Monday, September 29, 2008
Treatment For Neck Pain And Arm Pain
A few months ago I had a young lady come to my San Diego Chiropractic office with these complaints. In addition to numbness and tingling, she had neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, wrist pain and hand pain. She also complained of weakness in her left hand, which was resulting in clumsiness and was affecting her work as an executive secretary.
Complaints of neck pain and arm pain are seen with regular frequency in my office. The process is a familiar one and common with many musculoskeletal conditions that involve the nervous system. Usually, postural stresses such as leaning over a desk or computer will eventually irritate a specific joint in the spine. The irritation of the joint causes inflammation of the muscles and ligaments that surround that joint. This inflammation will cause compression of the local nerves resulting in pain and muscle spasm. If the nerve compression persists, numbness, tingling and weakness of the related muscles will follow.
This patient was displaying signs and symptoms of long-term nerve root compression that involved her left arm and hand.
We treated her with chiropractic manipulations that were delivered with the specific goal of eliminating the nerve root compression. She was also treated with ice packs, hot packs, electrical muscle stimulation and ultrasound in order to address the soft tissue inflammation. In addition to in office care she was given a set of stretches and exercises for at home therapy and advised to use ice packs daily for twenty minutes per session.
It took approximately eight weeks of active care, which is three treatment visits per week, to relieve 90% of her pain and 90% of her left arm weakness. The rest of her symptoms will resolve with at home therapy and chiropractic care delivered on an as needed basis for flair-ups that will occur in the future.
Feel free to call me at my San Diego Chiropractic office if you are experiencing symptoms similar to the ones discussed in this post - I would be happy to help you work through your problem.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Back Pain Relief in San Diego
Many patients are looking for back pain relief when they schedule appointments at my San Diego Chiropractic clinic.
Most people consider chiropractors as back pain specialists. That being said, chiropractors provide treatment for patients with a variety of ailments including neck pain, headaches, sciatic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. While all of these conditions sound very different, they are actually very similar in the way they develop.
Most patients that suffer with headaches also complain of pain in the neck or neck stiffness. In fact, many headaches are related to muscle tension that originates in the neck. In these cases it is in fact the muscle tension or spasm in the neck that triggers the headache. Therefore, by treating the neck with a combination of chiropractic adjustments, hot packs, ice packs, muscle stimulation and ultrasound; the muscle tension in the neck can be resolved preventing the headache.
This is just an example of how one problem in a specific region of the body can be responsible for symptoms in a separate area. Likewise, sciatica is most often related to irritation of joints and muscle spasms in the lower back. Similarly, carpal tunnel syndrome results from a process involving joints in the wrist and the surrounding muscles and ligaments.
Almost all conditions follow the same path to becoming symptomatic - either through some specific injury or ongoing trauma (such as keyboarding or mousing), the joint(s) becomes irritated and inflamed causing pain and muscle spasm. If the pain and spasm affects a specific nerve, you may experience additional symptoms such as sciatica or arm / hand pain.
Most people consider chiropractors as back pain specialists. That being said, chiropractors provide treatment for patients with a variety of ailments including neck pain, headaches, sciatic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. While all of these conditions sound very different, they are actually very similar in the way they develop.
Most patients that suffer with headaches also complain of pain in the neck or neck stiffness. In fact, many headaches are related to muscle tension that originates in the neck. In these cases it is in fact the muscle tension or spasm in the neck that triggers the headache. Therefore, by treating the neck with a combination of chiropractic adjustments, hot packs, ice packs, muscle stimulation and ultrasound; the muscle tension in the neck can be resolved preventing the headache.
This is just an example of how one problem in a specific region of the body can be responsible for symptoms in a separate area. Likewise, sciatica is most often related to irritation of joints and muscle spasms in the lower back. Similarly, carpal tunnel syndrome results from a process involving joints in the wrist and the surrounding muscles and ligaments.
Almost all conditions follow the same path to becoming symptomatic - either through some specific injury or ongoing trauma (such as keyboarding or mousing), the joint(s) becomes irritated and inflamed causing pain and muscle spasm. If the pain and spasm affects a specific nerve, you may experience additional symptoms such as sciatica or arm / hand pain.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Pinched Nerves
You are on my last nerve! When I was a kid my mom probably said that to me a hundred times. Now my patients in my San Diego chiropractic office complain of other types of nerve issues. Sometimes, pinched nerves accompany neck pain, back pain and headaches.
Pinched nerves always result in pain traveling down either an arm or a leg resulting in what is called radiating pain. Many patients come to my San Diego chiropractic office complaining of a pinched nerve but my exam reveals simple neck pain or back pain.
There are many causes of pinched nerves. One of the worst scenarios involves a herniated disc in the spine that is putting pressure on the nerve. Herniated discs don't always mean that surgery is required but it usually results in stretched out, more intensive treatment plans.
One of the more common causes of pinched nerves results from irritated and inflamed joints in the spine. Poor lifting habits, awkward sleeping positions, poor posture and many other aggravating activities can inflame the ligamentous capsule that surrounds the joint. As the capsule swells, it cause local muscle spasm and can cause compression or pinching of the nerve.
Like I wrote earlier in the article, pinching of the nerve causes radiating pain that travels down the leg, into an arm, down the back or sometimes up to the back of the head. Either way, pinched nerves can make you absolutely miserable.
There are several things that you can do for a pinched nerve at home. To begin with, pinched nerves almost always involve inflammation and swelling. By applying ice packs to painful areas you can reduce the inflammation and relieve some of the pain. In addition to ice pack use, you have to acknowledge and respect your pain. That means rest as much as you can - working through pain rarely works out well for the patient. Try your best to stay out of painful positions and don't "test" it.
Chiropractic treatment is very effective at relieving the symptoms of a pinched nerve. Instead of masking the pain with drugs, chiropractic care improves the mechanics of the joint which helps relieve the pain and improve your range of motion.
Pinched nerves always result in pain traveling down either an arm or a leg resulting in what is called radiating pain. Many patients come to my San Diego chiropractic office complaining of a pinched nerve but my exam reveals simple neck pain or back pain.
There are many causes of pinched nerves. One of the worst scenarios involves a herniated disc in the spine that is putting pressure on the nerve. Herniated discs don't always mean that surgery is required but it usually results in stretched out, more intensive treatment plans.
One of the more common causes of pinched nerves results from irritated and inflamed joints in the spine. Poor lifting habits, awkward sleeping positions, poor posture and many other aggravating activities can inflame the ligamentous capsule that surrounds the joint. As the capsule swells, it cause local muscle spasm and can cause compression or pinching of the nerve.
Like I wrote earlier in the article, pinching of the nerve causes radiating pain that travels down the leg, into an arm, down the back or sometimes up to the back of the head. Either way, pinched nerves can make you absolutely miserable.
There are several things that you can do for a pinched nerve at home. To begin with, pinched nerves almost always involve inflammation and swelling. By applying ice packs to painful areas you can reduce the inflammation and relieve some of the pain. In addition to ice pack use, you have to acknowledge and respect your pain. That means rest as much as you can - working through pain rarely works out well for the patient. Try your best to stay out of painful positions and don't "test" it.
Chiropractic treatment is very effective at relieving the symptoms of a pinched nerve. Instead of masking the pain with drugs, chiropractic care improves the mechanics of the joint which helps relieve the pain and improve your range of motion.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Headaches and Chiropractic Treatment
I don't know about you, but I am a headache wimp - and I freely admit it to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic. I hardly ever get headaches, when I do I don't handle them very well. I get moody and I tend to "snap" at people that really mean me no harm.
In addition to my San Diego chiropractic office treating patients with neck pain and low back pain, we see many people with headaches. Headaches have many causes and there are many different types of headaches as well.
The most common types of headache that we provide treatment for are migraine and muscle tension headaches.
Muscle tension headaches typically begin in the muscles of the neck and upper back. When these muscle become tense, they pull on the muscles that cover your head. This tension results in a headache.
Muscle tension headaches can result from postural stresses such as long hours of computer work, they can develop as a result of car accident injuries, or just plain old work and home stresses.
One common reason for chronic, on going tension in the muscle is miss-aligned vertebra. When the vertebra become miss-aligned due to postural stress, awkward sleeping positions, accidents, etc., the muscles around that vertebra tighten up as a protective mechanism. The tight muscles are commonly the root cause of the muscle tension headache.
Chiropractic care re-aligns the joints of the spine causing a relaxation of the surrounding muscles. When the joints in the neck are re-aligned, the muscles that move and support that particular vertebra relax and return to their normal functions.
When the muscles are relaxed, the muscle tension subsides and the headache goes away. Treatment for muscle tension headaches usually requires a series of treatments but you should notice a decrease in the frequency and the severity of your headache with subsequent treatment.
