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One of the biggest mechanisms of low back pain and disc problems is caused by how you stand during some very routine activities. Some of these activities include; washing dishes at the sink, vacuuming, raking leaves and shoveling snow. Always remember to stand straight up ie; head remain over your shoulders and waist.  If you lean forward during these  activities (even slightly) the weight of your head and chest is suspended by your lower back. This fatigues the lower back and paves the way for muscle spasms, Bulging Discs and lower back pain!

Always keep in mind the biggest problem with Low Back Pain is not the pain itself. The nerves in your lower back bring electrical nerve signals to the colon, prostate, small intestine, kidneys, bladder , reproductive system  and lower limbs.  If these signals are blocked or interrupted those organs will become weak and diseased. Adjustments and/or Decompression therapy are the safest and most conservative  approach to fixing low back issues and staying free of disease.

Of all the health problems chiropractic can manage naturally Headaches are my favorite! This is because I suffered from migraines for the first 18 years of my life. Chiropractic changed that! After receiving medical care and drugs for several years my problem was worsening. Finally I was introduced to chiropractic care. After 2 weeks of receiving very specific adjustments to my neck I’ve never experienced another headache ever again!! Needless to say this changed my life for the better in a dramatic fashion. In fact it’s why I practice the amazing art of chiropractic today. I’ve helped many many people from my community get well from headaches in my 8 years of practice and I will continue to help more! Please feel free to ask me questions about your headache problems or about those of people you know.

Do you need spinal surgery? The answer is PROBABLY NOT! The statistics on spinal surgeries are not impressive. It’s estimated that 90% of people are in just as much pain or worse 3-4 years after surgery. Spinal surgery doesn’t make the spine healthier or stronger. It can only clear away displaced disc matter or remove deposits that may be occluding nerve spaces. Once that is done there is nothing to stop the same process from happening again. There are of course circumstances where surgery may be unavoidable but this is probably the minority of cases.

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

There are many different chiropractic approaches. Many people have had chiropractic care before resorting to surgery and believe they’ve exhausted the chiropractic approach and it failed. The question is, what techniques did they receive? If a person only receives chiropractic adjustments alone as the sole approach to treatment that would probably not be enough to correct many spine issues. Some of the other techniques to consider are:

Spinal Decompression, Cold Laser, Lumbar spine wobble exercises and spinal biophysics traction therapy.

If you have been recommended surgery please consider these conservative, non-invasive approaches first. Feel free to ask questions. We are here to help!

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body. The origin of the sciatic nerve is at the lower spine. When there is an alteration of the lower spinal discs or a misalignment of the lower spinal vertebra it can inflame this nerve and cause pain all the way down the back of the leg down to the foot. This is called ”Sciatica”. Sciatic pain can be quite extreme and debilitating as you may know if you are experiencing it now! The good news is that chiropractic care has been making short work of sciatica for over a century. A simple regime of adjustmets and stretches can set the sciatic nerve roots free and relieve the problem. This approach is far and away the most successful approach known in modern medicine today. In some cases, badly damaged discs can be placing pressure on the sciatic nerve roots and correction is difficult. This can sometimes mean long treatment duration to resolve it. There are even rarer cases that can not be helped conservatively and may require surgery. Please ask any questions you have about sciatica so we can direct you appropriately. We are here to help!!

Of all the subjects that are surrounded by erroneous information weight loss takes the cake. There is no magic bullet but there is a magic process that doesn’t involve dieting! Let’s face it DIETING doesn’t work! What does work is an understanding of foods and how they effect your metabolism. Proteins are for repair, Carbohydrates are for energy, and fats are for joint health, immunity, nerve system health and long term energy.

Timing

Many people would shed pounds if they just ate the same food they are eating now at different times of the day. Carbs should be consumed in the AM because that’s when you need food for energy as the whole day is in front of you. Proteins should be consumed at night with non starchy vegetables because the end of the day if for repair. Lunch should be a balance of carbs, protein and fats (raw oils like Olive, flax,hemp or coconut). Eating carbs at night causes a rapid conversion in to sugar and then to fat once you go to bed as there is no energy expenditure.

Of course there is much more on the subject concerning the kinds of food to avoid or limit but just this principal alone can help change your metabolism and cause weight loss. Try it, its a great way to loose weight without changing the foods you are consuming currently.

Alkalize your body!

Just like fish in an aquarium require the water be in “ph balance” to live your cells must be in ph balance too. If the ph of your body drops the environment becomes acidic. This would threaten to burn and injure your tissues and cause disease and weight gain. If your body becomes acidic it will store as much fat as possible because fat insulates the cells from damage. Acid is produced in the body from too much sugar (this is why sugar rots tooth enamel), medication which are acids usually, and too much stress ( this causes over production of stress hormones in the blood stream to ramp up energy).

To resolve acidity and lose weight one must have a steady consumption of alkaline minerals to “buffer” the acids. Think of the reaction that occurs when you mix vinegar and baking soda. Baking soda is an alkaline base made from sodium bicarbonate. The fizzy reaction occurring is the baking soda alkalizing the acid in the vinegar. That is exactly what happens in the body when you consume alkaline minerals.

Where do I get the minerals needed to lose weight?

Green vegetables have the highest concentration of alkaline minerals required to buffer the body and melt fat away. Eating salad is a great idea but it is not enough. The fastest way to lose weight  is to purchase green vegetable powders and make alkalizing “green drinks”. No they don’t taste bad! Every sip you take will be like add baking soda to vinegar and melting the unwanted pound of your body! You will feel awesome too!

