Brooks Spinal Care

Dr. Robert Brooks' Monday Morning Message. 11/21/11

2011-11-21T11:02:00.000-06:00

Dr. Gentempo explains chiropractic on a major news station.

2011-10-24T08:57:00.001-05:00

Spinal Stenosis

2011-10-11T14:55:00.000-05:00

Spinal Stenosis
by Dr. Robert Brooks

Read Spinal Stenosis by Dr. Robert Brooks to learn more about Brooks Spinal Care and our Chiropractic office in Tulsa, OK.

We look forward to serving you! Call - 918-587-7111.

What is stenosis?

Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal narrows, which may be down to a variety of reasons, including mechanical problems brought on by age, thickened ligaments, infection, abscess, developmental or congenital abnormalities, degenerative changes, dislocated or fractured vertebra, or a spinal cord tumor. Low-back pain, limping, and numbness in the legs can result from stenosis, although not always because it is often a degenerative condition that may be in evidence for years without causing any noticeable symptoms. What can trigger symptoms is some sort of trauma, perhaps a fall, that then creates pain characteristic of stenosis.

How stenosis is diagnosed

Understanding the history of the symptoms, performing a physical examination, and conducting imaging tests provide the information needed to make a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. However, an MRI scan does not provide an accurate prognosis for how the condition may develop; a better indicator is an electrodiagnostic study of the spine. Where the stenosis is suspected of being caused by an abscess or infection, blood will be taken for analysis. In the case of a suspected tumor, precise imaging of the spine is necessary to confirm diagnosis.

How stenosis is treated

The cause of a person’s stenosis will largely dictate the treatment options, which fall into three main categories:

Conservative medical care – bed-rest, analgesics, local application of heat, and muscle relaxants
Conservative chiropractic care – manipulation, exercise, and self-help techniques
Surgery

The bad news is that stenosis is a chronic condition and there is no cure. The good news is that the condition can be treated and ameliorated for better long-term health prospects and overall quality of life. A doctor of chiropractic can play a significant part in the management of stenosis.

Stenosis Signs and Symptoms

These may indicate the presence of stenosis:

Pain that is triggered by walking, or standing for too long. This pain is known as pseudoclaudication and can be eased by sitting down and leaning forward in a flexed position
Legs that feel numb, tingly, hot or cold
Muscle weakness and spasms

Single Adjustment Leads to a New Life

2011-08-22T10:45:00.000-05:00

Three months ago, a former tennis professional was so hobbled by an apparent “bad hip” that invasive replacement surgery seemed imminent. Now, just 10 weeks after receiving a single Chiropractic adjustment, remarkably, he’s back on the path to pain-free living.
Jim Bartell’s troubles with his hip area began over 10 years before when he was in his mid-40s. He worked as a tennis director/teaching pro at world-class resorts teaching very high-end clientele. Sometimes, he’d work up to 10 hours a day on hard tennis courts. After a while, the wear and tear of the job took its toll and he began to develop a limp and hip-area pain.
The condition grew worse over the years despite many types of exercise and stretching therapies. At one point he had the area x-rayed by an MD whose only comment regarding it was, “Jim, your hip is older than you. Come and see us when you can’t take the pain any more and we’ll get it replaced.” Of course, pain relief medications were suggested.
Jim thought the time for surgery was near when about 3 months ago, after a nine-hole round of golf, “I was at a grocery store with my wife and I was in such pain that I had to use the shopping cart to hold myself up. I could only walk a few steps without having to rest.”
He had never really considered Chiropractic as an option, until a golf friend told Jim about his own success. The very next day, Jim attended a Health Seminar conducted by Dr. Jeffery Fowler at the Pierce Chiropractic Clinic in St. Petersburg, Florida. The x-rays confirmed that Jim’s top neck vertebra area had been out of alignment for a long time – maybe from birth or from some early-in-life traumatic event. The exam found his left leg to be about 3/8” shorter than the right with muscles in the left lower back in a state of constant contraction. This appeared to be the cause of the pain, not a worn out hip.
“About 3 seconds after receiving the Atlas Adjustment, I felt my back muscles relax, and with it, my hip. There was immediate relief. Wow, what a great feeling.” Dr. Jeff confirmed that after the adjustment that both legs were now the same length.
Of course, the adjustment alone only put the area on the path to healing. “I knew that I’d be responsible for a lot of my own healing, but I did everything Dr. Fowler recommended. This included follow-up visits; heat therapy and electrical stimulation at the office; and home exercises to improve hip motion.”
All of this has lead to a much-improved life for Jim, over 10 weeks of daily gains. This includes better posture, ease of walking, better stair climbing ability and, most recently, 18 holes of golf with no hip pain. “I’m not ready to run a Boston Marathon yet,” he said. “But I have been able to play tennis with my friends and enjoy much better mobility than I’ve had in years.”
Along with everything else, Jim is most amazed that the entire procedure and therapy was done with very little “pain to the pocketbook.” “I wish I’d have met Dr. Fowler and learned about an Atlas adjustment 10 years ago.”

Tips to Maintain Good Posture

2011-08-22T10:43:00.002-05:00

We often hear that good posture is essential for good health. We recognize poor posture when we see it formed as a result of bad habits carried out over years and evident in many adults. But only few people have a real grasp of the importance and necessity of good posture.

