At Wu Chiropractic & Acupuncture, we know how stressful the holidays can be. No one is immune to holiday stress. Even if no single thing might be responsible for it, the daily accumulation of little things can put enormous stress on your spine, which can affect your whole body. But a visit to Austin chiropractor Dr. Eric Wu can help take the Grinch of stress out of your nonstop holiday schedule.

Let’s take a look at common issues that chiropractic care for stress could relieve.

Whole-Body Stress

You can get so busy during the holidays that you think you don’t have time to even get stressed. However, this is probably a sign that your whole body is affected.

A visit to your chiropractor for spinal adjustment can release your stress and have you walking on air. Why not pamper yourself in this unique way?

Headaches

Working long days to make deadlines. Sitting in standstill traffic. Figuring out how to make all parts of your family happy. Worrying about your budget. All are common causes of holiday stress that can lead to horrible headaches. Instead of throwing down a couple of pain relievers every 4-8 hours or turning to the holiday eggnog, why not visit your chiropractor instead? A spinal adjustment as chiropractic care for stress might be the remedy you’re looking for.

Back Pain

Long drives to see the relatives. Cramped airlines to take care of year-end business deals. Decorating your tree and house. Bad sleep due to stress. All of these can leave your back in agony. Tense muscles, irritated nerves, and general soreness characterize your back issues.

When you visit your chiropractor, you can get adjustments to your spine that release tension, relax muscles, and help eliminate negative energy.

A Healthy Spine Is Crucial to Handling Stress

Ideal chiropractic care for stress focuses on caring for your spine. The adjustment of your backbone has holistic benefits on your body and mind, including the following:

• Increased blood circulation
• Reduced irritation of your spinal nerves
• Decreased muscle tension
• Balanced body

Contact Dr. Wu to Learn More about How Acupuncture Can Help You

If you’re stressed out from the holidays, you’re not alone. If your neck, back, or other parts of your body are singing the haunting strains of Ave Maria, don’t ignore it. Your body is telling you to get checked out. That means it’s time to contact Wu Chiropractic & Acupuncture of Austin to schedule a consultation. Don’t let holiday stress hamper your body. A little chiropractic care for stress might be all you need!

Kids all around Austin will be starting back to school soon, which means the sight of kids carrying backpacks as they walk to and from school and carry it from class to class. Often, those backpacks are stuffed with books, notebooks, and other supplies that are so heavy, you can see the child straining.

Parents should be aware of what’s in their children’s packs because a heavy one could cause or be causing them back pain, which could lead to a visit to Austin Acupuncture and Chiropractic Doctor Dr. Eric Wu of Wu Chiropractic & Acupuncture.

The Effect on Your Child’s Back

A backpack is practical – you can carry a number of items on your back, which allows your arms and hands to be free. However, if the load is too heavy, your back compensates by distorting abnormally to absorb the load, causing you to lean forward while walking, and forcing your shoulders to hunch or round. None of these is good for your back, and problems can occur, such as neck, shoulder, or back strain. Headaches and arm pain can follow, as well.

If your child experiences such pain and issues for an extended period of time, it might be time to call Austin Chiropractor Dr. Eric Wu for a consultation to see if chiropractic or acupuncture treatment is a good idea.

Tips to Avoid Back Complaints from Your Child

Although there is very little chance of permanent injury to your child from carrying a heavy backpack, the following tips can help your child avoid back issues now and even later.

Backpack Features Make a Difference 

If possible, choose a backpack with as many of the following design features as possible:

• A padded back
• 2 adjustable, padded shoulder straps
• Individual compartments
• Made of lightweight material, such as canvas
• A hip strap or waist belt to take weight off the shoulders and onto the pelvis

In recent years, many parents have been buying wheeled packs, instead of backpacks, that can be pulled. This certainly saves your child’s back a lot of stress.

Proper Backpack Loading and Wearing

Now that you’ve chosen the ideal bag, now it’s time to teach your child how to load and wear it properly.

• Pack heavy objects first so they are lower in the pack
• Avoid bulky or sharp objects
• Don’t carry unnecessary books or notebooks
• Always use both shoulder straps to wear the backpack
  • Carrying it on one shoulder is popular and even “cool”, but it unevenly distributes the weight and puts undue strain one half of the back and shoulders

Without proper loading and wearing techniques, your child is more at risk for back issues, which chiropractic treatment might help resolve.

The Final Word from Wu Chiropractic & Acupuncture

The American Chiropractic Association also suggests that the weight in the bag be no more than 10% of your child’s weight. But, sometimes, backpacks get heavy not because they’ve been packed too much but because kids forget to clean them out, so encourage your child to clean out his or her bag at least once a week.

If your child complains of discomfort, reduce the weight in the backpack immediately. If, despite a lighter bag, he or she continues to complain, contact Wu Chiropractic & Acupuncture immediately to schedule a consultation with Dr. Wu.

Many Americans don’t believe acupuncture to be an effective treatment for any type of physical or emotional ailment. However, with a 5,000-year history of use for a variety of maladies, it’s obvious that people all over the world don’t share this same skepticism.

In fact, not only is acupuncture good for adults, but it’s also just as effective for kids. At Wu Chiropractic and Acupuncture, our Austin acupuncture specialists employ a variety of ways to provide effective, personalized treatment that’s safe as well as effective.

Understanding Acupuncture

Your body has a variety of interconnected systems that complement each other as well as work independently of one another. You’re probably familiar with several of these systems – the circulatory, lymph, and nervous systems, to name several.

Practitioners of the acupuncture healing system understand that most ailments arise due to an imbalance in your body’s meridian system, or energy system. To improve your condition, the flow of energy throughout your body’s distinctive network of energy channels needs to be balanced.

In fact, your meridian system is more a process than it is a structure housed within your body.

Does Acupuncture Work for Kids?

Many times, doctors generic prescribe medications or treatments that ostensibly treat any child or condition. However, generic treatments are not effective or even adequate to treat your child’s unique ailments or body.

At Dr. Wu’s practice in Austin, acupuncture is not a generic treatment. It can be tailored to the needs of each individual. Therefore, since each child has distinctive needs, acupuncture’s versatility means that it can bring your child relief and better overall health.

Is It Safe for Kids?

Unlike being pumped full of harmful drugs with adverse – or even worse, unknown – side effects, acupuncture is less invasive and involves no drugs at all.

In fact, not only is it safe, but it’s also painless. Each of the needles used is about the width of a human hair. When dealing with children, a skilled acupuncturist uses a special technique to insert and extract the needle so quickly that even an infant might not notice.

However, for any child with an aversion to needles, there are non-needle treatment techniques that are painless and easy to utilize, yet similarly effective.

What about Side Effects?

There could be bruising afterwards, but usually not if the needles were correctly applied. Your child could experience mild muscle spasms or soreness in the treated areas. Some patients also report being fatigued after treatment, a good sign that it’s working.

Don’t be surprised if your child experiences an unexpected emotional release or sensitivity. One tenet of acupuncture is that your emotions and physical state are interconnected, meaning energy treatment for a physical ailment should also stimulate an emotional response.

Since the body’s energy system is being affected, unexpected emotions that have been stifled sometimes come to the surface. Don’t be concerned, as this is normal.

Consult with Austin Acupuncture Specialist Dr. Wu

There are many ways to stimulate an acupuncture point, including the use of a traditional needle or a non-piercing one. At Wu Chiropractic & Acupuncture, regardless the treatment method used, your therapeutic results will be similar. Visit us online or call 512.436.3798 to schedule a confidential, personalized consultation.