As I have been writing about (and hopefully you have been reading about), obesity  frequently has detrimental effects on the musculoskeletal system. Excess weight causes back and neck strain, and can contribute to osteoarthritis, which often keeps obese people from physical activity. This official emphasis on preventative healthcare provides important recognition and confirmation that in addition to pain relief and prevention, doctors of chiropractic are trained nutrition specialists, as well, and can offer natural ways for patients to combat obesity.

Dr. Gerard Clum, president of Life Chiropractic College West and also a spokes person for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, stresses that there are many strategies that are used to address obesity concerns. The most important and the most well established are basic changes in lifestyle related to food, physical activity and personal motivation. “Doctors of chiropractic represent an under-utilized resource for addressing this critical health and societal concern,” says Clum. “The hands-on nature of chiropractic care lends itself to opportunities for advice, counseling and encouragement to address this important health risk.”

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on the many benefits associated with chiropractic care) is joining the ACA in this year’s obesity prevention campaign by offering the following healthy living tips:

- Follow a balanced diet – emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans

- Eat less harmful food – reduce intake of sugar, soda, fats and processed foods

- Drink plenty of water – try for several glasses a day

- Exercise regularly – aim for 20 – 30 minutes, three to four times a week

- Stay positive – the right attitude will lead to greater success

Source:
Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

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The tests involve simple physical activities that people perform on a regular basis. Grip strength, walking speed, rising from a chair, and balancing on one leg can reveal a person’s capacity to perform everyday tasks safely. To bring the point home, so to speak, in order to help people understand the importance of strength and balance, researchers at the University College London analyzed 33 studies that examined physical capabilities in people of any age and recorded subsequent deaths among the participants. Overall, those who had poorer results on physical function tests had a consistently higher risk of death.

What did the tests reveal specifically? Here are some of the test results:

• In 14 studies that included a total of 53,476 people, the death rate was 1.67 times higher for people with the weakest grip strength than for those with the strongest grip.

• Five studies that included a total of 14,692 people found that the death rate was 2.87 times higher for the slowest walkers than for the fastest walkers.

• Five studies that included a total of 28,036 people found that the death rate was nearly twice as high for people who were slowest to rise from a chair than for those who were quickest at this task.

It is important to not that while most of the studies included older people, the association between grip strength and death risk was also found in younger adults. The study was published online Sept. 10 in the BMJ.

So, the good news is that such screenings are available. But, even better news is that your chiropractor can not only also assess your abilities in these areas, but can recommend individualized strength exercises and reassess your abilities. And, in addition, chiropractic care has been shown to be relieve balance problems such as vertigo and those relating to improper alignment and nervous system interference. So, if you’d like an evaluation of your risk potential, as well as help with lowering that risk, see your chiropractor in San Jose today!

For more information on seniors and exercise, go to: The U.S. National Institute on Aging

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine explained in a university news release that the “unified body construction” of a laptop, with its inseparable keyboard and monitor, makes it difficult for users to configure their equipment in a way that minimizes risk to their bodies. For instance, awkward positioning of the fingers and body can cause nerve injury to the wrist and prompt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, while poor neck position and shoulder posture can cause muscle strain and soreness in those areas.

Researcher, Dr. Kevin Carneiro, a physician in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and his colleagues point out that laptop users can take specific steps to minimize their risk. So, listen up and heed the tips below:

• If you are working at a computer, your body should form 90-degree angles at the elbows, knees and hips.
• Use a docking station and cables to hook up to an external monitor and/or separate keyboard that are movable to encourage better posture.
• With the help of a docking station, position the computer so you can read the screen without bending your neck.
• Pay attention to the chair you sit in — look for one that is adjustable and comes with back support.
• Tilt the screen so you don’t need to bend your neck, and place the mouse so that your wrists are in a neutral position (one in which they are aligned with your arm and not raised above it).
• Take frequent short breaks every 20 minutes or so — this can help rest muscles and encourage position shifting. Do some shoulder shrugs, gentle forward head rolls, and shoulder scrunches to stretch your muscles.
• Stay hydrated — drinking plenty of water can help keep discs in your back lubricated.

