Regular Chiropractic Care and Personal Fitness

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Getting regular exercise is not a cure-all. Although it's very difficult to maintain good health if you're not exercising consistently, exercise in itself is not enough. Additional components  of a healthy lifestyle include good nutrition, sufficient rest, intangibles such as a positive outlook on life, and regular chiropractic care.

Regular chiropractic care ties together all the other things you're doing to achieve high levels of personal health and wellness. By identifying, analyzing, and correcting spinal misalignment's, your chiropractor is helping to reduce nerve interference and helping to facilitate optimal functioning of all your body's physiological systems. As a result, you're able to make maximum use of the good foods you're eating and get the most out of your exercise time. By making these healthy lifestyle choices, including regular chiropractic care, you're choosing to enhance your personal health and well-being.

Your Own Personal Trainer

Back in the day, there were no personal trainers. If you needed to learn how to exercise, you got a subscription to one of a few well-known "muscle magazines" and read several  issues cover to cover. Then yo joined a "Y" and began to discreetly observe what was going on in the weight room, trying to match up what you had read in the magazine with that you were seeing in the gym. Eventually, you put together a series of exercises, sets, and reps that worked for you. Back then, any strength training program you developed would be strictly based on the seat-of-the-pants approach. You learned by trial and error.

Today there is a vast body of scientific literature focused on the various benefits of numerous forms and types of exercise. However, scientific studies are not good at evaluating the how-to's of getting fit. Fortunately many informal resources are available, all intended to point you in the right direction. But not all of these resources are accurate or trustworthy, and the challenge is to identify a set of basic principles that will be applicable to your specific situation. 

Firstly, before getting started you need to make sure that it's OK to actually begin. Let your doctor (your family chiropractor, family physician, or internist) know what your're planning to do and have her tell you what you need to watch out for, if anything. Next, you need to make a commitment. Consistency is the key to deriving lasting value from exercise. Additionally, irregular exercise sessions will often lead to injury. If you're serious about getting fit, then make a commitment to yourself to participate in a 12-week program. At the end of 12 weeks, you'll evaluate how you feel, what you've accomplished, and whether you want to keep going.

In terms of strength training (that is, weight lifting), three sessions per week is ideal, thus avoiding potential for overwork and injury. But, you may find that an alternate set of split routines works best for you. The key is to start slowly and build up strength gradually. Once you have some experience and an improved level of fitness, you may branch out and vary your basic routine, experimenting and seeing what works best for you. In terms of sets and repetitions (reps), three sets per exercise and eight to 12 repetitions per set represent the classical, tried and true method of getting fit and making gradual strength gains over time. For any strength training exercise, start with a weight at which you can do eight repetitions comfortably. This should be neither too easy, nor too difficult. Of course, it's far better to err on the side of caution. You never want to do too much too soon.

As you do along in your fitness program, you'll add core exercise and aerobic exercise such as walking, swimming, biking, and running. If you work out slowly and gradually and maintain consistency, you'll have a great deal of fun and gain substantially improved levels of health and well-being.

Storer TW, et al: Effect of supervised, periodized exercise training vs. self-directed training on lean body mass and other fitness variables in health club members. J Strength Cond Red 28 (7): 1995-2006, 2014

Kahle N, Tevald MA: Core muscle strengthening's improvement of balance performance in community-dwelling older adults: a pilot study. J Aging Phy Act 22 (1):65-73, 2014

Huffman KM, et al: Metabolite signatures of exercise training in human skeletal muscle related to mitochondrial remodeling and cardiometabolic fitness. Diabetologia 2014 Aug 5. [Epub ahead of print]  

Chiropractic Care and Long-Term Health

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Whenever we think about long-term health and well being, we may also think of regular chiropractic care. In addition to periodic check-ups for blood pressure, laboratory tests, and other aspects of health care maintenance, regular chiropractic care helps ensure that your nerve system is intact and functioning effectively. Importantly, if your nerve system is not doing its job, other steps you're taking to achieve good health may come up short.

For example, regular vigorous exercise and a nutritious diet are key components of a healthy lifestyle. But if your nerve system is not appropriately coordinating the functioning of your musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, gastrointestinal, and hormonal systems on a moment-by-moment basis, you may not achieve the benefits you're hoping for from your investment of time and effort. By helping your nerve system function at peak levels, regular chiropractic care assists in the achievement of long-term good health.

