The Spinal Column
This blog is dedicated to delivering quality information about all aspects of health, wellness and nutrition, for the purpose of improving the quality of the lives and optimizing the health of those who read it. Visit us at www.AtlanticChiroFL.com
- May 30, 2011
- Summer is Here! Watch Your BacK!!!
Now that summer is here, and it's the season for gardening and mowing the lawn. Unfortunately, it can also be the season for injuries caused by yard work.
Whenever we start some activity that we haven't been doing for a while, we run the risk of creating strain on our backs. In fact, a survey of 500 chiropractors found that gardening and yard work is the most common cause of back pain during the summer.
We're here to help keep your body working efficiently, so give us a call at (386) 492-4881For more information about how chiropractic can help you improve your health, visit our website today www.AtlanticChiroFL.com.- Read More
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- May 20, 2011
- The Facts About Varicose Veins
Hide Your Legs No More!
They are unsightly and painful and one out of every two adults over 50 suffers from them. Varicose veins are enlarged veins, often dark blue and purple in color, that appear to be swollen and twisted, very close to the surface of the skin. Although they usually appear on the calves and the inside of the legs, they may affect any area of the body.
Most of the time, no treatment is necessary for varicose veins. Chiropractic care, which is known to improve the flow of blood through the body, may help relieve and/or control varicose veins. Please call our practice to discuss your concerns; we will be happy to meet with you.
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- May 17, 2011
- Sports Injuries
- Sports and exercise are important steps to maintaining health. Unfortunately, however, injuries during participation in sports are all too common. Often, these injuries occur in beginners or those who don’t use proper safety equipment or become overzealous about an exercise regimen.
Strains and Sprains- An acute twisting or over-extension of a joint can lead to tears of muscles and tendons, called “strains,” and tears of ligaments result in “sprains.”
- In mild injuries, just a few fibers are torn or stretched. Severe injuries, where there is a tear through the full thickness of the structure, frequently require surgical intervention.
- The intervertebral disc, a ligament between the vertebrae of the spine that works as a shock absorber, can also be torn, resulting in a disc bulge and/or herniation.
- In those who are training too much, overuse of a particular joint or joints in the body can result in pain and dysfunction. There injuries are called “overuse syndromes.”
- A common overuse injury is tendinosis, a condition in which the tendon becomes inflamed from repetitive use.
- Some athletes may experience a stress fracture, which occurs when an abnormal amount of stress is placed on a normal bone, such as in a runner who rapidly increases the amount of mileage, rather than gradually progressing to longer distances.
- Shin splints are caused by microfractures on the front surface of the tibia (shin bone). This is most often seen in runners, although other athletes can be affected.
Sports injuries are most often diagnosed from the history of the activity which brought on the pain, along with a physical examination. In some cases, X-rays are necessary to rule out a fracture. Fractures require the application of some stabilizing device, such as a cast, after the bone is put back into position. Rarely, surgical intervention is required. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound may also be used.
There is a relatively standard treatment protocol for most types of sports injuries, which involves:- Rest. Generally no more than 48 hours of rest and/or immobilization is needed, depending on the severity of the injury.
- Ice or heat can help with pain reduction and tissue healing.
- Compression of the area may reduce the amount of swelling from the injury.
- Elevation of the injured arm or leg above the level of the heart is thought to be helpful in reducing swelling.
- Joint manipulation. Recent research has shown that, in some cases, joint manipulation can help with pain reduction and more rapid recovery.
In many cases, sports injuries can be prevented. Proper conditioning, warm-up and cool-down procedures, understanding proper techniques and using appropriate safety equipment can substantially reduce injuries. - Read More
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- May 16, 2011
- Resolution of Breech Presentation with Chiropractic Care
In the April 11, 2011, issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, is a documented case study showing chiropractic helping a pregnant woman with a breech presentation pregnancy. A breech presentation is when the fetus is not in the proper head-down position as the delivery date is approaching.
