Dr. Mary Oberstein » March 2014

Monthly Archives: March 2014

Family

Mission Accomplished!

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Mission Accomplished - Dr. Mary Oberstein

I’m generally not a nostalgic person. I strive to live in the present and have always felt that living in the past hinders forward progress and growth. That being said, I’m 24 hours away from witnessing my oldest daughter, Lauren, walk across the stage of my Alma Mater, Life University, to receive her diploma and become a Chiropractor. Her fiance will follow her moments later and I promise that at some point in my life I will introduce him as Matt: my son-in-law-the-doctor! This picture above was taken 28 years ago when I walked across that stage. Excited? Yes! It was, at that moment, the greatest day of my life! I wanted to make a change in the world. I wanted to touch as many people as possible, give people hope and tell everyone on the planet that with a properly functioning nervous system, the body can and will heal. Today, I feel that I have been fulfilling my mission AND I’m not done. There are a lot more people who I want to get my hands on. 🙂 Yea, I’m also remembering Lauren in diapers (cloth of course) and I’m feeling that “Mom Pride”; however, for me it’s deeper. I KNOW how she feels… I’m feeling it again today. Excited for Her future… My future… Our future! Tomorrow when she takes that oath, I will reconfirm mine. To serve mankind!!

Walking across that stage I had a feeling that I’d marry a chiropractor (check) and that my kids would be chiropractors (check) and that they’d marry chiropractors (looking good so far), and that my future grandchildren would be chiropractors (stay tuned).

You see, I always encourage my girls to listen. Listen to their inner voice. The one that knows what is best for them. The one that will keep them on THEIR own path. I encourage them to find something they are passionate about and move towards that. I never once told them to be chiropractors. What I want for them most is Freedom. Freedom to be who THEY ARE regardless of anybody or anything. Mission Accomplished!

I was going to blog today about Lauren’s birth story. Planned home birth. 51 hours of labor. Emergency C-section. Punctured lung. NICU. One chiropractic adjustment by her Dad. Normal lung. Leaves hospital against medical advice. Grows up healthy. Becomes a chiropractor…I’m going to save that story for another time when I’m feeling nostalgic!

Dr. Mary

Dr. Mary's Take Kid's Health

Why Women Shouldn’t Fear Home Birth

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I recently read an article, Why Women Shouldn’t Fear Home Birth,  in TODAY Moms written by the actress, Ph.D Mayim Bialik who is an advocate for home births and it was as if I wrote the article myself. Having had two of my three daughters born at home, I have spent the last 26 plus years discussing, lecturing about and even at times defending why Ron and I chose to deliver our babies at home. Some people thought we were crazy while others were inspired and went on to have beautiful home-birth experiences of their own. I have been to over two dozen home births as a friend/supporter and can tell you first hand that BIRTH IS A NATURAL PROCESS and women’s bodies were created to birth babies. I love talking about babies and birthing so if you have any questions, please ask or you can leave a comment.

Dr. Mary

If you want to read the article you can find it here.

Kid's Health

5 Physical Activities You Can Do With Your Children

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Teaching your kids the benefits of living a healthy and active lifestyle is extremely important for both their current and future health. But, as any parent knows, it can sometimes be quite a challenge. Forcing kids to participate in activities they don’t enjoy can cause them to rebel and despise the exact principals you are trying to teach them. Instead, focus on planning fun physical activities that the kids will love doing for even many hours per day. There are hundreds of fun options that will get kids interested in physical activity and exercise; you just have to get motivated to join them in the process.

1. Tag Games: Classic games that kids get into often have some sort of tag component. From basic freeze tag, sardines, to the basic hide and go seek. Just freeze tag will get your kids running more in one game than they normally would all week long. The more people you get involved the better, so invite the entire neighborhood.

2. Bike Riding: An obvious choice that is often overlooked is just to grab the bikes and head out on a nice ride as an entire family. Set some goals such as a distance, time, or destination to make it new and exciting every time.

3. Play Frisbee: People forget how much fun playing Frisbee is and the physical benefits from tossing around a disc. You can get a game of ultimate Frisbee going, head to a disc golf course, or just throw it around amongst the family. Either way, you are guaranteed to get some exercise.

 4. Wide Games: There are many versions of wide games that usually involve a treasure hunt, seizure of a treasure, or land conquering games. Kids can create their own unique version or stick with classics like cops and robbers. Games like these that they can play in the community will get everyone involved and always be a lot of fun while simultaneously providing some exercise.

5. Racing: The most basic human instinct is still a ton of fun for kids. You can run, bike ride, roller blade, skateboard, or whatever it is that is most fun for the people involved. The goal is simple, get from the starting line to the finish line before everyone else. Make some prizes for the winners and get kids racing against each other for fun. They won’t even realize you are tricking them into running on a daily basis.

Growing up loving and playing sports, and even playing volleyball in college, I knew I HAD to marry a man who also loved sports – so I married a basketball player (played overseas). Besides health and chiropractic, sports is an important THEME in our family. Our girls started playing sports at an early age because they loved to be moving, running and scoring (competition is also very important in our family). Two of our daughters played sports in college. One played lacrosse at UCLA and another played volleyball at Montana State University. We’ve always played a lot of games as a family (Marco Polo pool games were not for the meek); which made exercising a normal part of our lives. All five of us exercise regularly and none of us have the same exercise routine.

It’s so important for kids to be active and moving their bodies, which increases their health on many levels. It increases their self-esteem, body awareness, balance, confidence and mood. AND if they are not athletic or into sports, they can still be physically active by doing all sorts of fun activities, like riding a bike, swimming, surfing, playing tag, etc. If you “play” along with them and turn family time into exercise, you will ALL benefit. Give it a try. Tag, you’re it!!!

Dr. Mary's Take Kid's Health

Chiropractic for Kids

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The most common question I hear from parents when I speak about chiropractic and children is, “why do kids get adjusted?” The simplest answer to that question is because they have a nervous system just like adults and that nervous system works better and more efficiently when there is no interference (vertebral subluxations). When their nerve systems are not functioning at the highest level, it can decrease their immune system, among other things, causing their bodies to function in a weakened state. The result? Ear infections, colds, viral infections, skin issues, etc. Kids who get adjusted have stronger, healthier nerve systems.

Dr. Amy Horn does a great job explaining chiropractic and kids in this segment. She and I have a passion for chiropractic pediatrics and LOVE sharing what we do with everyone. Great job Dr. Amy!!!

Kid's Health Nutrition

Come Join Us!

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Raising Healthy Kids Workshop - April 15, 2014
I know that many parents struggle to find the time and resources to incorporate healthy habits into their child(ren)’s daily routine. Come join me at one of my workshops on ‘Raising Healthy Kids’, and discover nutrition and lifestyle approaches to improving your child’s health.

This workshop will feature practical steps to effectively tackle every parent’s main concern – getting their kids to develop healthy habits! The workshop is for adults only, but it will give parents tools to take home and share with their children, getting everyone motivated to stay healthy.

Space is limited, so please register early. The event flyer for the Raising Healthy Kids Workshop can be downloaded here. For more information, you can email us at outreach@lifechirocenter.com or call us at 619.275.4343. The workshop is FREE and open to the public.