This past Friday, I sent an email out to all subscribers of BelvidereChiropractic.com informing them of a Memorial Day Special that we are running until May 25th. If you missed it, then you’re probably not on our free email newsletter list. I encourage you to sign up today.

Besides staying up to date with BelvidereChiropractic.com’s latest free, helpful information, regarding your health and wellness and other special events going on at Belvidere Chiropractic Center you’ll also receive time-sensitive announcements before non-subscribers do.

For example, the email sent on Friday reminded subscribers that Memorial Day is just around the corner. Therefore, we’ve decided to offer A Special Memorial Day Gift of Good Health.

The reason why we are here is to serve others by helping those in need who suffer from conditions such as: back pain, neck pain, frequent headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and many other health problems.

So, since you’re a reader of BelvidereChiropractic.com, too, we’ve decided to reward you for your loyalty as well.

How?

By offering you and your loved ones, a consultation, exam and any necessary x-rays (a $210 value), for only $30! during the week of May 21st through the 25th.

This special offer however, is limited to the first 30 of you who follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Click HERE now to download and print your special certificate.
2. Mention “The Memorial Day Special Post” when you call us at (908)475-2933 during regular office hours to book your appointment during the week of May 21st to the 25th.
3. Bring in your to your special certificate to your scheduled appointment.

This is a first come first serve basis to the first 30 appointments and expires on May 25th so don’t delay! Call Now or you will miss out on this is a great opportunity to find out if Chiropractic care can help you.

And, if you want to save some of your valuable time feel free to download and print our New Patient Forms by clicking HERE now. Then simply fill them out at your own leisure and bring them with you when you come in for your scheduled appointment.

Happy Memorial Day!

Dr. Jon P. Heins, Kimberly, Matthew, and Taylar.

A Special Memorial Day Gift of Good Health is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. A Special Memorial Day Gift of Good Health
2. A Special Valentine’s Day Gift of Good Health
3. A Special Labor Day Gift of Good Health

This is a guest post by: Ella Davidson of coupons and deals website, Coupons.org that has been featured on major news outlet CNBC.

There are few family experiences that match the fun and satisfaction of a perfect hike. Hitting the trail allows families to get out of the TV room and into the great outdoors, and proves that exercise and fun are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Still, one of the secrets to a truly great family hike is proper planning. By taking just a few steps at home, hikers can ensure their time on the trail will be perfect for everyone involved.

Before making any decisions about the location or duration of an outdoor expedition, a few key factors have to be accounted for. First and foremost on the list is evaluating the age, capability and physical prowess of the aspiring hikers. Some families may be ready for a grueling mountain voyage, but for most, and especially those with small children, the optimal hike strikes a more peaceful balance between natural beauty and casual difficulty.

Fortunately, the internet is full of sites devoted to helping individuals and groups locate hikes and trails that are the perfect fit. ThisHikingTrail even catalogs physical characteristics of different hikes, allowing users looking for a particular experience to find the perfect hike for them, be it one with a view of the ocean, waterfalls, or national forests.

Once a location is selected, families looking to hike together should check the 10-day weather forecast for the location they want to hike in. If wet weather is not an issue, the forecast is relatively unimportant, but families looking to stay dry should plan ahead, and also accept that Mother Nature doesn’t always follow the weather report. Early morning is an ideal time to take a hike, as the sun is out, but not at its scorching mid-day peak, and there are fewer cars on the road and hikers on the trail.

The last, and arguably most important, detail to settle on before actually hitting the trail is the issue of clothing. Outdoors enthusiasts will know that while nature may be readily available free of charge, the clothes necessary to optimize the outdoor experience are anything but. Hikers will want clothes in multiple layers that can be peeled off or put on according to the weather and time of day. Hikers will also want to steer clear of cotton as much as possible, as cotton retains moisture, meaning hikers wearing cotton clothing who encounter water will likely stay wet for the duration of their adventure.

There are several good ways to find quality outdoor gear without breaking the bank. One very good option is to buy used; resale shops and thrift stores see a large amount of outdoor clothing and equipment come in, often from owners getting rid of gear they never or rarely used. Yard sales can also be a great place to buy outdoor supplies, and add the additional perk of letting consumers haggle for their gear. Finally, the internet has a plethora of sites offering deals on outdoor equipment. SteepAndCheap.com, for example, posts deals on gear for as long as it takes for the sale items to sell out, allowing customers to frequently save of 50% or more on high-quality gear to outfit any hiking expedition.

