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Health and Wellness
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Non-surgical Spine & Ortho Care Physical Therapy Chiropractic Nutrition / Weight Loss Acupuncture Massage Therapy Biofeedback Therapy Hormone Optimization Skin Rejuvenation Improving Your Health & Wellness for a Healthier More Youthful Life! Call TODAY for a FREE consult! 908-252-0242 • NMRNJ.com 3322 US Highway 22 West • Branchburg Commons Building 1 • Branchburg, NJ 08876 Under 2, Free for You! Free Infant Exam for New Patients Under 2 Years of Age. *Non-insured patients $95 value or insurance may cover. Cannot be combined with any other discounts. Limit One. Expires 8/31/15. NJ’s favorite kids’ docs TM Amy Planz, D.D.S. 390 Amwell Rd. Bldg. 2, Suite 201 Hillsborough, NJ 08844 P 908-829-3345 F 908-829-3341 www.hillsboroughpediatricdentistry.com Diplomate, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry; Specialty #5778 Dentistry for infants, toddlers, special needs children and teens THE POWER OF PROPER POSTURE Look Great. Get Strong. Be Healthy. By: Dr. Vincent Sferra Natural Medicine & Rehabilitation The power of proper posture helps you to look great, get strong and be healthy. Poor posture is a habit that may have begun during your childhood and perpetuated through adulthood due to lifestyle, inactivity and/or repet- itive slouching. Poor posture will affect your health, is less aesthetically appeal- ing, and creates a persona of being unhealthy, less energized and less con- fident in general. Inadequate or poor posture insidiously creates spinal problems or at the very least weakens the spine thus predis- posing it to problems. Interestingly, many spinal problems develop without any incidence of trauma or sudden injury. Actually this is the majority of cases, and in these cases the primary cause of back pain is due to poor pos- ture and poor body mechanics which creates spinal disc, joint and muscle stress. Poor body mechanics include how we lift things and move our bod- ies as well as how we posture ourselves in front of computers, driving, sitting in front of the TV and sleeping. Consis- tently maintaining good posture and body mechanics helps support our spine. Repetitively failing to do so will weaken the spine, slowly wearing on the muscles, ligaments and discs. This is behind why so many claim to have done ‘nothing’ when their back ‘went out’. They didn’t have to. It was already weak and primed to do so! Poor posture creates significant mus- cle, joint and spinal disc stress that ini- tially and possibly for some time, may only cause tension, tightness or achi- ness and frequently may not give any symptoms at all! But, constantly hold- ing your body in an improper position while standing, sitting or lying down will gradually affect your health over- time. It creates spinal muscle imbal- ances (some muscles tighten and some weaken or become inhibited). This compounds the adverse effects of spinal stress and increases the risk of injury. Overtime, the stress on those structures will create more significant problems such as herniated spinal discs, spinal arthritis and pinched nerves. Having an MRI is valuable when there is strong evidence to believe that structural damage has actually occurred to the disc or other spinal structures. This is typically not the case, especially early on. A thorough consultation and examination by a doctor who special- izes in spinal care is paramount. Poor posture and being overweight also creates an undesirable self-image and can be harmful to your health. Maintaining a healthy weight will elim- inate being too heavy around the waist which adds stress and strain to your lower back. A customized exercise pro- gram will help manage your weight and develop strong abdominal muscles which are the back’s greatest support. Poor posture also causes other health issues. Standing tall gives your internal organs more room in the abdomen allowing the digestive system to func- tion properly. It also allows your respira- tory system to work better by enabling your lungs to take deep breathes. Slumping over restricts your breathing, creating less oxygen and therefore less energy. Being able to take deep breathes is also a relaxation technique that helps you to temper stress. NMR’s holistic approach integrates the services of chiropractic with physical therapy, nutrition and weight manage- ment in order to look at the patient as a whole. Proper posture, regular exer- cise, tempering your stress, and main- taining a healthy weight will have you Look Great, Get Strong and Be Healthy. Call 908-252-0242 Mention this article for your free consultation! Dr. Sferra is the founder and Director of Physical Rehabilitation at Natural Medicine & Rehabilita- tion. He is Board Certified in Chiropractic Medi- cine, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and is CSCS certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Dr. Sferra is the recipient of the “2005 Spirit of Somerset” award for his out- standing contribution to Health and Wellness in the community. For more information visit www.NMRNJ.com, or call (908) 252-02 42