I get asked about stretching a lot. I’ve been asked if stretching should be done before exercise, after, if it will help weight loss, prevent injury and all sorts of variations of those themes.
With the advances of new technologies and research, many studies have been done and the conclusion has been that there is no actual benefit in stretching prior to activities. However these studies were done on athletes that were pretty well conditioned.
It seems as though there is no real answer other than, “it depends on the patient.” Here is my own way of determining if stretching would be helpful for a patient:
First I examine the range of motion of all the parts in question. If you can straighten out your knee and bend the knee to 120 degrees, that is considered normal. If your hamstrings allow full bending forward of your lower back, that is considered normal. If your ankle bends upwards 20 degrees, then that is considered normal. In all of these cases if a patient asked me if they needed to stretch I would ask, “what for?”
Secondly, if the patient has a limitation of movement, the question is then, is it from the joint itself or the muscles? Some people have joint problems, not lack of flexibility of the muscles. Stretching the muscles in that case is of no value either.
Thirdly, when a person has pain and there is a definite limited range of motion that is stressing the painful area, stretching is indicated and will help.
The limitations of stretching
Stretching doesn’t make you lose weight. Spending a ½ hour stretching everyday will not shed the pounds. I’m not sure why people think it will or where they read this information but it doesn’t work. You would be better off spending you time walking that ½ hour or doing something else.
Stretching won’t make the muscle “toned.” Patients will comment that they don’t want to have a lot of muscle, but they want to be “toned.” Stretching unfortunately doesn’t give you that look.
Stretching will reduce pain if and only if it is a direct cause of the pain. You have to know which muscles are the tight ones and you must only stretch those muscles.
Stretching will only prevent injuries if a lack of flexibility is the cause. I’ve seen articles in magazines advocating stretching prior to walking because “it will prevent injuries.” I’m not sure what type of injuries people get from walking, but to me it seems like a waste of time. That time you spend stretching should be spent walking more.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Is this the most important adjustment you'll ever receive?
Exhaustion, anterior body carriage and the femur heads
If your hip bones are strained forward, you will feel tired most of the time. Most of your energy will be used to hold your body up because of the lack of balance while standing. One of the most fascinating problems is of the hip bones. The hip is ball-shaped and located at the top of the thigh bone. It fits into the pelvis which has a cup-shaped cavity.
Your head should be right above your buttocks, but go to any mall and you’ll see this isn’t the case, from the teenager to the super elderly Just go to any mall in Ventura or Thousand Oaks. Watch peoples posture. Those who are healthiest look the healthiest. You’ll very seldom see someone with robust health bent forwards and hunched over. The bent-forward person is the cultural image of sickness and old age isn’t it? There’s some sad truth to the old saying, “They are leaning toward their graves.”
Dr. Lowell Ward, developer of Spinal Column Stressology, analyzed side x-rays of patients standing and sitting. He measured the relationship between the skull and the center of the pelvic cavity. He found consistently that people who sat and stood with their head forward to their pelvis were the most sick, with deteriorating physical and psychological health.
Our hips are only responding
We observe that when the person is under a lot of forward stress, the hips would first move back to resist the body going forward. Time takes its toll on the body and as our energies are depleted the body breaks down and the hips then move forward.
With both hips forward most of the energy is now devoted to preventing falling forwards.
Forward = decreased health
In 2005 a paper in the medical journal Spine, researchers X-rayed 752 people and looked for a relationship between leaning forward and health status. The authors consistently found those with chronic forward lean had greater severity of their symptoms (increased pain, decreased function).
If both femur heads are anterior, the problem is more serious. It means that the body’s defenses are exhausted and the person is deteriorating (“breaking down”). Patients with this double anterior femur head pattern often feel they are getting worse. I have found in my practice that some people will have both hips forward and after 10-12 adjustments, one will be forward indicating that their body is retracing and improving. Once both hips no longer need adjustments, most patients feel much better.
If your hip bones are strained forward, you will feel tired most of the time. Most of your energy will be used to hold your body up because of the lack of balance while standing. One of the most fascinating problems is of the hip bones. The hip is ball-shaped and located at the top of the thigh bone. It fits into the pelvis which has a cup-shaped cavity.
Your head should be right above your buttocks, but go to any mall and you’ll see this isn’t the case, from the teenager to the super elderly Just go to any mall in Ventura or Thousand Oaks. Watch peoples posture. Those who are healthiest look the healthiest. You’ll very seldom see someone with robust health bent forwards and hunched over. The bent-forward person is the cultural image of sickness and old age isn’t it? There’s some sad truth to the old saying, “They are leaning toward their graves.”
Dr. Lowell Ward, developer of Spinal Column Stressology, analyzed side x-rays of patients standing and sitting. He measured the relationship between the skull and the center of the pelvic cavity. He found consistently that people who sat and stood with their head forward to their pelvis were the most sick, with deteriorating physical and psychological health.
Our hips are only responding
We observe that when the person is under a lot of forward stress, the hips would first move back to resist the body going forward. Time takes its toll on the body and as our energies are depleted the body breaks down and the hips then move forward.
With both hips forward most of the energy is now devoted to preventing falling forwards.
Forward = decreased health
In 2005 a paper in the medical journal Spine, researchers X-rayed 752 people and looked for a relationship between leaning forward and health status. The authors consistently found those with chronic forward lean had greater severity of their symptoms (increased pain, decreased function).
If both femur heads are anterior, the problem is more serious. It means that the body’s defenses are exhausted and the person is deteriorating (“breaking down”). Patients with this double anterior femur head pattern often feel they are getting worse. I have found in my practice that some people will have both hips forward and after 10-12 adjustments, one will be forward indicating that their body is retracing and improving. Once both hips no longer need adjustments, most patients feel much better.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Treating Fibromyalgia with Nutrition
I think by now the era of not “believing” in fibromyalgia is over. It’s pretty well established that it’s a real disease and that these poor people that suffer with it are having a hard time learning to manage it. There are new ways to diagnosis fibromyalgia with certain markers that are more accurate than the standard tender points.
Fibromyalgia is awful. Patients have pain, stiffness and chronic aching everywhere and it hurts to touch almost every muscle. It’s nine times more common in women than men and hit’s them in their prime (30-50 years old). They may also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, dysmenorrheal, mitral valve prolapse and chronic fatigue. They never feel rested and never get a good night sleep.
The final determination is that it is a complex disease within the nervous system whereby the sensations that are felt are dysfunctional. Sensations that are felt in the nerves and transmitted up the spinal cord via tracts to the brain are rewired functionally and these people feel pain…sometimes massive pain. The brain is interpreting and registering “pain” when it shouldn’t be. X-raying or performing MRI’s of the arms or legs is fruitless.
Through a complex series of chemical reactions, the best proposed cause is chronic hypoxia within the muscles.
People will often ask me if there’s a cure. That’s when it’s time to explain what the word management means.
Just like the management of diabetes, one can manage the condition and live a healthy life. But once the blood sugar is within normal ranges, you can’t just go back to your old diet. You manage the condition, but it’s not gone.
This is exactly how nutrition plays a role in fibromyalgia. Nutrition won’t cure it, but it helps manage it.
So what are the big nutrients? What does someone eat?
First of all, it’s important to eat a diet that reduces inflammatory chemicals in our body. For some people this is very easy to do and for others it’s a radical life change. Either way it must be done because it is the basis of helping people with fibromyalgia. If you have not read the information in our waiting room, read it. It’s great information. It’s in the 3-ring binders. If you are nice and ask politely we would be happy to print out this information for you.
Magnesium and Malate supplements are helpful. Supplements that supplied 300-600 mg of magnesium plus 1200-2400 mg of malate can often help reduce pain within 48 hours. Tender point sensitivity can be reduced by 60% after 30 days and 66% after 60 days.
Patients should also supplement with a B-complex as this plays a role in the magnesium to become biologically active.
I have personally noticed that doing adjustments to the skull can help the patients’ perception of pain. Adjustments to the middle spine do not help because I have found that they increase sympathetic nervous system tone (tighter muscles, greater contractive force, etc). Therapy such as deep heat, ultrasound, cold laser therapy and endurance based exercise that is low impact helps too.
Fibromyalgia is awful. Patients have pain, stiffness and chronic aching everywhere and it hurts to touch almost every muscle. It’s nine times more common in women than men and hit’s them in their prime (30-50 years old). They may also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, dysmenorrheal, mitral valve prolapse and chronic fatigue. They never feel rested and never get a good night sleep.
The final determination is that it is a complex disease within the nervous system whereby the sensations that are felt are dysfunctional. Sensations that are felt in the nerves and transmitted up the spinal cord via tracts to the brain are rewired functionally and these people feel pain…sometimes massive pain. The brain is interpreting and registering “pain” when it shouldn’t be. X-raying or performing MRI’s of the arms or legs is fruitless.
Through a complex series of chemical reactions, the best proposed cause is chronic hypoxia within the muscles.
People will often ask me if there’s a cure. That’s when it’s time to explain what the word management means.
Just like the management of diabetes, one can manage the condition and live a healthy life. But once the blood sugar is within normal ranges, you can’t just go back to your old diet. You manage the condition, but it’s not gone.
This is exactly how nutrition plays a role in fibromyalgia. Nutrition won’t cure it, but it helps manage it.
So what are the big nutrients? What does someone eat?
First of all, it’s important to eat a diet that reduces inflammatory chemicals in our body. For some people this is very easy to do and for others it’s a radical life change. Either way it must be done because it is the basis of helping people with fibromyalgia. If you have not read the information in our waiting room, read it. It’s great information. It’s in the 3-ring binders. If you are nice and ask politely we would be happy to print out this information for you.
Magnesium and Malate supplements are helpful. Supplements that supplied 300-600 mg of magnesium plus 1200-2400 mg of malate can often help reduce pain within 48 hours. Tender point sensitivity can be reduced by 60% after 30 days and 66% after 60 days.
Patients should also supplement with a B-complex as this plays a role in the magnesium to become biologically active.
I have personally noticed that doing adjustments to the skull can help the patients’ perception of pain. Adjustments to the middle spine do not help because I have found that they increase sympathetic nervous system tone (tighter muscles, greater contractive force, etc). Therapy such as deep heat, ultrasound, cold laser therapy and endurance based exercise that is low impact helps too.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Helping Allergies with Chiropractic
Our immune system works to recognize and destroys bacteria, viri, pollutants, dust, pollen, drugs, tumors, debris and artificial substances. Your nervous system, endocrine system, diet, genes and emotions influence how well your immune system functions.
In most allergy disorders, the immune system overreacts to an allergen like dust, pollen, foods, dog or cat dander and the body produces too many types of histamine to neutralize the allergen.
The medical approach
Since many allergy symptoms are from an overproduction of histamines, antihistamines are often prescribed. However, antihistamines can cause heart problems and should not be used with alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers. Many people feel terrible from taking antihistamines but think that there is no other option. Some people resort to allergy shots three times per week for years.
The chiropractic approach
Some allergy sufferers have noticed improvement with chiropractic care. I have seen this in my practice and the profession has seen this for over a century. While chiropractic care is not a treatment for allergies, the improved health of the nervous system, endocrine system and improvement in diet can have a positive effect on the bodies’ response to the allergens. If chiropractic enables the immune system to function more effectively, the symptoms improve.
How we do this- The allergy “posture”
How we help people is first identifying the allergen. Most people know what they are allergic to, so this is often the easiest part. The most challenging patients are those that are allergic to “everything.” If you think about it, how bad does the immune system have to be to over-react to “everything?” Well for some unfortunate people it does.
Once we know what the allergen is, we put the patient in the “posture” of the allergy. I would tell the patient to think of their allergy and how it makes them feel. It’s important for them to really live the allergy in their mind. While they are thinking of it, their body will subluxate into their “allergy pattern.”
Now the allergy pattern must be located. I have been using a dynamic bio-indicator analysis system that is quickly able to locate the points to stimulate on the skull. The bio-indicator is the occipital drop (OD) that was discovered by Lowell Ward, DC, developer of Spinal Column Stressology. Dr. Ward discovered that the occiput/skull area will appear to lower on the left when the person is touched on a stress point.
While the patient is thinking of their allergy, I locate the stress points on the skull and apply the Arthrostim to those locations. We often find that the left and right sphenoid bone and occipital area need to be stimulated.
In most allergy disorders, the immune system overreacts to an allergen like dust, pollen, foods, dog or cat dander and the body produces too many types of histamine to neutralize the allergen.
The medical approach
Since many allergy symptoms are from an overproduction of histamines, antihistamines are often prescribed. However, antihistamines can cause heart problems and should not be used with alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers. Many people feel terrible from taking antihistamines but think that there is no other option. Some people resort to allergy shots three times per week for years.
The chiropractic approach
Some allergy sufferers have noticed improvement with chiropractic care. I have seen this in my practice and the profession has seen this for over a century. While chiropractic care is not a treatment for allergies, the improved health of the nervous system, endocrine system and improvement in diet can have a positive effect on the bodies’ response to the allergens. If chiropractic enables the immune system to function more effectively, the symptoms improve.