Why is good posture important?

Good posture helps us stand, walk, sit, and lie in positions that place the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement and weight-bearing activities. Correct posture:

Helps us keep bones and joints in correct alignment so that our muscles are used correctly, decreasing the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in degenerative arthritis and joint pain.
Reduces the stress on the ligaments holding the spinal joints together, minimizing the likelihood of injury.
Allows muscles to work more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy and, therefore, preventing muscle fatigue.
Helps prevent muscle strain, overuse disorders, and even back and muscular pain.

Several factors contribute to poor posture-most commonly, stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and high-heeled shoes. In addition, decreased flexibility, a poor work environment, incorrect working posture, and unhealthy sitting and standing habits can also contribute to poor body positioning.

How do I sit properly?

Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don't reach the floor.
Don't cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees.
Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

How do I stand properly?

Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
Keep your knees slightly bent.
Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
Tuck your stomach in.
Keep your head level-your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you have to stand for a long time.

What is the proper lying position?

Find the mattress that is right for you. While a firm mattress is generally recommended, some people find that softer mattresses reduce their back pain. Your comfort is important.
Sleep with a pillow. Special pillows are available to help with postural problems resulting from a poor sleeping position.
Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Sleeping on your side or back is more often helpful for back pain.
If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs.
If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.

Your doctor of chiropractic can assist you with proper posture, including recommending exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles. He or she can also assist you with choosing proper postures during your activities, helping reduce your risk of injury.

Preventing Falls Among Older Adults

2011-08-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

Perhaps you know someone who’s been injured, disabled or even killed by a fall. Or maybe you’ve taken a spill yourself and are afraid the next one could be worse.
As we age, time takes its toll on the bodily systems that keep us balanced and standing upright. For example, you may not see or hear as well, which can affect your coordination. Nerves that carry information from your brain to your muscles may fray and deteriorate, slowing your reaction time and making it more difficult to move away from oncoming pedestrians or adjust to icy patches on a sidewalk. Normal declines in muscle strength and joint flexibility can hinder your ability to stand, walk and rise from chairs.
In 2003, more than 1.8 million seniors were treated in hospital emergency rooms for fall-related injuries and of those treated, more than 421,000 were hospitalized. You needn’t let the fear of falling rule your life, however, as many falls and fall-related injuries are preventable.
Through scientific studies, researchers have identified a number of modifiable risk factors that increase the likelihood of a fall, including medication side effects, loss of limb sensation, poor eyesight, tripping hazards within the home, and lack of physical activity.

The American Chiropractic Association recommends the following fall-prevention tips:

Perform a home safety check

At least one-third of all falls involve hazards within the home. Most commonly, people trip over objects on the floor. See the Home Safety Checklist and work with a family member or health care provider to evaluate your home for potential hazards and minimize your risk of injury.

Begin a regular exercise program

Consider a general exercise program that includes activities such as walking, water workouts or tai chi—a gentle exercise that involves slow and graceful dance-like movements. Exercise reduces your risk of falls by improving your strength, balance, coordination and flexibility.
In an experimental study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, scientists investigated the effectiveness of tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art that helps improve balance and flexibility, in helping reduce the incidence of falls in the elderly. Patients who participated in a 12-week tai chi program, practicing Sunstyle tai chi 3 times a week, significantly increased knee and ankle muscle strength and improved flexibility and mobility compared with a group that did not participate in the exercise program. Tai chi participants were almost twice less likely to experience a fall.

Review your medications

Your risk of falling may increase if you take certain prescription medications to treat age-related medical conditions. Many medications have side effects that can affect your brain function and lead to dizziness or lightheadedness.
Taking multiple medications magnifies the risk, as does combining prescription drugs with alcohol, over-the-counter allergy or sleeping medications, painkillers, or cough suppressants. Ask your prescribing physician to review your medications and reduce your chances of falling by using the lowest effective dosage. Also, discuss the need for walking aids or supports while taking medications that can affect balance.

Have your vision checked

Reduced vision increases risk of falls. Age-related vision diseases, including cataracts and glaucoma, can alter your depth perception, visual acuity and susceptibility to glare. These limitations hinder your ability to move safely. It is important to have regular check-ups with your ophthalmologist. Also, regularly clean your glasses to improve visibility.

Preventing osteoporosis

Osteoporosis makes bones less resistant to stress and more likely to fracture. Caused by hormonal changes, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, and a decrease in physical activity, osteoporosis is a chief cause of fractures in older adults, especially women.
To help limit the effects of osteoporosis, be sure to eat or drink sufficient calcium. Calcium-rich foods include milk, yogurt, cheese, fish and shellfish, broccoli, soybeans, collards and turnip greens, tofu and almonds. In addition, consume sufficient amounts of vitamin D to enhance the absorption of calcium into the bloodstream. Vitamin D is formed naturally in the body after exposure to sunlight, but older adults may need a supplement.
Falls don’t have to be a part of getting older. You have the power to stay securely on your feet. A physical activity program, lifestyle changes, and home improvements may further reduce your risk. But if you do find yourself falling, take steps to reduce your risk of serious injury. If possible, fall forward on your hands or land on your buttocks—but not on your spine. Also, as you fall, protect your head from striking furniture or the floor.
If you live alone, and are afraid no one will help you if you fall, ask someone to check on you once a day. Or consider paying for an emergency-monitoring company that responds to your call for help 24 hours a day.

