Health Tips from Dr. Chani

We all have our favorite health tips. Though they’re not always accurate (wet hair won’t cause a cold but chicken soup definitely helps cure one) they’ve been around forever. At Family Sports and Chiropractic Clinic, Dr. Chani Henderson has a few tips of her own that have benefitted her clients for years. These are easy, everyday little things that’ll keep you on your feet, happy and healthy.

Drink water

“Water is a huge one,” says Henderson. Ideally we should all drink half our body weight in ounces each day. For a 150 pound individual, that’s 75 ounces of water or just over one-half gallon. Keep a glass or water bottle full and handy and you’ll be surprised how often you refill it throughout the day.

Mild dehydration can cause headaches, muscle cramps, and dry mouth. If it gets severe, be on the lookout for dizziness, rapid heartbeat and breathing, and lack of energy. For chiropractic patients, water intake makes treatment so much easier.

“I can notice a palpable difference in muscle tone and flexibility when someone is hydrated versus a varying state of dehydration,” says Henderson. Dehydration can cause muscle tightness, muscle spasms, and general stiffness. Skip the aspirin and top up your water glass instead. Your body will thank you.

Move, move, move

Vancouver WA Chiropractor Dr. Chani Henderson recommends moving frequently throughout the day

Dr. Chani stresses that “Motion is lotion. Movement is good for our body as a whole. Our bodies are designed for movement.” Moving lubricates joints that can lock up and stiffen after long stints at the computer, TV, table, armchair, or desk.

She suggests setting an alarm which chimes every 30 or 45 minutes. Even simple movements are vital. “Moving in the opposite direction that your primary repetitive motion is very helpful for our bodies,” says Henderson. “So for example, if you sit at a desk all day, you need to stand up straight, do pec stretches and open your torso up and stretch your hip flexors.”

Some easy stretches can be pressing gently against a nearby doorway to open up the chest area. To stretch your hips, a flexor stretch can be done anywhere (without looking too silly in the process!). Sunny day? Take a quick walk to the mailbox, office break room, or around the block.

Seniors: balance is key

Vancouver WA Chiropractor Dr. Chani Henderson discusses the importance of focusing on balance as we get older.

Most of the time we don’t think much about balance. But according to one study of seniors, “exercise programs reduced falls that caused injuries by 37%, falls leading to serious injuries by 43%, and broken bones by 61%.”

Dr. Chani encourages everyone, regardless of age, to “be cognizant of their surroundings to minimize falls and work on the transition from sitting to standing.” Try using a single leg stance exercise to improve and sustain balance and thus overall mobility.

“It’s best to talk with your chiropractor, physical therapist, or primary care physician for a balance routine correct for your level of health,” says Dr. Henderson. “But by making sure seniors have better balance, it puts them less at risk for fall injuries and makes transitional movements easier with less incorrect movement to put strain throughout their back.”

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Dr. Chani Henderson offers chiropractic services for a variety of needs. Sports, pregnancy, and general issues are all addressed as is healing after auto or accidents. A long-time chiropractic patient herself, Dr. Henderson believes in a full-body, whole patient approach with strong emphasis on wellness care.

While some historical adages fall into a medical gray area, others are unerringly accurate. As we age, an ounce of prevention is worth (more than) a pound of cure. Our increasingly sedentary work and home life often result in nagging back pain. But the American Chiropractic Association reports that a “study based on Washington state workers found that 42.7 percent of people who visited a surgeon first for work-related back pain eventually had surgery, compared to only 1.5 percent of those who visited a chiropractor first.”

Read glowing testimonials on her website or Facebook page.

Says one patient, “I have been seeing Dr. Henderson for years. I never realized how many problems that I was having with my back, but my monthly maintenance is amazing.” Others praise her treatment of headaches, neck pain, TMJ, and chronic sinus issues as well.

When you’re ready to take the next step, call her Vancouver-based office at 360-254-0400. Don’t wait until the pain interferes with daily life or drives you to surgery or prescription painkillers. As they say, “A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time—pills or stairs.”