phone and schedule button header
402-590-2199
Request Appointment
Todd Group slide
Reception Area
Interior 1
NF Sign
previous arrow
next arrow

Hours

Monday           6:30- 1:00, 3:00- 6:00

Tuesday           Closed

Wednesday     6:30- 11:00, 2:00- 6:00

Thursday         8:00- 11:00, 2:00- 5:00

Friday              6:30- 1:00, 3:00- 6:00

Saturday          Closed

Sunday             Closed

Can Chiropractic Care Help With Ear Infections?

Published: 3 March 2022
Written by Todd Niemeyer

You see your child reach for her ears as she cries out in pain and discomfort. Unfortunately, is something many parents deal with daily, especially for those children that suffer from chronic ear infections. These infections can impact adults as well, often striking without warning and affecting the function for both children and adults.

 

You are not alone if you are a family being impacted by ear infections. Almost 80% of children experience at least one ear infection before they have exited the toddler stage. They are typically caused by a bacterial or viral infections and not only cause severe pain, but also dizziness, poor balance, and reduced hearing. But did you know chiropractic care can help you understand, treat, and even reduce the frequency of these infections?

 

Chiropractic care is a holistic drug-free approach to ear infections. By correcting subluxations (misalignments) the natural flow of fluid drainage which allows the ears to function as they were designed. In addition to this, adjustments boost and restores proper function of the immune system and reduce inflammation and pressure that could be contributing to infections within the body. The goal is to not only address the issue at hand, but also prepare the body to handle other inevitable infections and stressors from daily life by creating balance and resilience.

 

How will chiropractic care help my child?

How a child will respond to chiropractic care is completely unique to each person. We have found in our office children respond quite quickly to chiropractic care. The benefits we have heard from kids (and their parents) express are:

  • feeling healthier overall
  • increased comfort/reduced pain and discomfort
  • reduction in the duration of the infection
  • less frequent occurrences

Using chiropractic care to treat ear infections is ideal because the focus is on the role of the nervous system and how subluxations could be creating blockages and inflammation that aren’t allowing the body to do its job. This provides an alternative to the “bandage” approach because it really looks at optimizing the function of the nervous system, the immune system, and the body as a whole. That means that children will simply just feel better after some of the underlying issues are address. These issues are often the ones making them more vulnerable to ear infections in the first place. If your family is impacted by ear infections, chronic or otherwise, it is worth exploring how taking a chiropractic approach could benefit your child’s health, happiness, and development!

 

Have questions? Discuss is with Dr. Todd at your next appointment or schedule a 15-min. Zoom with him.

Paying Attention to Your Body’s Signals for Optimal Health

Published: 10 March 2021
Written by Todd Niemeyer

Your body is a marvelous creation! It speaks to you when it’s doing great, and it also speaks to you when things aren’t so wonderful. But that’s the beauty of it – your body gives a ton of signals to let you know it’s in need of something so you can do what’s necessary to achieve optimal health.

 

Use these strategies to tune in to what your body is telling you:

 

Assess how you feel each morning.

The early morning hours are usually ideal for you to listen for your body’s signals. At that time of day, it’s usually very quiet, so you can pay closer attention to the physical signals. Each morning, determine whether you feel different from the morning before.

 

  • Determine if you experience any new aches when getting out of bed.
  • Figure out if you wake up feeling lousy, even after a sound night’s sleep.
  • See if you wake up with any ailments that you didn’t go to sleep with.

 

Compare the effects of different food choices.

As you go through the motions day by day, it’s sometimes tough to maintain proper nutrition. Especially if you’re always on the go, you may end up making some poor food choices. As you do that, however, it’s important to see what kind of impact your food choices have on your body.

 

  • Do you find that you’re more energetic when you have the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables?
  • How effective are you in the gym after you’ve spent a day eating junk food?
  • Does your mind function better at work when you eat vitamin-rich foods?

 

Get regular chiropractic adjustments.

Even if you haven’t seen or felt anything you are concerned about, it’s important to get regular adjustments to keep everything in alignment. You may have subluxations you don’t know about that are impacting your nervous system and your daily function. Pain is a poor, often misleading, sign you need to be adjusted. Often it doesn’t show up until the problem has existed for a while. You should be getting adjusted before you are feeling pain.