The Long View

In general most people pay close attention to auto maintenance. Whether the concern is tires, brakes, transmission, or windshield status, people make sure that their cars do what they need them to do. People count on their cars to perform effectively. No one wants a surprise, especially in a critical situation. But in stark contrast, people often give much less consideration to their own physical functioning and capacity than they do to several critical performance factors related to their own automobiles.

The metaphor of machine upkeep standing in for health maintenance is commonplace but apt. To prove the point, most of us allow our physical conditioning to deteriorate far beyond that which we would ever tolerate relative to our cars or even our power lawnmowers. The immediate consequences of such neglect are the developed world epidemic in diabetes, the United-States-based epidemic in obesity, and the ongoing high levels of cardiovascular disease worldwide.

What redress is required with respect to our physical health and welfare? As with our cars, the long view is needed. If we lease a new car every year, upkeep is not an issue beyond an oil and filter change or two. But if we want our car to continue to perform reliably for three, five, or ten years, regularly scheduled service is necessary. Our cars need check-ups every 12 months or so. As flesh-and-blood organisms, we require a similar schedule of maintenance.

Importantly, feeling fine is not necessarily a good guide to how we're doing from a health perspective. High blood pressure, for example, is known as the "silent killer." There are no fully recognizable signs and symptoms of hypertension, until its too late. By the time a person has had a debilitating heart attack or stroke, high blood pressure has probably been in place for years. Similarly, the early symptoms and signs of diabetes are subtle and seemingly harmless. Fatigue and an inability to focus may be ignored or interpreted as mere symptoms of an overly stressed lifestyle. Frequent thirst and frequent urination might be conveniently explained away as side effects of poor eating habits. Again, serious damage may be done, possibly involving one's kidneys and one's vision, as a result of undiagnosed and untreated diabetes.

The solution to helping prevent such potentially serious health problems is to make sure you have regular check-ups. Operating on the long view, rather than operating as the proverbial ostrich (with his head buried in the sand) or the proverbial grasshopper (who fiddled all day), we will have annual or biannual blood pressure reading and blood tests. Appropriate scheduling for such check-ups will be specific to the individual, based upon age, past medical history,and family history. The critical takeaway is to practice preventive health care based on the long view. Perform personal maintenance and service checks as needed. 

Harness the Power of Hybrid Vigor

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Certain things in life just go together naturally. In the kitchen, peanut butter and jelly is a classic combination. Another such pairing is apple pie and ice cream.Other categories of life experience, such as human performance, prize the association of freedom and creativity. And in the field of health care, exercise and nutrition are two pillars of a solid foundation for long-term wellness and well-being.

The combination of exercise and nutrition makes intuitive sense, of course, but it's useful and informative to drill deeper into this relationship. Regarding exercise, almost any type of this activity is beneficial.¹ "Whatever works for you" is a time-honored principle in fitness. Swimming, running, bicycling, lifting weights, playing basketball, doing yoga, and walking all provide substantial benefit for people. What's best is to do the things you like to do. Hidden beneath the surface, however, is a very interesting fact. If you combine certain types of exercise, specifically, if you do both strength-training activities and cardiovascular exercises during the course of a week, you'll obtain enhanced results. Interestingly, both your strength and endurance will improve more rapidly compared to doing only one type of activity.

Beyond expedited improvement (and the great satisfaction many of us derive from lifting heavier weights in the gym and running faster on the track), improved strength and endurance are very closely linked to numerous important indicators of optimal health and well-being. It's the combination that makes the difference.^2,3

Similarly, good nutrition is not only a matter of making sure that every food group is represented in your daily diet. Choosing foods from the fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and dairy groups is the key first step in all nutritional programs that provide lasting value. But, again, there are hidden relationships. Combining proteins and carbohydrates at every meal causes improved digestion and improved absorption of all nutrients. By more efficiently breaking down the food you eat and more effectively absorbing valuable nutrients, you derive enhanced benefit from the calories you're consuming. You gain more energy to use throughout the day and are able to perform at a higher level. As a result, your sleep is more restful and you wake up refreshed, ready to engage with whatever challenges the new day brings.

The principle behind the power of these various combinations is that of hybrid vigor. The concept is derived from studies of genetics in the 19th century in which it was discovered that cross-breeding often produced hardier plants. We, too, can harness this principle to become hardier ourselves, enabling us to enjoy long-term health, wellness, and well-being.