According to the study, a breech presentation is created by "intrauterine constraint" which the authors describe as, "as any force external to the developing fetus that obstructs the normal movement of the fetus."
The study reports that, in the United
States, 86 percent of infants with breech presentation are delivered by cesarean which increases risks to the mother and the baby.
In this case, a 25-year-old woman went to a chiropractic office 31 weeks into her pregnancy. She was referred to the chiropractor by her obstetrician who had recently performed an ultrasound which confirmed the breech position. She was hoping to avoid a c-section birth.
A chiropractic examination was performed using the procedures of the "Webster Technique". The Webster Technique is a specialized analysis and procedure developed by the late Dr. Larry Webster who was affectionately known as the "grandfather of chiropractic pediatrics". A determination was made that this woman fit the protocol, and so the chiropractor applied the Webster Technique.
Within four hours of the first Webster Technique adjustment, the woman reported feeling "a lot of movement". The woman commented that she felt the fetus had shifted from a breech position to the transverse position. After her second chiropractic visit, the woman had a prenatal visit at which the obstetrician confirmed that the fetus had turned to the proper vertex position. The study noted that the woman continued to receive chiropractic adjustments for resolution of low back pain until delivery. She eventually had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery.- Read More
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- May 9, 2011
- MY HERO!!!
- One of the distinctions we try to make is the difference between health care and sick care. Our culture has so abused the term “health” that it’s lost its meaning.
The mainstay of many television dramas is the heroic lifesaving that takes place in hospitals, with the underlying message that medicine saves lives. And it does. But it isn’t health care.
True, the fragility of life creates the theater necessary to hold the attention of viewers. But what’s missing from these fantasies is the fact that our so-called health care system is burdened by expensive, heroic measures delivered in the last six months or so of life. These procedures are often used to treat disease states caused by neglect or poor lifestyle choices.
I mention this because true health care isn’t heroic. Unless you consider getting adjusted on a regular basis heroic! Or eating a salad instead of a burger. Or climbing the stairs rather than pressing a button. Or drinking pure water instead of a sugary drink. But if you do, you’re a hero to me! - Read More
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- May 2, 2011
- Some Important Thoughts on Children and Chiropractic
- Common Questions From Parents
- How early should children be adjusted?
- Is it safe?
- Aren’t their bones still soft?
- Why do they need adjustments?
- What if they cry?
- How can we afford it?
All of these questions and more go through the minds of parents who are considering chiropractic care for their kids. Some parents are hesitant about getting their children adjusted even though they are under care themselves.Our kids are so special to us that sometimes, in an effort to protect them, we become overprotective and deprive them of necessary and valuable experiences.If chiropractic care is necessary to your good health and for reaching your full potential in life as an adult, then it logically follows that it is even more necessary for a child!
After all, they have nerve systems that control and coordinate all of their body functions just as you do. And, just like you, they can get subluxations that will interfere with the full outward expression of their Life force.The only difference is that they still have an entire lifetime ahead of them in which to manifest the results of what they do today.It’s Never Too SoonSubluxations can occur at any time. The first one may very well have occurred at your baby’s birth. That is why parents who understand the importance of being subluxation-free have their newborns examined by their chiropractor as soon after birth as possible.
By correcting subluxations at an early age, the damage that inevitably comes from functioning at less than optimal levels can be prevented. The longer a subluxation is present, the greater the damage. In addition, the longer a subluxation is present, the longer your child’s body will continue to “reproduce itself” (i.e., grow) in the wrong way!“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree!”Many people who come into a chiropractor’s office for the first time as adults would have had far greater potential for regaining their health if they had received regular chiropractic care as children.Kids Make Great Patients!