 

  • If you’re about to embark upon a stressful month at work or have been going through a particularly stressful time, there is no better time than now to get your spine checked.
  • Schedule out your adjustments so they are consistent for both your schedule and your body…and stick to it.

 

Know your body’s physical capabilities.

Although you may consider yourself healthy and in good shape overall, there’s just so much the body can manage. Whether it’s exercise or mental work at the office, it’s important to know your limits so you don’t end up burned out and physically exhausted.

 

  • It’s okay to work out until your muscles feel worn, but you’ll know if you’ve overdone it if the recovery time is longer than you expect.
  • The same goes for mental exhaustion. You’ll feel like you’re coping through the long, stressful hours at work until you realize you’re motionless in bed when you should be up getting ready for work!

 

Paying attention to your body’s signals is a crucial part of maintaining good health.

Remember that you rely heavily on your body to take you through the ins and outs of daily life, so you’re better off protecting it! Listen to your body’s signals and act accordingly!

 

If you would like more information about the signals your body might be sending you, give us a call (402)590-2199 and get on the schedule. We are always happy to discuss helping you achieve optimal health!

10 Strategies to Boost Your Energy

Published: 30 January 2021
Written by Todd Niemeyer

You might have great goals and well-laid plans, but if you don’t have the energy to push through each day, you’ll never get around to accomplishing anything significant. Your energy level is one of the most important components of your success.

You can’t be successful if you can’t do the work. You also can’t enjoy your life to the fullest if your energy levels are too low.

Too many people rely on sugar, discipline, and caffeine to power through the day. They think it is part of life to have low energy levels and experience fatigue throughout the day, but as we have said before there is a big difference between what is common and what is normal. You don’t have to be energy -depleted, it’s more effective to have plenty of healthy energy on reserve!

Increase your energy and give your life a boost with these strategies:

  1. Get enough sleep.

    Most people could use more sleep. A few people would be better off getting less sleep. Experiment and find the right amount of sleep for you. Ninety-nine percent of the population needs 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Odds are you’re not part of the other 1%, though most people think they are.

  2. Eat a healthy diet.

    How we fuel our bodies directly impacts the energy we have each day! Food that is low in nutritional value is hard on your body and prevents you from feeling your best. Most people eat too much, and they eat the wrong things. You’ll feel better and have more energy if you avoid foods that you know are unhealthy.

  3. Drink more water.

    One of the signs of dehydration is fatigue. Anytime you’re feeling lethargic, try drinking a large glass of water and notice how you feel 10 minutes later. Water is better for you than most other options, and odds are you’re not drinking enough of it.

  4. Exercise.

    Exercise requires energy, but it provides you with even more energy. Spend 30-60 minutes each day moving your body. Regular exercise can provide a great boost to your energy levels.

  5. Reduce the stressors in your life.

    No doubt about it, stress drains energy. Most of us don’t have the luxury of living a stress-free life, but you can probably eliminate some of the things and people that add stress to your life. Think about everything in your life that stresses you out and ask yourself how you can minimize those things.

  6. Handle stress more effectively.

    You can’t remove all the stressors from your life, but you can enhance your ability to deal with them. There are a multitude of techniques and strategies for dealing with stress. Turn yourself into a stress-management expert and find techniques that work for you. We are happy to provide suggestions if you are stuck on which techniques might be best for you. In fact, we have another great blog post all about it!

  7. Limit alcohol consumption.

    Alcohol can be relaxing, but it leaves you feeling tired.  A night of drinking doesn’t typically boost your energy the following day. Alcohol places a burden on your body that requires resources to metabolize.

  8. Create a compelling future.

    When all you have to look forward to is another day of work at a job you don’t like, your energy levels will be low. However, if you have something exciting to look forward to, you’ll be much more excited about your life. You have more energy when you’re excited about your future.

  9. Spend more (or less) time with others.

    Spending time with others can drain or boost your energy, depending on your personality and the people you’re spending time with. Surround yourself with people that are uplifting, positive, and encouraging rather than those that are critical, negative, and perpetually stressed. Take a look at your social life and ask yourself how you can generate more or spend less energy.