¹Lackland DT, Voecks JH: Metabolic syndrome and hypertension: regular exercise as part of lifestyle management. Curr Hypertens Rep 2014 Nov;16(11):492. doi: 10.1007/s11906-014-0492-2
²Sigal RJ, el al: Effects of Aerobic Training, Resistance Training, or Both on Percentage Body Fat and Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Obese Adolescents: The Healthy Eating Aerobic and Resistance Training in Youth Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr 2014 Sep 22. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1392. [Epub ahead of print]
³Ho SS, et al: The effect of 12 weeks of aerobic, resistance or combination exercise training on cardiovascular risk factors in the overweight and obese in a randomized trial. BMC Public Health 2012 Aug 28;12:704. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-704

What are Symptoms?

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With gas prices through the roof, everyone hates to see that low fuel light come on!

As bad as the low fuel light is, it really is pivotal. It is a symptom of a low tank and a WARNING that unless you do something about it you will be "hoofing" it soon!

When it comes to health, pain or other symptoms are just the same. Symptoms are warnings! A "low health" light if you will.

Unfortunately, many people look for the quickest way to cover up the symptom and then move along. They ignore the warning and think that if the symptom is gone then the problem is gone. NOT TRUE! It would be no different than putting tape over the low fuel light and then just keep driving. It is no wonder that so many people are so sick and suffering.

Chiropractic addresses the cause not the symptom!

Health Statistics and You

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We are awash in numbers, thanks in large part to the proliferation of personal mobile devices and the wrong-headed use of so-called big data.¹ But applying statistical tools to the same set of data can support competing theories and lead to contradictory results. Such conflicting outcomes, known as antinomies if you remember Philosophy 101, cannot logically co-exist, and the field of statistics gets a bad reputation as a result. But big data can provide substantial value for people as individual patients. The key is to set some ground rules and understand the limitations of statistical investigation.

First and foremost, it's important to gain some clarity regarding the concept of false positives in regards to health. This statistical construct is familiar to all of us, although we may not be aware of it. If one of your doctors sends you for a laboratory test and the results are "positive", you'll be sent for follow-up tests until a final determination is made. If the final test turns out "negative", then the earlier results represented a false positive. The test results said you had the condition or disease, but in fact you did not.

False positives create numerous serious problems, not the least of which is the emotional toll of stress, anxiety, and fear experienced by the patient and her family and close friends. This is especially true when the suspected disease is a malignancy or other serious, life-threatening condition. It's useful and empowering for people to learn that 5% of all test results are falsely positive right from the start. Medical tests are designed this way. The 5% false positive rate is a necessary part of statistical analysis. It's built-in to the statistical design. In other words, test values that represent "normal" are obtained by cutting off the bottom 2.5% and the top 2.5% of a large sample of results from people who are "normal" for the thing being tested, such as white blood cell count or hemoglobin level.

Thus, 5% of normal people automatically have false positive results. Another way of stating this outcome is to consider that if you undergo a panel of 20 blood tests, one result (5% of 20) will be positive no matter what.

The vast majority of patients are not familiar with the statistical concept of false positive results.² With a basic understanding of this construct and its implications, patients could ask their doctors meaningful questions such as, "What do the test results mean?,", "Have you considered the possibility of a false positive result?," and "How will the additional tests you're recommending affect decision-making in my case?"

Posing such questions is tremendously empowering for you, the patient, and helps reestablish equity in the doctor-patient relationship.³ As a health care consumer, a little knowledge goes a long way. Gaining more than a little knowledge by reading articles on diagnostic methods and health care decision-making will further strengthen your own process as a patient. 

¹Bates DW, et al: Big data in health care: using analytics to identify and manage high-risk and high-cost patients. Health Aff (Millwood) 33(7):1123-31, 2014
²Paddock SM: Statistical benchmarks for health care provider performance assessment: a comparison of standard approaches to a hierarchical Bayesian histogram-based method. Health Serv Res 49(3):1056-73, 2014
³Stacey D, et al: Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions. Cochane Database Syst Rev 28;1:CD001431, 2014

Your Own Personal Trainer

Back in the day, there were no personal trainers. If you needed to learn how to exercise, you got a subscription to one of a few well-known "muscle magazines" and read several issues from cover to cover. Then you joined a "Y" and began to discreetly observe what was going in the weight room, trying to match up what you had read in the magazine with what you were seeing in the gym. Eventually, you put together a series of exercises, sets, and reps that worked for you. Back then, any strength training program you developed would be strictly based on a seat-of-the-pants approach. You learned by trial and error.

