in balance chiropractic + acupuncture clinic
2715 Bur Oak Avenue, Unit #2 L6B 1K7 Markham, ON, Canada

Another great day of learning at the Ontario Chiropractic Association’s Easing the Aches and Pains of Pregnancy course this past weekend! We were presented with the updated research with regards to treatment options during pregnancy and the post-partum period as well the opportunity to practice treatment modifications, kinesiotaping procedures and the wearing of a pregnancy suit for those chiropractors who haven’t experienced pregnancy. The research indicates that chiropr...actic treatment, soft tissue therapy such as massage, exercise and education can all be helpful to decrease pain and disability in pre- and post-natal patients. Approximately, 50% of women will experience back or pelvic pain during pregnancy. Back pain doesn’t spontaneously resolve after delivery, therefore 25% of women experience post-partum back pain. 18% of women still experience pain 2-3 years after delivery. Back pain during pregnancy can be due to the increased weight gain and postural changes, muscular imbalances due to weakness and also due to the hormone relaxin. Back pain in the post-partum period can also be due to lifting and carrying their child, as well as poor or prolonged postures. Women who experience both back pain and pelvic pain are 3 times more likely to experience depression. Exercise is also very helpful to decrease pain and disability and increase strength and endurance for labour and caring for their child. Patients should talk to a qualified health care practitioner about an individualized exercise program. Chiropractors are well equipped to help pre- and post-natal patients with their pregnancy and post-partum aches and pains, provide referrals for massage therapy or pelvic floor physiotherapy and give lifestyle suggestions and exercise advice. Please consider seeing a chiropractor early on in your pregnancy to receive the most benefits. Dr. Kirsten

A great day performing canine assessments at Dogeden's 20th Anniversary Open House!

My 2018 Readers Choice Award plaque has finally arrived along with a congratulatory note from our MPP Paul Calandra! Thank you for voting me Best Chiropractor in Markham yet again! Your support is very much appreciated. Dr Kirsten

Another great day of learning at the Ontario Chiropractic Associations Easing the Aches and Pains of Pregnancy course this past weekend! We were presented with the updated research with regards to treatment options during pregnancy and the post-partum period as well the opportunity to practice treatment modifications, kinesiotaping procedures and the wearing of a pregnancy suit for those chiropractors who havent experienced pregnancy. The research indicates that chiropr...actic treatment, soft tissue therapy such as massage, exercise and education can all be helpful to decrease pain and disability in pre- and post-natal patients. Approximately, 50% of women will experience back or pelvic pain during pregnancy. Back pain doesnt spontaneously resolve after delivery, therefore 25% of women experience post-partum back pain. 18% of women still experience pain 2-3 years after delivery. Back pain during pregnancy can be due to the increased weight gain and postural changes, muscular imbalances due to weakness and also due to the hormone relaxin. Back pain in the post-partum period can also be due to lifting and carrying their child, as well as poor or prolonged postures. Women who experience both back pain and pelvic pain are 3 times more likely to experience depression. Exercise is also very helpful to decrease pain and disability and increase strength and endurance for labour and caring for their child. Patients should talk to a qualified health care practitioner about an individualized exercise program. Chiropractors are well equipped to help pre- and post-natal patients with their pregnancy and post-partum aches and pains, provide referrals for massage therapy or pelvic floor physiotherapy and give lifestyle suggestions and exercise advice. Please consider seeing a chiropractor early on in your pregnancy to receive the most benefits. Dr. Kirsten

Another fantastic course with Dr. Jeff Moore on Cervical Management last weekend! It was great to learn some new adjustments, mobilizations, exercises and assessment techniques but most of all to discuss the most up to date research on the safety of neck manipulation. The general population often does not realize that correlation does not mean causation ie. just because something happens in a short time frame after a specific event, it does not mean that the event caused th...e problem. This is very significant with the case of cervical manipulation (adjusting the neck). In the past several years, we have estimated the risk of having a stroke after a neck adjustment to be 1 in 1 million to 1 in 5.85 million. To put this into perspective, the risk of a serious complication from the use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) is 100-400 times greater than the risk of cervical manipulation. I am very pleased to report that the latest systematic review indicates there is NO CAUSATION between neck adjustments and the occurrence of a stroke. The research is now reporting that the cause of the stroke is usually due to a minor trauma (car accident, rough housing with their kids, sports injuries) that the patient has recently suffered. This minor trauma can cause a dissection (tearing) of the arteries in the neck and lead to neck pain and headaches. The patient then often presents to their chiropractor or medical doctor due to the pain. Please be advised that any end range motion can cause a dissection of the arteries ie. checking your blind spot, painting a ceiling, getting your hair washed at the hair dresser and doing stretching exercises. In many cases, the arteries are able to heal themselves but sometimes the dissection can progress. If a dissection occurs, the greatest risk of a stroke occurring is in the next 72 hours. If you have a neck adjustment during that time, your risk of having a stroke DOES NOT increaseit would have occurred as a result of the dissection. If you have experienced a neck trauma and are experiencing pain in your neck and head, please check your pupils multiple times per day to look for asymmetry, look at your face for drooping of the eyelid (Horners syndrome), if you feel numbness in the face or experience balance issues, please go to the ER immediately. These are the first signs that a dissection of the artery has occurred. The research indicates that cervical manipulation is more beneficial than mobilizations plus exercise. Patients have sometimes been hesitant to have a neck adjustment due to the risks. The greater risk is for patients to not receive the best treatment for their condition based on a lot of misinformation. Dr Kirsten

