

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, and, for many, the beginning of several weeks of over-eating, over-doing, over-spending, and overwhelming their bodies chemically, physically and emotionally. At Overland Chiropractic, we are committed to bringing wellness to our patients and community by being experts in the identification and treatment of stress. Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, traditions, and making good memories. With a little planning, you can have the healthy and happy holiday you deserve.
Since stress can affect your body in many different ways, here are some tips for reducing stress and staying healthier this season:
Chemical Stress:
Physical Stress:
Emotional Stress:
We are here to serve you and to meet you on the path to wellness. We wish you the best of health and a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Autumn is here! Although we usually think of Spring as the season for renewal, fall can be a great time to re-focus after the hot summer months.
October 12-20 is Bone and Joint National Action Week. This observance focuses on disorders including arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis, and trauma. Did you know that nearly half of the American population over the age of 18 -48% of us- are affected by bone and joint conditions? These conditions are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and physical disability worldwide. (Source: United States Bone and Joint Initiative website)
At Overland Chiropractic, we provide comprehensive care for many musculoskeletal conditions, including back and neck pain, headaches, and extremity and low back pain. In the September issue of Kansas City Health & Wellness Magazine, our office has been recognized for our Cox Technic chiropractic treatment, a natural, gentle, and safe method for alleviating nerve compression and spinal pain. We use a specialized flexion distraction table to traction areas of the spine, increase the size of nerve openings, and restore more freedom of movement. Flexion distraction is one of the most-researched techniques for treating low back pain.
Take time this autumn to rejuvenate your body…there is no better time than now to get relief. Call our office at 913-345-9247 to find out if you are a candidate for this specialized treatment. You can read more about Cox Flexion Distraction Technic by going to http://www.kchealthandwellness.com/ and clicking on “Past Issues”.
Overland Chiropractic, a Creating Wellness Center, is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert E. Patterson, Jr. is now a Certified Chiropractic Posture Therapy Specialist (CCPTS). Dr. Patterson completed a 36-hour certification course through Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Missouri. “Our practice is focused on the patient as a whole,” explains Dr. Patterson. “Strong posture helps you move more effectively and reduces mechanical stress in nearly every part of your body. We are excited to offer an innovative Posture Program for our patients.” Currently, Dr. Patterson is the only Certified Chiropractic Posture Therapy Specialist in the State of Kansas.
Overland Chiropractic is located near College Blvd. and Quivira Rd. at 11791 W 112th St, Suite 101, Overland Park, Kansas 66210. The phone number 913-345-9247. For more information, visit overlandchiro.com.
ADAPTATION – The 5th Posture Principle
Over the last month, I have been blogging about the Posture Principles: Motion, Balance, Patterns, and Compensation. Now we have reached the 5th Principle: Adaptation. Adaptation is the body’s response to stressors. Our bodies are very efficient in coming up with strategies to avoid pain and stress. Unfortunately, while we may be able to avoid pain in the short-term, we have unconsciously entered the Pain Cycle. Remaining in the Pain Cycle by continuously adapting to pain leads to: (1) compromised movement, (2) “shifting” of the body’s loads, (3) repetitive stress, and (4) further injury. Once you have reached step (4), you are immediately thrown back into step (1)….and so on and so on.
The good news is this: MOTION breaks the pain cycle!
To move out of the Pain Cycle and into the Motion Cycle, a great first step is an Aligned Strong Posture. Posture training leads to balanced motion. Balanced motion means freely-moving joints, ligaments and muscles. It is “youthful” motion! With freer, more youthful motion comes the ability to effectively exercise. Exercising while maintaining a strong core maximizes the health benefits and helps prevent injuries. Training your core muscles helps to keep your body stabilized, and results in a stronger posture….leading to balanced motion, effective exercise, trained and coordinated core muscles…and so on and so on!
We often hear people say, “Use it or Lose it”. With posture training, you CAN “Use it to KEEP it”!
Because of the great response to Posture Month at Overland Chiropractic, we have extended it into the middle of June. We are offering our patients, their families, and their friends a Free Posture Photo Analysis. Please call our office at 913-345-9247 to claim this offer for yourself and a loved one. Why put off living better and aging well? Let’s begin, together, today!
With the unofficial arrival of summer tomorrow (Memorial Day), I thought I would re-post a blog from last year. Enjoy your holiday!
