6 Immune Boosting Secrets For Kids

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6 Immune Boosting Secrets For Kids

Any time winter comes around it seems like sniffling and sneezing children aren’t far behind. There’s nothing like extra sleep loss, sick days and grumpy kids to make us long for the summer sun.
Here are 6 tips to give your child that boost they need to bulletproof their immune system and make life more enjoyable for the entire family!

1. SNEAK OMEGA 3’S & VITAMIN D INTO THEIR FOOD.

We know healthy fats and adequate vitamin D are necessary for the immune system to operate fully, yet finding a way to make sure the little ones get their dose can be tough.

2. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE HOMEMADE SOUP.

Bone broth is all the rage and rightfully so. Homemade and minus the noodles, this stock is packed full of immune boosting goodness.

3. FIND EXERCISE INDOORS.

When it’s cold outside we have the tendency to stop moving as much. Find a gym, a pool; indoor sports…anything to keep the kids moving in the winter months.

Exercise is immune stimulating and required to maximize their defenses.

4. CUT BACK ON THE SUGAR.

This may not be a big secret but reducing sugar intake is a powerful way to strengthen the immune system. The secret is how to do it…feed your child more fat.
Adding good fats like avocado, fish oil, butter, olive oil and coconut oil decreases the desire for sugar. Be creative; find ways to bump the fat content and not to worry…fat won’t make you fat.

5. INCREASE THEIR QUALITY OF SLEEP.

No question parents want their child to sleep more. How about instead of more, let’s start with better? Get them off of their phones, computers and away from the TV late into the evening.
Shift their focus to books or family time in order to initiate the sleep cycle and prepare for a deep sleep. You’d be amazed what great sleep can do for fighting off the bugs and viruses our children are exposed to daily.

6. HAVE THEIR NERVOUS SYSTEM ASSESSED

The brain and nervous system literally controls every function of your child’s body (and yours). Making sure it is functioning properly will positively impact the ability of the immune system to it’s job. See an expert who can help them with this.

Taking care of your child’s health is a high priority for most. Try these “secrets” and let us know what works for you.

The 4 Minute Lower Back Workout for Tradies

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REVIVE TV EPISODE #31

Who’s a Tradie or lives with a Tradie? Maybe neither? But I know one thing for sure, you know one or have used one at some point in your life. Their importance can’t be underestimated, we couldn’t exist as we do without them.

The most common complaint you and I will hear out of their mouths is… ‘Me backs stuffed’ or words to that affect with maybe a few expletives thrown in, haha. While I jest at what they say, their problems are real and unfortunately from experience many don’t do anything about it until ‘the straw has literally broken the camel’s back’.

Is this you or someone you know? Then please share the…..

The 4 Minute Lower Back Workout for Tradies

On today’s episode of Revive TV I will show you (Tradies or Tadies’ loved ones) what I recommend to my patients to help minimize the chance of lower back pain from occurring and to help in recover if it’s already occurred.

A WORD OF CAUTION – If any of these exercises hurt you or make your symptoms worse, or your pain has been longer than 3 months, my strong suggestion is to visit a spinal expert like a chiropractor, osteopath, physiotherapist, etc.

In the absence of those things, this little 4 Minute Lower Back Workout for Tradies rocks! Promise it’s only 4 minutes, actually 3 and half minutes if you’re organized.

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Struggling with a current health challenge or looking to maximise your life, we have got you covered!

Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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The 5 Biggest Back Pain Myths

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REVIVE TV EPISODE #30

Chronic back pain sufferers… When is the pain going to end? Why does it get better, but come back again, usually worse than the last time? Why is that treatment (chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage, etc…) helps but doesn’t resolve it? We’ll tell you today as we break down the 5 Biggest Back Pain Myths.

About 70-75% of all the people who present to our practice list ‘chronic lower back pain’ as their primary reason for seeking help and care. TheN about 20% relates to neck related issues and the final 5-10% various other health challenges.

This doesn’t really surprise as the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 3.7 million Australians (16%) suffer from back pain per year and that 70-90% of all people will experience back pain at some point in their liveS.

Back Pain Myth #1 – Sitting For Too Long Causes Back Pain

Sitting has commonly been referred to as the ‘new smoking’. Meaning a sedentary lifestyle is not only poor for us, it can also cause us to lose our health – much like smoking. Yes, commonly we will see people with chronic lower back pain who sit a lot, however it’s not the sitting that is a problem.

