Your brain, spinal cord and all your nerves control how your body works.

Aches and pains are signs that your body isn’t working right.

Physical, chemical or emotional stresses produce a defensive posture.

Muscles contract, locking spinal joints that pinch or irritate nearby nerves.

Lack of nervous system integrity sets the stage for disease and ill health.

A thorough examination helps chiropractors find these vertebral subluxations.

Applying a precise force to stuck spinal joints helps the body right itself.

Health usually returns as repeated visits restore nervous system integrity.

That’s why chiropractic care has helped millions get well and stay well.

Thanks Dr. David Otto!

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

INGREDIENTS:                                                                                                                     SPICES: 2-3 T. coconut oil               1 bunch of asparagus                                                          Salt                            Mild green salsa 1 dozen eggs                         1-2 handfuls cherry  tomatoes                                        Pepper                      Baking powder 1 onion or leek                    1 handful  fresh spinach                                                     Basil 1-2 cloves  of garlic           1 handful mushrooms                                                        Italian seasonings 1 bunch of broccoli           Parmesan or Asiago cheese                                             Chili powder 1 red pepper

SERVES 6-8

DIRECTIONS:

Use a 3-4” deep non-stick pot, preferably one that will go from stove-top to oven.  Saute onions (or leeks) and garlic in coconut oil (medium heat).  Start chopping your veggies into small to medium chunks while onions cook slowly.   This is a great time to recruit hungry family members to help chop and stir.  Add broccoli, asparagus,  and red pepper to pot and stir until hot.  Do not overcook.  Add chopped spinach, give a quick stir.  Put 1 dozen eggs, salt, pepper, basil, Italian seasonings, chili powder, ¼ tsp. baking powder, and whatever spices you like in the blender for a about 1 minute.  Poor egg mixture into pot on stove-top, still on medium, and stir all together.  Let egg/veggie mix cook several minutes until the bottom and sides start to set.  Then loosen egg/veggie mix from the sides with a spatula, lift the mixture slightly from the bottom of pan and tilt pan, allowing the runny egg from the top to flow to the bottom of the pan.  Repeat all the way around until the top of mixture is not runny.  Put sliced tomatoes and mushrooms on top and add more spices if you like.  Add Parmesan or Asiago cheese.  Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.  The more veggies you use and the smaller your pot, the longer it will take.  Serve with green salsa as desired.    If you do not have a pot that will survive the oven, you can add egg mix to sautéed veggies and bake in casserole dish for approximately 1 hour instead.

This dish is great because it is fast and easy, a great source of high quality protein, and loaded with healthy fresh veggies and anti-oxidants.  It also gives you multiple meals, great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I make this the beginning of every week, and my husband and I eat it for days.  It tastes great re-heated too.  Use whatever vegetables you like.      Note:  While you’re at it, chop extra onions, garlic and maybe some celery and onions, and cook with lentils or a pot of beans to go with the egg bake for several great meals.  Make the most of your time in the kitchen.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

I am celebrating the 3 year anniversary of my blog. This has been such an amazing avenue to disseminate information to my patients and to my community. There is so much information out there and I have tried to be a positive voice rising above the negative that permeates our news.

It has come to my attention that this attitude is getting noticed. I am now regularly being approached by professional bloggers to post articles on drmaj.com.  EXCITING!!!   Alia Haley is one of those bloggers by profession.  I found this article simple and super helpful.  ENJOY!!

How to be your Partners’ greatest asset during labor and delivery

After a long wait of nine months finally you know that your wait to see your baby is about to be over. You both, as parents are excited and look forward to the baby’s arrival but while your partner has to go through an intense physical, mental and emotional roller coaster ride before baby birth, it is your time now to reassure her and make her belief that you are by her side and are ready to be her biggest asset during the arduous process of labor pains and delivery. Here, we present you some important tips on how to become a great partner during labor struggles to bring out your bundle of joy in this world.

1. Be sensitive to her needs

The first step towards being an asset is to be sensitive towards the needs of your partner. Cater to her needs with empathy and maintain you’re cool even when she gets hyper. Remember she is going through one of the most trying phases and she needs empathy.

2. Take care of your needs as well

As a supporter it is very important for you that you stay fit and healthy while your partner is going through the labor pains and delivery. Rather than being a support you will be rather a burden for everyone, including your partner if you fall ill or faint during such a crucial time. SO eat well and take care of your own needs.