Today there is a vast body of scientific literature focused on the various benefits of numerous forms and types of exercise.¹However, scientific studies are not good at evaluating the how-to's of getting fit. Fortunately many informal resources are available, all intended to point you in the right direction. But not all of these resources are accurate or trustworthy, and the challenge is to identify a set of basic principles that will be applicable to your specific situation.

Firstly, before getting started you need to make sure that it's OK to actually get started. Let your  doctor (your family chiropractor, family physician, or internist) know what you're planning to do and have her tell you what you need to watch out for, if anything. Next, you need to make a commitment. Consistency is the key to deriving lasting value from exercise. Additionally, irregular exercise sessions will often lead to injury. If you're serious about getting fit, then make a commitment to yourself to participate in a 12-week program. At the end of 12 weeks, you'll evaluate how you feel, what you've accomplished, and whether you want to keep going. 

In terms of strength training (that is, weight lifting), three sessions per week is ideal. By doing "split routines" you can exercise all the major muscle groups each week. On one day you'll do exercises for the chest and back. Another day you'll do exercises for the legs. On the third day you'll focus on the shoulders, biceps, and triceps. This set of split routines will produce optimal results for many people.

Importantly, you'll be doing chest and triceps (and back and biceps) on different days, thus avoiding the potential for overwork and injury. But you may find that an alternate set of split routines works best for you. The key is to start slowly and build up strength gradually. Once you have some experience and an improved level of fitness, you may branch out and vary your basic routine, experimenting and seeing what works best for you. In terms of sets and repetitions (reps), three sets per exercise and eight to 12 repetitions per set represent the classical, tried and true method of getting fit and making gradual strength gains over time. For any strength training exercise, start with a weight at which you can do eight repetitions comfortably. This should be neither too easy, nor too difficult. Of course, it's far better to err on the side of caution. You never want to do too much too soon.

As you go along in your fitness program, you'll add core exercise routines² and aerobics exercise such as walking, swimming, biking, and running. If you work out slowly and gradually and maintain consistency, you'll have a great deal of fun and gain substantially improved levels of health and well-being.³

Come visit our Chiropractic office in Orange County, California! 

¹Storer TW, et al: Effect of supervised, periodized exercise training vs. self-directed training on lean body mass and other fitness variables in health club members. J Strength Cond Res 28(7):1995-2006, 2014
²Kahle N, Tevald MA: Core muscle strengthening's improvement of balance performance in community-dwelling older adults: a pilot study. J Aging Phys Act 22(1):65-73, 2014
³Huffman KM, et al: Metabolite signatures of exercise training in human skeletal muscle relate to mitochondrial remodelling and cardiometabolic fitness. Diabetologia 2014 Aug 5. [Epub ahead of print]

How Often Do You Celebrate This?

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It is no secret that I love babies. Watching my daughter, Melika, growing up has been amazing. They're very precious and they can make anyone smile. But let's change gears for a minute. What I'm going to tell you today in this little handout is something you already know, but you make have forgotten about.

You know that your body performs trillions of tasks each and every day, without any conscious input from you. It's automatic. Babies do it, and seniors do it, so it's not something new. I mean you're not sitting around your house, or driving the car and monitoring your blood pressure, or your heart beat, or even how many times you're blinking your eyes. It's just automatic. And it's a good thing it is automatic. Can you imagine trying to monitor a baby's heart rate, or bowel movements the first five years of their life? No way right?

Well one thing is automatic for everyone, including baby's is replacing old cells with new ones. Again you don't sit around and think about how many cells you need to replace or when. Again this process is all automatic.

I've said this before, but I'm going to have to tell you again. You get a new stomach lining every 5 days, which is phenomenal, you get new skin every 28 days and some of us need it, you get a new liver every 6 weeks-so your body is in a state of constant renewal, and therefore there are a lot of things going on that you don't even know about. In the course of every hour, your body produces one trillion new cells. That's a lot of cells. This ongoing process allows your body to repair itself, constructing a whole new you fairly often. This is when the power of chiropractic care is magnified. What do I mean?

Your body looks to its current "pattern" and "structure" to guide the placement of new cells. So what does all of this have to do with your adjustments? Well that's simple. Regular chiropractic care helps reduce unhealthy structures. As new cells replace old cells (and remember this is happening right now) they do so using the healthier pattern that is programmed into your brain and nervous system. This is the nature of healing and why I stress keeping your spine aligned and free of interference. We are here to work with your body to achieve the best possible YOU! So celebrate the fact that you're adjusted and that your body is functioning better. It really is something you should celebrate.

