Colic? Try Chiropractic!

February 1, 2011

Your baby screams, and nothing seems to soothe her... Can chiropractic help?

Infantile colic is a persistent crying that affects as many as 20% of babies. Infants appear distressed and act as if responding to pain. They probably are in pain, but lacking language, they communicate in the only way they can: crying.

In a landmark project over twenty years ago in Denmark, a group of 316 infants suffering with colic were selected as part of a study. After thorough examinations, each baby received a series of chiropractic adjustments. Naturally, these adjustments were significantly different from the adjustments you are used to receiving.

The results? Mothers reported "no colic" or "colic improved" in 94% of the cases within the first several weeks.

Although the study, funded by the Vilhelm Krause Research Foundation, the Danish Pro-Chiropractic Association, and the European Chiropractic Union did not meet the protocols of the clincial tests that new drugs are subjected to, mothers reported a significant reduction in crying on the very first day of chiropractic care.

If your baby is suffering, why not give us a call?

Posted in Chiropractic, Healthy Lifestyle. Tagged as baby screams, chiropractic adjustments, reduction in crying.

Get Your Head On Straight!

January 25, 2011

Carrying your head around all day is hard work! Do it right so you don't hurt yourself.

Rene Cailliet, M.D., director of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Southern California, has written about the importance of the relationship between our head and our cervical spine (neck).

Gravity, poor posture, the weight of the head or past injury (such as a car accident) can cause something called the "Forward Head" syndrome. This is where your chin juts out in front of your shoulders and chest, causing stress to your spinal cord and brain stem. It's crucial for your head to sit back, centered above your shoulders.

According to Cailliet, when your head is jutting abnormally forward, it can add significant pressure to your cervical spine. Besides fatigue, it can produce other health-robbing affects:

Impaired lung capacity
Loss of proper bowel movement
Reduced vitality
Chronic pain

Postural changes reduce your ability to turn and bend and can impair the function of your nervous system. Eventually the entire body can be affected, producing the telltale hunched posture.

Chiropractic care has helped restore the proper relationship between the head and neck for countless millions of people. But it takes time! The Forward Head syndrome takes time to show up and even longer to resolve.

Keep a keen eye out for people with this all too common condition and refer them to our practice for a no-obligation evaluation.

Posted in Chiropractic, Healthy Lifestyle. Tagged as chiropractic care, Chronic pain, hunched posture, lung capacity, proper bowel movement, vitality.

Stomach Bleeding and Kidney Damage

January 20, 2011

While the unintended deaths from high profile prescription drugs continue to make front-page news, there may be a far more dangerous drug problem lurking in your medicine cabinet.

Every day, millions of people take an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) for quick, easy pain relief. Because these drugs are easily accessible, there is a dangerous misperception that they are risk-free. Problems can range from mild stomach upset to stomach bleeding and ulcers. This is because NSAIDs prevent prostaglandins from doing their job of protecting the lining of your stomach. NSAIDs also prevent the body's ability to stop bleeding.

Pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are the leading cause of stomach ulcers and may cause side effects including stomach bleeding, which can be life threatening.

Prostaglandins are also essential for the proper function of your kidneys. The elderly are especially susceptible to kidney damage from NSAID use. A recent study of 114 elderly men and women who had just begun taking ibuprofen, a popular NSAID, showed that 13% were experiencing reduced kidney function. When taken in high doses, NSAIDs can permanently damage your kidneys.

Before relying on a drug, stop in for a Chiropractic adjustment and Nutrition Response Testing Analysis. Side effects include improved energy, increased vitality and enhanced well-being!

Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Nutritional Healing. Tagged as NSAID, Nutrition Response Testing, stomach bleeding.