3. Be calm

Staying calm all through the process of labor pains and delivery will help you partner stay reassured that you are in control of the situation and you believe that everything will be all right by the end of the entire process. Once your partner gets a reassuring hug from you she will feel far more emotionally secure.

4. Be a cheerleader

It is very important that you cheer up your partner while she is going through the tough phase of labor pains and delivery. A few words of appreciation can motivate her to do better while pushing for the baby but remember that it is a very tough and physically challenging job. It is also possible that she does not like your cheerleading and hence it is important that you take cues from her body language and if you find any hint that she does not like your words of appreciation during the intense and painful moments then you better be sympathetic towards her needs and stop doing so.

5. Avoid any kind of confrontation or bitterness

Your partner may feel highly frustrated and helpless during the various phases of labor and delivery and may unleash at you at some point of time. She may abuse you or say unkind words to your during those trying times. If such a situation arises then don’t lose your self control, maintain you’re cool and just avoid any kind of confrontation or bitterness. Don’t get into any kind of debate. Empathize with her and try to understand that she is going through tough times and just wants to vent out her emotions and you being her closest, she naturally wants to leash out on you rather than someone totally unknown like the nurse or the doctor. She will forget all the bitterness very soon, once she gets out of the painful phase and becomes mother of your child.

6. Inform people about baby’s arrival

Once your baby arrives in this world and you as a family are well settled, inform all your relatives and friends about baby’s arrival. Seek her opinion also about this because she may not like visitors pouring in immediately after baby’s arrival. Once she has recovered from the immediate physical and emotional stress she may be willing to meet people so ask her before you start shooting messages to people about baby’s arrival. It will be really helpful if you make a list of contacts beforehand along with your partner to whom you have to shoot the message about baby’s arrival.

7. Take care of your baby and partner’s needs

After baby birth, the chances are that she will be totally exhaust and will need some time to get back to her cheerful and healthy self. Give her this time and space and take over baby’s responsibilities meanwhile your wife takes much needed rest. You can do end number of things to make life of your partner easy by changing the diapers of the baby, by taking care of her dietary and medical needs, etc. Also take care of her needs and pay attention to her diet and medicines and other needs.

8. Don’t forget she needs your support

Once the baby and the mother are at home, don’t think that your job is over. In fact your job has started now in a new way. Pay attention to your partner’s and baby’s needs and be tender towards them. You will have to adjust many things in first few months but that certainly will lead to a strong bonding between you and your partner as well as you and your baby.

All the vows you made during those romantic moments were not mere fancy words; you have adhered to them in every possible way.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and autos. Beside this she is fond of cars and fancy accessories. Recently an article on eco friendly cars attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on appendicitis.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

Dr. Maj adjusting little Morgan!

I have just become aware that David Eisenberg, MD is conducting research into the role of Chiropractic in the help of chronic ear infections. This work is in progress under a grant from the Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

To me this is very exciting and much over-do. I have seen children with ear infections for years in my office and have had wonderful results. It’s a slam dunk! Antibiotics are the chosen treatment and they are doing grave harm to these children. Otitis media is the #1 prescribed diagnosis for antibiotics and ear tube surgery is the #2 surgery in this country. BEFORE things get to far out of hand, see a chiropractor.

This study is looking into: The innervation of the tensor veli palatini (tvp) muscle is through the motor fibers of the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve. These fibers unite to form portions of the superior cervical ganglion located between the C-1 and C-4 nerve roots. Neurological compromise of this muscle by osseous or soft tissue structures may contribute to the malfunction of the tvp muscle causing inadequate patency of the tube resulting in the pathological response of otitis media.

Chiropractic therapy may improve the function of the TVP. Check out an article I wrote on the subject below!

The Ear Infections Epidemic – The Truth Every Parent Needs to Know!

Dr. Stephanie Maj answers the most pressing question in her pediatric practice: What is the cause of ear infections and what can we do to heal them without drugs or surgery?

PRLog (Press Release) – Dec 21, 2009

Chicago-Ask any parent about ear infections, and you will likely hear one horror story after another. Ear infection or Otitis Media, is the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician’s office. In fact, visits to the pediatrician’s office for ear infections have increased over 150% from 1975 to 1990. It is estimated that over 30 million visits are made every year in an attempt to deal with this problem.

In my practice, we have an effective, safe solution to the problems plaguing parents. What we find is most parents fail to understand what is happening with these infections.