One of my favourite patients just flew in from Los Angeles for her adjustment! Thanks for the hugs Charlie!

A great day performing canine assessments at Dogedens 20th Anniversary Open House!

Yes! Chiropractors along with stretching and exercising can help relieve the pain of pregnancy and caring for your child. https://www.chiropractic.on.ca//you/whole-world-shoulders/

Another great course this past weekend with Dr. Elise Hewitt on Chiropractic Management of Common Pediatric Sports Injuries and Extremity Conditions! As parents, we want happy, healthy and active children and we want to establish lifelong health habits when children are young. An injury can cause a child to drop out of a sport they love, become less active overall and engage in risky behaviours in adolescence. Children are often less aware of injuries, dont feel as much ...pain and dont complain as much as adults but that doesnt mean that parents shouldnt take their childs injuries seriously. Chiropractors are the best trained provider for your childs musculoskeletal injuries as we provide the least invasive care and can often get to the root of the problem. Therefore, we should be your first stop in having your child assessed after an injury. Children respond really quickly to chiropractic care and may feel better after just one visit. I had a two year old patient last week that injured her ankle running in her back yard and she now refused to walk. The medical doctor said it was behavioural. I adjusted her ankle and pelvis, performed some soft tissue therapy and the little girl was walking again without pain after one visit. Chiropractors who are trained in pediatric adjustments use just a fraction of the force on a child that we do on an adult (just 5% in infants) and the research shows that an adjustment is safer than just stretching your neck. The lower extremity is the most commonly injured area in children. The research indicates that chiropractic care is very beneficial, safe and effective to treat these injuries. Without proper treatment and rehab, a repeat ankle injury can take 3 times as long to heal. Chiropractors provide excellent quality of life care so please bring your little ones in for a check-up after a fall or injury. Dr Kirsten

To my in balance patients, Thank you so much for voting me Best Chiropractor and Best Acupuncture Provider in the Readers Choice Awards! The winners will be announced in the Markham Economist & Suns paper today. Your support is very much appreciated. Dr Kirsten

5 Days Left to Vote in the Readers Choice Awards! Its voting time for the Readers Choice Awards! There are still five days left to support your local businesses by voting them the best in Markham. If you have been happy with the treatment you have received here at "in balance", please consider voting Dr. Kirsten Thomas in balance chiropractic + acupuncture clinic for Best Chiropractor and Best Acupuncture! (Category #169 and #170).... Readers Choice Award Rules: 1. Voting is open to people 18 years of age or older 2. Only one vote per IP address is allowed (For spouses, feel free to vote at your workplace) 3. You must vote in 25 of the 201 categories for your vote to count, the nominees are listed (Support your local businesses!) 4. Voting ends February 16th, 2017 For your hard work and effort (approximately 10 minutes of your time), you will be entered into a draw to win $250 gift certificate! Thank you in advance for your support! I am very proud you have chosen me to be your chiropractor. Dr Kirsten www.yorkregion.com/readerschoice

Chiropractic helps athletes..even those that play in the Superbowl! :)

A great start to my morning with my favourite patient! Curtis has been receiving chiropractic treatment on a weekly basis since he was 24 hours old.

Its voting time for the Readers Choice Awards! To vote for Dr. Kirsten Thomas for Best Chiropractor and Best Acupuncture Provider please go to: www.yorkregion.com/readerschoice Thank you for your votes!

