Posted by: Jenny Everett King, CYT

The cover of a well-known magazine this week featured a well-known actress performing a well-known activity: breastfeeding her child. Now, just like when another magazine’s cover portrayed a breastfeeding mother and baby in 2006, people have complained. There are, apparently, many adults and teenagers who are uncomfortable with images of nursing mothers.

Breastfeeding is one of the few practices left in our culture that is inherently natural. It also happens to be healthy for both mother and baby (physically and emotionally), convenient, and economical. (Stressed about the expense of having a baby in the current economy? Breastfeed, and you could save thousands of dollars a year!) Most of us know, intellectually, that breastfeeding is the ideal means of infant nutrition. Yet many still don’t like to see it in action.

Consequently, many breastfeeding mothers feel uncomfortable nursing their babies in public. Numerous women have commented, “I just don’t want to make anyone else feel awkward.” A mother may not mind being seen nursing her baby, but still mind the disapproving looks she gets for doing so. The majority of restaurants, shopping malls, and airports do not offer an area that is comfortable, clean, private, and otherwise appropriate for breastfeeding. Many women feel that they are left with a choice between hygiene and privacy . (Public restrooms are very often not an option. )

If we as a culture truly believe in the benefits of breastfeeding for all babies, then we must show our support for nursing mothers. We should encourage them to feed their babies in the area where they are most comfortable, physically and emotionally. We certainly should never make them feel awkward or embarrased.

At Healing Hands, we offer a comfortable and private sitting area where we invite women to breastfeed. However, mothers are welcome to feed their babies wherever they prefer in our office. We believe that both mother and baby benefit immeasurably from the act of breastfeeding, and we are committed to encouraging this aspect of natural health and well-being.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is a full-service, holistic family wellness center located in Londonderry, NH offering chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, reiki therapy, yoga and meditation classes and pregnancy & birth classes. Our practitioners specialize in prenatal care, pediatrics, women’s health and family wellness.

Posted by: Dr. Jessica L. Caruso

In times of economic struggle, why is it that our health care is the first thing we put on the back burner? Many of us in this society grew up thinking that preventative and maintenance care was frivolous, unnecessary…when things get really bad we can have it removed or take a pill for it. This type of thinking is exactly why our “healthcare” system is in the state it’s in.  Think about the cost of all those tests to determine which pill to prescribe, or which organ to remove!!! And then how much does surgery cost? How much does a hospital stay cost? How much time out of work do you need for recovery? Who is going to watch the kids during this time? Does your husband or wife need to take time off work too? And so the downward spiral begins…

Maybe it’s these ideas of “sickcare ” (not healthcare) that are the reason our health insurance premiums are through the roof?! Too many people in our country cannot even afford health insurance. It’s time for change: It’s time  we all take responsibility for our health and listen to the signals our bodies are sending us, and not mask these signals with over-the-counter medications, prescription pain killers, or statins. Instead, let us all focus on prevention-true health care — not symptomatic care. It truly is a more cost effective approach to your health. And it may even lower the costs of health insurance…hmmm…wouldn’t that be something.  Don’t let current economic issues create more health issues for you in the future. The decisions we make today about our health determine our health tomorrow.

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

Please visit www.HealingHandsNH.com to learn about how we can help you maintain your health naturally. In light of the economic struggles we are all facing, Healing Hands Chiropractic is offering web-only discounts on all our services. Please visit our website today and print your coupon right at home. Healing Hands is there for you, for your health and for your future.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is a full-service, holistic family wellness center located in Londonderry, NH offering chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, reiki therapy, yoga and meditation classes and pregnancy & birth classes. Our practitioners specialize in prenatal care, pediatrics, women’s health and family wellness.

Posted by: Dr. Jessica L. Caruso

Many of my patients ask “Is it safe for me to continue chiropractic care during my pregnancy?” The answer is an astounding “YES!” In fact, not only is it safe; but chiropractic care can help with lower back pain, sciatica, and many more of the common symptoms associated with pregnancy. If you are pregnant one of the best things you can do is receive chiropractic care: a flexible, balanced spine, hips and pelvis; and internal organs free from postural and nervous system stress are essential for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

Another reason to be under chiropractic care during pregnancy is…it’s drugless! Over the counter medications for relief of the common symptoms associated with new postural strains can be decreased — even avoided. There is no such thing as a safe drug.

I am a chiropractor who is Webster Technique Certified. This chiropractic technique helps to correct sacral misalignment, and balance pelvic muscles and ligaments, which in turn removes torsion to the woman’s uterus, its resulting constraint to the baby, and allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth.(www.icpa4kids.com)

Healing Hands Chiropractic not only has specialized pregnancy chiropractic care…but we also have prenatal and postnatal yoga classes with our highly trained yoga teacher and childbirth educator, Jenny Everett King. We also offer massage and reiki, both of which have been shown to provide great relief of symptoms related to pregnancy, like sciatica.

We are happy to announce the addition of Empowered Birth:
Natural Childbirth Classes to our prenatal program. Classes start this October.

Expecting a baby is, for many parents, a time of great excitement, anticipation, and pride. It can also be filled with anxiety, questions, and even a little fear. The mission of Healing Hands Chiropractic’s Empowered Birth classes is to ease your fears and anxieties about birth, help you find answers to your questions, and give you the opportunity to have a confident, empowering, fulfilling birth experience.
Our classes are based on a philosophy called “woman-centered birth,” in which the needs and desires of the laboring mother are the foundation of her perinatal care. Our class material is based on the ALACE childbirth education curriculum, which emphasizes informed decision-making and a holistic approach to childbearing.
Empowered Birth classes are designed for parents desiring to learn more about natural childbirth. We will include unbiased information on medical alternatives such as induction, anesthesia (epidurals), and cesarean birth. The bulk of the material, however, focuses on helping parents achieve a natural birth, whether in a hospital, a birth center, or at home.
Classes meet in two formats: Weekly classes are two hours each, and run for six weeks. The seventh week is a casual question and answer time, where students have the opportunity to speak with new parents as well as holistic health professionals who specialize in prenatal care and/or pediatrics. Weekend sessions, an alternative for those who can’t attend during the week, meet two Saturday afternoons for five hours each time. Please click here for additional information about upcoming classes.

Pregnancy and birth are special times in a woman’s life that she should enjoy and treasure, not something to just “get through.” We are comitted to helping you have the best possible childbearing experience through holistic prenatal care.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is a full-service, holistic family wellness center located in Londonderry, NH offering chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, reiki therapy, yoga and meditation classes and pregnancy & birth classes. Our practitioners specialize in prenatal care, pediatrics, women’s health and family wellness.