chiropractic

At Acupractic Natural Healing Center, the chiropractic and acupuncture offices of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay in Chapel Hill, we provide care, including chiropractic adjustive therapy, that heals on many levels. In addition to supporting nerve function to the spine, arms, and legs, spinal mobilization of the back affects the aspect of the nervous system involved in autonomic control of blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, and sweating. This latter autonomic nervous system (ANS) component has important implications related to relaxation, allowing healing and rest.

The ANS relates to everything our nervous system controls without our conscious input and is divided into the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

As the diagram from Merck Manuals shows, the SNS in bundles of nerves called ganglia that reside alongside the midback region of the body, basically the thoracic spine region near the ribs. The PNS resides in ganglia above and below the SNS, that is, in the upper neck or cervical spine region and the lower sacral spine. Chiropractic adjustment to these vital areas will influence the functioning of the ANS.

For example, when Dr. Oskardmay applies adjustment therapy (aka spinal manipulation) to the thoracic spine region between the shoulder blades, most patients feel a tremendous relaxation of their whole body. A similar response occurs following lower back and neck mobilization, which incidentally or without audible release noise. Although the adjustment reduces pain and tightness in the muscles of the region adjustment, the vertebral mobilization also affects the ANS, and relaxation ensues. Mobilization repositions vertebrae, relaxes connected muscles and ligaments in regions near the SNS and PNS nerve ganglia. The immediate rebalancing of the ANS creates overall body and mind relaxation following an adjustment. The effects can be profound.

Some people benefit from manual hands-on chiropractic adjustments, whereas others prefer the Activator technique. Whichever method of chiropractic vertebral adjustment Dr. Oskardmay employs, relaxation is possible. When the relation is possible, healing is possible. A look at the diagram provided demonstrates the potential implications of ANS influence. By way of example, consider what happens to the body and mind when the SNS is overstimulated by stress, and the flight or fight response occurs. Stress impairs digestion, sugar control, weight gain, wound healing, mental clarity, and pain, to name a few. Suppose the chiropractic adjustment can help balance the ANS by influencing the paraspinal ganglia in the adjustment regions. In that case, this explains the healing response experienced by so many at our office and chiropractic offices everywhere.

Call today at 919-929-1400 to schedule your healing appointment. Dr. Lisa Oskardmay, celebrating 30 years of chiropractic and acupuncture to Triangle residents. Or visit us anytime online at acudocnc.com to learn more and request an appointment.

Chiropractor Chapel Hill, NC

To heal a person of an affliction is defined as to cause wounds, injury, or persons to become sound or healthy again. Physicians everywhere, including doctors of chiropractic, do their best to use the tools they have at hand to heal every patient. Whereas medical doctors use drugs and surgery to change patients, chiropractors choose natural methods, including hands-on adjustments, massage, and nutrition. The treatment goal is the same, however, and patients, wounds, and injuries respond well to the healing methods emphasized by chiropractors.

Many patients choose chiropractic care for their back pain because most causes of back pain relate to the positioning of the vertebrae. Following careful examination, chiropractors adjust spinal bones and restore normal, healthy movement to subluxated segments using hands-on or activator-assisted mobilization techniques. At Acupractic Natural Healing Center in Chapel Hill, the chiropractic and acupuncture offices of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay, we also incorporate massage and other treatment modalities such as acupuncture to support natural healing. Dr. Oskardmay believes that healing occurs best from the inside because the body-mind has many internal mechanisms to repair damage and reduce pain. Chiropractic and acupuncture treatments at our office support each person’s inherent healing structure.

A person can be sound or healthy when they recognize their strengths and empowerment to heal fully. Using palpation and other diagnostic techniques, Dr. Oskardmay helps each patient understand where their blockages to qi flow, nerve flow healing energy flow exist. Sometimes spinal misalignment exists in the cervical spine irritating the nerves going to the shoulders. The patient feels tenderness in the neck and understands the connection between the tender region and the distal shoulder region. Similarly, patients know that the pain and tenderness they experience in the sacral area may influence their reproductive organs and fertility. Dr. Oskardmay helps patients understand the connection between their body parts and the pain or other symptoms they experience. This is healing.