Fortunately, the best step of preparing the perfect hike is the final one: once all the hiking gear has been acquired, all the logistics ironed out, and all the sunscreen applied, there is nothing left to do but actually get into the great outdoors and hike. With most endeavors, the more care is put into the preparation, the better the final product will be, and preparing for a hike is no different. With a little luck and planning, a family can take to the trail for a wonderful group experience.

Hike It! Family Fun in the Great Outdoors is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. Thinking about making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and to exercise more ? – 12 Great Tips to Help You Get Started – January is Family Fit Lifestyle Month (Part 1 of 4)
2. 4 Tips to Help You and Your Entire Family Stimulate Your Minds- January is Family Fit Lifestyle Month (Part 4 of 4)
3. 12 Tips to Help You Promote Healthy Eating for Your Entire Family- January is Family Fit Lifestyle Month (Part 3 of 4)

For those of us living in the Northwest New Jersey and Northeast Pennsylvania areas it’s time to stretch our legs, get out into the sunshine, and enjoy this beautiful spring time weather.

It is also very important to know that, May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Lyme Disease is approaching epidemic proportions, increasing rapidly every year and now reported in every state as well as in Canada.

Here are some other things you should know about Lyme Disease:

As you can see on the CDC map I’ve included below that New Jersey and Pennsylvania are some of the most Lyme endemic states in the country and that New Jerseyans and Pennsylvanians are at significant risk for exposure to Lyme Disease according to CDC reporting statistics.

However, Lyme Disease is difficult to diagnose and is often misdiagnosed as other conditions which means the actual incidence of infection is much higher than reported by the CDC.

The entire New England area is one of the most dangerous areas of the country to contract Lyme disease, and that according the Center for Disease Control’s Lyme disease statistics for 2007, the states with the highest reported incidents of Lyme disease cases per 100,000 population (in order from the highest) are as follows:

1. Connecticut
2. Delaware
3. New Hampshire
4. Massachusetts
5. Maryland
6. Maine
7. New Jersey
8. Wisconsin
9. Pennsylvania
10. Minnesota

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a type of bacterium called a spirochete (spy-ro-keet) that is carried by deer ticks. An infected tick can transmit the spirochete to the humans and animals it bites. Untreated, the bacteria travels through the bloodstream, establishes itself in various tissues, and can cause a number of symptoms, some of which are severe.

Lyme disease manifests itself as a multi-system inflammatory disease that affects the skin in its early stage and spreads to the joints, nervous system and, to a lesser extent, other organ systems in its later stages. If diagnosed and treated early with antibiotics, Lyme disease is almost always readily cured. Generally, Lyme disease in its later stages can also be treated effectively, but because the rate of disease progression and individual response to treatment varies from one person to the next, some who become infected can have symptoms that linger for months or even years even after following treatment. In rare instances, Lyme disease causes permanent damage.

The first symptom is usually an expanding rash (called erythema migrans, or EM, in medical terms) which is thought to occur in 80% to 90% of all Lyme disease cases.

An EM rash generally has the following characteristics:

• Usually (but not always) radiates from the site of the tick bite
• Appears either as a solid red expanding rash or blotch, OR a central spot surrounded by clear skin that is in turn ringed by an expanding red rash (looks like a bull’s-eye)
• Appears an average of 1 to 2 weeks (range = 3 to 30 days) after disease transmission
• Has an average diameter of 5 to 6 inches (range = 2 inches to 2 feet)
• Persists for about 3 to 5 weeks
• May or may not be warm to the touch
• Is usually not painful or itchy

Ticks will attach anywhere on the body, but prefer body creases such as the armpit, groin, back of the knee, and nape of the neck; rashes will therefore often appear in (but are not restricted to) these areas. Please note that multiple rashes may, in some cases, appear elsewhere on the body some time after the initial rash, or, in a few cases, in the absence of an initial rash.

Around the time the rash appears, other symptoms such as joint pains, chills, fever, and fatigue are common, but they may not seem serious enough to require medical attention. These symptoms may be brief, only to recur as a broader spectrum of symptoms as the disease progresses.

As the Lyme disease spirochete continues spreading through the body, a number of other symptoms including severe fatigue, a stiff, aching neck, and peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement such as tingling or numbness in the extremities or facial palsy (paralysis) can occur.

The more severe, potentially debilitating symptoms of later-stage Lyme disease may occur weeks, months, or, in a few cases, years after a tick bite. These can include severe headaches, painful arthritis and swelling of joints, cardiac abnormalities, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement leading to cognitive (mental) disorders.