So if sitting isn’t the problem what is?

  • Glad you asked – You see it’s what happens to our spinal mechanics and the postural muscles when we are sedantry too long that are the problem. Firstly, the natural and efficient ‘C’ shape that our spine takes in standing is lost. Second, as the spine straightens out, the muscles change their position and tension to suit this new postural position. This is not a mistake, it is by design….

    On Revive TV we dive deeper into the complex nature of back pain and today we share:

  • • What goes wrong when you lose your lumbar curve and how to correct it.
    • The value you of visiting a spinal expert, like a chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist.
    • Why the pain goes away but comes again – not what you may think!
    • Why I believe back pain is not something you should have to live with!!!

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Struggling with a current health challenge or looking to maximise your life, we have got you covered!

Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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Parental Warning – Tech Neck Changes Your Kids’ Spines (& Health)

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REVIVE TV EPISODE #29

As parents of two primary school aged children my wife, Dr Vanessa and I are in a constant battle in our house over how much technology (screen) time our kids have. Sound familiar?? There is the obvious addictive nature of it that we want to avoid (even for adults, get on any suburban train and observe) and then there is the emotional outbursts that come when it’s taken away. In our house we call it…. iRage!!!

However if you’re a parent, or considering being a parent there is another major health factor to consider and that is – Tech Neck.

So what is Tech Neck?

A lot has been written on this topic and has now become a familiar term. Essentially it is neck pain associated with having your head forward and looking down from using technology or devices for long periods.

However pain, is the last sign you have a problem. By then the mechanics of your neck have already changed and started affecting you. Furthermore, depending on how long it takes for your body’s innate response to tell you there is problem –PAIN, will determine how long or how much damage has occurred.

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So why am I talking about kids when this affects everyone? Well the access to smart phones, tablets and the like are accessible to our kids from birth.

In our house we have resisted having our kids owning their own devices until this point, but pressure is ever present. I’m mean technology isn’t evil, it can give a child a sense of independence. The reality is you’re probably reading/watching this from your smart phone, tablet or maybe a laptop. As I write this my head is a less than ideal position, hmmm.

Parents be warned – Tech Neck changes your kids spine (& health).

These young, not yet fully developed spines are susceptible to early degenerative change. What’s even more problematic is that it appears in most cases, that pain signals in children takes longer than in adults. Meaning we are missing critical time to address and stop it becoming a problem later.

Today on Revive TV learn:
• Why maintaining a healthy neck improves your child’s long-term health
• Why degeneration can occur at an early age and signs you need to observe.
• The importance of keeping a ‘healthy’ neck (cervical) curve.
• What you as a parent can do to help offset this problem and prevent challenges for your kids in the future.

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Struggling with a current health challenge or looking to maximise your life, we have got you covered!

Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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Eating Fat Makes You Skinny

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REVIVE TV EPISODE #28

Have you ever had a moment when you realise that what you have been saying or believed for years is suddenly a lie? It’s confronting, sometimes scary and to be honest we usually reject the concept at first. That is, until all the evidence is so strong we can’t push back against it any longer. Well, I had one such moment (along with loads of others) when it came to eating FAT? The truth is eating fat makes you skinny.

However not all fats are equal, we’ll get to that later…

I grew up through the late 70s & 80s, the one thing I continuously remember about food packaging (see marketing) was low-fat, no-fat labelling. Here are some examples from that time – ‘97% fat-free yoghurt’, ‘low-fat’ or ‘skinny’ milk, Diet-Coke. The whole point was to get us to think these were better nutrition choices and that fat was the enemy.

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In fact FAT is not only NOT an enemy, it is nutritionally your best friend. Your enemy in fact is the one ingredient that food manufacturers added to substitute for fat……. SUGAR!!! Funnily enough, the food companies are pretty smart and realise the public are waking up. So what do we see on packaging now? ‘low-carb’, ‘no added sugar’ or my favourite ‘zero sugar’. Coca-Cola and other big brands get this that’s why they push ‘Zero Coke’. People be warned, it’s not better for you, it’s still rubbish, but this is a topic for another day.

Eating fat makes you skinny

I hesitated with the title because it implies that if your Fat you are better being SKINNY. However, that was the message we got sold in the 80s drink ‘Skinny Milk’. What I really want is for you to be a healthy weight and that the best way to get there is to eat Fat and lots of it.