How we do this- The allergy “posture”
How we help people is first identifying the allergen. Most people know what they are allergic to, so this is often the easiest part. The most challenging patients are those that are allergic to “everything.” If you think about it, how bad does the immune system have to be to over-react to “everything?” Well for some unfortunate people it does.
Once we know what the allergen is, we put the patient in the “posture” of the allergy. I would tell the patient to think of their allergy and how it makes them feel. It’s important for them to really live the allergy in their mind. While they are thinking of it, their body will subluxate into their “allergy pattern.”
Now the allergy pattern must be located. I have been using a dynamic bio-indicator analysis system that is quickly able to locate the points to stimulate on the skull. The bio-indicator is the occipital drop (OD) that was discovered by Lowell Ward, DC, developer of Spinal Column Stressology. Dr. Ward discovered that the occiput/skull area will appear to lower on the left when the person is touched on a stress point.
While the patient is thinking of their allergy, I locate the stress points on the skull and apply the Arthrostim to those locations. We often find that the left and right sphenoid bone and occipital area need to be stimulated.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Why X-rays are seldom needed
Our profession uses the term “misalignment” as a way to make a very complex injury seem simple so that the general public can understand what we do. Rather than explain the details, it is easier to say misalignment. When you receive an adjustment you feel something happening. When you feel better, you would safely assume that you are now “aligned.” The problem is that research has demonstrated that adjustments seldom change the alignment of bone, but rather improve the soft tissues that support the bones. The adjustments create flexibility and pliability so that the spine may move in a healthy biomechanical direction. The research has shown that the static position may not change, but the movement of the vertebra under video fluoroscopy changes radically. This supports that what we are really trying to do is improve joint dysfunction and motion rather than position. This spinal dysfunction can be discovered during the physical exam, not x-ray.
Research with MRI shows that over 60% of PAIN-FREE subjects have herniated discs, bone spurs, degenerative discs, and bulging discs…but they have no pain, zero, nothing. This demonstrates that these findings are often incidental rather than causative of the pain. When a person is in pain and is referred out for MRI and a herniated disc is found the patient believes that the pain is caused from the herniated disc. After treatment with a cortisone shot, therapy, chiropractic, or any other non-surgical therapy, if the patient feels better they are seldom sent for an MRI to see if the herniated disc is gone. If they are, they are surprised to find that the disc herniation is still present, yet they have very little pain. Researchers have tried to explain this by stating that improved function has lessened the pain. In the past we have x-rayed patients with terrible pain…treated them for a month…and when they are out of pain x-ray them again. Often you could place both x-rays on top of one another and there is no change in bone spurs, degenerative disc disease, etc yet they feel better. Why? Because we’ve improved how their spine functions.
Our treatment does not involve twisting, popping, or cracking of the spine. We use very gentle methods. Because we are not using a tremendous amount of force, we do not need x-rays.
X-rays involve radiation. We will only use radiation if it is necessary in your case. If it won’t change our treatment methods, why do it? If we suspect fracture, cancer, or any genetic deformity, we will refer out for x-rays.
So if you suspect that you are “out of alignment” and a chiropractor puts you “in alignment” you are being told a simplified, watered down explanation of what is really happening. If you think that is so, have an x-ray and then receive an adjustment and immediately have another x-ray. You will find very little difference between the two x-rays. Yet you will notice improved flexibility, more relaxed muscles and a greater freedom when you move. That’s the reality of what’s happening during an adjustment.
Research with MRI shows that over 60% of PAIN-FREE subjects have herniated discs, bone spurs, degenerative discs, and bulging discs…but they have no pain, zero, nothing. This demonstrates that these findings are often incidental rather than causative of the pain. When a person is in pain and is referred out for MRI and a herniated disc is found the patient believes that the pain is caused from the herniated disc. After treatment with a cortisone shot, therapy, chiropractic, or any other non-surgical therapy, if the patient feels better they are seldom sent for an MRI to see if the herniated disc is gone. If they are, they are surprised to find that the disc herniation is still present, yet they have very little pain. Researchers have tried to explain this by stating that improved function has lessened the pain. In the past we have x-rayed patients with terrible pain…treated them for a month…and when they are out of pain x-ray them again. Often you could place both x-rays on top of one another and there is no change in bone spurs, degenerative disc disease, etc yet they feel better. Why? Because we’ve improved how their spine functions.
Our treatment does not involve twisting, popping, or cracking of the spine. We use very gentle methods. Because we are not using a tremendous amount of force, we do not need x-rays.
X-rays involve radiation. We will only use radiation if it is necessary in your case. If it won’t change our treatment methods, why do it? If we suspect fracture, cancer, or any genetic deformity, we will refer out for x-rays.
So if you suspect that you are “out of alignment” and a chiropractor puts you “in alignment” you are being told a simplified, watered down explanation of what is really happening. If you think that is so, have an x-ray and then receive an adjustment and immediately have another x-ray. You will find very little difference between the two x-rays. Yet you will notice improved flexibility, more relaxed muscles and a greater freedom when you move. That’s the reality of what’s happening during an adjustment.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Are Drugs Bad?
Here’s a scary topic: All the press about your favorite athlete on drugs doesn’t compare to the drugs used by the average family. In a recent article called “The Real Dope” in Sports Illustrated showed that athletes are just the tip of the iceberg. People are botoxing their faces, surgically altering our faces, noses, buttocks and breasts. There’s a little pill (of course you should ask your doctor if it’s right for you) to do anything you want. There’s an even pill to take to make sure you’re ready when the “right time” presents itself, which evidently is in an abandoned bathtub in the country while hiking.
The real scare is that kids have learned that drugs cure problems. To hit a baseball, run faster, fix acne, fix “imperfections” with their body, and of course to feel good requires a drug. What’s the difference between a drug that makes you feel good when you’re depressed (prescription) versus a drug that makes you feel good when you’re depressed (from the local high school junkie)? To some kids, the answer is nothing.
Consider the following concerns from the Sports Illustrated article:
Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds. Our heroes, utilizing illegal drugs. If a high school drug dealer was caught selling to the local high school baseball teams, wouldn’t the police attack the dealer like a pit bull?
Timbaland, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and 50 cent (that’s a guy evidently) from the rap industry all have taken drugs to beef up. These are the people that our kids idolize. Who do they idolize? Dudes on steroids. Ironically, 50 cent was a drug dealer prior to being a rapper and now has his own flavor of Vitamin Water.
Sylvester Stallone was caught with 48 vials of drugs to beef up for his latest movie. Holly cow! Imagine if we knew that Rocky Balboa beat Apollo Creed and cheated. Would you have been walking out of the theatre in 1976 throwing punches?
Muhammad Ali used hormones to shed weight prior to a fight.
Twenty seven New York Police officers were found to be on steroids. The consensus comment as to why was “how do I deal with people who are in better shape than me and want to kill me?” Heck, I don’t blame them. If criminals have bigger muscles, bigger guns, and are snorting or shooting up hard core drugs, I’d be scared too.
Some studies have shown that the majority of kids use drugs to enhance their looks. Many don’t see the difference between taking a drug in lose fat or gain muscle and putting on make-up.
Many teens say steroids and human growth hormone (the two most common drugs in sports) are as easy to get as pot.
The internet is a major source of drugs as well as the parents’ drug cabinets.
Who is our governor? He was using drugs to build muscle prior to it being against the rules to use.
Parents are using drugs to alter how they look, how they feel, and see drugs as a way to solve problems. In early childhood, we are taught to take a pill if we don’t feel good. The line between medication and illegal drugs is blurred. It’s the concept that drugs solve problems that leads to the use of drugs in an illegal manner.
Summary Comments
That’s a pretty awesome list from this article. My impressions were that as my own children grow up I fear what they might be exposed to. I hope they make good choices. This article only touched the surface of drugs in general because its main focus was on testosterone and human growth hormone. The bigger question is that what about meth, coke, or heroine? Just as a prescription drug can make us feel better, so can illegal drugs. Children have a hard time understanding where the line must be drawn because to them the adults sound like hypocrites. If an adult takes a drug to solve an emotional problem, then why is an illegal drug that solves their emotional problem so bad?
Years ago a young patient made a comment that stood out in my mind. He was taking medication to improve his academic performance. He was also an athlete and was not taking any illegal drugs for his sports. He said, “it’s not fair. I can take a pill to improve my grades, but I can’t take a pill to improve in sports.” He saw right through the adults.
The real scare is that kids have learned that drugs cure problems. To hit a baseball, run faster, fix acne, fix “imperfections” with their body, and of course to feel good requires a drug. What’s the difference between a drug that makes you feel good when you’re depressed (prescription) versus a drug that makes you feel good when you’re depressed (from the local high school junkie)? To some kids, the answer is nothing.
Consider the following concerns from the Sports Illustrated article:
Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds. Our heroes, utilizing illegal drugs. If a high school drug dealer was caught selling to the local high school baseball teams, wouldn’t the police attack the dealer like a pit bull?
Timbaland, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and 50 cent (that’s a guy evidently) from the rap industry all have taken drugs to beef up. These are the people that our kids idolize. Who do they idolize? Dudes on steroids. Ironically, 50 cent was a drug dealer prior to being a rapper and now has his own flavor of Vitamin Water.
Sylvester Stallone was caught with 48 vials of drugs to beef up for his latest movie. Holly cow! Imagine if we knew that Rocky Balboa beat Apollo Creed and cheated. Would you have been walking out of the theatre in 1976 throwing punches?
Muhammad Ali used hormones to shed weight prior to a fight.
Twenty seven New York Police officers were found to be on steroids. The consensus comment as to why was “how do I deal with people who are in better shape than me and want to kill me?” Heck, I don’t blame them. If criminals have bigger muscles, bigger guns, and are snorting or shooting up hard core drugs, I’d be scared too.
Some studies have shown that the majority of kids use drugs to enhance their looks. Many don’t see the difference between taking a drug in lose fat or gain muscle and putting on make-up.
Many teens say steroids and human growth hormone (the two most common drugs in sports) are as easy to get as pot.
The internet is a major source of drugs as well as the parents’ drug cabinets.
Who is our governor? He was using drugs to build muscle prior to it being against the rules to use.
Parents are using drugs to alter how they look, how they feel, and see drugs as a way to solve problems. In early childhood, we are taught to take a pill if we don’t feel good. The line between medication and illegal drugs is blurred. It’s the concept that drugs solve problems that leads to the use of drugs in an illegal manner.
Summary Comments
That’s a pretty awesome list from this article. My impressions were that as my own children grow up I fear what they might be exposed to. I hope they make good choices. This article only touched the surface of drugs in general because its main focus was on testosterone and human growth hormone. The bigger question is that what about meth, coke, or heroine? Just as a prescription drug can make us feel better, so can illegal drugs. Children have a hard time understanding where the line must be drawn because to them the adults sound like hypocrites. If an adult takes a drug to solve an emotional problem, then why is an illegal drug that solves their emotional problem so bad?
Years ago a young patient made a comment that stood out in my mind. He was taking medication to improve his academic performance. He was also an athlete and was not taking any illegal drugs for his sports. He said, “it’s not fair. I can take a pill to improve my grades, but I can’t take a pill to improve in sports.” He saw right through the adults.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sports drinks- should you use them?
There’s the new Vitamin Water, Fizzy vitamin’s, new drinks that have B-vitamins, ginseng, and caffeine all stating how BAD the “other sports drink” is.
These new ads don’t say it, but the other sports drink they are talking about is Gatorade.
Should you drink them?
In my opinion, no. Unless you are working out for greater than one hour, most
sports drinks are totally unnecessary. Here’s the reason why.
Within one hour of exercise, you are not going to sweat enough to lose that much electrolytes to make necessary to replace them right away.
During exercise less than one hour, you can drink a little bit of water to quench thirst if you need it.
During exercise, especially hard exercise, our digestive system is not efficient at absorbing nutrients. That’s why trying to drink something with lots of vitamins in it doesn’t make any sense. You’d be better off drinking water with an apple, orange, or banana after a workout if you really want vitamins.
As far as caffeine and ginseng in the sports drinks, it may give you a temporary perk of energy, but why not drink iced coffee if you really need the perk?
Some sports drinks have protein powder in it. These are for exercise that last much greater than one hour. Again, not necessary for most people. Also you need to be able to stomach these drinks. Most of them taste very chalky.
You gotta admit though, the marketing is genius.
These new ads don’t say it, but the other sports drink they are talking about is Gatorade.
Should you drink them?
In my opinion, no. Unless you are working out for greater than one hour, most
sports drinks are totally unnecessary. Here’s the reason why.
Within one hour of exercise, you are not going to sweat enough to lose that much electrolytes to make necessary to replace them right away.
During exercise less than one hour, you can drink a little bit of water to quench thirst if you need it.
During exercise, especially hard exercise, our digestive system is not efficient at absorbing nutrients. That’s why trying to drink something with lots of vitamins in it doesn’t make any sense. You’d be better off drinking water with an apple, orange, or banana after a workout if you really want vitamins.
As far as caffeine and ginseng in the sports drinks, it may give you a temporary perk of energy, but why not drink iced coffee if you really need the perk?
