A gentleman called the clinic the other day with growing concerns about his wife and asked us: “Why does my wife keep falling over?” He continued to tell us that his wife, Sally, 71, has good health, but she’s been having difficulty controlling her balance lately. With each fall she loses confidence – so much that she’s scared to leave the house without him, or their daughter. Losing your balance is a scary thing. And it’s something we hear people worrying about all the time. It’s not uncommon that as we get older we begin to feel unsteady on our feet. People have told us that when they’re out doing their grocery shopping, they have to rely on the shopping cart. Other times they lean on a loved one to help them get around safely… Fear of falling spoils their confidence to leave the house alone, or even move around the house independently. It’s a worrying thing that happens. Most of the time, people don’t understand why it’s happening to them all of a sudden. So why is it that falls are one of the main causes of accidents and injuries in people aged 65+? Here’s just some of the reasons why falling can become more of an issue as we get older… Poor eyesight and difficulties with hearing properly are one of the most common changes that comes with ageing. Any issues with hearing and eyesight will make you feel unsteady. Let me explain… The inner ear has five, hair-like sensors… Read More

If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain – so bad that you struggle to do simple things like turning your head to look over your shoulder or sleep at night without pain, then reading this report may be the most important thing you do this year. It may unlock the agonizing mystery of your neck pain and show you a way to get back to the life you deserve… A life where you can sleep at night without tossing and turning, hoping to find one position where your neck pain stops. Where you can read a book before bed… or newspaper on a morning…without the fear of more neck pain. A life where you can wake up in the morning and not suffer from headaches or migraines… One where you can plan family time with your kids or grand kids, without worrying over if your neck pain will strike!…Basically, a life without chronic or severe neck pain! Finally one of the nation’s leading neck experts, Jennifer Penrose, a specialist from Lacey recently released a new report. The “Neck Pain Consumer Awareness Report” reveals the best kept secret in Lacey. How to actually get to the bottom of your Neck Pain without talking to your insurance. Even how to do it without regular trips to see the chiropractor, or needing a referral from your doctor. This report reveals how weekly, (and costly) visits to a chiropractor are NOT always needed. It also addresses how pain medications and muscle… Read More

So far in this series, we’ve covered all things neck pain, shoulder pain and even headaches. I just want to quickly recap what we’ve looked at, for those who might have missed one or two. First we looked at why everyday activities can cause neck pain and what you can do to change that. Then we looked at how sleeping can cause neck and shoulder pain. It can be eased by sleeping with only one pillow, trying different sleeping positions that are comfortable and supportive. We then switched gears a little to look at headaches, and how most people think that they can be caused by something they’ve eaten. It’s more often down to neck and shoulder tension causing a headache. Try things like relaxing in a warm bath to help ease the tension, or talking to a member of our team. Shoulder pain then became topic and I gave you some simple exercises that you can do from your desk to help ease it. Finally, last week we looked at how stress can actually be a big cause for headaches. Try finding ways to relax can be really beneficial, including trying Yoga. This week I want to switch back to shoulder pain. It can sometimes be hard to see what you are doing wrong in your lifestyle because, well, it’s your lifestyle. Your daily routine is so well known to you that it can become second nature to read before bed, look on your tablet or going for that game of golf on a… Read More

Headaches are a pain. We all get them now and again, but for some of us, they’re more of a regular occurrence than others… And at the clinic it’s incredible just how many people we see, tell us that they’ve suffered from headaches. They just consider them to be a regular part of life they end up dealing with. That’s why things like ibuprofen and other types of painkillers are such big sellers. But drugs can only relieve the symptoms temporarily by masking the pain. Many times, the recurring headaches may actually be the result of something else! Take a look at this email I received from a new patient last week as an example: “Hi Jennifer, after reading your neck pain and headaches booklet, I wanted to send you an email to see if you could help me! I’m 48 years old and the last 6 months I’ve been suffering from some of the worst headaches I’ve ever had. I sit in front of a computer daily for at least 8 hours in a job that is stressful most of the time. Recently I visited the doctor who gave me pills to take the pain away, but the pain still exists. All I feel is constant tightness in my head. I don’t know what to do, or what the cause could be, it feels like pounding at the front of my head. Do you have any ideas? Thanks Jennifer.” – Alison, 48, Lacey. Of course, I have several ideas of what could be causing Alison’s headaches! In my years of experience it’s often the case that if… Read More

