NMS Students Learn To Stand Tall

By Eliza Hallabeck

Like a circuit breaker, if one thing goes wrong in the spine and central nervous system, the entire frame is thrown off balance, as chiropractor Anne Brandon and Newtown Middle School technology education teacher Don Ramsey told his students on Wednesday, September 29.

As a mother of six daughters, ranging in age from 8 to 28, Dr Brandon said she knows proper posture can bring better self-esteem and guard teens against debilitating age-related illnesses, like arthritis.

“It’s not treating disease,” said Dr Brandon, who is also a yoga instructor, “it’s preventing disease.”

Dr Brandon and Mr Ramsey have known each other for years, through church. When they started talking about their careers, Mr Ramsey asked Dr Brandon to speak to his students relating technology to the “biomechanical wonder” of the human body.

“I try to give you as many examples of technology in the short time that I have you,” said Mr Ramsey to the class.

Mr Ramsey asked the class to key in and relate the body to “mechanical gizmos” they may already know about.

“Just like your brain is the ultimate computer,” he said, “your body is the ultimate biomechanical machine.”

When asked, nine of 14 students said they carry heavy backpacks and suffer from upper back and neck pain. According to Dr Brandon, 80 percent of headaches are related to the neck. The body, she said, is much more equipped for carrying heavy loads in front of the chest. When students wear backpacks, she said, they should be kept tight, and all the heavier things, like books, should be loaded into the back of the bag, to sit next to the spine.

Holding up a model of a human spine, Dr Brandon said everything on the body, including fingers, work because of nerve endings connected to the spine.

“You want to take very good care of your structure,” she said, “because you only get one spine.”

Calling herself a “postural advocate and guru,” Dr Brandon told the students she was hit by a car at 18 years old and now suffers from no back problems, due to her posture and having her back corrected. Dr Brandon said it is her missions to teach students correct posture.

All structures, according to Dr Brandon, have a structural sense of symmetry. Like a house, the body has a straight line when sitting correctly. To sit straight, she said, arch the bottom of the back, and place the head directly over lower back.

“Within one month of sitting up straight, you will feel phenomenal,” she said.

Dr Brandon said she also practices yoga, as an instructor. Between her two interests, chiropractic care, she said, is about making sure the body is moving correctly, and yoga is about finding a strong core and symmetry.

Marking the difference between the students when sitting regularly, and when sitting straight, Dr Brandon said the students looked much more responsible.

“You are going to get better jobs, and you will have better self-esteem,” she said, if students start to both sit up straight and stand up straight.

To stand up tall, Dr Brandon said students should “bone up,” by holding the chest bone up toward the ceiling.

“My profession and my life passion is keeping people as healthy as possible,” she said.

After answering questions from students, Dr Brandon said she will also answer any questions from them or their parents by e-mail.

“If half of you do what I have told you to do,” said Dr Brandon, “it will be well worth it for me.”

Students remained in their seats after the bell to speak to Dr Brandon on their own accord.

“I would love to share this with any school that would want me,” said Dr Brandon before speaking to the fourth class of the day.

Dr Brandon works out of Brewster, N.Y., and can be contacted at dr.annebrandon@yahoo.com.