Family Chiropractic

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Last week I found an article on sciencedaily.com how caffeine improved memory loss in aged mice raised to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The article began with the tease that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It continued by reporting on back-to-back studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that showed that caffeine notably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease.

However, before you opt to add an extra cup of coffee to your morning ritual, I’d also add that under “Related Stories” on the website were a couple of articles regarding studies that demonstrated the non-beneficial effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

Almost any angle of thought, it seems to me, especially when it comes to health and longevity, can be affirmed, or at least supported, by a number of specific studies. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine certainly aren’t, of course, the only ones. Nonetheless, it did get me to thinking about the probability that there will never be just “one thing” that will irrefutably help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. We are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t raised in unnatural confinement We are actively engaged in life. And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously no one has been “artificially induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that is going to prevent or reverse it.

Our body is a splendid, complex system that is based on homeostasis or balance. It is likely, then, that good health is cultivated by a healthy, balanced way of living, instead of our being blindly convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other over-indulgent and harmful things we have done to our bodies.

I believe, as a doctor of chiropractic, that every moment of the day we have an opportunity to make decisions that will help us to live longer, healthier lives, healthy choices for our body and mind. When it comes to what is good for our body, we know what truly “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, I just wanted to pass along some thoughts for you to keep in mind the next time you consider having that extra cup of coffee or second glass of red wine. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

Technorati Tags: age-related health issues, caffeine, chiropractor, health, longevity, red wine

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, heartburn, low back pain, nausea, pregnancy, Webster Technique

Earache is the most widespread basis for office visits to pediatricians. By the age of three years, more than 70 percent of children will have had at least one episode of earache, and about a third will have had three or more episodes. However, what might be surprising is that earache is also the most common reason for children under the age of five years to be taken to the chiropractor’s office.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Earache and Ear Infections

A pediatrician who suspects that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will normally prescribe antibiotics as a customary course of treatment. New study, however, has concluded that this type of treatment is often misguided. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, and because the child’s middle ear infection may be caused by a virus, antibiotics are ineffectual. This may account for a child’s chronic ear infections.

One of the tasks of a chiropractor is to determine if the reason for the body’s ineffectiveness in combatting the earache or ear infection is produced by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine (called free nerve endings).

An aberrant tension in the small muscles of the neck is caused when these nerve endings are inflammed. Pressure produced on the lymphatic drainage ducts as a consequence of muscle tension can prevent adequate drainage from inside the ear. This condition prevents the body from naturally fixing the problem. In addition, balance can also be affected.

Inadequate drainage of lymphatic ducts can be discovered by a chiropractor if there is more tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles on the side with the earache. The chiropractor also looks for spinal vertebrae that are either moderately out of alignment or are not moving within their normal range. There are a variety of reasons for such aproblem due to the many bangs, jolts, and falls most children undergo growing up. Many times, a short regimen of spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles will aid in restoring normal lymph drainage. If your child is suffering from an earache or an ear infection, see your chiropractor as soon as possible.

Advanced Research and Guidelines

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection, the most prevalent childhood sickness second only to the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits every year. In addition, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are causelessly prescribed for the problem.  Just recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines for treating pediatric ear inflammation, and expressly recommended a period of “watchful waiting” since, in many cases, infections clear up on their own, without medication.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) endorses the AAP on the guidelines and reiterates that chiropractic management is a “good first option” for treating ear infection conservatively. “Doctors of chiropractic have been treating children for decades with great success – helping them to avoid painful ear infections, antibiotic overuse and resistance, and ear tube surgery,” said ACA President Donald Krippendorf, DC. “Particularly when dealing with young children, drugs and surgery should be an absolute last resort.”

Technorati Tags: children's earaches, chiropractic, chiropractor, ear infections, earache, earaches

Do you have back pain due to arthritis? Do you also have a challenge with your weight?  If you’ve answered in the affirmative to both questions, you are probably having back pain not only as the result of arthritis, but also as a consequence of the strain your weight is putting on your spine.  The body was not designed to carry around extra weight in the form of body fat.  Your spine, which supports your body, is being put under a lot of strain even if you are merely carrying an additional 20 or 30 pounds all the time. This kind of strain can cause irregularities of the vertebral column. These misaligned vertebra can produce arthritic changes in the spine and continue to inflame the degenerative changes that have begun. Moreover, your body may counteract in other ways, for instance your hips moving forward or tilting to counterbalance the excess pounds.  This can compress the sciatic nerve, which is extraordinarily painful.

A recent survey by the NPD Group, a leading market research organization based in Rosemont, Ill., reveals that approximately 62% of men and women and 34% of adolescents are overweight or obese. The prevalence of arthritis escalates with increasing weight. Research implies that maintaining a healthy weight lessens the risk of developing arthritis in the first place and may decelerate degenerative progression. A loss of just 11 pounds can decrease the occurrence (incidence) of new knee osteoarthritis and would be extraordinarily beneficial in reducing back pain as well.