Sometimes, it can often surprise us how the smallest things in life can actually affect our health. Small things like wearing that heavy bag on the same shoulder every day, or that terrible posture you’ve learnt at work, but so desperately want to get rid of. That’s right everyone… it all adds up and can even be causing your shoulder pain. Today I’ll be going over the importance of exercising in the workplace and how it can help your shoulder pain. The reason why I’m writing about the workplace is because not many people realize how much time you spend at work. For example, the average full time worker spends on average every year,1,650 hours at work. That’s equivalent to 68 days or 9 weeks of day-in-day-out work! Now, imagine if you had an office job, or if you DO, think of all those hours you actually spend sat down, not moving and potentially developing poor posture. It’s no wonder you have shoulder pain! That is why it’s important to exercise at work and to keep moving as much as possible. Having only 5 weeks away from work can take it’s toll on your body. This truly shows how long you are at work for and how it can affect your health. With that in mind, here’s a few of my tips that are handy to use to ease that shoulder pain… Yoga before and after work is a MUST to stretch away those potential aches and pains in… Read More

Let’s talk about headaches and migraines. Ranging from a mid-afternoon head pounding ache, to an agonizing pain that leaves you sensitive to light. Headaches are something most, if not all of us, have experienced at some point in our life. For some, headaches are a bigger problem and can even affect everyday life, just like Lauren who is a patient of mine – here’s what she wrote in an email to me before she came to see us: “Hi Jennifer, I’m 56 and have been suffering from migraines ever since I was a teenager and I’ve never been able to get to the root of the problem. Usually in the past I put my migraines down to stress or a lack of sleep. Then I thought it might be something that I’m eating instead. I took away all of the foods that are said to set off headaches like cheese and chocolate…but nothing really changed. I don’t know if this is true, but I heard that tension in your shoulders can bring headaches on? Then I thought you’d be the best person to ask. Is this right or am I being silly? Do I get headaches because of something I eat? I’m tired of getting migraines when I least expect them! It’s awful when they strike in the middle of shopping.” – Lauren, 56,Olympia, WA Let me tell you now, Lauren certainly was right about tension in your neck and shoulders being related to this common problem! I can imagine you… Read More

Let’s talk about one of the most common causes of neck and shoulder pain – sleeping! Not just sleeping, but the way we sleep (and even what we do before we sleep). Have you ever woken up in the morning with a stiff and slightly painful neck? Often it’s just an annoying ache that eases off shortly after you’ve got out of bed, but after days of waking up feeling like this, it can become a lot more painful. It’s something that we don’t usually think about, but one of the most important things to consider is the effect that sleeping can have upon our neck and shoulders. Let me explain: An increase in neck or shoulder pain is a common problem that many people experience as a direct result of resting for 8 hours or more in an awkward position, either an old mattress which needs replacing, or on the wrong types of pillows. Why? Having your neck twisted or bent in a position for long periods of time isn’t good for the body. After a while your body becomes so used to being in a certain position when you go to sleep (the position you’ve been sleeping in for most of your life!) – night after night, so no wonder the neck becomes painful. But it’s not only down to the way we sleep… Another thing I see a lot of people do before they turn in for the night is they watch TV or read. But the thing is, while doing these… Read More

Have you ever had a slight pain in the neck but didn’t really think it was a big deal, especially if you knew it was because you slept awkwardly? Yes? I thought so. I hear this quite often from my clients when they first come in to see us – they’ll mention the annoying pain that’s going on in their neck when it comes to the end of their session because 9 times out of 10, they think it’s something that will “just go away” on it’s own. But here’s the thing – it doesn’t always “just go away”! Think of your neck like this: Your neck supports one of the most vital parts of your body – the skull and the brain. Not forgetting that the top of your neck is where your nerves begin. Now ask yourself this – do you still want to brush off that neck pain you’ve woken up with this morning? I thought not. Some of the main reasons as to why we shouldn’t brush off neck pain is because we all have ways in which we make it worse. We don’t mean to, but sometimes our lifestyle just gets in the way! Have you had your hair done recently? It can often be an enjoyable experience, but have you ever considered how your neck feels? When you’re getting your hair washed make sure the chair and basin are adjusted accordingly. The seats are meant to adjust for a reason! Also, sometimes it can take a… Read More

