Our Doctors’ Favourite Products For This Fall

Our clients often wonder what the doctors at Atlas do to stay healthy. The number one thing we all do is stick to our own chiropractic care plans. Yes, we get adjusted regularly, too! In addition to that, we also have our own routines and products we use to stay healthy. Here are three of our favorites that we have discovered and implemented in our own lives over the years.

Atlas founder Dr. Ben first introduced the Whoop wearable device to the entire team at Atlas for everyone to measure their own statistics about daily Heart Rate Variability (HRV), recovery, and strain (i.e. workouts). Dr. Ben learned so much about what his body needs from wearing it over the past year. As all of our clients know, Heart Rate Variability is the gold standard for measuring the nervous system's ability to adapt to the stressors in our lives. We focus on the three main areas of stress that cause subluxations: physical stress, chemical stress, and emotional stress. As we reduce stress, we give our bodies time and space to heal. Then, once the healing begins, we can train our bodies to handle more stress and not let it throw us off of our game.

Your Whoop can be worn around your wrist or upper arm to measure your heart rate 24/7. The information is sent to an app on your phone so you have the data at your fingertips. Charts show your strain compared to your recovery and then the app makes recommendations for you based on your goals and activity levels. It does take about a month for the device to get used to your habits and make accurate recommendations. However, their customer service is excellent should you have any issues with the device. You can find out more at https://www.whoop.com/.

If you start using a Whoop, be sure to let us know at the studio and we will invite you to join the Atlas group on the Whoop app where we can all work together toward our goals.

Have you ever wondered why we have a shoes off studio? Sure, we want to keep the dirt off our floor, but we also care about the connection between your feet and the floor. You have 200,000 nerve endings in your feet that provide you with proprioception - knowing where you are in space. Ensuring that those nerves can communicate fully to your brain is essential. As chiropractors, we are most concerned with your nervous system health and that includes all of the nerves that go to your feet. Because it's not just about being able to feel the ground well, it's also about the impact on your brain. The information that comes into your brain from your feet helps you have better neuroplasticity and adaptability.

Because of the great importance of complete nervous system health, Dr. Damian swears by Vivo barefoot shoes. Modern day shoes are ruining our feet by forcing them to conform to an unnaturally narrow shape and support. Vivo shoes are shaped to allow the foot to get back to a more natural way of walking. Over thousands of years, the human foot evolved to be wider than the average foot is today. Think of modern shoes as just a new version of foot binding. Have you ever heard that shoes are coffins for our feet? We don't want dead feet; we want them alive and sensing the ground beneath you. These shoes support your foot relaxing into a wider position. Additionally, these shoes have a softer sole that lets you actually feel the ground better. Check out these shoes at https://www.vivobarefoot.com/rw/

And while I am a huge proponent of walking, public transportation, and cycling as primary modes of transportation, I know that some people rely on driving to get around. Unfortunately car seats were built for safety and aesthetics rather than ergonomics. One of the important aspects of posture is good sitting posture and most car companies definitely did not consult with a chiropractor before building their seats because driving posture is destroying spines. One of the most important parts of healthy sitting posture is having your hips open to a 90 degree to 120 degree angle. That means your butt should be higher than your knees. The bucket shape of most car seats is the opposite of that, allowing your hip flexors to tighten up. This puts tension into your joints, hips, and low back.

To combat this chronic poor posture, I love the Tush Cush, a wedge-shaped cushion. It fits conveniently into the bucket of your car seat so that you can gently lift your hips above your knees. What I love about this cushion as well is its versatility. You can use it on any chair, including your office chair to keep your sitting posture in a better position if you're seated at your desk for long periods of time. Check out the various sizes at https://tushcush.com