The following is a checklist of common symptoms seen in various stages of Lyme disease:

Localized Early (Acute) Stage:

• Solid red or bull’s-eye rash, usually at site of bite
• Swelling of lymph glands near tick bite
• Generalized acheness
• Headache

Early Disseminated Stage:

• Two or more rashes not at site of bite
• Migrating pains in joints/tendons
• Headache
• Stiff, aching neck
• Facial palsy (facial paralysis similar to Bell’s palsy)
• Tingling or numbness in extremities
• Multiple enlarged lymph glands
• Abnormal pulse
• Sore throat
• Changes in vision
• Fever of 100° to 102° F
• Severe fatigue

Late Stage:

• Arthritis (pain/swelling) of one or two large joints
• Disabling neurological disorders (disorientation; confusion; dizziness; short-term memory loss; inability to concentrate, finish sentences or follow conversations; mental “fog”)
• Numbness in arms/hands or legs/feet

Treatment:

Early treatment of Lyme disease (within the first few weeks after initial infection) is straightforward and almost always results in a full cure. Treatment begun after the first three weeks will also likely provide a cure, but the cure rate decreases the longer treatment is delayed.

If you or someone you know is suffering from Lyme Disease especially if you or they are not responding to conventional antibiotic treatment please consider chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care removes mechanical stress and interference to your nervous system by detecting and correcting spinal mis-alignments called subluxations that puts pressure on your nerves. Removing this stress and pressure allows your body to function at it’s optimal state. This boosts your immune system’s functioning which can ease the symptoms associated with Lyme disease and can help you recover quicker.

As always, I welcome any of your thoughts and would be glad to help answer any of your further questions you may have.

So, if you’d like to, just leave a comment below or if you’d rather prefer it feel free to contact me through the site’s contact page.

And so you don’t miss any future posts, just subscribe to the e-mail updates HERE. Or you can subscribe to the RSS feed HERE (See: What’s This?)

You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+, or YouTube.

What Are the Symptoms and Treatment for Lyme Disease? is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. What Are the Symptoms of Cancer?
2. What are the Treatment Options for Scoliosis ? – National Scoliosis Awareness Month (Part 4 of 4)
3. What are the Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention for TMJ ? – National TMJ Awareness Month (part 2 of 3)

April is Stress Awareness Month. During the month health care professionals across the country join forces to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

Sponsored by the Health Resource Network (HRN), a Non-Profit Health Education Organization, Stress Awareness Month is a national, cooperative effort to inform you about the dangers of stress, successful coping strategies, and harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society.

Our world is becoming increasingly complex, our jobs are more complex as the business world has become more competitive, and the demands on our time and attention are increasing, sound, air, and water pollution have all worsened over the last century, and because of the internet and social media, we are now also aware of troubles and tragedies around the world that previous generations would never have known about, creating anxiety. Taken together, these assaults on your senses create a physical and emotional reaction and the word for this overwhelming feeling is called stress.

As a public service to the people who live and work in and around the Belvidere, New Jersey area and the surrounding communities, I give helpful and informative health lectures on various topics such as: over all health and wellness, ergonomics , and specific health conditions that can often be helped with chiropractic care.

One I do quite often is: How to Reduce Stress and add Quality and Years to Your Life. Since stress is caused by common events and we all experience it, I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s an important personal problem for everyone. So, I went ahead and made it into a short video presentation which you can watch now simply by clicking on the video below.

What you can expect to get out of watching this video presentation is:

• What exactly stress is and what the most common events that cause stress are.
• What the daily effects of stress on your body are and how stress effect your overall health.
• A simple and easy solution you can do right now to reduce your stress and increase your body’s ability to handle everything from breathing to white blood cell production.

And as a special bonus just for watching this very informative video at the end I make available to any of you who are serious about their health and incredibly valuable offer.

Again if you’re serious about your health check out the incredibly valuable offer I mentioned in the video.

As always, I welcome any of your thoughts and would be glad to help answer any of your further questions you may have.

So, if you’d like to, just leave a comment below or if you’d rather prefer it feel free to contact me through the site’s contact page.

And so you don’t miss any future posts, just subscribe to the e-mail updates HERE. Or you can subscribe to the RSS feed HERE (See: What’s This?)
You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, or YouTube.