A great weekend at Dr. Jeff Moores "Lumbar Spine: Comprehensive Mangement course"! Dr. Moore has his Doctorate in Physical Therapy so it was beneficial to learn some new assessment and treatment techniques for the low back, pelvis and hips from a physiotherapists perspective. The update on the lastest research on low back pain was awesome! Here are some of the key points: - manipulation/adjustments are the best treatment for acute and subacute low back pain (going on les...s than 12 weeks)...even more effective than exercise - for chronic low back pain (going on longer than 12 weeks) a multi-disciplinary approach including manipulation/adjustments, acupuncture, massage therapy and exercise is best - the risk of worsening a disc herniation with manipulation is 1 in 3.7 million treatments - therefore, manipulation/adjustments are up to 148,000 times safer than anti-inflammatories for the treatment of low back pain and up to 440,000 times safer than surgery - for patients and doctors who think rest and exercise are the best approach, there is a 400% worsening of disability outcomes if manipulation/adjustments are not utilized in treatment Looking forward to his cervical spine course in November! Dr Kirsten

Christmas Greetings and Holiday Office Hours To my in balance patients, I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday! ... In lieu of sending traditional Christmas cards, donations have been made to the following charities that are especially meaningful to me: Camp Ooch North Toronto Cat Rescue iBellieve Be Fair 2 Rare Alzheimer Society of Canada On the home front, it has been an amazing year of watching Curtis learn and grow every day! My little two-year-old (or my big boy as he likes to be called) went from walking to running to hopping and climbing. He has turned into a chatterbox that currently wuvs (loves) everythingespecially cookies, soccer and golf balls! Thankfully, sleeping through the night is now the norm however, meal time continues to be a challenge. Cam and I fall more in love with him every day and are very grateful to have a happy, healthy son. In my working life, I continue to learn and grow as a practitioner in order to provide you with the latest in chiropractic research and technique methods. This year, I enriched my education with courses in: ART Lower Limb recertification Treating Pediatric Patients Functional Integrated Acupuncture: Sports Injury Management First Aid & CPR Functional Integrated Acupuncture: Acute and Chronic Pain Management Medical Compression Therapy (Custom Compression Stocking Fitter) Managing Concussion and Post-Concussion Syndrome I would like to thank all of you for providing me with the opportunity to be your chiropractor and acupuncture provider. I truly love what I do and Im very thankful that I have such wonderful patients to work with. Wishing you and your families the very best in health and happiness for 2017! Happy New Year! Dr Kirsten P.S. There are still a few appointments left this year if you are in need of a treatment or would like to take advantage of your chiropractic benefits. My Holiday Office Hours are as follows: Monday December 19th 2pm - 7pm Tuesday December 20th 3pm 7pm Wednesday December 21st 2pm 7pm Thursday December 22nd 10am 12:30pm Tuesday December 27th 2pm 7pm Wednesday December 28th 2pm 7pm Thursday December 29th 10am 1pm Tuesday January 3rd back to my regular schedule

Another great day of learning at the OCAs Managing Concussion & Post-Concussion Syndrome course by Dr. Cameron Marshall! Here is some of the latest research on concussions: - it is estimated there are 500,000 concussions per year in Canada... - concussions are a clinical diagnosis meaning they are not diagnosed by x-ray or MRI - there must be a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body that causes an acceleration/deceleration of the brain as well as one symptom: ie. headache, nausea, vomiting or fogginess; greater than 90% do not experience loss of consciousness - while most people are symptom free after 8 days, full metabolic recovery takes 22-30 days and therefore, returning to sports activities should be after 3-4 weeks - if there is a second impact within the 30 days, symptoms may take up to 54 days to resolve while full recovery jumps to 120 days - concussion symptoms are very similar to whiplash symptoms and therefore, patients show a significant improvement if neck mobilizations, soft tissue therapy and stretching techniques are utilized starting at day 3; patients who stop treatment notice a gradual decrease in their improvement - rest should utilized for a minimum of 1-2 days and a maximum of 5 days; rest does not mean lying in a quiet, dark room; walking and light housekeeping activities are encouraged while avoiding screen time and reading is recommended - patients who start aerobic exercise around the 5 to 14 day mark notice significant improvement in their symptoms - at the moment, the only way to prevent a concussion is by increasing neck stiffness when the hit occurs (therefore, keep your head up); helmets and mouth guards do not prevent concussions As someone who has experienced multiple concussions and has seen patients whose care has been mismanaged, I know first hand how important proper education and treatment can be. If you experience a concussion, please see a chiropractor who has the proper training by day 3 to perform an assessment of your symptoms, start treatment on your neck through mobilizations, soft tissue therapy and stretching and educate you on the proper stages for return to learn/work and return to play. Visual/Vestibular rehabilitation may be necessary for ongoing vision and dizziness issues. I have also found that cranial adjusting and acupuncture to be very beneficial techniques. Please let me know if you have any questions! Dr Kirsten

Another great weekend of learning (and being a pin cushion) at Dr Mark Scappaticcis Functional Integrated course for Pain Management! I cant wait to practice the new needling techniques at the office tomorrow!

Its very beneficial to have all children (including babies) checked by a chiropractor! Please be proactive and not wait until your child complains of neck or back pain, headaches or suffers from constipation to bring them for an assessment and treatment. https://www.facebook.com/ICPA4kids/posts/10154502337995528:0

https://www.facebook.com/publichealthres//1580059078678320

Chiropractors actually have more hours of education than medical doctors!

