It’s time for another round of ‘name that body part’! Here are some clues:

· It looks like a 25-foot long, one-inch wide tube but it is all folded up so it tucks into a space (usually) less than a foot across. But if you stretched it out it would be as large as a tennis court. Without it you'd have a hard time living. Actually you couldn't. It protects your brain and works with your immune system to keep bad germs from overpowering you.

· It takes all the food you eat and drink and absorbs the nutrients.

· It also serves as home for a vast botanical garden filled with billions and trillions of tiny growing microorganisms. They are more numerous than all the cells of your body. And they aren't even you - they are bacteria, yeasts, viruses, worms and more! Right now you're carrying around from four to six pounds of them all the time.

What are we talking about?

Your intestines! The microorganisms that live there are called your gut flora. These guys aren’t anything to worry about, because they are good for you. All those tiny life forms help you digest food, protect you from infections from bad microorganisms, and even make vitamins you need for health. More importantly, they keep bad bacteria in check. They do so by creating substances which render harmless or kill hostile bacteria. They’re able to do so by changing the area’s levels of acidity. In doing this, it deprives the disease-causing bacteria of their nutrients.

Why? Because our food is full of bacteria, viruses, molds, fungi and loads of germs of all kinds and they need to be watched and controlled so they don't overpower you. The bacterium in our gut also protects us from cancer and all kinds of toxins. When analyzed, our stools are over 90% bacteria. As we poop out stool, we poop out bacteria that have trapped toxins.

A high-sugar diet has been shown to alter the composition of bacteria in our intestines, making it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it. Keep your intestines happy by eating non-refined, organic foods containing good bacteria (probiotics). You may have wondered what probiotics are: they are millions of healthy, good –guy flora to replenish your body’s supply, which can be wiped out by antibiotics, poor nutrition, and (although rarer) your genes. Foods high in probiotics include fermented foods such as pickles, yogurt (with live cultures), non-pasteurized beer, sauerkraut and other fermented foods. Dr. Seaman can help you with nutritional advice, lifestyle coaching, and provide you with the correct supplements to keep your intestines, and the rest of you, happy and healthy! Make an appointment here or give our office a call at 773-545-2233.

Sneezing, runny nose, and itchy red watery eyes are just a few symptoms that occur during spring allergy season in Chicago. I should know, because up until recently I was one of the nearly 45 million people in the United States suffering from allergies. Then I found chiropractic, and the rest, as they say, is history. In our last blog, we talked about the issues with over the counter ‘remedies’ and how you they are dealing with the symptoms without addressing the cause. Today we’ll look into how chiropractic gets to the root of the problem:

Chiropractic care boosts the body’s immune system. When the immune system is functioning at optimal performance, your body can fight off those invaders of foreign substances, such as pollen, dust and other allergens. The most common immune disorder is an allergic reaction that happens when the immune system overreacts to those allergens like pollen, pet dander etc. The natural way to allergy relief from your chiropractor is to release the stress (subluxations) on the nervous system so your immune system can function better and a lot more efficiently. Chiropractors remove those subluxations in the spine which are placing stress on the nervous system. When your body has these stresses removed it begins to naturally defeat those allergy causing chemicals you are subject to in your daily environment.

Acupuncture

By stimulating the points outside the body it can change or set off reactions inside your body that can affect your immune system when these allergies start to occur. Like chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture works to lessen areas of the immune system that are being overstimulated from being exposed to allergens.

Nutritional and Lifestyle counseling

At Seaman Chiropractic, we carry proprietary blends by supplement companies meant to help with any and all aspects of allergies. For instance, Bromelain may reduce inflammation inside the nasal passages and may also be taken as a supplement. Dr. Seaman also offers lifestyle advice individualized for your specific allergies.

Even though the allergy season is about to get underway, that doesn’t mean that you have to suffer through the symptoms or the supposed ‘relief’ of over the counter medications. If you’re interested in taking control of the way your body responds to allergens, give our office a call today at 773-545-2233!

Chiropractic care is a safe and natural approach to enhancing the body’s ability to function properly. This is accomplished through enhancing the function of the ‘Master Control System’ of the body, the nervous system. In many cases, fertility issues may be associated with improper nervous system function, poor nutrition, high stress and poor lifestyle habits.

Chiropractors are nervous system specialists and reducing interference in the nervous system is Dr. Seaman’s primary goal. Keeping the spine properly aligned, clearing the nervous system of excessive interference, and counseling practice members in nutrition, exercise and changes to lifestyle, make Dr. Seaman one of your best options to help your body function in harmony with the way it was designed.

In addition to gentle, non-force adjustment techniques, Dr. Seaman also uses acupuncture for fertility issues. Acupuncture has been used for centuries to treat causes of infertility. It helps to improve ovarian and follicular function, focusing specifically on the organs needed to ensure fertility. Additionally, acupuncture can increase blood flow to the endometrium, helping to facilitate a thick, rich lining. Paired with the adjustments, these treatments ensure that the nerves are communicating to the organs properly, and the organs are healthy as well.

Seaman Chiropractic Center creates a specialized treatment plan with your goals for expanding your family in mind. With chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, nutritional counseling and strength training, there is a team effort to prepare your body and ensure that it is running in tip top shape. If you’re having fertility issues, give your Belmont Cragin chiropractor a call today at 773-545-2233.

