It's not a secret that meditation can be a powerful tool to reduce your stress load and help guide the body out of a fight/flight response. I'm sure you've thought... "But how am I supposed to sit still for that long?" "How am I supposed to clear my mind of all thoughts?" "How can I even get my body to relax for that long" We get it! The good news is that there are many ways to "meditate". Check out this episode where Dr. Lauren shares a comical technique to get the same benefits ;)

I think we could all use a friendly reminder on how amazing we are every now and then. Here's yours!

The communication between the body and the brain determines how we function and show up in our everyday life. That communication is driven by our highest human need to feel safe. The symptoms you experience of pain or fatigue are all messages that your body for some reason does not feel safe. So what can we do about it? Check out this Friday episode with Dr. Lauren for more insight!

We know that when you're feeling stressed out like you're ready to to fight someone or just want to drop everything and run, this can be a sign of a taxed nervous system stuck in a sympathetic state. But what about when you freeze? Or want to run and hide? Or don't feel safe being yourself? When we get stuck in this mode, we are actually stuck in the dorsal portion of our Vagus Nerve or a deep parasympathetic state. Wait..what? You read that right! Check out this episode from Dr. Lauren as...

As parents, there's a lot of worry and thought that goes into making sure our kiddos are the happiest, healthiest versions of themselves. As they are growing, we wonder if we need that toy or that book or that program or that supplement to help them. I know there can be a lot of guilt and anxiety about giving them the best of the best. The truth is that it can be a lot simpler than we think, especially during the first several years of life. Tune in to this episode with Dr. Lauren as she...

Have you been hyper focused on specific pain sites?  Is it possible that you're missing the big picture and root cause of your dis-ease? When you step on a dog's tail, you hear that pain as a bark. But if you only focused on stopping the bark, you'd be completely missing the source of dis-ease at the tail. Check out this episode with Dr. Lauren and she shares more about looking and supporting the body as a complete system to facilitate your best healing!

Treating head injuries can be tricky business. A lot of focus of treatment is on the brain. But we've seen that head injuries don't just stay in the brain. When care for head injuries doesn't include the whole pictures, lingering symptoms or even new, seemingly unconnected symptoms may be present. Symptoms like neck pain and tension. Loss of neck range of motion. Depleted immune system or symptoms of altered digestion. Mood disorders. Acne. Rashes. These can all be signs that your head injury...

At this point, hopefully you're loving Upper Cervical Chiropractic just as much as we do (okay well maybe not THAT much). But hopefully you're really digging it! You may be wondering, what is this voodoo magic and why do Dr. Jake and Dr. Lauren focus so much on it? Tune in to this video to learn a little more about the power of the upper cervical spine! PS. This is another great video to share with a friend who you think could use our help. Thanks for sharing!!

Did you know that more and more research is coming out showing that the root cause of most dis-ease in our body is chronic inflammation? Did you also know that our favorite nerve, the Vagus, is in charge of directing our cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway? Meaning that good Vagal tone is a key player in decreasing inflammation and therefore chronic dis-ease in our bodies! Check out this video with Dr. Lauren as she gives more of a break down as well reminders on simple ways to activate...

When considering our ability to heal and express our healthiest self, we need to look at the entire Gut/Brain connection via the Vagus nerve. Care and support of the upper cervical spine is foundational in enhancing this connection.other pieces to be aware of. For instance the balance of our gut "bugs" aka gut flora. Have you noticed... Brain fog? Fatigue? Constipation? Diarrhea? Skin issues? Brittle hair or nails? Inability to tolerate caffeine and alcohol? Symptoms worse during the full...

I feel like every time I tell someone that I'm a chiropractor, there's usually a joke made about how "bad" their posture and/or movement is. It makes sense. It's obviously something we look at and support as a part of our profession. But it seems like most of the time, the solution that they come to is that they just need to sit up or stand up straighter. But I want to share with you a professional secret. Your body should UNCONSCIOUSLY know how to direct your posture and movement. Your...

Do you know what our highest human need is? Love? Food? Connection? Research suggests that our highest human need is actually safety. So every second our nervous system is scanning our internal and external environments to get a sense of how "safe" we are. The 5 Ts are the source of stressors that can make us feel unsafe and shift us into protection mode. From this state we can't heal and grow and express our best selves. Check out this episode from Dr. Lauren for a deeper dive into the 5Ts...

