What high heels and heavy bags are doing to your body

Wearing high heels regularly puts one at greater risk of lower back pains, said Dr. Anton Cancio, chiropractic doctor and certified chiropractic sports physician.

The spine has a natural curve. Constantly wearing two-, three-inch heels or more alters the biomechanics of the spine, increasing the back’s curvature. When the curvature increases, the body will extend backwards.

Two things happen, said Cancio, when the back is extended: It causes stress and load to the facet joints at the back, and the muscular component is changed. Structure (spine) and muscular conditions are related; one cannot change without affecting the other, he said.

“As the structure increases in curvature, putting additional stress on the facet joints in the back, the muscles will shorten and contract and tighten. Overtime those two factors will lead to lower back pain,” Cancio said.

Muscles adapt quickly

Cancio said the muscles adapt more quickly than you think. After four or five hours wearing heels, the muscles will remain in a certain position as when you were still in heels. When the muscles around the back are shortened, those in the front are lengthened. As contracted muscles get tight, lengthened muscles get weak. There will be a tug-of-war between the back and front muscles.

Another contributing factor is the structure you are born with. Some women are born with a little more curvature than the normal. The risk of lower back pains is even greater if one insists on wearing heels at all times. For women born with the least curve, wearing flat shoes is just as bad.

“That’s why if you’ve noticed some shoes are more comfortable. They may not be completely flat and may have a two-inch heel but they feel just right for you. Everything boils down to structure,” Cancio said.

He said nine out of 10 fashionistas who insist on wearing high heels will definitely experience lower back pains. The problem is, Cancio said, fashionistas are so used to it they think it’s normal. Normal is when you don’t feel pain, he said.

Even ballroom or ballet dancers who have core and spine that are structurally strong still get lower back pains because they get beat up over time.

What to do

Stretching and muscle strengthening and proper nutrition can help, but Cancio said these are only secondary. Eventually the structural change will take its toll on the lumbar spine. He said it will be better for your lower back if you shun high heels.

Since muscles are shortened, stretching will keep the spine flexible and maintain its normal position when you’re not in heels anymore.

Strengthening the front muscles (core) will help distribute the load from the back and front and remove stress from the back. Doing something as simple as reaching for your toes, spine twisting, side-to-side bending, knee to chest exercises can relieve much of the stress buildup. Stretching is good for the back; strengthening is good for the core.

Rule of thumb, said Cancio, is not to sit in one position for more than an hour without moving your spine. Standing up to get a glass of water or even simply walking around your chair could alleviate the stress on your back.

“When muscles adapt it’s called creep, a condition muscles undergo when they adapt to the posture of the spine. Standing up even for a few seconds will be like resetting the muscles,” he said.

Lower back pains won’t cripple anyone, but the quality of life will definitely be affected. Cancio said it is guaranteed that after at least 10 years of consistently wearing high heels, one’s curvature will increase. It’s going to be uncomfortable as women age, he said, since things will only get worse from thereon.

Huge bags

Another accessory that contributes to one’s body pain, he said, is a huge bag. Heavy bags will eventually lead to shoulder and neck pains, which could trigger headache or migraine.

Generally, he said, the bigger the bag the heavier it is with less important things. Switch them from right to left shoulder, or don’t carry the same bag every day. Notice, he said, how people who regularly carry heavy bags tilt sideways when walking. Notice, too, he added, how these people still tilt sideways even when they’ve put down the bag.

“It’s all about load distribution in the spine and how the muscles adapt. Once you have an alteration to the alignment of the spine the muscles automatically adapt to that change,” he said.

It’s not that people don’t know what’s causing their pain; it’s just that they have to be reminded how to manage them better. Bring back alignment and mobility to help the muscles relax and return to normal.

“People generally respond well to chiropractic. They’ll notice their back is not as painful, shoulder not as tense and headache gone even if they continue to wear heels or carry heavy bags,” he said.

By Anne A. Jambora
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/wellness/wellness/view/20100921-293357/What-high-heels-and-heavy-bags-are-doing-to-your-body

Jerry Rice Scoring for Chiropractic

A man who once carried the ball for 197 touchdowns is the now carrying the ball for the chiropractic profession.

 

The legendary Jerry Rice, one of the National Football League’s (NFL) greatest players and wide receivers, has been enlisted by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress to speak out on his use and support of chiropractors.

An advertising campaign featuring Jerry Rice kicked off in the December 15th issue of ESPN The Magazine, with a national circulation of over 2 million. The full-page ad included supportive statements on how chiropractic made a difference in making him one of the most feared wide receivers in the history of football, and later as a finalist with the popular Dancing with the Stars competition reality program.

 “This ad is the beginning of a comprehensive public relations effort that is planned in the next couple of months to communicate Rice’s endorsement of our profession and will include placement in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Men’s Fitness and Women’s Health,” said Laura Carabello, principal in CPR Communications, the company that handles all media and public relations for the Foundation.

“Our campaign also includes press releases, a video of Jerry Rice discussing his experience with chiropractors, which will be sent to various media throughout the country, an advertorial that will be sent to 10,000 newspapers in the country, and various Public Service Announcements for radio,” Carabello added.

“My first experience with chiropractic care was right before the 49ers were to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII in 1987,” said Rice in the promotional video. “A couple of our key players were injured and a chiropractor turned things around. I quickly became a believer and ever since, I have had the benefit of chiropractic care.”

Rice, who attended Mississippi Valley State University, was an outstanding college wide receiver. In 1984, his senior year, he scored five touchdowns in two games and was named to every All-American football team in the country. His college career total of 50 touchdowns stood as an NCAA record until 2006. 

Although he was a first round draft by the San Francisco 49ers in 1985, NFL scouts were somewhat concerned because he was not considered very fast to be a professional wide receiver (reportedly he only ran the 40-yard dash in 4.70 seconds — most wide receivers run 40 yards in at least 4.5 seconds). 

His rookie year he recorded 49 catches for 927 yards, averaging nearly 19 yards per catch and was named the National Football Conference Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 1987, he was named the NFL’s Player of the Year. Twenty years later, he retired from professional football holding nearly every wide receiver record in the NFL.

“Football is a very rough and vigorous sport,” said Rice in the video. “Many of the pass patterns in a game — either long or short — required a maximum effort. I took some vicious hits from players nearly twice my size. [Rice is 6’2” and his playing weight was 200 pounds] Thankfully, I had the durability to withstand these tackles — or I would never have succeeded or lasted as long as I did. Chiropractic was the key to keeping me in the game.”

Although his football career is over, his use of chiropractic treatment continues —most recently helping him when he was a finalist on Dancing with the Stars. 

“Dancing with the Stars was every bit as exhausting and challenging — though not nearly as brutal as football,” said Rice in the video. “It required many hours of practice. I had aches and pains that I never had before. Again, chiropractic made the difference — and kept me dancing and in competition.”

The Foundation was founded in November 2003 as a nonprofit corporation. Kent S. Greenawalt, president and CEO of Foot Levelers Inc., spearheaded the founding of the Foundation and is its current chairman.

“To bring all factions of our industry today — from the schools, to the students, to the DCs, to the vendors supporting the chiropractic industry — we developed and have maintained a mission statement that all of us can and should support,” said Greenawalt. “Our mission is to increase the number of people who seek chiropractic treatment on a regular basis.”

