Do Medications Make Us Healthy?

We are, in this country, the most heavily medicated society on the planet. People are taking medications to control the symptoms of countless diseases. I have seen, in my practice, elderly patients taking upward of 10 prescription medications as well as a few over-the-counter ones. If you ask the average senior how they are feeling, most will say that they feel awful in spite of their medications. How could this be? If the medications are supposedly "keeping them healthy," how come they feel so bad? There are a number of reasons for this.

First of all, every medication swallowed is perceived by the immune system as a "poison," because there is nothing in nature that would ever present to the G.I. tract in that form of chemicals. This added "toxic load" places additional stress on the body. These chemicals must be detoxified and eliminated by the body. This need to detoxify causes stress in the liver and kidneys and can damage these vital organs.

Additionally, all medications, because they are designed to interfere with natural body physiology, will produce inevitable side effects. Why? In every situation where a drug is used to block symptoms (the roadblock), the body will undergo physiologic compensations in an effort to get around the roadblock. So, the body will recruit different physiologic pathways in an attempt to bypass the roadblock. Hence, the patient will experience new symptoms as these other pathways elicit undesired effects. Some of the side effects can be potentially more disabling than the symptoms they are being used to treat.

Many side effects are treated with additional drugs, further increasing the toxic load. The other issue most important to understand is that the symptoms are a directed response by the body to solve whatever issue needs to be dealt with. If you inhibit these symptoms with medications, symptoms will return when the drug is withdrawn if the body has not successfully solved the problem.


So, what am I saying here? Quite simply, if a patient has high blood pressure and is taking medication to control it, and then they cease taking it, they will see their blood pressure rise again. If they are suffering with an inflammatory problem and are taking anti-inflammatories to control their discomfort, and cease taking their meds, they will again be in pain. If they are suffering with sinus congestion and take a decongestant, they will feel congested again if the drug is withdrawn. Empirically then, we see that the medication has not at all improved their health, just their symptoms.

Chiropractic care on the other hand focuses on the cause of these issues rather than their symptoms. If you or a loved one would like to speak to the Doctor we would be happy to discuss this at any time. Your health is important to us!

What is Really Making Your Child Fat?

The modern-day food system has become exceedingly reliant on high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), refined grains, processed foods and artificial sweeteners, all of which are part of a recipe for big-time weight gain. As you might already know, it is the number one source of calories in the US.

In addition, the fact that most fructose is consumed in liquid form, such as soda -- which is the number one source of calories in the U.S. diet -- significantly magnifies its negative metabolic effects.It should be obvious then that limiting or eliminating fructose from your child’s diet is of primary importance if you want to protect your child’s health and well-being.

Processed foods are yet another major source of HFCS and other health-harming substances such as MSG, while providing very few natural nutrients.Most Americans spend 90 percent of their food money on processed foods, which promises to make you pack on the pounds by interfering with your body’s ability to regulate insulin and leptin.

On top of this, many of you have been deceived into thinking that all fat is bad, but rather than making you thin, low-fat diet foods actually cause weight gain in the majority of people. As it turns out, fructose is the main culprit that promotes weight gain, not dietary fats.

The Challenge of Making Good Choices

School lunches make up a significant portion of your child’s diet, and the good news is that some school systems are taking the bull by the horns when it comes to student access to poor food and drink choices. Hopefully the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity will have an even greater impact in this area.

However, simply removing temptation doesn’t necessarily teach your children to make healthy choices on their own.It’s important to remember that children learn most of their health habits at home. So as a parent, you must lead by example and teach your child the importance of good nutrition, physical activity, and emotional health.

Below are five basic health strategies every parent needs to know and impart onto their children.
-Replace sugary juices and soft drinks with pure water. Children can easily cut down on the amount of sugar they eat by eliminating soda and juice and only drinking water. This step alone can have a dramatic effect on your child’s weight and health, since every soft drink or sugar-sweetened beverage consumed increases the risk of obesity by a whopping 60 percent.

-Learn your child’s Nutritional Type and plan meals accordingly. It’s important for parents to encourage their children to eat healthy, nutritious foods, focusing on fresh whole foods (preferably organic whenever possible).This does not mean you should not allow your child to eat when he’s hungry, however. Children need calories and nutrients to grow and develop -- just make sure to encourage healthy foods geared for your child’s nutritional type, and bypass junk and processed foods.