Otitis Media is the general name for several conditions affecting the middle ear. The most common symptoms are earache, a feeling of pressure, and perhaps difficulty hearing due to increased amounts of fluid. Teething often produces similar symptoms, therefore, the child should be carefully observed before jumping to any conclusions.

Historically, the treatment for ear infections has been antibiotics. This method of treatment has come under severe attack over the past several years for many reasons. One of the reasons, the overuse and over prescription of these antibiotics, has led to what is termed “antibiotic resistant bacteria”. These bacteria have “evolved” and changed so that the antibiotics no longer affect them. Because of this phenomenon, stronger and stronger antibiotics are being used, which is leading to more and more resistance. (http://tinyurl.com/yep3y33).

Another reason use of antibiotics has come under fire is because study after study has demonstrated that they are not effective. In other words, they do not work! This is why so many children are on one antibiotic after another, stronger and stronger each time. Sure, many times the infection will go away, but it quickly returns with a vengeance, and so begins the antibiotic roller coaster.

The reasons they continually reoccur is two-fold: First, antibiotics kill off most bacteria in the body including the helpful “good” bacteria our bodies need. This depletes our children’s natural immune system, making them vulnerable to many more infections of varying types.

Secondly, antibiotics merely attempt to treat the symptoms of ear infections, they do not address the actual cause and therefore the infections return.

The real question then is what is the cause of ear infections? The reality is that ear infections themselves are merely a symptom of a greater problem. The vast majority of them are secondary to a cold or another infection, which may be due to a depressed immune system.

The other more physical reason children suffer from ear infections is because of the actual anatomy of the young ear.

In children, the Eustachian tube is nearly horizontal, gradually acquiring a near 45-degree angle. This often slows draining of these tubes and with stagnant fluid, infection may appear.

The obvious question from most parents now is: what can we do? The answer lies in a new level of thinking.

As a chiropractor, my primary objective is to address the root cause of health problems. Treating symptoms, as mentioned earlier, has been proven unsuccessful at best. When dealing with your children and ear infections, my goal is to correct the actual cause, and to allow the body to function at its optimal potential. (http://tinyurl.com/ybqlymw)

There is a direct link between the nerves in the neck (the superior cervical ganglion), the muscles of the Eustachian tubes (tensor veli palatini) and the middle ear.

Let me explain: The middle ear drains any fluid through the Eustachian tubes. These tubes open and close through the action of a muscle and that muscle is controlled by a nerve. This nerve originates in the neck. When this nerve is not functioning normally, the tensor veli palatini muscle may go into spasm, which constricts the Eustachian tube, restricting drainage and causing fluid buildup in the middle ear. This fluid, combined with a stressed immune system, may result in an ear infection.

Ultimately then, this “nerve interference” can cause your children to suffer as they do. My job as a chiropractor is to detect this nerve interference called subluxation, and correct it. A subluxation is a misalignment of a bone in the spine that pinches, stretches or twists a nerve resulting in interference.

By correcting this interference, the child’s body is given the potential to heal and be well. With proper chiropractic care, your child will be able to live a life free from nerve interference, and free from unnecessary medications and antibiotics.

Chiropractic adjustments for children are very gentle and differ tremendously from the adult version. Imagine you are putting a contact in your eye or testing a tomato to see if it is ripe, that is the extent of the pressure used in these treatments. There is no twisting, popping or pulling involved.

Through advances in technology such as Surface EMG and Thermal Scans, a chiropractor can easily detect these subluxations and monitor their correction as well. This enables chiropractors to be accurate and objective, allowing you the best care possible.

A promising study published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics now indicates that there is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustments and the resolution of ear infections. 332 children with chronic ear infections participated in the study. Each child, ranging in age from 27 days to 5 years, was given a series of chiropractic adjustments. The results show that close to 80% of the children in this study experienced NO ear infections within the six-month period following their initial visits. The six-month period included maintenance treatments every four to six weeks.

Correcting the cause through chiropractic has been shown to help over 80% of all children with ear infections.

Treating the symptoms of ear infections with antibiotics has proven to be ineffective. Give your children a fighting chance with chiropractic; it could change your lives!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Stephanie A. Maj has been helping children and adults experience life at their maximum potential through Chiropractic since 1994. She is the author of the book, “You Can Be Well” and lectures throughout Chicago on a variety of health issues, and may be contacted at 773.528.8485.

Community Chiropractic is located at 1442 W. Belmont, 1E Chicago, IL 60657. Her website is www.communitychiropractic.net.

