This cam up three times in the past week so I thought I would repost the blog I wrote on this a few years back...

Men often carry their wallets in their back pockets.  While this is no problem when you are standing or walking around, when you sit down it is like sitting on an uneven step, and if you are diving or sitting for hours it is a recipe for lower back discomfort.

I once had a truck driver who came to me for relief from his chronic lower back pain.  When taking his history I discovered he had driven with his wallet in his back pocket for 35 years and on x-raying his back, his entire spine had shifted and twisted to accommodate this – you could even hold up his wallet in the space it had created under his right hip and it fit perfectly!

So -  if you must carry your wallet in your back pocket, take it out when you sit down.  Or better yet, put in your front pocket instead. 

The link between chronic pain, especially neck pain and lower back pain is well established. Today I wanted to site an older article, 2007, which looked at these disorders across 17 different countries in the world.

The artilcle, titled: Mental disorders among persons with chronic back or neck pain: results from the world mental health surveys, reports cross-national data concerning back or neck pain comorbidity with mental disorders.

The study found a strong association between sufferers of chronic back or neck pain and mood related or anxiety related mental health disorders. The association of mental disorders with back/neck pain showed a consistent pattern across both developed and developing countries.

For the full article, follow the link below:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304395907000462#!

What has this got to do with chiropractic? Chiropractors are experts in the management of back and neck pain.  So if you suffer chronic pain, and also anxiety or depression, give us a call at Point Clare Chiropractic.  If we can help manage your pain, it may help you manage your mental health condition as well.

Mental health is a vastly growing concern of the modern age, with depression and anxiety spiralling out of control.  There have been well established links between physical activity and mental health but now there is a large study supporting the benefits of a plant based diet and mental health.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of York, monitored the dietary habits of more than 40,000 citizens in the U.K. from 2009 to 2017.

The results of the study revealed a positive connection between the consumption of plant-based foods and mental well-being. Participants who ate large quantities of fruit and vegetables reported greater satisfaction with life.

The second point to take from the study is that frequency matters: increasing the frequency of vegetable consumption from never to four to six days a week can give a person the same increase in life satisfaction as being married.

For more about this study follow the link below:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190205144450.htm

While this study highlights the benefits of diet on mental health, there is also an established link between, chronic pain, especially back pain and neck pain, and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.  More about this in my next blog, but if you do suffer with depression and or anxiety and also spinal pain, give us a call at Point Clare Chiropractic. If we can relieve your pain it might help you deal with your other issues.