Preserve Your Light
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HAPPY DECEMBER 2020 HOLIDAYS! INSIDE 01 KEY FEATURE: BRIGHTEN PRESERVE YOUR LIGHT YOUR HOLIDAY SPIRIT THIS YEAR WITH A LITTLE BIT OF SELF-CARE 04 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 05 PATIENT SPOTLIGHT 06 SEASONAL TIPS: FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS 08 EXERCISES OF THE MONTH: MAKE YOUR HEALTH A PRIORITY 10 HEALTHY HOLIDAY RECIPE 11 CLINIC NEWS 12 WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU 14 Brighten your holiday spirit this CONVENIENT year with a little bit of self-care. LOCATIONS 2020 brought a wave of unprecedented challenges. From pandemic panic to quarantine blues, this year has placed a heavy burden on many NEAR YOU people. On December 21, the Winter Solstice, we’ll have the shortest day (and the longest night) of the year, with many cold, dark months ahead. REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT Add in the stress of the holiday season, and you might start to think that this truly isn’t the “season to be jolly.” Many people are trying to maintain holiday traditions despite COVID-19—working to virtually bring family together, give gifts, and prepare beautiful meals. But trying to juggle all of this in a new remote environment is a struggle, and leaves little room to (KEY FEATURE appreciate the true meaning of the Season of Light. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2) MCR CHIROPRACTIC 2 DECEMBER 2020 14 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS NEAR YOU REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT KEY FEATURE Brighten your holiday spirit this year with a little bit of self-care. (KEY FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) SELF-CARE: A SIMPLE WAY RE-KINDLE YOUR These workouts can increase your heart rate during “INNER LIGHT” exercise due to gravity because your muscles work a Much like most of the natural world, this can also be a little bit harder to overcome the resistance of being time to “hibernate,” hunker down, and invest in much pulled down your staircase. needed self-care and renewal. Experts agree that taking the time to understand holiday stressors and investing in RESTORATIVE YOGA POSES your physical wellbeing goes a long way towards positively Restorative Yoga is a simple, relaxing way to help shifting how we experience the holidays. manage the stress of the holidays. By activating the Here are a few tips to help you have a grounded, enjoyable parasympathetic or relaxation response, yoga helps holiday season this year. balance the whole nervous system and sets the body up for deep healing, repair, and growth. MOVE IT, MOVE IT! A few examples of Restorative Yoga poses are: Exercise of any kind is a great stress reliever. Getting your body in motion helps oxygenate your muscles, integrates your mind and body, and generates a quick hit of endorphins which will boost your mood and clear your head so you’re ready to take on the rest of the day. TAKE A WALK Give yourself the gift of a walk every day this holiday season. Not only does it improve your circulation and strengthen muscles, but it lightens your mood. Psychologists have found that a 10-minute walk may RESTORATIVE CHILD’S POSE be as good as a 45-minute workout when it comes to relieving the symptoms of stress and anxiety. DANCE! Throw on your favorite music and have a quick lunchtime dance party! Have kids in the house? Let them join! Getting up and away from your desk to dance (even for 5 minutes) will get your blood flowing and loosen the stiff muscles from long hours in front of a computer. Yoga Block USE THE STAIRS Work with what you’ve got at home! Use the stairs in your house or apartment building to get your exercise RESTORATIVE HEART BENCH in for the day without having to go to the gym. (KEY FEATURE CONTINUED ON PAGE 3) MCR CHIROPRACTIC 3 DECEMBER 2020 14 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS NEAR YOU REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT (KEY FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) A yoga block was used for the Psoas Release and Heart Bench. You can swap this out for stacked pillows, a rolled/folded blanket, or a pile of books (if they are sturdy!) Yoga Block Check out more yoga poses to do at home in our “exercises of the month” section of this newsletter. RESTORATIVE PSOAS RELEASE MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS Exercise isn’t the only way to deal with the hectic holidays. Boost your mood with simple daily meditation techniques to center yourself, relax, and relieve stress. Practicing mindfulness has been attributed to stress reduction, enhanced focus, and reduced anxiety. DOWNLOAD AN APP There are several great apps you can download to engage in a virtual guided meditation to focus your attention and clear your mind. A few examples