In 2005, Foot Levelers and NCMIC Group committed to contribute $1 million each over a five-year period to the Foundation. Standard Process has committed more than $250,000 to the Foundation.  “Major contributions have permitted us to continue an effective and high-profile advertising campaign,” said Gary Cuneo, chief operation officer of the Foundation. “But to really achieve our purpose of increasing chiropractic care in the country, we need the entire chiropractic community’s support and especially support from individual DCs because they are truly the reason for our existence.”

Since July 2006, the Foundation has placed full-page advertisements in national publications featuring patients and medical doctors providing positive testimony regarding chiropractic. National publications carrying the advertisements include: Sports Illustrated, U.S. News & World Report, New York Times Magazine, TV Guide, Newsweek, Martha Stewart Living, Working Mothers, Health, Business Insurance, and Business Week.

“Singing Jerry Rice as a spokesperson, however, takes us to a whole other level of public awareness,” said Greenawalt. “We have Joseph Doyle to thank for this. It was his idea and he went and made the initial contact with Mr. Rice’s agent.” Joseph Doyle is publisher of Chiropractic Economics Magazine and is a director of the Foundation.

Source: http://www.chiroeco.com/news/chiropractic-news.php?id=7221&section=127

Inspiration: Honey Badger Style

This weekend, the Cafe of Life team hit southern San Francisco for a day-long chiropractic conference.  Not only is continuing education something we believe in and enjoy, but it's also just a blast to spend the day as an office in a new environment and get reinvigorated about who we are and what we do.

For me, one of the best parts of the weekend was the Honey Badger.  During the conference, the speaker discussed defeating your fears, rising to the top, and really becoming the strongest and best person you can be.  He encouraged us all to be "honey badgers."  This made everyone laugh, because a honey badger sounds like one of the most harmless, cute little animals out in the wild.  However, it is the most fearless animal on the Earth.  It will run down a cheetah, bite the head off a python snake, and viciously kill anything in its path.  The message wasn't to obliterate your competition, of course, but rather, don't let anything get in your way.  You are in control of your life - this begins with your perceptions, your reactions, and how you choose to live.  Your fears are what hold you back.  President Roosevelt said it best when he said, "The only thing to fear is fear itself."  Don't let fear determine what you can or can not do.  Take charge.

We're back at the office today and incredibly excited to serve.  We believe that chiropractic can SAVE lives, and we won't stop until we know we've delivered the message.  The Cafe of Life is just a group of honey badgers!  We're fearless, we're dedicated, and we're ready to take on the world!

Here's the honey badger in action!  Have a great week, and remember, fear controls only what you let it.

Consider yourself warned!  This video can be graphic.  Honey badgers do like to kill. :)

Differenciating Between what is Fixable and What is Patchable

By Dr. Seth Labott, D.C.

Many patients come to our office looking for the miracle cure. "Doc, can you fix my back?" If only it were that simple. In the United States we have been trained to look for the miracle potion, lotion, or pill to eliminate our pain and make us comfortable.  It seems as though the large majority of us want to be comfortably numb.  It is my job to explain to patients that although pain makes you uncomfortable, it is the body's natural warning mechanism that something is wrong.  Masking the pain with medication is usually not in your best interest.  Yet every day, millions of Americans ignore the pain, push through their daily routines, and wind up making their conditions worse.

Yes, we want to help eliminate your pain. In fact, it is our first intention when patients come into our office.  However, there are other important concepts to understand and address.  First we have to determine what is the cause of  your pain. We are looking to address the cause and not just the symptoms.  How long has the cause of this condition actually been there?  Pain is usually the last thing in a process to arrive; fortunately it is also usually the first thing to disappear.  This does, however, mean that your condition has most likely been developing over a long period of time.
With degenerative disc disease sometimes the damage has been there so long that it will never return to it's original state. This then has become an area that is patchable and not truly fixable.   It is possible though to reduce the amount of pain associated with this condition and also increase the function of the area as well.   There are many doctors that claim to be able to fix patient's degenerative conditions.  This is actually not true.
What we do for our patients is to investigate the actual cause of your health concern. We do an extremely thorough health history and examination. We review any diagnostics already performed and order others if necessary.  Once we've reviewed all of your information, we are able to tell you if we can help. If we can help, we tell you what we can actually help you with. We talk about what is fixable versus what might only be patchable. We  talk about time parameters.  Most patients want to know when will treatment end.  When is it over, and when will they be available for maintenance care to ensure they can maintain the progress they have obtained. If we can not help you we will tell you that too, and help you find someone best who can.

In conclusion, if you are suffering with degenerative disc disease, be weary of doctors that claim to fix your problem.  Most likely, it has taken a long time for your  condition to develop. There might be damage to the extend that it will never be truly fixed.  We help our patients to fully understand their condition, reduce their pain, increase their function, and learn how to strengthen their body to avoid flare ups.

Many doctors in Marin trust referring their patients to us because of our reputation for thorough diagnostics and extensive pain management and wellness services. We offer a non-surgical solution to bulging and herniated discs, spinal stenosis, sciatica, neck and arm pain. If you would like more information on how we can help please visit us at www.marinspine.com or call the office for a complementary consultation 415.389.1145.

Marrying Research With Chiropractic

An overview of the study of instrument adjusting

By Arlan W. Fuhr, DC

Nearly 40 years ago, Drs. Scott Haldeman and Jay Triano, along with a small collection of college presidents, attended the National Institute for Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS) Conference, and, at that time, there were no clinical trials on chiropractic or manipulation.

Those esteemed visionaries lamented how unscientific the chiropractic profession appeared to the greater scientific community, and dedicated themselves to improving the availability of research to provide evidence of chiropractic’s efficacy. Much progress has been made since that fateful conference in 1974. Today, a commitment to research endures, as doctors have recognized how necessary research is to the ongoing acceptance of chiropractic into traditional medicine.

Despite limited resources, doctors and academics have joined together to publish a surprisingly useful and credible collection of high-quality scientific papers. In fact, any doctor who attended last year’s World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) biennial congress would agree that some of the research presentations rivaled the finest of any scientific or research conference.

The evolution of technique research

Jim Cox, DC, DACBR, is considered one of the earliest to focus on research as a way to support flexion distraction technique, and those interested in pioneering research on instrument adjusting viewed Dr. Cox as a mentor.

He set the standard with regard to proving the effectiveness of instrument adjusting; his case series that studied more than 500 patients suffering from sciatica and reported positive results with flexion distraction established a benchmark for the breadth and scope of technique research.

The first recognized research on instrument adjusting commenced in 1986, when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $50,000 grant to study the safety of the Activator adjusting instrument. Funding for similar studies required an affiliation with a major university, so the study was moved to Arizona State University where Dr. Jack Winters was seeking projects within the newly-formed Biomechanics department on that campus.

Becoming involved with a recognized research institution opened more doors to chiropractic research, as the principals managing these studies, including myself, could attend major scientific conferences and get an overview of where the research needed to lead.