In addition, be sure to watch out for warning signs, such as pain and tingling. These may mean you need to use better posture, take more breaks, or see your chiropractor in San Jose!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, headaches, laptops and bad posture, neck and shoulder pain, Where:San-Jose-CA

Let’s face it, life these days has become a spectator sport for many people. Kids sit in front of the television or their computers — and so do adults! Business often demands it and, after a long day of sitting at the computer at the office, “relaxation” or “family time” frequently comes in the form of vegging in front of the TV. There is growing evidence to suggest that people (and in the case of this particularly study, women) who are physically active in mid-life and beyond have a lower chance of dementia, as well as the “more minor” forms of cognitive impairment in old age. However, until now there has been less clarity regarding the importance of physical activity for women early in life and at different stages of life. The researchers at Sunnybrook health Sciences Centre in Canada compared the physical activity and cognition of 9,344 women at different ages (teenage, age 30, age 50, and late-life) to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages on later cognitive abilities.

“Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive, but also that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment,” said Laura Middleton, PhD, who lead the research. And, in addition, she and her research team found that women who were physically inactive as teenagers, but became physically active at age 30 or age 50 had significantly reduced their odds of cognitive impairment as well compared to those who remained physically inactive. “Low physical activity levels in today’s youth may mean increased dementia rates in the future,” Middleton added.

What’s good for the body is always good for the brain. So be smart and stay that way by being physically active. “Motion is Life,” so get moving!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, cognitive impairment, dementia, exercise, movement, physical activity, Where:San-Jose-CA, womens health

Where are PBDEs found? Just about everywhere, such as in carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. PBDEs can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells. Is it any wonder then that PBDEs can be found in the blood of most American residents? And, if you live in California the situation is even more criticaul because of the state’s rigorous flammability laws. Concentrations of the chemicals in blood and breast milk have increased dramatically in the last three decades.

Though it is not currently known just how the chemicals interfere with thyroid function, researchers believe that PBDEs could bind to thyroid receptors and alter how the hormone is released. The bottom line, however, is that these chemicals are dangerous, especially for pregnant women. “Our results suggest that exposure to PBDE flame retardants may have unanticipated human health risks,” said Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at UC Berkeley.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, heartburn, joint swelling, low back pain, nausea, pregnancy, Where:San-Jose-CA

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 of migraines can be. And, yet, the only "solution" this study offered?

This study is "important," said Dr. Hu, because 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," he and his colleagues concluded.

My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!

SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, headaches, migraines, Where:San-Jose-CA

The same is true when you go to see a chiropractor. Most of the time, individuals go to see a chiropractor because they’re in pain (not feeling well). After the chiropractor has treated them and gotten them out of pain (a ‘prescription,’ so to speak, for a temporary condition), the chiropractor will probably suggest maintenance care (a general checkup even when you’re feeling okay). The only difference is that a chiropractor will likely suggest that you come in monthly. Why? Because chiropractors are all about preventative care whenever possible. Maintenance care is like a “tune up” that not only helps your body to maintain the “crisis” treatment you received when you were in pain and keeps you healthier and stronger so that you can avoid future injuries, but during your maintenance visit your chiropractor can make sure that you don’t have a “temporary condition” that needs to be corrected before it becomes “crisis” treatment.

Cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of regular exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related influences can produce pain, often excruciating pain, in your back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, etc. Getting “checked out” and “readjusted” on a regular basis keeps small conditions from becoming big problems.

So, to the question “If I start doing to a chiropractor, will I need to go “forever”? The answer is “No, but you may want to, for your health‘s sake!”

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It may be advantageous for you to have some concept, in advance, about the different chiropractic treatment plans Dr. Hoewisch may possibly advocate.

• Relief Care is a type of chiropractic program offered to those who are suffering from any type of acute pain or distress, regardless of the reason behind the challenge. The aim of this kind of therapy is to furnish fast pain relief. The length of the treatment phase likely will fluctuate as it depends entirely on the scope of the condition or disability experienced by the individual and how fast it can be remedied.

