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Hello, my fellow chiropractors and chiropractic students. I am Dr. Claudia Anrig, and I’m so excited to share with you the common prenatal symptoms and signs and as a chiropractor, what we can do to help others out. But I have a little bit of a history to share with you. I’ve been pr practicing for several decades now in Fresno, California, and I have the largest family wellness practice probably in the state of California.
And I have been mentoring doctors for the last 20 years in a program called Generations. And so not only have I done it in my practice, But I’ve done it for hundreds of practices all over North America and Europe and Australia. So I think I know a little bit what I’m talking about. So I’m just so excited to be here today.
For many of you, you may have the third edition of my textbook, pediatric Chiropractic, which is have a wealth of information. And the most important thing, what I wanna share with you today is tips and ideas. How can you help out your pregnancy patient? How can you help out the next one? How could you have more confidence in the things that you’re going to do?
And then how to, how to use different kinds of, maybe educational material and so forth. For those of you, by the way, that are maybe my generation members, you’re out there viewing here today. You have a ton of tools too. Like different kind of hands out, like the six signs of subluxation.
These flyers you use my Wellness family newsletters. So that’s a tool to have in there. So there are tools that we can use. And so we just wanna bring this home. And the most important thing is for our patients, for our community, we wanna make the best for you. I wanna thank ChiroSecure. Without them, I wouldn’t be getting this message out to everyone.
So I just wanna thank everyone from that and I’m about ready to start that slide show.
So docs talking about the six signs of subluxation in part one. We already talked about headaches and migraines, low back pain and syphilis pubis pain. But I’m gonna talk the next section. What do we do about nauseous? This isn’t vomiting. It’s not a lot of fun. It’s not very pretty. And boy, is it miserable for that pregnant mom, whether it’s first, second, or third trimester nauseousness and vomiting.
Other than the power of an adjustment, there might be some things that statistically you could do that would help with better outcomes and so forth. The first thing would start with the preconception practice. Let’s start with that. If you’re starting with your women six months, nine months, or a year before they’re getting pregnant, what if a, a woman who’s been well adjusted, It’s eating cleaner.
You’ve managed your stress. I have to say, that’s how I love to practice, so I never had these really wacky symptom patients coming in because I, I grew my prac, my practice preconception, prenatal, postnatal, and that’s where all the families come in under care. But here are some of the common things.
Morning sickness. Women are taught to I’ll have to learn to live with it, but no, not really. And what, where in the allopathic world they blame it on? It’s a hormonal changes. You’re gonna have to learn to live with it and maybe wait until the fourth of 16th week and then maybe it’ll go away.
And then some women have more symptoms later on. And I have heard horror stories that some women had nauseousness or vomiting their entire pregnancy. And so you and I we’re gonna look of course, right? We’re gonna be looking for the subluxation pattern, whether it’s upper cervical, it might be a lumbar subluxation pattern that’s occurring there, or midthoracic.
We know that as we’re sharing and chatting with our women, we should be talking about, what are maybe possible triggers, is it smell of food, an odor? And this is where, anything we can have ’em being organic, fragrance free, and so forth. And and let’s say if somebody is having an issue where they’re with coworkers and there’s a problem there, best thing you can do is suggest to them is number one talk to the people around them that may have this particular fragrance.
Maybe post a note. and by their desks, it’s a I, Hey, could you be fragrance free? I’m, it’s affecting my nauseous and vomiting in my pregnancy. And so you, how do you help them get the message out to others and so forth. And so this is just some of the things cuz what I’m sharing is the practical things that happens in my practice, giving them strategies to help stop these kind of triggers.
Of course, spicy foods and sometimes the spicy food can be cultural. I live. Living in Fresno, Clovis California. I have a high Hispanic population Indian population as well. As well as GaN Lae. And so sometimes their cultures come in with very strong foods. And so culturally, I just to say, I have to tell ’em we need to switch it up.