In addition to my San Diego chiropractic office treating patients with neck pain and low back pain, we see many people with headaches. Headaches have many causes and there are many different types of headaches as well.
The most common types of headache that we provide treatment for are migraine and muscle tension headaches.
Muscle tension headaches typically begin in the muscles of the neck and upper back. When these muscle become tense, they pull on the muscles that cover your head. This tension results in a headache.
Muscle tension headaches can result from postural stresses such as long hours of computer work, they can develop as a result of car accident injuries, or just plain old work and home stresses.
One common reason for chronic, on going tension in the muscle is miss-aligned vertebra. When the vertebra become miss-aligned due to postural stress, awkward sleeping positions, accidents, etc., the muscles around that vertebra tighten up as a protective mechanism. The tight muscles are commonly the root cause of the muscle tension headache.
Chiropractic care re-aligns the joints of the spine causing a relaxation of the surrounding muscles. When the joints in the neck are re-aligned, the muscles that move and support that particular vertebra relax and return to their normal functions.
When the muscles are relaxed, the muscle tension subsides and the headache goes away. Treatment for muscle tension headaches usually requires a series of treatments but you should notice a decrease in the frequency and the severity of your headache with subsequent treatment.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain
Why do I have back pain? Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I hear this question all the time. Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have. The fact that my practice is in San Diego probably decreases the frequency of these complaints. People in San Diego tend to be more active than those who live in other parts of the country which actually lowers the incidence of low back and neck pain.
Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work. Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.
In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients. They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.
Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.
Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture. When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter "c". This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine. When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.
With time, postural stress causes irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.
Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the biomechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.
In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body. In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems related to postural stress.
Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work. Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.
In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients. They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.
Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.
Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture. When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter "c". This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine. When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.
With time, postural stress causes irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.
Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the biomechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.
In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body. In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems related to postural stress.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Chiropractic Care is Much Safer Than You Think
As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I often deal with new patients who carry an unreasonable fear concerning chiropractic treatment. New patients that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic practice often have some fears associated with chiropractic treatment, in my opinion, a lifetime of neck pain, back pain or headaches should inspire much more fear than chiropractic treatment.
I have been practicing chiropractic in San Diego full time since I moved here in 1993. During that time I have kept in close contact with 8 friends that I made while in Chiropractic College. There are another 10 or so that I speak with 2 or 3 times per year. All but one of these doctors has been in full time practice for at least 15 years. Out of all of these doctors, not one of them has had a patient sue them for treatment related injuries. One of these doctors knows a doctor who was sued by a patient that tripped over his welcome mat and suffered a broken arm.
At a risk prevention seminar that I attended several years ago, the instructor stated that in a group of 25 chiropractors that practice for 20 years seeing an average of 100 patients per week, that one of these doctors would have a patient suffer from a serious injury related to treatment. That is equal to 1 serious injury in every 2.6 million chiropractic adjustments. When these numbers are compared to the dangers of Tylenol use for example, one can see how comparatively safe chiropractic care actually is. Just in the United States and the United Kingdom, each year there are 300 deaths and 130,000 emergency room visits as a direct result of Tylenol use.
The rest of this post is a compilation of facts regarding the safety of chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic is Safe.
Records form insurance and court cases have constantly shown that chiropractic is the safest portal of entry health care available to the public today. Although no healthcare procedures are 100% safe, chiropractic stands on its record of safety and effectiveness unmatched in healthcare. To learn more about the safety record of chiropractic please visit the website
Chiropractic Is Safe at www.chiropracticissafe.org.
Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary health care profession.
There are approximately 60,000 doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in active practice in the United States spread from rural areas to inner cities. More than 10,000 students are currently enrolled in chiropractic educational programs accredited by a federally-recognized body (CCE).
Chiropractic services are in high demand.
Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt for chiropractic services and this number is rapidly growing. In 1993, more than 30 million patients made chiropractic a regular part of their health care program.
Doctors of Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional education that is on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).
To receive the doctor of chiropractic degree, candidates must complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited chiropractic institution. Comprehensive knowledge of all systems of the body and diagnostic procedures enable the DC to thoroughly evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine and determine the need for referral to another health care provider.
Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers.
According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The DC can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC's office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service."
Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states. DCs have been licensed and recognized for many decades in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.
Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Workers' Compensation and all state workers' compensation programs.
Chiropractic students are qualified to receive federal student loan assistance and DCs are authorized to be commissioned as health care officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Chiropractic care is very effective and very safe. We have been treating patients with neck pain, back pain, headaches and many other symptoms for years without incident. I hope that this article hits home with some of you who have delayed chiropractic care due to unfounded fears.
I have been practicing chiropractic in San Diego full time since I moved here in 1993. During that time I have kept in close contact with 8 friends that I made while in Chiropractic College. There are another 10 or so that I speak with 2 or 3 times per year. All but one of these doctors has been in full time practice for at least 15 years. Out of all of these doctors, not one of them has had a patient sue them for treatment related injuries. One of these doctors knows a doctor who was sued by a patient that tripped over his welcome mat and suffered a broken arm.
At a risk prevention seminar that I attended several years ago, the instructor stated that in a group of 25 chiropractors that practice for 20 years seeing an average of 100 patients per week, that one of these doctors would have a patient suffer from a serious injury related to treatment. That is equal to 1 serious injury in every 2.6 million chiropractic adjustments. When these numbers are compared to the dangers of Tylenol use for example, one can see how comparatively safe chiropractic care actually is. Just in the United States and the United Kingdom, each year there are 300 deaths and 130,000 emergency room visits as a direct result of Tylenol use.
The rest of this post is a compilation of facts regarding the safety of chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic is Safe.
Records form insurance and court cases have constantly shown that chiropractic is the safest portal of entry health care available to the public today. Although no healthcare procedures are 100% safe, chiropractic stands on its record of safety and effectiveness unmatched in healthcare. To learn more about the safety record of chiropractic please visit the website
Chiropractic Is Safe at www.chiropracticissafe.org.
Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary health care profession.
There are approximately 60,000 doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in active practice in the United States spread from rural areas to inner cities. More than 10,000 students are currently enrolled in chiropractic educational programs accredited by a federally-recognized body (CCE).
Chiropractic services are in high demand.
Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt for chiropractic services and this number is rapidly growing. In 1993, more than 30 million patients made chiropractic a regular part of their health care program.
Doctors of Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional education that is on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).
To receive the doctor of chiropractic degree, candidates must complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited chiropractic institution. Comprehensive knowledge of all systems of the body and diagnostic procedures enable the DC to thoroughly evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine and determine the need for referral to another health care provider.
Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers.
According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The DC can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC's office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service."
Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states. DCs have been licensed and recognized for many decades in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.
Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Workers' Compensation and all state workers' compensation programs.
Chiropractic students are qualified to receive federal student loan assistance and DCs are authorized to be commissioned as health care officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Chiropractic care is very effective and very safe. We have been treating patients with neck pain, back pain, headaches and many other symptoms for years without incident. I hope that this article hits home with some of you who have delayed chiropractic care due to unfounded fears.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Why Does Chiropractic Care Work?
A new patient of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic asked me this question just the other day. The funny thing about this question was that he was a new patient for me but he had been going to different chiropractors for nearly 40 years. Over the years he had struggled with neck pain, back pain and headaches that occurred after various falls, work injuries and car accidents and had created his need for a life time of chiropractic treatment. I thought it was odd that he asked me why chiropractic works after all the care he had been through.
Certain types of injuries cause chronic symptoms Various physical issues that never fully return to their pre-accident state cause chronic symptoms.
For instance, whiplash type injuries leave about 25% of the patients with chronic ongoing neck pain. In these cases, the muscles that move and support the neck have been stretched and sometimes torn. When muscles tear they heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue does not move, stretch or contract like healthy muscle tissue.
Because of the different properties of scar tissue that has formed within the healthy muscle, the joint that is moved by that muscle becomes dysfunctional. As the joints movement alters, it has the potential to become irritated and inflamed. These irritated and inflamed joints then become painful, restricted in their movements and the muscles that move that joint tighten and spasm as a protective mechanism.
Chiropractic care is the perfect solution for painful joints and spasmed muscles. Through manipulation or adjustments of the affected joints, the muscle spasms are calmed and the pain is relieved. For some patients, ongoing chiropractic care helps prevent the onset of pain and stiffness that is associated with chronic injuries.
This example above is just one of the reasons that some chiropractic patients come in for treatment on a regular basis.
