis is the most important aspect of our health. All bodily functions are trying to maintain homeostasis. Symptoms are usually an indicator that the body has veered away from homeostasis. Often times, people ask me if chiropractic is “good” for this particular symptom or ailment. My answer is always the same. Chiropractic removes interference to the nervous system, the master control system of the whole body. The nervous system is the center of regulation and homeostatic functioning of the whole body. Chiropractic is great for restoring nervous system function and homeostasis. Symptoms are not the problem. They are our helping indicators to let us know that something has fallen out of balance and something needs to be done.

Surprise Photography Momtrepreneur of the Month

Guess who was named Momtrepreneur of the Month by Surprise Photography?


That's right, Dr. Jessica is Momtrepreneur of the Month. Melissa Surprise, a momtrepreneur herself has a fantastic blog that show cases her style and personality. What's even more extraordinary is her ability to empower others using her internet presence and blog as a vehicle.

It was a pleasure to meet Melissa and Kieran (Melissa's youngest son) at our office when she came to meet us and take some pictures. Despite being so young, he seemed like a seasoned veteran when it came to letting mom get her work done. Be sure to check out Melissa's work at http://www.surprisephotography.com/ and http://www.SurprisePhotography.com/blog and her previous work at http://www.surprisephotography.blogspot.com/.

Obesity Tax

Good idea or bad idea? (5 min)

National Day of Service

From Seth Godin's Blog:

"Monday, January 19 is Martin Luther King Day. And wonderfully, instead of adding
yet another shopping day to the calendar, it's being transformed to a day of
service.
If every person in the US spent an hour doing something selfless,
useful and leveraged, what would happen? What if you and your circle committed
to doing it an hour a day for a year? 300 million hours is a lot of hours for
just one day, a year of that would change everything. "

Anouncing Rhinbeck Chiropractic's Day of Service

The Details

Complimentary Spinal Exams for Children (Day of Service - January 19)

Drs. Burckhard of Rhinebeck Chiropractic are offering complimentary spinal examinations to ALL children on January 19th, from 9 AM - 1 PM and 3 PM - 6 PM. Come learn about your spine and nervous system and the importance of maintaining it! Discover health without the use of drugs and surgery! For more information or to make an appointment call 845.876.6450. Parents/Guardians must be present.

Time: Monday, January 19 from 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Host: Dr. Jessica Burckhard
Location: Rhinebeck Chiropractic (Rhinebeck, NY)
13 West Market StRhinebeck, NY 12572
Maps:
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Directions:
Located in center of Rhinebeck. Entrance to office is in the rear parking lot to Fosters Restaurant.





Sign up here or call 845.876.6450

Chiropractic and Kids
International Chiropractic Pediatric Association
National Day of Service Events

Finding the right recipe

As the year winds down, the inevitable question pops up, "What's your new year's resolution?'. Some answer this question jokingly because of past resolutions that never came to fruition. The key value or belief in this person's mind is "the past will dictate my future.". This is often the case with yo-yo dieters or sporadic exercisers. I am writing today to release this belief from your mindset and let you know that this could not be farther from the truth.

If I wanted to make the aforementioned statement true, I would say if you do the same thing over and over, you will always get the same result. This is why people use recipes when cooking. They want to get the same result; a tasty dish. What makes the resolution question so humorous to many is that they are used to following the same recipe for failure.

This year, do something different. Follow a different recipe for success. Below is just one recipe for success.

1 Gallon of "I believe I can"

1 Quart of I am determined to do this

4 Cups of Goal setting

1 Tsp. of consult someone with expertise.

1 Cup of taking action

1 Cup of write it down

1 Cup of tell everyone you know about your end result.

1 Cup of planning for obstacles

1 Cup of short term goals that lead to your big one.

1. Cup of positive mental attitude.

12 oz. can of support system, friends, family members, coworkers

Combine all ingredients together until the right consistency is reached. Bake for one year.

Let it snow!

Good Morning blog readers! It's a beautiful Saturday morning at Rhinebeck Chiropractic. Made it into the office this morning carefully and began to shovel the path leading to the front door. As I was doing this task, I realized I do better giving pointers on shoveling than actually doing the winter work itself. As a chiropractor, a heavy snow fall means the phone will begin to ring in the days following with patients and current practice members who "over did it" while clearing the fluffy white stuff. Since prevention is the best medicine (chiropractic), I thought I would give you a few pointers on shoveling to make your holiday more enjoyable.

1. Always warm up first! Muscles and soft tissues are more elastic when they are warm. In addition to wearing warm clothing, feel free to do some light physical activity before lifting the shovel. Try walking the perimeter of the property or do some jumping jacks.

2. Push the snow when possible instead of lifting it. Your spine will thank you later!

3. Use your head. Feel the snow; is it wet or dry and fluffy? If it is wet, it will most likely be much heavier. Knowing how heavy the snow is allows your body to prepare to the sudden demand of shoveling.

4. Use your legs. Your legs are much stronger than the spinal erector muscles in our lower back. This means when you lift the shovel, you squat and stand up straight, rather than bending over at the hip.

5. Shovel while it is snowing. This is a sure fire way to keep the loads lighter and you get to pre-burn extra calories you are inevitably going to consume during the holidays. (Disclaimer: Rhinebeck Chiropractic does not approve or condone of over eating at anytime during the year; even the end.)

6. Get adjusted. Regular chiropractic adjustments keep your spine healthy. After being adjusted our bio mechanics are improved and the muscles used in shoveling work more efficiently.

It should also be noted that shoveling can count as exercise. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone. Enjoy the weather!!!

Standard Process Purification

In recent years, Dr. Jess and I have made a yearly ritual of doing a purification program. We do this for several reasons. This blog entry could go on forever about the dififferent benefits of doing a cleanse so here is 5.5 reasons we choose to purify our bodies.

1. It detoxifies our body of the foreign elements and toxins we have been exposed to.

2. Since our purification requires us to eat extrememely healthy we do just that. It gets good habits started again and serves as a great jumpstart to making major lifestyle changes. Each time we cleanse we learn to appreciate the nutrition and subtle tastes of whole organic foods.

3.We lose weight. Losing weight is a common goal among many americans and feels good to get a compliment from someone else or just having clothes fit you better. Sometimes you even get to go shopping if your pants no longer fit.

4.Your spine and joints appreciate it too. Increasing intake of fruits and vegetables causes you to "deflame'" thus making your perception of aches and pains reduced, and stunts the growth of chronic degenerative diseases occuring (Heart Disease, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis).

5. It gives you a glimpse of how your body should be running. The way you feel after a purification becomes the gold standard of how good you should feel.

5.5 Since we must refrain from processed foods, and certain sugars, it teaches us self discipline. We all become masters by first becoming a master of our self.

For more information about the Standard Process Purification click here or call 845.876.6450.