Lessons from the stairs

So some of you may have noticed I wasn't in the office this morning.  I had a wonderfully embarrassing fall down some hardwood stairs yesterday.  Thank goodness I married a chiropractor :).  So during my recovery time I've had to take some of the advice that I give all of you.  I've been resting (yep, hard for me to do), having multiple epsom salt baths, getting checked and adjusted regularly by Dr. Jason, and watching what goes in my mouth.  After a fall like this I think most of our tendencies is to try and dust it off and fight through the pain; go on with our daily lives and just "hope it goes away".   Well, what I see everyday in practice is that "it" doesn't just go away.  Some times that pain will slowly shuffle to the background, but the damage to the spine and the nervous system doesn't.    So I thought I would share with you Dr. Danella's 5 steps to recovering from an embarrassing fall down the stairs (which can be applied to many embarrassing injuries I'm sure):

1.  If you aren't married to a chiropractor, make an appointment with one as soon as possible.  It is the nervous system which regulates how your body heals, so any misalignment to the spine will affect your recovery time.  Having a chiropractic adjustment will not only help with your immediate discomfort, but will likely influence how your body heals in the long run.

2.   Fill up your tub with warm water.   Add 2 cups of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate).   Add your sore body and soak for atleast 20 minutes (bring a good book).  By using Epsom Salts, your skin will readily absorb magnesium and sulfate.  As the sulfate is absorbed into the skin, toxins are drawn from the cells.  Muscles relax. The magnesium reduces the inflammation in the muscles and relieves pain. The magnesium also helps the body bind serotonin, which is a chemical that promotes a sense of well-being and relaxation. The relaxation you feel, in turn, helps alleviate stress, which drains magnesium from the body and can cause tight muscles.

3.  Clean up your diet.  You know what your grandma used to say... "you are what you eat" (or was that just my grandma)... she was right (as usual).  During a time of healing it's crucial that you not overwhelm your body with sugars, additives, food colorings, etc... that it doesn't need.  Eat as cleanly as possible, and if you have a juicer, juice as many green healthy veggies as you can.  Here are two of my favorite juice recipes for you to try.  Simply put all the ingredients in a juicer and enjoy!

"AAA" Juice (thanks to The juiceman Jay Kordich for this one)
3 carrots
1 stalk of celery
1 apple
1/2 beet with the greens
1/2 handful of wheat grass (I use Kale when I don't have wheat grass on hand)
1/2 handful of parsley

Dr. D's special juice:
3 carrots
3 asparagus
1 slice of sweet potato
1/2 cucumber
 

4.  Arnica Cream.   Ahhhh the wonders of bruises.  It's like a rainbow on my derriere right now.   It's fascinating really.  Have you ever thought about why we bruise?  Bruises appear when the soft tissue has been damaged causing the tiny capillaries and veins located under our skin to break.  These broken veins and capillaries release red blood cells and it is these red blood cells that collect under our skin which causes the bruise to heal.    Over time the tissues go through a metabolic process to heal the tissues and an assortment of colors appear.  At first it may be a dark blue or black, and as it heals it may look yellow or green until it eventually goes away.  Thank goodness for the immune system! 

If you would like to enhance what your immune system is already doing for you, consider using arnica cream.  Arnica dilates your blood vessels so that the healing power of your blood can come through easier.

 

5.  Rest.  This is a hard one in this fast world.  Giving your body the chance to heal is important.  Respect it and you will be on your way to recovery.  Ignore it, and you will soon hear it calling.  :)

 

On that note, I'm going to take a nap...  Here's to hoping for a quick recovery!  I, for one, am counting the minutes until my next adjustment. :)