-Remember that any meal or snack high in carbohydrates or sugars generates a rapid rise in your child’s blood glucose level. To adjust for this rise, the pancreas secretes insulin into the bloodstream, which lowers your child’s glucose (sugar) level. Insulin is essentially a storage hormone, which is used to store the excess calories from carbohydrates in the form of fat. Insulin, stimulated by the excess carbohydrates in overabundant consumption of grains, starches and sweets, is responsible for your overweight child’s bulging tummy and fat rolls.

-Decrease or eliminate TV time and remove the TV from your child’s bedroom.TV is often a destructive influence on children. Not only does it encourage inactivity, but it also exposes them to commercials promoting worthless foods. Just as you don’t want your child exposed to ads for cigarettes during Saturday morning cartoons, neither should your kids be bombarded by non-stop commercials for sugary foods and snacks. Alternatively you can implement a rule that allows your child one minute of video (TV or game) time for every minute of exercise.

-Increase exercise.Exercise is extremely important for all children. Your overweight or obese child needs at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, and major studies have shown that 60 minutes a day is best. Any activity that gets your child up and away from the television set, video game or computer is a good idea. Start out with a daily walk with your child, and then gradually increase the intensity to include activities such as jogging and using an elliptical machine.

-Help your child address emotional eating. Emotions play a major role in childhood obesity and often, weight loss efforts get sabotaged by emotional eating. Your child may also have a hard time giving up junk food snacks.

Whiplash

Injuries to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways, is referred to as whiplash. Whether from a car accident, sports, or an accident at work, whiplash or other neck injuries warrant a thorough chiropractic check-up. The biggest danger with whiplash injuries is that the symptoms can take years to develop. Too often people don't seek treatment until more serious complications develop. Even after whiplash victims settle their insurance claims, some 45% report they still suffer with symptoms two years later.

In the past a typical whiplash injury, where no bones were broken, was hard to document. Soft tissue injury didn't show up on normal x-rays/radiographs and insurance companies would deny coverage. Literally adding insult to injury, the patient suffering all too real pain was considered to be a fraud, a liar, or at best a hypochondriac. New imaging devices (CAT Scans, Magnetic

Imaging, and Ultra Sound) now show soft tissue injury and insurance companies now cover most whiplash injuries. When no bones are broken and the head doesn't strike the windshield, typical symptoms are as follows: 62% to 98% complain of neck pain, which typically starts two hours up to two days after the accident. This is often the result of tightened muscles that react to either muscle tears or excessive movement of joints from ligament damage. The muscles tighten in an effort to splint and support the head, limiting the excessive movement.

Sixty-six to 70% of those suffering from whiplash complain of headache. The pain may be on one side or both, on again off again or constant, in one spot or more general. These headaches, like the neck pain, are often the result of tightened, tensed muscles trying to keep the head stable and, like tension headaches, they are often felt behind the eyes.

Shoulder pain often described as pain radiating down the back of the neck into the shoulder blade area, may also be the result of tensed muscles.

Muscle tears are often described as burning pain, prickling or tingling. More severe disc damage may cause sharp pain with certain movements, with or without radiation into the arms, hand and fingers, which are relieved by holding your hand over your head.

Basic Whiplash Symptoms

Neck pain and/or stiffness Blurred vision Difficulty swallowing Irritability Fatigue Dizziness Pain between the shoulder blades Pain in the arms or legs, feet and hands Headache Low back pain and/or stiffness Shoulder pain Nausea Ringing in the ears Vertigo Numbness and tingling Pain in the jaw or face

How Does Whiplash Happen?

Whiplash is most commonly received from riding in a car that is struck form behind, or collides with another vehicle. When the head is suddenly jerked back and forth beyond its normal limits, the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine can be over-stretched or torn. In a rear end collision for example, the victim's car is first pushed or accelerated forward and then, because their foot is on the brake, or their car hits the vehicle in front, their car is rapidly slowed down, or decelerated. As the vehicle accelerates forward, it pushes the body forward too, but the head remains behind momentarily, rocking up and back, until some of the muscles and ligaments are stretched or torn. Too often the injury occurs before the head rebounds off the headrest.