Feel free to respond or ask questions!! We want to help you change your life!

Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by pain across the wrist and palm of the hand. It can be extremely painful in certain cases. It is created by tension on the median nerve which originates at the mid to lower neck and travel all the way down to the hand. It can be caused by repetitive use of the hands especially in those who type on keyboards frequently or other occupations that require continuous use of the hand and wrist. Common medical management of carpal tunnel syndrome include wearing wrist braces for support and surgery to enlarge the “carpal tunnel” which is a small passage way that the median nerve travels through at the wrist.

The most overlooked cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is malposition of the neck vertebra (or subluxation). Subluxations cause pressure on the origin of the median nerve and refer pain way down by the wrist. It’s very similar to how pressure to the sciatic nerve causes lower leg or foot pain. Chiropractic care has been overwhelmingly successful at curing carpal tunnel syndrome for the past century. It’s a painless and safe way to restore the alignment of the neck and free the nerves that are causing the wrist pain. Please feel free to ask questions about your condition. We are here to help!!

First of all, DON’T WORRY! You can be helped! Auto injuries are perhaps the most damaging type of trauma to the human spine. It’s estimated that for every 10 mph of collision the car absorbs it’s equivalent to your body being hit  by a 40lb weight.  As the car gets hit it moves rapidly away in the direction it’s been hit. At the same time the upper body and neck of the occupants get whipped backwards or sideways very quickly. This is where the term “whiplash” comes from. During a whiplash injury the spinal ligaments, muscles and nerves are strained or torn. The immediate aftermath is inflammation and pain. The long term effects are disc herniations and degeneration if not properly dealt with as soon as possible following the incident. The most reported symptoms of spinal trauma is headaches, neck and low back pain following the accident.  Most people who visit the E.R. after minor accidents receive muscle relaxers and pain killers and possibly a prescription for physical therapy.

If you have been injured in a car accident you should be aware of some important points for your health and future. A spine that has suffered whiplash is fully injured from the neck all the way through the tailbone to some degree or another. So full spine rehabilitation is always necessary. It is critical to get the spine in motion as soon as possible following an injury. This not only restores normal spinal alignment but also prevents ligaments and muscles that have been torn and stretched from forming scar tissue. If scar tissue is allowed to form the spine will heal permenantly in a misaligned position causing progressive arthritis and disc degeneration. It is helpful to receive an MRI study of your spine as well so there is no guess work for your  healthcare providers.

Should I receive chiropractic care?

 The answer is absolutely. And here’s why. Chiropractic adjustments work on your spine in what’s known as the “passive range”. Adjustments move your vertebrae just a bit further than you could move your spine by your own muscle ability. This is what is needed to break the “pain circuit” and reset the joints back to normal for the long run. Physical therapy deals largely with muscle rehabilitation. If the spinal muscles are strengthened prior to resetting the motion of each spinal alignment it will have little benefit and may be catastrophic in the long run. PT used in conjunction with chiropractic care is however a very effective combination. Medication simply masks the problem and causes one to feel good when they are by no means well at all. Medication consumption should be stopped as soon as it is possible to avoid dangerous side effects and causing more injury. 

Please feel free to contact us or submit your questions. We are here to optimize your health!!

The answer is overwhelmingly yes! Chiropractic care has enjoyed an exemplary safety record on its climb to being the most used type of health care in the world next to medicine. Properly administered adjustments are well established as a painless and safe procedure for babies, children and adults.

“Money talks” -  When it comes to liability insurance the rates speak loudly as to the risks involved. The more risk involved the higher the premium. An OB/Gyn practitioner may pay anywhere from $30-$70,000 annually. General internal medicine practitioners can pay anywhere from $20-$50,000 annually. Theses figures tell a lot about the potential risk. Chiropractors enjoy a suprisingly low malpractice insurance premium, usually less than $2000 annually. This low premium reflects the unlikely risk of complication.

Chiropractic care is covered by all major health insurance carriers including the federal Medicare program. If there were heavy risks involved this would not be the case!

What are the risks?

The risks to a chiropractic adjustment properly delivered are extremely low. There are however contraindications for certain individuals receiving certain types of adjustments. A trained chiropractor should have ascertained any contraindications during a properly conducted examination and health history.

Can chiropractic care cause strokes?

If an individual is elderly or has poor vascular health there is a possibility that if a rotational style adjustment is applied to the top of the neck the vertebral artery could be ruptured and a stroke could occur. Im my office we refrain from rotational adjustments in all individuals. We feel whilst the risk is minuscule to begin with we can completely take any risk right off the table by not using rotational adjustments at all. I would advise all chiropractors to share the same technical approach since it isn’t necessary to use rotation when other adjustments could be used. It is note worthy to state however that thousands of chiropractors have used rotational adjustments for the entire length of their career without any incidents at all. Many of the reported cases of strokes following chiropractic care were actually strokes that occurred prior to the person seeing the chiropractor. Often after a mild stroke a person will develop a symptom pattern that may include neck and arm pain or dizziness. This leads the patient to seek chiropractic care. The chiropractor may render a trial phase of care to the patient without resolve at which time the chiropractor refers the patient to their medical doctor. The doctor notes the person had been receiving chiropractic care and concludes that the adjustments caused the stroke when it was actually pre-existing.

*All health care applications can result in complications. It is very important to ask your doctor what they are to help determine if you are at a risk.*

By and large chiropractic is established as a champion in helping people to regain their health, avoid surgery, reduce pain, and overall live a healthier life. You can bet your experience with chiropractic will be extremely beneficial and positive. Feel free to comment!!