Treatment at our office benefits the natural movement of nerve and blood energy, the contracting and relaxation of body muscles, and the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. With proper spinal alignment and nerve function, all things are possible from a healing standpoint. The body generally has within itself everything it needs to function and repair illness and disease processes. We espouse this premise of natural medicine at Acupractic Natural Healing Center because chiropractors and acupuncturists everywhere help the body heal itself naturally.

Call today (919) 929-1400 to schedule your wellness exam or if you are seeking treatment for an ailment such as back pain, headaches, shoulder discomfort, fibromyalgia, or many other conditions. We are here for you. Acupractic Natural Healing Center, just off 1-40 in Chapel Hill. Visit us 24 hours a day to schedule online.

Chiropractor Chapel Hill, NC

As the title to this blog post attests, most Doctors of Chiropractic do not prescribe or even recommend drugs or medicines to their patients. Licensed in holistic medicine, chiropractors share a healing paradigm with other non-drug practitioners, including acupuncturists and naturopaths. Whereas medical doctors and osteopaths are licensed to prescribe drugs and medication to their patients, most US chiropractors, naturopaths, and acupuncturists do not have this privilege. For this and other reasons, chiropractors do not generally recommend drugs and medicines to heal patients. At the chiropractic and acupuncture offices of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay, she does not prescribe chemical products and advises patients to review all medication and drug questions with their medical providers.

At Acupractic Natural Healing Center, Dr. Oskardmay provides hands-on diagnostics, followed by chiropractic adjustments, massage, and acupuncture to restore body function and qi flow. Doctors of Chiropractic, Licensed Acupuncturists, and Naturopaths work on the premise that the body knows full well how to heal itself in most instances. The best mode of treatment is always first to help the patient access their healing potential. A licensed chiropractic physician, Dr. Oskardmay, understands the role of the brain and nervous system in healthful living. She provides chiropractic adjustment to restore vertebral integrity and support proper nerve impulse conduction. Not dissimilarly, as a licensed acupuncturist, Dr. Okardmay also employs acupuncture to enhance qi flow, reduce meridian stagnation and uniquely heal each patient. She enjoys helping patients choose foods and exercises to improve their healing response, as well.

Patients suffering from back pain and other musculoskeletal aches and pains have access to a wide array of over-the-counter pain relievers- NSAIDs and analgesics. While these provide temporary relief to many, medical errors and misuse of drugs cost countless lives in the US. Many people reach for these products because they want quick results as promised by numerous television commercials for these and other medicines. Clinal results are not a given, and not everyone receives the promised glory of a pain-free life.

Missing also is the understanding of the side effects of these products. A close read of the tiny print on the sides of the bottles demonstrates the dangers within, which include: indigestion, liver damage, stomach ulcers, headaches, dizziness, allergic reactions, to name a few. These side effects are also mentioned at the end of television advertisements, albeit quickly and in blurring monotone, while magnetic images of happy people propel the viewer onward. Historically, chiropractors and other natural health proponents have not prescribed drugs and medicines mainly due to the adverse side effects of drugs.

Drugs and medicines are chemical substances used to create change in the way our bodies work. When taken by swallowing, inhaling, or injecting, drugs enter the bloodstream and move to affect the brain and other body parts. In the brain, drugs and medications may intensify or dull the senses, change how alert or sleepy a person feels, and sometimes decrease the physical pain. At the chiropractic and acupuncture offices of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay, she enjoys working with patients who appreciate the hands-on treatments she provides to heal the body naturally.

Visit our website to learn more about holistic treatments at the chiropractic and acupuncture offices of Dr.Lisa Oskardmay in Chapel Hill, NC. Call today at (919) 929-1400 to schedule your appointment, or schedule online 24 hours a day.

Chiropractor Chapel Hill, NC

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine. Usually occurring during the growth spurt preceding puberty, scoliosis can have significant health ramifications. At the chiropractic and acupuncture clinics of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay, we help bring relief to patients with the symptoms of scoliosis. Read more about chiropractic for scoliosis.

Usually, the spine bends along the lateral view in three places- the cervical lordosis or anterior curvature, the thoracic kyphosis or posterior curvature, and the lumbar lordosis. This curvature provides some shock absorption to the normal spine, but the spine appears straight from the rear. In cases of scoliosis, the spine has additional curvature to the side and does not appear straight from the posterior view. The health implications of scoliosis can be mild or severe.