Stress Relief

2011-08-22T10:41:00.002-05:00

Stress has become a fact of life, and for some, the daily norm. Although occasional stress can help improve our focus and performance, living with chronic stress can backfire by causing anxiety, depression, and serious health problems.
Understanding who we are, knowing our major struggles, putting them in perspective, and taking action can help us deal with stress. The following strategies can also improve stress tolerance and help lessen the effects of stress on our health.

Think Positively

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into positive,” said Hans Selye, author of the groundbreaking work around stress theory. When optimism is hard to muster, cognitive-behavioral therapy, which trains people to recognize negative thinking patterns and replace them with more constructive ones, can also help reduce the risk of chronic stress and depression.

Get Out and Enjoy Nature

While modern civilization has made our lives more convenient, it has deprived us of an essential source of stress relief—connection with nature. Studies show that interacting with nature can help lessen the effects of stress on the nervous system, reduce attention deficits, decrease aggression, and enhance spiritual well-being.

“Smell the Roses” for Better Mood

Aromatherapy, or smelling essential plant oils, recognized worldwide as a complementary therapy for managing chronic pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress-related disorders, can help you unwind. Orange and lavender scents, in particular, have been shown to enhance relaxation and reduce anxiety.

Relax with a Cup of Tea

During stressful times, coffee helps us keep going. To give yourself a break, however, consider drinking tea. Research shows that drinking tea for 6 weeks helps lower post-stress cortisol and increase relaxation. Habitual tea drinking may also reduce inflammation, potentially benefiting your heart health.

Laugh It Off

Humor relieves stress and anxiety and prevents depression, helping put our troubles in perspective. Laughter can help boost the immune system, increase pain tolerance, enhance mood and creativity, and lower blood pressure, potentially improving treatment outcomes for many health problems, including cancer and HIV. Humor may also be related to happiness, which has been linked to high self-esteem, extroversion, and feeling in control.

Build a Support System

Relationships are also key to health and happiness, especially for women. Women with low social support, for example, are more likely to increase blood pressure under stress. Loneliness may also contribute to stress in both men and women, also leading to poorer outcomes after a stroke or congestive heart failure. On the other hand, active and socially involved seniors are at lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Social support also helps cancer patients to boost the immune system and maintain a higher quality of life.

Employ the Relaxing Power of Music

Music, especially classical, can also serve as a powerful stress-relief tool. Listening to Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D major while preparing a public speech helps avoid anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure, which usually accompany public speaking.
Singing and listening to music can also relieve pain and reduce anxiety and depression caused by lowback pain. Group drumming also showed positive effects on stress relief and the immune system. Music therapy can also elevate mood and positively affect the immune system in cancer patients and reduce fatigue and improve self-acceptance in people with multiple sclerosis.
To help people deal with stressful medical procedures, music can help reduce anxiety before surgery. When played during surgery, it can decrease the patient’s post-operative pain. Aiding recovery, a dose of calming music may lower anxiety, pain, and the need for painkillers.

Calm Your Mind

In recent decades, many forms of meditation have gained popularity as relaxation and pain relief tools. Focusing on our breath, looking at a candle, or practicing a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts and actions can help tune out distractions, reduce anxiety and depression, and accept our circumstances. In cancer patients, meditation-based stress reduction enhances quality of life, lowers stress symptoms, and potentially benefits the immune system.
Guided imagery, such as visualizing pictures prompted by an audiotape recording, also shows promise in stress relief and pain reduction. Based on the idea that the mind can affect the body, guided imagery can be a useful adjunct to cancer therapy, focusing patients on positive images to help heal their bodies.

Enjoy the Warmth of Human Touch

Just as the mind can affect the body, the body can influence the mind. Virginia Satir, a famous American psychotherapist, once said that people need 4 hugs a day to help prevent depression, 8 for psychological stability, and 12 for growth. While asking for hugs may not work for some, massage can help us relieve stress and reduce anxiety and depression. Massage has also been shown to reduce aggression and hostility in violent adolescents, to improve mood and behavior in students with ADHD, and to lead to better sleep and behavior in children with autism.
Massage has other therapeutic properties, as well. Regular massage may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension and may lead to less pain, depression, and anxiety and better sleep in patients with chronic low-back pain. Compared to relaxation, massage therapy also causes greater reduction in depression and anger, and more significant effects on the immune system in breast cancer patients.

Give Exercise a Shot

To get the best of both worlds, affecting the mind through the body while getting into good physical shape, try exercise. In one study, a group of lung cancer patients increased their hope due to exercise. Exercise can also reduce depression and improve wound healing in the elderly. Tai chi, which works for people of all ages, may enhance heart and lung function, improve balance and posture, and prevent falls, while reducing stress.
No matter what stress-relief methods you choose, make it a habit to use them—especially if you feel too stressed out to do it. As someone once said, the time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.

Pull Your Weeds, Not Your Back, When Gardening.

