Are You Doing This Sleep-Sabotaging Behavior?

Light will keep the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin from reaching levels that produce a good night’s sleep.
Read more: Technology and Sleep
Light will keep the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin from reaching levels that produce a good night’s sleep.
Read more: Technology and Sleep
Having problems getting to sleep or maintaining uninterrupted sleep? You are not alone!
Here are many natural, inexpensive, non-invasive, and drugless strategies to help you get the sleep you desire and need! Keep reading to learn.
The Triad of Health: SLEEP IMPROVEMENT
Physical/ Structural TIPS
Mental/ Emotional TIPS
Chemical/ Nutritional/ Environmental TIPS
From a Facebook review: “Thank you for taking such great care of both our kids over time. I’m so grateful we have found a chiropractor who not only helps us, but that we trust and feel comfortable and confident in to help our children.”
Janette, Brklyn. Prk.
Yes, we treat children of all ages. Our techniques are appropriate for their size and age- just as they are for the bigger folks with conditions requiring special considerations, like those with osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, hypermobility, acute/inflamed injuries, etc.
Additionally, I thought I’d pass this video news report along to you because sometimes it can be helpful to have something positive to share with friends and family who are skeptical about chiropractic care for kids.
LINK: Would You Take Your Baby to a Chiropractor?
You may also be interested to read the American Chiropractic Association Statement on Pediatric Chiropractic Care
LINK: Children and Chiropractic Care
A warm-up and cool-down period are as important in gardening as it is for any other physical activity,” said Dr. Scott Bautch of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. “Performing simple stretches during these periods will help alleviate injuries, pain, and stiffness.”
Before a gardening session, make sure you have had plenty of water. If not, have some right away and while you’re at it, grab some to take with you outside to have during your gardening. Afterward, sit and relax with some additional water before rewarding yourself with that cola, coffee, beer or cocktail.
Two very important principles of stretching are: Do NOT force a stretch and NEVER bounce. These behaviors actually cause your muscles to tighten more and may even tear one. Stretch only as far and as you comfortably can. Additionally, during any stretch, breathe in and out slowly and rhythmically; do not hold your breath. Next, review our suggestions for proper stretching at this link: STRETCHES
Here is a good routine to warm up your muscles and joints before, during, and after your gardening session:
Ankles- draw circles with your toes in the air, one foot at a time, while balancing on the other foot- if you can; grab a stable object otherwise. Next, point and flex your foot to target the front and back of your lower leg. Hold 5 to 10 seconds.
Quadriceps– (You may need a prop for balance)
1. Stand on one leg while grasping ankle or foot of opposite leg behind you. Use a strap or loop a towel to cradle around your ankle if getting your leg up to your hand is difficult.
2. Slowly bring bent leg backward to meet the thigh with the knee pointing toward the floor. Hold 10 to 15 seconds.
1. Place one heel out in from of you while standing on the other leg, pointing your toe toward your shin OR…sit on the floor with one leg extended in front of you and the other leg bent with the foot in towards the thigh.
2. Push your buttocks back. Keeping your back straight, lean forward, pivoting at the hip joint just until your feel the stretch in the back of the thigh. Hold 10 to 15 seconds.
Hamstrings Curls- Walk in place, exaggerating the backwards motion of your lower leg towards your buttocks, shifting your weight from left to right, right to left for 10-15 seconds.
Gluteus (butt) muscles-
Sitting or standing, pull one knee to your chest.
Gently pull your knee across your body toward the opposite shoulder. Hold 10 to 15 seconds.
Sides- Reach up and across your forehead, feel the stretch along the side of the body and toward the spine. Hold 10 to 15 seconds.
Lumbar Flexion and Extension– Slowly and carefully bend forward at your waist as if touching your toes. Keep your knees soft. Pay close attention to the pull on your back and hamstrings. Make it a gentle, controlled stretch felt along your lower back. Hold no longer than 5 seconds.