As for the patient above, he said he has been coming in for chiropractic for neck pain and back pain for years. He receives treatment for both health maintenance reasons as well as for control of specific symptoms that come up from time to time.
Certain types of injuries cause chronic symptoms Various physical issues that never fully return to their pre-accident state cause chronic symptoms.
For instance, whiplash type injuries leave about 25% of the patients with chronic ongoing neck pain. In these cases, the muscles that move and support the neck have been stretched and sometimes torn. When muscles tear they heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue does not move, stretch or contract like healthy muscle tissue.
Because of the different properties of scar tissue that has formed within the healthy muscle, the joint that is moved by that muscle becomes dysfunctional. As the joints movement alters, it has the potential to become irritated and inflamed. These irritated and inflamed joints then become painful, restricted in their movements and the muscles that move that joint tighten and spasm as a protective mechanism.
Chiropractic care is the perfect solution for painful joints and spasmed muscles. Through manipulation or adjustments of the affected joints, the muscle spasms are calmed and the pain is relieved. For some patients, ongoing chiropractic care helps prevent the onset of pain and stiffness that is associated with chronic injuries.
This example above is just one of the reasons that some chiropractic patients come in for treatment on a regular basis.
As for the patient above, he said he has been coming in for chiropractic for neck pain and back pain for years. He receives treatment for both health maintenance reasons as well as for control of specific symptoms that come up from time to time.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Chiropractic and Nutrition Continued
Ever since I started practicing chiropractic in San Diego I have had trouble sleeping. I addressed this issue in several blog posts over the last few weeks.
As many of you know, lack of sleep makes days difficult and nights dreadful.
I had always assumed that my lack of sleep was secondary to stress from my business / practice. It seemed like a reasonable assumption. I spend my days treating patients who I truly care about for neck pain, back pain, headaches and other aches and pains. While I love my job, having patients depend on you for their well being is stressful and I do think of these things at night.
There was also a time when I decided that my lack of a good nights sleep was due to caffeine. As a result of this assumption I completely weaned myself off of coffee for about five years. This didn't really help me sleep any better but I was much calmer in fact until I eliminated caffeine from my diet I didn't realize how anxious it made me.
As you may have read in my prior posts, I ended up having a hair mineral analysis that had really interesting results. The Mineral Analysis showed a deficiency in several nutrient minerals that can have an impact on sleep.
For the last six weeks or so I have been supplementing these minerals and have been experiencing some exciting results. As of last night, I have been sleeping for three or four hours per night longer than I used to.
What a huge difference!
Instead of feeling run down and tired I actually have energy. My anxiety has decreased and my paper work shuffle at work is much more efficient.
I still have great concerns about my patients' neck pain, back pain and headaches, but I think about them during the day now, not at night.
Last night I had a horrible sleep and today I feel wiped out. It made me wonder how I used to live with nights like that on a regular basis.
As many of you know, lack of sleep makes days difficult and nights dreadful.
I had always assumed that my lack of sleep was secondary to stress from my business / practice. It seemed like a reasonable assumption. I spend my days treating patients who I truly care about for neck pain, back pain, headaches and other aches and pains. While I love my job, having patients depend on you for their well being is stressful and I do think of these things at night.
There was also a time when I decided that my lack of a good nights sleep was due to caffeine. As a result of this assumption I completely weaned myself off of coffee for about five years. This didn't really help me sleep any better but I was much calmer in fact until I eliminated caffeine from my diet I didn't realize how anxious it made me.
As you may have read in my prior posts, I ended up having a hair mineral analysis that had really interesting results. The Mineral Analysis showed a deficiency in several nutrient minerals that can have an impact on sleep.
For the last six weeks or so I have been supplementing these minerals and have been experiencing some exciting results. As of last night, I have been sleeping for three or four hours per night longer than I used to.
What a huge difference!
Instead of feeling run down and tired I actually have energy. My anxiety has decreased and my paper work shuffle at work is much more efficient.
I still have great concerns about my patients' neck pain, back pain and headaches, but I think about them during the day now, not at night.
Last night I had a horrible sleep and today I feel wiped out. It made me wonder how I used to live with nights like that on a regular basis.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Nutrition and Chiropractic Update
Back in the early part of April, I posted a blog article regarding chiropractic care and nutrition, specifically, my own nutrition. Being the owner of my San Diego Chiropractic office, I spend most of my days treating patients with neck pain and back pain. While neck pain and back pain are very important to resolve, there are other health concerns that must be addressed if we expect to be truly healthy.
Several months ago, I had a hair mineral analysis performed on myself. The results of that test were surprising to me. Aside from my calcium and magnesium levels, every other nutrient mineral was deficient.
Even iron! This is normal for women but not so common in men. Without the analysis, I would have never thought this finding was a possibility.
As I had indicated in prior posts on this topic, one of my primary health concerns over the last 10 years has been lack of restful sleep or insomnia.
As I read up on the minerals that I was deficient in, insomnia was a side effect in two of them in instances of deficiency.
That bit of knowledge was not enough to quiet the skeptic in me. After all, the company that does the hair mineral analysis also makes the vitamins and minerals that they recommended to me. In addition, I also indicated on my paperwork that insomnia is one of my health concerns.
In order to test these results, I bought mineral supplements from a local source and began taking them as directed on the containers. It took about 11 days before I could say for sure that the quality of my sleep had improved. Within a few more days the improvement was dramatic. Prior to taking these mineral supplements, a good nights sleep was limited to two or three nights per month.
As I write this blog post, I have slept well, over 7 hours per night, for the past month or so. Despite all this quality sleep, I still feel like I am playing catch-up with my rest. I suppose that is the result of 10 years of poor sleep.
I will do future posts on this topic. In the mean time, remember that you are what you eat! Poor dietary habits definitely create a need for dietary supplements. Maintaining your health is work but it is worthwhile.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Why Do We Get Neck Pain
Do you ever remember seeing someone in a neck brace? Do you remember thinking, "I wonder how much pain you would have to actually use one of those?" Last week I had a patient come to my San Diego Chiropractic office because of neck pain. Her neck pain was bad enough that she wore a neck brace. She said that she had a long history of neck pain but that this current episode of neck pain was the worst she ever felt and it began after she spent a few hours watching her boyfriend fly his stunt kite at the beach.
In this patients' estimation, she had no idea what possibly could have caused this painful episode.
Those of you who have suffered with neck pain know what she is going through.
After a neck injury that has not been properly treated, future flair ups can be common. These flair ups of neck pain can come with little or no obvious provocation.
In most cases of neck pain without a significant discernible injurious event, the cause of a painful episode lies in an accumulation of old injuries like car accidents and falls combined with ongoing daily postural stress.
When your neck is exposed to a combination of specific old injuries and ongoing postural stress, seemingly new injuries to the same area can be the result of something as mundane as an awkward sleeping position or a prolonged fixed position of the neck that might occur with watching TV or working on the computer.
Because this type of flair up is so common, "new injuries" that occur with non stressful events are not new injuries at all but aggravations of old injuries. I like to use the analogy of the straws on the camels back for these kinds of episodes.
In closing, if this patient had hurt her neck watching her boyfriend fly a kite at the beach and she had no other history of neck pain or injury, I would be surprised. With this patients' history, however, the onset of this episode of neck pain did not surprise me at all.
There is an old saying, "The body never forgets".
In this patients' estimation, she had no idea what possibly could have caused this painful episode.
Those of you who have suffered with neck pain know what she is going through.
After a neck injury that has not been properly treated, future flair ups can be common. These flair ups of neck pain can come with little or no obvious provocation.
In most cases of neck pain without a significant discernible injurious event, the cause of a painful episode lies in an accumulation of old injuries like car accidents and falls combined with ongoing daily postural stress.
When your neck is exposed to a combination of specific old injuries and ongoing postural stress, seemingly new injuries to the same area can be the result of something as mundane as an awkward sleeping position or a prolonged fixed position of the neck that might occur with watching TV or working on the computer.
Because this type of flair up is so common, "new injuries" that occur with non stressful events are not new injuries at all but aggravations of old injuries. I like to use the analogy of the straws on the camels back for these kinds of episodes.
In closing, if this patient had hurt her neck watching her boyfriend fly a kite at the beach and she had no other history of neck pain or injury, I would be surprised. With this patients' history, however, the onset of this episode of neck pain did not surprise me at all.
There is an old saying, "The body never forgets".
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Chiropractic Patients in San Diego
My San Diego Chiropractic clinic primarily serves those who have had experience with chiropractic treatment in the past. Many of them come for treatment because they simply like the way they feel after a treatment, not because they have a particular ache or pain.