2011-08-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

As springtime gets under way, weather warms up and leaves turn green, many people will spend more time outside planting bulbs, mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. Gardening can provide a great workout, but with all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling, your body may not be ready for exercise of the garden variety.
Gardening can be enjoyable, but it is important to stretch your muscles before reaching for your gardening tools. The back, upper legs, shoulders, and wrists are all major muscle groups affected when using your green thumb.
“A warm-up and cool-down period is as important in gardening as it is for any other physical activity,” said Dr. Scott Bautch of the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. "Performing simple stretches during these periods will help alleviate injuries, pain and stiffness."
To make gardening as fun and enjoyable as possible, it is important to prepare your body for this type of physical activity. The following stretches will help to alleviate muscle pain after a day spent in your garden.

Garden Fitness Stretches

Before stretching for any activity, breathe in and out, slowly and rythmically; do not bounce or jerk your body, and stretch as far and as comfortably as you can. Do not follow the no pain, no gain rule. Stretching should not be painful. o While sitting, prop your heel on a stool or step, keeping the knees straight. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh, or the hamstring muscle. Hold this position for 15 seconds. Do this once more and repeat with the other leg.
Stand up, balance yourself, and grab the front of your ankle from behind. Pull your heel towards your buttocks and hold the position for 15 seconds. Do this again and repeat with the other leg.
While standing, weave your fingers together above your head with the palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds, then to the other. Repeat this stretch three times.
Do the "Hug your best friend." Wrap your arms around yourself and rotate to one side, stretching as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for 10 seconds and reverse. Repeat two or three times.

Finally, be aware of your body technique, body form and correct posture while gardening. Kneel, don't bend, and alternate your stance and movements as often as possible to keep the muscles and body balanced.

When the Bulbs Are Planted...

If you already feel muscle aches and pains and did not complete the warm-up and cool-down stretches, there are ways to alleviate the discomfort. Apply a cold pack on the area of pain for the first 48 hours or apply a heat pack after 48 hours, and consider chiropractic care.

Sports Injuries

2011-08-17T22:33:00.000-05:00

Participation in sports or exercise is an important step in maintaining your health. Exercise strengthens your heart, bones, and joints and reduces stress, among many other benefits. Unfortunately, injuries during participation in sports are all too common. Often, these injuries occur in someone who is just taking up sports as a form of activity, doesn’t use proper safety equipment, or becomes overzealous about the exercise regimen.
The more commonly injured areas of the body are the ankles, knees, shoulders, elbows, and spine. Remember that you should discuss any exercise program with your doctor of chiropractic before undertaking such activities.

Strains and Sprains

Although bones can sometimes be fractured with acute sports injuries, the most commonly injured structures are the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Tendons attach muscles to bones, and ligaments attach one bone to another.
An acute twisting or overextension of a joint can lead to tears of muscles and tendons, called “strains,” and tears of ligaments result in “sprains.” These tears range from mild to severe. 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, are most often considered unstable injuries and 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.
Ankle sprains most often involve tears of one or more of the ligaments along the outside of the ankle. Knee ligaments, including the larger external supportive ligaments and the smaller internal stabilizing ligaments, can also be torn. The cartilage on the back of the patella (knee-cap) can also become eroded from overuse, leading to a condition termed chondromalacia patella.

Tendinosis

In those who are training too much, overuse of a particular joint or joints in the body can result in pain and dysfunction. These injuries are called “overuse syndromes.” A common overuse injury is tendinosis, also called tendinitis. In this condition, the tendon becomes inflamed from repetitive use. In the shoulder, the rotator cuff (a complex of muscles that stabilizes and moves the shoulder) becomes inflamed, resulting in rotator cuff tendinitis. Tennis elbow is another form of tendinitis that occurs along the outside of the elbow, most commonly in tennis players. In golfer’s elbow, the tendons on the inside of the elbow are affected.

Stress Fractures

Some athletes may experience a stress fracture, also called a fatigue fracture. This type of fracture occurs when an abnormal amount of stress is placed on a normal bone. This might occur in a runner who rapidly increases the amount of mileage while training for a race. Stress fractures also occur in people who begin running as a form of exercise but overdo it from the start, rather than gradually progress to longer distances.
One final common injury is worth mentioning, and that is shin splints. This overuse injury is caused by microfractures on the front surface of the tibia (shin bone). This is most often seen in runners, although other athletes can also be affected.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Sports injuries are most often diagnosed from the history of the activity that brought on the pain, along with a physical examination. In some cases, x-rays are necessary to rule out a fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diagnostic ultrasound are also used in finding soft-tissue injuries, like tendinitis and sprains.
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. There is a relatively standard treatment protocol for most of the other overuse types of injuries. This protocol involves the following:

Rest

Generally no more than 48 hours of rest and/or immobilization is needed, depending on the severity of the injury. In most cases, the sooner the person becomes active after an injury, the more rapid is the recovery. In fact, long-term immobilization can sometimes be harmful to recovery. Your doctor of chiropractic will guide this process, as too early a return to activity, choosing the wrong type of activity, or excessive activity can be detrimental.

Ice or heat

Ice or heat can be helpful with pain reduction and tissue healing.

Compression

Compression of the area may reduce the amount of swelling from the injury. Your doctor of chiropractic will determine if this will be beneficial in your case.

Elevation

Elevation of the injured arm or leg above the level of the heart is thought to be helpful in reducing swelling.