Go into something a little bland. I know that you love it, but it doesn’t mean this is what you need to do. And then we have to get them also avoiding, getting out to too much restaurant food. The more cleaner they eat, the less it’s gonna trigger that tummy and so forth. And then of course are they overheated?
And some of you, where do you live? High humidity. Dry areas and so forth. Are they staying in a cooler environment? One of the things that you could do for their bedroom, if they’re just really tired and heat exhausted a couple things you could do and it’s really safe. You could have them run a cool hum humidifier, vaporizer in their bedroom.
So there’s a coolness going on that, or in that I have some people in their work office. That they have. I said, just put the cool humidifier or not humidifier, a vaporizer and run that cool mist in the room that you’re working that might just calm your system down from, particularly if you’re in the dehydration or excessive heat.
And then also another thing that can help the mount. Is using a cold compress on their lower back or on their leg and cool the body down. So if you’re in a hot area using an ice pack, I said, put it on for 20 minutes somewhere on your body. Or even if it’s in bed, put it on for 20 minutes and then and then take it off.
That could help that central course. It’s just some tips for my chiropractors. Other things to avoid, we know, it is triggers caffeine, dairy, and gluten. And so many people fall back on all this caffeine stuff. Oh, I just need a little burst. I need to have this. And then you look at it. It’s number one, a lot of times, if, particularly if it’s CNET drinks that are coming from these fast places and so forth, they’re loaded up with just terrible calories as well.
And it’s it’s on, so they’re thinking they’re having a quick go meal, but what they’re really doing is they’re setting themselves up for failure. Same thing with dairy and the gluten. Where are their previ prenatal vitamins coming from? What’s the source of it that, that may have to change out?
So maybe you can guide ’em to something that you. I’ve seen in your practice to be very successful. I’m a firm believer of grazing. Grazing is when you eat a little bit throughout the whole day, and that little bit through the whole day would be maybe a light breakfast, a mid amid snack, light lunch or larger lunch, light snack.
And so if they graze. They have less highs and lows that might be helpful. Sometimes when they have the vomiting or the nauseousness. It could be also that they’re in a form of a little bit state of hypoglycemia, right? And so by keeping the grazing going on, maybe they’ll have less dips and that’ll also help out with morning sickness as well, if they have even the grazing approach.
Ginger teas been known to be very beneficial for nauseous and vomiting. Peppermint in cold drinks and then drink red raspberry leaf tea, but only second half of a pregnancy. Now the first half, but the second half should be saved. Now, one of the areas as a fellow chiropractor, That we can look at is that many of you will look into the cervical area, you’ll be looking into thoracic for a subluxation pattern.
But when I’ve seen somebody who has had severe vomiting, severe, like bedridden, vomiting and so forth, I have always found that they’ve had an upper cervical, specifically an atlas subluxation pattern. Because the vagal nerve and so forth, it just goes to stomach. And same thing with babies with reflux.
It’s always been a, typically it’s an Atlas subluxation. And so go to Atlas. Monitor that, and for those of you who adjust multiple areas on visits, If you’re not getting success with vomiting and so forth, only do Atlas for that visit. Don’t adjust anything else in the nervous system. Just real realize that power of that one adjustment, that particularly the one Atlas and so forth, and give that a chance to see if you can calm down that vomiting.
And in some cases, I’ve actually co-managed these patients. I didn’t want them suffering. I was getting helping ’em out, but it wasn’t helping ’em out enough. So I’ve always referred out to somebody who does prenatal. Acupuncture because I want them to get the best results possible so we can calm them down, better for the baby, better for the mom, and so forth.
Docs when it comes to digestion and elimination. The indigestion and so forth. 80% of the women will have some form of indigestion in early pregnancy. What the allopathic world wants to blame it on os estrogen, it’s progesterone, it’s relaxing the stomach’s finger. Okay, that might be yes, but how many of your women, if you’ve done preconception, prenatal Practices, our women don’t have that much indigestion problems, but the leg group out there that these, the allopathic statistics are coming from, this is not a group of people that are, have been wellness, prenatal, chiropractic patients and so forth.