• Corrective Care is a “more advanced” method of chiropractic treatment. This is for those that have suffered with spinal problems over an extended period of time, which is to say, for those who have a persistent challenge that has evolved into a more complex condition as a consequence of putting off specific care. Remedial treatment ordinarily stretches over a longer time frame. How long care is necessary is determined by the severity of the progressive impairment and how speedily the individual responds to the treatment.

• Maintenance Care, as the name suggests, is intended to maintain or protect any form of procedure previously given to a patient. Many times, chiropractic care is extended solely after the initial treatments have been estimated to be successful. The purpose of this type of chiropractic care is to inhibit the potential of the initial dysfunction returning and to discourage degenerative changes in the future.

• wellness Care is provided to those people that are not afflicted by severe discomfort, but wish to improve their overall health. Regular chiropractic treatment enhances the circulation of blood and oxygen in the body, improves muscle flexibility, assists in discouraging work and play injury, and increases a person’s total impression of well-being.

Whether you are currently suffering from pain or you want to boost your overall health, chiropractic care can help. Call Dr. Hoewisch, your San Jose Chiropractor, today!

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When Laura was born, she was completely blind. The doctors told her parents there was no hope that her eyesight would ever develop. Her problem was called congenital nystagmus, a condition where the eye experiences involuntary shaking and causes severe vision loss.

This situation did not stop Laura from working to achieve in life. As a child her vision did improve somewhat, but she was still unable to play or read like normal children. “When I was a child, I would look in an adult textbook and all I could see were dots,” Laura said. “I thought, ‘Wow, grown-ups are really special to be able to look at dots and get words out of that!’”

By the time Laura turned 16, her vision had improved some more, but she was still legally blind. Doctors continued to tell her there was no hope for her condition. Additionally, she began suffering from severe stomach ulcers.

However, Laura did not let that stop her. She decided to enter a teen beauty pageant, and
she won. That event changed her life and opened doors that would have otherwise remained closed. “That was the best thing about my teenage years,” she said.
Sometime later, Laura’s life was about to take another amazing turn!

When Laura entered college, she took a part time job in a chiropractic office in Delmar,
Delaware. The doctor, Donald Hattier, suggested that he give her an adjustment. This is when her life turned on a dime. In fact, after her first adjustment, her ulcers disappeared and her vision began to improve. It happened that fast.

As the story continues, Laura went on through school and got to the point where she submitted her official resignation at the Chiropractic office. It was at this time that Dr. Donald asked her out on a date. The happy story continues with the two of them now married and the parents of four children.

At age 39, Laura is living the life she never thought possible. Her vision has improved to
20/50. She is able to take care of her family and run daily errands. “I can pick my kids up from school, I can drive my kids to church and I can go to the grocery store for my family,” she said. “I am truly thankful for that.”

SOURCE: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org

Posted via email from chiropracticnews’s posterous

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Vertigo has a number of origins. An inner ear condition, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can occasionally occur as the aftermath of a head injury or severe cold. In addition this kind of vertigo can be a part of getting older. However, generally, the cause is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non-progressive condition that is produced by, as its name implies, a abrupt change in head position. The symptoms are generally unforeseen and variable.

It is useful to look at the function of the inner ear in an effort understand what brings about the frequently disabling symptoms of this type of vertigo. The inner ear contains fluid that enables the brain to sense movement and maintain balance. The inner ear also contains small calcium carbonate crystals, known as otoconia. These crystals will float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the sensitive nerve endings in the inner ear, they cause the symptoms of  Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.

If you suffer from BPPV, it is important for you to know that chiropractors using a technique known as the Epley maneuver, can eliminate the symptoms of BPPV quickly and effectively. Through the use of this technique, your San Jose chiropractor rotates the head of a BPPV sufferer into various positions, allowing gravity to move the calcium carbonate crystals away from the nerve endings and into an area of the inner ear where they won’t generate further dizziness.

Your San Jose chiropractor has treated hundreds of people suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo using the Epley Maneuver technique. Often, with just one treatment the majority of patients no longer suffer from dizziness. Call your chiropractor today!

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