Pain relievers

Recent research has demonstrated that some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may actually slow the healing process by restricting the body’s natural healing mechanisms, so they should be used sparingly.

Joint manipulation

Recent research has shown us that, in some cases, joint manipulation can be helpful with pain reduction and more rapid recovery. Your doctor of chiropractic will determine if this procedure will be helpful in your case.

A Word about Prevention

In many cases, sports injuries can be prevented. Proper conditioning and warm-up and cool-down procedures, as well as appropriate safety equipment, can substantially reduce injuries. Understanding proper techniques can also go a long way toward preventing injuries. Sufficient water intake is also an important preventive measure.

Tips for a Healthy Spine

2011-08-17T22:32:00.002-05:00

A healthy spine is an often overlooked and essential part of a healthy lifestyle. People who suffer from back pain, particularly if it is long-term, are generally less healthy than those who do not. In fact, back pain costs are staggering not only financially, but also in terms of lost time from work and because of psychosocial problems that arise during the healing process associated with long-term back pain.
Unfortunately, approximately 80-90% of the population suffers from spinal pain at some point. People who are overweight or obese, and who smoke, lift heavy objects, or had a previous episode of back pain, are more likely to experience back pain.
Because so many people suffer from spine pain, it’s important for you to try to keep your spine as healthy as possible. Following simple posture, lifting, and healthy lifestyle guidelines can help you keep your back in good shape.

The American Chiropractic Association recommends the following spinal health tips:

Standing

When standing, keep one foot slightly in front of the other, with your knees slightly bent. This position helps to take the pressure off your low back.
Do not stand bent forward at the waist for prolonged periods of time. The muscles in your low back become deconditioned in this position, which may lead to pain.

Lifting

At all times, avoid twisting while lifting. Twisting is one of the most dangerous movements for your spine, especially while lifting.
If the item is too heavy to lift, pushing it is easier on your back than pulling it. Whenever possible, use your legs, not your back or upper body, to push the item.
If you must lift a heavy item, get someone to help you.

Sitting

Keep your knees slightly higher than your hips, with your head up and back straight.
Avoid rolling your shoulders forward (slouching).
Try to maintain the natural curve in your low back.

Reaching and Bending

When reaching for something above shoulder level, stand on a stool. Straining to reach such objects may not only hurt your mid-back and neck, but it can also bring on shoulder problems.
Do NOT bend over at the waist to pick up items from the floor or a table.
Instead, kneel down on one knee, as close as possible to the item you are lifting, with the other foot flat on the floor and pick the item up.
Or bend at the knees, keep the item close to your body, and lift with your legs, not your back.

Carrying

When carrying objects, particularly if they are heavy, keep them as close to your body as possible.
Carrying two small objects—one in each hand—is often easier to handle than one large one.

Healthy Diet and Exercise

While the proverbial jury is still out, we suspect that extra weight puts undue strain on your spine. Keep within 10 lbs. of your ideal weight for a healthier back.
“Beer belly” is likely the worst culprit, as it puts unwanted pressure on the muscles, ligaments and tendons in your low back.
The most efficient and effective way to reduce weight is by eating a sensible diet and exercising regularly.
Consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, particularly if you have a health condition.

Sleeping

Sleeping on your back puts approximately 50 pounds of pressure on your spine. Other positions may be better.
Placing a pillow under your knees while lying on your back cuts the pressure on your spine roughly in half.
Lying on your side with a pillow between your knees may also reduce the pressure on your back.
Never sleep in a position that causes a portion of your spine to hurt. Most often, your body will tell you what position is best.

Quit Smoking

Smokers have more spine pain than nonsmokers, and they also heal more slowly when they have an episode of back pain because the chemicals in tobacco smoke restrict the flow of blood to the tissues in and around your spine.
While following these instructions is no guarantee that you’ll be free from back pain for your entire life, it can certainly reduce your risk of developing it. These simple steps will help you keep your spine in good shape, making you a healthier, happier person.

Stop Trying to Sleep on the Problem

2011-08-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

If you have trouble sleeping, rest assured you are not the only one. Perhaps “rest assured” is the wrong phrase … Anyway, surveys into this problem reveal that between 40 and 60% of us don’t sleep as well as we’d like to. It may be down to money worries, family concerns, issues at work, aches and pains from physical problems, discomfort caused by your choice of pillow or bed, or a myriad of other reasons.
Good quality sleep is crucial to maintaining good health. It allows your body to recharge and regenerate, and gives your mind the break it needs to stay focused through the next day.
Many people who experience problems sleeping will resort to sleeping pills, but research shows these do not provide the truly quality periods of deep sleep that we need, and anyone who’s used them will testify to how fuzzy they can make you feel in the morning.
Doctors of chiropractic are trained in all aspects of creating wellness, and can offer advice to help the troubled sleeper kick the meds and enjoy a naturally-induced slumber that refreshes as it should. Here are a few tips to create a better environment for quality sleep:

Exercise regularly, and preferably in the morning. Evening exercise can raise your heartbeat into a range that may prevent you settling down to sleep. Try to leave a 2 to 3 hour gap between finishing exercise and going to bed.
Limit caffeine consumption later in the day and especially before bed. That means not just coffee, but caffeinated sodas and also tea. Counteract the effect of any such beverage during the day by drinking an equal amount of water.
If you need water during the night, drink it at room temperature not cold, which can upset the digestion and therefore your sleep.
Try not to eat dinner later than 6pm, again because this sets off the digestive functions which need to be settled for you to sleep well.
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same times to program your system.
Sleep in a cool room and as dark as possible. Any light, even through closed eyelids, triggers hormones to be produced that tell you to wake up.