 Enjoy this Guest Posting by Gina M. Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores.  So many of us sit for a living and I am asked all the time about proper ergonomic chairs.  Sitting adds the most stress, pounds per square inch, than any other activity affecting the lower back. What you sit in and how you sit in it is of vital importance.  Dr. Steph

Proper back support will encourage healthy spinal alignment and blood circulation

Are you a desk monkey like me—stuck at a desk all day typing away on your computer? If that’s the case, you probably suffer from back pain. You see sitting in an office chair for long periods of time causes most bodies to slouch in the necks and shoulders and overstretch their spinal ligaments, straining the discs in the spine and causing damage over time. Repetitive stress from sitting incorrectly can eventually erode the back and impede mobility in everyday life.

However, one way to drastically improve back pain, poor posture, and slouching habits at work is to invest in an ergonomic office chair, or a chair that seeks to properly align the spine, neck, and shoulders supporting healthy posture and relieving problems with mid back, lower back fatigue, neck and shoulder posture and circulation.

An ergonomic office chair is designed with the human body’s spinal alignment in mind. They cushion the body, providing added reinforcement to the mid and lower back as well as other areas along the spine that are susceptible to fatigue. The comfort provided by an ergonomic chair will relieve the repetitive stress on muscles and joints, especially in the hands and forearms where carpel tunnel can develop due to using a computer mouse improperly or gripping too tightly.

The benefits of ergonomic office chairs

The idea behind the creation of the ergonomic office chair is to improve the body’s posture and lessen the damage that can be caused by slouching and bad circulation along the spine—leading to mid back pain, sore lower back, or and stiff neck and shoulders (due to poor circulation). When we sit for extended hours at our desks doing the same repetitive tasks (i.e., reading, typing, etc.) blood circulation suffers and can cut off fuel (in the form of blood) to the rest of the spine and tailbone, neck and shoulders. The longer we sit in this decreased posture, the more the body loses vital fuel. Eventually damage occurs due to strain and mobility suffers.

Ergonomic office chairs improve back posture because they support our body’s frame (aka: the spine and tailbone) when we sit. The ergonomics of a chair actually lessen the likelihood of fatigue on the body and the mind because they are positioned to support the areas of the body that are likely to fatigue—the mid and lower back, and the tailbone. Ergonomic support offered from an office chair leads to better posture, which allows blood to circulate freely and adequately to every part of the spine and reduces repetitive stress fatigue on weaker muscles.

To set up your ergonomic chair properly:

• Adjust the office chair according to your height and comfort—you should feel no stress on your spine.
• Elbows should sit comfortably on your desk or at the armrests so that your upper arms are parallel to your spine.
• The seat height should leave your thighs at a comfortable 90-degree angle—if you need extra height use an adjustable footrest.
• Your lower back should press comfortably against the back of your chair, but not so you slump forward.
• Your eye level should meet the center of your computer screen without straining your neck.

About The Author

Gina M. Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores, your choice place to buy a Barcelona chair. She enjoys decorating the bedrooms for her active twin boys and writing about home décor – especially when it comes to the spaces she’s most intimate with.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

My patients are continually amazed at the amount of pregnant women that get adjusting in my practice. At any given time, I am not just helping these women have ideal births, Chiropractic is helping the babies start off on the healthiest foot possible.  In this post, I wanted to address the topic of pregnancy and Chiropractic.

Anyone who is pregnant is wise to ask if a treatment is safe during pregnancy. The health and wellbeing of mother and child are, understandably, of the greatest importance. All chiropractors are trained to treat patients through pregnancy, though some have received additional training specific to prenatal treatment.

Chiropractic care can help keep the body in healthy alignment during pregnancy.  Ideal alignment insures the regular flow of the nerves to all areas of the mother as well as the babies body.  Nerve flow is essential in healthy development.  Reducing the interference in the nerves with Chiropractic adjustments can also decrease pain and discomfort, while also helping to keep the body in the best possible condition for natural childbirth. Other benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include promoting overall health, controlling nausea, and reducing labor and delivery pain—and possibly preventing the need for a cesarean delivery.

A number of routine aspects of pregnancy can increase the need for chiropractic care. Carrying a child affects the distribution of weight on the body, balance and posture. There are also changes in the pelvic area to facilitate childbirth. Sleeping position may be affected, as may sitting posture. Regular exercise may cease or be modified. Routine actions like picking things up may require a different position or cause struggle. All of these may result in strain and misalignment.