I don't want to imply that chiropractic care is addicting like smoking or some other unhealthy vice, but after you have experienced the improved range of motion, increased athletic performance and decreased muscle tension that results from chiropractic care, many simply want that feeling to be the norm. Other patients come specifically for treatment of neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc.
One thing that most of these patients have in common is that they usually know someone who could benefit from chiropractic care but that person is hesitant. They are hesitant to come for treatment either because they don't "believe" in chiropractors or because they are afraid.
Those who don't believe in chiropractic care are easy to convince of the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Many of these people hold on to the untruths spread by the American Medical Association (AMA) regarding chiropractors. Between the 1960s and the mid 1980s, the AMA spent nearly $100,000,000 on an anti-chiropractic campaign. While most of the information that the AMA dispersed regarding my profession was false and based on the bad behavior of just a few doctors, some people continue to hold on to those false ideas.
That being said, chiropractic treatment has a direct and immediate beneficial effect on the joints of the spine. This benefit is a combination of increased joint motion, relaxed muscles and decreased tension and is hard to overlook even by the most pessimistic skeptic.
Those who are fearful of chiropractic care are more difficult to convince of the benefits of treatment. They are afraid that they might get paralyzed or have some other life changing occurrence as a result of care. In reality, chiropractic care is very safe. The only "side effect" that we have personally seen regarding chiropractic care is that the patients feel better.
The safety of your doctor's office can usually be measured by the cost of their malpractice insurance. Chiropractors' insurance rates for the same level of coverage is less than 1/10 of most MDs. What that means to patients is that despite the fact that some people don't like the thought of having their joints "cracked", a chiropractor's office is an extremely safe place to receive treatment.
If you live in the San Diego area and are looking for a chiropractor we would be happy to consult with you regarding your health needs.
I don't want to imply that chiropractic care is addicting like smoking or some other unhealthy vice, but after you have experienced the improved range of motion, increased athletic performance and decreased muscle tension that results from chiropractic care, many simply want that feeling to be the norm. Other patients come specifically for treatment of neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc.
One thing that most of these patients have in common is that they usually know someone who could benefit from chiropractic care but that person is hesitant. They are hesitant to come for treatment either because they don't "believe" in chiropractors or because they are afraid.
Those who don't believe in chiropractic care are easy to convince of the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Many of these people hold on to the untruths spread by the American Medical Association (AMA) regarding chiropractors. Between the 1960s and the mid 1980s, the AMA spent nearly $100,000,000 on an anti-chiropractic campaign. While most of the information that the AMA dispersed regarding my profession was false and based on the bad behavior of just a few doctors, some people continue to hold on to those false ideas.
That being said, chiropractic treatment has a direct and immediate beneficial effect on the joints of the spine. This benefit is a combination of increased joint motion, relaxed muscles and decreased tension and is hard to overlook even by the most pessimistic skeptic.
Those who are fearful of chiropractic care are more difficult to convince of the benefits of treatment. They are afraid that they might get paralyzed or have some other life changing occurrence as a result of care. In reality, chiropractic care is very safe. The only "side effect" that we have personally seen regarding chiropractic care is that the patients feel better.
The safety of your doctor's office can usually be measured by the cost of their malpractice insurance. Chiropractors' insurance rates for the same level of coverage is less than 1/10 of most MDs. What that means to patients is that despite the fact that some people don't like the thought of having their joints "cracked", a chiropractor's office is an extremely safe place to receive treatment.
If you live in the San Diego area and are looking for a chiropractor we would be happy to consult with you regarding your health needs.
Lower Back Pain in San Diego
The other day I had a young 34-year-old woman came into to my chiropractic office in San Diego and was complaining of low back pain. In addition to her low back pain she also complained of sciatica or leg pain.
During our consultation, she told me that she had been dealing with the low back pain for about 10 years and with intermittent sciatic pain for the last 5 years. Her low back pain and sciatica made it difficult for her to exercise and sometimes it bothered her enough to affect her ability to work.
This condition was a big problem for her.
I should also tell you that she had been to many doctors for her problem and had many diagnostic procedures that were not of any help. She had an MRI that showed a small disc herniation that was not pinching a nerve. This lady had never been to a chiropractor before.
Of course her question was "Do you think you can help me? If you can't, I don't even want to start!"
I could tell that she was a little combative and with good reason. Ten years of pain can give you a short fuse - especially with doctors.
I told her that I would do my best and I told her that the success of treatment is often determined by "trying" to see if it works and then I promised her that if after our exam I felt that I couldn't help her that I would inform her before she incurred any charges.
My exam of this patient was unremarkable. I explained to her that my tests showed that nothing was seriously wrong with her back. I also explained that even though she has a herniated disc that it may not be the source of her pain and that there was only a very slim chance that my chiropractic care would aggravate it.
I also explained to her that the basic process that affects joints is one that progresses from some sort of injury, like a fall, that can irritate the joint. That joint irritation leads to inflammation that can cause muscle spasms and pain. In her case, a small disk herniation can become irritated and inflamed by some bio mechanical problem with the joint that leads to the leg pain.
I explained that by resolving the bio mechanical problem with the joint with chiropractic care that there is a good chance of resolving both of her problems. She was excited by my analysis - it made sense to her.
The one thing that she was not happy with is that I told her that I was not sure how many treatments she would need. I did tell her that if her condition didn't show improvement or worsened in the first 12 visits over a four week period that the treatment probably wasn't right for her.
To wrap this post up, this patient had 90% of her back pain symptoms resolve in the first 5 treatments. By the end of the third week of treatment her sciatic pain was gone. Was my patient thrilled to lose her low back pain and sciatic pain? You bet she was.
During our consultation, she told me that she had been dealing with the low back pain for about 10 years and with intermittent sciatic pain for the last 5 years. Her low back pain and sciatica made it difficult for her to exercise and sometimes it bothered her enough to affect her ability to work.
This condition was a big problem for her.
I should also tell you that she had been to many doctors for her problem and had many diagnostic procedures that were not of any help. She had an MRI that showed a small disc herniation that was not pinching a nerve. This lady had never been to a chiropractor before.
Of course her question was "Do you think you can help me? If you can't, I don't even want to start!"
I could tell that she was a little combative and with good reason. Ten years of pain can give you a short fuse - especially with doctors.
I told her that I would do my best and I told her that the success of treatment is often determined by "trying" to see if it works and then I promised her that if after our exam I felt that I couldn't help her that I would inform her before she incurred any charges.
My exam of this patient was unremarkable. I explained to her that my tests showed that nothing was seriously wrong with her back. I also explained that even though she has a herniated disc that it may not be the source of her pain and that there was only a very slim chance that my chiropractic care would aggravate it.
I also explained to her that the basic process that affects joints is one that progresses from some sort of injury, like a fall, that can irritate the joint. That joint irritation leads to inflammation that can cause muscle spasms and pain. In her case, a small disk herniation can become irritated and inflamed by some bio mechanical problem with the joint that leads to the leg pain.
I explained that by resolving the bio mechanical problem with the joint with chiropractic care that there is a good chance of resolving both of her problems. She was excited by my analysis - it made sense to her.
The one thing that she was not happy with is that I told her that I was not sure how many treatments she would need. I did tell her that if her condition didn't show improvement or worsened in the first 12 visits over a four week period that the treatment probably wasn't right for her.
To wrap this post up, this patient had 90% of her back pain symptoms resolve in the first 5 treatments. By the end of the third week of treatment her sciatic pain was gone. Was my patient thrilled to lose her low back pain and sciatic pain? You bet she was.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Selecting a Good Office Chair
In my San Diego chiropractic clinic we help patients each day with neck pain and back pain. Many of these patients indicate that their neck pain and back pain are worse after the end of a long day at work. Most of these patients do some kind of computer work for a good portion of their days.
When I talk to these people about their work environment, most of the time the topic of ergonomic office chairs comes up and the effect of a bad chair on their neck pain and back pain.
Anyone who has gone to an Office Depot or Staples or any of the other countless office supply stores has seen how many different office chairs that are available.
The question is, which one should you choose? One thing is for certain, as far as your back and neck goes, the color doesn't matter. However, plenty of other features do matter and can determine how your back feels at the end of your workday.
There are specific brand names that manufacture high end chairs that cost in the thousands of dollars. If you decide that a chair like that fits your needs by all means buy it.
On a regular basis I hear patients comment in a negative way about the expense of ergonomic office products. My response usually draws a correlation between the costs of their vehicle versus the cost of a good chair. Very few of us spend more than 8 hours per week in our cars that we spends tens of thousands of dollars on yet we often scoff at spending more than a few hundred bucks on a good chair that we sit in for 8 hours per day. That is some backwards logic isn't it?
That being said, you don't have to spend a small fortune on a good office chair. My chair fits all of my needs and I found it at Costco for about $100.
