Which Type of Yoga Is Right For You?

The Most Popular Types of Yoga

Yoga is becoming a more and more popular activity in the Western world today. The number of places holding Yoga classes of many different types is on the rise. With a choice of Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga and many more it can be easy to get confused. This article will help you to understand the difference between the most popular types of Yoga so you can choose which type is right for you.

Hatha Yoga

In Sanskrit (an ancient classical language of India) “Ha” means “sun” and “tha” means “moon”. This type of Yoga is a relatively slow paced, gentle type of Yoga and is a good place to start if you are completely new to Yoga and don’t know any of the asanas (poses).  Like all types of Yoga, Hatha Yoga aims to unite the mind, body and spirit.

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga means “eight limbs” in Sanskrit. It’s a fast moving, intense style of Yoga based on a progressive sequence of asanas, synchronized with the breath. Ashtanga Yoga can be quite physically demanding as you are constantly move from one asana in the sequence to the next, so you’ll find that it will improve your stamina as well as your flexibility and strength..

Power Yoga

This is a western interpretation of Yoga and is based on Ashtanga Yoga. A Power Yoga class may not necessarily stick to the exact sequence of poses like Ashtanga Yoga does, but it does involve practicing a series of poses without stopping and starting.

Iyengar Yoga

This type of Yoga is based on teachings by B.K.S Igengar and concentrates on the correct alignment and form of the body.  Unlike Ashtanga Yoga, there is an emphasis on holding each pose for a long period of time rather than moving constantly from one pose to the next. Iyengar Yoga uses props such as blocks and straps to help align the body into the different poses.

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa means breath-synchronized movement and is another fast paced type of Yoga, with an emphasis on breathing. A practice typically starts with sun salutations and moves on to more intense stretching. Throughout the practice each pose is balanced with a counter pose.

Bikram Yoga

Otherwise known as “Hot Yoga”, Bikram Yoga is practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees, with a humidity of around 40%. Generally a sequence of 26 different poses is practiced during a Bikram Yoga class and the hot temperature helps to loosen muscles. Due to the high temperature most people sweat a lot during the class and this helps to cleanse the body of toxins.

If you’re just starting out or have never done any Yoga before, you may want to try a few different types of yoga to find out what you like best. Remember, there’s no rule that says you have to stick to one type of Yoga.

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Types Of Allergies

Allergies are the Most Common Chronic Disease in Children

It’s estimated that 60 million Americans suffer from some type of allergy. That’s 1 out of 4. It’s the 5th highest chronic disease in America and the 3rd most common chronic disease in children. Many people suffer from more than one allergy type.

INDOOR/OUTDOOR ALLERGIES

 
Pollen from trees, grass and weeds are in the indoor/outdoor allergy category.
Other common indoor/outdoor allergy triggers are mold spores, dust mites, and cat, dog and rodent dander. About 75% of people with allergies have indoor/outdoor allergies. The most common pet allergy is cat dander.

SKIN ALLERGIES

Skin allergies are another common allergy. The most common causes of skin allergies are plants like poison oak, ivy and sumac. Allergic reactions can also be caused by skin contact with latex, cockroachs and dust mites, and even some foods. Skin allergies are the main allergy for about 7% of allergy sufferers.

FOOD & DRUG ALLERGIES

While we hear a lot about food and drug allergies, they’re the primary allergy of only about 6% of allergy sufferers. Food allergies are more common in children. Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish are responsible for 90% of all food allergies. Food allergies claim over 200 lives yearly.

When it comes to common drug allergies, penicillin is the winner. Almost 400 Americans die every year from allergies to penicillin.

Some people have allergies in a single category and others suffer from allergies in multiple categories. If you are an allergy sufferer, discuss your triggers and symptoms with your chiropractor. Some types of allergies respond remarkably well to chiropractic care.

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Take Control of Chronic Childhood Ear Infections

Help! I Think My Child Has an Ear Infection

It's 2 am and the crying has only gotten progressively worse across the past hour. You are pacing the downstairs hallway trying anything to soothe your inconsolable 10-month old so that your 5 and 8 year old kids can get some sleep upstairs. Your plan is to call the doctor's office the moment they open — seven hours from now!

Although your infant cannot tell you what is wrong, your intuition says it is another middle ear infection. The statistics would suggest that your hunch is probably right.

Earaches are the #1 Reason for Visits to the Pediatrician's Office

As a parent, that probably comes as no surprise. But, you may be surprised to learn that both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Family Physicians recommend a 'watchful waiting' or 'wait and see' approach to acute ear infections.

Antibiotics for Ear Infections?

 
Research published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association  demonstrated that there was no difference in fever, otalgia (pain) or number of future visits between kids that were given an antibiotic prescription and those that were not. As it turns out, antibiotics only outperform the body's own immune system in a handful of cases.

No Side Effects and Low Recurrence Rate

At the same time, numerous studies of manipulative therapies including chiropractic care have shown remarkable results without the side effects of antibiotics. A groundbreaking 1997 study  of 332 kids ages 27 days to 5 years indicted a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustment and the resolution of otitis media (the technical term for a middle ear ache). Just to highlight one finding — there were 104 kids in the group classified as having 'chronic' otitis media. This group of kids got 5 chiropractic adjustments each. Across the next six months the recurrence rate among this group was only 16%!