Much was learned from that first NIH grant, and while the research process was overwhelming at times, it also led to better knowledge about how to secure funding for future studies. For example: Prior to submitting a grant proposal, a pilot program with a peer-reviewed published paper was required by the NIH. The grant-making body needed to see some progress and have an understanding of the purpose of a given study before funding would be offered.

As previously mentioned, being associated with a major university was also an asset, as the NIH recognized the research capabilities of such institutions which lent credibility to the process. More than two decades have passed since that first grant, and to date, the NIH has provided nearly half of a million dollars in funding to study instrument adjusting. Research begets research, and ongoing clinical trials help grow the possibility for future trials.

The relationship between research, adjusting, and patient care

How does this research affect you and the profession? There was a time when doctors simply looked to their peers to determine how best to approach patient care; they evaluated the strongest, most successful clinics, and assumed the techniques used.

But in today’s world, where all fields require evidence to make decisions and establish truths, simple clinical observation no longer suffices as adequate proof. Published data from third-party researchers and respected academics is what students and doctors seek as they determine the best way to treat patients.

And that same data is sought by other healthcare professionals looking to find ways to relieve their patients when traditional medicine fails. As doctors, you must trust findings, not feelings, and research gives you the power to do so.  One of the most controversial topics in the chiropractic profession centers on what technique works best for a given condition. The two most significant studies on this topic have been led by Dr. Woods, who studied the neck, and Dr. Gemmell, who studied the low back.

The neck study compared an instrument adjustment to a diversified rotary break technique, which was published in Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), Volume 24 Number 4 May 2001. Woods’ conclusion was that both techniques have beneficial effects with reducing pain and disability and improving cervical range of motion.

The other study was a randomized controlled clinical trial by Dr. Hugh Gemmell which compared an instrument adjustment to a Meric adjustment on patients with acute low back pain. His conclusion was that there was no advantage of one procedure over the other for the reduction of pain. This was published in JMPT Volume 18, Number 7, Sept. 1995. The findings in these two studies are very important to chiropractic on the whole; they aid us in understanding our patients’ needs and help us make confident decisions regarding our approach.

Case studies also provide substantial information to doctors and students. Recent graduates of chiropractic colleges do not have a broad scope of clinical experience to relate to their college curriculum. Because that clinical experience takes years to acquire, both students and new graduates can benefit greatly from case studies conducted by more experienced practitioners, especially for complex or unusual cases.

Earlier this year, a paper was published on bedwetting and bowel incontinence in The Journal of Chiropractic Medicine (2010 Issue 9, pages 28–31). The study, titled “Chiropractic management of a 5-year-old boy with urinary and bowel incontinence” by Keith R. Kamrath, concluded that after five instrument adjustments and a follow up, the patient’s problem resolved for six months. When the problem recurred, a second course of treatment was administered and the problem resolved. A case such as this helps other clinicians proffer the most-effective treatments to their own patients.

Integrating chiropractic into the healthcare landscape

Beyond helping practitioners determine the best treatments for their patients, research also advances the acceptance of chiropractic among allopathic physicians and other healthcare professionals. Demonstrating proof of concept to skeptical providers was the catalyst for this growth, and today instrument adjusting is embraced throughout the facility as an effective treatment for patients with musculoskeletal issues.

Continuing to challenge ourselves and the profession to build on the body of research that has been amassed in the past four decades is crucial. Research leads to acceptance and better patient care, making it the lynchpin for complete integration into the healthcare landscape.

Arlan W. Fuhr, DC, is the co-founder and CEO of Activator Methods International. A practitioner and researcher for more than 40 years, Fuhr is widely acknowledged for bringing instrument adjusting to the chiropractic profession.

Source: http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/9749/1374/Marrying-research-with-chiropractic/ 

Chiropractic Treatment Helps With Blood Pressure

High blood pressure affects millions of Americans; one out of every three. If left untreated, it can be deadly. Most people take medication to control but some patients have found a simple way to keep their numbers down without drugs. They're turning to chiropractic care.

The mad dash to get the kids off to school, the crazy commute and work, they are enough to raise anyone's blood pressure. Just ask Adrian Caspar. "We work on deadlines, and that's what makes it difficult," said the busy accountant. "All the changes in the law keep me in business, but keeps us also pretty stressed out," he added.  Like many people, the stress began to take its toll and Caspar was forced to go on medication for his high blood pressure.

Caspar didn't like the idea of being on medication so he decided to visit chiropractor Dr. Peter Martone. Dr. Martone has been using a new adjustment to the neck to help bring down blood pressure. "If the bone is out of alignment and putting pressure on a nerve, it interferes with the ability of the heart to function properly," Martone explained.  After a few visits, Caspar's blood pressure was normal. Bill Bird also has a stressful job. He's a car salesman. He was also on blood pressure medication but wanted to try to control his numbers naturally. His daughter suggested a visit to Dr. Martone.

A few adjustments later and Bird's primary care physician cut his medication in half.   "Another 30 to 45 days, if my blood pressure stays at this level, I'm going to be off it 100 percent," he said, enthusiastically.  The treatment is experimental, but studies show it might actually work.  "This is a very novel concept," explained blood pressure specialist Dr. George Bakris.  Dr. Bakris conducted a small, carefully controlled study with some of his patients.  He sent them to a chiropractor for the same adjustment Dr. Martone uses.

"We saw miraculous changes in blood pressure," Dr. Bakris explained. The results were dramatic enough to catch the attention of the federal government.  The National Institutes of Health is now funding a study to see if the findings can be duplicated. While Dr. Bakris believes the study is exciting, he admits there are a lot of unanswered questions.

"I think we'd have to really find out what is going on, why this is happening," he said.   Caspar and Bird say they have all the proof they need. "I just feel better and feeling better is the way to be," Caspar said. Bird agreed. "I feel younger. I've never felt better," he said. Dr. Bakris believes this is most likely to work on people who have had some sort of neck trauma in their lives, even if it was falling off a swing as a child.

He believes if your hypertension is hereditary, this may not work for you. The experts also warn that patients should not stop taking their blood pressure medication without talking to their doctor first.

Source: http://cbs4.com/health/Blood.pressure.chiropractor.2.1716071.html

Chest Pain & Chiropractic Care

Interesting article on chest pain and how chiropractic can help! Non-invasive care from your chiropractor is certainly better than a serious of medical tests and days of waiting for results...

 Acute chest pain is pretty serious stuff. And indeed it may be a prime indicator of a disease process that is best rapidly identified and dealt with aggressively by medical specialists.Much of our chest pain though is not immediate "serious stuff" however many of us in our panic and knee jerk reactions to pain, then spend a lot of time and money in the wrong office getting a wait-and-see diagnosis. After an arduous course of EKG's, x-rays, CAT scans, MRI, physical exams and a plethora of other avenues of investigation, "just to make sure" we are left alone to wait and see.

OK, well and good. For 40 percent of us the first symptom of a heart attack is death! For the other 60 percent there may or may not even be any preceding chest pain.  So if you get over the obstacles in the Doctor's office and comply with all the tests and referrals, and the chest pain persists, especially for more than several days, what do you do about it now?  Drugs of course are the mainstream treatment of choice for most of us. Drugs to stupefy us and knock out the awareness of pain are sold daily by the boxcar loads.
We have pains. Many of us pain constantly, and especially as we age.  But most chest pain isn't a heart or lung or other organ problem at all. Much of our chest pain may be due to physiologic bone and muscle pain.
Because many of us aren't armed with information about our anatomical or functional nature, and not aware of what we are and how we work, we then make the call and the extended visits to the Doctor's office. The mystique of what cannot be seen, what is "in the dark," like our pain, needs to be enlightened. So we go to the Doctor to "shed a little light" on our problem, we see this as the safe thing to do.

