Videos

You may remember from your childhood that one relative who was always harping on your posture. Maybe this felt like nagging, but it turns out there is some foundational health benefits related to your posture.

Previous studies have divided people into categories based on posture, and what they found was that the worse posture an individual exhibited, the more their health was compromised. Their vitality and overall experience in life was lessened due to a loss in posture over time.

However, posture isn’t as simple as it might seem.

A lot of people experience discomfort when they sit up tall and exhibit “proper posture.” This is your body talking to you.

Your body will naturally compensate to avoid pain. You may also notice that your posture worsens whenever you are especially engaged with something, like this video.

So, are posture bras a viable strategy?

Well, it’s important to remember that bracing has a short window of appropriate use. For example, during heavy lifting, a back brace is one option that could help for that one-time use. However, if heavy lifting is a daily activity, you’d be better off training. The more you use the back brace, the more you become dependent on it. Your body will actually stop making muscles in those areas.

This is similar to a posture corrective device. The more you wear it, the more you’re going to rely on it because your body stops maintaining muscle in the area being supported.

Instead, address the reason your posture is compensated. Create strategies in your home or work life to prevent you from being too long in a compromising position.

Otherwise, you may experience some less-than-desirable side effects.

Watch the video above to see Dr. Amanda walk through a real life x-ray example of how poor posture can lead to strange side effects like extra bone growth.

Dr Amanda discusses a topic that is important regarding health that people don’t often think about, “suck it in underwear”. It is a weird topic but there are many products like this on the market. They are clothing modifications that specifically suck or push your body in. As fabric technology advances these products have become more underwear like. But unlike underwear, when worn regularly, it behaves like a back brace. We need to be cautious because our bodies know when to do work and when they shouldn’t, based on what is going on around us. If you were to wear a back brace every day, your back would become weaker because the body wouldn’t think to strengthen those muscles because the work is already being done for it.

At home there are many things you can do as well. In this video I share some tips that can help you enjoy the season.

Many patients have asked Dr. Amanda how she makes time in her busy schedule to get her hair so perfectly styled. In this video, Dr. Amanda shows you the secret to her “30-second hair.” This style is perfect for people who have trouble finding enough time in their busy schedules to make sure their hair stays in place all day long.

Dr. Amanda talks about sugar, how much we consume, and what affect it has on our body. She reveals just how much sugar is in soda and suggests a few good ways to replace sugar in our diet. She also reminds us that our bodies adapt to what we give it, so if we always eat sweetened things, we will crave more and more things that have been sweetened. Our bodies are not built to have daily large servings of sugar, and too much of it can cause many problems such as weight gain and diabetes.

Dr. Amanda takes time to explain the bones and joints in our spines and how the spine has a huge impact on the health of our bodies. She shows us every part of the spine and the body parts that interact directly with it. Dr. Amanda says that “every single nerve in your body goes through your spine before it goes anywhere else.” This means that if you do not have a healthy working spine, it could cause a variety of harmful symptoms to occur. Your spine is a “super highway” of communication in your body, so keeping it healthy is essential. 

Dr. Amanda addresses the concept of different treatment styles. She urges people to choose a style of treatment that helps their body relax. The first treatment style she demonstrates is adjustments for small children. She also discusses one particular style of instrumental care. The most detailed style she talks about is the “traditional style,” which are adjustments that make the “pop” sound that people are most familiar with. The “pop” is nitrogen leaving your joint space and is nothing to worry about. Finally, she goes over the treatment style that uses an adjustment table.

Dr. Amanda explains why our bodies naturally change to a poor posture position as we go through the day when we are sitting. She then talks about how important good posture is for our bodies by using three examples. First, the negative effects slouching has on our backs and shoulders. Next, how slouching and looking up at our work can cause a buildup of pressure in our necks and dizziness. Third, how slouching puts a great deal of pressure on the muscles and joints in your jaw.