Healthy Summer Living Tips
Injury Prevention Take a few minutes to stretch before performing yard work or walking which can go a long way in preventing injury. Here are a few things that you can do while outside.
Hamstrings – Find a stair step or short stool to stretch the back of your leg. Keep your back straight and rotate from your hips. Bending out of your back can produce undo strain.
Quadriceps – Hold on to a chair or put your hand against a wall for balance. Keep your back straight – arching backwards will jam the joints.
Avoid strain on your knee by pulling your heel backwards, instead of up to the buttocks.
Psoas/Front of the hip- Step out with one foot and glide forward while keeping your back straight. You should feel stretch in the front of the hip that is straight.
Shoulders – Stretch your arm across the front of your body as well as overhead. This stretches your shoulders and middle back.
Side bends- While keeping your back straight, put one arm over your head and bend to the opposite side.
Squat- Squatting while holding onto a chair or table is a good way to stretch
your low back.
Calf – Stretching your calves can be done one of two ways. The first way is to lean against the wall and extend one hip backward. Push your heel on that side down to the ground to stretch the calf. Keep your back straight. The second way to stretch the calf is to stand with your toes on the edge of a step. Slowly lower your heels so that they are lower than your toes.
Inner thigh/Groin Stretch- Point your toes forward. Keep your back straight and your pelvis level as you glide to one side and hold.
Start an Exercise Program – Too many people start programs in January as part of a New Year’s resolution. That’s great if you can stick with it, but I believe winter weather makes it difficult to form those new habits. The weather becomes an excuse to avoid walking outside or going to the gym.
Start simple. Begin walking several times per week. Walk for 15-20 minutes to begin with. You can gradually increase your time. You should walk at a pace at which you could still carry on a conversation with another person. If you have enough air that you could sing while you walk, then you need to step up the pace a little. If you can find a walking partner, that’s even better. It will give you accountability.
Wear good shoes. Good support will reduce strain on your feet, as well as your knees, hips and spine. If one of your arches appears flatter than the other when you are standing, you may need custom orthotics to compensate and reduce your risk of injury.
Stretch before you walk. Again, this will reduce your chances for injury.
Stay Hydrated. Be sure to drink plenty of water. Take a water bottle with you while you walk.
BALANCE – The 2nd Posture Principle
By Kelley Patterson
Do you remember junior high gym class? Each year we would have a unit on gymnastics. Part of the fun was getting the chance to walk on the balance beam. I remember there were always a few who effortlessly glided down the beam and gracefully leapt off…I was not one of those students! My gym teacher would shake her head and tell me I didn’t have balance.
Guess what? My gym teacher was wrong! Every one of us has balance; if we didn’t, we would fall down! What she really was talking about was being WELL-BALANCED.
Posture can be defined as “how you balance your body”. Keeping your balance is usually something you don’t have to think about, but constantly holding your body upright has real effects on your entire body. “Good posture means strong balance and control without muscle and joint strain….The key to effectively improving posture is strengthening the core muscles which control HOW we balance,” says Dr. Steven Weiniger, founder of BodyZone. Balance and Posture must work continuously in unison to keep us steady and upright. This becomes more and more important as we age. A December 2010 article on the Centers for Disease Control’s website states that each year, one in every three adults age 65 or older falls. Falls can lead to moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas. Among people aged 65 or older, falls are the leading cause of injury death, and they are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Falls can be prevented through regular exercise, particularly core-strengthening exercises.
Weak balance leads to back problems, joint stress, poor posture and possible falls. Balance can be improved at any age! A key to aging well is balance training.
Try this: One Leg Balance
Can’t do it? Here’s why: If you can’t balance with control on each leg for 30 seconds, or if you flail your arms to keep from falling, then your balance and your core body strength is weak.
May is Posture Month at Overland Chiropractic, and Balance is the 2nd Posture Principle. Balance training and core-strengthening lead to improved posture. Improving your posture will improve your motion, leading to effective exercise and better health.
Overland Chiropractic is offering our patients, their families, and their friends a Free Posture Photo Analysis. Please call our office at 913-345-9247 to take advantage of this offer for yourself and a loved one. Why put off living better and aging well? Let’s begin, together, today!