Caught up in his "specialist" trade the busy Doctor may not know or consider the physiology of your chest wall either. He may be a well-educated-man but if his professors didn't think outside of the pale then he may not have the academic armament to deal with our concerns, our unique chest pain. He may just let us go and live with it for awhile.

Not good enough. Chest pain is telling us something and it should be interpreted and solved.
Again, most chest pain is from a musculoskeletal origin, it may be a form of back pain. Muscles and bones are designed to function in a very precise and peculiar manner. When they cannot fulfil that function, when they cannot express their abilities to be healthy and do their work, we often feel the result of the restrictions as pain.

Think of our chest wall like this with me. Think of a bell jar, remember them from high school labs? A bell jar, the chest wall, is placed over the heart, aorta, the lungs and the oesophagus. Then the bottom of the jar is sealed with a complex muscle sheet called the diaphragm. The walls of the chest are ribs lashed together with muscles running from the spine to the ribs in various angles and directions and from between the ribs to themselves. These muscles are called intercostals, pectorals, deltoids, and serratus to name a few.  One job with the chest wall is that of assisting breathing. But even as important, is another job, that of making a strong stable base for us to do work from. Healthy bodies do work.

Housed inside our chest are five bladders called lungs. When we wish to do work with our arms, neck and trunk we inhale deeply, close our mouth and larynx, then hold the air in and bear down to create a greater pressure inside the chest than the pressure of the outside environment around us. This action stiffens the chest, the bell, and then allows a platform for our extensions such as the shoulders, arms and neck to have a stiff secure base to perform work from.

Sounds simple enough doesn't it. And it is for most of us so long as we are well nourished and all of the parts are contributing to this essential function as their design intended.  But many of us in error alter the original design. We may strain and sprain the muscle wall or have occasion to fall, or accidentally jerk the structures supporting the chest wall. Then when we attempt to do our work, that of chest wall splinting and using the arms and neck, we may feel the result of a slight incorrect shifting of the parts, the bones. And then the subsequent binding and jamming of the joints cause pain, the parts are straining.

There are 24 ribs surrounding the healthy chest wall, with 12 on each side (male and female are the same). The ribs originate with two joints each from the 12 spinal thoracic vertebrae and their discs starting at the base of our neck. The descending chain of ribs reach around from our back and go down both sides of us under the arms. They continue to the front of our chest and join up on each side there to the edge of a cartilage plate. The cartilage plate is the front of our chest with the first 10 ribs attaching to the outside edges of it. The plate then joins the two edges of a flat bone in the middle of the very front of our chest called the sternum. The seams from the ribs as they join the edges of the cartilage plate and joining of the plate to the edge of the flat bone are prone to respond poorly to shifts in position and become very painful if the ribs are stressed as they reach around the wall from the spine.

The ribs of our body have a multitude of connective joints that allow them to move as we exhale and inhale and splint our chest walls to do work. In fact in our mid back alone we have about 100 joints enhancing the movement of the ribs and their thoracic vertebrae.  Ideally these 100 joints would always be exact in their positions and in their range of motion (ROM). However our bell jar chest cage is not solid but more like a wicker basket with its vertebrae, ribs, flat front cartilage and bone.

Now imagine that we take the wicker basket bell and twist and distort it's symmetry. Imagine the forces that are applied to the "parts" as they join to form our chest at the front, then run along our sides to meet up with the joints of the vertebrae in the back.  Suppose in our zeal to get "healthy" we recently picked up some small weights and tossed them around allowing the arms and the shoulder holding muscles to pull sharply on the ribs, where they originate, causing the rib joints to subluxate or misalign. Perhaps an accident in the car or a fall or a strain from reaching, pulling, pushing or carrying something, may have stressed and distorted the cage.
Many times a much earlier strain of the chest wall is later compounded by a recent but seemingly insignificant event, but added together they pull the ribs from their joints and produce, you guessed it, chest pain.

Left alone the compromised chest wall often leads to shoulder, neck and arm pain along with limb weakness and loss of function. Hand and wrist pain usually ensues.  Left alone the compromised chest wall reduces our capacity to meet our work potential, showing as pains within our shoulders, limbs and neck, but also may be felt as difficulty breathing, stomach upset or problems with swallowing. Headaches and jaw pain are associated with this syndrome.

Over time we may heal the parts to the point of compromise with little pain but we may have now become a time bomb waiting for any small incident to re-create our chest pain symptoms. I often see in my offices people with sharp pain in the mid back between the shoulder blades. These patients have a history of re-occurring bouts of this pain and continually have been seeking help for it. Many of these intense sharp and debilitating symptoms are produced by the subluxated ribs and vertebrae located there.

How do we deal with our acute and our chronic chest pains? Consult your chiropractor. For his education does fall beyond the pale. Chiropractors are thoroughly instructed on "what we are, along with the how and why we do as we do." Only the chiropractor can assess and then, with high velocity low impact specific spinal vertebrae and rib adjustments, correct our subluxation complexes that often cause chest pain.

When administered correctly chiropractic adjustments have been proven to be safe for the young to the elderly and are not only sensible and the best form of treatment for most back pain but also the most economical.

Source: http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/editorial/326347569369371.php

Chiropractic is rockin' at the Olympics!

The 2010 U.S. Olympic Medical Team, 47 members strong, features five doctors of chiropractic including three alumni of Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), including Michael Reed, DC, who is serving as medical director. Eric St. Pierre, DC, and Tesuya Hasegawa, DC, are also serving on the team, which is supporting U.S. athletes in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games now underway. 

"I would like to express my congratulations to Dr. Reed, Dr. St. Pierre, and Dr. Hasegawa," said SCU Interim President Dr. John Scaringe. "It is certainly an honor and privilege for these exceptional practitioners to serve the members of the U.S. Olympic Team." 

Dr. Reed, medical director of the U.S. Olympic Committee's Sports Performance Division in Colorado Springs, Colo., is coordinating care for the entire U.S. delegation in conjunction with the chief medical officer, James Moeller, MD. A 1981 graduate of SCU's Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, Dr. Reed has served as a faculty member in the postgraduate division of the college since 1984 and developed the sports medicine residency program at SCU, serving as its first director.

Dr. St. Pierre's responsibilities on the U.S. medical team include caring for members of the short-track speedskating team and athletes in the Olympic Village in Vancouver. Dr. St. Pierre is currently head trainer for the short-track team.

Dr. Hasegawa is attending to members of the bobsled and skeleton teams, as well as providing care to U.S. athletes at the Olympic Village in Whistler. Beginning in 2007, Dr. Hasegawa joined the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Sports Medicine Team, serving as a chiropractor and certified athletic trainer for team members.