A primary focus for many chiropractors treating pregnant clients is to maintain balance of the pelvis. This is often done using the Webster Technique. A balanced pelvis allows the unborn child the maximum room for movement and growth. A chiropractor can tell if the triangular base of the spine (the sacrum) is tilted, causing a ligament to be pulled in one direction and limiting that side of the uterus. When this goes uncorrected, the baby may stay in a breech position or facing the wrong way, could cause excruciating “back labor.” Reducing the likelihood of these problems also reduces the risk of a Cesarean or the need for painkillers.

A skilled chiropractor can be an indispensable aid during pregnancy. Prenatal chiropractic care can improve the comfort and well-being of both mother and child—during pregnancy and through childbirth.  To find a chiropractor in you area, go to icpa4kids.org.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

An M&M sold in the United States (left) contains food dye that makes it brighter compared to its European counterpart.

CHICAGO (CBS) — Is it possible that artificial colors added to our food could be causing behavioral problems in children?

Concerns about synthetic food dyes led many manufacturers in Europe to stop using then. But as CBS 2’s Mary Kay Kleist reports, the dyes are used here in everything from cereal to crackers to toothpaste.

Doctors diagnosed Kendall King with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, last year and put her on powerful drugs.

But her mother, Kelly King, says, “It just didn’t feel right to me.”

The Kings heard about a possible connection between food dyes and hyperactivity. Within weeks of taking dyes out of her diet, Kendall no longer needed medication.

“We’ve had amazing results,” Kelly King says. “She’s like a whole new child and she’s herself again.”

Food manufacturers in the U.S. can use nine dyes in all. Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 make up 90 percent of the market. You see them everywhere, listed on a bright cereal box or a pickle jar. The colors are used in everything from cough syrup and toothpaste to waffles and crackers.

“They’re really ubiquitous in this food supply that we’ve created,” says Dr. David Wallinga of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

He says more than two dozen studies point to problems with the dyes. But, do we know if changing a child’s diet dramatically improves ADHD?

“The effect is generally very small,” Dr. Mark Stein of the University of Illinois says. “It’s about a fourth as large as the effect of an ADHD medicine.”

The FDA voted against putting warning labels on foods, but it believes more research is still needed. Still, some grocery chains, like Whole Foods, won’t sell synthetic dyes.

Warning labels are required in much of Europe. American companies like Kellogg’s, General Mills and Kraft did away with the artificial dyes overseas. So, some foods in Europe, like M&M’s, just aren’t as bright.

Kelly King would like to see the synthetic dyes eliminated in the U.S.  “Our house is just a much calmer place to be,” she says.

A statement from the FDA says it does not believe that artificial food dyes cause hyperactivity in children in the general population. However, the FDA says food dyes may exacerbate problems in susceptible children diagnosed with ADHD because they may have a unique intolerance to them.

The FDA is now reassessing safety studies relating to food dyes. Here is the agency’s full, unedited statement:

“Based on the data reviewed in the body of scientific literature, FDA last year concluded that a causal relationship between exposure to color additives and hyperactivity in children in the general population has not been established.

However, for certain susceptible children with ADHD and other problem behaviors, the data suggest that their condition may be exacerbated by exposure to a number of substances in food, including, but not limited to, artificial food colors. Findings from relevant clinical trials indicate that the effects on their behavior appear to be due to a unique intolerance to these substances and not to any inherent neurotoxic properties.

FDA’s Food Advisory Committee (FAC) (a group of advisors from outside the FDA) met on March 30-31, 2011 to consider available relevant data on the possible association between the consumption of certified color additives in food and adverse behavioral effects in children. The committee was asked to advise FDA as to what action, if any, is warranted to ensure consumer safety from the use of these color additives in food. After receiving information from FDA, experts, and stakeholders, the FAC (1) found that existing data supported FDA’s conclusion that there is not an established link between consumption of food dyes and adverse behavioral effects in children, (2) voted against the need for additional information on the product label of foods with color additives, and (3) recommended that additional safety studies be conducted. The FAC also recommended that a rigorous, comprehensive dietary exposure assessment of certified color additives be performed.

FDA currently is collecting data on the levels of color additives used in food. These data will be used to estimate dietary exposure for various populations, including children. Regarding the need for additional safety studies, FDA has begun a reassessment of the numerous safety studies conducted on certified color additives that are available in its files. Based on this evaluation, FDA will determine whether additional safety studies are needed.”

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Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net