Do you suffer with symptoms of heartburn, indigestion, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating? As a chiropractic physician who is interested in all aspects of health and wellness, I am always concerned with nutrition and digestion and their vital role in how a body responds to chiropractic therapies. Enzyme therapy is one way we can help you reach your wellness goals.
“Enzymes are very large complex protein molecules. They are responsible for the pre-digestion of our food. Enzymes run every biochemical reaction in our body. What is poorly understood is how important enzymes are to digestion and to the concept of staying healthy. Think of enzymes as the workers or builders of a house. The house is made up of raw materials called: Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. To build the house, the enzymes put all of the raw materials together to build the house. If there are no enzymes present, the house won’t be built. If there are very few enzymes present, it will take years to build the house; or, the house may never get built at all. Enzymes also nourish the immune system. The immune system is responsible for keeping us from getting sick by destroying bacteria, and viruses.” (Paul S. Inselman, DC)
March is National Nutrition Month, and to celebrate, we are offering a 25% discount on our 24-Hour Urinalysis, and a 10% discount on our Source of Stress Exam. The 24-hour urinalysis tells us how your are digesting the fats, carbohydrates and proteins that you are eating. This helps determine the types of foods that you should eat and the ones that you should avoid. The Source of Stress Examination is a reliable, reproducible method of determining the stressed organ systems in your body. Combined with a 24-hou urinalysis, we can determine which enzyme formulations you need to improve digestion, improve waste elimination and nourish stressed organs.
Please give us a call at 913-345-9247, and a member of our staff will be happy to assist you. Happy Nutrition Month!
Dr. Robert Patterson’s recent review of Family Health Month was featured in a press release that was posted on msnbc.com.
Internal Health Specialist and Overland Park Chiropractor Dr. Robert Patterson advises families to examine their lifestyles, considering such health factors as their eating habits, stress and physical activity. He offers a free online family health assessment. Dr. Patterson encourages families to communicate with each other and focus on healthy living this month.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. –Internal Health Specialist and Overland Park Chiropractor Dr. Robert Patterson reviewed Family Health Month for parents who want to increase healthy living.
To review the family health assessment, visit www.creatingwellness.com, the free access code is 52820282 and for instructions, visit http://overlandchiro.com/blog/family-health-month/
Dr. Patterson said that family health should be a top priority. “Families should take the time to take a closer look at their health, eating habits, physical fitness, stress, and mental health. When a whole family is on the same page it is easier for everyone to stay healthy and fit,” said Patterson.
According to an article from nativeremedies.com (http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/october-family-health-month.html), Family Health Month encourages families to take a closer look at their health. The article states that, “Healthy families all have one thing in common: they talk. Families need to communicate. Many families are too busy to talk about health issues and concerns until there is a problem with a family member or there is a major illness. Communication is key to early detection and prevention for illness and injury.”
Dr. Robert Patterson is the founder of Overland Chiropractic and has been practicing for more than 20 years in the Kansas City area. In 2007, his clinic became only one of approximately 300 Creating Wellness centers located in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Patterson is a graduate of Cleveland Chiropractic College (Kansas City), class of January 1988 and has specialized in the treatment of low back and leg pain for much of his career. Patterson is one of only three certified doctors in Kansas in Cox Flexion Distraction (decompression) manipulation. Most recently, he received Certification as an Internal Health Specialist through Logan College of Chiropractic.
By: Dr. Patterson

October is Family Health Month and The American Academy of Family Physicians is urging patients to take a closer look at their health by conducting a personal health inventory. In addition to encouraging people to take a closer look at their families’ eating habits, physical fitness, stress, and mental health, the focus is also on alerting families to be aware of the hazards of tobacco and alcohol use as well as possible hazards in the home. Your health and your family’s health should be a top priority.
Overland Chiropractic is offering FREE ACCESS to My Creating Wellness Space. There is an on-line questionnaire that provides a method of assessing your eating habits, physical fitness, and emotional stress. It will score you in each of these dimensions of your life. Create an account by clicking on “Wellness Member Login” at www.creatingwellness.com. Your access code is 52820282. We have provided step- by- step instructions below.
Instructions
NOTE: If you share an email address with another family member, only one person can take the assessment. For additional members, call our office and we will manually create additional accounts for you.
If you find areas in which you would like to improve, call our office at (913) 345-9247 for more information on programs ranging from on-line help to personal coaching programs.