Make sure you give yourself the best chance of sleep by choosing a good mattress and pillow.
The mattress should provide even support for the body and maintain the spine in its natural alignment. This is subjective for each person. To give an idea of whether it feels okay for you, it is recommended that you lie down on it in the store for 3 to 5 minutes. Any longer and you may be ejected for just being a hobo in search of a free lie-down.

Mattress Advice

Support should be uniform from head to toe, with no unsupportive gaps.
To firm up a soft mattress if you have back pain, put a board underneath it, but only until you feel better. Too-firm mattresses are not good.
Flip your mattress, or rotate it head to toe every few months to prevent any part becoming permanently indented.
When you start waking up feeling achy, that may be a sign you need a new mattress. Mattress life varies according to the quality of the build and how it is used.
Your mattress may need changing sooner if you experience changes in your life that affect you physically: weight gain or loss or injuries, for example, or anything that affects the weight or the placement of weight on your mattress. Even a new partner!
To soften up a too-hard mattress if you don’t want to splurge on a new one, there are memory-foam toppers available that will certainly help.

Pillow Talk

A bad pillow can negate all the good work performed every night by a good mattress. The aim of a pillow is to keep the cervical spine (the neck) aligned with the thoracic and lumbar sections of the spine (the chest and the lower back).

As a guide, a pillow should be able to keep your head and neck level with your mid and lower spine when you are lying on your side. If you lie on your back, it should be able to keep your head and neck level with your upper back and spine. Any deviation from these that angles your head and neck wrongly means you need to find another pillow.
Foam pillows are good so long as the material is firm enough to provide proper support and not squish away to nothing under your weight.
You should not need to put your arm under your pillow to get it to the right height, nor bend it over on itself to double its thickness. Those are good indicators your pillow is wrong.
Like a mattress, it is not a one-size-fits-all situation with pillows. Choose the one that is right for your shape.

Chiropractic Care To Help You Sleep Better

Your doctor of chiropractic can help with more than good advice. Even with the correct bedding, problems falling asleep due to pain and discomfort can occur when there are spinal problems. Chiropractors are trained to treat these problems and ensure that your spine is in a better state to allow you more peaceful rest.

A Healthy New You Through Better Nutrition

2011-08-16T16:09:00.000-05:00

You wouldn’t go to a gas station and fill your tank with the wrong type of fuel, would you? Of course not, because you know what the consequences would be. You’d break down a half mile along the road.
It’s pretty much the same with the human body, except for one thing: we are such amazing creatures that our bodies can travel for many years on the wrong fuel. Depending on the individual, the consequences of eating unhealthily may be a series of running repairs throughout the years to keep you on the road, or one catastrophic and terminal break down that sends you to that big scrap heap in the sky.
Changing your diet , even slightly, can bring improvements to your overall health. A radical overall can transform it for the rest of your (extended) life.
We all know which are the correct foods to eat, and which cause problems. You’d have to be a life-long hermit in a cave (without cable TV) not to have heard the horror stories that accompany the excess consumption of certain foods. It is not ignorance of the facts that’s the problem, i.e. not knowing; rather, it’s ignoring the facts that you certainly do know. Too often we make choices based on taste and convenience, it’s that simple. And if that’s the case, no amount of tips and advice is going to change your mind.
Let’s face it, a coffee and doughnut for breakfast is more appetizing than a piece of fruit or a bowl of muesli. Nutritionists who try and convince you otherwise are doing themselves no favors by starting off with an obvious lie. The deciding factor is whether you see the fuel you eat as a means of taking you the full distance without mishap, or whether you don’t care how far you go so long as you are allowed to stop in at every fast food joint along the way.
If you are one of those people who has decided to “drive green” the rest of the journey, but are too bombarded by well-meaning information to know how to start, these simple tips may be of help:

Lifestyle Changes

Exercise for at least 30 minutes three or four days a week to power up your metabolic rate and keep it revving even through periods of inactivity.
Dine out less often. Restaurants are purveyors of taste over nutrition, and are prone to loading their recipes with salt and sugar.
Prepare your own lunch in the morning so you control exactly what goes into it. Include more fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Limit alcohol intake and give up smoking. Both habits impair your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from your food.

Dietary Changes

Raw foods are bursting with nutrients so eat more of them. Cooking and canning kills off most of the goodness in food (although it should be noted that canned tomatoes can help prevent prostate cancer). Choose instead fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, containing more vitamins and minerals.
Choose organic produce if you can to avoid the chemicals and toxins that are present in pesticides.
Eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day in the form of whole-grain breads and cereals, beans and nuts. Some fruits and vegetables are also good sources of fiber. Remember, though, that processed white flour products are the chief cause of Type-2 diabetes, messing up as they do your blood-glucose levels and destroying your body’s ability to control insulin.
Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day to hydrate your organs and lubricate all your bodily functions. Remember that coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol are diuretics, and steal water from the body.