What features does a $100 chair need to have in order for it be the right chair for you?
This is a short list of general features that should be present in a good ergonomic chair.
1) It should have a high back
2) It should have arm rests
3) The backrest should recline and be slightly concave and include a 5 cm lumbar support
4) The seating surface should be able to tilt from front to back
5) The height of the chair should be adjustable
6) The armrest height should be able to adjust
7) You must be comfortable in it. A chair with all these features is worthless if you don't find it comfortable.
I hope these guidelines help you with your next chair buying endeavor.
When I talk to these people about their work environment, most of the time the topic of ergonomic office chairs comes up and the effect of a bad chair on their neck pain and back pain.
Anyone who has gone to an Office Depot or Staples or any of the other countless office supply stores has seen how many different office chairs that are available.
The question is, which one should you choose? One thing is for certain, as far as your back and neck goes, the color doesn't matter. However, plenty of other features do matter and can determine how your back feels at the end of your workday.
There are specific brand names that manufacture high end chairs that cost in the thousands of dollars. If you decide that a chair like that fits your needs by all means buy it.
On a regular basis I hear patients comment in a negative way about the expense of ergonomic office products. My response usually draws a correlation between the costs of their vehicle versus the cost of a good chair. Very few of us spend more than 8 hours per week in our cars that we spends tens of thousands of dollars on yet we often scoff at spending more than a few hundred bucks on a good chair that we sit in for 8 hours per day. That is some backwards logic isn't it?
That being said, you don't have to spend a small fortune on a good office chair. My chair fits all of my needs and I found it at Costco for about $100.
What features does a $100 chair need to have in order for it be the right chair for you?
This is a short list of general features that should be present in a good ergonomic chair.
1) It should have a high back
2) It should have arm rests
3) The backrest should recline and be slightly concave and include a 5 cm lumbar support
4) The seating surface should be able to tilt from front to back
5) The height of the chair should be adjustable
6) The armrest height should be able to adjust
7) You must be comfortable in it. A chair with all these features is worthless if you don't find it comfortable.
I hope these guidelines help you with your next chair buying endeavor.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Building a Healthy Spine After Back Pain
As a San Diego Chiropractor, we see many types of injuries. Common injuries result in neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain etc.
The causes of these injuries vary from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores that involve around the house work to sports specific injuries and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.
Of these injured patients, I would say that at least 50% of them show interest in preventing their particular type of problem from occurring again in the future and ask me "what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" This common question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this article.
To begin with, pain is a fantastic motivator.
When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.
Over my 20 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up aggravating their condition instead of improving it. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when the injury is well into its healing process and is out of the acute stage of pain.
My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.
After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.
You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advice of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability. Stable joints are far less likely to be injured than unstable joints.
The causes of these injuries vary from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores that involve around the house work to sports specific injuries and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.
Of these injured patients, I would say that at least 50% of them show interest in preventing their particular type of problem from occurring again in the future and ask me "what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" This common question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this article.
To begin with, pain is a fantastic motivator.
When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.
Over my 20 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up aggravating their condition instead of improving it. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when the injury is well into its healing process and is out of the acute stage of pain.
My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.
After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.
You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advice of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability. Stable joints are far less likely to be injured than unstable joints.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Nutrition Update
I did a post on Monday March 31st regarding a new supplement program that I had started in the middle of March. I am ecstatic about the results so far! Before I ever recommend supplements to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic I like to test them on myself first - so far this test has gone better than expected.
In my last post I had touched on some health issues that have been plaguing me for years. The issues that I mentioned were insomnia and anxiety.
To back track just a little bit, I had read quite a bit about hair mineral analysis over the years and out of curiosity finally had one done. My results revealed deficiencies in several minerals that can cause not only insomnia but anxiety.
I had begun taking the minerals that I was deficient in and as of this last Monday I had three consecutive good nights sleep. It is now Friday, April 04, 2008 and I have now had seven (7) great nights sleep.
For the first time in years I don't feel like I need a cup of coffee to get me started in the morning and I don't feel myself running out of energy in the mid-afternoon.
I am not sure at this point how I am doing with my anxiety levels. I definitely feel less anxious than I did. That being the case, I am reasonably sure that the only stress that has reduced in my life is the stress that I used to have when I was trying to sleep.
Either way, I am sleeping better, MUCH BETTER, and my anxiety level seems to be lower.
I realize that I have only been doing this for a few weeks but this is encouraging. My results thus far really makes me want to look at the rest of my health habits a bit harder. Maybe a few adjustments in my diet such as eliminating a bit more refined sugar and simply resisting the urge to succumb to unhealthy cravings could help me attain a level of health that I have not had in years.
Chiropractors education is much deeper regarding nutrition than what medical receive on this topic. If you want help with your nutrition please call us at (619) 280-0554 - we would be happy to help.
Yours' In Good Health,
Dr. Steve Jones
10393 San Diego Mission Road Suite 130
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 831-8777
In my last post I had touched on some health issues that have been plaguing me for years. The issues that I mentioned were insomnia and anxiety.
To back track just a little bit, I had read quite a bit about hair mineral analysis over the years and out of curiosity finally had one done. My results revealed deficiencies in several minerals that can cause not only insomnia but anxiety.
I had begun taking the minerals that I was deficient in and as of this last Monday I had three consecutive good nights sleep. It is now Friday, April 04, 2008 and I have now had seven (7) great nights sleep.
For the first time in years I don't feel like I need a cup of coffee to get me started in the morning and I don't feel myself running out of energy in the mid-afternoon.
I am not sure at this point how I am doing with my anxiety levels. I definitely feel less anxious than I did. That being the case, I am reasonably sure that the only stress that has reduced in my life is the stress that I used to have when I was trying to sleep.
Either way, I am sleeping better, MUCH BETTER, and my anxiety level seems to be lower.
I realize that I have only been doing this for a few weeks but this is encouraging. My results thus far really makes me want to look at the rest of my health habits a bit harder. Maybe a few adjustments in my diet such as eliminating a bit more refined sugar and simply resisting the urge to succumb to unhealthy cravings could help me attain a level of health that I have not had in years.
Chiropractors education is much deeper regarding nutrition than what medical receive on this topic. If you want help with your nutrition please call us at (619) 280-0554 - we would be happy to help.
Yours' In Good Health,
Dr. Steve Jones
10393 San Diego Mission Road Suite 130
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 831-8777
Monday, March 31, 2008
Nutritional Pathway to Health
Several posts ago I did an article on my nutritional state. I am doing this for several reasons.
First of all, I want to get healthier and I want to set a good example for the patients' of my San Diego Chiropractic practice. While I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago in chiropractic college, my implementation of my nutritional education has been absent from my San Diego chiropractic office. I take some responsibility for this as my focus has been on helping patients with specific complaints of neck pain, low back pain, headaches and the like.
Secondly, before I implement anything into my patients' care I like to be on board with it so I can have first hand experience with its benefits. Nutrition is no different. I have been hit and miss with my diet and supplements for years - it is time for a change.
To recap my first post on this topic, I had a hair mineral analysis performed approximately on e month ago. The results revealed deficiencies in many nutrient minerals. Some of the minerals that I was deficient in have the ability to cause anxiety and may affect my ability to sleep soundly. Both anxiety and insomnia are conditions that I have struggled with for years.
The lab that I used for my hair analysis not only provided a report regarding my deficiencies, but they also gave me a supplement recommendation list that I could use to restore proper mineral balance in my system.
As of the date of this post, I have been taking my supplements as advised by the lab for about ten days. At this point I feel a bit more clear headed and I have slept soundly for over 7 hours per night over the last three nights. I know that three nights good sleep is not a fix, but it is unusual. In a typical month I usually only get two or three good nights sleep.
Three good nights sleep in a row is a record for me and enough evidence to justify continuing with my nutritional supplements.
I will post again on this topic in a few weeks to let you all know how I am progressing.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Better Health through Diet and Chiropractic Care
The lack of obvious sickness does not make you well. We all want to be healthy. The question is, however, what is health? And, how do we “get” healthy? In my San Diego chiropractic office, I always try to encourage health betterment beyond the obvious treatment for neck pain, back pain and headaches that represent the bulk of my patients concerns. Most of my patients at least entertain the idea of making lifestyle changes for the sake of better health while some want nothing to do with it, in their mindset, being out of pain is good enough for them.
I always explain to my patients that in the absence of some catastrophic injury, most cases of neck pain and back pain begin as a slight irritation that we are totally unaware of. With time and additional stresses, these slight irritations can become magnified to the point where they become symptomatic.