Adjusting a child is not a difficult procedure. In fact, in most cases, a child’s spine is much easier to adjust than an adult’s. They have not had the long-standing subluxations, their muscles are usually not as tense and they are usually more relaxed in general than adults.Not only are kids easier to adjust, but also in most cases, they hold their adjustments for longer periods of time and their corrective adjustment plans are almost always significantly shorter than the average adult. However, with the falls, accidents and the generally active lives most kids experience, regular check-ups are vital.It’s Worth The EffortChiropractic adjustments are generally painless. Children may, on the first visit or two, be somewhat reluctant. However, they rarely hesitate to get on the table to be adjusted, especially when they see that visiting the chiropractor is a family affair. When they see Mom, Dad and their brothers and sisters getting adjusted, they are usually more than willing to be checked for subluxations too.We will work with you so that your children will become accustomed to their adjustments. In fact, in a very short period of time, most kids really look forward to their regular chiropractic visits.Those
children that are reluctant at first should be lovingly told that they must be adjusted and why it is so important (to keep their Power on!). As parents, we realize that our children are not going to like or enjoy everything that is good for them. Spinach is not enjoyable for most kids, and naps aren’t much fun either.Chiropractic adjustments are vital to their good health, and the few tears that may occur on the first visit (usually because of fear of the unknown), are well worth the benefits to our precious little ones.Obviously, children who are adjusted regularly from infancy think of their visits to the chiropractor as a regular part of their lives and are not the least bit hesitant to climb onto the adjusting table.Chiropractic Care is Vital to Your Child’s Health and Life!Lastly, it is of great importance that parents not think of adjustments for their children as “something they might as well do since their kids have come along to the office with them anyway.” Chiropractic care for your children is vital to their health and is an absolute necessity to their development and for actualization of their full potential in every area of life.We have a Family Plan that makes it affordable for most families to receive the care they need. The money saved on treatments for illness is often enough to convince most parents of the benefits of family care. But, the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have provided your children with the best possible chance to perform at their best is the greatest benefit of all! -
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- April 27, 2011
- New Biginnings
- The time is always right to begin returning to good health. Regardless of whether your issues involve weight, exercise, diet, blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic pain, now is the time to begin taking action on your own behalf.You are not alone. Literally hundreds of millions of people worldwide have various chronic complaints and illnesses.1,2,3 Some problems are more serious than others, but everyone eventually wants to find a better way to manage their health problems. Eventually everyone wants to actually begin to be healthier and feel better.Of course, a healthy diet and regular vigorous exercise are the key elements in any process of returning to good health. People know this, but for the most part this knowledge alone does not do any good. The deep truth is that feeling good and actually being healthy takes a lot of effort. It's much easier to pick up dinner from a fast food restaurant than to spend precious time planning and shopping and preparing meals. It's much easier to sit on your couch and watch people on TV trying to lose weight than to actually do the work of losing weight yourself. It's much easier to spend 30 minutes watching the news for the third time that day than to put on your workout clothes and go for a brisk 30-minute walk.We are all slaves to our habitual ways of thinking and habitual ways of living. Just as in physics, people have inertia. Newton's First Law of Motion states that a body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted upon by an external unbalanced force. We will do the same things we have always done, achieving the same results we have always achieved, unless we make an active choice to engage in new thinking and new activities.By the way, no one is going to make any lasting changes in their lifestyle - for example, by choosing a healthy diet and daily exercise - merely because someone told them they needed to do it. If you're chronically overweight, your doctor has told you every year that you need to make changes. Every year at your annual physical she tells you to begin regular, vigorous exercise and adopt healthy eating habits. Do any of these admonitions ever make a lasting difference? They don't, not becauses they are bad advice, but because they were not a match for your own world view. Real change, lasting change, has to come from within, from your own personal choice.When a person is actually ready to choose to revamp her lifestyle with respect to achieving good health, there are many possible steps to take. Chiropractic care can be an important and critical component of an overall health improvement strategy.1Temple R, Murphy H: Type 2 diabetes in pregnancy - An increasing problem. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 24(4):591-603.2Li S, et al: Genetic predisposition to obesity leads to increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetologiz Jan 26, 2011 (Epub ahead of print)3Urquhart DM, et al: Increased fat mass is associated with high levels of low back pain intensity and disability. Spine Jan 25, 2011
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- April 25, 2011
- Top 5 Foods to Prevent Bad Breath
- Bad breath results from two key issues: oral hygiene and gastrointestinal health. Basically this means that breath odors originate not just inside the mouth but also from your digestive tract. The culprit in both cases is largely bacteria. Doctors will tell you that if you have bad breath, you should first make sure you are eating right (getting a balanced diet of protein, carbs, lots of fruits and veggies and plenty of fluids to keep the GI tract healthy) and brushing and flossing after every meal. But that still doesn't mean you might not be offending your friends and co-workers after lunch at the new Italian place. Here are some things you can ingest (or chew) that can help.