Vegetarian Diets

Research proves that a good vegetarian diet has the power to help prevent heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases. Just bear in mind that French fries are also vegetarian, as are potato chips and beer. In other words, make sure you do not ruin any vegetarian health plans by deluding yourself into thinking all vegetarian products are good for you. Be sensible and selective.
With a vegetarian diet, consider the following tips:

Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to keep a varied mix of nutrients in your diet.
Take the advice of a suitable healthcare professional before eliminating animal products from your diet, so it can be done sensibly and correctly. This is especially the case for children, pregnant and breast-feeding women, and people recovering from illness.
Many old-school nutritionists and general practitioners still dispense advice we now know to be outmoded, and would advise against vegetarianism and in favor of meat and dairy. Seek out a professional who is up-to-date with the latest research, such as a doctor of chiropractic.
Although B12 is not required in any great amounts by the body and it would take years to become deficient even after cutting out a suitable source, it is only available in animal-based produce so keep a check on your level of that and of iron. Tiredness, malaise, and anemia can be signs of a deficiency.
Eat fortified foods or take supplements to make up for any essential nutrients a vegetarian diet cannot provide. The best B12 supplementation comes from a shot, or an under-the-tongue nanotechnology spray for better absorption. Beware B12 in standard vitamin pills or fortified cereal; this is known as a B12 analogue and actually ends up robbing you of your own natural B12, leaving a net deficit.
Dietary supplements can never take the place of proper food, and should not be seen as suitable substitutes. In conjunction with proper food, though, a good quality supplement can help plug any gaps your diet may have.

Some general advice to conclude:

Eat more dark green vegetables, oils, nuts, and seeds, which are good sources of magnesium, fatty acids, and other vitamins and minerals.
If you don’t know about nutrition, don't "self-prescribe". Consult someone like a doctor of chiropractic who can help you formulate a supplements program that is geared to your own diet.
Symptoms such as headaches, chronic fatigue, or cardiac problems should send you straight to a healthcare professional for further investigation. It may be that all you need is to improve your diet, but these things are best not assumed.

Need a Career? Consider Chiropractic!

2011-08-16T16:06:00.000-05:00

College-bound youth who are making career decisions would do very well to consider the field of Chiropractic for their future careers. Chiropractic appears on many career option lists as a highly needed profession that has excellent financial rewards for both men and women.
Consumer demand for alternative health care including Chiropractic is expanding in the United States. The field is expected to grow faster than average through the year 2014. A growth rate of 18 to 26 percent annual increase for Chiropractors is projected.
Chiropractors emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyles and do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. This appeals to many health-conscious Americans and is of growing importance in the case of children diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder where treatment programs have been known to offer effective relief.
The increasing number of people who work in sedentary jobs and encounter physical problems provides a growing market for Chiropractic care. Additionally, a rapidly expanding older population is also creating an increased demand for Chiropractors.
The benefits of a Chiropractic career go far beyond the feeling of satisfaction that comes from helping people. Chiropractors enjoy such additional benefits as self-employment, working in a clean environment, and a work schedule that permits a life beyond the job. Plus, many enjoy excellent financial rewards. One list of important jobs places Chiropractic in the top 25 good-paying jobs in America.
The perfect way for a young person to find our more about the field and career options would be to ask a Chiropractor. Members of this profession are usually very willing to talk about their own background and education. This personal information can be of great help to a youngster in making a valuable career decision.

Pro Athletes Benefit from Chiropractic

2011-08-16T16:04:00.002-05:00

Many professional athletes in the United States turn to Chiropractic to help them through the rigors and physical demands of their sport. Players on the men’s professional golf tour have chiropractors available to them at all of their tournaments. Many professional football players get Chiropractic help following rough and tumble games. Now professional baseball organizations have come a long way in providing Chiropractic to their players.
In the past year, both the World Champion Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies organizations have worked with chiropractors to get their players in top condition to perform through an entire year. Major League ball clubs play a 162 game schedule that includes coast to coast travel. A typical season starts in late February with a Spring Training schedule and finishes in early October. A playoff or World Series bound team is still playing in late October.
Michael Weinman, D.C., works with the Boston Red Sox and often is busy with players for three to four hours before home games. “When the body’s joints, muscles and nerves are well-conditioned, a player performs at the top of his game and is able to stave off nagging injuries. Chiropractic adjustments enhance physical health and promote top performance,” he said.
The most common problems for baseball players include rotator cuff injuries; neck, mid-back and lower back conditions; and hamstring pulls. The hamstring problems tend to be incurred by a player in a standing position having to quickly burst into action at top speed to make a play. Dr. Weinman says that much of his work involves adjusting joints to keep them mobile, reduce a player’s inflammations and to break up adhesions.
Dr. Weinman and a team of trainers and massage and physical therapists must be having a positive effect on this team. Last October, the Boston Red Sox became World Series champions for 2007 when they defeated the Colorado Rockies in 4 straight games!
The Philadelphia Phillies organization will have chiropractors available to their players for the 2008 season at all home and road games. The team has put a network of chiropractors together in all of the cities the team will visit this year. The request for Chiropractic came first from pitcher Cole Hamels who believes in the benefits of Chiropractic. He thinks that one of the reasons he was forced to miss games while on the disabled list in 2007 had to do with no chiropractor being made available to help with an elbow strain.
Hamels said he was most pleased that the team was putting in the effort to make chiropractors available to them when they travel. Many other players on the team will likely make use of the services to stay healthy and play their best. “Ever since I’ve used one (a chiropractor) it’s done wonders for me. It’s great that they (team management) are going out of their way to get a network going.” Hamels thinks that with Chiropractic services fully available, that he could reach the magic number of becoming a 20 game winner this season.