A healthy diet and routine exercise is mandatory for a person who wants to overcome their back pain, knee pain, and joint pain in other areas of the body.  Although you have probably been told this for the majority of your life, it truly is the only solution for you to get out of pain and regain your life.

First of all, we’ll look at the dieting issue.  The majority diets (and there are plenty from which to choose) can be temporarily useful.  Unfortunately, the diet industry is not interested in having you lose weight permanently because as a result they would not have you as a customer.  If you’re interested in losing weight productively, you must eat a healthy diet as well as to cut your calories so that you use more calories than you take in.  Shedding a lot of pounds too quickly is not only ineffectual long-term, but dangerous. Losing about 2 pounds every week will help you to lose the weight permanently and healthfully.

Research has confirmed that exercise and physical activity not only decreases pain and augments function, but genuinely delays disability. A minimum of one-half hour of moderate physical activity, a minimum of 3 days a week, has proved to be effective. You can get activity in 10-minute intervals.

Along with the benefits your joints will get from exercise, chiropractic treatment is a proved way to get motion back in the joints of your spine and other places in your body. A well-aligned spine makes exercise and physical activity a lot easier and actually slows down arthritic degenerative changes. The Annals of Internal Medicine published the findings of a survey of 232 people who were under a rheumatologist’s care for their arthritis.  Of those people, 63% responded to the survey by stating that they were utilizing some form of “complementary care” as named by the study.  Of those responders, 31% were using chiropractic. Possibly the most notable statistic was that 73% of those using chiropractic found it beneficial.  Explaining why they’d tried the non-medical chiropractic care, people offered a number of reasons: 1) to reduce pain, 2) they’d been told that it helps, 3) they felt confident that it is safe, 4) it had assisted someone they knew, and 5) because their prescription medication wasn’t working.

Chiropractors, also called doctors of chiropractic, have been aiding men and women suffering from back pain due to arthritis as well as other arthritic problems for over a hundred years. Your  chiropractor treats misaligned vertebra that, in addition to producing arthritic pain and degenerative changes in the spine, can lower resistance and immunity, thus causing new health challenges.

It is always a good idea to see a health care professional to talk about diet and exercise. Your chiropractor is an excellent resource for advice on the sort of lifestyle changes that you will need to assist you in managing your arthritis. Furthermore, in addition to getting your spine in alignment through gentle adjustments, your chiropractor will analyze any faulty gait patterns or posture irregularities that may be adding to the pain you are experiencing.

Technorati Tags: arthritis, chiropractic, chiropractor, weight loss

There are many men and women today in a daily struggle to lose weight, particularly extra weight around the middle. Yet, the necessity to lose weight is, more often than not, more than merely a cosmetic issue.  The unfortunate truth is, if people are carrying around extra weight in their stomach area, their back is going to be adversely affected as a result.

Most men and women who are overweight suffer from moderate to severe back pain. This occurs because the spine was not made to carry anything that is more substantial in weight than the body is at its naturally healthy weight.  As a person puts on added weight, the spine starts to unduly stress and to compress, producing a lot of pain and discomfort.  The pelvis can also be affected and become tilted forward forcing it to pinch the sciatic nerve. This is a primary reason why people who are overweight tend to have challenges with their lower back. The affliction is due to either sciatica or the distorting of the spinal column.

If you are suffering from this condition, unmistakeably the thing to do is to discard extra weight that you are toting around, and your spine will start to respond and reestablish its regular position.  Regrettably, losing those pounds is hard and it can take time, even with the best of intentions. The good news is you don’t have to live with back pain as you lose the weight. A  chiropractor can help you to get the pain relief you’ll require to help you as you shed the extra pounds.

But, you will still need to lose the extra pounds, and being free of back pain will genuinely assist you in doing it. Losing the extra weight naturally and healthfully is crucial, and there are two (simple but not easy) things that will definitely work: Get some kind of exercise each day, even if it’s just a bit, and make sure that you take in fewer calories than you burn! Sure, you’ve heard about these two things before. Nonetheless, now that you’re aware your back is depending on you, it’s the perfect time to get truly motivated.

Start exercising slowly, expressly if you’re having challenges with back pain. And, most importantly, be sure to seek out chiropractic care so that you don’t make the mistake that many people do, which is to exercise into the pain. That will only make your problem worse. Exercise, though at times uncomfortable, should never be painful or cause pain. That’s why seeing a chiropractor is beneficial if you’re suffering from back pain.

Do simple stretching exercises and also concentrate on your core abdominal body muscles. Strong stomach muscles help to ease back pain. Your chiropractor will be able to give you exercises that are best for you, personally. Within just a week or two of dedication to losing the weight that is creating your back pain and perhaps other health difficulties as well, you ought to begin to notice a significant difference in the way that you feel.

Technorati Tags: back pain, chiropractor, obesity