1. Chew on this. Move over parsley, there are some new halitosis-fighting herbs in town. "Coriander, spearmint, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary and cardamom are all good for fighting bad breath," says Dr. Christine Gerbstadt, who has lectured on oral health. You can chew on fresh herbs or make tonics by steeping them in hot water (as a tea). These herbs make an excellent digestive as well-doubling the benefits of ending a meal this way.2. Get some active culture. No, not Cirque du Soleil, but yogurt. A recent study found that a serving of yogurt each day reduces the level of odor-causing hydrogen sulfide in the mouth. Apparently it also cuts back on bacteria in the mouth-plaque and gum disease were reduced in the study's yogurt eaters as well. Plus, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends getting enough vitamin D from yogurt, cheese and milk if you're worried about halitosis because this vitamin creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria growth. Be sure to get the kind of yogurt with active cultures-not overly processed or sugar-added varieties.3. Crunchy types. Apples, carrots, celery-basically any fiber-rich fruit or vegetable is your friend when it comes to fighting halitosis. "Inside your mouth, plaque build-up causes odors," explains Cynthia Sass, ADA spokeswoman and registered dietitian. "Eating foods that increase saliva production keep the mouth moist-and rinsed out. Also, many carbs and proteins can get stuck in your teeth-even healthy foods like whole grain cereal or chicken breast." So follow a meal with a Granny Smith (feel the saliva kick in at the mention of it?) to cleanse the mouth.4. Masking techniques. Sugarless gum shouldn't replace brushing your teeth after a meal, but in a pinch it can freshen breath (masking odors) and is another way to increase saliva production to rinse away plaque and bacteria. Mints can mask as well, but only briefly-and go for sugarless. Sugar creates plaque, and no one wants a mint that makes breath worse.5. High C's. Eating berries, citrus fruits, melons and other vitamin C-rich foods create an inhospitable environment for bacteria growth. A diet rich in vitamin C is also is important for preventing gum disease and gingivitis-both major causes of halitosis. Get your C in foods, not supplements, which can cause gastrointestinal upset in some, according to Sass, and exacerbate bad breath.Source: http://health.msn.com/health-topics - Read More
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- April 24, 2011
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Prevent Age-Related Vision Loss
- According to a newly published 10-year study on 38,022 women, omega-3 fatty acid consumption (found at high levels in fish) may help to lessen age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD affects millions of older adults in the U.S. alone and is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Doctors have been able to prevent the progression of AMD once identified but are still not able to reverse the disease. This study was therefore important to identify what factors if any might be able to prevent AMD for occurring.
Researchers found women who consumed foods with higher levels of DHA and EPA, both omega 3-fatty acids, experienced a 38 percent lower risk for AMD and a 34 percent lower risk for AMD, respectively. However, researchers were not positive if the omega-3 fatty acids were responsible for the lower incident of AMD or that those who consumed more omega-3s were also leading healthier lifestyles that were responsible for the lower incidence of AMD.
Clearly more research is necessary. Previously, the only known way to help prevent AMD was to never smoke or for smokers, to stop smoking.
Source: Archives of Ophthalmology, online March 14, 2011.
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- April 22, 2011
- Vitamin D and Breast Cancer
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