A caution of warning, not all FATS are made equal!!!

On today’s episode of Revive TV you learn:
• Why fat has been the most vilified nutrient in last 70 years
• The Top 10 Fat foods you must consume
• Which fats most to avoid
• Why the kilos will fall off you by eating this nutrient

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Struggling with a current health challenge or looking to maximise your life, we have got you covered!

Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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Overcome Fatigue, Regain Your Energy – The Best Health Investment You’ll Ever Make

REVIVE TV EPISODE #27

You need to understand this and you need to understand this fast. Your health and your energy depend upon it. The INVESTMENT is well worth it, so….

Overcome fatigue, regain your energy…

As an active chiropractor in practice I see people for a whole range of different problems. However, the single most common complaints are musculo-skeletal. “I have lower back pain” OR “I have constant ache in my neck and head” are some of the dialogues I hear.

When I press further on their general health, like how other body systems are functioning or how they feel , the number one response without question is….. FATIGUED

Tired all of the time. Are you tired all of the time? Or ask yourself this question do you get easily distracted or lack ‘motivation’ regularly?

Well it might just come down to what you eat, more specifically the QUALITY of what you eat.

First however, let’s remember there are 5 requirements to OPTIMAL HEALTH – Move Well, Think Well, Rest Well, Proper Functioning Nervous System (what chiropractors help with) and EAT WELL.

Within each of these Requirements, there are further requirements, steps so to speak to achieve them successfully. Today we are going to touch on ONE requirement within the EAT WELL process. There are 10 in total which we will teach in our upcoming seminar Inspired Eating – shameless plug, did I mention it was FREE.

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EAT WELL requirement No. 1 – Eat Real Foods – BUY ORGANIC.

When it came to changing my energy, not only what I ate was important, however the quality of what I ate was as well. Remember the old adage, ‘You are what you eat’? Well, it’s not just some throwaway line – It’s FACT!!!!

Hey, I know the first thing you going to say, I hear it all the time, I’ll admit I did it too. “Buying organic food is too EXPENSIVE and INCONVENIENT”. Before I leave you to watch today’s must watch episode of Revive TV let me say this.

Organic food is not an EXPENSE, it is an INVESTMENT in your now and future self (and perhaps your family). The conversation you are having with yourself needs to change:

So today you will learn:
• Why organic food is a MUST investment in your future self (and your families).
• Where and how to source, quality, affordable and convenient produce.
• The 3 keys to making this new habit sustainable and stress-free.
• Why ORGANIC FOOD helps beat the fatigue blues and increases your energy.

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Struggling with a current health challenge or looking to maximise your life, we have got you covered!

Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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6 Nutritional Lies Making Reservoir Sick and Fat

REVIVE TV EPISODE #26

Nutrition is a central component to your health whether you pay attention to it or not our community is subject to the same lies that continue to make the rest of the world sick and fat. Discover the 6 Nutritional Lies Making Reservoir Sick and Fat.

Each one of these myths are embedded as cultural norms and accepted as “the standard” when it comes to nutritional decision making. Without ever considering the impact of your food choices on how your body functions, you’re left to pay the price for what are often believed to be solid and smart decisions.

Sadly these decisions are playing a major role in the declining health status of our community in Reservoir and the surrounding areas. The consequences will continue to be far reaching and long lasting.

Each one of these lies could be  full and detailed blog posts. But for now, let me create some mental chaos by giving you some food for thought.

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Everything in Moderation

This saying is repeated by almost everyone who struggles with the consistency it takes to see results in any area. With nutrition it is the primary rationalisation for eating just about anything someone wants to without acknowledging the repercussions.

No, some foods are just plain bad for you, full stop!!!!! Furthermore, we believe we are getting away with eating these foods because the repercussions are not obviously immediate.

Why do most lifestyle diseases like Type II diabetes and  heart disease start in our 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s? It’s not the small amount of fried fatty food you ate yesterday that has caused your heart disease. It’s the accumulation on poor lifestyle choices over time that lead to these health states.

So sorry, not everything in moderation – it still has consequences.

Meat is Bad For Health

Firstly not all meat is equal. The quality of meat from Grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free breed animals is very different from animals that are raised on grains and given antibiotics and hormones. You consume what they consume.