These muscles, in a reflex action, contract to bring the occupant’s head forward again, and to prevent excessive injury. This overcompensates because at this point the head is already traveling in a forward direction as the car decelerates. This violently rocks the head forward, stretching and tearing more muscles and ligaments. The soft pulpy discs between the vertebrae can bulge, tear, or rupture. Vertebrae can be forced out of their normal position, reducing range of motion. The spinal cord and nerve roots get stretched, irritated, and choked. If the victim is not properly restrained the occupants head may strike the steering wheel or windshield, possibly causing a concussion.

The resulting instability of the spine and soft tissues are noteworthy and depend on several factors.

If you or a loved one has recently been in an auto accident, please contact our office immediately. The earlier whiplash is addressed, the less the damaging effects on your body! TIME IS VITAL!

LOW BACK PAIN

A new study finds that low back pain care initiated with a doctor of chiropractic (DC) saves 40% on health care costs the American Chiropractic Association(ACA) announced today. The study, featuring data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries, concludes that insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractors for low back pain treatment may inadvertently pay more for care than they would if they removed such restrictions. Low back pain is a significant public health problem. Up to 85 percent of Americans have back pain at some point in their lives. In addition to its negative effects on employee productivity, back pain treatment accounts for about $50 billion annually in health care costs—making it one of the top 10 most costly conditions treated in the United States.
The study looked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group fully insured population over a two-year span. The insured study population had open access to MDs and DCs through self-referral, and there were no limits applied to the number of MD/DC visits allowed and no differences in co-pays. Results show that paid costs for episodes of care initiated by a DC were almost 40 percent less. After risk-adjusting each patient’s costs, researchers still found significant savings in the chiropractic group. They estimated that allowing DC-initiated episodes of care would have led to an annual cost savings of $2.3 million for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee.
“As doctors of chiropractic, we know firsthand that our care often helps patients avoid or reduce more costly interventions such as drugs and surgery. This study supports what we see in our practices every day,” said ACA President Rick McMichael, DC. “It also demonstrates the value of chiropractic care at a critical time, when our nation is attempting to reform its health care system and contain runaway costs.”

Sucking Life Through A Narrow Straw

Just like air moving through a snorkel, the energy of Life flows from your brain through your Nerve System and permeates every part of your body. The more "open" and unrestricted your nerve pathways are, the easier Life Energy flows and the Healthier you'll be.

Subluxations (misaligned spinal bones) squeeze nerves and restrict the flow of Life Energy. The effect is like trying to snorkel through a narrow straw. Sure you may get some air through, but not enough to make your diving experience very comfortable!

When Subluxations constrict nerve pathways, Life Energy flows at a weaker rate, making everyday tasks, jobs and experiences more difficult. Chiropractors believe it's the reason so many people walk around tired, stressed out and fatigued. They're literally sucking Life through a narrow straw because of Subluxations... and they don't even know it!

The ultimate goal of Chiropractic is to keep your nerve pathways open so your Life Energy flows maximally, 100% ALL the time. This way you'll get all the Power you need to function at your best and you'll enjoy more health and a better life. Until next time... Stay open, get adjusted!

Drop a cinder block on your foot

Question: If you dropped a cinder block on your foot, what’s the first thing you must do to start the healing process?

Answer: Get the cinder block off your foot!
Sounds simple, but it’s true. Your foot WON’T heal until the offending pressure is removed first. And once the cinder block is removed don’t expect your foot to look or feel normal right away! It’s going to take time to repair all that carnage. The same principle applies to your Chiropractic care.

A misaligned vertebrae (Subluxation) acts like a cinder block on a nerve, causing damage, pain and inflammation. Healing can occur only when the offending pressure is removed and kept off the nerve with regular Chiropractic adjustments. But that won’t necessarily bring instant relief. Removing the pressure is simply the first step in a timely process.

So if you don’t feel great immediately after your adjustment, don’t be discouraged. With time, damaged tissues will heal and you’ll feel like new again. For now, be confident the healing process has at least started because the cinder block (subluxation) has been removed. Until next time...