  10. Get adjusted!

    You knew it would make our list! Getting adjusted does many things for your body that support your energy levels throughout the day. Maintaining a regular schedule for your spinal care helps with stress, adaptation to changing situations, quality of sleep, immune system strength, focus, and so much more.

 

When you have more energy, you have a greater chance of having a productive and worthwhile day.

Learn how to maximize and conserve your energy and watch what happens to your life. You’ll be in a better mood and get more done. Determine the diet, sleep patterns, and stress-management techniques that allow you to get the most from each day.

If you haven’t ever been adjusted or have questions about how chiropractic care could help your energy levels, give us a call (402)590-2199 or schedule a 15-minute online consultation with Dr. Todd.

What Does A Chiropractor Do?

Published: 28 January 2020
Written by Todd Niemeyer

Do you know what a chiropractor does? We have heard from many patients in our office that there is a lot of confusion around chiropractic and the industry as a whole has muddied the waters on this a bit.

Does it involve physical therapy?

Does it go with acupuncture?

Does it involve diet and nutrition?

While chiropractors are knowledgeable on some or all of the things listed above, that is not PURE chiropractic. As we start the new year, we are backing up to the basics of chiropractic so that you can see what we do in our office and why we do it the way we do.

Back to the Beginnings

Starting with some background, chiropractic was founded in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa by D.D. Palmer. Over the last 120 years, people have found that it can be effective for a variety of ailments and originally that is why they sought it out. Over time, due to the insurance industry and their reimbursement structures, it became pegged as a pain relief method even though it can be beneficial in restoring the overall function of the body and providing relief and the ability to heal from a wide variety of health concerns.

Chiropractors and subluxations

Chiropractors are educated, skilled and trained to find subluxations. A subluxation is where a vertebra is slightly displaced in relation to the one above and below which then causes an interference of the corresponding nerve to fire at it’s best potential. The chiropractor’s ability to find these subluxations would be similar to a dentist looking for a cavity. Chiropractors through the years have developed a variety of different techniques to remove these subluxations which restores the effectiveness of the nerve firing. If you have been to more than one chiropractor, you have probably noticed they may practice a bit differently than each other. While this diversity makes the profession unique and special, it can be confusing to patients who are expecting the same process at each office.

What’s Our Focus

At our office, we emphasize this removal of subluxation exclusively. The importance of this can get lost in the midst of all of the other options that are offered at other offices. Our process is designed to find the very specific subluxation, which is interfering in how the neurology is functioning, and remove it through an adjustment.

While many services provided by other offices aren’t necessarily ineffective in helping people, we have found that specific subluxation removal through an adjustment happens to be the most effective way of helping people restore function to the body.

If you have any questions regarding our process or a specific health concern, please give us a call at (402) 590-2199 or request an appointment to schedule a time to speak with Dr. Todd.

Can Kids Benefit from Chiropractic Care?

Published: 9 December 2019
Written by Todd Niemeyer

 

We get asked at least once a week, “Do kids get adjusted?”, “Is chiropractic care safe for children?”, “Should I get my child’s spine checked?”

The simple answer to all of the above is, ABSOLUTELY! We adjust the whole family, from birth to the more mature adults. But, parents often want a bit more information than that!

Why should my child see a chiropractor?

Many of the “little things” that kids deal with can be helped by getting adjusted. From ear infections to growing pains to sports injuries to attitude (…yes, even attitude), chiropractic can make a big difference!

Too often, we discount what children are dealing with as “just part of growing up”. Remember just because it is common, doesn’t make it normal. (Check out our previous post on Normal vs. Common.)

Just like adults, children have a powerful nervous system that controls everything in their bodies, including growth and development. If the spine is misaligned (it’s called a subluxation), it can prevent the brain from communicating well with the body. This leads to a decrease in function.

Infants, children, and adults can all have subluxations in their spine. Infants or children could have become subluxated during birth trauma, other minor or major traumas, developmental changes, as well as when they have experienced physical, chemical, or emotional stressors.

It is common knowledge that the first few years of life are a time of incredible development. The body produces more neural pathways during the first five years than any other time of development. This production can be optimized through chiropractic care.