How to Reduce Stress and add Quality and Years to Your Life is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. What Can You Do to Reduce Your Stress ? – National Stress Awareness Month (part 3 of 4)
2. What Can Chiropractic Care Do to Help You Reduce Your Stress ? – National Stress Awareness Month (part 4 of 4)
3. What is Stress? – National Stress Awareness Month (part 1 of 4)

If you happened to have missed the last two weeks of posts of this series, in part one I mentioned that March 12th to the 18th is National Sleep Awareness Week and in it I discussed: Why sleep is so vital to your good health and well being. In the second part, I discussed: How much sleep you really need to stay healthy and in this the final third part, I am going to tell you: What you can do to begin a path towards better sleep and a healthier lifestyle.

I hope you find this post series of information useful and welcome any of your thoughts. So, once you’ve finished reading this post, please feel free to leave your comments below.

What Can You Do To Begin a Path Towards Better Sleep and a Healthier Lifestyle?

Start by assessing the following individual needs and habits:

• How do you respond to different amounts of sleep?
• Pay attention to your mood, energy and health after a bad night’s sleep opposed to a good one.
• How often do you get a good night’s sleep? If your answer is “Not often”, then you may need to consider changing your sleep habits. When you begin this process, you may realize that often you are not getting what you would call a “Good night’s sleep.”

To begin your path for a better night’s sleep, follow these tips:

• Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules, even on weekends!
• Create a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot relaxing bath or listening to soothing music. Begin an hour or more before the time you expect to fall asleep.
• Create a sleep-conductive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
• Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillow.
• Use your bedroom only for sleep. Avoid watching TV, using a computer, using your cell phone, or reading in bed.
• Finish eating at least 2 to 3 hours before your regular bedtime.
• Exercise regularly during the day or at least 3 hours before your bedtime.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime.
• Most importantly, make sleep a priority, schedule sleep like any other daily activity. Don’t make it the thing you do only after everything else is done. Stop doing other things so you get the sleep you need.

After you make a commitment to getting the sleep you need you can expect to enjoy the following things toward beginning a path towards better sleep and a happier healthier lifestyle:

• Being more productive.
• Being less irritable.
• Being less excitable and less stressed.

Since, how well you sleep is inherently linked with how much you eat, how much you exercise, and how you function on a daily basis. The proper amount of sleep will help you get on the road to better physical fitness, healthier eating, and a happier healthier lifestyle.

How can chiropractic care help you get a better night sleep?

If you’re unfortunately one of the 40% to 60% of the general population who happens to have trouble sleeping and you are experiencing pain and discomfort at night and have difficulty falling asleep, a visit to your local family doctor of chiropractic may help. Your local family doctor of chiropractic is trained to treat spinal problems that commonly interfere with a restful night’s sleep, we also offer individually ergonomic advice that can help you improve the quality of your sleep. As wellness experts, doctors of chiropractic provide you with a different approach to your sleeping problems, without the use of potentially dangerous sleeping aids, which are commonly known to cause strange dreams, sleep walking, leaves you in a mental fog the next morning, and can cause many other undesirable and harmful side-effects especially with their prolonged use.

Again, I hope you found this post series useful and welcome any of your thoughts on this subject. So, if you like to, feel free to leave a comment below.

And If you don’t want to miss any future posts, just subscribe to the email updates HERE or the RSS feed HERE (See: What’s This?).

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+, or YouTube.

What Can You Do To Begin a Path Towards Better Sleep and a Healthier Lifestyle?– National Sleep Awareness Week Part 3 of 3 is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. How Much Sleep Do You Really Need to Stay Healthy?– National Sleep Awareness Week Part 2 of 3
2. Why is Sleep so Vital to Your Good Health and Well Being? – National Sleep Awareness Week Part 1 of 3
3. Do You Have Trouble Sleeping ? – National Sleep Awareness Week

In last week’s post of part one this series, I mentioned that March 12th to the 18th is National Sleep Awareness Week and in it I discussed: Why sleep is so vital to your good health and well being. In this second part, I will discusses: How much sleep you really need to stay healthy and in the final third part, which will be posted sometime next week, I will tell you What you can do to begin a path towards better sleep and a healthier lifestyle.

If you don’t want to miss this post series just subscribe to the Email Updates HERE. Or you can subscribe to the RSS feed HERE (See: What’s This?)

I hope you find this post series of information useful and welcome any of your thoughts. So, once you’ve finished reading this post, please feel free to leave your comments below.

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need to Stay Healthy?

Unfortunately, there is no “magic number” for everybody. Not only do different age groups need different amounts of sleep, but sleep needs are also individualized. Just like any of the traits you are born with, the amount of sleep you need to function best may be different for you than for someone who is of the same age and sex. While you may be at your best sleeping seven hours a night, someone else may need nine hours to have a happy, healthy, productive life.