Our diets act the same way. A few poor meal choices won’t destroy your health by themselves, but frequent poor meal choices over longer periods of time can have a significant negative impact on your health. You only have to look at a McDonald's or Burger King drive-through to see the long lines of people making poor food choices. These people who make frequent poor food choices (fast foods in this example) probably won’t suffer anything more than a little indigestion as a result of each meal. However, the accumulation of the effects of all of these poor food choices will do damage down the road.
Unfortunately, this all becomes more apparent as we age. We pay for our poor eating habits as we age for a couple of reasons. First of all, poor eating choices become habitual. Like any bad habit, changing bad eating habits is difficult. Secondly, with normal aging, our metabolism slows making our poor eating habits more detrimental than they were when we were younger and more active.
Regaining your health takes work on several fronts. Some of these things you can accomplish yourself and other things you need help with.
Patients that come to my chiropractic office for treatment for their neck pain or back pain often find this task one of the easy parts of getting healthy. In order to get help with pain, all the patients have to do is come to the office for their treatment.
The difficult part of restoring health is dealing with the bad habits that result in unhealthy diets, smoking, drinking and the like. Overcoming bad habits takes an exceptionally motivated person. Focus and you can overcome them and have a healthier body to show for it.
I always explain to my patients that in the absence of some catastrophic injury, most cases of neck pain and back pain begin as a slight irritation that we are totally unaware of. With time and additional stresses, these slight irritations can become magnified to the point where they become symptomatic.
Our diets act the same way. A few poor meal choices won’t destroy your health by themselves, but frequent poor meal choices over longer periods of time can have a significant negative impact on your health. You only have to look at a McDonald's or Burger King drive-through to see the long lines of people making poor food choices. These people who make frequent poor food choices (fast foods in this example) probably won’t suffer anything more than a little indigestion as a result of each meal. However, the accumulation of the effects of all of these poor food choices will do damage down the road.
Unfortunately, this all becomes more apparent as we age. We pay for our poor eating habits as we age for a couple of reasons. First of all, poor eating choices become habitual. Like any bad habit, changing bad eating habits is difficult. Secondly, with normal aging, our metabolism slows making our poor eating habits more detrimental than they were when we were younger and more active.
Regaining your health takes work on several fronts. Some of these things you can accomplish yourself and other things you need help with.
Patients that come to my chiropractic office for treatment for their neck pain or back pain often find this task one of the easy parts of getting healthy. In order to get help with pain, all the patients have to do is come to the office for their treatment.
The difficult part of restoring health is dealing with the bad habits that result in unhealthy diets, smoking, drinking and the like. Overcoming bad habits takes an exceptionally motivated person. Focus and you can overcome them and have a healthier body to show for it.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Pursuit of Better Health
Like many of the patients in my San Diego Chiropractic practice, I desire to be healthier than I am. Chiropractors spend much of our time helping our patients relieve their neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc.
This year I am doing all I can to regain some of the health that I have lost along the way. As I have aged, I notice changes in my energy levels, my anxiety levels, my ability to get a good nights sleep, etc.
I eat reasonably well avoiding fast food and soda. I never have candy or chocolate in my house and I try to watch my fat intake. While this diet plan has kept me in decent shape in regards to my weight, my blood pressure and cholesterol level, I still feel like age is creeping up on me.
You guys remember fitness guru Jack Lalanne don't you? He is 93 years old, maybe older. That guy looks like he is 60 and can probably beat me and most of you in every test of physical strength and aerobic conditioning. If I keep going in my current direction, I will be in a wheel chair at 93 - if I am alive at all!
I think that most of us want the same things from a health standpoint. We want to not only look healthy but we want to be healthy. Health improvement can only be accomplished through proper nutrition and exercise.
For the last 20 years or so I have been a vitamin / supplement consumer. Truthfully, I am hit and miss with taking my supplements. The reason for my departures is the fact that I have no real guide for what I should be taking. At least until now!
In our pursuit of a healthier body, both Linda and I recently had our hair tested for mineral content (Hair Mineral Analysis). The results of my tests were what I would expect for a guy (me) that is forty something and has no real basis for taking the supplements that I have been taking over the last 20 years.
The lab that we used provides a full breakdown of the content of nutrient minerals, toxic minerals (including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum) and a ratio of significant minerals. They also provided detailed explanations of the findings as well as supplement recommendations including the type and the time of day that they should be taken.
I like this type of nutritional assessment. Not only does it give me a starting point for taking nutritional supplements, but I can retest in 12 weeks and check my progress.
I recently read an interesting quote from a respected nutritionist. He said "It is a mistake to think that you can loose weight and get healthy, the real path to losing weight is by regaining your health".
I think I will run with this and see where it takes me.
If you want the tools to take your general health up a few notches a Hair Mineral Analysis is an excellent (and encouraged) place to start.
This year I am doing all I can to regain some of the health that I have lost along the way. As I have aged, I notice changes in my energy levels, my anxiety levels, my ability to get a good nights sleep, etc.
I eat reasonably well avoiding fast food and soda. I never have candy or chocolate in my house and I try to watch my fat intake. While this diet plan has kept me in decent shape in regards to my weight, my blood pressure and cholesterol level, I still feel like age is creeping up on me.
You guys remember fitness guru Jack Lalanne don't you? He is 93 years old, maybe older. That guy looks like he is 60 and can probably beat me and most of you in every test of physical strength and aerobic conditioning. If I keep going in my current direction, I will be in a wheel chair at 93 - if I am alive at all!
I think that most of us want the same things from a health standpoint. We want to not only look healthy but we want to be healthy. Health improvement can only be accomplished through proper nutrition and exercise.
For the last 20 years or so I have been a vitamin / supplement consumer. Truthfully, I am hit and miss with taking my supplements. The reason for my departures is the fact that I have no real guide for what I should be taking. At least until now!
In our pursuit of a healthier body, both Linda and I recently had our hair tested for mineral content (Hair Mineral Analysis). The results of my tests were what I would expect for a guy (me) that is forty something and has no real basis for taking the supplements that I have been taking over the last 20 years.
The lab that we used provides a full breakdown of the content of nutrient minerals, toxic minerals (including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum) and a ratio of significant minerals. They also provided detailed explanations of the findings as well as supplement recommendations including the type and the time of day that they should be taken.
I like this type of nutritional assessment. Not only does it give me a starting point for taking nutritional supplements, but I can retest in 12 weeks and check my progress.
I recently read an interesting quote from a respected nutritionist. He said "It is a mistake to think that you can loose weight and get healthy, the real path to losing weight is by regaining your health".
I think I will run with this and see where it takes me.
If you want the tools to take your general health up a few notches a Hair Mineral Analysis is an excellent (and encouraged) place to start.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Chiropractic Care For Auto Accidents
My San Diego Chiropractic Office treats many individuals for neck pain, back pain and headaches. In many cases, the causes of these symptoms are related to auto accidents or other types of personal injury. More often than not, the auto accidents in question occurred years earlier and the initial symptoms were not taken seriously by the patient.
Most people don't take the time to seek treatment for themselves yet they scramble to get their cars fixed. This thought process extends into other scenarios as well. I ounce had an acquaintance who smoked but proudly proclaimed that she didn't smoke inside her car because she didn't want to ruin it!
I don't know why so many of us carry these kinds of thought processes. In the case of auto accident injuries, the little bit of neck pain or the headaches or the low back pain is often overlooked or dismissed and minimized as being un-important. This is flawed thinking. Imagine if we treated other health conditions with such disregard.
The injury mechanisms in whiplash type accidents are complex. Muscles are stretched and torn, ligaments can sometimes partially tear or rupture, discs can become herniated and spinal fractures can occur. These injuries can lead to a vast number of symptoms that can cause neck pain or back pain that ranges in intensity from a slight irritation all the way to severe disability. Back pain and neck pain are bad enough in the short term and much worse in a long term chronic situation.
While the mechanism of injury in whiplash cases is complex, the typical resulting spinal injuries follow a well established path. Initially, the muscles and ligaments in the injured area are irritated. This irritation leads to inflammation. Inflammation is not only responsible for many of the initial symptoms that you experience but it is also responsible for scar tissue formation which can make your symptoms permanent or chronic.
Statistically, approximately 25% of auto injury victims will suffer from some ongoing symptom related to their accident. I see this statistic come to life in my San Diego chiropractic office. Chiropractors are experts in dealing with the types of neck pain, back pain and headaches that occur as a result of auto accidents. The best way to insure that you are not a member of this group of 25% that never fully recover from their auto accident injuries is to get an examination and possibly treatment, if recommended by your chiropractor.
