Updates on the building, our protocols and the Parent Trip.

Hello,

We hope you each have continued to stay healthy and are well. 

The building-

We have some happy news to share. Thanks to the local neighborhood association, the new owners of the building have withdrawn their permit for demolition of the building. At this time the plan to demolish the building and trees is being reconsidered. We are very happy with this news, though the final fate of the building is still unknown. Jade Chiropractic will continue to practice at this location at least through August of 2021

Protocols-

We take the health of each patient very seriously. Since reopening in late spring, we hope the precautions we have implemented have made you feel safe. With recent Governor orders and recommendations in Washington and Oregon, we have been taking precautions seriously. We have a range of patients which includes babies, young kids and some of those who are in higher risk categories. We have considered all these factors and are updating protocols in the hopes to stay open throughout the winter. Starting Monday 11/30, we will have additional pre-appointment screening questions to keep up with the new research on the transmission of COVID-19. Additionally, we have changed to a phone call intake to reduce face to face time in the office. All this information will be in our pre appointment email, which we will send out the evening before your appointment. Please review in advance of your appointment.

The Parent Trip-

We are so excited about the upcoming The Parent Trip PDX event on Dec 5th & 6th. This virtual event is FREE (yes FREE) for expecting parents and families of young children to come and “meet” local practitioners in a low-stakes atmosphere. Dr. Molly is presenting on 12/5.,talking about infant craniosacral therapy. Make sure you register!

Please contact us with any questions. We wish you all health, happiness, and tranquility during this difficult time.

Dr. Adam Bramble and Dr. Molly Ouellette

Why Might a Baby need chiropractic?

Why might a baby need chiropractic?

Many people would think that a baby would not need to have any chiropractic work done as they are not old enough to have accumulated problems. There are many reasons that a baby might need chiropractic or other body work. Pediatric chiropractic has a goal of finding and helping to relieve restrictions in a baby’s joints or undue stress from their muscles and to promote proper neurodynamics required for a baby to thrive. 

Here are a few of the reasons one might take a baby to the chiropractor.

Birth – Though the birth process is a natural one it can be tiring and difficult for both the parent and child. Contractions may place up to 40 pounds of pressure on the baby during labor. Babies do their best to get their little bodies in the correct position, however, their heads can be tipped or shoulders may be turned. When the baby is out of position, this pressure can tense the joints of a baby’s head, neck, back or shoulders. Even babies that are born via cesarean may have been stuck in the pelvis or suffered from extra pressure as they were delivered. For some babies they may have had to exert themselves more than their little body was ready for. Some babies are unable to heal the effects of this force on their own. Pediatric chiropractic treatment is focused on helping the new little being to achieve a balance of the muscles, joints, and nerves to allow them to focus on growing and learning.

Breastfeeding Struggles – Through breastfeeding is the natural way for a baby to eat, some babies have difficulty latching, developing or maintaining suction, or using their tongue to help express the milk. This may be due to muscular, fascial, or joint dysfunction that accumulated over time. Or it may be due to joints or muscles that were aggravated by birth. Problems present either with the breast feeding parent (pain, nipple damage, difference in feeding from side to side), or with the baby (reflux symptoms,, fussiness, quivering jaw, clicking at the breast, poor weight gain).  A pediatric chiropractor will be able to help to figure out the cause, or causes of the problem. Often there is tension in the baby’s jaw and tongue as compensation for the proper biomechanics. Dr. Ouellette uses craniosacral therapy and gentle mobilizations to improve these biomechanics. 

Sometimes the baby may have what is referred to as a tongue tie. Proper breastfeeding requires that the back of the baby’s tongue be able to elevate and create a vacuum to express the milk from the nipple, a tongue tie makes this movement difficult. Dr. Ouellette has been trained to help evaluate if a baby should be evaluated by a lactation consultant and also at times an EENT physician.