Drs. Reed, St. Pierre and Hasegawa are three of five doctors of chiropractic selected to serve as members of the 2010 U.S. Medical Team for the Winter Olympics. Joining the three SCU grads are Dr. Josh Sandell, a chiropractor and certified athletic trainer from Maple Grove, Minn.; and Dr. Blase Soto, a chiropractor from East Brunswick, N.J. 

The U.S. Olympic Medical Team serving in Canada consists of medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists and athletic trainers. While these five DCs are not the first to be selected to a U.S. medical team, it is always an honor to recognize the profession when it is included in the most prestigious international athletic competition in the world.

Source: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54477

Chiropractic Facts & Myths

Many people have misconceptions about Chiropractors, largely due to several myths about the profession. To clear up these misunderstandings, we would like to discuss some myths and facts about Chiropractors.

Myth # 1: Chiropractors Aren’t Really Doctors

Fact: This is not true. Chiropractors must attend years of schooling and obtain their license to practice just like any other type of doctor. In fact, we would say some of the best doctors in New Jersey are Chiropractors. The primary difference between a Chiropractor and any other doctor are the methods they use for healing. Medical doctors usually prescribe medications to treat your symptoms, but Chiropractors like Dr. Josh and his associates treat the actual cause of the problem. This helps you to feel better and avoid further complications over the long term, and ensures that you do not have to take potentially harmful drugs or chemicals.

Myth #2 Chiropractic Adjustments are Dangerous

Fact: There is nothing at all dangerous about getting an adjustment. It's one of the safest and most natural ways to improve the overall health of your body. Your spine is intended to remain in place, so when it falls out of alignment it will have a negative impact. You may lose energy, have trouble sleeping or feel constant pain, and the more out of alignment you are, the worse your body gets. People often rely on medication to dull the pain, but taking chemicals into your body is far more dangerous than a natural adjustment, and it does nothing to solve the problem. When your spine is properly adjusted, you will feel better, sleep better be more alert and have an overall quality of life that is much higher.

Myth #3 Once you Start Going to a Chiropractor You Must Always Go

Fact: You will not need to keep going forever. Generally speaking, the truth is the medical profession is designed to force you to seek treatment throughout your entire life. That's because doctors often prescribe medication to combat the symptoms you may feel from an illness or ailment instead of figuring out what is actually causing you to become ill in the first place. Chiropractic physicians like the ones at Cafe of Life are trained to treat your problem itself, and not just the side effects of that problem. By its very nature the Chiropractic profession is designed to provide a cure, and help you avoid needing to visit doctors in the future.

Myth #4 Medical Doctors don’t think Chiropractors Can Help People

Fact: While it is possible that there is some mistrust and ill will between people in any type of professions, there is no rivalry between medical doctors and Chiropractors. In fact, many medical doctors are treated by Chiropractors every year, and some chiropractic professionals are actually hired to work full time at hospitals and other health care facilities.

Myth #5 You Can Actually Adjust Yourself

Fact: You cannot adjust yourself, and by moving your neck or back around until it cracks you can actually do harm to your body. The popping noise is produced by one of the segments in your spine, and it has nothing to do with the back or neck pain you may be experiencing. California chiropractic professionals like the ones at Cafe of LifeChiropractic are certified to safely and accurately make an adjustment on anyone. Don't put yourself at risk by thinking you can produce your own cure; always rely on a trained professional.

Myth #6 Chiropractic Adjustments Are Painful

Fact: It is actually quite pleasant. Most people feel much better the moment their spine has been adjusted. When your spine is not aligned properly, that can produce a great deal of pain and create many other health related issues. A spinal adjustment is designed to help your back, and it will leave you feeling well, alert and pain free.By now you may be asking "How do I choose a Chiropractor?", and the answer is you should make sure they are well qualified, and that you feel comfortable going to see them. The best way to determine this is to go and see one! Come see the Chiropractic physicians in Mill Valley at the Cafe of Life. Dr. Deitch is a well-known and respected wellness doctor, and he is ready to help you start feeling better today.

Source: http://www.healthyadjustments.com/chiropractor-myths-vs.-facts.html

Following Your Dreams

I read the following article the other day and found myself completely inspired. Often people don't understand the value of chiropractic, so this is just a perfect example of just how powerful it really is:

This article by Dr. R. Dean Harman discusses how chiropractic changed his life and why he became a chiropractor:

Each day, everyday I struggle very hard to keep going. I suffered from constant neck spasms, pain in the back of my head, loss of balance, and absolutely crushing fatigue for 6 to 7 years. As a 30-year old IBM electrical engineer, I was unable to climb a flight of stairs without resting on the landing halfway up, Some days the room whirled so much I couldn't get up without falling and would be unable to eat, drink, or stop vomiting. The resulting dehydration would be so severe as to cause an erratic heart beat. An ambulance would have to be called to transport me to the hospital since I couldn't even stand up.

During those years I made many visits to internists, orthopedists, ear specialists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons. I went to the largest clinic in New York City at the time--reportedly better than the Mayo Clinic. I went to the two largest specialty ear clinics in the US, the latter trip all the way from New York State to the California clinic where the astronauts were tested.

That was 1968 or so, before MRI and other diagnostic equipment was available- not that those test would have detected my problem. The first ear clinic wanted to drill a hole under my brain to drain the fluid out of my inner ear. However, they agreed with me that removing the fluid would INCREASE my loss of balance AND that I would be deaf in that ear. They had no test to decide which ear to drain, so I prudently declined the surgery.

One neurosurgeon I consulted in that time frame was of some help. He thought my neck spasm clamped down on the arteries in my neck, resulting in fluid asymmetry between the left and right inner ear causing the loss of balance. He did find one muscle relaxant that provided some relief. All other medications for my symptoms were useless, some with nasty side effects.

At the second clinic, desperate and becoming suicidal, I was tested for two whole days. (If you've ever been seasick or motion sick, think about being that way 24hours a day for years. Imagine, if you can, what it's like going to bed at 6 p.m. and feeling even more tired the next morning. I might have been able to tolerate the ever-present neck pain and headache in the absence of the other symptoms. Life not only wasn't any fun - it barely worth living under those conditions.) They performed every test known to medicine at the time, except for putting me in the centrifuge. I was already dizzy and the centrifuge belonged to NASA.

Two doctors sat down with me afterwards to discuss the results of my tests. I was told:

1) you smoke too much,

2) you drink too much coffee,

3) you're faking,

4) or you're crazy.

But I'd smoked for only one year, ten years before, while in the Navy and didn't drink coffee. Having required hospitalization numerous times, faking didn't seem likely either. But, I did consider that I might be crazy and spent the next six months seeing a succession of four different psychiatrists. I found two of them to be certifiably crazy themselves--the other two of no help.

In that time frame I crushed a lumbar vertebra (50%) in an accident. I refused surgery again, and spent 9 months instead in a Jowett brace. I was pain-free for about a year before back pain set in. I couldn't even lean back against a foam couch and driving was becoming a problem.

A fellow IBMer finally persuaded me to go see his chiropractor with him, a 60-mile trip over a very bad lane road where people crashed and died nearly daily. His doctor specialized in a chiropractic technique called Van Rumpt's technique. After watching him work on Joe I almost fled; it looked really weird to me as a young engineer.