Chiropractic and Ear Infections in Children

2011-07-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

There are 10 million new cases every year of otitis media, aka your common-or-garden ear infection. It is so common, in fact, that ear infections account for 35% of all pediatric visits, making them the number one reason for visiting the pediatrician and the most recorded illness in babies and young children. If you’ve ever seen a child with an ear infection, you’ll know how excruciating the pain is.
Nearly 50% of all children will suffer at least one middle ear infection in their first 12 months. By age 3, that figure soars to around two-thirds. The causes of otitis media are bacterial or viral, and are often a by-product of another illness, such as a cold. Many children end up suffering on a chronic basis, and are in and out of the doctor’s office for years. Ultimately, such repeated insults can lead to permanent hearing damage, with all the related speech and developmental problems that accompany it.
The usual course of action is to prescribe antibiotics, in case the cause is bacterial rather than viral. Of course, a viral infection will not be touched by this medication. Moreover, research shows that even in the case of a bacterial infection, pills are not much better at dealing with the problem than the body’s immune system. And much has been made in recent years of the problem of over-prescribing antibiotics, which has led to a drug-resistant bacteria that medicine as yet has no answer to.
Ear infections are the second most common reason for surgery in children under 2 years of age. Actually, they are the primary cause of surgery for medical reasons in this age group, because the most common surgery is circumcision. When the problem is serious enough to create a hearing deficit, specialists sometimes implant “ear tubes” in procedures known as myringotomy and tympanostomy. This involves piercing the eardrum and inserting a tube to help reduce the pressure inside and allow fluid to drain. Usually, the tube is naturally discarded after a few months and the hole closes up, but the procedure still needs to be repeated in 20 to 30% of cases. That’s more general anesthetic, which is no small event for a young child. If problems still persist, an adenoidectomy may be performed to remove the adenoids.

Chiropractic Care Can Help

Worried by all this drug and invasive treatment, which may anyway prove ineffective, more parents are looking at chiropractic as a source of relief for their children. Research has been published in childrearing magazines such as Parenting and Baby Talk showing that 80% of children treated by chiropractic for ear infections remained free of the complaint for at least the following six months (where maintenance visits every four to six weeks were administered).
It may be hard for some people to link chiropractic to the ears when most people just think of spinal adjustments, but it is these spinal adjustments that trigger improvement in those areas related to the spine, which covers … well, the entire body. Chiropractic mobilizes drainage of the ear, and this natural response causes the body to create the antibodies necessary to help beat the infections.
Specifically, it is the manipulation of the upper-cervical spine that helps children with otitis media, namely the occiput (back of the skull), and atlas (first neck vertebra). Adjusting the occiput allows the middle ear to drain, and between six and eight treatments would be typical to help resolve the problem and trigger the child’s system into developing the tools necessary to carry on the fight unaided.
If you have concerns about recurrent bouts of ear infection in your child, talk to your doctor of chiropractic. Chiropractors are licensed and trained to diagnose and treat patients of all ages, and will adjust treatments accordingly.

The Benefits of Great Posture

2011-06-14T09:51:00.003-05:00

Homo Sapiens Erectus! It is the Erectus part of Homo sapiens that is governed by the integrity or misalignment of the human spine. It is accidents and injuries, which tear loose the ligaments and tendons holding those spinal vertebrae together which allows the spine to become twisted or misaligned. The spine as the foundation of the framework of the body and whether it is misaligned determines posture.

Often the injuries causing misalignments are during childhood and the growing years. And many of them go undetected for years.

Ahh posture! Those pesky parents asking their children to “straighten up” and as soon as they think of something else, there they go slumping again. It is more comfortable to slump or to give way to the inability of the spine to hold your child upright. And so it begins! The body adapts to the short leg, the high and low hip and the twisting or distortion of the body leaning to the right or left.

These distortions of posture start relatively small and then progress over time. Years later, the adult has neck or back pain and has developed a number of symptoms related to the nervous system and the nerves passing through the spine. The deviations of posture are still relatively subtle and then you look at those photographs where your head is always tilted to the right side and one of your shoulders appears lower than the other.

Then as you get older it is harder to hold yourself up. The distortions become obvious as your body begins to bend forward and you question why one of your legs is not working like the other one.

What a gift it is to have your spinal misalignment and your posture corrected when you are young. Imagine your ability to stand erect against gravity, the greatest stress in your life, balanced with less effort. Upright posture is easier. It is effortless. It is less tiring.

Oh, it would have been so easy if all I had to do was to listen to my parents when they said: “stand tall, sit straight!”

Now you know about the spine and its relationship to posture. Having great posture is from taking care of your spine. Keeping it in its corrected normal position has many more benefits than “looking good.” It is healthier and makes life better.