Let's put that data into more human terms. That means that 84% of these kids classified as having chronic ear infections went six months without having another one after just 5 adjustments. A full half year devoid of screaming in the middle of the night, lost sleep and anguish of watching your child suffer for 84% of the parents.

Care and Prevention of Ear Infections

The prior study published in a chiropractic journal spurred further research into the uses of chiropractic care for acute and chronic ear infections. The critical questions was - how would chiropractic fare head-to-head with standard pediatric care? A 2003 study published in a pediatric medicine journal comparing children receiving manipulative therapy and those receiving standard pediatric care, found that those who received manipulative therapy had fewer episodes of Acute Otitis Media (AOM), fewer surgical procedures and had higher rates of normal tympanograms.

This amazing news for parents has been validated and confirmed numerous times since then. The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) even maintains a webpage of all the published research studies done on children's ear infections and the role of chiropractic care in treatment and prevention. The last time I looked there where 25 separate studies listed. You can view the full list at: Ear Infection (Otitis Media)

All this data and research is great, but at the end of the day what matters to parents is getting their own child out of pain and on a path to a success in school, sports and life without the constant interruption of ear infections. Donít spend another sleepless night pacing the halls with a screaming toddler in your arms. Call us now and make an appointment for a consultation.

Don't wait until another ear infection strikes. Prevention is always the better option. Besides, when your child is in pain, your anxiety level as a parent goes way up. We want you to be able to ask all your questions and get all the facts at your own pace and not feel pressured to make a decision or start treatment because your child is screaming. Of course, if your child does have current symptoms, we want to see both of you as soon as possible.


1. Spiro DM, Tay K, Arnold DH, et al. Wait-and-see prescription for the treatment of acute otitis media: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 2006; 296(10): 1235-1241.

2. Fallon, JM.   Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics Vol 2, No. 2 1997 p.167-183.

3. Mills MV, Henley CE, Barnes LLB, Carreiro JE, Degenhardt BF. The use of osteopathic manipulative treatment as adjuvant therapy in children with recurrent acute otitis media. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2003; 157(9): 861-866.

Some Surprising Statistics About Back Pain

Suffering from Back Pain? 

You are not alone. Back pain relief is just one component of chiropractic care, but it is often a patient's first introduction. Back pain is horribly debilitating affecting all aspects of work and personal life.

Surprising Facts about Back Pain:

     • Back pain is the number one disability for those under age 45.

     • In the United States of America alone, there is an expected 31 million people with lower back pain at any given time.

     • Back pain runs second, after only the common cold, as the top reason for visiting a healthcare provider in the United States.

     • Experts place the likelihood of any person to experience some type of back problem in their lifetime at about 80%. That's four out of every five people!

     • Over 50 billion dollars are spent per year in the pursuit of clearing up cases of back pain.

     • Around 30 to 40 percent of all workplace absences are due to back pain.

     • Approximately one quarter of U.S. adults reported having low back pain lasting at least one whole day in the past three months, and 7.6 percent reported at least one episode of severe acute low back pain within a one-year period.

     • One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.

     • Approximately 2 percent of the U.S. work force is compensated for back injuries each year.

     • Lower back pain accounts for two thirds of all back pain-related cases.

     • More than two-thirds of back strains are caused by lifting and other exertions like pulling and pushing.

     • Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic — meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.

The key to proper treatment of back pain is to understand the cause. Remember, pain is always a sign that something else is wrong and if continually ignored may lead to more serious harm. Chiropractors are experts in assessing the root cause of your back pain and putting you on the right course to recovery.

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The Role of Antioxidants in Good Health

Immune System Support

Everyone has heard about the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining good health. Similarly, everyone knows that they should be getting exercise - or at the very least adding more activity into their days. Getting a good night's sleep is essential - without it, you'll find that your immune system starts to slack off a bit and you put yourself at a greater risk for catching a cold or coming down with the flu.

We all know what we should be doing, but let's be honest: very few of us eat a balanced diet all of the time. Many of us make the choice to take the elevator rather than the stairs and we try to find a parking place that's as close as possible to our destination rather than taking the opportunity to walk a little further. We also tend to let stress, work, social gatherings and more interfere with the amount of sleep that we're able to get each night.

When we don't go the extra mile to take care of ourselves, and when our immune systems start to falter because of it, we may not feel it right away. Soon, sluggishness starts creeping in. This sluggishness not only slows us down, it also ages us prematurely.

Fortunately, there's something that we can do to counteract some of these effects. We can maintain our vigor and reduce the risk of disease simply by adding antioxidants to our diet.

What are Antioxidants?

The simplest answer is that antioxidants are plant-derived compounds that help prevent and repair cellular damage. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium, lycopene and resveratrol are all examples of antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables. By making an effort to add antioxidants to our diet, we can slow the cellular damage that leads to disease.

Antioxidants are, in effect, sponges that soak up the free radicals in our systems. Excess free radicals are generated by the less healthy foods that we eat, alcohol that we drink, smoke that we're exposed, and stress that we endure.

Free radicals damage our DNA and other cellular structures at the molecular level. Antioxidants roam around the body inactivating the free radicals and also assisting in damage repair. Damage that isn’t repaired can cause a cell to die, malfunction or replicate uncontrollably (such as in a tumor).

You can fight back against free radicals by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

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