A great segment on Breakfast Television from fellow classmate, Dr. Stacy Irvine on how to get kids active and prevent injuries. 1) limit screen time to one hour per day 2) get outside with your kids 3) rotate their sports ie. dont specialize ... 4) have them do a proper warm-up 5) if they get injured, bring them to a chiropractor right away http://www.bttoronto.ca/videos/4982757439001/

85% of the population will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives. The most effective treatments are manual therapy (including adjustments and soft tissue therapy), specific exercise rehabilitation and education. At in balance, we offer all of the above! https://www.facebook.com/ontariochiropracticassociation/posts/1045756475462256

Another great weekend of being a pin cushion at Dr. Mark Scappaticcis Functional Integrated Acupuncture course for Sports Injury Management! We learned a lot of new needling and soft tissue techniques to help with the following conditions: lateral/medial epicondylosis (elbow pain) AC separations Frozen shoulder... Neck pain Concussion Migraines Headaches TMJ pain/dysfunction Low back pain Groin pain Hip pain Sciatic nerve pain Scar pain/dysfunction Knee pain Achilles tendinosus Plantar fasciitis I cant wait to take his next course on pain management! Dr Kirsten

Everyone should read about these common myths on back pain! These myths are very common and just delay receiving the appropriate treatment. Along with wasting the valuable resources of our overburdened medical system. http://www.bttoronto.ca/20//08/6-back-pain-myths-debunked/

Please make sure your computer station is set up properly and that you are taking frequent breaks to avoid Computer Vision Syndrome. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//computer-vision-syndrome-/

Another athlete using chiropractic treatment to reduce pain and improve performance! http://circleofdocs.com/andy-murray-gets-adjusted-mid-matc/

Read this article to understand why the site of your pain is not necessarily the cause of your complaint. https://www.facebook.com/sarah.elizabet//10153889465803183

https://www.facebook.com/ontariochiropracticassociation/posts/1035456409825596

Study finds that adjustments to the neck and upper back is more effective than mobilization and exercise at treating cervicogenic headaches (headaches coming from the tight joints and muscles of the neck)! https://www.facebook.com/sarah.elizabet//10153865465838183

The dangers associated with turtle posture! https://www.facebook.com/barriefamilychiropractic/posts/1033694956709957

Read this article to learn more about the dangers of texting on your health. 1) text neck 2) driving danger 3) repetitive strain... 4) restless sleep 5) digital eye strain http://www.besthealthmag.ca//5-ways-texting-is-bad-for-yo/

Sitting is the new smoking! Here are some tips to help office workers: 1. Proper posture at an ergonomically designed work station 2. Frequent breaks to reset your posture 3. Stretching at your desk 4. Move more throughout your day... http://www.ctvnews.ca//chained-to-a-desk-4-tips-for-people

93% of Canadians between 5-17 years of age dont get 60 minutes of daily exercise and its affecting their schoolwork. Hmmm, I wonder what the statistic is for adults? At least Curtis and I are in the minority! http://www.theglobeandmail.com//mind-the/article29724440/

A great pediatric review this weekend with Dr. Elise Hewitt! Many parents have questions about chiropractic treatment for their children. The most common ones are why and is it safe? Dr. Hewitts research shows that an adjustment for an infant utilizes just 5% of the force utilized to adjust an adult! It is quantified as less force than a keystroke on an ipad. ... The risk of an adverse event after a pediatric treatment is very low, approximately 0.0000003% in the last 110 years! Comparatively, the risk of an adverse event after drug therapy (usually antibiotics) is 0.0132%. Birth trauma (especially if very short or prolonged labour, or if forceps, vacuum or c-section are involved), in utero constraint due to multiples, mishandling, frequent falls while learning to stand and walk and car accidents are common reasons why children should have chiropractic treatment. There is evidence to show that chiropractic treatment can also help with nursing difficulties (not turning to one side), colic, asthma, constipation, headaches, torticollis (head tilt due to tight neck muscles) even otitis media (earaches). The survey says: 85% of parents have noticed an improvement in their childs symptoms with chiropractic treatment. Let us know if you have any questions about chiropractic treatment for your children and how we can help! Dr. Kirsten

http://www.theglobeandmail.com//special-w/article29662915/

Hopefully everyone reads this article on how sit-ups can lead to disc injuries. I stopped doing sit-ups after attending Stu McGills course years ago. Unfortunately, the average gym goer, personal trainer and exercise instructor hasnt stopped doing the sit-up....yet! http://blog.bonati.com/us-army-phasing-out-sit-ups-due-to-/

We are looking for a new associate chiropractor! If you know anyone who is interested in practicing in Markham, please let us know.

Its about time! Canadians need to be better educated about healthy food choices...and the importance of regular exercise. http://www.buzzfeed.com//a-radical-senate-report-calls-for