Care Specialties in Grand Junction CO

Pediatric Chiropractic Specialist
Alot of people question why any child would ever need to be adjusted by a chiropractor.  For those people who think that chiropractic care is all about pain, we can somewhat understand their concern.  But regardless, here's why its so important that kids get checked.  The very first subluxation usually occurs during or even before the birth process.  A condition can occur during development where there is not enough room in the uterus for the baby to develop properly called uterine constraint.  This can result not only in spinal abnormalities of the baby, but can create malpositioning of the baby for birth and result in a difficult birth process.  Longer, more laborious births, increased back labor, acynclitic presentation, forceps, vacuum extraction and cesarean sections are often times the result.  Even without all of this, a normal unmedicated vaginal delivery can cause subluxations of the spine resulting in malfunction of the tiny baby's nervous system.  In fact, multiple studies have shown that approximately 90% of newborns suffer from the effects of birth trauma in the cervical spine and cranium.  This leads to nerve dysfunction and if left uncorrected, can impact the baby's spinal growth and neurological development.  This is of utmost importance given that 65% of neurological development occurs in the baby's first year.  It can be difficult for a parent to recognize when a child has a subluxation.  Here is what nerve dysfunction caused by subluxation can look like:

• disturbed sleep
• breastfeeding or feeding difficulties (impaired sucking, latching, swallowing or head positioning)
• irritability or colic
• reflux, frequent spitting up, or excessive gas
• balance issues (head tilt, high shoulder, or arching of the body)
• delayed developmental milestones
• recurrent ear infections
• asthma and allergies
• bedwetting and/or constipation
• ADHD, ADD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or Sensory Processing Disorder
• growing pains
• persistent sore throats and cold

All of these issues may be resolved through gentle chiropractic adjustments to the spine by Pediatric Chiropractic Specialist, such as Dr. Sheader.  By getting your baby or child checked for subluxation, you are insuring that your child has the best possible chance at life.  Who wouldn't want that?

Activator Method
Here at New Life Chiropractic we use the adjusting tool known as an Activator.  This apparently simple looking "T" shaped tool offers amazing accuracy and flexibility.  The doctor can set the unit to adjust any size person from a new born infant to a 500-lb adult and all of us in-between.  The tool is so accurate and precise that it can put a bone back in place gently and quickly.  It has been our experience that the human body accepts the Activator adjustment easier and holds that adjustment longer than the  traditional "manual style" adjustment method.  The Activator method is now the number one adjustment method used in chiropractic, the most widely researched chiropractic technique and the only instrument adjusting technique with clinical trials to support its efficiency.

Applied Kinesiology
Kinesiology:-n. The study of muscles and their movements, esp. as applied to physical conditioning.  
Jokingly referred to as "The Voodoo Factor", Applied Kinesiology or muscle strength testing, is a scientifically based and researched technique.  First receiving scientific attention in the second half of the 20th century through the work of Dr. George Goodheart.  The testing results implicated that at a level far below conceptual consciousness the body "knew", and through muscle testing was able to "signal", what was good and bad for it. Further work by Dr. John Diamond refined this specialty into a new discipline called Behavioral Kinesiology.  Dr. Diamond's startling discovery was that indicator muscles would strengthen or weaken in the presence of positive or negative emotional and intellectual stimuli, as well as physical stimuli. Using Applied Kinesiology testing in our practice allows the doctor to deal with the patient's body directly, achieving results with great speed and accuracy.

Neuro Emotional Technique NET
Why do we feel the way we feel?  How do our thoughts and emotions affect our health?  Are our bodies and minds distinct from each other or do they function together as parts of an interconnected system?  The human body is an amazing multi-faceted and synergized creation.  Therefore, every aspect of this life has an effect on your health.  Did you know that you have specific organs in your body that handle certain emotions for you? For example, your liver deals with "anger", your kidneys "fear", and your lungs "grief".  If we do not process a negative emotion thoroughly, it can become "trapped" or "blocked" in the cells of the body causing issues years down the road.  Neuro Emotional Technique or NET, can help identify the unresolved real (or imagined) event and assist the body in releasing its lingering emotional charge, changing not only your physical health but mental and spiritual health as well.

Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger point therapy isn't "too good to be true" - it's just ordinary good!  When you experience "muscle knots" you are talking about myofascial trigger points.  There are no actual knots involved, of course - it just feels like it.  Although their true nature is uncertain, the main theory is that a trigger point (TrP) is a small patch of tightly contracted muscle, an isolated spasm affecting just a section of muscle tissue (not a whole-muscle spasm like a "charlie horse").  That small patch of muscle chokes off its own blood supply, which irritates it even more.  This contraction causes "toxins" to be trapped in the muscle tissue which increases the body's aches and pains.  The process of "working out" the trigger points maybe simple but the results are multifaceted...
trigger point therapy is not a miracle cure for chronic pain...but it helps.

