What is Reiki?

What is Reiki?

It is a non-invasive, natural healing therapy used for treating imbalances on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, psychological, spiritual.

What does it do?
It brings about deep relaxation, releases energy blockages, detoxifies the system, increases vibrational frequency providing new vitality.

How does it work?
It balances and strengthens energy facilitating the body’s ability to heal itself

What happens during treatment?

The practitioner is channeling energy holding their hands in a pattern above the person being treated. Some people experience a sensation of heat, a feeling of vibration or movement of energy, emotional release, deep relaxation and peacefulness

Who should receive Reiki treatment?

Anyone feeling burdened by stress or anxiety, overwhelmed by life circumstances, experiencing pain, emotionally drained, having difficulty focusing, disconnected, interested in revitalization, rebalancing, and healing.

Reiki treatments with Donna can be booked online or by calling 716-551-0970.

Ways Magnesium has helped our patients -

Magnesium is one of the most commonly recommended supplements in our office. Here’s why:

• Improved sleep - either helping folks fall asleep or stay asleep to wake up more rested

• Reduces the frequency and intensity of migraines, sometimes allowing people to reduce the need for medication

• Eliminates overnight leg cramps and post workout muscle soreness

• Helps to ease constipation, especially during pregnancy when digestion moves more slowly.

Magnesium comes in many forms. It can be used topically or taken as an oral supplement. Ask us about some of our favorite products and how magnesium can help you at your next visit.

8th Anniversary Party

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us at our Open House and 8th Anniversary Party! We are so grateful to be part of your wellness team and look forward to more years to come!

NormaTec Compression Therapy is LIVE!

Benefits of dynamic compression therapy:

• Enhanced healthy circulation and lymphatic return

• Increased range of motion

• Reduce inflammation and edema

• Speed recovery times

• Reduce pain

• Decrease muscle soreness and fatigue

• Promote relaxation

NormaTec is the leader in dynamic compression therapy. It is utilized to help patients reduce muscle pain and swelling, increase healthy circulation and lymphatic return.

Sessions can be booked as stand-alone therapies or as a complement to your massage or chiropractic appointment.

Ownership of Phoenix Rising transfers to Dr. Brenda Covell

A note from Erika, founder of Phoenix Rising - 

This is a love letter to my clients, Phoenix Rising, and myself. Are you really a steward of your own business until you have seen it through all of its stages? I dreamt you, put you into motion, cared for you and set you free.
If you don’t want to read much further, I’ll cut right to the chase. I’m selling/transferring Phoenix Rising Therapeutic over to the very capable and professional Dr. Brenda Covell, DC. For years, Dr. Brenda and I have worked alongside each other- both of our practices reside out of Suite 130 in the 500 Seneca St. building.  We have been cohabitating here harmoniously since 2016.
Going forward, not much will change at PRTMB except I just won’t be there.
Dr. Brenda expanded Covell Chiropractic to include Dr. Nick Jones,DC in 2019. Jeremy Springer, LMT , Chuck Garlow, LMT, Stephanie Tasulis, Lmt, Mallory Merkle, Lmt and JoNell Atkins-Jones, Lmt will be the therapists now taking care of you.
To book a massage or a chiropractic appointment you still call 716-551-0970 or with specific therapists you can book online at www. phoenixbuffalo.com.
Gift certificates are only sold online. Our receptionist Nichole is brilliant and will answer any questions you may have.

I feel ready. These last four years especially, have brought me immense joy, perspective, and growth. The last three years I have set off to Texas, more specifically, South Padre Island, during the winter months. I practice massage therapy at Laguna Madre Wellness Center where I am also surrounded by inspiring practitioners specializing in yoga, dance, meditation, counseling and massage therapy. I ended up on SPI because that’s where I met my wife, Jen, who lives down there at the very tip of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. Jen is an astonishingly talented Cellist that goes by the stage name  Jenuine Cello. Really, you should check out her work. Mesmerizing. Anyway, I have come to embrace the term winter texan. Jen is embracing being a summer Buffalonian and that “Go Bills!,” is a greeting, a cheer and also a goodbye.
We enjoy our bi-border lifestyle. We purchased a sweet little bungalow, half block from the beach on SPI and we travel back-and-forth between Buffalo and the island working in each others respective cities.
As I spend more time down in SPI, I believe it to be responsible to pass the torch to Dr. Covell to steward Phoenix Rising into its next era. I will miss everyone so much! This crew is so special to me and I was lucky to have been able to practice amongst them every day. Clients and patients- you are in such good hands. I realize this all probably won’t hit me until I come back in May and DON’T go back to 500 Seneca.
I want to give a shout out to Sam Savarino and Luke, you guys run a tight ship and it’s been an honor renting space at 500 Seneca St. You were more than generous and professional yet personal with me in every interaction. Thank you for being good humans.
To all the clients I have worked with from the beginning (about 19 years now) THANK YOU! You have supported me as I have supported you, some on and off the table. I was able to fulfill a life calling because of this collaboration together. You put your trust and vulnerability right there in my hands and it’s not lost on me how huge that is. I’m grateful for you. Even if I haven’t treated you in years, just know you are a part of me and working with you has helped me grow as a therapist and person.
Onto my next adventurous chapter. There are a lot of loves, hobbies, curiosities and possible ventures I want to explore. I’m making space in my life so something can come in that truly resonates. Wish me luck! Sending so much love out to the PRTMB crew past and present-you made it all worth it.
Change is the only constant.