Most people don't take the time to seek treatment for themselves yet they scramble to get their cars fixed. This thought process extends into other scenarios as well. I ounce had an acquaintance who smoked but proudly proclaimed that she didn't smoke inside her car because she didn't want to ruin it!
I don't know why so many of us carry these kinds of thought processes. In the case of auto accident injuries, the little bit of neck pain or the headaches or the low back pain is often overlooked or dismissed and minimized as being un-important. This is flawed thinking. Imagine if we treated other health conditions with such disregard.
The injury mechanisms in whiplash type accidents are complex. Muscles are stretched and torn, ligaments can sometimes partially tear or rupture, discs can become herniated and spinal fractures can occur. These injuries can lead to a vast number of symptoms that can cause neck pain or back pain that ranges in intensity from a slight irritation all the way to severe disability. Back pain and neck pain are bad enough in the short term and much worse in a long term chronic situation.
While the mechanism of injury in whiplash cases is complex, the typical resulting spinal injuries follow a well established path. Initially, the muscles and ligaments in the injured area are irritated. This irritation leads to inflammation. Inflammation is not only responsible for many of the initial symptoms that you experience but it is also responsible for scar tissue formation which can make your symptoms permanent or chronic.
Statistically, approximately 25% of auto injury victims will suffer from some ongoing symptom related to their accident. I see this statistic come to life in my San Diego chiropractic office. Chiropractors are experts in dealing with the types of neck pain, back pain and headaches that occur as a result of auto accidents. The best way to insure that you are not a member of this group of 25% that never fully recover from their auto accident injuries is to get an examination and possibly treatment, if recommended by your chiropractor.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Role of Exercise in Building a Healthy Spine
As a San Diego Chiropractor, I see many types of injuries because people in San Diego are more active because of the nice weather. Common injuries result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc.
The causes of these injuries range from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores that involve around the house work and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.
Of these injured patients, I would say that at least 50% of them, for the moment, while they are in pain they ask "what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.
To begin with, pain is a great motivator.
When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.
Over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions a major set back. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.
My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.
After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.
You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advise of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability.
The causes of these injuries range from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores that involve around the house work and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.
Of these injured patients, I would say that at least 50% of them, for the moment, while they are in pain they ask "what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.
To begin with, pain is a great motivator.
When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.
Over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions a major set back. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.
My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.
After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.
You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advise of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Building a Healthy Spine
Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, I see many types of injuries. These injuries result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, etc. The cause of these injuries ranges from car accidents and work injuries to injuries caused by more domestic duties that involve around the house chores and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.
Of these injured patients, I would say that at least for the moment, while they are in pain, they ask "what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.
To begin with, pain is a great motivator. When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest. More often than not, over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions major set backs. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.
My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.
After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.
This is a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Slow and cautious - and under the advise of a health care professional. Strong muscles add strength and support to your spine and can only serve you in a beneficial way.
Of these injured patients, I would say that at least for the moment, while they are in pain, they ask "what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.
To begin with, pain is a great motivator. When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest. More often than not, over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions major set backs. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.
My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.
After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.
This is a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Slow and cautious - and under the advise of a health care professional. Strong muscles add strength and support to your spine and can only serve you in a beneficial way.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Slimming For a Healthy Spine
For the most part, San Diego is a city of fairly fit and active people. Since I am a chiropractor in San Diego, I can't help but notice that a fairly large portion of my patients are trying to lose weight.
Losing weight is not only a noble endeavor but a difficult one.
Losing weight is not only good for your cardiovascular health but also for your health in general. Losing extra weight is very important to your skeletal health as well. Every extra pound that you carry puts a little more stress through your spinal joints causing excessive wear and tear.
Excessive wear and tear results in arthritis, neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain, hip pain, knee pain etc. I am of the opinion that less pain is better.
Chiropractic care is an important part of your efforts to maintain your spinal health. That being said, you should not dismiss the importance of keeping fit as it directly relates to your spines' ability to withstand the stresses of a long life.
Since I am sure that at least some of my patients' problems are due to the fact that they carry excess weight, I thought I would give a few suggestions for successful weight loss.
1) Remember that weight control is your responsibility. Having a weight loss partner who agrees to "watch out for you" will only inspire you to cheat while they are not watching.
2) Don't let a single failure in your diet degrade into a whole day of poor diet choices. If you blow a part of your diet, don't view your entire day of eating as a failure and consume junk all day. Pick up your good diet choices the next time you have a meal.
3) Don't start dieting prior to holidays or vacations where you will be tempted by overindulging making it difficult to lose weight.
4) Don't weigh your self more than a few times each month. Losing weight takes time which isn't compatible with Americans desire for instant results.
5) Cut back on salts, caffeinated drinks and soda. Even diet soda!
6) Drink plenty of water and try eating soup before meals to help reduce the number of calories you consume.
These are just a few simple ways to start trimming those extra pounds.
Both you and your spine will be better for it.
Losing weight is not only a noble endeavor but a difficult one.
Losing weight is not only good for your cardiovascular health but also for your health in general. Losing extra weight is very important to your skeletal health as well. Every extra pound that you carry puts a little more stress through your spinal joints causing excessive wear and tear.
Excessive wear and tear results in arthritis, neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain, hip pain, knee pain etc. I am of the opinion that less pain is better.
Chiropractic care is an important part of your efforts to maintain your spinal health. That being said, you should not dismiss the importance of keeping fit as it directly relates to your spines' ability to withstand the stresses of a long life.
Since I am sure that at least some of my patients' problems are due to the fact that they carry excess weight, I thought I would give a few suggestions for successful weight loss.
1) Remember that weight control is your responsibility. Having a weight loss partner who agrees to "watch out for you" will only inspire you to cheat while they are not watching.
2) Don't let a single failure in your diet degrade into a whole day of poor diet choices. If you blow a part of your diet, don't view your entire day of eating as a failure and consume junk all day. Pick up your good diet choices the next time you have a meal.
3) Don't start dieting prior to holidays or vacations where you will be tempted by overindulging making it difficult to lose weight.
4) Don't weigh your self more than a few times each month. Losing weight takes time which isn't compatible with Americans desire for instant results.
5) Cut back on salts, caffeinated drinks and soda. Even diet soda!
6) Drink plenty of water and try eating soup before meals to help reduce the number of calories you consume.
These are just a few simple ways to start trimming those extra pounds.
Both you and your spine will be better for it.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Chiropractic and Nutrition - Another Angle
I want to be healthy - and 30 again! Only one of these things can happen and I am never seeing thirty again.
Many San Diego Chiropractors incorporate nutrition into their practices. It is a logical step and an essential part of helping patients regain and maintain their health. That being said, I have not quite grasped some of the concepts employed by chiropractors and other doctors regarding testing for nutrient deficiencies.
I have always liked measurements to guide my outcomes. Granted, in health care, many times "improvement" in a patients' condition is driven by the patients' symptoms.
In other words, when they are out of pain they are done with care!
This is seldom a good call, most of the time it isn't. Even doctors are advised against making judgments regarding delivery of care for their own illnesses. After all, many patients are riddled with cancer or have major blockage in their hearts' arteries yet the patient has no symptoms. Like any of these conditions, treatment for even seemingly minor symptoms is best when delivered until the illness is completely resolved.
Our state of wellness is fleeting and worsened when we ignore signals that we are losing our health.
We can develop mild symptoms like insomnia or anxiety or fatigue for example and attribute them to something other than some internal issue. Often our symptoms are attributed to things such as work stress or relationship problems. While those stresses are contributors to our symptoms, diet and ultimately nutrition take the lead role in producing symptoms of ill health.
I recently made the decision to have a hair analysis performed for mineral content. The lab that we are now using for hair analysis uses state of the art equipment to analyze the hair sample then they generate a report containing specifics regarding their findings. They also include recommended supplements and gobs of information regarding the consequences of their findings.
Having considered myself above the average as far as my health goes, I was shocked by the reports findings.
This report is exactly what I need to drive my nutritional supplement schedule. It provides a measure of where I am and what I should take to get where I need to be.
One last thing, for those of you who have dismissed the findings of a hair analysis as inaccurate, improvements in this procedure over the last ten years have made it as accurate as blood tests - which are quite accurate.
If you are serious about getting healthy, do yourself a favor and get a hair analysis performed. It will do wonders in guiding your nutritional plan and will keep you on a course toward better health!
Many San Diego Chiropractors incorporate nutrition into their practices. It is a logical step and an essential part of helping patients regain and maintain their health. That being said, I have not quite grasped some of the concepts employed by chiropractors and other doctors regarding testing for nutrient deficiencies.
I have always liked measurements to guide my outcomes. Granted, in health care, many times "improvement" in a patients' condition is driven by the patients' symptoms.