After an x-ray and examination he told me that he probably couldn't help my back pain due to the amount of crush, 50%, and consequent scar tissue, BUT told me he could take care of my headaches and dizzy spells. I didn't know chiropractors worked on anything but backs. Since I hadn't even mentioned the other problems to him, I thought he was some kind of crazy quack and told him so. I got up from the table and started out of the office.

Fortunately there was a 3 X 5 index card thumb-tack to the back of the front door, stating that treatment was available for $4 if paid in cash in advance (1968). What went through my mind was that nothing else had worked over the years and I might not even make it back home alive on those roads. I had also spent tens of thousands of dollars already and gotten nowhere medically!

After a moment's pause, I turned around and challenged him to prove he could help me. He was nice enough to take me as a patient after my comment about his being a quack. He adjusted only my upper neck. My headache vanished instantly! I sat up on the table and the room didn't spin. I tried lying back down--the room spun and I fell off the table. Two days later I returned for a 2nd treatment, a 120-mile extra loop before driving to New York City for a meeting. Oh, by the way--my back pain went away over time too with chiropractic treatment.

The pastor of my church phoned me early the next morning after my first adjustment because I was reportedly behaving "strangely." I had great difficulty convincing him I had just been to a chiropractor the night before. He thought I had been out taking some kind of recreational drugs because the change was so striking and broad in scope. No headache, no dizziness, and normal energy for a 30-yr old. Did fellow IBM employees pass me in the hall at work that day and didn't recognize me? Yes. Was it a miracle? Absolutely to me, and that's why I left IBM to become a chiropractor. It just took me 15 years to get up the courage to change careers.

-R. Dean Harman, DC

Balance: An Equilibrium Toward Health

By Dr. Seth E. Labott

As a health care practitioner who focuses on the structure of the human frame and how that relates to the communication and function of the nerve system, I have noticed that balance and one's health is usually directionally proportional.  There are all types balance to consider.  When I think of balance in relation to health, the term homeostasis comes to mind. This would be our body's way of regulating our internal environment in order to maintain a constant stable condition.  I also think of proprioception - the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located relative to one another.

There is another less defined type of balance that I unfortunately see array in the majority of my patients.  This balance I speak of is the delicate balance of life.   I notice this in myself quite often.  When I start to get fatigued, run down or begin to feel pain in any way, ultimately I can look at my life balance meter and notice I am leaning more heavily toward one side.  Am I working too hard and not getting the down time I need? Am I staying up too late and not getting the proper rest I need? Am I eating too much protein and not enough fats and carbohydrates? Am I filling my head with too much noise and chatter and not getting the proper amount of silence and retrospection? Do I spend too much time engaging in contractile activities and do nothing to stretch and elongate? Am I in a chair all day and not making time for nature? Do I interact with the same people all the time or do I meet new and interesting people to relate with and grow from?

When I am not in balance my body, mind, and soul break down.  I see people all day who have lost balance. Over time this loss of balance can manifest in a myriad of health concerns, including but not limited to postural distortion, misalignment of the spine, high blood pressure, shortness of breath and depression.  The consequences of a life out of balance can be devastating.

If you or someone you know has lost balance in his or her life, there is hope. Balance can be restored. Generally, the longer you have been out of balance the longer it will take to get your balance back. Sometimes it requires help.  Surround yourself with those living balanced lives and follow their lead.

If being out of balance has got you in pain and searching for vitality and wellness, visit us at www.marinspine.com.  We are passionate about restoring balance to our patients. We feel they will in turn help restore balance to our community locally and globally.

Respiratory Function Diminishes in Patients with Neuromuscular Disorders and Scoliosis

By: Chris Maynard

Nov 24, 2009 (Spine-Health) -- Patients with neuromuscular disorders had diminished respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function compared with a healthy control group, according to a new study also examining how scoliosis affects lung function.

As detailed in a recent edition of The Spine Journal, neuromuscular disorders are known to lead to lung volume loss and respiratory muscle weakness, but the effects of scoliosis on lung function are unknown, a point that served as a basis of this study.

For some context, neuromuscular disorders occur when the neurons, or nerve cells that send messages that control voluntary muscles like the arms and legs, become unhealthy and die. As a result of this breakdown in communication between the nervous system and muscles, the muscles weaken, possibly leading to a wide variety of symptoms (including twitching, cramps, aches, pains, and joint and movement problems) and even affecting heart function and breathing ability.

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that is often marked by one shoulder, side of the rib cage or hip appearing higher than its respective other, the waist appearing uneven, the body tilting to one side, or one leg looking shorter than the other.  Back pain is not usually considered a symptom of scoliosis.

For the study, approximately 22 patients with neuromuscular disorders and scoliosis, 17 patients with neuromuscular disorders without scoliosis, and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were subjected to various tests comparing their respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function, which specifically measures how well the lungs take in and release air and move this oxygen throughout the body.

According to the study’s findings, patients with neuromuscular disorders, regardless of having or not having scoliosis, had diminished respiratory muscle strength when compared to the healthy subjects. Furthermore, patients with neuromuscular disorders and scoliosis had significantly lower pulmonary function scores than not only the control group of healthy patients but the patients who had neuromuscular disorders but were without scoliosis.

The researchers indicated that these findings could mean that the effects of neuromuscular disorders on respiratory function are independent of scoliosis and suggested that clinicians should be aware of the possibility of compromised respiratory function when treating patients with neuromuscular disorders.

http://www.spine-health.com/news/20091124/respiratory-function-diminishes-patients-neuromuscular-disorders-and-scoliosis

Sciatica Exercise Video

What You Need to Know About Sciatica

By: Stephen H. Hochschuler, MD

The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that originates in the low back and travels through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg.

The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical sciatica treatment. For others, however, sciatica pain can be severe and debilitating.

Sciatica is often characterized by the following symptoms:

• Pain on one side of the buttock or in one leg that is worse when sitting
  
• Burning or tingling down the leg
  
• Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot
  
• A constant pain on one side of the rear
  
• A sharp pain that may make it difficult to stand up or to walk
  

The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a "radiculopathy", which simply means that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.

Note that sciatica is not a medical diagnosis, but rather a symptom of an underlying problem in the lower back (such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis that is compressing or irritating the nerve roots). This is an important distinction because it is the underlying diagnosis (vs. the symptoms of sciatica) that often needs to be treated in order to relieve sciatic nerve pain.

Sciatica occurs most frequently in people between 30 and 50 years of age. Often a particular event or injury does not cause sciatica, but rather the sciatic pain over time tends to develop as a result of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine.

Sciatica symptoms

  For some people, the pain from sciatica can be severe and debilitating. For others, the pain might be infrequent and irritating, but has the potential to get worse.  While sciatica can be very painful, it is rare that permanent nerve damage (tissue damage) will result. Most sciatica symptoms result from inflammation and will get better within two weeks to a few months. Also, because the spinal cord is not present in the lower (lumbar) spine, a herniated disc in this area of the anatomy does not present a danger of paralysis.
While relatively rare, two sciatica-related symptoms that warrant prompt medical attention and possibly emergency surgery, include: progressive weakness in the leg, and either bladder or bowel incontinence or dysfunction. Patients with either of these symptoms may have cauda equina syndrome and should seek immediate medical attention.