Love and Healing,

Erika Leigh Felicetta, LMT.

Phoenix Rising and Covell Chiropractic - past present and future

Are you ready for some football?

Did you know that all 32 NFL teams have a chiropractor as part of their staff?
The first team to bring in an official team chiropractor was the New England Patriots 30 years ago. The NFL team chiropractors help althetes heal from acute injuries during the season such as concussions, whiplash, muscle strains and joint pain. They also play a key role in rehab, injury prevention and overall performance. 

Other fun NFL chiropractor facts...

Check out the Netflix series "Quarterback" Episode 3 to see a chiropractor in action with Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings. 
Disclaimer: This episode also contains footage of the 2022 Bills/Vikings game when the Bills fumbled in the end zone resulting in a Vikings TD. It still hurts to watch. 

Pick up a Buffalo Bills schedule at your next visit!

5 Tips To Help with Leg Cramps

1. Stay hydrated during the day - aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water.

2. Supplement with Magnesium (in citrate or glycinate form) 300-400mg/day

3. If you’re already taking Magnesium and still experiencing leg cramps, try adding Calcium Lactate to your supplement routine.

4. When you’re actively experiencing the leg cramp trying to stretch it out can make it feel worse or last longer. Instead, try placing one hand on either side of the cramp and push the muscle together between you hands. It may be uncomfortable but it will signal to the brain to stop the cramp more quickly.

5. Add a good mobility routine to your day. This could include stretching, walking, yoga and chiropractic care.

Why is it so common to have pain at the area of the spine where neck and shoulders meet?

This area is known as the cervicothoracic junction, or CT junction. In this area of the spine a highly flexible neck (cervical spine) transitions to a much more inflexible upper back. Also, the curvature of the spine changes from a backward curve in the neck (lordosis) to a forward curve in the thoracic spine (kyphosis). These factors can lead to increased stress at the CT junction while stationary and with movement.

Regular chiropractic adjustments as well as maintaining good upper back and shoulder mobility can prevent pain in the CT junction.

A gentle reminder this holiday season...

Winter is meant to be a gentle season.

This season can be hectic, stressful and hard on our bodies. 

The filled-to-the-brim social calendars, pressure to get everything done for the holidays and overindulgent meals can add up to make you feel worn down and stressed.  

Our bodies want to take cues from our environment (less daylight, colder temps) to slow down and rest. But work, family members and society place pressure on us to be busier than ever in December. 

If you are feeling anxious and stressed we can help. Chiropractic adjustments can take your nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode so that you can feel more relaxed and rested. 

We can also help with:
- jaw tension
- headaches
- poor sleep
- tight and sore muscles

Iron in your diet

Animal sources of iron are absorbed 2-3x more by the body than plant sources.

Good animal sources include lean beef, oysters and poultry.

The best plant sources are beans and lentils, tofu and dark green leafy veggies like spinach or kale.

Adding a Vitamin C source can enhance the absorption of iron from plant sources. These pairings can work well:

• bell peppers and beans in a salad

• spinach salad with lemon juice vinaigrette

• fortified grains with berries

Iron can also be absorbed into your food if you cook in cast iron cookware.

How can chiropractic help infants with difficulty breastfeeding?

From the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
October 2009

This is a case series of 114 infants who were diagnosed in a hospital or by a lactation consultant with breast feeding problems. These patients were referred to seek chiropractic care in addition to routine pediatric care.