In other words, when they are out of pain they are done with care!
This is seldom a good call, most of the time it isn't. Even doctors are advised against making judgments regarding delivery of care for their own illnesses. After all, many patients are riddled with cancer or have major blockage in their hearts' arteries yet the patient has no symptoms. Like any of these conditions, treatment for even seemingly minor symptoms is best when delivered until the illness is completely resolved.
Our state of wellness is fleeting and worsened when we ignore signals that we are losing our health.
We can develop mild symptoms like insomnia or anxiety or fatigue for example and attribute them to something other than some internal issue. Often our symptoms are attributed to things such as work stress or relationship problems. While those stresses are contributors to our symptoms, diet and ultimately nutrition take the lead role in producing symptoms of ill health.
I recently made the decision to have a hair analysis performed for mineral content. The lab that we are now using for hair analysis uses state of the art equipment to analyze the hair sample then they generate a report containing specifics regarding their findings. They also include recommended supplements and gobs of information regarding the consequences of their findings.
Having considered myself above the average as far as my health goes, I was shocked by the reports findings.
This report is exactly what I need to drive my nutritional supplement schedule. It provides a measure of where I am and what I should take to get where I need to be.
One last thing, for those of you who have dismissed the findings of a hair analysis as inaccurate, improvements in this procedure over the last ten years have made it as accurate as blood tests - which are quite accurate.
If you are serious about getting healthy, do yourself a favor and get a hair analysis performed. It will do wonders in guiding your nutritional plan and will keep you on a course toward better health!
Barbeque & Your Health
Chiropractic care is a very safe form of medical treatment. That being said it does carry some risks. Thankfully, through the use of thorough history taking, complete examinations and a focused approach I have not had any malpractice issues in my 15 years of practice.
Little did you know that a true risk to your health was located right in your backyard. Chances are that you have even invited your closest family members and your best friends to partake in your distribution of ill health.
You all probably figured out that I am talking about the barbeque. I first heard of potential cancer causing agents being generated by cooking food over charcoal way back in the 80s when I was in Chiropractic School. That was so long ago that at the time I had no idea that I would be running a chiropractic practice in beautiful San Diego. That being stated, just recently the evils of barbequing have resurfaced.
Many of us look forward to the weekend when we fire up the grill and throw on a burger or a steak. As millions of backyard chefs ponder whether or not the meat is done, perhaps they should be wondering if the meat is over-done. Research indicates that there is a link between eating grilled meats, especially those that are well done, and the risk for some cancers especially breast and colorectal.
The primary concern revolves around two types of carcinogens that can be found in high concentrations in grilled meats. One of these carcinogens is heterocyclic amines which are formed when beef, pork, poultry and fish, are cooked at high temperatures, as they are when grilled. Another type of carcinogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are formed on the surface of meats by smoke and flame flares which occur when fat and juices drip down onto the heat source below and erupt in a flash flame.
Minimizing your exposure to carcinogens when grilling meats can be accomplished by follow these suggestions:
" Remove meat before it's well done. Another strategy is to start the cooking process in the microwave, then finish on the grill.
" To reduce grill flare ups, use lean cuts of meat and trim any visible fat before grilling.
" Marinate your meat. Studies indicate that marinating reduces the build up of some carcinogens.
" Carcinogens are concentrated in the charred portions of meats. Trimming and discarding those pieces before eating will reduce the risks.
I don't mean to cause any fears with this article. It is mostly FYI as the studies that I read did not even begin to examine the amount of over cooked meat that would have to be eaten in order to cause cancer. That being the case, if you plan to barbeque every weekend for years to come you might want to pay attention to this articles content.
Little did you know that a true risk to your health was located right in your backyard. Chances are that you have even invited your closest family members and your best friends to partake in your distribution of ill health.
You all probably figured out that I am talking about the barbeque. I first heard of potential cancer causing agents being generated by cooking food over charcoal way back in the 80s when I was in Chiropractic School. That was so long ago that at the time I had no idea that I would be running a chiropractic practice in beautiful San Diego. That being stated, just recently the evils of barbequing have resurfaced.
Many of us look forward to the weekend when we fire up the grill and throw on a burger or a steak. As millions of backyard chefs ponder whether or not the meat is done, perhaps they should be wondering if the meat is over-done. Research indicates that there is a link between eating grilled meats, especially those that are well done, and the risk for some cancers especially breast and colorectal.
The primary concern revolves around two types of carcinogens that can be found in high concentrations in grilled meats. One of these carcinogens is heterocyclic amines which are formed when beef, pork, poultry and fish, are cooked at high temperatures, as they are when grilled. Another type of carcinogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are formed on the surface of meats by smoke and flame flares which occur when fat and juices drip down onto the heat source below and erupt in a flash flame.
Minimizing your exposure to carcinogens when grilling meats can be accomplished by follow these suggestions:
" Remove meat before it's well done. Another strategy is to start the cooking process in the microwave, then finish on the grill.
" To reduce grill flare ups, use lean cuts of meat and trim any visible fat before grilling.
" Marinate your meat. Studies indicate that marinating reduces the build up of some carcinogens.
" Carcinogens are concentrated in the charred portions of meats. Trimming and discarding those pieces before eating will reduce the risks.
I don't mean to cause any fears with this article. It is mostly FYI as the studies that I read did not even begin to examine the amount of over cooked meat that would have to be eaten in order to cause cancer. That being the case, if you plan to barbeque every weekend for years to come you might want to pay attention to this articles content.
Chiropractic Care for Beginners
My Chiropractic clinic in San Diego primarily serves those who have had experience with chiropractic treatment over the course of their lives. Many of them come for treatment not because they have a particular ache or pain but because they simply like the way they feel after a treatment. I don’t want to imply that chiropractic care is addicting like smoking is, but after you have experienced the improved range of motion, increased athletic performance and decreased muscle tension that results from chiropractic care, many simply want that feeling to be the norm. Other patients come specifically for treatment of neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc.
One thing that most of these patients have in common is that they usually know someone who could benefit from chiropractic care but that person is hesitant. They are hesitant to come for treatment either because they don’t “believe” in chiropractors or because they are afraid.
Those who don’t believe in chiropractic care are easy to convince of the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Many of these people hold on to the untruths spread by the American Medical Association (AMA) regarding chiropractors. Between the 1960s and the mid 1980s, the AMA spent nearly $100,000,000 on an anti-chiropractic campaign. While most of the information that the AMA dispersed regarding my profession was false and based on the poor behavior of just a few doctors, some people continue to hold on to those false ideas.
That being said, chiropractic treatment has a direct and immediate beneficial effect on the joints of the spine. This benefit is a combination of increased joint motion, relaxed muscles and decreased tension and is hard to overlook even by the most pessimistic skeptic.
Those who are fearful of chiropractic care are more difficult to convince of the benefits of treatment. They are afraid that they might get paralyzed or have some other life changing occurrence as a result of care. In reality, chiropractic care is very safe. The only “side effect” that we have personally seen regarding chiropractic care is that the patients feel better.
The safety of your doctor’s office can be determined by the cost of their malpractice insurance. Chiropractors insurance rates for the same level of coverage is less than 1/10 of most MDs. What that means to patients is that despite the fact that some people don’t like the thought of having their joints “cracked”, a chiropractor’s office is a very safe place to receive treatment.
One thing that most of these patients have in common is that they usually know someone who could benefit from chiropractic care but that person is hesitant. They are hesitant to come for treatment either because they don’t “believe” in chiropractors or because they are afraid.
Those who don’t believe in chiropractic care are easy to convince of the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Many of these people hold on to the untruths spread by the American Medical Association (AMA) regarding chiropractors. Between the 1960s and the mid 1980s, the AMA spent nearly $100,000,000 on an anti-chiropractic campaign. While most of the information that the AMA dispersed regarding my profession was false and based on the poor behavior of just a few doctors, some people continue to hold on to those false ideas.
That being said, chiropractic treatment has a direct and immediate beneficial effect on the joints of the spine. This benefit is a combination of increased joint motion, relaxed muscles and decreased tension and is hard to overlook even by the most pessimistic skeptic.
Those who are fearful of chiropractic care are more difficult to convince of the benefits of treatment. They are afraid that they might get paralyzed or have some other life changing occurrence as a result of care. In reality, chiropractic care is very safe. The only “side effect” that we have personally seen regarding chiropractic care is that the patients feel better.
The safety of your doctor’s office can be determined by the cost of their malpractice insurance. Chiropractors insurance rates for the same level of coverage is less than 1/10 of most MDs. What that means to patients is that despite the fact that some people don’t like the thought of having their joints “cracked”, a chiropractor’s office is a very safe place to receive treatment.
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