Your child doesn’t need to be ill or in pain to start seeing a chiropractor. Small traumas like bumps and bruises, sports injuries, times of increased stress, etc. can accumulate over the years and show up as pain, discomfort, health issues, hormonal imbalances, and other concerns as they move into their teens and adult years.

So, when do I take my child to see a chiropractor?

It can be hard as a parent to see when our children’s spine is out of alignment and which problems and concerns could be related to that subluxation. Kids will from time to time express that they are feeling something like pain, but just like adults, pain is a poor indicator. Often you will see it show up in many other ways before your child tells you they feel anything!

You may notice things like:

  • Changes in sleeping patterns
  • Difficulties with breastfeeding
  • Ear infections
  • Colic/reflux
  • Sore throats, colds, flu
  • Headaches
  • Bedwetting
  • Growing pains
  • Constipation
  • Anxiety
  • Digestive issues

The list goes on and on, so to keep it simple, it is difficult to tell on your own if your child needs an adjustment. The best way to find out if your child should see a chiropractor is to have their spine checked by a chiropractor.

If you would like to have Dr. Todd check your child’s spine to see if they have a subluxation and could benefit from chiropractic care or if you have further questions about this, request an appointment or give our office a call at (402)590-2199 to speak with him.

Stress and Chiropractic: The Bathtub Analogy

Published: 25 October 2019
Written by Todd Niemeyer

Stress, Chiropractic & the Bathtub?

We discuss stress and chiropractic care a lot at NFC, but how does a bathtub fit within this conversation?

Well, it almost happened in my house the other night…

Someone in my house started running a bath, then got distracted and forgot it was even running. It was almost spilling over the sides and all across the floor! Needless to say, I was extremely relieved when I caught it just in time to prevent me from having to clean up a huge mess.

Fortunately, it got me thinking about one of our favorite ways to explain the benefits of chiropractic care, the Bathtub Analogy!

What does a bathtub have to do with stress and chiropractic care?

First, let’s talk about stress.

Stress is unavoidable. Although we can try to create an environment where we experience less stress, we cannot get rid of stress. It is a part of being alive. There are three kinds of stress (physical, mental/emotional, and chemical) that are a part of our daily lives in one way or another. This stress is consistent and builds up over time. In our bathtub analogy, the water flow represent your stress load and the bathtub is your body.

As time progresses, the water flow begins to fill the bathtub to capacity. In the case of my situation, I shut off the flow to keep the tub from running over. However, we can’t do that in life. We can’t shut off the stress. So, how do you keep the bathtub from overflowing?

Many people don’t know what to do. So, the bathtub (their body) begins to overflow. In this analogy, that overflow is symptoms. The overflowing bathtub symptom shows us that there is too much water in the bathtub. Consequently, we see that something needs to be done. It is obvious there is a stress overload. For many people this shows up in a lot of different ways like pain, frequent injury, infections, illnesses, etc.

The Temporary Fix

Typically, people only think about the fact that the bathtub is overflowing. They look at the symptom and use medicine to treat it. In our analogy, they put a cardboard box (medicine) around the bathtub to catch the overflow. Unfortunately, this is a TEMPORARY FIX. It might work for a little bit, but then it will stop working. The box will deteriorate and the water (stress) will continue to overflow – you guessed it – new symptoms show up! This often leads to another cardboard box, and another, and another attempting to contain the overflowing water.

THE ULTIMATE FIX

CHIROPRACTIC CARE addresses this issue in TWO ways!

  1. Each adjustment is like pulling the drain in your bathtub and releasing the water in a healthy, non-damaging way. This addresses the source of the problem, rather than the symptoms.
  2. Over time, the changes made through chiropractic care allow the bathtub to get larger. It allows you to handle MORE stress in your life by helping your body adapt to the stressors you encounter daily.

What we do at Niemeyer Family Chiropractic:

At NFC, we focus on the cause of the problem. We aren’t here to simply give people a quick fix, instead we are here to help them pull the drain frequently and work towards that bigger bathtub. Ultimately, we are here to improve your overall function and help your body do exactly what it was designed to do – heal well, think well, move well, and BE WELL.

If you want to learn more, schedule a consultation by requesting an appointment or giving us a call at (402)590-2199.