Asymmetry- Prepare for digital storage of thousands of photos and videos! When flipping back through the digital memories, sometimes a trend of always looking to one side will become apparent. If the preference is strong, it may lead to flattening of the head called plagiocephaly. Chiropractic care to restore motion and decrease soft tissue tension is an excellent way to address these issues. Babies also can present asymmetry when they start locomoting! Maybe they only roll to the right, or crawl with the left knee on the floor and the right leg up with the foot on the floor. These often point to a restriction in the hips, pelvic, or shoulders that can be addressed using gentle pediatric chiropractic care. 

Corona Virus

After much thought we have decided to cease normal operations at Jade Chiropractic for at least two weeks.

Using Governor Brown’s most recent guidelines we are closing Jade Chiropractic for normal business for the next two weeks. We are hoping to do our part to decrease the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

We are hoping to return to work on March 31st, but this will depend on the recommendations from the government at that time.

When we return to work we will offer additional hours, including weekends, to accommodate our patients for this disruption to care.

To do our part to help decrease the strain on the healthcare system, please email or call with any new injuries or issues that are not related to the cold/flu/corona virus. We will try our best to triage over the phone and to make ourselves available to help our community as we are able on a case by case basis.

Though we will be periodically checking the voicemail, email would be the quickest way to contact us, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Please keep you and those you love safe. We again urge you to stay up to date on the most recent news regarding this difficult time. Information should come for the most reputable sources. Here are a few recommendations for you to reference for local, state, national, and international information.
Multnomah County
Oregon Health Authority
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization

Thank you for your understanding.
In Health
Dr. Adam Bramble and Dr. Molly Ouellette
Chiropractic Physicians

Fall Newsletter

 

Soren made a grand entrance and has been a sweet little bug since then. Other than the dreaded car seat, he is a pretty happy little guy.

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Sloane is a very proud big sister. She got to see Soren minutes after he was born and was excited to tell her cousins she saw her baby brother’s feet and hands. The next morning, she asked if we would keep him and we said yes, we’ll keep him for a long time.

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Dr. Molly is making a quick recovery. She is back at pilates and getting back her strength to return to treating patients in January.

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Dr. Adam is gracefully juggling a full patient load and caring for his family.

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We are settling into life as a family of 4.

With love,

Drs Molly and Adam, with Sloane and Soren

Sleep

We all know that a good night sleep does wonders for our health, but sleep can be elusive at times when we need it most. There are many times when we might need sleep, such as before an event like a triathlon or a big test. Others may find that they miss out on a few minutes every night, leading to overall sleep deprivation.

Picture fromhttp://konniehill.blogspot.com/2011/04/sleep.html

I have complied a few tips for these common sleep ailments.

Pre-event sleep problems

Getting sleep is very important before any competition. Sometimes nerves can affect your sleep, I like to refer to this as the Christmas morning effect. You are so excited about getting up in the morning, it is hard to fall asleep. One of the biggest things to remember before a big event is to get plenty of sleep the night BEFORE the the night before the event, as strange as it sounds. This will lessen the effects of poor sleep the night before your event and ensure you have stores of energy. Another tip is to eat something that is easy to digest for dinner, a bowl of pasta  and vegetables with turkey cutlets would be just about perfect. Avoid caffeinated drinks after noon. Another important tip is not to try to force it, sleep is a passive act most of the time and ‘trying’ to sleep often fails, so relax and let it happen. If you have the resources, why not get a massage or see an acupuncturist to help you to calm down before your big day.

Sleep Deprivation problems

Long term lack of sleep is a big problem, and affects many aspects of day to day life. Aside from the well known mood alterations, lack of sleep can contribute to poor healing, increase the likelihood of illness, and may play a role in depression. Your brain literally doesn’t function the same when you have sleep deprivation. Here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

– Pay attention to your sleep position. According to Mercola, The ideal position for sleep is on your back without a pillow or a very thin pillow. If you have pain in the neck or back in this position why not see your chiropractor to help solve this problem so that you can get to sleep.

– Avoid consuming alcohol. There is a common myth that alcohol will help you sleep, and while it may help you to fall asleep, studies have shown that it actually it may cause you to wake more often and earlier than if you didn’t drink.

– Pay attention to your light exposure. Many people sleep better in the dark, however there have been studies that show that increasing your exposure to sunlight during the day can intensify the affect of the dark in the evening. So take a walk during lunch and get some sun on your body.

