Most work places in today’s modern day culture demand that we spend at least a few hours in front of a computer.
It’s inevitable.
But did you also know that there are dangers?
Sitting Shorten’s Your Life by 40%
Sitting for 6 hours or more a day increases your chance of death by 40% according to the Archives of Internal Medicine.
[ctt tweet=”Sitting for 6 hours or more a day increases your chance of death by 40%” coverup=”a5dSn”]
But changing to a standing station, although good for your lower back and your longevity is not good for your brain if you don’t move.[ref]http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23755363/sitting-all-day-may-shorten-your-life-why[/ref]
Beating Low Back Pain but Loosing Your Mind?
Nobel Prize winner Dr. Roger Sperry concluded from his research that the spine is the motor that drives the brain.
According to his research “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine.” Only 10% of our brain’s energy goes into thinking, metabolism, immunity, and healing.
[ctt tweet=”90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine” coverup=”b7bU6″]
Sperry demonstrated that 90% of brain energy goes into processing and maintaining the body’s relationship with gravity.[ref]http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1981/[/ref]
So movement is the key.
You may “live longer” by getting a standing station but if you don’t move your spine you are at risk for a diagnosis like Alzheimer’s.
Loosing brain function still leaves you in a lot of trouble.
Electromagnetic Low Frequency Radiation
Modern flat computer screens (LCD or LED) generally produce far less EMR than the old-fashioned cathode ray (box) screens did and also less than the older flat screens.
If you keep a normal viewing distance away from a flat screen (say 12 inches or more) you will be out of harm’s way, unless it is a VERY large one.
A good rule of thumb for a modern, big screen is to halve the screen diagonal to get the minimum safe viewing distance. So for a 30 inch screen you would need to keep 15 inches away.
In practice this means that you don’t need to worry about the radiation from a computer screen if it is flat, manufactured around 2010 or later, and a reputable brand.[ref]http://emwatch.com/computer-radiation-may-damage-your-health/[/ref]
According to researchers the real culprit is WiFi signals bombarding us while we type away.[ref]http://www.wifi-in-schools-australia.org/p/blog-page_13.html[/ref] A simple solution is to plug in. When you can, get yourself an ethernet cable and go old school.
EMR exposure can present itself as headaches, tiredness, sleep disturbances, concentration, memory disorders, or dizziness.
[ctt tweet=”EMR exposure can present itself as headaches, tiredness, sleep disturbances, concentration, memory disorders, or dizziness.” coverup=”xPZ_r”]
Posture Matters
Did you realize there are over 1000 studies linking poor posture to increased mortality?
[ctt tweet=”There are over 1000 studies linking poor posture to increased mortality.” coverup=”1y7ap”]
That means dying.
Even when your are standing at your new standing station AND moving around every 30 or 40 minutes, if your head is forward and your shoulders rolled, you are causing damage to your delicate spinal bones and even risking spinal cord stretching.
Dr. Alf Breig, author of “Adverse Mechanical Tension in the Central Nervous System”, showed that poor posture interferes with the signals from the brain to the other organ systems and will eventually cause pathology (disease) in those organ systems.[ref]http://www.amazon.com/Adverse-Mechanical-Tension-Central-Nervous/dp/0471041378[/ref]
So, it’s not just enough to stand up and move around. You need to work diligently on proper posture and just like Grandma said: stand and sit up straight!
Taking it to another level
Some people have posture that looks pretty good on the outside, but they still have issues lurking on the inside causing problems.
Looking at yourself in the mirror or having a doctor do a visual inspection may reveal some of the postural problems but things can get missed.
Sometimes, the only way to diagnosis postural problems accurately is to get a special x-ray where you are standing up. That’s not the “typical” way to get an x-ray but a “weight bearing film” tells you exactly how your body is doing under gravity.
[ctt tweet=”A “weight bearing film” tells you exactly how your body is doing under gravity.” coverup=”436yp”]
The error is when x-rays taken while you are lying down are used to diagnosis mechanical or structural issues. Or you think you’re fine when your “posture on the outside” looks good in the mirror.
How can you really tell?
Within today’s chiropractic there are doctors who focus on posture and postural correction.
That’s what you want to look for if you really want to solve postural problems.
Most of those doctors will work with all ages, from children dealing with scoliosis to the elderly dealing with degenerative conditions.
In fact these chiropractic doctors follow very closely to the foundations of modern medicine.
Claudius Galen (130-202 AD) discovered the relationship between the nervous system of the spine and healing.
He wrote, “Look to the nervous system as the key to maximum health.” He earned the title ‘Prince of Physicians’ when he relieved the paralysis of the right hand of Eudemas (a prominent Roman scholar) by careful manipulation of his neck.
Herodotus gained fame curing diseases by correcting spinal abnormalities through therapeutic exercises.
Aristotle was critical of Herodotus’ tonic-free approach because, “he made old men young and thus prolonged their lives too greatly.”
Socrates (469-399 BC) advised, “If you would seek health, look first to the spine.”
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine (460-370 BC), described manipulative procedures in his monumental work known as the Corpus Hippocrateum. He wrote, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”[ref]http://www.chiropractic.ie/about-cai/info/chiropractic-history[/ref]
Proof is also in the x-ray
Postural and structural chiropractors are able to change postural problems with spinal adjustments. And because of x-ray and other diagnostic tools they can be very specific. And when it comes to the spine you want to be very specific.
Often these doctors will take a follow up x-ray to demonstrate the correction of the postural issue and that’s the where the proof is.
When you can see the structural change on the inside you know things are fixed for good.
[ctt tweet=”When you can see the structural change on the inside you know things are fixed for good.” coverup=”yw7zr”]
Living with Computers and other technology that interferes with good health.
Computers and technology is here to stay. What we need to do is ensure the damage that can happen with hours in front of computers doesn’t have an impact.
Today’s chiropractic offers real world solutions that can and do help you still “do life” but not deal with the consequences of it.
If you are having trouble finding a chiropractor in your area that specializes in postural correction then connect with us. Leave a comment below or contact us at our office (250-870-9136) and we’ll try our best to connect you with a chiropractor in your area that does corrective work.