Some sports drinks have protein powder in it. These are for exercise that last much greater than one hour. Again, not necessary for most people. Also you need to be able to stomach these drinks. Most of them taste very chalky.
You gotta admit though, the marketing is genius.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Our careers define us
I’ve always wanted to focus on sports injuries as a career. Even as a little kid I was always fascinated with how athletes improved. I remember being about 10 years old and my father gave me an article about Howe Long and his exercise routine, his rise to the NFL, and the hardships he overcame. I remember about the surgeries that the Dodgers pitchers would get for their rotator cuffs. At 10 years old I remember going to the Dodger games and watching the players warm up. I had another passion at the Dodger games…the hot dogs and boy could I eat! My parents never complained but I probably ate a small fortune every season in that stadium.
My father played football at UCLA and semi-professional rugby after college. He told me that training consisted of eating steak and eggs all the time and do sprints and push ups. Weight training didn’t exist. It was really about who had natural talent.
As I got older I learned about weight lifting and nutritional aspects of sports. Largely because of a lack of natural talent, a small frame, a freakishly fast metabolism, and no muscle, I was looking for ways to gain an edge. Fascinated by this stuff I began using natural body weight exercises rather than weights and noticed greater gains.
There was a time I attempted to become a vegetarian. I did carbo-loading when it was in vogue. I stretched daily and became so flexible that I was able to contort into wild positions.
In chiropractic college my education really grew exponentially. There were many in my class that were amateur bodybuilders. Many others were endurance runners. Some were adventure sports enthusiasts. So it was interesting learning about how others viewed health, training, and chiropractics application to better sports performance.
Chiropractic has given me the true knowledge that I was looking for since I was little. Looking for the edge some athletes are using illegal methods such as steroids, growth hormone, and others. I wanted to learn how to be healthy, not a walking pharmacy. Yet we watch baseball now with suspicion. Football has put their head in the sand regarding drugs. It seems as though sports now isn’t about maximizing healthy athletic potential, but rather maximizing potential at all costs. This is wrong.
Chiropractic is about improving naturally. It’s about being healthy. It’s about fixing human physiology by utilizing our own healing potential. That’s exciting.
Looking back just the past five years of what I’ve learned: Graston technique for muscular and tendon damage, kinesiotaping for support of tendonitis and acute injuries, cold laser therapy to speed healing, athletic training principles to rehabilitate injuries, etc. What is fascinating about these methods is that regardless of how the injury happens these methods can work. You may have injured yourself at home, lifting something, or exercising. Regardless of the cause (sports or not) these methods are the greatest at getting the best results the industry has to offer. I hope that all those who come my way can benefit.
My father played football at UCLA and semi-professional rugby after college. He told me that training consisted of eating steak and eggs all the time and do sprints and push ups. Weight training didn’t exist. It was really about who had natural talent.
As I got older I learned about weight lifting and nutritional aspects of sports. Largely because of a lack of natural talent, a small frame, a freakishly fast metabolism, and no muscle, I was looking for ways to gain an edge. Fascinated by this stuff I began using natural body weight exercises rather than weights and noticed greater gains.
There was a time I attempted to become a vegetarian. I did carbo-loading when it was in vogue. I stretched daily and became so flexible that I was able to contort into wild positions.
In chiropractic college my education really grew exponentially. There were many in my class that were amateur bodybuilders. Many others were endurance runners. Some were adventure sports enthusiasts. So it was interesting learning about how others viewed health, training, and chiropractics application to better sports performance.
Chiropractic has given me the true knowledge that I was looking for since I was little. Looking for the edge some athletes are using illegal methods such as steroids, growth hormone, and others. I wanted to learn how to be healthy, not a walking pharmacy. Yet we watch baseball now with suspicion. Football has put their head in the sand regarding drugs. It seems as though sports now isn’t about maximizing healthy athletic potential, but rather maximizing potential at all costs. This is wrong.
Chiropractic is about improving naturally. It’s about being healthy. It’s about fixing human physiology by utilizing our own healing potential. That’s exciting.
Looking back just the past five years of what I’ve learned: Graston technique for muscular and tendon damage, kinesiotaping for support of tendonitis and acute injuries, cold laser therapy to speed healing, athletic training principles to rehabilitate injuries, etc. What is fascinating about these methods is that regardless of how the injury happens these methods can work. You may have injured yourself at home, lifting something, or exercising. Regardless of the cause (sports or not) these methods are the greatest at getting the best results the industry has to offer. I hope that all those who come my way can benefit.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
How to properly use ice
If you have not received a handout in our office on how to use ice, please ask us and we will give you one. Keep it for a reference.
Here’s a summary. Place crushed ice in a sandwich baggie. Wrap it with one layer of a towel and place it on the injury for 20 minutes.
Then take it off for 20 minutes.
Then place it back on for 20 minutes.
Do this as often as you can throughout the day.
The more severe the injury, the more necessary it is to follow this advice. If it’s a bad injury, it’s not uncommon to ice the injury 15-20 times per day. This will rapidly decrease your pain and the swelling.
Here’s a summary. Place crushed ice in a sandwich baggie. Wrap it with one layer of a towel and place it on the injury for 20 minutes.
Then take it off for 20 minutes.
Then place it back on for 20 minutes.
Do this as often as you can throughout the day.
The more severe the injury, the more necessary it is to follow this advice. If it’s a bad injury, it’s not uncommon to ice the injury 15-20 times per day. This will rapidly decrease your pain and the swelling.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The coolest story you'll ever read
Here’s a cool story written by one of my patients. It’s very motivating and involves losing weight as well as taking charge of your life. Congratulations to this young lady.
Here’s her story…
“When I finally decided that I had to do something about my weight or I would die, I was at a really low point in my life. I was 26, weighed nearly (if not over) 300 lbs, was in a bad relationship that was going nowhere fast, in a job I was completely miserable but extremely good at and was just plain tired of life. I couldn’t even face myself in the mirror. The more depressed I got, the more problems and stressors that occurred, the more I ate. Food was my comfort.
The first step I took was to go to some group therapy sessions. I would recommend any type of group therapy for anyone. It is a huge relief to know that whatever you are going through, you aren’t the only one, that there are LOTS of people out there going through the same thing. Even if they aren’t your support group, or you don’t buy into everything that people say while in the group, it will still help. The group gave me the strength I needed to make some life-style changes, including moving away from my boyfriend and back in with my dad. This isn’t a solution for everyone, however, in my case, it was essential to move away.
Once I moved in with my dad, and got a job out here, I started noticing some changes in my weight. It was really small at first, a pound this month, maybe two pounds the next month, nothing big or drastic. I wasn’t really doing anything to get the weight off though, so I wasn’t expecting any results. I was determined to get the weight off though, so I began walking during my 15 minute breaks at work. I didn’t change my eating habits for the first several months, but just adding the two walks for 15 minutes each time, I lost nearly 20 lbs in 4 months. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it really every little bit counts, and as I started feeling better about myself, and feeling like I was accomplishing something, I decided to change more of my life-style and become healthier. I then cut my dinner portions (dinner only) in half. My dad and I eat out a lot. I started asking for a box right when the meal came and cut the meal in half, usually putting the bigger half of the meal in the box to go for lunch the next day. Guess what? It worked. I started losing more weight. I lost another 35 lbs within 5 months. I wasn’t just losing weight though, I was dropping sizes. Once more, I decided I wanted more results, so I gave up soda, no diet sodas, no regular sodas, for caffeine, I drink tea, no diet teas either. I believe Aspartame is evil. I continued dropping weight, and in a little more than a year I had lost about 75 lbs. SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS!!!! I still can’t believe it sometimes.
I also started paying a LOT of attention to WHEN & WHY I was eating. What time was it? Was I hungry? Was I upset? These are questions I still ask myself before I eat. I try not to eat after 7 pm. Unless I know I am going to be up for at least 5 hours after eating. I make sure I’m hungry before I eat. If I’m not hungry, I don’t eat. Yes, it is that simple. It can be a little daunting at first, but it gets easier with time. I check my mood at the time I’m eating too, because if I’m eating out of anger, I could think that I’m hungry when really I’m angry or maybe depressed or both. Not a good time to eat. Generally, if I notice I’m in a “mood” or “funk” I stay away from anything food related. I would either pick up a book or walk or surf the web or pay attention to my cat, whatever would take my attention away from food. Generally, if you can think about something else for 20 minutes, the feeling goes away.
Now, this isn’t to say I’ve never caved in and gave into a craving or ate when I shouldn’t have. Sometimes things happen. The problems I had before while trying to lose weight the mentality of being “on a diet.” I felt deprived of certain foods, of whatever I wanted, it didn’t seem to be on the menu. In this case, I don’t feel that way. Why? I’m not on a diet. If I am craving something, I eat it. I just eat less of it. Let’s say I’m craving chocolate, instead of eating an entire chocolate bar, I eat a piece of the chocolate bar and save the rest for later. (Some trivia you may not know, when you crave chocolate, it’s your body’s way of telling you that you need magnesium).
You may be wondering exactly what I eat in order to lose weight. The answer is simple: I eat what I want. I just eat LESS of it than I would have before. Portions are the key. I still eat pizza, I just eat 2 slices and stop at that, I still eat cheeseburgers, but instead of the huge burger with extra cheese, I get the smaller version.
Something else that’s very important and probably the most difficult is self-confidence. The mirror was always one of my biggest enemies. I would look in the mirror and be completely disgusted with the way I looked. I got to a point where I stopped looking in the mirror altogether. I did figure out though, that didn’t help me. What did help was looking in the mirror directly in my own eyes and telling myself “I’m beautiful.” I would say things like “wow, look at your hair, it’s gorgeous,” or “look at your eyes, they are so deep and soulful.” I know it sounds funny, but it really does work. Also, if you’re a woman and don’t wear make-up, start. One of the ways I got myself to start looking in the mirror again was to start wearing make-up, not only did I feel better after the make-up was on, I got to look at myself and see that I wasn’t ugly at all. It amazes me now, how far I let myself spiral down.
I recently started going to a gym. A year ago, this never would’ve happened. I wasn’t ready a year ago. I didn’t feel confident enough in myself to think that I could. Physically, I wouldn’t have been able to handle being at the gym or on a treadmill. I still have more weight to lose before I’m where I want to be physically, but I set goals for myself and every year I work to achieve those goals. Last year was to lose 50 lbs and I exceeded that. This year is to lose 60 lbs and I’m hoping to exceed that too. At the gym I started simply, I would go in and start on the treadmill and walk for one mile, then that became easier so I would try for two miles, that too became easier, so I started messing with the incline, I would have a higher incline and lower speed or increase the speed and lower the incline, then I decided to start working on adding jogging in. Now I walk for 4 minutes and jog for a minute, then walk for 4 minutes and jog for a minute. I am working to be able to jog for at least 3 miles. Dr. Story nearly has me convinced to do a triathlon next year so it really gives me something to work toward.
I hope that this has at least inspired some confidence within you. I’ve lost about 80 lbs total since I started all of this and I feel so much better about myself. I know that you can do it too. Just remember to start small and don’t ever give up.”
Here’s her story…
“When I finally decided that I had to do something about my weight or I would die, I was at a really low point in my life. I was 26, weighed nearly (if not over) 300 lbs, was in a bad relationship that was going nowhere fast, in a job I was completely miserable but extremely good at and was just plain tired of life. I couldn’t even face myself in the mirror. The more depressed I got, the more problems and stressors that occurred, the more I ate. Food was my comfort.
The first step I took was to go to some group therapy sessions. I would recommend any type of group therapy for anyone. It is a huge relief to know that whatever you are going through, you aren’t the only one, that there are LOTS of people out there going through the same thing. Even if they aren’t your support group, or you don’t buy into everything that people say while in the group, it will still help. The group gave me the strength I needed to make some life-style changes, including moving away from my boyfriend and back in with my dad. This isn’t a solution for everyone, however, in my case, it was essential to move away.
Once I moved in with my dad, and got a job out here, I started noticing some changes in my weight. It was really small at first, a pound this month, maybe two pounds the next month, nothing big or drastic. I wasn’t really doing anything to get the weight off though, so I wasn’t expecting any results. I was determined to get the weight off though, so I began walking during my 15 minute breaks at work. I didn’t change my eating habits for the first several months, but just adding the two walks for 15 minutes each time, I lost nearly 20 lbs in 4 months. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it really every little bit counts, and as I started feeling better about myself, and feeling like I was accomplishing something, I decided to change more of my life-style and become healthier. I then cut my dinner portions (dinner only) in half. My dad and I eat out a lot. I started asking for a box right when the meal came and cut the meal in half, usually putting the bigger half of the meal in the box to go for lunch the next day. Guess what? It worked. I started losing more weight. I lost another 35 lbs within 5 months. I wasn’t just losing weight though, I was dropping sizes. Once more, I decided I wanted more results, so I gave up soda, no diet sodas, no regular sodas, for caffeine, I drink tea, no diet teas either. I believe Aspartame is evil. I continued dropping weight, and in a little more than a year I had lost about 75 lbs. SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS!!!! I still can’t believe it sometimes.
