Archive for March, 2010
March 26th, 2010 | 
Author: As a chiropractor who believes in the human body’s ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the “treatment” of a number of conditions that don’t get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: “Try chiropractic first!” But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers “less severity” at best when it comes to a migraine headache.
The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had “avoided” a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.
I have treated many patients who told me how much they’d “feared” the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear migraines can be. And, yet, the only “solution” this study offered?
This study is “important,” said Dr. Hu, the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people’s anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. “Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times,” they concluded.
My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!
SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.
Chiropractic News: Chiropractic Marketing internet radio show, chiropractic Masters on Blog Talk Radio, interviews expert chiropractors around the country. The first episode featured Ventura Chiropractor, Dr. Steven Alff. Dr. Alff talked about spinal decompression and how it benefits his patients.
Does your refrigerator light stay on when you close the frig door? No? Well, new research is suggesting that perhaps it should! As a chiropractor, I’m all about “total wellness,” which means that I believe in routine chiropractic care along with a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, and dealing effectively with life stresses. Getting the nutrition we need from fruits and vegetables used to be a “no brainer,” i.e., just buy them fresh. But, with the current trend towards big farm over-planting that has lead to soil depletion in many areas, sadly the fruits and vegetables grown in, and pulled from, soil lacking in nutrients lack much of the health benefits they once offered. We generally need to search for fruit and veggie stands and farmers’ markets to get anything close to the natural nutrition that was once “a given” when we were children because, let’s face it, it’s hard to find healthy produce in our supermarkets anymore. So, I was pleasantly surprised and very interested in a new study that the harsh, unnatural lighting in most supermarkets — the kind of lighting that seems to have no environmental upside — apparently has a bright side: healthier fruits and vegetables.
That’s right! A recent study found that spinach actually gained nutritional value as it sat for days under fluorescent lights! And, not just “minor” value gains. Some vitamins doubled their concentrations. Apparently, fluorescent supermarket lights mimic the spectrum of natural sunlight, and some supermarkets keep them on all the time, 24-hours a day. Continuous light exposure allows plants to maintain photosynthesis and, of course, photosynthesis produces nutrients.
The study’s author, Gene Lester, is a research plant physiologist at the United States Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, MD. He and his colleagues chose to study spinach because it is one of the most nutritionally complete vegetables commonly available, with significant concentrations of vitamins C, A, K, E and folate.
You can read about how the research was done in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry or by going to discovery.com
Bottom line: To boost the nutritional content of spinach and other produce, researchers suggest (counter-intuitively) that consumers select packages from the front of display cases that are kept under continuous light.
You probably know that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but did you know that “A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories”? As a chiropractor who believes that a healthy lifestyle includes a healthy weight, I believe that the latter equation is just as important as the former when it comes to your health. So does First Lady, Michelle Obama. In announcing a national plan to counter childhood obesity, she indicated that weight loss doesn’t have include an unnatural “minus” intake of food, but slight lifestyle changes, such as replacing soda pop with water or walking to school, are “small changes that add up.” The formula seems simple enough: reducing calorie intake by just 100 calories a day, or burning up that amount, would equal losing a pound every 35 days, or as much as 10 pounds or more a year. And, though individual losses might vary and educating children (and their parents) about nutrition is still very necessary, in my opinion making “small changes” is a healthy place to start for many kids.
Unfortunately, there are those who find such equations “misleading,” like the health blog at NYTimes.com . In it Tara Parker-Pope states that “numerous scientific studies show that small caloric changes have almost no long-term effect on weight. When we skip a cookie or exercise a little more, the body’s biological and behavioral adaptations kick in, significantly reducing the caloric benefits of our effort.”
The question the article poses is “Can small changes in diet and exercise at least keep children from gaining weight?” And it goes on to say that “While some obesity experts think so, mathematical models suggest otherwise.”
To read the blog in its entirety, click the link above. Then you can reach your own conclusions.