The three most common diagnoses for why these infants were unable to breastfeed were:
-cervical posterior joint dysfunction
-temporomandibular joint imbalance (TMJ)
-inadequate suck reflex.

“Treatment was chiropractic therapy in addition to support given elsewhere.
All children showed some improvement with 78% being able to exclusively breastfeed after 2 to 5 treatments over a 2-week time period.”

Chiropractors are experts in diagnosing and treating disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems - in this case series the most common issues being with the cervical spine and jaw. 

This article demonstrates the benefit of pediatric chiropractic care as a multidisciplinary approach to breastfeeding issues with a musculoskeletal cause. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2009.08.023

Why crawling is an important milestone for infant development:

Crawling on hands and knees (also called cross-cross crawling or cross crawling) requires limbs from opposite sides of the body to communicate with each other. This motion is vital to develop an area of the brain called the corpus callosum. It’s the portion of the brain that allows communication between the right and left hemispheres.

Cross crawling involves coordinated movements of eyes, ears, hands, feet and core muscles.

Cross crawling requires baby to move a limb to the opposite side of the body. This helps:

Low back strength to get ready to stand

Prepares ankles for flexion to get ready for waking

Begins spinal rotation

Strengthens hand-eye coordination

If baby is using other ways to crawl (scooting, using one foot/knee to push along, crab crawling, or rolling) they may be compensating for various reasons. It may be time to find a practitioner like a pediatric chiropractor who can help find ways to encourage cross crawling

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Using Kinesiology Tape During Pregnancy

Did you know that kinesiology tape can be used to tape the belly during pregnancy? Depending on how it is applied, it can help relieve low back pain or pressure as baby starts to drop lower into the pelvis. Or it can help relieve pressure under the ribs to make it easier for mom to breathe.

Why adding a multivitamin to your daily routine is a good idea:

These are just a few of the reasons why supplementation is helpful:

Supplements can help fill in nutritional gaps in your diet. The Standard American Diet (SAD) will not provide adequate amounts of many micronutrients (ex: zinc, copper, manganese) that we need on a daily basis. Opting to eat vegan, vegetarian or omitting food groups from your diet could also cause you to miss out on certain nutrients.

Many conventional farming practices have depleted the soil causing the fruits and veggies we buy at the supermarket to be less nutrient dense than they once were.

Drug induced nutrient depletion can make it harder for our bodies to process and absorb nutrients from food. Certain meds are known to affect specific nutrients. For example oral contraceptives Vitamin B6. Cholesterol lowering statins deplete COQ10, iron, magnesium and Vit A.

Everyone in Buffalo needs to supplement Vitamin D in the winter months, period.

Disclaimer: You can’t supplement your way out of a crappy diet, inadequate sleep, unchecked stress levels and lack of regular exercise.

If you have questions about your specific nutritional needs, we are happy to help! Also pick up a sample of @metagenics Wellness Essentials next time you’re in the office. These daily pre-portioned multivitamins can be one small step toward forming healthy habits in 2022

BCBS Wellness Card Members:

Effective December 31st, 2021 BCBS Wellness Cards will no longer cover chiropractic, massage or acupuncture services. They will also not be approved for purchases at health food stores.

Some options:

If you would like to use your remaining amount by the end of the month call our office at 716-551-0970 to set up an appointment or click the button below to be directed to our online booking.

If you can't make it into the office by the end of the month, you can purchase a gift certificate for the amoutn of the remaining balance that can be applied to future visits in 2022.

Gift certificates can be purchased in person in the office, by phone or an invoice can be emailed to you. Email Dr. Brenda at covellchiropractic@gmail.com for an invoice.

Feel free to reach out to Dr. Brenda or Dr. Nick with any questions about this.

🌾 Hayfever Season Mythbuster ✨

Lots of folks are dealing with allergy symptoms this time of year - itchy watery eyes, runny nose and sinus congestion that may progress to a sinus headache.

Did you know which plant is to blame for these seasonal allergies commonly known as “hayfever”?

Goldenrod or Ragweed

If you guessed Goldenrod, it’s the popular assumption due to the conspicuous yellow flower that blooms this time of year. Goldenrod is insect pollinated, so little pollen is released into the wind. It is a an abundant food source for bees, butterflies and beetles. Ragweed is actually the culprit since it is wind pollinated, although it can be trickier to spot with it’s insignificant looking green flowers.