I also started paying a LOT of attention to WHEN & WHY I was eating. What time was it? Was I hungry? Was I upset? These are questions I still ask myself before I eat. I try not to eat after 7 pm. Unless I know I am going to be up for at least 5 hours after eating. I make sure I’m hungry before I eat. If I’m not hungry, I don’t eat. Yes, it is that simple. It can be a little daunting at first, but it gets easier with time. I check my mood at the time I’m eating too, because if I’m eating out of anger, I could think that I’m hungry when really I’m angry or maybe depressed or both. Not a good time to eat. Generally, if I notice I’m in a “mood” or “funk” I stay away from anything food related. I would either pick up a book or walk or surf the web or pay attention to my cat, whatever would take my attention away from food. Generally, if you can think about something else for 20 minutes, the feeling goes away.
Now, this isn’t to say I’ve never caved in and gave into a craving or ate when I shouldn’t have. Sometimes things happen. The problems I had before while trying to lose weight the mentality of being “on a diet.” I felt deprived of certain foods, of whatever I wanted, it didn’t seem to be on the menu. In this case, I don’t feel that way. Why? I’m not on a diet. If I am craving something, I eat it. I just eat less of it. Let’s say I’m craving chocolate, instead of eating an entire chocolate bar, I eat a piece of the chocolate bar and save the rest for later. (Some trivia you may not know, when you crave chocolate, it’s your body’s way of telling you that you need magnesium).
You may be wondering exactly what I eat in order to lose weight. The answer is simple: I eat what I want. I just eat LESS of it than I would have before. Portions are the key. I still eat pizza, I just eat 2 slices and stop at that, I still eat cheeseburgers, but instead of the huge burger with extra cheese, I get the smaller version.
Something else that’s very important and probably the most difficult is self-confidence. The mirror was always one of my biggest enemies. I would look in the mirror and be completely disgusted with the way I looked. I got to a point where I stopped looking in the mirror altogether. I did figure out though, that didn’t help me. What did help was looking in the mirror directly in my own eyes and telling myself “I’m beautiful.” I would say things like “wow, look at your hair, it’s gorgeous,” or “look at your eyes, they are so deep and soulful.” I know it sounds funny, but it really does work. Also, if you’re a woman and don’t wear make-up, start. One of the ways I got myself to start looking in the mirror again was to start wearing make-up, not only did I feel better after the make-up was on, I got to look at myself and see that I wasn’t ugly at all. It amazes me now, how far I let myself spiral down.
I recently started going to a gym. A year ago, this never would’ve happened. I wasn’t ready a year ago. I didn’t feel confident enough in myself to think that I could. Physically, I wouldn’t have been able to handle being at the gym or on a treadmill. I still have more weight to lose before I’m where I want to be physically, but I set goals for myself and every year I work to achieve those goals. Last year was to lose 50 lbs and I exceeded that. This year is to lose 60 lbs and I’m hoping to exceed that too. At the gym I started simply, I would go in and start on the treadmill and walk for one mile, then that became easier so I would try for two miles, that too became easier, so I started messing with the incline, I would have a higher incline and lower speed or increase the speed and lower the incline, then I decided to start working on adding jogging in. Now I walk for 4 minutes and jog for a minute, then walk for 4 minutes and jog for a minute. I am working to be able to jog for at least 3 miles. Dr. Story nearly has me convinced to do a triathlon next year so it really gives me something to work toward.
I hope that this has at least inspired some confidence within you. I’ve lost about 80 lbs total since I started all of this and I feel so much better about myself. I know that you can do it too. Just remember to start small and don’t ever give up.”
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Breaking the 10% rule of exercise
Here’s a good rule that will help you prevent injuries from exercise: Never increase the weight you lift or the number of reps by more than 10% per week. For example, if you were able to lift 100 pounds for three sets of 10, then next week you should only increase to 11 reps.
Many people will feel the need to increase the weight or reps radically. One week they will lift 100 pounds for 3 sets of 10, and the following week they will increase the weight to 130 pounds and force the same number of reps and sets. We do this thinking that the increased weight will stimulate better health or muscle, but it doesn’t.
The body can only adapt at a particular rate. If you try to overload what the body can handle, the tendons and muscles will fail. Usually this ends up as a tendonitis or muscle strain.
The interesting thing is that you may not feel the results of the injury until the next day. In many cases the body develops the injury over time. In this case it’s hard to pinpoint which workout caused the injury.
As a preventative measure I would recommend not breaking the 10% rule and build up slowly.
Many people will feel the need to increase the weight or reps radically. One week they will lift 100 pounds for 3 sets of 10, and the following week they will increase the weight to 130 pounds and force the same number of reps and sets. We do this thinking that the increased weight will stimulate better health or muscle, but it doesn’t.
The body can only adapt at a particular rate. If you try to overload what the body can handle, the tendons and muscles will fail. Usually this ends up as a tendonitis or muscle strain.
The interesting thing is that you may not feel the results of the injury until the next day. In many cases the body develops the injury over time. In this case it’s hard to pinpoint which workout caused the injury.
As a preventative measure I would recommend not breaking the 10% rule and build up slowly.
Heating pads. Free drugs. Everyone's got an opinion.
Not a week goes by that someone doesn't say this:
"I hurt myself lifting something. It hurt really bad. I put a heating pad on it and it felt good. My neighbor had surgery 5 years ago on his teeth and had some pain-killers that he still had. He gave them to me for free...he's such a nice neighbor. Well anyways, I was talking to another friend and they said I should hang upside down. Someone else said I should exercise more. My husband says that I'm tight in the hamstrings and that I should stretch."
Heating Pads
Stop heating injuries! When you injure yourself lifting something, there is swelling. I understand that heating pads FEEL good, but they increase the swelling. Usually, the next day you will feel worse and you won't connect the heating pad to the increased pain because it takes TIME to swell. Use ice.
Free Drugs
If you had a child that was offered narcotics from someone at school, you would flip out and make a big deal about it, wouldn't you? But somehow it's different when you're taking someone else's prescription drugs at work, isn't it? Never mind that the drugs are expired and have lost some of their effectiveness.
I have found that people hold onto drugs as if they were golden eggs (some of them cost that much). People keep antibiotics and narcotic drugs for years "just in case." It's the underground drug scene. If you need drugs, just announce to everyone at work that you have pain and you'll be shocked at how many people will just pull stuff out of their purses.
Stop taking prescription drugs that are not yours and that are expired.
Everyone's got an opinion
Everyone is an expert. The problem is that they may be knowledgable about themselves, but they haven't diagnosed YOU. That's because they can't. They mean well, but stop listening to everyone. I've had patients sprain a muscle and then find out that they started stretching the muscle because a coworker told them to. That's like having a tear in a paper and someone telling you to fix the tear you should pull on both ends of the paper.
Listen to someone that has some training in your condition. Listen to their opinion.
"I hurt myself lifting something. It hurt really bad. I put a heating pad on it and it felt good. My neighbor had surgery 5 years ago on his teeth and had some pain-killers that he still had. He gave them to me for free...he's such a nice neighbor. Well anyways, I was talking to another friend and they said I should hang upside down. Someone else said I should exercise more. My husband says that I'm tight in the hamstrings and that I should stretch."
Heating Pads
Stop heating injuries! When you injure yourself lifting something, there is swelling. I understand that heating pads FEEL good, but they increase the swelling. Usually, the next day you will feel worse and you won't connect the heating pad to the increased pain because it takes TIME to swell. Use ice.
Free Drugs
If you had a child that was offered narcotics from someone at school, you would flip out and make a big deal about it, wouldn't you? But somehow it's different when you're taking someone else's prescription drugs at work, isn't it? Never mind that the drugs are expired and have lost some of their effectiveness.
I have found that people hold onto drugs as if they were golden eggs (some of them cost that much). People keep antibiotics and narcotic drugs for years "just in case." It's the underground drug scene. If you need drugs, just announce to everyone at work that you have pain and you'll be shocked at how many people will just pull stuff out of their purses.
Stop taking prescription drugs that are not yours and that are expired.
Everyone's got an opinion
Everyone is an expert. The problem is that they may be knowledgable about themselves, but they haven't diagnosed YOU. That's because they can't. They mean well, but stop listening to everyone. I've had patients sprain a muscle and then find out that they started stretching the muscle because a coworker told them to. That's like having a tear in a paper and someone telling you to fix the tear you should pull on both ends of the paper.
Listen to someone that has some training in your condition. Listen to their opinion.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Is stretching a waste of time?
Stretching could help your pain, in certain cases. For most people, it's simply a waste of time.
Now I know that I will rustle a few feathers here. Many people believe that stretching is the nirvana of health…that if they could just touch their toes, their life would be so much better.
Maybe they bought into the idea in the 1970’s that stretching prevented injuries.
Some people will include 20-30 minutes of stretching into an hour and a half exercise routine. When questioned as to why they are stretching, they state that they are trying to prevent injuries. But their excises consist of walking on a treadmill, stairmaster, stationary bicycles or limited range of motion machines.
In these cases, there is virtually no risk of injuring a muscle or joint because you are never straining these structures.
If your workout consists of exercises similar to what I just mentioned, stretching will do nothing for you.
If you are trying to lose weight, you should spend your time doing an extra 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise rather than stretching.
When there’s limited time, I assume you’ll want to get the most out of your time. I’m sure you don’t want to spend time in a gym and achieve minimal results. You want to get the best results for the time spent, right?
Well stretching just is a waste of your time.
For example, if you are walking for exercise, and you walk for 30 minutes and then stretch afterwards for 20 minutes, you are spending 50 minutes of your precious time exercising. You would be better off just walking for the whole 50 minutes and ignoring the stretching.
No one gets injured walking. You won’t sprain your hamstring or pull a muscle or develop a tear in a muscle from such a benign exercise.
Now I know that I will rustle a few feathers here. Many people believe that stretching is the nirvana of health…that if they could just touch their toes, their life would be so much better.
Maybe they bought into the idea in the 1970’s that stretching prevented injuries.
Some people will include 20-30 minutes of stretching into an hour and a half exercise routine. When questioned as to why they are stretching, they state that they are trying to prevent injuries. But their excises consist of walking on a treadmill, stairmaster, stationary bicycles or limited range of motion machines.
In these cases, there is virtually no risk of injuring a muscle or joint because you are never straining these structures.
If your workout consists of exercises similar to what I just mentioned, stretching will do nothing for you.
If you are trying to lose weight, you should spend your time doing an extra 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise rather than stretching.
When there’s limited time, I assume you’ll want to get the most out of your time. I’m sure you don’t want to spend time in a gym and achieve minimal results. You want to get the best results for the time spent, right?
Well stretching just is a waste of your time.
For example, if you are walking for exercise, and you walk for 30 minutes and then stretch afterwards for 20 minutes, you are spending 50 minutes of your precious time exercising. You would be better off just walking for the whole 50 minutes and ignoring the stretching.
No one gets injured walking. You won’t sprain your hamstring or pull a muscle or develop a tear in a muscle from such a benign exercise.
Drugs that cause muscle pain
Drugs used for osteoporosis such as Fosamax and others like it (Actonel, Aredia, Boniva, Didronel, Reclast, Skelid and Zometa) have been liked with muscle pains.
The FDA has now issued information to doctors to relay to patients of the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint and muscle pain. The pain may occur within days, months, or years after starting these medications.
You can read about it at www.fda.gov/medwatch
The FDA has now issued information to doctors to relay to patients of the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint and muscle pain. The pain may occur within days, months, or years after starting these medications.
You can read about it at www.fda.gov/medwatch
Sunday, October 12, 2008
"Is this going to hurt?"
This is probably the most common question that patients never ask. If you could recall your first appointment with us, you probably wanted to ask it too.
Patients almost always want to know but will never verbalize their concerns.
What’s interesting is that there has been new research on the events that occur during a chiropractic adjustment. It seems that the results that we are looking for can be achieved in many different ways.
Ultimately, the goal is to restore normal range of motion to a joint. Traditional methods utilize force applied by the chiropractors’ hands to release pressure and tension that causes the limited range of motion. The advantage is that it works, but there is a fascinating thing that happens when the tension is released…there is a “pop” in the joint. The noise is a coming together of nitrogen bubbles inside the joint, kind of like opening a can of Coca-Cola after shaking it.
For some people, the popping scares them. They have images of bones snapping/braking etc. That’s a big misconception.
However, if we are able to divide the force of the adjustment into smaller, incremental forces over a longer period of time, you get the same result…increased range of motion.
The side issue of the “popping” does not occur during this slower adjustment.
So the profession has solved a concern that the public has. We’re still able to get great results, but now without the popping/twisting/touching portion.
You’d think people would be forming lines in our office, just waiting for this new technology. Some people are. This new technology that we have in our office, called the Arthrostim, has been awesome. Some people would have never considered seeing a chiropractor until they heard about this new style of adjusting.
On the other hand, it turns out some people don’t like the softer adjustment, stating that they don’t feel like anything was done. They almost need to hear a noise and feel something really move to know that something was done, regardless of the end result.
Nevertheless what is fascinating is how the various adjustments work. If one way doesn’t help you, another way might.
