Women’s Health

Chiropractic care can help women feel better by treating health issues such as infertility and pregnancy, low energy, migraines and osteoporosis.

What nutritional supplements are the most important for Women?

Dr. Carol Wright-Smith: That’s a great question that I get asked a lot because so many people are concerned with osteoporosis and lack of energy. We recommend calcium, 1000 to 1500 milligrams per day. Since it’s hard for our bodies to process that much at one time, we recommend taking 500 milligrams three times a day. You can also get your best source of calcium from dark, leafy greens, like spinach and kale. You can also get it from broccoli and surprisingly, rhubarb. In order for calcium to be absorbed, you need to have things such as vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, and exercise.

We also recommend a good vitamin D supplement. You need about 5,000 IU’s per day. It’s also needed for calcium absorption. But more importantly, it’s essential for a healthy immune system. During the winter months when we don’t see the sun as much, we need to boost our vitamin D supplements. We also recommend taking spirulina and chlorella, which are full of nutrients and helps our bodies get rid of toxins and increases our energy. Finally, we also recommend for our patients to take an Omega 3 fatty acid for heart health, brain function, and decreasing inflammation.

What are some causes of headaches and migraines, unique to women’s bodies?

Dr. Carol Wright-Smith: Many women experience headaches and migraines with their monthly cycle. This is due to the body’s inability to adapt to their hormonal changes. Unfortunately, most are put on a birth control to try to help regulate that. We are bombarded everyday with estrogen-like substances, called xenoestrogen. They disrupt the balance and how your body naturally functions. They are not bio-degradable and they’re stored in our cells. They come from things such as plastics, pesticides, perfumes, cosmetics, lotions, and even food preservatives.

Another cause is increase stress. As women, we have a lot on our plates, day in and day out. Many have to juggle a day full of activities such as work, family, finances, and maintaining our homes. As women, we tend to let the stress build up until our body can’t take it anymore and it triggers a headache or a migraine. This is how our body tells us to stop and take care of ourselves.

Can chiropractic care help women with infertility problems?

Dr. Carol Wright-Smith: That’s a great question, and yes we can. Let me explain how. As you know, your brain sends all of the messages down your spinal cord, out the nerves to our body’s organs, tissues, and cells, keeping it alive. When you get under stress, such as chemical stress, physical stress, or emotional stress, your spine locks up. When it does, it chokes on those nerves and doesn’t allow them to communicate to the body properly. As chiropractors, we locate where the spine is locked up and choking on those nerves, and release that locking of the spine through what’s called a chiropractic adjustment allowing the body to heal naturally without drugs or surgery. When we have things such as falls on our butts as children, learning how to walk, sporting injuries and the such it causes the spine in the lower back to lock up. As a chiropractor, we look to that lower back to see where it might be locked up and allow those nerves that go to your reproductive organs to function like they should.

What are some ways chiropractic care can help during a pregnancy?

Dr. Carol Wright-Smith: Well, a perfectly aligned spine can help make a pregnancy and delivery more comfortable, by relieving joint and neck pain and control symptoms of nausea. When the pelvic bones are aligned properly, it can open up easier to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal. In the case of a breached baby, many chiropractors are trained in what is called The Webster Technique which helps to turn the baby around so it can be delivered naturally without a C-section.

How can chiropractic care help someone developing osteoporosis?

Dr. Carol Wright-Smith: Let’s first discuss what osteoporosis is so the listeners can better understand how a chiropractor can help. By definition, it’s medical condition which bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of a hormonal change or a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. It’s a degenerative process which is affected by joint immobilization or fixations, what we call subluxations. These fixations or subluxations which are bones out of their normal alignment, cause a chemical change that connective tissues are affected by. They affect the nutrients through these structures, especially the bones.

As chiropractors, we address the alignment and nerve communication with the body allowing for the brain to send proper messages to such things as our hormone producers like our thyroid, our pituitary gland, and our ovaries to help keep them in balance. Your spine nerves connective tissues, which are your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, create the infrastructure for your body. A well aligned spine creates a foundation for this infrastructure to stand tall and move well.

Learn More

If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Carol-Wright Smith or Dr. Dale Smith, visit www.smithchiropracticcordova.com or call (901) 794-0876 to schedule an appointment.

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