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.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