This is what makes practice fun and exciting. It’s like being a detective to learn what will work best for a particular patient.
Friday, October 10, 2008
FAQ's
Q: My father was told by his doctor that crunches are not good for your back. Is this true?
A: There’s actually one situation where crunches don’t help and that’s if your dad had a condition called a spondylolisthesis. With this condition, the lower vertebrae of the back have a chronic stress fracture. Patients with this condition often have more pain when they do crunches. However for the majority of people crunches are beneficial.
Q: What’s the sound during an adjustment?
A: Inside our joints are bubbles of nitrogen gases that come together when you distract or stretch a joint. When these bubbles come together, the pressure in the joint is released and it makes an echo. That’s where the sound comes from during a traditional chiropractic adjustment.
Q: How come you cringe and make a big deal when I say “crack?”
A: Because it’s not really a great description of what we do. The proper term is “adjustment.” I may cringe because I can just see people saying to their neighbor, “My chiropractor gives me crack and I feel much better.”
Saying the word “adjustment” sounds more intelligent when you talk to others. Surgeons don’t stab you, they make an incision. Chiropractors don’t crack you, they adjust you.
Q: How often are you going to do that Trigger Point class? I really want to go but the last two times it’s full.
A: We’re going to do it once per month. There’s a limit to how many people can come to it because we can only fit so many people in a room. Sign up early and you’ll get a spot.
Q: Why do you not accept some insurance companies?
A: Some insurance companies such as Medi-cal pay LESS than what it costs us to see the patient. It costs money to turn on the lights, pay staff, pay rent, etc. Some insurance companies have lowered their payments to insane prices that it’s not worth it anymore. Any business that doesn’t make a profit won’t last long. That’s why many doctors are simply not accepting patients with insurance companies that don’t pay. Would you open a business where it cost you a dime to make a product and a person would only pay a nickel for?
Q: I want to buy new running shoes. Which are the best?
A: There are different types of running shoes. There are motion control shoes that are built for heavier people with typically flatter arches. There’s a stability shoe for people with arches that exist when your foot is not on the ground but collapse when the foot is on the ground. Then there is the neutral shoe for people that are typically light and have a normal/high arch. All running shoe manufacturers make these types of shoes. Your decision shouldn’t be which brand you buy but rather the type of shoe…then you pick the brand.
Q: I just joined a gym that has spinning classes using exercise bicycles. Should I do that? Is it a good workout? Do I need the special shoes?
A: Spinning classes are hard. It’s a great workout and you don’t need to buy the special shoes just yet. See if you like the class first, then you can get the shoes with the cleats on the bottoms that lock your foot on the pedal. Once you feel the power with those, you’ll never look back.
Q: Do you think that science will develop technology that will solve back pain?
A: I’m not sure how they will do that as “back pain” can be caused by multiple things. Just as the common cold may have 150-plus viruses, they would have to come up with 150 different cures. I’m not holding my breath.
Q: What is decompression therapy?
A: It’s the new buzz word in chiropractic. It’s a traction table similar to tables that have been used for years within the profession. But now it’s computerized. There’s many ways to decompress a joint. This is just one way to do it.
A: There’s actually one situation where crunches don’t help and that’s if your dad had a condition called a spondylolisthesis. With this condition, the lower vertebrae of the back have a chronic stress fracture. Patients with this condition often have more pain when they do crunches. However for the majority of people crunches are beneficial.
Q: What’s the sound during an adjustment?
A: Inside our joints are bubbles of nitrogen gases that come together when you distract or stretch a joint. When these bubbles come together, the pressure in the joint is released and it makes an echo. That’s where the sound comes from during a traditional chiropractic adjustment.
Q: How come you cringe and make a big deal when I say “crack?”
A: Because it’s not really a great description of what we do. The proper term is “adjustment.” I may cringe because I can just see people saying to their neighbor, “My chiropractor gives me crack and I feel much better.”
Saying the word “adjustment” sounds more intelligent when you talk to others. Surgeons don’t stab you, they make an incision. Chiropractors don’t crack you, they adjust you.
Q: How often are you going to do that Trigger Point class? I really want to go but the last two times it’s full.
A: We’re going to do it once per month. There’s a limit to how many people can come to it because we can only fit so many people in a room. Sign up early and you’ll get a spot.
Q: Why do you not accept some insurance companies?
A: Some insurance companies such as Medi-cal pay LESS than what it costs us to see the patient. It costs money to turn on the lights, pay staff, pay rent, etc. Some insurance companies have lowered their payments to insane prices that it’s not worth it anymore. Any business that doesn’t make a profit won’t last long. That’s why many doctors are simply not accepting patients with insurance companies that don’t pay. Would you open a business where it cost you a dime to make a product and a person would only pay a nickel for?
Q: I want to buy new running shoes. Which are the best?
A: There are different types of running shoes. There are motion control shoes that are built for heavier people with typically flatter arches. There’s a stability shoe for people with arches that exist when your foot is not on the ground but collapse when the foot is on the ground. Then there is the neutral shoe for people that are typically light and have a normal/high arch. All running shoe manufacturers make these types of shoes. Your decision shouldn’t be which brand you buy but rather the type of shoe…then you pick the brand.
Q: I just joined a gym that has spinning classes using exercise bicycles. Should I do that? Is it a good workout? Do I need the special shoes?
A: Spinning classes are hard. It’s a great workout and you don’t need to buy the special shoes just yet. See if you like the class first, then you can get the shoes with the cleats on the bottoms that lock your foot on the pedal. Once you feel the power with those, you’ll never look back.
Q: Do you think that science will develop technology that will solve back pain?
A: I’m not sure how they will do that as “back pain” can be caused by multiple things. Just as the common cold may have 150-plus viruses, they would have to come up with 150 different cures. I’m not holding my breath.
Q: What is decompression therapy?
A: It’s the new buzz word in chiropractic. It’s a traction table similar to tables that have been used for years within the profession. But now it’s computerized. There’s many ways to decompress a joint. This is just one way to do it.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Sphenoid Pattern
The what?
There is a bone in your skull called the sphenoid bone. Its edges are located on both sides of your head near the temples.
The sphenoid bone is important because it connects with every other bone in the skull. Together with the back of the skull it forms a junction that acts like a pump to move cerebrospinal fluid throughout your nervous system. This fluid is important for delivering nutrients to the rest of the nervous system.
Damage to this junction can cause many different problems. The list is big: headaches, endocrine dysfunction, brain fog, disturbance of lacrimal and nasal glands, problems with drainage of the nasal cavities, and many other problems associated with the cranial nerves.
The pattern that we see is that once there is damage to the sphenoid, the occipital bone loses mobility too. The occipital bone is the bone that makes up the back of the head. This area protects the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination.
You can therefore see that the sphenoid pattern consisting of sphenoid and occiput damage can have many negative results in our health.
Due to the sensitivity of the bones, I like to use the Arthrostim instrument to adjust these areas. It’s easier than using my hands, less forceful and involves no twisting or cracking. Patients like it because it’s very gentle.
The bones can need adjustments from front to back or back to front. They can also go up or down and may need a counterclockwise or clockwise turn during the adjustment. The greater the specificity of the adjustment, the greater the results.
How we determine the direction of the adjustment is to assess the strain on the muscles in the back of the head. I will place my thumbs on the muscles and feel the tone or tightness of the muscles. Once I’ve got a picture of the tone of the muscles, I will then challenge or irritate one of the sphenoids and instantly recheck the tone. If I challenged the sphenoid forward and it resulted in greater tightness in the neck/head muscles, I know to adjust the sphenoid in the opposite direction. This way it will create more relaxation.
If I challenge the sphenoid bone and it results in no change in the tone of the head muscles, I know that everything is working fine there and I will then check another direction.
After the adjustment, patients will notice different things. Patients often feel a sense of expansion or “lightness.” Headaches and even some migraines may decrease. Patients also have noted that they feel a sense of calmness and relaxation.
Taking care of patients with sphenoid pattern problems is exciting and rewarding. It’s a blast to be able to help so many different problems with just a light touch.
There is a bone in your skull called the sphenoid bone. Its edges are located on both sides of your head near the temples.
The sphenoid bone is important because it connects with every other bone in the skull. Together with the back of the skull it forms a junction that acts like a pump to move cerebrospinal fluid throughout your nervous system. This fluid is important for delivering nutrients to the rest of the nervous system.
Damage to this junction can cause many different problems. The list is big: headaches, endocrine dysfunction, brain fog, disturbance of lacrimal and nasal glands, problems with drainage of the nasal cavities, and many other problems associated with the cranial nerves.
The pattern that we see is that once there is damage to the sphenoid, the occipital bone loses mobility too. The occipital bone is the bone that makes up the back of the head. This area protects the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination.
You can therefore see that the sphenoid pattern consisting of sphenoid and occiput damage can have many negative results in our health.
Due to the sensitivity of the bones, I like to use the Arthrostim instrument to adjust these areas. It’s easier than using my hands, less forceful and involves no twisting or cracking. Patients like it because it’s very gentle.
The bones can need adjustments from front to back or back to front. They can also go up or down and may need a counterclockwise or clockwise turn during the adjustment. The greater the specificity of the adjustment, the greater the results.
How we determine the direction of the adjustment is to assess the strain on the muscles in the back of the head. I will place my thumbs on the muscles and feel the tone or tightness of the muscles. Once I’ve got a picture of the tone of the muscles, I will then challenge or irritate one of the sphenoids and instantly recheck the tone. If I challenged the sphenoid forward and it resulted in greater tightness in the neck/head muscles, I know to adjust the sphenoid in the opposite direction. This way it will create more relaxation.
If I challenge the sphenoid bone and it results in no change in the tone of the head muscles, I know that everything is working fine there and I will then check another direction.
After the adjustment, patients will notice different things. Patients often feel a sense of expansion or “lightness.” Headaches and even some migraines may decrease. Patients also have noted that they feel a sense of calmness and relaxation.
Taking care of patients with sphenoid pattern problems is exciting and rewarding. It’s a blast to be able to help so many different problems with just a light touch.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Interesting questions that patients ask
“Don’t you have to take an x-ray to know if the bones are misaligned?”
Lately, I’ve gotten this question a lot. It seems that many patients want to be x-rayed to find out if they have “misalignment.” They understand the body as a series of bones that are in alignment and when they have pain, they are out of alignment. The body is not that simple.
Signs of damage to the spine include swelling, muscle spasm, weakness of other muscles, stiffness of the joints, and tenderness.
Ironically, none of these signs are found on an x-ray.
It is common in medical practice to x-ray everyone to simply CYA. A study years ago found that of the thousands of x-rays performed, less than 1% altered the treatment plan for the patient.
“You mean bones don’t “misalign?”
When you get injured, the bones of your spine are NOT popping over to a different location.
Just like a child that witnesses new skin grow underneath a bandaid, and then assumes the bandaid grew new skin, we assume that an adjustment “puts the bone back in” when we hear it pop.
Bones don’t misalign…the soft tissue that supports it gets less elastic and stiff. This restricts the movement of the joints. The adjustment restores normal movement and improves the elasticity of the ligaments and muscles that surround the area.
Because of the risk of radiation, the lack of benefit to the patient, the inability to find the true soft tissue damage, and the success of soft tissue therapies, we very seldom x-ray a patient.
“Why do a get a bill from your office three months after I finished treatment?”
We send out bills every two weeks to the insurance companies. The insurance company has up to 45 working days to respond to our bill. Then they process it sending us a response. Once we get it we send you a bill immediately, but this process can take up to two months at best.
Some insurance companies are faster than others. Medicare for example consistently runs behind whereas blue cross tends to be the fastest.
“I know you told me to put ice on it, but I put heat on it. Is that okay?”
This is always the funniest question I get. Not a week goes by that I’m not asked this. The patient is often trying to get me to buy into the idea that heat was okay.
The answer is that it’s not okay.
I find it fascinating that professional athletic teams used ice for injuries, but the general public is hurting.
Pro athletes are functioning at their peak; the public is hurting and always looking for a miracle. Hmm.
The secret is that in order to heal, you’ve got to know what to do. When you overstretch a ligament, pull a muscle, over exercise, etc you create inflammation.
Ice reduces inflammation. Heat makes more inflammation.
“What about anti-inflammatories?”
That’s always the next question. The research on the subject is that things like aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs do reduce inflammation but reduce the collagen formation necessary to properly heal the injury. You’ve reduced the inflammation, but it will take longer to heal.
Again…you’ve seen million dollar per year athletes with their dream-team medical staff, the lawyers, the agent, and the trainers all surrounding them. What do they have on their shoulder after throwing the game winning pitch? An ice pack. Makes you kind of wonder doesn’t it?
Maybe they’re on to something.
Lately, I’ve gotten this question a lot. It seems that many patients want to be x-rayed to find out if they have “misalignment.” They understand the body as a series of bones that are in alignment and when they have pain, they are out of alignment. The body is not that simple.
Signs of damage to the spine include swelling, muscle spasm, weakness of other muscles, stiffness of the joints, and tenderness.
Ironically, none of these signs are found on an x-ray.