Sciatica medical definition: radiculopathy

To clarify medical terminology, the term sciatica (often misspelled as ciatica, cyatica or siatica) is often used very broadly to describe any form of pain that radiates into the leg, however, this is not technically correct. True sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is pinched or irritated and the pain along the sciatic nerve is caused by this nerve (radicular pain) and is called a radiculopathy. When the pain is referred to the leg from a joint problem (called referred pain), using the term sciatica is not technically correct. This type of referred pain (e.g. from arthritis or other joint problems) is quite common.

View Sciatica Videos

Sciatica treatment

Sciatica nerve pain is caused by a combination of pressure and inflammation on the nerve root, and treatment is centered on relieving both of these factors. Typical sciatica treatment include:

• Non-surgical sciatica treatments, which may include one or a combination of medical treatments and alternative (non-medical) treatments, and almost always includes some form of back exercises and stretching. The goals of non-surgical sciatica treatment should include both relief of sciatica pain and prevention of future sciatica pain.

Source: http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/what-you-need-know-about-sciatica

Lower Back Pain Symptoms and Treatment Options

By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD

While there are many causes of lower back pain, most cases of low back pain can typically be linked to either a general cause - such as muscle strain - or a specific and diagnosable condition, such as degenerative disc disease or a lumbar herniated disc.

In the US, lower back pain is one of the most common conditions and one of the leading causes of physician visits. In fact, at least four out of five adults will experience it at some point in their lives.

Ironically, the severity of the pain is often unrelated to the extent of physical damage. For example, lower back spasms from a simple back strain can cause excruciating lower back pain that can make it difficult to walk or even stand, whereas a large herniated disc or completely degenerated disc can actually be completely painless.

Types of Low Back Pain

 

Low back pain is typically classified as either acute or chronic:

• Acute back pain is short term, generally lasting from a few days to a few weeks. Some acute pain syndromes can become more serious if left untreated.
  
• Chronic back pain is generally defined as pain that persists for more than three months. The pain may be progressive, or may occasionally flare up and then return to a lower level of pain. With chronic pain, the exact cause of the pain can sometimes be difficult to determine.

Types of Lower Back Pain that Indicate a Surgical Emergency

There are a few symptoms that indicate a possible serious medical condition requiring surgery. Patients with these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms include:

• Sudden bowel and/or bladder dysfunction (cauda equina syndrome)
• Progressive weakness in the legs (cauda equina syndrome)
• Severe, continuous abdominal and low back pain (see abdominal aortic aneurysm)

People with fever and chills, history of cancer with recent weight loss, or who have just suffered a severe trauma should also seek immediate medical attention.

Source: http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/lower-back-pain/lower-back-pain-symptoms-and-treatment-options

Soreness and Pain (including Back Pain) Account for 11 Percent of Missed Work Days

By: Chris Maynard

Online Content Manager, Spine-health

As many people prepare to enjoy some extra time away from their jobs this Thanksgiving weekend, recent studies provide more insight on the relationship of missing time from work due to back pain and other injuries and illnesses.

In the past, exact estimates to the amount of work time missed because of back pain have varied, although back pain has been previously described as the second most common cause of missed workdays due to illness.

Earlier this week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its 2008 report on Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away from Work and found that approximately 1.1 million work days were missed in the private industry for these reasons last year, which was down 7 percent as compared to 2007.

Some interesting findings in the report that were related to back pain included the following:

• Sprain or strain injuries in selected occupations (including laborers, truck drivers, nursing aides, construction laborers, retail salespersons, etc.) accounted for 39 percent of the 1.1 million missed days from work in 2008
• The back was injured in 40 percent of the sprain and strain cases involving these selected occupations
• Soreness and pain (including back pain) for these selected occupations accounted for 11 percent of the total injury and illness cases requiring days off from work.

The reported added that musculoskeletal disorders (also described as MSDs or ergonomic injuries in the report) accounted for 29 percent of the grand total of 1.1 million days missed from work because of injury or illness in 2008. More specifically, there were 317,440 cases of MSDs that required a median of 10 days away from work last year.

As recently detailed in The Spine Journal, another study examined more than 10,000 cases of non-occupational sick leave in Chile, finding that acute lower back pain represented 5.4% cases of work absences.

Regardless of where people live, the combination of these findings confirm the importance of not only employees and employers securing safe work environments and practices but patients making the effort to seek treatment, especially when their symptoms persist, and doctors continuing to understand and improve upon care.

Source: http://www.spine-health.com/news/20091126/injuries-and-illnesses-cause-more-1-million-missed-work-days-2008

How Chiropractic Helps Headaches

Migraines, tension, cluster, and sinus headaches are some of the most common symptoms people suffer from everyday but they don't realize that the cause may be due to an upper cervical spinal bone in the neck. Multiple muscles are attached to the vertebral spinal bones and this is what allows it to move, twist, and turn.

When there is a vertebral spinal bone in the upper neck that is misaligned and causing consistent nerve pressure, muscles will tighten and pull on one or both sides of the neck and head causing excruciating pain to develop. Using multiple therapies or taking all different types of medications just may temporally relieve the pain but it does not take care of the main cause. A specific chiropractic adjustment in the upper cervical area unlocks the misaligned vertebral spinal bone, relieves pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, removes tension from the head and neck muscles and restores back balance to the body, relieving individuals from their headaches. But the primary objective of upper cervical chiropractic care is to remove true consistent nerve pressure and by doing that allows the nervous system to become healthy once again.

Upper cervical chiropractic care requires no forceful, twisting or jerking motion of the neck. The adjustment is very specific and it is exceptionally safe. If you are suffering from any type of headaches or health ailment you might want to try upper cervical chiropractic care. It just may help.

Can't Wait for a Massage? Try This At Home!

As a former cross-country runner for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where a free massage was part of an athlete’s weekly schedule, Briana Boehmer remembers the benefits of having qualified hands work her sore muscles. Now that she is 30 and starting a corporate wellness business with her husband, Mrs. Boehmer no longer enjoys such a perk, so she massages her muscles herself. She works out about seven hours a week, training for triathlons and duathlons, and begins and ends each session by kneading her back and legs on a foam roller, which she calls her “best friend.”

Devices for self-massage have become more common as more people compete in endurance sports and, more recently, as the recession has made professional rubdowns look prohibitively expensive. Trainers usually recommend a massage every week or every other week for people who are training for a marathon or triathlon, but the costs do add up: according to the American Massage Therapy Association, the average price of a massage is $63 an hour.

Though a massage may sound like a luxury, it can become a necessity as part of a training regimen. When the same muscles are forced to do the same motions over and over, they become tight and injury-prone.

For instance, “riding on aerobars on the bike sets up a huge muscle imbalance in the upper back and shoulders,” said Tim Crowley, a triathlon coach in Marlboro, Mass. “Hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes become extremely tight and immobile from running.”

While it’s hard to say how many people do self-massage, many athletes swear by it, and a growing range of products and how-to videos is available in stores and online. A foam roller, which costs about $25, is just one of a family of products, manufactured or improvised, that can relieve tight muscles.