– Use some natural supplements. Two natural substances have been well documented to help the efficacy of sleep, L-Tryptophan and Valerian. Both of these have been shown to help people fall and stay asleep, without the side-effects of prescription sleep medications. Remember when using natural supplements, the effects will take a while to show themselves. For example Valerian root may take a few weeks to really show it’s effectiveness.

– Stick to a sleep schedule. Varying the time you go to bed and rise from day to day may actually confuse your body. If you want to try to get more sleep on the weekend try napping in the mid-morning instead of sleeping in and it will play less havoc with your body’s daily rhythms.

– Know when to seek help. This is important in any health problem, because not paying attention to your symptoms and avoiding professional help may actually make your problem worse. If you have tried many of the previous suggestions and nothing seems to help you should strongly consider seeing a sleep specialist. Especially if you have the following symptoms:

  • Persistent daytime sleepiness or fatigue
  • Loud snoring accompanied by pauses in breathing
  • Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
  • Unrefreshing sleep
  • Frequent morning headaches
  • Crawling sensations in your legs or arms at night
  • Inability to move while falling asleep or waking up
  • Physically acting out dreams during sleep
  • Falling asleep at inappropriate times 

As always these suggestions are not comprehensive and should be discussed with your doctor.

End of Summer

As our hot summer ends, everyone needs to be sure not to push themselves too much. Often chiropractors will see patients who are trying to squeeze the most that they can out of the summer, and tested their limits.

When on an end of the season hike or run, especially on a hot day, when the body is tired you may have end up with a sprained ankle.

Inversion sprains, what most people refer to when they say they have rolled their ankle, are the most common forms of leg injury, and account for up to 85% of ankle sprains. The injury occurs when the one lands with the toes pointed down and slightly toward the bodies midline. This position ‘unlocks’ the joint, which means the joint is in position to injure ligaments, blood vessels, muscles and cause a lot of pain. Below is a picture that many of us are all too familiar with.

 
image from americaspodiatrist.com

Because ankle sprains are so common, many people do not seek professional evaluation of their injury. This can lead to a lifetime of ankle problems. A good rule of thumb with any ankle sprain is to play it safe and see a healthcare provider who is trained in the joints, especially if you have difficulty taking 4 steps with the injured foot. The reason for this is that, even though many ankle sprains just stretch the ligaments, more severe sprains tear or even rupture them. Untreated torn and ruptured ligaments lead to future pain and injury.  Luckily, most healthcare professionals are well trained at how to deal with the pain and swelling involved with any sprain. However a good doctor will also address rehabilitation of your ankle after the pain is gone (discussed after treatment). Some of the best joint specialists are chiropractors, as they spend over 4000 hours in school addressing the science behind proper joint motion.

So I sprained my ankle, what now?

One of the most effective treatment routes for an inversion sprain is the adage P.R.I.C.E. What many people don’t realize is that swelling can cause damage to an injured area. Swelling stretches the tissues, prevents proper blood flow to the area and worst of all prevents or delays healing. Following the P.R.I.C.E guidelines will aid in recovery. Using the following before seeing a joint specialist will improve the healing process as well.

P- Protect – prevent  further damage. – Stop using the injured area use padding, protection, splints or crutches to take the weight off your ankle injury.

R- Rest – Allow an injury time to heal.Being brave and using an injured ankle is not wise.

I – Ice – apply ice or ice pack to the injury (a pack of frozen peas will also work). – This will reduce pain and inflammation. Ice can induce hypothermia or a cold burn so wrap the ice in a cloth. Ice should be applied for ONLY 20 minutes with 60 minutes between applications, as ice can damage your body, even resulting in paralysis, if used improperly.

C- Compressioncompress the swollen area with an Ace wrap.This will help to reduce the swelling. IMPORTANT–>If you feel any increase in pain, numbness, tingling, swelling or coolness below the wrap, you have wrapped it too tightly. Remove and re-wrap with less tension.

E- Elevate – elevate the injury above the level of your heart.This will help to draw the fluid from the ankle and decrease swelling and pain.