It is common in medical practice to x-ray everyone to simply CYA. A study years ago found that of the thousands of x-rays performed, less than 1% altered the treatment plan for the patient.
“You mean bones don’t “misalign?”
When you get injured, the bones of your spine are NOT popping over to a different location.
Just like a child that witnesses new skin grow underneath a bandaid, and then assumes the bandaid grew new skin, we assume that an adjustment “puts the bone back in” when we hear it pop.
Bones don’t misalign…the soft tissue that supports it gets less elastic and stiff. This restricts the movement of the joints. The adjustment restores normal movement and improves the elasticity of the ligaments and muscles that surround the area.
Because of the risk of radiation, the lack of benefit to the patient, the inability to find the true soft tissue damage, and the success of soft tissue therapies, we very seldom x-ray a patient.
“Why do a get a bill from your office three months after I finished treatment?”
We send out bills every two weeks to the insurance companies. The insurance company has up to 45 working days to respond to our bill. Then they process it sending us a response. Once we get it we send you a bill immediately, but this process can take up to two months at best.
Some insurance companies are faster than others. Medicare for example consistently runs behind whereas blue cross tends to be the fastest.
“I know you told me to put ice on it, but I put heat on it. Is that okay?”
This is always the funniest question I get. Not a week goes by that I’m not asked this. The patient is often trying to get me to buy into the idea that heat was okay.
The answer is that it’s not okay.
I find it fascinating that professional athletic teams used ice for injuries, but the general public is hurting.
Pro athletes are functioning at their peak; the public is hurting and always looking for a miracle. Hmm.
The secret is that in order to heal, you’ve got to know what to do. When you overstretch a ligament, pull a muscle, over exercise, etc you create inflammation.
Ice reduces inflammation. Heat makes more inflammation.
“What about anti-inflammatories?”
That’s always the next question. The research on the subject is that things like aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs do reduce inflammation but reduce the collagen formation necessary to properly heal the injury. You’ve reduced the inflammation, but it will take longer to heal.
Again…you’ve seen million dollar per year athletes with their dream-team medical staff, the lawyers, the agent, and the trainers all surrounding them. What do they have on their shoulder after throwing the game winning pitch? An ice pack. Makes you kind of wonder doesn’t it?
Maybe they’re on to something.
Should I stretch?
Most people when realizing that they can’t touch their toes come to grips with the fact that they may need to stretch. In some cases flexibility can cause lower back pain. I will isolate this discussion to the times that it DOES cause lower back pain and in the next newsletter I will tell you when stretching is a waste of time.
While looking into a full-length mirror if you were to bend down to touch your toes, if you notice that your lower back is not 90 degrees to the ground, you will benefit from stretching. What happens is that if the back of your legs are inflexible, your lower back will get strained repeatedly when you bend forward. Repeated sprains to your back can lead to early stage arthritis and decay of the discs. This is the reason why you want to stretch.
To improve the length of the back of the legs, it is important to stretch a little bit seven days a week than to stretch aggressively but infrequently.
To stretch the back of the leg without harming the lower back, you need to learn to bend from the hip. The position to do this is either standing with the stretched leg up on a chair, or lying on your back and pulling the leg up to the sky.
If you hold this position for 60 seconds in a relaxed position, you will find that over time you will gain greater flexibility.
How long does it take to get “flexible?”
For some people it can take forever because of the elasticity of their entire body. Most people will notice a difference in flexibility within two weeks. It’s important to stretch daily if you want to get quick results. In addition to this, you must continuously stretch in order to maintain the flexibility.
While looking into a full-length mirror if you were to bend down to touch your toes, if you notice that your lower back is not 90 degrees to the ground, you will benefit from stretching. What happens is that if the back of your legs are inflexible, your lower back will get strained repeatedly when you bend forward. Repeated sprains to your back can lead to early stage arthritis and decay of the discs. This is the reason why you want to stretch.
To improve the length of the back of the legs, it is important to stretch a little bit seven days a week than to stretch aggressively but infrequently.
To stretch the back of the leg without harming the lower back, you need to learn to bend from the hip. The position to do this is either standing with the stretched leg up on a chair, or lying on your back and pulling the leg up to the sky.
If you hold this position for 60 seconds in a relaxed position, you will find that over time you will gain greater flexibility.
How long does it take to get “flexible?”
For some people it can take forever because of the elasticity of their entire body. Most people will notice a difference in flexibility within two weeks. It’s important to stretch daily if you want to get quick results. In addition to this, you must continuously stretch in order to maintain the flexibility.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
How should I lift something off the ground?
What you are asking is "how should I deadlift?"
You can properly lift things by training yourself to lift progressively heavier things off the ground...by practicing deadlifts.
You probably don’t see yourself deadlifting tons of weight, but I will guarantee you this- you’re already doing it. If you are lifting groceries out of the back of your car, lifting children, or doing anything that involves picking things up, you’re doing the deadlift.
The deadlift is where you will grab something off the floor and lift it up to the middle of your thigh.
Since we never workout with the idea of improving our ability to lift things, when we do lift something, we get injured. We’ve simply not trained the muscles to do that.
Deadlifting can be taught very quickly and your skill level can improve relatively quickly. Then you can add weight and begin the process of getting A LOT stronger.
While most exercises have very little application in the real world, the deadlift helps you avoid injury and gain strength for the things you do every day.
Compare the deadlift with leg extensions in the gym. When do we really sit down in a chair and have to raise our leg in real life? Never. Yet when do we have to pick up something from the ground? Almost everyday.
Most “weekend warriors” and weekend injuries are lifting types of injuries. The deadlift can help avoid these.
Many people feel that since lifting causes injuries, that they avoid lifting all together. This is a bad idea because that further causes shrinkage of the muscles and further weakness. When it becomes necessary to lift the simplest of things (a grandchild, a box of laundry soap, children’s socks off the floor, etc) we get injured.
While it is easier to show you how to do it, here are some tips on how to train properly.
Here’s a checklist:
Look up; don’t look down at what you are lifting.
Keep the spine as straight as possible.
Lift using the buttock and thigh muscles, driving the heels into the floor when lifting.
Keep whatever you are lifting close to your body, not outstretched.
You can properly lift things by training yourself to lift progressively heavier things off the ground...by practicing deadlifts.
You probably don’t see yourself deadlifting tons of weight, but I will guarantee you this- you’re already doing it. If you are lifting groceries out of the back of your car, lifting children, or doing anything that involves picking things up, you’re doing the deadlift.
The deadlift is where you will grab something off the floor and lift it up to the middle of your thigh.
Since we never workout with the idea of improving our ability to lift things, when we do lift something, we get injured. We’ve simply not trained the muscles to do that.
Deadlifting can be taught very quickly and your skill level can improve relatively quickly. Then you can add weight and begin the process of getting A LOT stronger.
While most exercises have very little application in the real world, the deadlift helps you avoid injury and gain strength for the things you do every day.
Compare the deadlift with leg extensions in the gym. When do we really sit down in a chair and have to raise our leg in real life? Never. Yet when do we have to pick up something from the ground? Almost everyday.
Most “weekend warriors” and weekend injuries are lifting types of injuries. The deadlift can help avoid these.
Many people feel that since lifting causes injuries, that they avoid lifting all together. This is a bad idea because that further causes shrinkage of the muscles and further weakness. When it becomes necessary to lift the simplest of things (a grandchild, a box of laundry soap, children’s socks off the floor, etc) we get injured.
While it is easier to show you how to do it, here are some tips on how to train properly.
Here’s a checklist:
Look up; don’t look down at what you are lifting.
Keep the spine as straight as possible.
Lift using the buttock and thigh muscles, driving the heels into the floor when lifting.
Keep whatever you are lifting close to your body, not outstretched.
Your questions, our answers
Q: Why does retracing have to occur?
A: People are sick with chronic conditions. Retracing allows deeper healing and offers that opportunity for it to occur. It especially offers hope for those conditions related to stress.
Q: How will I know if I am retracing?
A: Your body will have old injuries that will resurface and then go away just as quickly. Emotionally you may experience thoughts and feelings that you haven’t felt in a long time. You may have been suppressing them and your body physically expresses the tension in your neck and shoulders. You may notice after retracing that the tension no long causes the neck pain.
Q: Does retracing occur if I’m taking medication?
A: Not really. It’s hard for your body to express itself if you’re constantly suppressing it.
Q: Do other forms of healing acknowledge retracing?
A: Yes. Think of religious healing, cleansing, etc. While this is much different than what we’re talking about, it’s the same idea.
People have never fully “healed” from a traumatic religious or emotional problem without going back, and mentally/physically resolving problems of the past.
You have to reverse the condition. It has to go backwards. Retracing is well understood in acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, Chinese medicine, etc.
Q: Are some conditions too far gone to heal?
A: Yes. Some conditions are beyond improvement. That’s why it’s important to catch things early. I wish I could tell you that in all cases, it’s never too late, but that’s untrue.
Q: I don’t see as many pictures of your kids in the office anymore. What gives?
A: We need a faster lens. They’re too fast. Andrew now has a skateboard and he’s getting pretty good at riding it. He’s my 5 year old. Emily is 8 years old and she’s constantly dancing. She’s in cinemagic and loves her high school musical CD. By the end of the day, we’ve forgotten to take pictures.
Q: What book is a good book on diet?
A: The Zone Diet by Barry Sears. The guy is a genius.
Q: Are they fixing your building? When will they finish with construction?
A: We get this question a lot. I have no idea. They are working on it. Evidently the city is very strict on what is allowed and not allowed. I guess there’s a lot more city codes than the new owners realized.
Q: What’s the worst case you’ve ever seen?
A: I had a patient once that had a spinal scoliosis surgery where there were metal rods placed in the spine from her shoulders to her buttocks. She went to Magic Mountain and one of the rods broke while she was on a roller coaster. Surprisingly, she wasn’t in a lot of pain, but we referred her out and she had to have the rods removed.
Q: I’ve heard you mention that you shouldn’t drink cold drinks. Why?
A: Our body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Pouring cold drinks into our body requires a strain on our internal organs to warm up the liquid. Drinking luke warm water is healthier because it requires less energy of our body to absorb. If you think about it, when you go to the doctor, they measure your temperature as if it were something vital. That’s why they call it your vitals. When it comes to nutritional information, we almost throw away common sense. Your body should not be constantly fighting to maintain the core temperature every time we drink.
Q: Why does stress cause pain?
A: Stress causes chemical imbalances that lower the threshold of the pain-sensitive nerves in our body. So there’s a real reason why pain and stress go hand in hand.
A: People are sick with chronic conditions. Retracing allows deeper healing and offers that opportunity for it to occur. It especially offers hope for those conditions related to stress.
Q: How will I know if I am retracing?
A: Your body will have old injuries that will resurface and then go away just as quickly. Emotionally you may experience thoughts and feelings that you haven’t felt in a long time. You may have been suppressing them and your body physically expresses the tension in your neck and shoulders. You may notice after retracing that the tension no long causes the neck pain.
Q: Does retracing occur if I’m taking medication?
A: Not really. It’s hard for your body to express itself if you’re constantly suppressing it.
Q: Do other forms of healing acknowledge retracing?
A: Yes. Think of religious healing, cleansing, etc. While this is much different than what we’re talking about, it’s the same idea.
People have never fully “healed” from a traumatic religious or emotional problem without going back, and mentally/physically resolving problems of the past.
You have to reverse the condition. It has to go backwards. Retracing is well understood in acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, Chinese medicine, etc.
Q: Are some conditions too far gone to heal?
A: Yes. Some conditions are beyond improvement. That’s why it’s important to catch things early. I wish I could tell you that in all cases, it’s never too late, but that’s untrue.
Q: I don’t see as many pictures of your kids in the office anymore. What gives?
A: We need a faster lens. They’re too fast. Andrew now has a skateboard and he’s getting pretty good at riding it. He’s my 5 year old. Emily is 8 years old and she’s constantly dancing. She’s in cinemagic and loves her high school musical CD. By the end of the day, we’ve forgotten to take pictures.
Q: What book is a good book on diet?
A: The Zone Diet by Barry Sears. The guy is a genius.
Q: Are they fixing your building? When will they finish with construction?
A: We get this question a lot. I have no idea. They are working on it. Evidently the city is very strict on what is allowed and not allowed. I guess there’s a lot more city codes than the new owners realized.
Q: What’s the worst case you’ve ever seen?
A: I had a patient once that had a spinal scoliosis surgery where there were metal rods placed in the spine from her shoulders to her buttocks. She went to Magic Mountain and one of the rods broke while she was on a roller coaster. Surprisingly, she wasn’t in a lot of pain, but we referred her out and she had to have the rods removed.
Q: I’ve heard you mention that you shouldn’t drink cold drinks. Why?
A: Our body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Pouring cold drinks into our body requires a strain on our internal organs to warm up the liquid. Drinking luke warm water is healthier because it requires less energy of our body to absorb. If you think about it, when you go to the doctor, they measure your temperature as if it were something vital. That’s why they call it your vitals. When it comes to nutritional information, we almost throw away common sense. Your body should not be constantly fighting to maintain the core temperature every time we drink.