Place your hands on your upper buttocks, palm in. Tightening your abdominal muscles, carefully lean back no more than 10-15 degrees. Feel the stretching of your front and the tightening of the back. Hold no longer than 3 seconds and repeat 3 to 5 times.
Shoulders- Roll your shoulders with a big, full motion, in a backwards direction. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
Arm Circles- Rotate at the shoulder, first with elbows bent, then with straight arms. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
Wrist Circles- Twirl your hands at the wrist in both directions. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
Fingers- Clench and straighten your fingers several times.
*Just a word about fatigue: know your limits! Resist the temptation to do “just one more thing” or “just a little more”. Gardening while too fatigued may set you up for a sprain or strain that you would not have had otherwise.
NOTE: These exercises should only be performed after evaluation by a qualified professional. Should you experience pain or discomfort while doing an exercise, stop immediately. Follow only the exercises that your doctor has recommended to avoid the potential of further injury.
Thank you for visiting the Levin and Chellen Chiropractic web page. Please note that the information located on our site is not intended to provide specific chiropractic advice. You should consult with a chiropractic doctor and not rely on any information contained herein regarding your specific condition. We welcome the receipt of electronic mail though not for making appointments, soliciting and sales, or inquiries which need immediate response. Please be advised, however, that the act of sending electronic mail to this office or to Dr. Sharon Levin, DC or Dr. Nels Chellen, DC does not alone create a physician-patient relationship. We will neither accept requests for chiropractic advice or treatment nor offer specific chiropractic advice over the internet. The information here is presented for general information purposes only and is not intended to be used as a substitute for medical advice.
Should anyone share his or her personal health information with us via internet, telephone, or in writing, we will respect their right to confidentiality and abide by federal guidelines set forth according to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Therefore we present to you our Notice of Privacy Practices. This document is available to you through a link on the Resources page of this web site.
Within the realm of health care, there is trust associated with the competency and skill of the doctor and facility through which they do their work. There is trust that you will be charged a fair price for the services given. There is also trust that the care you are given is up-to-date, and of the latest proven methods which have shown the greatest results with the least side effects or chance of harm. We could continue to list a few more, but we’ll let this be adequate for now.
Most people seem to agree that the best way to find out whether a doctor is trustworthy is to do some research. That research may be done via the internet, the state board which licenses practitioners, word-of-mouth within the community (depending on the size of your community, this may be more or less easy), or even by going directly to the doctor’s office and attempting to talk with the doctor or with her staff, personally.
These are all good ideas and I would recommend them, especially when it comes to the treatment of more serious conditions with greater consequences for not getting the best care available. Where does chiropractic care fall in the list of types of care needing a proper investigation, vetting, if you will? Would you say it was more or less, important to find the best chiropractor possible to treat your or a family member’s condition? How much effort would you give to do your research?
At this point I am asking these questions only to start a discussion and inform potential patients about our clinic, giving some assurance that for over 20 years we, the doctors of Levin and Chellen Chiropractic, have sought the trust of our patients and community. We have sought trust by several avenues, as mentioned above in paragraph one.
We invite you to contact our licensing board, The Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners; and we invite you to check out our web presence, read about the kind of things being said about us on various sites. We can say this with complete confidence because we know what is “out there” and we are proud of it. Our testimonials page is loaded with all sorts of complimentary things our patients have written and said about us over the years. We hope that makes a difference to you when you may need a chiropractor someday and would like to make your decision with confidence and peace of mind.
Thank you for reading!