Did you learn something new? I never used to know this, but my husband is very attached to the Goldenrod in our yard for the pollinators

If you’re struggling this time of year, we carry D-Hist from Orthomolecular. This stuff is amazing at reducing allergy symptoms. It mellows out your body’s histamine response and helps to clear your sinus passages without leaving you feeling brain-foggy like a decongestant can. We have it in the office for your next visit!

New Product Offering for Allergy Season

Why do we get allergies?

The body creates a histamine response to objects perceived as foreign (pollen, dust, pet dander). Mast cells secrete histamine, which is a chemical message to initiate the allergic/inflammatory reaction.

D-Hist from @orthomolecular can help mediate this histamine response so that your body doesn’t have such a strong allergic reaction to the seasonal pollen.

The good stuff:

✅ Quercetin ⬇️ the release of histamine

✅ Bromelain (also found in ) helps absorb quercetin

✅ N-Acetyl Cysteine helps keep mucous free flowing

✅Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for immune support

The bottom line - less allergic reaction and less congestion so you can breathe easier!

Think chiropractic is all about crackin’ backs?

Some things that happened today in the office:

-Met a first time mama and explained how the Webster technique can help to balance the structures of the pelvis, create a smoother birth and allow for a more comfortable pregnancy. 🤰

-Did some instrument assisted soft tissue work with a with recreational volleyball player and talked ankle ligaments and musculature of the lower leg.

-Helped a breast cancer survivor with some headaches and back pain that she’s been having post FLAP surgery and made a plan for scar rehab.

-Completed care for a patient trigger thumb who was looking for an alternative to surgery 🏽 and she’s back to smooth range of motion.

-Worked on TMJ musculature and gave some strategies to work on at home when stress ➡️ jaw clenching.

Chiropractic can help with so much more than low back pain, (but we’re pretty good at that too).

Chiropractic is a safe, effective and drug-free way to manage pain and improve function for many injuries and issues affecting the spine, joints and surrounding muscles.

New Pregnancy Pillows are here!

These soft bundles of goodness are an important part of your prenatal chiropractic appointment. Pregnancy pillows can help you feel comfortable lying face down on the adjusting table for assessment and treatment using the Webster technique.

The Webster technique helps to diagnose and treat imbalances in the pelvis during pregnancy. The bony structures of the pelvis attach to the uterus via the round ligament. Balancing the joints of the sacrum and pelvis can help:

🤰 to ease hip/low back/pubic area discomfort during pregnancy

🤰 allow the baby space to move to achieve optimal positioning

🤰help your body with biomechanical changes as your transition through the trimesters

🤰prepare you for labor and birth

Plus it just feels luxurious and amazing to be able to lay on your stomach once that baby bump gets more bump-tastic!

Pillows are also used during your postpartum visit to get you comfy and can accommodate positioning for post- c-section and breast tenderness.

Spring is in the air!

Do you have seasonal allergies? Here are some tips to make this season a little easier:

Spring’s warm weather is always a welcome change after the long months of our Buffalo winter. But for those with seasonal allergies and sensitivities to pollen in the air, changes can be miserable. Over-the-counter allergy-relieving products often have unpleasant side effects like drowsiness and feeling groggy and often only provide minimal relief. So what else can be done to relieve seasonal allergies?

Did you know that 70-80 percent of your immune system lives in your gut? More specifically, your immune system is regulated by the trillions of "good" gut bacteria that live along the mucosal lining of your digestive system. One of their most important jobs is keeping your immune system informed of potential invaders (allergens, viruses, bacteria) trying to gain access to your body via the eyes, nose, or mouth. These good bacteria keep your immune system well-tuned and functioning well, prepared to deal with anything perceived as a threat.

But, when your gut becomes inflamed due to infection, poor diet, or an imbalance in the gut bacteria, the immune system can sometimes go into overdrive, causing the immediate symptoms of seasonal allergies, including sneezing, a stuffy head, and a runny nose.

What you can do about it:

• Keep a food diary. Does what you eat negatively impact how you feel?

• Include plenty of gut-healing foods in your diet such as fiber, pro- and prebiotics, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, sprouts, and fermented or cultured foods.

• Exercise just after it rains when pollen counts are the lowest.

• Take the right nutrients, including whole-food vitamin C, foods rich in zinc (shellfish, beans and pumpkins seeds for example), probiotics, turmeric, and good quality fish oils to name a few.

Restoring healthy gut bacteria by reducing and removing inflammation can make allergy season so much more enjoyable!