And then later in practice they’re gonna blame it on the baby now. Okay, I could get that when they’re, that if the fetus or if they’re in twins, Position. I could understand that in, in the last, but if they’re, again, receiving great wellness, prenatal chiropractic care, you’re gonna notice a lot less of that.
When it comes to also to ingestion, what does the world out there suggest? It’s okay to do. Oh, go get that Tums and roll aids and so forth. But really look at the side effects. Constipation, nauseousness, stomach upset or pain. Oh, that’s acid reflux and gerd. No, we shouldn’t be doing that stuff over the counter.
And then on top of that, the Prilosec, stomach pain, gas, nauseousness, vomiting. I’m already vomiting and now I’m gonna take that headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, fatigue no. So as a chiropractor, we’re gonna go look at the physical, chemical, emotional stressors. What are the triggers that maybe why they’re not stabilizing with your adjustments.
Where are they maybe doing at home? Have ’em write down a diary and so forth so that we can help them make a better choice and get over this stuff a lot easier and indigestion. Some things that we could do, we could recommend avoiding the food triggers. That makes sense. Coconut water, you can never go wrong trying a coconut water for just about anything.
Papaya enzyme. Now, papaya enzyme, what I usually su suggest doing is after they’ve eaten the meal and they know they’re gonna get indigestion afterwards, that’s when I have papaya enzyme. At least that’s what I do in my practice, is after they’ve eaten the meal I do. The enzyme fennel seeds have been known to be helpful.
Raw almonds and even apple CI vinegar. I love brags because it has a mother in there. I don’t like the other kinda apple CI vinegar out there. One tea teaspoon mix with a glass of water seed. So we’ve got some home remedies that might be just a great tool for you to look at for that indigestion. And of course, we know.
That you’re looking into the thoracic area for maybe that di digestive subluxation issue. Remember if a lot of people are on technology, they’re linked forward, they’re already engaging in, whether it’s on the computer, working home remotely to working in an office if they’re, I suggest for them to also do maybe a sit stand desk, cuz standing will help the posture out.
Something that we also suggest is like maybe you doing wall pushups again, not fingers up. Preferably fingers, point to each other and do a set of those maybe 20, 30. It only takes about 30 seconds to do that. That’ll help engage the upper thoracic. A posture of the spine and the paraspinal muscles.
And that’s just a good way of getting what we call body up and so forth. And we have to, again, with technology the more your clients, your patients are leaning forward and so forth, they’re more likely they’re gonna have these issues. People who have better posture upright and they’ve gotta get moving.
We gotta get ’em up away from the work desk, every 50 minutes. Why aren’t they getting up, going to a co going over to a copier wherever they’re working and get movement back in their life. They’re constantly sitting. They’re, you’re not gonna be as successful with the indigestion and so forth.
So that’s just another tool to look at. And then doctors, and there are things that look at or different forms of teas and so forth. It could be spearmint tea, peppermint tea. I’m a big tea person. Ginger root could be helpful for indigestion. Cy Elbar and chamomile and camile. Always that, the calming and so forth.
And and also when you are talking to your to your patients or practice members, I think to always ask them too culturally maybe where their people have come from. Everybody has home remedies. For indigestion or constipation, whatever it might be. Go, as I said, go back to your culture. Ask the generation behind you, your grandparents, your great-grandparents what did they do from their old country?
Every culture has their own natural home remedies. So ask what they’ve done and say it worked for them. Why don’t you try it out, see if it works for you, and so forth. So go back to the old ways. It could be a very helpful tool for them. And then we have constipation. In the allopathic world, it’s said 50% of women are gonna be constipated and they’re gonna blame it on progesterone is a trigger cause.
And not that it, the colon isn’t gonna possibly slow down it, and particularly it will slow down if she’s sitting again in her career. People who are up and walking and moving are less likely to have constipation because they’re moving. The these, the tube and so forth, the tube sitting is more likely to have the constipations, by the way.
