What if the reason your health plan isn't working has nothing to do with your diet or your workout? Candace Oates lost over 125 pounds and kept it off for 25 years — and she says it started with one thing: changing how she talked to herself. In this episode of Health Hacks, we explore why mindset must come before any tactic.

If you’ve had back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, or foot pain for months—or even years—you’ve probably heard the word inflammation. And inflammation can absolutely be part of the problem. But chronic pain is often more complicated than that. Pain can be affected by the health of your joints and tissues, your nervous system, strength and movement, previous injuries, sleep, stress, and other factors. That helps explain something we see frequently: The place that hurts isn't alway

Could Mold Be Making You Sick? Signs Your Home May Be Affecting Your Health You eat pretty well. You try to get enough sleep. Maybe you've even had blood work done. But you still don't feel right. You're tired. Your head feels foggy. Your sinuses are always bothering you. Or you just don't feel like yourself. When this happens, we usually start looking inside the body for answers. Sometimes we also need to look at the environment around us. One place worth considering is

Could Your Headache Actually Be Coming From Your Neck? If you get headaches over and over, you probably know the routine. Your head starts hurting. You take something for the pain. Maybe the headache gets better. Then a few days later, it comes back. But what if the problem isn't actually starting in your head? For some people, recurring headaches can be connected to problems in the neck. When a headache originates from structures in the neck, it is often called a cervicogeni

You’re eating better. You’re exercising. Maybe you’ve even cut calories, stopped eating late at night, and started walking more. But the scale barely moves. Or worse—you keep gaining weight. It’s frustrating. And after a while, it’s easy to think: “Maybe I just need more willpower.” But weight regulation is more complicated than willpower or calories alone. For some people, one piece of the puzzle may be insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can make it harder for your bod

You've probably heard the advice before: "Just eat less and move more." If it were really that simple, millions of people wouldn't still be struggling. At Thrive Chiropractic & Functional Health, we regularly hear comments like these: "I'm doing everything right." "I barely eat anything." "I exercise almost every day." "Nothing works anymore." If you've ever felt this way, you're not alone. And it doesn't automatically mean you're doing something wrong. Your Body Is Designed

Shockwave therapy uses acoustic waves to trigger blood flow, collagen remodeling, and pain receptor desensitization — restarting the body's own healing process for chronic back pain that hasn't responded to conventional care.

Persistent neck pain that keeps coming back? The real cause is often your upper back, shoulders, or posture — not your neck. Learn how Thrive Chiropractic & Functional Health in Branson, MO treats neck pain at its root.

Quick Summary If you've been asking yourself, "Why am I so tired all the time?" you're not alone. Fatigue is one of the most common reasons women seek functional medicine care. Instead of masking symptoms, functional medicine looks for underlying contributors such as poor sleep, hormone changes, thyroid dysfunction, blood sugar imbalances, chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, and gut health. According to the Cleveland Clinic, fatigue is a symptom—not a disease

Quick Summary: Rest alone rarely resolves chronic back pain because prolonged inactivity can lead to muscle weakness, joint stiffness, reduced tissue health, and increased pain sensitivity. While short-term relative rest may help after an acute injury, chronic back pain typically requires addressing the underlying causes rather than simply waiting for symptoms to improve. Effective treatment often combines restoring joint mobility through chiropractic care, stimulating soft t

Quick Summary The World Health Organization has long recognized that health is more than simply the absence of disease. It defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." That perspective aligns closely with the functional medicine approach of understanding the whole person—not just diagnosing disease. That can mean digging deeper than just a quick glance at a limited set of labs offered on yo

Quick Summary Arthritis affects the entire joint—not just cartilage. "Bone on bone" is a description, not a medical diagnosis. X-rays often do not predict how much pain someone will have. Exercise is one of the best treatments for arthritis. Chiropractic care may help improve movement, reduce stiffness, and improve function. About the Author Dr. Tim St. Onge, DC Dr. Tim St. Onge is a chiropractor and Acoustic Wave Specialist at Thrive Chiropractic & Functional Health in Brans

Are Hormones Affecting Your Energy, Weight, Sleep, or Mood? Do you feel tired even after a full night's sleep? Have you gained weight despite eating healthy and exercising? Are you struggling with brain fog, low motivation, poor sleep, mood changes, or a declining sex drive? If so, your hormones may be playing a bigger role than you realize. At Thrive Chiropractic & Functional Health in Branson, MO, we help men and women identify and address hormone imbalances through a root-

Why Rest Alone Doesn't Fix Tendon Injuries Quick Summary Ever wonder why rest alone doesn't fix tendon injuries? If you've been resting a painful tendon for weeks—or even months—but the pain keeps coming back, you're not imagining it. Modern research shows that chronic tendon injuries usually need more than rest. The right combination of progressive loading, rehabilitation, and, in some cases, shockwave therapy can help stimulate healing and improve long-term function. About

Struggling to Lose Weight? The Problem May Be Bigger Than Calories If you've tried diet after diet, counted calories, exercised consistently, and still struggle to lose weight, you're not alone. Many people are frustrated because they're doing "all the right things" but aren't seeing lasting results. The truth is that weight loss is often more complicated than simply eating less and moving more. At Thrive Chiropractic & Functional Health in Branson, Missouri, we take a functi

Quick Summary Shockwave Therapy is a non-surgical treatment that uses acoustic sound waves to stimulate healing in injured tissues. Research shows that shockwave therapy may improve blood flow, increase collagen production, stimulate healing cells, reduce pain signals, and help damaged tissues repair themselves. It is commonly used for plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff injuries, tennis elbow, hip pain, knee pain, Achilles tendinopathy, and chronic back pain. At Thrive Chiroprac

Quick Summary: Shoulder Pain Treatment in Branson, MO Do You Really Need Surgery for Shoulder Pain? If you're struggling with shoulder pain in Branson, Hollister, Forsyth, Branson West, Kimberling City, or the surrounding Ozarks, you may not need surgery to find relief. Many common shoulder conditions—including rotator cuff injuries, shoulder impingement, partial rotator cuff tears, calcific tendinitis, and chronic shoulder pain—may respond to conservative treatment options b

Quick Summary: PCOS — one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women — is being renamed PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome). This isn't just a name change. It's a fundamental shift in how we understand and treat a condition that affects an estimated 1 in 10 women worldwide. In this post, we break down what PMOS means, why it matters, what symptoms to watch for, and most importantly — what you can actually do about it. Why Is PCOS Being Renamed PMOS? Fo

Shockwave Therapy for Knee Pain? Quick Summary If you're looking for knee pain treatment in Branson, Missouri, and want to avoid injections or surgery, Shockwave Therapy may be an option worth considering. At Thrive Chiropractic & Functional Health, we help patients throughout Branson, Hollister, Branson West, Forsyth, Kimberling City, and the surrounding Ozarks find relief from chronic knee pain. Shockwave Therapy is a non-invasive treatment for knee pain and knee osteoarthr

Key Takeaway: Chronic injuries often develop when the body's healing process becomes stalled. Chiropractic care, shockwave therapy, and corrective exercise may help restore movement, improve circulation, stimulate tissue repair, and support long-term recovery without drugs or surgery. You didn't wake up one day with a chronic injury—it slowly became one. Why Injuries Become Chronic Have you ever wondered why some people sprain an ankle, strain a shoulder, or hurt their back a