The table I’ve included below, however, can be a used as a guide to help you get started with figuring out about how much sleep you need based on your age:

Try starting in the middle of your age group and pay attention to your own individual needs by assessing the following:

• How you feel on different amounts of sleep.
• Are you productive, healthy and happy?
• Do you have health issues?
• Are you experiencing sleep problems?
• Do you depend on caffeine to get you through the day?
• Do you feel sleepy when driving?

These are questions that should be asked before you can find the number that works best for you.

Be sure to check back for next week’s final post in this series and find out: What you can do to begin a path towards better sleep and a healthier lifestyle. . . . or simply subscribe to the RSS Feed HERE or to the Email Updates HERE..

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+, or YouTube.

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need to Stay Healthy?– National Sleep Awareness Week Part 2 of 3 is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. Why is Sleep so Vital to Your Good Health and Well Being? – National Sleep Awareness Week Part 1 of 3
2. Do You Have Trouble Sleeping ? – National Sleep Awareness Week
3. How Does Stress Affect Your Health ? – National Stress Awareness Month (part 2 of 4)

Do you have troubles sleeping? Well you’re not alone! Surveys have shown that between 40% to 60% of the general population has trouble sleeping. Daily stress and worries, pressures from your job and family, body aches and pains caused by uncomfortable beds or pillows, and many other issues can be keeping you from getting enough quality sleep.

Since March 12th to the 18th is National Sleep Awareness Week this is a great time to post this series. This will be a 3 part post series: In this first part, I will discuss: Why sleep is so vital to your good health and well being. The second part, which will be posted sometime next week, I will discusses: How much sleep you really need to stay healthy. In the final third part, which will be posted the week after that, I will tell you What you can do to begin a path towards better sleep and a healthier lifestyle.

If you don’t want to miss this post series just subscribe to the Email Updates HERE. Or you can subscribe to the RSS feed HERE (See: What’s This?)

I hope you find this post series of information useful and welcome any of your thoughts. So, once you’ve finished reading this post, please feel free to leave your comments below.

Why is sleep so vital to your good health and well being? and Why is a lack of it such a serious matter?

Dr. Frederick R. Carrick, DC, PhD, President of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Neurology says it best:

Sleep is one of the most important functions of the brain. Through it, our bodies recharge and renew for the next day’s challenges. Sleep regulates your mood, is related to learning and memory, and is a key factor in your health, weight, and energy level.

Not only can not sleeping enough slow up your productivity and ability to remember information, lack of sleep can also lead to serious health consequences and endanger your safety and the safety of those around you. Since lack of sleep is commonly known to be associated with:

• Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.
• Increase in appetite resulting in an unhealthy weight gain.
• Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems.
• Increased risk of depression and substance abuse.

As you can clearly see, not only is sleep vital to your good health and that a lack of it is a serious matter. Not sleeping enough slows up your productivity and your ability to remember information, lack of sleep also leads to serious health consequences, endangers your safety, and the safety of all of those around you.

So if you’re unfortunately one of the 40% to 60% of the general population who happens to have trouble sleeping, be sure to check back in the next few weeks for the rest of the posts in this series and find out: How much sleep you really need to stay healthy. and What you can do to begin a path towards better sleep and a healthier lifestyle . . . or simply subscribe to the RSS Feed HERE or to the Email Updates HERE..

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+, or YouTube.

Why is Sleep so Vital to Your Good Health and Well Being? – National Sleep Awareness Week Part 1 of 3 is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. Do You Have Trouble Sleeping ? – National Sleep Awareness Week
2. How Does Stress Affect Your Health ? – National Stress Awareness Month (part 2 of 4)
3. What are the Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention for TMJ ? – National TMJ Awareness Month (part 2 of 3)

After all the delays in construction causing a postponement to our original estimated move in date back in December…

We are happy to finally report that all the necessary renovations have been completed and we are scheduled to have our x-ray unit disassembled, moved, reassembled, and re-calibrated Thursday and then have all our equipment and supplies packed up, moved, and set back up over this coming weekend and will be ready to serve you and your family at our new location:

1 Brookfield Glen Drive, Suite B, Belvidere, NJ 07823.

Monday, March 5th, 2012.

We Are Moving Final Update is a post from: Dr. Jon P. Heins D.C. of Belvidere Chiropractic Center which is protected by a Creative Commons License

Related posts:

1. We Are Moving Update
2. We Are Moving Updated
3. We Are Moving