include: • Waking Up • Insight Timer • Headspace VISIT YOUR FAVORITE CHIROPRACTOR It’s been proven that stress is a significant contributor to physical pain. The frantic schedule and external pressures of the holidays may cause muscle tightening, joint inflammation, or other musculoskeletal pain symptoms. SCHEDULE A CHIROPRACTIC EVALUATION Be aware of muscle and joint pain if they start to flare up over the holidays andschedule an evaluation with your Chiropractor. Your chiropractic physician can take a holistic view of your medical history, your physical limitations, and your goals to create a truly personalized path towards better health and a pain-free holiday season. But it all starts with self-awareness and self-care! The world has faced a lot of darkness in 2020, but with a little bit of self-reflection and care, you can learn to let the light back in for sustainable wellness. MCR CHIROPRACTIC 4 DECEMBER 2020 14 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS NEAR YOU REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT STAFF SPOTLIGHT Sarah Graham, DC Chiropractor of MCR Weymouth “I’m Dr. Sarah Graham, a Mid-Westerner with a passion for cooking, yoga, and bike riding! I began my chiropractic journey while working as an organic farmer post-undergrad. During my second season working in vegetable production, I happened to improperly lift a tub of soil for microgreens when a bolt of lightning shot down my leg. Afterwards, I could barely hobble up the hill to my car. A co-worker told me about her chiropractor, and seeing as I didn’t want to go to Urgent Care, I didn’t have a PCP, and I didn’t see anyone else to turn to, I limped my way into her office. It was like a light went off in my head as I listened to her tell me everything I already believed about health. All of my crazy ideas about holistic living, nourishing myself with whole foods, and staying active were exactly what the philosophy of chiropractic was about. I was hooked! A few treatments later, in one of those heart-to-hearts patients so often have with their chiropractor, Dr. Ang told me to go home and write down everything I wanted out of a job. At my next appointment I pulled out my list: do good for people, educate about healthy choices, be active and mobile while working. She looked at me and said, ‘you know you just described a chiropractor, right?’ I literally drove from her office to the chiropractic school in Kansas City where I applied without a second thought. Chiropractic care is more than just ‘popping backs,’ it’s a chance to connect with people of all ages, walks of life, and levels of mobility. I love what I do, and it’s my privilege to be able to do it with you!” To schedule an appointment with Dr. Graham, click here. MCR CHIROPRACTIC 5 DECEMBER 2020 14 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS NEAR YOU REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT PATIENT SPOTLIGHT Joanne R., Patient of MCR Quincy and Pembroke “In September of 2019, I had a horrendous episode of vertigo while at work and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The nausea was out of this world and was accentuated by each bump and pothole in the city of Boston. Not fun! The following week, when my feet didn’t feel like they were walking on water, I decided to seek chiropractic care. I was familiar with the care that MCR Chiropractic provided, having been treated by them for a hiatal hernia years prior, and decided to return in hopes of finding some treatment Pictured here is Joanne with her Chiropractor, that would alleviate my symptoms. And there was Dr. Dyer! Dr. Dylan Dyer. After an initial exam, the verdict was in. I was broken! Well not literally, but it sure felt like it. Dr. Dyer was very detailed We talk about nutrition, exercise, and vitamin supplements in his explanation of the correlation between the tight as well as my actual vertebrae and different muscle groups. muscles in my neck/shoulders and the vertigo. We set out a Who would have thought that magnesium helps relax the treatment plan and I was on my way to recovery. muscles! This has personally helped me to have a better understanding about the body and how it functions. I’ve found myself becoming more aware of what causes certain aches and when it’s been too long since my last visit. Dr. Dyer was very detailed in Dr. Dyer has helped my son (who plays basketball) and my his explanation of the correlation “ daughter (who’s a long-distance runner) overcome aches between the tight muscles in my and pains so thoroughly that they ask me to schedule their neck/shoulders and the vertigo... next visits. It’s been a little over a year since that dreadful vertigo day and, knock on wood, no reoccurrence has No reoccurrence has happened. happened. I attribute that to the care that I’ve received from I attribute that to the care that Dr.