We know it can get frustrating when you feel like you need to be adjusted every visit and you're not sure what's happening to knock you out of alignment. We know it can get frustrating when your progress is going slower than you'd like and you're not sure what's holding you back from healing faster. Sometimes there is no good answer to these frustrations. Sometimes the  only thing the body needs is more time to heal. As we are giving it that time, let's assess if there is more to do to...

Have you heard about this really cool tissues? It's this amazing interconnected web surrounding and supporting every structure in the body. Trauma can cause it twist and form adhesions impacting not only the structure of our body but also the hydration of it.  See? So cool! Ball rolling is an amazing tool to help balance the fascia and support your alignment. Check out this episode as Dr. Lauren discusses the best way to do ball rolling. PS. She shares another amazing fact about fascia in...

Do you remember what your x-ray looked like? Was your cervical curve normal? Was it straightening out? Or was it even heading the opposite direction? Do you know why we want that curve to be normal? Do you know what it tells us when it isn't? Tune in this week with Dr. Lauren as she shares some of the important reasons why we want to see a normal cervical curve and what else you can do at home to restore it if needed!

Have you been doing all the things to try to see results in your healing? And now you’re too burnt out to keep going? Or does it feel like there’s too much to do to get healthy? And like there’s no possible way you can do what you need to to feel better? What if you looked at change differently? Do you think you could get different results? Check out this episode with Dr. Lauren to understand how to flip the script to make changes to your health more easily!

Tracking statistics in business is one of best ways to determine how well your business is doing. Is it growing? Plateauing? Or even floundering?  The same can be applied to your body! Do you find yourself wondering what your health is doing? Are you healing? Or are you headed toward dis-ease? At Vibrant Life Center we are constantly tracking progress but there’s an easy metric you can also monitor daily at home! Check out this episode with Dr. Lauren to learn more so that you can firmly take...

Have you ever had a friend or family member that you knew could benefit from care in our office? Did they cringe at hearing the word "chiropractor"? Maybe you said, "No, no they're different!" but to no avail... Send them this episode!  Dr. Lauren talks about what makes VLC different from other local offices!

How's that stress treating you? Neck pain? Shoulder tightness? Tummy troubles? What about low energy? This is for you! We've already talked about the important connection between the gut and the brain. We've talked about how the Vagus is an important connector between the two and how it's responsible for creating more resiliency to life stressors. We've talked about how the adjustment can help support this along with love with your gut. And in this video Dr. Lauren adds one more tidbit to...

Females! This one is for you! Did you know that your period is an important vital sign? Tracking your cycle and paying attention to what symptoms your experiencing when in relation to your monthly pattern can give you great insight to your level of health. Do you know what your period is telling you? And do you know how to move forward? Check out this video with Dr. Lauren to learn more!

Have you ever been frustrated about how often your body needs to be adjusted? Have you wondered what else you could be doing at home to help? Check out this week's episode with Dr. Lauren! She fills you in on the muscle you will want to start activating and how to do so! PS. If you loved this episode, be sure to check out and sign up for our May the Movement Be With You Challenge for even more support on a better moving body!

Has it started yet? All the texts or calls wondering if baby is here? Starting to go a little crazy? In those last days of pregnancy there's very little that won't put you over the edge as you patiently wait for the arrival of your bundle of joy. Maybe you've tried it all too... The spicy food. The walking. The dates. The sex. Is nothing working? Check out this episode with Dr. Lauren for another idea to support an easier, more timely birth! If you aren't currently 37+ weeks pregnant, do...

We all want our kids to be the healthiest version of themselves. So when we hear or see... Trouble breastfeeding Colic Reflux Allergies Asthma Constipation Headaches Missed milestones Chronic colds Clumsiness Plagiocephaly Difficulty with sensory/motor processing We wonder, what do these all have in common?? And what can we do to give the gift of better health to our kids?? Check out this week's Friday epsidofe to find out more!

Have you ever wondered what causes you to lose your alignment? (hint: it's not just physical trauma)Check out this episode with Dr. Lauren to uncover the causes of subluxation aka misalignment!