“In the late ’90s, you could only find foam rollers through physical therapy catalogs,” said Keats Snideman, a massage therapist and conditioning coach in Tempe, Ariz., who produced a DVD about self-massage. “Now you can buy them anywhere, and exercises with them are all over YouTube.”

In addition to the many name-brand products that are sold specifically as massage aids, old-fashioned household objects will do, too. Most small balls, including golf, tennis, baseball and lacrosse balls, can unkink sore muscles.

Rich Poley, author of the book “Self-Massage for Athletes,” favors using your own hands. But he is also a fan of the Knobble II, a mushroom-shaped device that can be used to press on muscles at specific trigger points to try to break up knots, and the Thera Cane, a hook that can be used to reach points on the back.

For all its advantages, self-massage has its limitations. Cassidy Phillips, founder of Trigger Point Performance Therapy, considers it the equivalent of oral hygiene. “You brush away some plaque yourself,” he said, “but you still go to the dentist for a thorough cleaning.” His company, based in Austin, Tex., sells self-massage tools for athletes.

Clearly, a massage from a trained therapist can be more effective — and relaxing — than a self-administered massage. A therapist also has a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy and can help with injuries, like muscle  strains, that may not respond to self-massage.

“A foam roller can’t alleviate deep trigger points the way an experienced thumb or knuckle can,” said Collette Glass, a sports massage therapist in Atlanta.

Yet Mrs. Glass, whose livelihood depends on athletes who need her care, is a proponent of self-massage. She and her husband, Dr. Josh Glass, a sports chiropractor, hold self-care seminars in the Atlanta area several times a year. “The message we stress through the whole demonstration,” she said, “is that self-massage keeps you out of our offices.”

Any kind of massage —the professional type and the D.I.Y. — can stimulate blood flow and break up scar tissue, thus reducing an athlete’s risk of injury, Mrs. Glass said. “In massage, shortened, overworked muscles get flushed out and return to a normal length, which helps them properly recover,” she said. When she was training for Ironman triathlons in 2006 and 2008, she said, she used a roller every day to soothe her iliotibial bands (tendons that run along the outside of the upper leg).

Jenni Gaertner, a physical therapist and competitive cyclist in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, also advocates a combination approach. “I go to a massage therapist only during racing season, because it can be so expensive,” she said. “But I use a foam roller year-round and prescribe it to patients and teammates.”

Abby Ruby, an athlete and coach from Manitou Springs, Colo., massaged her muscles daily while training for a 100-mile trail run in Leadville, Colo., this year. She doesn’t leave home without her tools: half of a foam roller and a small ball from Trigger Point Performance Therapy. “I sit on the ball on flights to release my piriformis,” she said, referring to a muscle deep within the hip and buttock region.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/health/nutrition/03fitness.html?ref=fitnessandnutrition

Chiropractic: A Family Affair

Dr. Seth E. Labott
Cafe of Life Chiropractic

Today I was adjusting one of the many families I am blessed to care for in our office when it occurred to me that this mother has a great deal of faith.  Not only does she have faith in me to help correct her child's spinal misalignments but also faith in her son's ability to heal naturally without the use of drugs.  It is incredible to see the miracles of healthy families.  I am very much grateful to see it all the time.

Mom comes in for some kind of pain or discomfort, usually neck or back pain associated with of the stress of carrying around the children or getting them in and out of the car.  We explain to her about subluxation and how it interferes with the body's ability to communicate effectively through the nerve system.  She then asks the most common question I get, "How do I get subluxation?"  I go on to explain through physical, mental/emotional and chemical stresses. Then the light bulb goes on, "Is it possible that my children have subluxation?"  Immediately we get all the children and the spouse in for chiropractic examinations.

With in a couple of weeks, sometimes days  the mom starts to explain how her family's health picture has changed. Symptoms they never thought could be related to spinal misalignment have been effected like bed wetting, asthma and ear infections just to name a few.  The husband is noticing that sitting at the desk all day doesn't bother him as much and he is able to play more with the children. Not only is the back pain mom came in for gone but she notices her cycle is lighter, less irritating and her migraines that have not responded to medication are happening much less and for shorter durations.

Now I have heard the expression that chiropractic will add years to life and life to years.  What I am struck by is the life to years piece.   Every day in chiropractic offices across the globe families like this one are increasing the quality of their lives. Healthier parents leads to healthy children and healthier families. I am convinced these healthier families make for healthier communities and a healthier more kind planet.  Everyone with a spine can benefit from chiropractic!

You do not need to be in pain to achieve the miraculous results of natural health through chiropractic care.  Spinal hygeine just makes sense. Call to schedule a complimentary consultation for you and family at 415 389 1145 or visit our web site  www.marinspine.com for more information.

2010 Goals: Being Healthy

By Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher

As the health care debate rages, the spotlight is beginning to shine on some of the real culprits behind our soaring health care costs: poor lifestyle habits. An alarmingly large percentage of this country's health care expenditures is directly attributable to the way we Americans live.

Our eating habits are largely out of control, tobacco use is actually increasing, and exercise is something too many adults haven't taken seriously since they were in high school. Add in high levels of stress, lack of sleep, and alcohol and drug use, and you have the obscene health care costs we face today.

Even our politicians (who are at times the last ones to recognize the obvious) are responding to the carnage these culprits are creating. Consider that Congress is considering taxing sodas and other high-calorie drinks. They see this as not only a way to compensate for the negative impact these beverages have on our health care costs, but also as a financial motivation to decrease their purchase/consumption. Consider these alarming facts regarding our nation's poor health habits:

• More than one in four (26.1 percent) of U.S. adults are obese as of 2008, and that number is climbing.
• Obesity-related hospitalization costs for children nearly doubled from 1999 to 2005, growing to almost $238 million a year.
• More than 1,000 U.S. youths begin a regular smoking habit every day.
• There are more than 440,000 tobacco-related U.S. deaths each year and tobacco use equates to $96 billion in annual US Medical expenditures.
• Americans are now overeating at such a level of excess that exercise has little or no impact on their increasing weight.

All of the above are patient conversations waiting to happen with mom, dad and the whole family. Assuming your patients are fairly average in terms of their health habits (and thus likely to participate in one or more of the above unhealthy habits), you should be talking to almost every one of them about how those poor habits are impacting their health and quality of life. This is a perfect starting point for explaining wellness and how regular chiropractic care fits into a healthy lifestyle that will reap benefits for as long as they live.

Patients are looking for answers. They are surfing the web, talking to friends, and even asking the teenager that stocks the vitamin shelves at their favorite store. Shouldn't chiropractic doctors be their source for all things health-related? Hopefully your doctor is a living example of a healthy lifestyle.

Health is a major focus in our world and it isn't likely to change anytime soon. People want to know how chiropractic care can impact all aspects of their health. They need to know about diet, nutrition, exercise, etc.

If I sound like a person obsessed with the issue of leading a wellness lifestyle, it's because I truly believe it's the only way to live. My father and grandfather were both doctors of chiropractic - but they didn't live what they knew about wellness. They both died much earlier than they should have. I made a conscious choice when I was much younger to live what my father taught. I only wish he had done the same.

Quality of life is based upon health and wellness. Chiropractic is essential for health and wellness. Like my father and grandfather, you have the answers to health and wellness questions. Share them with your patients every opportunity you get.

Source: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54336