Q: Why does stress cause pain?
A: Stress causes chemical imbalances that lower the threshold of the pain-sensitive nerves in our body. So there’s a real reason why pain and stress go hand in hand.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Retracing and Pain
A healing phenomenon known as retracing occurs when old physical and/or emotional problems “come to the surface” during healing.
As we adjust you there can be times when you will feel pain in places you have not felt in years. Then the pain will mysteriously disappear the next day.
After cranial adjusting, feelings of lightness, happiness, depression, or sadness may occur. You may experience weird dreams that night, experiencing a negative event that may have happened years ago. Other people may sleep a lot better as this is a sign of deep rest.
These examples are considered cleansing to the body by many holistic doctors.
Retracing is a healthy response
As your body is retracing you may be concerned because we are all taught that symptoms are bad.
Some events in your body are not considered “bad.” As your body goes through a flashback of an old injury it’s best to let it ride its course rather than stop the symptom from happening. In our society it seems that there is a pill to stop every symptom, but sometimes it’s best to let the symptom run the course.
Physical Retracing
A good example of this is a patient that damages his ankle years ago and develops a slight limp. This limp leads to stress in the ligaments of his lower back and he then develops lower back pain.
So he goes to a chiropractor and the chiropractor corrects the back, but then the ankle begins to ache for a day. This is an example of retracing. It’s almost like the body has to reverse the history of the original injury.
Emotional Retracing
Another example of retracing would be where a person has tension in the shoulders and neck. They may have felt this ever since a spouse past away and the resulting stress they felt. Over time this can become extremely painful, causing headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain.
So they go to a chiropractor. The chiropractor releases the tension in the upper neck and cranial bones and as soon as there is the release, the patient begins to cry. Later that night they have the most vivid dream about their spouse. This is an example of the emotional release and retracing that occurs in “letting go” to help the pain.
Retracing is uncommon in medical practice
The reason it rarely occurs in a medical practice is because holistic chiropractic practices use methods that will permit the body to express and rebalance itself. This allows the body to increase physiological and emotional functions.
In a medical practice the goal is to suppress the physical expression of physiology…that is to stop the pain of the condition. If retracing did occur and you were sad or depressed…there’s drug for that. If you can’t sleep…there’s a drug for that. If your joints ache…there’s a drug for that. Get the idea?
As we adjust you there can be times when you will feel pain in places you have not felt in years. Then the pain will mysteriously disappear the next day.
After cranial adjusting, feelings of lightness, happiness, depression, or sadness may occur. You may experience weird dreams that night, experiencing a negative event that may have happened years ago. Other people may sleep a lot better as this is a sign of deep rest.
These examples are considered cleansing to the body by many holistic doctors.
Retracing is a healthy response
As your body is retracing you may be concerned because we are all taught that symptoms are bad.
Some events in your body are not considered “bad.” As your body goes through a flashback of an old injury it’s best to let it ride its course rather than stop the symptom from happening. In our society it seems that there is a pill to stop every symptom, but sometimes it’s best to let the symptom run the course.
Physical Retracing
A good example of this is a patient that damages his ankle years ago and develops a slight limp. This limp leads to stress in the ligaments of his lower back and he then develops lower back pain.
So he goes to a chiropractor and the chiropractor corrects the back, but then the ankle begins to ache for a day. This is an example of retracing. It’s almost like the body has to reverse the history of the original injury.
Emotional Retracing
Another example of retracing would be where a person has tension in the shoulders and neck. They may have felt this ever since a spouse past away and the resulting stress they felt. Over time this can become extremely painful, causing headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain.
So they go to a chiropractor. The chiropractor releases the tension in the upper neck and cranial bones and as soon as there is the release, the patient begins to cry. Later that night they have the most vivid dream about their spouse. This is an example of the emotional release and retracing that occurs in “letting go” to help the pain.
Retracing is uncommon in medical practice
The reason it rarely occurs in a medical practice is because holistic chiropractic practices use methods that will permit the body to express and rebalance itself. This allows the body to increase physiological and emotional functions.
In a medical practice the goal is to suppress the physical expression of physiology…that is to stop the pain of the condition. If retracing did occur and you were sad or depressed…there’s drug for that. If you can’t sleep…there’s a drug for that. If your joints ache…there’s a drug for that. Get the idea?
Waiting for doctors, getting stood up and waiting in line
We are always trying to figure out whether to double book patients or schedule them based upon time required for treatment.
Lately we have had many patients just drop in. This presents a problem as that we are not prepared at times to handle the overload. I’ve only got two hands! During times where it is slow, it doesn’t present as a problem and then that gives the impression that it can be done at any time.
Some have even dropped in and been rather upset that they weren’t immediately given a room. We’ve recently had a number of patients just walk in and complain that there was a wait and storm out. Jeez. What are we supposed to do?
Maybe this has been our fault. We didn’t explain that there would be a wait. There are certain times of the day that are busier than others. Those are not the times to just drop in. Call first and let us know you’re coming in. We’re not an urgent care/walk-in/open 24 hours clinic.
The other thing that we can’t prepare for is the number of “no-shows.” It would be better if people called and let us know they weren’t coming in, but they don’t. We’re expecting them, have their chart ready, sectioned off time for them and we’re stood up. This happens 8-10 times per day sometimes.
Our solution to this is to schedule patients and see them first. All walk-ins will be squeezed in if time allows. It’s like waiting in line at Disneyland. It’s better to make an appointment. If people show, there will be a wait, if they don’t we run on time.
The best solution for you is to schedule an appointment and let us know if you can’t make it. Call us. It helps you and helps us help you.
Lately we have had many patients just drop in. This presents a problem as that we are not prepared at times to handle the overload. I’ve only got two hands! During times where it is slow, it doesn’t present as a problem and then that gives the impression that it can be done at any time.
Some have even dropped in and been rather upset that they weren’t immediately given a room. We’ve recently had a number of patients just walk in and complain that there was a wait and storm out. Jeez. What are we supposed to do?
Maybe this has been our fault. We didn’t explain that there would be a wait. There are certain times of the day that are busier than others. Those are not the times to just drop in. Call first and let us know you’re coming in. We’re not an urgent care/walk-in/open 24 hours clinic.
The other thing that we can’t prepare for is the number of “no-shows.” It would be better if people called and let us know they weren’t coming in, but they don’t. We’re expecting them, have their chart ready, sectioned off time for them and we’re stood up. This happens 8-10 times per day sometimes.
Our solution to this is to schedule patients and see them first. All walk-ins will be squeezed in if time allows. It’s like waiting in line at Disneyland. It’s better to make an appointment. If people show, there will be a wait, if they don’t we run on time.
The best solution for you is to schedule an appointment and let us know if you can’t make it. Call us. It helps you and helps us help you.
Great success with Cold Laser Therapy
Weekly the cold laser amazes me more and more. We have patients that are able to heal in half the time from traumatic soft tissue injuries.
Since our focus is on healing soft tissue injuries often related to sports injuries, the cold laser therapy has been an amazing asset to helping patients.
Falls and strains that result in bruising and swelling respond the quickest to cold laser therapy. Patients are often amazed how much better they feel after just 1-2 visits.
It has literally put ice and ultrasound into “obsolete land.”
If you ever have a sudden injury, make sure to ask for cold laser therapy.
Since our focus is on healing soft tissue injuries often related to sports injuries, the cold laser therapy has been an amazing asset to helping patients.
Falls and strains that result in bruising and swelling respond the quickest to cold laser therapy. Patients are often amazed how much better they feel after just 1-2 visits.
It has literally put ice and ultrasound into “obsolete land.”
If you ever have a sudden injury, make sure to ask for cold laser therapy.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Is the bench press the same as a push up?
In this blog I will try to persuade you to stop doing the bench press in the gym and start doing push ups instead.
The goal is to protect your shoulders from unnecessary surgery.
February is an interesting time in my practice. People that joined gyms in January have been working out for about 6 weeks. They are starting to increase the amount of weight they lift and their shoulders are starting to bother them.
While the push up and the bench press look similar in terms of the arm motion, they are very different in terms of the shoulder muscles.
The bench press is notorious for causing injuries to the shoulders. There’s a reason why.
When you lye on your back many muscles that are used to stabilize the shoulder joint become inactive. This causes the rotator cuff muscles to take up the slack. As a result, you develop rotator cuff tendonitis and tears.
When you are lifting weights, particularly the bench press, the ego gets involved and there is a need to continuously increase the weight. Muscles and our ego can lift a lot more weight than our tendons. Tendons adapt slower than the muscles. That’s why it is recommended that you increase the weight slowly over a number of months. Many people believe that if they lift larger weights, they will improve faster. This is a mistake. These same people are usually in my office complaining of achy shoulders.
In contrast, by simply being in the push up position, many more muscles are involved regarding the shoulder. The muscles that stabilize the shoulder lock the joint within its socket and there is less strain on the rotator cuff muscles.
It’s fascinating that some of these muscles involve our abdominal muscles, lower back muscles, and one muscle in particular called the lastissimus dorsi. This muscle connects from your pelvis and your lumbar fascia to the front of the shoulder joint. It functions during the push up as a stabilizer, but is inactive during the bench press.
The greatest advantage of the push up is that we don’t feel that we have to lift the weight of the world. Our ego doesn’t get involved like it does with the bench press.
Try just once doing as many push ups as you can. You might be surprised how hard they are. In fact, most people can’t do a single one.
In those cases, it is best to start with doing them against a couch or the kitchen counter and building from there.
If push ups are too easy, you can use a soccer or basketball and do push ups trying to balance on the ball.
To build up to doing one armed push ups, you can alternate the ball from one side to the other, developing the ability to do one armed push ups.
You can also do clapping push ups where you push up forcefully and clap in between each repetition.
The point is that there are a lot of ways to make the push up difficult without the risk of the bench press.
The greatest benefit of the push up is that you stay out of the surgeons’ office. Building muscle but tearing a tendon in the process doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.
For information regarding various exercises, you can ask me or go to www.crossfit.com and learn them yourself.
The goal is to protect your shoulders from unnecessary surgery.
February is an interesting time in my practice. People that joined gyms in January have been working out for about 6 weeks. They are starting to increase the amount of weight they lift and their shoulders are starting to bother them.
While the push up and the bench press look similar in terms of the arm motion, they are very different in terms of the shoulder muscles.
The bench press is notorious for causing injuries to the shoulders. There’s a reason why.
When you lye on your back many muscles that are used to stabilize the shoulder joint become inactive. This causes the rotator cuff muscles to take up the slack. As a result, you develop rotator cuff tendonitis and tears.
When you are lifting weights, particularly the bench press, the ego gets involved and there is a need to continuously increase the weight. Muscles and our ego can lift a lot more weight than our tendons. Tendons adapt slower than the muscles. That’s why it is recommended that you increase the weight slowly over a number of months. Many people believe that if they lift larger weights, they will improve faster. This is a mistake. These same people are usually in my office complaining of achy shoulders.
In contrast, by simply being in the push up position, many more muscles are involved regarding the shoulder. The muscles that stabilize the shoulder lock the joint within its socket and there is less strain on the rotator cuff muscles.
It’s fascinating that some of these muscles involve our abdominal muscles, lower back muscles, and one muscle in particular called the lastissimus dorsi. This muscle connects from your pelvis and your lumbar fascia to the front of the shoulder joint. It functions during the push up as a stabilizer, but is inactive during the bench press.
The greatest advantage of the push up is that we don’t feel that we have to lift the weight of the world. Our ego doesn’t get involved like it does with the bench press.
Try just once doing as many push ups as you can. You might be surprised how hard they are. In fact, most people can’t do a single one.
In those cases, it is best to start with doing them against a couch or the kitchen counter and building from there.
If push ups are too easy, you can use a soccer or basketball and do push ups trying to balance on the ball.
To build up to doing one armed push ups, you can alternate the ball from one side to the other, developing the ability to do one armed push ups.
You can also do clapping push ups where you push up forcefully and clap in between each repetition.
The point is that there are a lot of ways to make the push up difficult without the risk of the bench press.
The greatest benefit of the push up is that you stay out of the surgeons’ office. Building muscle but tearing a tendon in the process doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.
For information regarding various exercises, you can ask me or go to www.crossfit.com and learn them yourself.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Do I have a PANIC pattern?
I have studied and learned a new way to help patients deal with stress utilizing the new mechanical adjusting instrument.
We are able to locate and correct structural changes in your body that are involved in the stress response.
Have you ever asked me why your spine doesn’t stay in good alignment? Do you think stress has something to do with it?
For most people stress becomes chronic- it doesn’t let up. It causes pain in the neck, shoulders and stomach. It gives you headaches, depression and the shakes.
Stress can also have serious affects on our body. Stress hormones can build up in our body and you can feel anxious, over-reactive, irritable and aggressive. These hormones can weaken our immune system and we are left with less energy.
All of these problems can affect your current pain. Now we have a better way to deal with it.
How we help your body deal with stress is check the posture for locked structural areas. Every case is unique but there are 4 common areas that get locked:
Coccyx bone- The coccyx bone is also known as the tailbone. Often the tailbone will go forward with stress. This is a natural response to stress, but should not become chronic. This is just like any other animal. Think of a puppy that’s scared…the tail goes between the legs. Same thing happens to us.