Then this free wellness/nutrition workshop is for you! In the last few weeks of the healthy tips series we have covered how the right nutrition improves youthful gene expression (the study of epigenetics & how that is helping people feel younger), hydration and the anti-inflammatory diet. Diseases that are linked to chronic systemic inflammation: diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, depression, arthritis to name a few, the fastest easiest ways to decrease inflammation, and how antioxidants help protect our eyes from blindness (aging macular degeneration). And last week you could request my free “Healthy Tips Report” that covered: posture, falls, stretching and more! Well that is quite a bit to cover in 7 weeks!  That is why we decided with all the interest and requests for antioxidant scans to hold a free wellness/nutrition workshop!  Get your antioxidant scan score for free at this workshop if you bring a friend with you! (Normally $25). This science based wellness/nutrition workshop is for you if: You want to know what nutrients are key for energy and improving physical performance. (We will cover the science that has been used in elite athletes and with sedentary individuals) Or, you want to know which nutrients help with cognition, mental sharpness, and memory (according to the science of course!) You want to know if your nutritional plan is working with the antioxidant scan test. And we’ll tell you what it means for your overall health. If you want to know what key nutrients are needed for longevity and optimal wellness You want to know… Read More

If you just nodded your head  “yes please” then let me introduce you to a plant based compound called “AgeLoc Youth”. Yes, “AgeLoc Youth” sounds like it is trying to lock you into your younger years! Sign me up! As my grandmother says “Don’t get old Jennifer. These golden years are not so golden!” So I’m following her advice with the latest science (without synthetic chemicals or pharmaceuticals) I can find and share it with you. As a physical therapist I’m definitely helping my patients improve their physical function so they can travel, visit grandkids, and live life with less pain and ability to keep up! But how is that meaningful if your cholesterol is high and plaque is building up on the walls of your arteries waiting for a heart attack, or you lose your cognitive abilities, or you lose your vision (covered last week!)? Quality of life includes all of those things! First of all, let’s talk about cognition. “AgeLoc Youth” vs placebo given to healthy subjects age 40-65 with normal cognitive function for 6 weeks showed radically improved brain MRI images! Improve cognitive performances on memory tests were also demonstrated by the AgeLoc Youth group. This is exciting news for those of us that want to keep our mind sharp using a plant based compound! Regarding the brain MRI results, Dr. Louis Cady, Psychiatrist, stated: “Of particular interest to me is increased activity in the inferior orbital pre-frontal cortex – which is the executive… Read More

So if you recall in this healthy tip series we talked about the anti-inflammation diet.  We talked about how scientists have found that chronic inflammation is linked to chronic diseases: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, depression, cancer, asthma and more.  Chronic inflammation is exacerbated by lifestyle factors: a diet with unhealthy fats and processed foods (packaged and canned meals), pastas/starches/sugars, lack of exercise and poor dental hygiene or gum disease.  The food we eat causes certain bacteria in our gut to populate and it either curbs or increases our systemic inflammation. Before going further, if you’d like to watch a video for this topic instead of read, follow this link to view it on our YouTube page: https://youtu.be/DPlFedNlgjw One of the quickest things you can do to decrease systemic inflammation is stop eating foods that are processed or laden with unhealthy fats– those quick packaged meals or fast foods.  And avoid lots of starches and artificial sugars.  Those foods increase the gut bacteria that promotes more systemic inflammation!  No one needs more inflammation in their body!  And remember to floss your teeth every day to keep that bacteria from traveling to your gut and creating more systemic inflammation! The next best thing to do to decrease system inflammation is getting half your plate full of veggies and fruits at every meal.  Whoa!  Do you have time for that?  Do you have the money for that?  It is not easy or quick nor is it cheap to buy organic fruits and veggies.  And why organic? … Read More

You can read my blog or watch my you tube channel on today’s topic of screen time and vision.  Click here for the you tube version. Most patients that I help are40+ and trying to be active and enjoy life. I am also in that category. Besides physical and mental function, I also want to have my vision intact for next 20-30 years plus. I am willing to bet that even if you are ok with most aging processes that you don’t want to have permanent vision loss in your 60s-70s? So today I’m going to tackle the issue of aging macular degeneration (AMD). Why is a physical therapist talking about AMD? Well, many of my patients come to see me for neck and back pain from sitting and using laptops, tablets,and smart phones. We do see more people with degenerative changes in their spines due to the amount of sitting and the increased neck bending/flexion from holding devices and looking down for prolonged periods. American adults spend an average of 11 hours a day on screen time. These devices give off blue light that has been found to damage the cells in the back of the retina leading to permanent vision loss from AMD. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss. It affects more than 10 million people. It’s mainly associated with aging, but some forms of macular degeneration affect younger people as well. I don’t know about you, but as someone who must use a computer… Read More