Secondly, processed meats are altered and loose most of the nutritional value they once had. Furthermore, when coupled with additives to preserve them, the meat you consume no longer resembles what it once was.

It has been shown that unprocessed meat has no significant association with cardiovascular disease or type II diabetes and is the most nutrient dense food on the planet.

On today’s episode of Revive TV you will discover:
• The other 4 lies making you and your family sick and fat
• How to source quality meat that is nutritious for your family
• Where to uncover the real truth about food
• The first action steps to take to set you up for (nutritional) success

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Struggling with a current health challenge or looking to maximise your life, we have got you covered!

Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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Why teaching is the most stressful job in the world

Dramatic headline right? Why teaching is the most stressful job in the world. C’mon you’re kidding right? Well, if you have you ever been guilty of joking how easy teachers have it. Or, ever laughed or scoffed at a teacher’s pain points. You will usually find that your response is almost always around their holidays – “Yeah, doesn’t sound great, but you get 10 weeks leave a year, I’d love that”. Or perhaps, “You work from 9 to 3.30, it’s like a half day!”

I know I certainly have. However, I’d like to change the conversation around this, so in today’s post I will discuss ‘Why teaching is the most stressful job in the world’.

First things first, I’m not a teacher, so I have no agenda here. Like most of you however, I know quite a few. Until recent years I always thought along the same lines as most people I observe. Cruisey job. So what changed my perception?….. One thing, having kids!!!

We (my wife, Dr Vanessa & I) now have children of school age (primary). In the past 6 years I’ve been able to observe teachers from different vantage points. Through the lens of parent/teacher interviews, conversations with my kids and kids at their school and of course ‘The Parents’. I have even done numerous health talks to teachers in the school – surprise, surprise usually around stress.

Interesting observation – A friend of mine is principal at a local government Primary School (with over 1000 kids, WOW!!!). The teachers at his school worked a total of 205 days in 2018. To give that some context, another friend (of both of ours) works as a tradesman with union benefits, he calculated he worked 176 days in 2018, that’s 24 days or 3.5 weeks less!!! I then did it myself, we were in practice less days per year as well!!

The interesting thing for teachers is they work in an environment witha different organizational structure to most businesses. Let me expalin, unlike most businesses ‘Teachers have ‘3 masters’ to please or report. In most businesses around the world  there are only ‘2 masters’ – 1) The boss, owner or senior management and; 2) The customers.

So who do the teachers have?

1) School governance – ‘The Boss’
2) Children – ‘The Customers’
3) Parents – Boss?? Customer?? Or Meddling Middle management??

This is unusual in the work place and with this each ‘master’ requires a certain amount of time, effort and energy to keep satisfied. Parents in particular take note! What impact are you having on your child’s teacher stress levels?

I believe the extra responsibility of dealing and handling delicate situations with parents is, why teaching is the most stressful job in the world’.

Yes Parents, you!!

However before I hear all of you parents jumping up and down saying it’s not our fault, I want to assure you that as a parent myself who has little interaction with teachers I’m am a part of this as well.

Here is why?

Teachers are responsible for giving us lots of feedback. This is in the form of formal feedback (parent/teacher interviews) which is sometimes once per term. On top of that, there are the formal written reports at half year and end of year. And, if you’ve ever been in the school grounds when the day has finished you will see most teacher absorbed in conversation with differeent parents (granted not always dealing with issues). However, for better or worse there are lots of middle management dealings.

Next, there is the delicate balancing act of teaching and counselling of students. Children come from many and varied backgrounds, some supportive, some destructive, some fluctuate between the two. Their responses to situations are as varied as their backgrounds, some will retreat in their shells, other might lash out the teachers or other students and even others will show no sign of anything being a problem, even if there is.

Finally, the extra-curricular activities – school incursions & excursions, school camps, drama productions, sports carnivals, staff meetings, school fetes. These points don’t even cover the classroom and preparation work!!

For now, back to the parents…..

The original thought behind this blog came from observing parents in the play grounds after school. The different judgments, criticisms and demands that many of my friend’s where having on their child’s teacher was in my eyes unreasonable and not right.

I had to stop and asked myself, am I doing this as well? The answer, was at times – YES!

You see, one of the beautiful things as a parent is you mostly think your kids are awesome (which they are) however it is challenging not to get emotional when they are having challenges either socially or academically.