We often ignore the first signs of a problem, or the first signs of pain. Slight tooth ache? Pop an aspirin. 6 months down the line you call your dentist up in agonizing pain, and it turns out that you require an emergency root canal. It’s the same thing with your body, and overall health. Not properly addressing these issues can lead to a more serious problem that will require more expenses. If you are in poor health, your work life and home life will be affected. I should know, as I recently went through the exact scenario this past year. As someone in the chiropractic field, I should have known better!

Prevention and addressing the issue when it first arises is the most cost effective way to deal with your health. Spinal problems, neck, and back pains account for the biggest part of unproductivity in a person’s work. If left untreated, it can lead to not being able to perform at all. This drives up the overall cost of not seeking care at the first signs of a problem. As a chiropractic assistant, I have seen it firsthand. We often have patients come in who have had to seriously cut down on their work hours due to pain, or who have stopped working altogether. Much like my tooth pain, it indicates an underlying cause that could’ve been less expensive if I had caught it sooner.

Chiropractic care plays a very significant role in pain relief and prevention. A study has been conducted that showed more and more patients with neck and back pains have turned to chiropractors to alleviate these health concerns. The reason given is the price. Traditional medical care is more expensive than chiropractic care, especially emergency care. The costs are lower since there is no need to purchase any medical equipment or take prescription drugs. Chiropractic works with your own body’s ability to heal itself. Chiropractic care costs approximately 90% less than the price of an operation, which is also a scary and dangerous alternative. Seaman Chiropractic also offers a free consultation, which will give you an opportunity to sit down with Dr. Seaman and discuss your concerns and symptoms. This will enable us to identify if chiropractic would work for your pain. Give our office a call at 773-545-2233 today.

Like celebrity parents of Suri Cruise, and Apple & Moses Paltrow, many parents are turning to alternative medicine for common childhood ailments. One extremely common issue that we see in our office is recurring ear infections. Ear infections (otitis media) are the most common cause of pediatric visits, and the most common reason for antibiotic use during the first two years of a child’s life. In the U.S., the cost of the medical and surgical treatment of otitis has been estimated to be between three and four billion dollars annually. Beside the cost in dollars, there is also a cost in health.

Antibiotics also compromise the immune system, and kill the good bacteria our body needs as well. The use of antibiotics for treatment of otitis media has become quite controversial, and studies also show little difference between the use of antibiotic and a placebo. It also can increase the risk of reoccurrence.

This is where chiropractic as means of treatment for ear infections comes in. Chiropractors like Dr. Seaman correct misalignments (called subluxations) and allow normal fluid drainage from the middle ear. Chiropractic care is simply the art and science of aligning the spine to take pressure off the nerve and ultimately allow the body to heal itself. So, what happens with the adjustment is that it allows for the ear canals to open up and the ears will drain, preventing any ear infection and amplifying the immune system so that it does not reoccur. With the adjustment, the body can function properly. Do you or your child have recurring ear infections? Give our office a call at 773-545-2233 today, and schedule your free consultation.

It is no surprise that snow, ice and freezing weather can create problems for people. Slips and falls are much more common during this season than any other. Those who like to indulge in winter sports and activities, however, are much more likely to injure themselves, especially if they have not stretched properly.

Here are Dr. Seaman’s tips for minimizing injuries this winter sports’ season:

• Skiing: Perform 10 to 15 squats, legs shoulder width apart, knees aligned over your feet. Lower your buttocks as you bend your knees out over your feet, then push up to standing again. Slowly does it.

• Skating: Several lunges, adopting a moderately advanced step forward with one foot, letting your back knee lower towards the floor. Keep your shoulders positioned over your hips, and repeat with your other foot.

• Tobogganing: Sitting or lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest for 30 seconds several times to guard against compression injuries caused by the shocks of bouncing down bumpy slopes.

• Cooling down is also important during and after winter exercise and sport to restore and maintain flexibility.

After all your outdoor adventures, you might have had your fill of the cold, but applying an ice pack to any sore area will ease the pain. Apply it for 20 minutes every couple of hours and it should help any pain significantly. Any pain, strain or soreness that lingers beyond two days indicates that a visit to Dr. Seaman is in order. Give our office a call at 773-545-2233 today!

When we think of the average human body, we think that it is symmetrical, meaning that if you were draw a line down the middle of your body, the left and right sides would mirror the other. In reality, there is some form of asymmetry- one manifestation is Leg Length Inequality (LLI). This is when one leg is either anatomically or functionally shorter than the other, and is classified as a “normal variant”: something that is so common, it isn’t too abnormal.

Anatomical LLI refers to a leg which is physically shorter than the other due to unequal growth rates, fractures, or deformities. In functional LLI, both legs are identical in length, but it looks shorter due to the hip being raised on one side. A postural imbalance is unbalanced muscle on one side, or flat feet. This imbalance can cause pressure, stress, and pain in your knees, thighs, hips, pelvis, and spine. This can cause obvious pain, limp, or may go unnoticed until an injury results! Many medical researchers have concluded that even a few millimeters of LLI (a quarter of an inch or less) may be a primary or contributing cause of low back or hip problems, and an obvious stress factor in the hips and knees.

Dr. Cynthia Seaman has protocols which can accurately measure the length of your legs and determine whether your condition is anatomical or functional. If you are found to have an LLI condition which is affecting your postural stability, Seaman Chiropractic Center can offer a tailored treatment plan specific to you. This can correct or prevent any additional problems or pain. Depending on the diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Seaman may recommend a lift or custom fit orthotics. She will select the stabilizers best suited for you based on a variety of factors (lifestyle, health, age, weight, sex, etc.) and correct the spinal imbalances. find out if you have a short leg, or to get to the root of your pain, please give our office a call today at 773-545-2233!