It’s more likely to have pelvic floor issues because we’re not a body in motion and so forth and so beyond just We know statistically that this is gonna happen. My suggestion for you docs is to basically get your patient also in motion. Where other things that we could recommend for them drink more water.
They need more f fiber in their diet, and not oh, I see these little tablets that they’re the, all the fruits, they’re all the vegetables. That’s a shortcut. They need something going through their system and so forth. Again the more low glycemic vegetables that they can have and so forth.
Don’t think okay I’ll just eat more fruit. That’s, Not necessarily because I could put ’em in a state of hypoglycemia. So that’s not good either. The, it’s gotta be your low-glycemic vegetables. If you could go there, that will be a better, helpful tool. Not high-glycemic all the sugars, but low-glycemic.
That’ll put the fiber through them and that’ll stimulate the colon from working again, of course, a good state of probiotics and again it does work. Organic prunes juice or stews and so forth. I prefer if they can tolerate as a stew. Prune that’s even better yet because they’re gonna choose something.
Engaging the enzymes a little bit differently, going through the digestive tract a little bit differently. So of the two juice versus std, I’m always gonna go with STD as my preference for the patients in my practice and of also where am I gonna look? I’m gonna look for when it comes to a subluxation pattern, I’m gonna look midthoracic digestion.
I’m gonna look lower lumbar for again. the colon function. And so I’m gonna palpate my pregnant women, see where there’s restriction, and then I’m gonna deliver a very specific adjustment to them to stimulate their nervous system. Other things that you could do is home remedies. In warm fluid doc black strap molasses is known to work.
One teaspoon in a just a cup of water would be great. And homemade broth, any kind of broth that they could just put fluids into their body and so forth. And again, we can never go wrong with beef bone broth. Make sure it’s organic resource at a good place because again, that puts vitality into the body.
And anytime the body has something that is vi vitalizing to them the body perks up and so forth. and then when it comes to cold fluids. Fresh lemonade with honey. That’s another tool to use. And so we just have to figure out what’s right, what works for them. Not everything will work for everybody.
So we say let’s try this home remedy first. Let’s try that home remedy first before we try anything else. And of course, regular chiropractic adjustments to our patients. Docs when it comes to fatigue tiredness will be always a part of it. There’s never gonna be an untied pregnant mom in different stages of their pregnancy.
It might be they’re really super tired and first trimester. The second trimester is what we call the blossom. Trimester, they feel good. They feel like a million bucks, highest energy around and so forth. And then as a tail end into the pregnancy, the often the fatigue comes up. So what happens there is it’s it’s a dragging feeling.
We know it’s sluggish, lack of energy, and they’re just hoping that like you can do, promise ’em look. But second trimester, you’re gonna have everything that you would love to feel like a million bucks. It’s probably gonna happen there. So give yourself, I called my to those pregnant women. Give yourself grace.
To be tired, ask for help. Make a list. What are the first top three or five things that are driving you crazy that you, because you’re so tired, you can’t do it, but because it’s driving you crazy, you’re not being able to rest. Could you just write it down, three, five things, 10 things, whatever it is, and then farm it out?
Just ask for help. Hire out. I don’t care what it is, but if you’re too tired and your body needs to rest, that’s the by telling you to rest. So write it down. So and fi find a person, the spouse, the partner friends or neighbors. What it, what will it take to get the job done, to rest the mind so that the body can go through this tiredness state.
It’s an easy thing to do. And then docs. , why is her fatigue and tiredness and so forth? A part of it can be the growing placenta hormone changes, blood supply will change metabolism changes and so forth. So there’s a sometimes a body’s really working hard and building, so it’s not like she’s lazy because I’m really worried with the.
Tired woman, she’s gonna go grab her diet Coke, she’s gonna go grab an espresso. And so she’s gonna grab something that isn’t good and it’s just gonna get her run down. And of course, when it comes to the fatigue, it’s really weird. If you’re tired, actually get your patients to go out and start walking.