The additional spine curvature impacts the vertebral range of motion and muscle attachments, sometimes creating painful movement and increased risk of spinal degeneration. Scoliosis can affect overall body balance; leg length differences and gait issues are common. In severe cases, patients suffer internal organ derangement and abnormal compression of some organs. Nerve compression is not uncommon. Spinal imaging is crucial to determine the level of curvature; parents need to make sure their children receive proper evaluation early to determine spinal health at a young age and watch the progression of spinal curvature.

At Acupractic Natural Healing Center, Dr. Oskardmay evaluates each patient young and old, for spinal imbalance, pain, and nerve irritation. Please tell her about any prior diagnosis of scoliosis; she can order x-ray films as needed, as well, if required. She uses gentle chiropractic adjustments to support the vertebral range of motion, soft tissue massage to reduce muscle aches and pains, focused deep tissue massage for trigger point relief, and acupuncture for meridian therapy along the spine and other areas. Treatment soothes pain locally and enhances healing distally at impacted tissues. Other physical modalities available at our office include the use of electrostimulation, electro-acupuncture, auriculotherapy, cupping, and gua sha. At each visit, Dr. Oskardmay also provides helpful information to support healing at home between visits.

Scoliosis is a prevalent disorder that afflicts approximately 3 million Americans annually. While treatment can help symptoms, no treatments available at this time can cure this ailment. Scoliosis is a chronic condition that can last for years or be lifelong in most cases. As a spinal care expert, Dr. Oskardmay can help to reduce the painful symptoms of scoliosis and help patients improve their overall well-being in the process. Call today at (919) 929-1400 to get the care you need or visit us 24 hours a day online to schedule and learn more about natural, hands-on healing at Acupractic Natural Healing Center, providing alternative healing to the Triangle since 1995.

Chiropractor Chapel Hill, NC

At the alternative medicine clinic of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay in Chapel Hill, people sometimes ask if sleeping in the face-down position is good or bad for their health. While research is somewhat scant, some indications sleeping in the prone posture can affect health in myriad ways. Since we spend approximately a third of our lives sleeping and the goal of sleep is to relax and restore, it is vital to understand how to sleep in a posture that brings us the best benefit.

Research from the NIH (PUB article PMC6609073) shows that the face-down position puts more compressive pressure on the bones and soft tissues of the back. This is because the spine is in relative extension, compacting the small joints that support the spine and allow the spinal column to move freely. Over time, this pressure will cause more inflammation and pain, and stiffness in the morning. Eventually, habitually sleeping in the face-down position can cause increased spinal degeneration and disability.

Sleep position can also affect dreaming, according to studies in the UK. The prone posture is related to people experiencing more dreams connected with feeling locked up, smothered and unable to breathe, and other negative themes. This is because the prone position puts more pressure on the front of the body and makes it difficult to breathe. Understandably this could trigger stressful dream responses.

At our office, we strive to help patients achieve excellent mental and physical health using non-drug, natural methods wherever possible. Recognizing that sleep posture will impact physical and mental health today and into the future is an excellent first step to improving that third of one’s day. Getting the answers you need to questions about sleep posture and the help you need to enhance spinal biokinetics is the next step to sleeping well and feeling better each day.

During an office visit, Dr. Oskardmay helps patients understand the impact of sleep position and other factors on their well-being. Using the chiropractic adjustment, she applies gentle, specific vertebral movement to individual spinal bones to restore the position and reduce inflammatory pain between vertebrae caused by sleep load pressure or other factors. The application of soft tissue massage and other therapies to the neck, back, legs, and paraspinal regions assist in muscle relaxation that improves healing response. Also, as a licensed acupuncturist, Dr. Oskardmay can apply acupuncture to body regions to enhance overall body qi flow.

Call (919) 929-1400 today to schedule your alternative health evaluation and treatment. Located in the Eastowne Office complex just off I-40 at Durham and Chapel Hill junction, Dr. Oskardmay has helped thousands of Triangle residents with pain and other disorders caused by sleep and other conditions since 1995. Or visit us online 24 hours a day to learn how chiropractic and acupuncture can help you.