Injuries are not uncommon with any type of sport. The smart thing to do is to find out what injury is inclined to happen in a specific sport and then to do whatever it takes to avoid it. Sadly, sports injuries can’t always be avoided. As a result, it’s advantageous to take conscientious care of your body to make injury less predictable, or less traumatic. The most valuable thing that you can do is to be confident that you have the proper fitness level prior to starting to play a sport, such as golf. You may very well keep your body safe from injury if you follow these general guidelines: Cultivate a healthy lifestyle; keep your joints mobile and your muscles limber; prepare your body prior to activity; use proper form and good postures during activity; allow yourself sufficient cool down and relaxation time.
Golf injuries don’t simply happen to amateurs. Approximately, one-third of pro golfers playing concurrently are playing with injuries. The good news is that overall good health and fitness can decrease the number of injuries that you may incur and could actually prevent them totally.
Good body strength in the muscle regions most employed when golfing is very important. However, before you try to build muscle strength, it’s essential to make sure your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A successful golf swing is contingent upon your spine’s facility to adequately rotate efficiently. Back injuries are the most widespread kind of injuries sustained by golfers. Your Sacramento chiropractor will establish that your spine is in appropriate alignment and that there is efficient movement of the vertebrae. Chiropractic management can make a big difference in helping you to prevent back injury.
Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Safe, injury-free action on the green depends upon your being prepared for your golf game. You can warm up your muscles and make straining them less likely by doing golf stretching and flexibility exercises. Flexibility in all parts of the body can be developed relatively fast through full body range of motion (ROM) exercises. In addition, elastic band conditioning offers distinct golf range of motion improvements and can build needed strength in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Since elastic band training provides the dynamic resistance that general weight lifting does not, sports professionals, such as your chiropractor, are adding them to their golf conditioning programs.
Quite a few golfers have painful “Golfer’s Elbow” along with back injuries. There is a minor difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow though they are almost identical injuries. Tennis elbow affects the outside of the upper arm whereas golfer’s elbow affects the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can be the consequence of a single violent action, such as (in golf) hitting the mat at the driving range or striking a hard fairway surface. Repetitive stress from smaller shocks, though, is more commonly the protagonist. Moreover, it can occur for those who suddenly start playing too much golf. For instance, if those that usually play golf once or twice a month decide to play in a tournament, they are potentially at risk for incurring the injury.
Golf makes exclusive demands on the body. The game is ordinarily longer than many other sports and that can result in fatigue. Once the body is fatigued, unhealthy posture and lack of coordination normally follow. Together, these two components can cause a number of injuries. Moreover, the shoulder muscles are liable to injury because of the constant swinging of the golf clubs. Just as great care should be taken to make certain that your muscles are stretched and warmed up before starting your golf game, be sure to rest your body suitable between games.
An unexpected injury sometimes connected with golf is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. But, because it a condition that happens due to repetitive stress, a numerous amount of games of golf played over several months constantly may produce this injury. carpal tunnel Syndrome can be a an extremely damaging injury causing incapacitation and on occasion requiring surgery. However, if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, diagnoses it at an early stage, chiropractic management and, sometimes, the use of a brace will alleviate the problem.
The majority of golfers seem to assume that injuries are simply an unavoidable part of a golfer’s life. However, a healthy, mobile spine, dedicated preparation, appropriate exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and sustaining a a suitable fitness level, and reasonable rest and recuperation after your game is over, can assisting in making injuries a good deal less a part of your golfing experience.
Dr. Yong Kim is a Chiropractor in Sacramento with over thirteen years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. Dr. Kim’s clinic is located at 1707 Professional Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825. He has a special interest as well as post doctoral training in sports injuries. For more informaton visit www.sacramentochiropractor.org
Posted in chiropractic | 
Tags: back pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, chiropractic, chiropractor, Golfer's Elbow, shoulder pain | 
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