After the extent of your injury has been determined and dealt with  what comes next? Is P.R.I.C.E enough to achieve a full recovery?

The fact of the matter is that even if the pain is gone, the tissues of a sprained ankle are weakened and more prone to re-sprain. So how does good doctor handle this?

Simple, your doctor may adjust the foot to help restore neurological input to the healing tissues. They may use deep tissue techniques like cross-fiber friction, Gua sha or Graston to insure that the fibers of the healing tissues align in the appropriate directions. However, one of the most important things your doctor may do is to give you strengthening and proprioceptive exercises. Strengthening will help your muscles to prevent future injury and preconception, the ability to know where body parts are in space, will help you to prevent injury by avoiding ankle positions that make injury likely.  These exercises will work with the adjustments and deep tissue techniques to ensure that you don’t go through another sprained ankle.

An example of an ankle rehabilitation exercise.

Also a good doctor will look at your knees and low back to see if they were injured when you sprained your ankle. These areas should also be screened during rehabilitation of your ankle, in case limping has caused any problems in the joints in these key biomechanic areas.

Further questions? Set up an appointment. Or find your local chiropractor, physical therapist, or other healthcare practitioner…

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None of the above should be taken as advice for or against treatment This post is only to supply you with information for edification and to discuss with your doctor

Summer weather

With summer weather comes outdoor activity. We are all excited to finally enjoy time out in the sunshine and many of us start to push ourselves to do more and more. But as we get back into the summer routine, we need to be careful to avoid injuries.

One common summer injury is a sunburn. I think most of us have had a burn at one time or another, but research has shown that we may be more at risk for skin problems with each burn. To help prevent future problems with our skin it is important to pay attention to how much time you are under the sun, to cover up when you can and to protect ourselves. We can save ourselves a little by staying out of the sun during the times when the rays are the strongest, usually noon to three. Or we can make sure that we don’t stay under the sun for too long at at time. Also either getting into shade or wearing protective clothing to shield from the UV rays is always a smart idea. Finally we can use sunscreen to help prevent the damage to our skin, when direct exposure is unavoidable like time spent at the pool or at the beach. We should all be aware that even when the temperature isn’t topping the charts the sun’s rays can still be dangerous, so protect yourself when there is a cool breeze.

With high temperatures and nice weather it is easy to forget that drinking water is important. We should all try to stay hydrated, and we should pay attention to  the younger members of our families. Many times children get caught up playing and forget to drink water, so we adults have to pay extra attention to them. If it is hot out and you are thirsty, listen to your body and drink a little extra water.

Introduction

Hello!

I am excited to start blogging about health, wellness, and chiropractic. I am know short blogs will be more fun and creative for me than 15 pages comparative essays from English literature days.

Let’s start with a healthy tip for the day: Try a new leafy green. They are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Even as winter approaches, there are many fresh vegetables still available. One winter green I recommend is kale as it can be prepared in many ways. It is a good addition to soups, casseroles, and curries. Here is a link with more information about leaf greens.

A simple preparation is one of my favorite recipes.

Enjoy!

In health,
Dr. Molly

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.   My thanks go to my family, friends, patients, health, and clinic.  I appreciate everyday that I get to exercise my mind and body.  I am grateful for time with my niece and good food on my plate.

I hope everyone finds the a moment to reflect on life’s blessings.

In health,

Dr. Molly

Headaches


Do you find yourself reaching for pain killers multiple times a week for a nagging headache?  Do you take medications to prevent a headache you know will come?
It is not normal to live with these symptoms!  Not only are there risks associated with the daily intake of pain medication, but the quality of your life is being affected.  There is more that can be done to look at the root cause of a headache and help prevent them.  Some common causes are tension in the muscles of your neck and shoulders, food triggers, dehydration, ergonomics, and jaw problems.

As a chiropractor, I treat many of the causes of headaches and individualize treatment for each patient.  I look at posture, range of motion, structures of the head and neck, along with lifestyle, diet, and exercise patterns.  Treatment is non invasive and gentle.

The American Chiropractic Association has a great article with more information about headaches and chiropractic.
http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2186

Image from healthlob.com