Go walk 20 minutes a day. , any a body emotion is less likely to get tired with on top of it because sometimes with fatigue there’s some, not anxiety, but they just feel that letting other people down get ’em into breathing, breathing, meditation, yoga. But the, my fatigue patients, other than clean, adjusting clean diets, Embrace your tiredness and just get people to help you out.
And so there’s not emotional stressor I get. I recommend walking, get ’em out, walking about. They’ll feel better always after a walk. Geez, I thought it was too tired to make the walk when I came back. It gave me energy for the next three to four hours. Walking is imperative in a lifestyle that we have that we just don’t encourage a lot of walking just because we do other things and activities other things we know, stay hydrated, rest well stay active, get adjusted.
These are the things from a, being a wellness prenatal chiropractor, these are the things that we can bring into their lives and helping them out. So it’s exciting that we can do something. We may not be able to change it completely, but it’s a tool to use and to have doctors all about caffeine as I was talking about it.
Please be careful. I think they sneak it in and they don’t tell you because they know how you feel about caffeine. So just always double check. Hey Amy. Just wanna double check. You haven’t fall back on any caffeine, have you? I’m just gonna encourage you not to do that because because it’ll actually fatigue you out.
Could you swap it out for a glass of water? Peppermint tea cuz it PEPs you up. , and I encourage you to take the walk, but let’s avoid the caffeine. It just, it’s not good. And it can help assist them in dehydration. That’s the last thing our pregnant moms need to have. Another area doctors do is making sure that they’re scheduling for really regular family wellness, chiropractic care.
You just gotta get them back there. They just, they know Our women report back when they receive chiropractic care on a regular one. And by the way, when you’re. Chairing with the women in your practice. This is a great way to say, by the way, if you have any friends or family members who are pregnant themselves and they’re having any of these six signs of subluxation, I want you to encourage you, please refer your friends or family members who are pregnant.
I would love to be their prenatal chiropractor, and they de deserve a right. To understand the physical, chemical, emotional stressors to have the being of the vitality of the adjustment and so forth. And by the way, we haven’t even talked about that when all these women are getting all these great chiropractic care that the baby’s a better chance of being in a head down position because of the kind of care that we give to the sacrum, pelvis and so forth.
But that’s a, if I talk for a later date doc, and one of the things that I just would like to do is just as we think about what we can do for others remember. number one, please get the third edition of the textbook. For those, you have the second edition. It’s you’ve got an amazing textbook, but boy, we blew it up with more.
There’s just so much more in there that you need to like tongue tie, breastfeeding, seeing upper cervical toggle and so forth. So there’s just a extremity adjusting. I wanna encourage you to get that textbook. It’ll help you and it’s a good reference tool to go back to any exams that you may have forgotten from joining in chiropractic college.
and then also to. Learn more about me. If you’d like to just go, where is this check from? Oh my goodness. I’ve never heard of her before. Maybe I’ve seen her textbook and so forth, but I didn’t know she could talk so fast. Teach so fast. Oh my goodness. Number one number one, check out my website.
Poke around. But if you would love to know how to grow a family practice, let me blow you up. Or just, lemme change the quality of the patients who are coming in. If you’re an older practicing chiropractor and you want to see more pregnant women, geez, you’re not ready to throw in the towel and you want, you don’t wanna completely geriatric practice.
Let me show you the way, basically how you can be just vibrant and all the rest. And for those that are out there, you know this. I’m I do wonderful graphic information. I produce stuff out there, posters and digital content for the practices for my generation’s practices out there. You know it, you’re successful out there, so check me out and then go to first Adjustment as well.
That’s my seminars. I teach three or four times a year in North America. It’s a 12 hour continued education seminar where you can just learn a ton of information there about communication. About adjusting pregnant women, adjusting babies and so forth. You’ll learn a lot about pelvic floor. I, for those of you who have been to my first adjustment seminars, I’ve just added in pelvic floor, so that’d be a good tool to have.
And again, from the bottom of my heart, I’m so excited. I thank ChiroSecure. They just, what a wonderful company. They are just the highest level of service for our profession. And I just wanna thank them for sponsoring this. Take care.