Now that I have your attention…. what does our chiropractor friend Todd Hackney of O’Fallon, Ill. say about handbags?

1. It should weigh no more than 10 percent of your body weight. If you have never weighed it, do that now. You’ll probably be surprised. Put it on a scale by itself or get on a scale with and without it and subtract.
2. Yes, it does make a big difference. Those headaches, backaches or a myriad of other seemingly unrelated physical ailments might be handbag related. When your handbag is too heavy, you do odd things to compensate and that can lead to trouble later on. Even if you don’t think it makes much of a difference, time will probably prove you wrong.
3. Start by taking unnecessary items out of your handbag. How often do you really need a first aid kit in the city or an umbrella or that brick you’re carrying in case there’s there’s a building emergency.
4. Also develop a habit of switching arms. Not just once in a while, but often. If you only wear a handbag on the left. Switch to your right for a while and then start switching back and forth.
5. Make sure your handbag doesn’t extend below your waistline. Keep it close to the body and under you arm if you wear it over your shoulder. That will keep it from throwing you off balance. Your body won’t have to compensate for the shift in body weight as you walk and it’s better for your alignment. Messenger bags and purses with long straps are problems.
6. Find a purse that holds your items snug. If things are bouncing around and shifting, then your body is bouncing around and shifting to compensate for the changes in weight. That also can present problems.
7. Weigh your purse when it’s empty. Is it heavy? If yes, find a new purse without the hardware, heavy construction details, etc.
8. How about a true handbag that you carry in your hand rather than over your shoulder. Your bicep is actually better adapted to handle the extra weight than you shoulder and if you carry it in your hand, you’ll probably carry less stuff.
9. Two straps are better than one. If you guessed better weight distribution you get a gold star.
10. Don’t be a pack mule. If you have a purse, a diaper bag, a baby and perhaps a bag of groceries. It might be physically possible for you to carry all of these elements at once. But that doesn’t make it a good idea. Look for ways not to carry things instead. It might take a few extra steps to put everything into a cart and wheel it to the car and back, but your body will thank you later by operating a bit better. Leave the diaper bag in the car and take the baby back. The combined weight could be disastrous on your spine.

OK, shop smart. Believe it or not, that still leaves a large number of wonderful and perfectly acceptable handbag choices.