Sternum- The breastbone goes up. This is a natural response to stress. Think of a person that hyperventilates. They breathe by raising their chest. When this happens, you may feel like you have panic attacks and have trouble breathing. When we correct this chronic issue and unlock this pattern, people notice an immediate improvement in the ability to breath.
Pelvis/hips- This goes along with the tailbone. It’s a protective mechanism for the body that is a “flight-or-flight” type of response.
Voice box- your voice box will raise up in your neck. People will often have trouble breathing,
swallowing, eating, talking, and feel hoarse.
We can adjust these areas gently with the Arthrostim instrument. This is a mechanical instrument that lightly “taps” these areas to improved positions.
The key to improving how your body responds to stress is for you to think about your stress DURING the adjustments. This unlocks its hold on your body.
After the adjustments some patients will feel an overall sense of relaxation. Some patients are able to “let go” of bad situations and will feel like crying. Others will notice more energy because their body’s energy is no longer locked in a pattern of panic.
The final result of the treatment is your body that is free from the locked pattern of being in a panic mode. You will still have stress in your life. The main thing that will change is your body’s ability to handle stress. Your body will not become locked when stress happens.
Your body is then free to respond to the stress in a normal fashion and move on.
We are able to locate and correct structural changes in your body that are involved in the stress response.
Have you ever asked me why your spine doesn’t stay in good alignment? Do you think stress has something to do with it?
For most people stress becomes chronic- it doesn’t let up. It causes pain in the neck, shoulders and stomach. It gives you headaches, depression and the shakes.
Stress can also have serious affects on our body. Stress hormones can build up in our body and you can feel anxious, over-reactive, irritable and aggressive. These hormones can weaken our immune system and we are left with less energy.
All of these problems can affect your current pain. Now we have a better way to deal with it.
How we help your body deal with stress is check the posture for locked structural areas. Every case is unique but there are 4 common areas that get locked:
Coccyx bone- The coccyx bone is also known as the tailbone. Often the tailbone will go forward with stress. This is a natural response to stress, but should not become chronic. This is just like any other animal. Think of a puppy that’s scared…the tail goes between the legs. Same thing happens to us.
Sternum- The breastbone goes up. This is a natural response to stress. Think of a person that hyperventilates. They breathe by raising their chest. When this happens, you may feel like you have panic attacks and have trouble breathing. When we correct this chronic issue and unlock this pattern, people notice an immediate improvement in the ability to breath.
Pelvis/hips- This goes along with the tailbone. It’s a protective mechanism for the body that is a “flight-or-flight” type of response.
Voice box- your voice box will raise up in your neck. People will often have trouble breathing,
swallowing, eating, talking, and feel hoarse.
We can adjust these areas gently with the Arthrostim instrument. This is a mechanical instrument that lightly “taps” these areas to improved positions.
The key to improving how your body responds to stress is for you to think about your stress DURING the adjustments. This unlocks its hold on your body.
After the adjustments some patients will feel an overall sense of relaxation. Some patients are able to “let go” of bad situations and will feel like crying. Others will notice more energy because their body’s energy is no longer locked in a pattern of panic.
The final result of the treatment is your body that is free from the locked pattern of being in a panic mode. You will still have stress in your life. The main thing that will change is your body’s ability to handle stress. Your body will not become locked when stress happens.
Your body is then free to respond to the stress in a normal fashion and move on.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Personal Training
We offer personal training to our patients. This is NOT the type of personal training that you get in gyms. In fact, I recommend that you not join a gym. I’ll tell you why.
Gyms do their promotions during “peak” seasons. They sign you up and then get your credit card number and you’re paying forever. Typically patients tell me that they have a gym membership but never go. The gyms know this. They’re not scared of signing up too many people because in a couple weeks, most people don’t show up, yet they continue to pay due to signing the contract.
Secondly, many people come to our office after injuring themselves on machines. Machines do not mimic natural movements of the body and that is why so many people get injured on them.
The two biggest reasons people don’t go the gym is lack of time and not wanting to be looked at while they exercise. They feel self-conscious about exercise.
We can solve both of those problems by teaching you how to get a great workout in minimal time and you can perform the exercises in your own home.
What we offer is a unique method of working out that involves only using body- weight exercises. You can do an amazing workout in a very short period of time (often under 15 minutes). We use multiple joint exercises rather than the single muscle exercises that are found in the gym. It’s very difficult to get injured because you are not using machines that place your joints in unnatural positions.
Now the warning is this: the exercise takes a short period of time, but you must put a maximum effort into it. This is not for everyone. If you can’t mentally put the effort in for a short period of time, it won’t work.
This form of exercise stimulates a hormone in your body called growth hormone. Anti-aging clinics are becoming popular and they are injecting growth hormone into their patients to feel younger! Yet there are two
ways that growth hormone is naturally stimulated in our body: high intensity exercise and deep sleep. It’s the high intensity exercise that
people don’t do. That’s why I’m here to help.
I will show you how to exercise to stimulate this hormone, which will result in greater strength, reduced body fat, and increased stamina. I will teach you
what to eat after a workout that will maximize these effects. Also what time of the day you perform this workout is important.
Our fee is $225 for three sessions. Three sessions is all you need because you will learn how to do this yourself. Follow-up training sessions are rarely needed.
Many people have done this in the last 3 months and have really enjoyed the results. Most people notice rapid increases in strength without bulking up. Most people notice improved sleep patterns almost immediately from this style of training.
I personally love doing this type of training because it does not take a long period of time and I don’t have to spend a lot of time in a gym.
If you are interested, let me know.
Gyms do their promotions during “peak” seasons. They sign you up and then get your credit card number and you’re paying forever. Typically patients tell me that they have a gym membership but never go. The gyms know this. They’re not scared of signing up too many people because in a couple weeks, most people don’t show up, yet they continue to pay due to signing the contract.
Secondly, many people come to our office after injuring themselves on machines. Machines do not mimic natural movements of the body and that is why so many people get injured on them.
The two biggest reasons people don’t go the gym is lack of time and not wanting to be looked at while they exercise. They feel self-conscious about exercise.
We can solve both of those problems by teaching you how to get a great workout in minimal time and you can perform the exercises in your own home.
What we offer is a unique method of working out that involves only using body- weight exercises. You can do an amazing workout in a very short period of time (often under 15 minutes). We use multiple joint exercises rather than the single muscle exercises that are found in the gym. It’s very difficult to get injured because you are not using machines that place your joints in unnatural positions.
Now the warning is this: the exercise takes a short period of time, but you must put a maximum effort into it. This is not for everyone. If you can’t mentally put the effort in for a short period of time, it won’t work.
This form of exercise stimulates a hormone in your body called growth hormone. Anti-aging clinics are becoming popular and they are injecting growth hormone into their patients to feel younger! Yet there are two
ways that growth hormone is naturally stimulated in our body: high intensity exercise and deep sleep. It’s the high intensity exercise that
people don’t do. That’s why I’m here to help.
I will show you how to exercise to stimulate this hormone, which will result in greater strength, reduced body fat, and increased stamina. I will teach you
what to eat after a workout that will maximize these effects. Also what time of the day you perform this workout is important.
Our fee is $225 for three sessions. Three sessions is all you need because you will learn how to do this yourself. Follow-up training sessions are rarely needed.
Many people have done this in the last 3 months and have really enjoyed the results. Most people notice rapid increases in strength without bulking up. Most people notice improved sleep patterns almost immediately from this style of training.
I personally love doing this type of training because it does not take a long period of time and I don’t have to spend a lot of time in a gym.
If you are interested, let me know.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Should I use ICE or HEAT?
Almost weekly we get a new patient on Monday that injured himself over the weekend. The injury often happens on a Saturday and the male ego will not allow him to rest for the remainder of the day. After all, there’s a lot to do! An injury can’t slow them down.
So down go the Tylenol, Excedrin, or prescription medications that their neighbor saved from their last dental appointment.
At night when the pain becomes more noticeable, the heating pad comes out from underneath the bed.
“It’s just a muscle spasm”
That’s what they all say.
The weird thing about heating pads is that they feel good when they are on you. They’re warm and cozy.
The next morning the pain is worse but that list from the weekend MUST get done! After all, it’s not every weekend that the car must be washed, the den must be painted and the weeds pulled from the backyard. My gosh, what would people think about this person if they waited just one more week!
So down go more vicodin, Tylenol and the heating pad is applied just prior to all the chores.
Monday morning is usually when the spouse calls to make an appointment for the husband. Remember the ego will not allow the male chromosome to make phone calls, let alone directions.
We examine the patient and it’s as if their back was on fire.
Diagnosis: damaged ligament between two vertebrae in the lower back. The joint between the bones is totally swollen, further stretching the joint capsule. This sends massive pain signals to the brain. The brain then sends impulses to the muscles surrounding the area to protect it. The best way to protect the injury is to splint it by tightening the muscles. Muscles spasm is a REFLEX to the injury. The poor guy can’t even move.
Aside the from the treatment we would provide, on that Saturday the person could have saved himself A WHOLE LOT OF GRIEF if he would have placed a bag of ice on his injury.
Why?
Ice reduces swelling. When soft tissues get damaged, they will inflame. They will then get swollen. Heat INCREASES swelling. Ice REDUCES swelling.
Ice reduces pain. The cold from the ice reduces the signals from the swollen joint to the brain. The brain then understands that the injury is being taken care of and REDUCES the nerve impulses to the muscles to splint. In a sense, the ice reduces muscular spasms via the nervous system.
Ice helps us help the patient. In our office the first thing we need to do is to reduce swelling prior to any adjustments. We have all kinds of neat ways of doing that such as ultrasound, cold laser therapy, electrical stimulation, etc. However, it is better for the patient to enter our office on Monday morning with less swelling to begin with. That way we can get them better quicker.
How to use ice
If you have not received a handout in our office on how to use ice, please ask us and we will give you one. Keep it for a reference.
Here’s a summary. Place crushed ice in a sandwich baggie. Wrap it with one layer of a towel and place it on the injury for 20 minutes.
Then take it off for 20 minutes.
Then place it back on for 20 minutes.
Do this as often as you can throughout the day.
The more severe the injury, the more necessary it is to follow this advice. If it’s a bad injury, it’s not uncommon to ice the injury 15-20 times per day. This will rapidly decrease your pain and the swelling.
Do this for 3 days. Look for other blogs for other advice depending upon your injury.
So down go the Tylenol, Excedrin, or prescription medications that their neighbor saved from their last dental appointment.
At night when the pain becomes more noticeable, the heating pad comes out from underneath the bed.
“It’s just a muscle spasm”
That’s what they all say.
The weird thing about heating pads is that they feel good when they are on you. They’re warm and cozy.
The next morning the pain is worse but that list from the weekend MUST get done! After all, it’s not every weekend that the car must be washed, the den must be painted and the weeds pulled from the backyard. My gosh, what would people think about this person if they waited just one more week!
So down go more vicodin, Tylenol and the heating pad is applied just prior to all the chores.
Monday morning is usually when the spouse calls to make an appointment for the husband. Remember the ego will not allow the male chromosome to make phone calls, let alone directions.
We examine the patient and it’s as if their back was on fire.
Diagnosis: damaged ligament between two vertebrae in the lower back. The joint between the bones is totally swollen, further stretching the joint capsule. This sends massive pain signals to the brain. The brain then sends impulses to the muscles surrounding the area to protect it. The best way to protect the injury is to splint it by tightening the muscles. Muscles spasm is a REFLEX to the injury. The poor guy can’t even move.
Aside the from the treatment we would provide, on that Saturday the person could have saved himself A WHOLE LOT OF GRIEF if he would have placed a bag of ice on his injury.
Why?
Ice reduces swelling. When soft tissues get damaged, they will inflame. They will then get swollen. Heat INCREASES swelling. Ice REDUCES swelling.
Ice reduces pain. The cold from the ice reduces the signals from the swollen joint to the brain. The brain then understands that the injury is being taken care of and REDUCES the nerve impulses to the muscles to splint. In a sense, the ice reduces muscular spasms via the nervous system.
Ice helps us help the patient. In our office the first thing we need to do is to reduce swelling prior to any adjustments. We have all kinds of neat ways of doing that such as ultrasound, cold laser therapy, electrical stimulation, etc. However, it is better for the patient to enter our office on Monday morning with less swelling to begin with. That way we can get them better quicker.
How to use ice
If you have not received a handout in our office on how to use ice, please ask us and we will give you one. Keep it for a reference.
Here’s a summary. Place crushed ice in a sandwich baggie. Wrap it with one layer of a towel and place it on the injury for 20 minutes.
Then take it off for 20 minutes.
Then place it back on for 20 minutes.
Do this as often as you can throughout the day.
The more severe the injury, the more necessary it is to follow this advice. If it’s a bad injury, it’s not uncommon to ice the injury 15-20 times per day. This will rapidly decrease your pain and the swelling.
Do this for 3 days. Look for other blogs for other advice depending upon your injury.
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