Lymphatic Massage
The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins, waste and other unwanted materials.  The primary function of the lymph system is to transport lymph, a fluid containing infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body.  Some key points of the system are:

• The lymphatic system has three main roles: it is part of our immune system, maintains fluid balance and is essential for the absorption of fats and fat-soluble nutrients.
• Lymph vessels drain fluid from virtually all our tissues to control fluid balance and to deliver foreign material to the lymph nodes for assessment by immune system cells.
• The lymph nodes swell in response to infection, so-called swollen glands, due to a build-up of lymph fluid, bacteria or other organisms and immune system cells.
• Lymph nodes may also become swollen due to direct infection, diseases or conditions.
• Lymph nodes are responsible for filtering lymph and providing part of the adaptive immune response to new pathogens - the part of our immunity that has a "long memory".
• Research is showing that a buildup in toxicity in the body's lymphatic system is a major contributor to all auto-immune diseases.

Next to your body's daily water requirement, regular lymphatic massage is a useful tool in assisting the lymph in maintaining the strength of the body's immune system.

BioMeridian Specialized Testing 
The BioElectrical Impedance Measurement or “BIM” assessment is a state-of-the-art tool designed to measure 58 different electrical “circuits” in your body related to specific organs and systems.  This enables your doctor to assess what level your present health is at and most importantly, where your body is struggling.  BIM devices have been constantly used in medicine to non-invasively obtain important health information.  Some of the more recognizable devices include EKGs and EEGs used to measure heart and brain function.

A recent addition to the BioMerdian technology is the Focus Allergy Sensitivity Testing and Virtual Library.  This advancement enables very detailed testing for food, environmental, chemical, heavy metal, mold, fungus and bacterial sensitivity.  The speed and accuracy allow for an amount of testing in one hour that would have commonly taken multiple visits to accomplish.

Food and Chemical Sensitivity/Hormone Testing/Heavy Metal Detoxing
Our goal for you is Whole Body Wellness.  In our world today we are exposed to over 82,000 toxins in our air, food and water that 100 years ago did not exist.  Discovering if your body is dealing with food or environmental allergies, battling with chemical sensitivity or struggling with a hormone imbalance is an important aspect of our care for you.  Many life factors can be the cause such as poor gut health, leaky gut and overall inflammation in the body.

So how do we fix them?  Along with Applied Kinesiology and Focus Allergy Sensitivity Testing to locate the issue, desensitizing is done by stimulating allergy acupressure  points with cold laser.  The use of these techniques has shown to have an approximate 70% chance of permanent desensitization.

Heart Sound Recorder (HSR)
Every day, your heart beats 100,000 times, sending 2,000 gallons of blood surging through your body.  Two-thirds of your life the heart is at rest, meaning if you live 100 years your heart will be at rest for 67 of those wonderful years!  WOW!  The heart is the best proxy of nutritional status of the entire body.  It receives the complete blood supply every minute and gets the first choice of what is available. 
     "From our experience since 1930, acting as a clearing house for nutritional information regarding the heart, we can say that we find no condition, either directly or indirectly, so responsive to nutritional therapy as that which is reflected in heart conditions".
                      Dr. Royal Lee, creator of Standard Process Whole Food Supplements
Using 21^st century technology, the Heart Sound Recorder (HSR) is the prodigy of technology that Dr. Royal Lee had invented in 1937.
In most healing modalities, the stethoscope is used to assist the practitioner in the science of observation.  The technology of the Heart Sound Recorder assists the practitioner in seeing what they are hearing when they are observing the internal sounds of the body.  This allows the practitioner to acquire, display, record and save heart sounds.
The HSR is classified as a low risk general wellness device and has ETL Certification of product safety.

Ankle-Brachial Index Testing (ABI)
Did you know your ankle, of all places, may have something important to reveal about your health?  The ankle-brachial index test is a quick, noninvasive way to check for peripheral artery disease (PAD).  The disease occurs when narrowed arteries reduce the blood flow to your limbs.  PAD can cause leg pain when walking and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The ABI test compares the blood pressure measured at your ankle with the blood pressure measured at your arm.  A low ABI number can indicate narrowing or blockage of the arteries in your legs.  Research indicates that PAD affects about 10 percent of people over the age of 55.  Testing considerations are also:

• History of Tobacco use
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Restricted blood flow (atherosclerosis) in other parts of the body
• History of heart related issues

It is important that we use every tool possible to help determine any assistance your body may need.