“She said this…, He said that…”

And in our efforts to support our children and protect them, we will often ask or challenge our teachers to essentially “look out for them”. It’s not an unreasonable request in my eyes; I’m not even suggesting we shouldn’t do it. However, and here is my point, it does add an extra layer of responsibility and stress on the teacher. Something else to manage and report on.

In the end, the teachers have the school council/governance to report to. They have the children to teach and counsel and they have the parents to reassure and inform. Why not throw in the steak knives of extra school activities and it’s a very demanding and stressful job.

So the next time you are about to have a laugh about how many holidays teachers get (and yes they may have more than you), ask yourself about your work place, “How many people do you have to report to, satisfy and support? Are any of them as emotionally invested as parents? How many of them are as dependent on you as a school aged child?

The answer will probably be none.

The REAL reason you can’t deal with stress

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REVIVE TV EPISODE #25

Does this sound familiar? “I know I’ve got to deal my stress but I just don’t have time right now, I’ve got too much on. I’ll get to it later.” When does later come? Never, or when it’s too late. In my experience there are a multiple reasons we give for not addressing our stress. Before I give you ‘The Real reason you can’t deal with Stress’, lets look at some the main excuses I hear:

Lack of Time – I call bull on you, it’s not time. If time is holding you back I’m afraid that neither you nor I can make any more of it. We all have exactly 168 hours in our week, get over it. What happens when an emergency happens, do you find the time to attend to it? You sure do, nothing is more important. So it’s definitely not time.

Lack of Money – I call bull on you again, it’s not money. Is there something you could do right now, that would improve your health, that would require no extra expert advice, require no money to actually implement, but still you don’t do it? I know the answer is yes, because I’ve tested it, 100% of people, 100% of the time could do something to improve their health right now, for no cost, but don’t. Why? Keep reading.

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Knowledge Gap – This can be a real reason, it’s why we run workshops in our practice and are continually educating our practice members – see Inspired Thinking. Use caution when using ‘Dr Google’ for all health advice however, there is plenty of good info on the internet. Knowledge gap can be problem, but not the main one.

There are more, but these are the main ones.

So, if these are not the main issues, what are? On today’s episode of Revive TV you will learn?

• The healthy habit your avoiding that could literally save your health?
• The ‘negative’ physiological side effects your chronic stress is having on you.
• The KEY element to making this strategy work for.
• What I personally use and how I maintain this positive effect.

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Whether you are struggling with a current health challenge or you are looking to maximise your life we have got you covered!Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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Why Chronic Stress Could Be Killing You (Slowly)

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REVIVE TV EPISODE #24

That’s a dramatic headline and sure to drag a few people in! However, I’m very serious, so let me say this slowly & clearly, C H R O N I C  S T R E S S  C O U L D  B E  K I L L I N G  Y O U !

How can that be? We’ll get to that in today’s video.

First of all, I want to make something really, really clear – STRESS IS NOT BAD. The Stress response in our bodies is a very normal, efficient and effective cascade of events. These events are caused by the environment and our lifestyle choices, furthermore, the body never makes mistakes it’s us humans who do!

The question then arises – How can something as normal as the ‘Stress response’ be so harmful? Well, to understand that we need to discuss the two different types of stress:

1. Eustress (Good Stress) – Eustress is experienced in short moments, like exercise, skydiving and delivering a presentation etc. These have a positive impact on us and our health.

2. Distress (Bad Stress) – We’ve all heard of distress and experienced it. This could be due to the loss of a job or relationship break up, to financial troubles or self-esteem issues are some examples.

Distress is the type of stress most of us are talking about when we mention, “I’m so stressed”. Finding strategies to deal with this stress is key to unlocking the negative side effects.

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However, it goes deeper than that again and on today’s episode of Revive TV you’ll discover:

• The difference between acute and chronic stress and how to know which state you’re in.
• A deep understanding of the physiological changes your body goes through in the stress response.
• The leading diseases killing you slowly – You might have them already.
• How our current Health Care System fails you in truly overcoming these challenges and what to do about it.

Join us every Thursday for Revive TV, our weekly health show where I share the best information, tips and strategies I have found the will help take your health to new levels. Whether you are struggling with a current health challenge or you are looking to maximise your life we have got you covered!Do you have a question or topic you’d like answered on another show? Please contact us via our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/revivechiro/ or email at info@revivechiropractic.com.au and we’ll do our best to find you the answer.

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