Living to 100

January 10, 2011

People born 100 years ago would typically live to the ripe old age of 50 years, while children born this year are expected to live longer than 80 years. A study of centurions reveals some general guidelines that you can use to help extend your own life, regardless of your current age:

Be born a female. Hard to do much about this, but females have been outliving males for centuries.
Stay married. Married people live longer than single people - 10 years longer for men, 4 years for women.
Eat less. Research shows that life expectancy can be extended by eating less.
Pass up refined sugar. Sugar can speed the aging process.
Use little salt. Getting used to salt-free tastes will take some time.
Reduce protein intake. Excess protein stresses the body and reduces your ability to fight disease.
Regular exercise. No need for a gym membership. Brisk walking improves circulation, metabolism and emotional well-being.

Don't take a single day for granted! Get regular chiropractic adjustments and have a Nutrition Response Testing Analysis done today!

Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Nutritional Healing. Tagged as Nutrition Response Testing.

Shock Absorbers of the Spine

January 5, 2011

They bulge, herniate, degenerate and tear, but they don't "slip." Discs serve as the "shock absorbers" of your body. Separating each vertebra, they create the space for nerves to exit the spinal cord and so you can turn and bend. Rings of fibrous tissue called the annulus contain a soft jelly center.

We generally see two types of disc problems:

Bulging Disc: A weakened area of the annulus allows the soft center of the disc to bulge out, putting pressure on nearby nerves. Bulging discs usually respond well to chiropractic care, often eliminating the need for surgery.

Herniated Disc: A herniated or ruptured disc is more serious. It seems most common in the lower back. This is when part of the soft center pushes out through a weakened area due to trauma or degeneration, putting pressure on the spinal cord.

Chiropractic care, along with walking, increased water intake and improved nutrition offer a natural, non-surgical resolution for many disc problems.

Posted in Chiropractic, Healthy Lifestyle. Tagged as chiropractic care.

Does Chiropractic Cure Disease?

January 2, 2011

Many of our practice members are surprised to learn that chiropractic doesn't cure anything. So, how do you explain diseases that have obviously improved with chiropractic care?

The fundamental truth is: health is normal. If you're not healthy, something is interfering with this normal state. The only thing that doctors of any type can do is to remove interferences that may be preventing your body from expressing your normal health potential.

Our focus is on your nervous system, which controls and regulates every aspect of your body. Restoring better brain/body communications permit a more normal expression of health. The fact that your illness may improve in the process is an expression of better nervous system control of your body.

Thus, chiropractic doesn't cure anything. Only you can do that, if there isn't any interference! Call for an appointment today! We will do our best to get you in the day you call.

Posted in Chiropractic, Healthy Lifestyle. Tagged as nervous system.

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Why Chiropractic is the Best Solution for Sciatica Pain

Sciatica and chiropractic

Sciatica pain is often so debilitating that it forces people to miss work and other normal activities. Of all patients with low-back pain, sciatica patients have the highest level of disability (1). In fact, patients with sciatica are disabled for an average of 72 days according to Norwegian public-health records.
Fortunately, a recent study offers hope to sciatica patients: chiropractic care can speed the recovery from sciatica flare ups and allow patients to return to work sooner (2).

The study evaluated 44 Norwegian workers after they came to the hospital with severe sciatica pain. Most of those patients had been experiencing pain for three or more weeks prior to their hospital visit.
The hospital chiropractor examined each patient to evaluate his/her posture and gait, range of motion, and palpation of the lumbar spine.

The chiropractic then performed various joint adjustments to the spine and other limbs that had been injured through patients compensating for pain. Ice treatment was also used to relieve soft tissue soreness.Patients were treated daily in the hospital and later three times a week for the first two weeks. Some patients needed additional follow-up treatment but typically did not exceed 14 treatments.

In matter of 21 days, 91% of patients returned to work full-time. Two patients returned to work part time. Researchers concluded this study demonstrates the potent benefits of collaboration between chiropractors and orthopedic surgeons. Chiropractic care can put an end to your sciatica pain so you can begin living your life fully again.

Posted in chiropractic, Chiropractic News, Sciatica, sciatica treatment, Understanding Sciatica

Arana E, Marti-Bonmati L, Vega M, et al. Relationship between low back pain, disability, MR imaging findings and health care provider. Skeletal Radiology 2006;35(9):641-7.
Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30:135-139.