Would you like more good advice on using ice and heat to speed healing and avoid complications of misusing them? See our page: Proper Use of Therapeutic Heat and Ice
(952) 474-1777
“Dr. Levin has been a lifesaver! I have been treated by many chiropractors on and off over the years, in addition to having worked in the chiropractic field many years ago, so I am familiar with the overall philosophy of chiropractic healing and the various treatment options available. I have experienced many levels of care and expertise with varying degrees of improvement in my migraine headaches and neck pain, and I can say unequivocally that Dr. Levin is the best chiropractor that I have encountered in my over-25 years of chiropractic care. She asks the right questions and listens with empathy; she utilizes an impeccable and comprehensive knowledge of the muscular and skeletal system when recommending treatment; her treatments are always gentle but precise and thorough; and her recommendations for improving and maintaining health are spot on and effective. She never rushes, she never cuts a corner, she never puts her needs as a doctor above your needs as her patient. She’s the real deal, and though I’ve never been treated by him, my impression is that Dr. Chellen also embraces the same philosophy and is as excellent a chiropractor as Dr. Levin. I drive 45 minutes to Levin and Chellen, and I’d drive twice that if I had to. Do you want a chiropractor with integrity who truly cares about you and actually helps you improve your health? You just found two. Make the appointment.”
Is the crack in the plaster where the real problem is? No, not unless there was a direct force on the wall at the point of the crack. The crack may be just a symptom. The source of the crack is often in the foundation or frame which supports the wall. A worthy solution is going to address the foundation or frame as part of the overall lasting fix to the real problem.
Chiropractic care seeks to address the source of the stress which caused the problem (symptoms) rather than putting a patch on the symptoms. Patching, usually pain medication, allows the source of the pain to be uninterrupted and even continue to degrade over time. Eventually, the root of the problem could get deeper and more difficult to resolve.
A doctor of chiropractic will seek out the imbalances in your “frame” and realign it so the symptoms will not be regenerated over and over. It is your job to seek out a chiropractor and follow the instructions given to strengthen and stabilize your frame, thus aiding the natural healing process.
That’s it in a nutshell! Why not give chiropractic care a chance to help you regain your joy in the activities you love, free of pain and lost function?
After months of not being able to stand or walk for more than 10 minutes at a time, and countless restless nights, Dr. Nels took the time to evaluate what was going on and got to the root of the problem. I haven’t felt this great in years…even before my last major issue. The time and care he spent on me during the first visit and my follow up visit on adjusting, massaging, and educating is more than I’ve ever had. I truly feel he cares about every single one of his patients and will do whatever he can to help. Both my husband and I would recommend him immediately to anyone. Thank you!!”
Janette, Minnetonka, MN
* For the women: do you fold up one of your legs underneath you when you sit down? You are pretty much doing the same thing!
Natural and holistic health care has been described in many ways, with many analogies. This analogy, below, is one of our favorites and provides a view into the mindset of true healthcare providers and researchers. Providing care for the relief of pain and prevention of death is a good thing, but as individuals and as a society, we need to keep in mind the idea of “going upstream” to be truly preventative and forward-thinking.
THE STORY OF THE RIVER
Once upon a time, there was a small village on the edge of a river. The people there were good and life in the village was good. One day a villager noticed a baby floating down the river. The villager quickly swam out to save the baby from drowning. The next day this same villager noticed two babies in the river. He called for help, and both babies were rescued from the swift waters. And the following day four babies were seen caught in the turbulent current. And then eight, then more, and still more!
The villagers organized themselves quickly, setting up watchtowers and training teams of swimmers who could resist the swift waters and rescue babies. Rescue squads were soon working 24 hours a day. And each day the number of helpless babies floating down the river increased. The villagers organized themselves efficiently. The rescue squads were now snatching many children each day. While not all the babies, now very numerous, could be saved, the villagers felt they were doing well to save as many as they could each day. Indeed, the village priest blessed them in their good work. And life in the village continued on that basis.
One day, however, someone raised the question, “But where are all these babies coming from? Let’s organize a team to head upstream to find out who’s throwing all of these babies into the river in the first place!
At Levin and Chellen Chiropractic, we have used the tag-line, “Our goal is for you to need us less!” The bulk of our energies are first put into getting you out of pain, but as you recover and begin to feel good again, our energies are more tuned toward keeping you feeling good through the application of strategies which empower through a greater self-care knowledge. We do not want to create dependence, but independence; not patients, but partners! Please go to our Testimonials page and read about the many positive experiences our “partners” have had during our almost 20 years in practice.