Gluten Freedom

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The concept of the value and benefit of gluten-free food has been gaining momentum for the last 10 years. Discussion related to gluten-free diets goes back to the mid-1950s, but those peer-reviewed articles were primarily focused on the treatment of celiac disease and related gastrointestinal disorders. Today gluten-free diets are being adopted as an overall health-promoting measure by broad segments of the population. Is this trend merely a fad or are there actual advantages for the average person in cutting down on gluten intake?

Gluten is a structural protein found in wheat that provides a glue-like property and helps dough stick together. Gluten-containing wheat works best for bread making, and a few thousand years ago gluten-containing wheat became the standard wheat crop. Similarly, the protein in barley and rye is predominantly gluten. Researchers posit that tens of thousands of years ago our digestive systems were optimized genetically to process a diverse diet of grains. But a modern diet is mostly composed of uniform, gluten-containing grains. Our digestive systems were not designed to process such a heavy load of gluten, and the result is the development of a range of gluten-sensitivity disorders and autoimmune diseases.¹

Gluten sensitivity has been proposed as a culprit in numerous conditions, including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and infertility.^2,3 The link to such conditions is not clearly understood, but case reports identifying gluten sensitivity as a causal factor have appeared in numerous professional journals for more than 10 years.

For children, adolescents, and adults with such disorders, it may be appropriate to adopt a gluten-free diet to eliminate a potential source of tissue inflammation. Other persons with various nonspecific digestive complaints may also benefit from a gluten-free nutrition plan. For example, if you experience frequent, or even periodic, upset stomachs or other gastrointestinal problems, consumption of gluten may be part of the clinical scenario. Two months on a gluten-free food plan should be sufficient to determine whether gluten protein is a contributing factor to such complaints.

Going gluten-free takes a lot of dedication, time, and effort. The first step is to learn which foods in your diet contain gluten. As noted, wheat, barley, and rye are primary sources of gluten protein. Quinoa, teff, buckwheat, millet, and amaranth are gluten-free replacements for gluten-containing grains. It's important to bear in mind that many foods contain wheat and represent hidden sources of gluten, including beer, potato chips, brown rice sugar, soy sauce, and processed food such as deli meats, frozen burgers, and bread crumbs. Being gluten-free requires diligence, but the payoff may be substantial in terms of overall health and well-being.

¹Sapone A, et al: Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification. BMC Med. 2012 Feb 7;10:13. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-10-13
²Isasi C, et al: Fibromyalgia and non-celiac gluten sensitivity: a description with remission of fibromyalgia. Rheumatol Int 2014 Apr 12. [Epub ahead of print]
³Herfarth HH, et al: Prevalence of a gluten-free diet and improvement of clinical symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Inflamm Bowel Dis 20(7):1194-7, 2014

Frozen Shoulder

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Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a malady that affects 2-3% of the population. Often the main indicator is initial pain in the joint and decreased mobility. Frozen shoulder can affect people of any age from children to adulthood, but is most commonly diagnosed in people ranging from 40 - 70 years of age, predominantly women.

The shoulder joint itself is called a ball and socket joint. Ligaments, tendons and muscles work together to provide support, strength and the wide range of motion that enables us to move our arms and hands in a variety of positions in order to complete tasks. All the functions of the shoulder can be compromised by underlying inflammatory diseases and misuse. The specific causes of frozen shoulder perplex are varied and largely still unknown, but onset begins with initial pain, followed by restriction in mobility and finally recovery.

Frozen shoulder can often be referred to as insidious in nature. The symptoms and development of the disorder are slow and can take up to a year or two to set in. Often patients will experience pain that will increase over time. As chemical changes take place in the shoulder joint, thick strands of tissue called adhesions form and begin to restrict mobility. The lubricating synovial capsule in the shoulder joint thickens and provides less lubrication. By the time the sufferer begins to notice a significant issue in lack of mobility, the disorder has set in and requires treatment. 

The good news is that although the causes of frozen shoulder are varied, treatment is straight forward and the disorder can be resolved. Often clinicians, including our experienced and caring staff, can provide the correct manipulation and physiotherapy to help you regain mobility and resolve the disorder. Contact our office so we can address your condition immediately. 

Causes of Frozen Shoulder
Adhesive capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder) can be attributed to misuse and injury, myocardial infarction, upper torso surgery, such as arm and shoulder surgery or mastectomy, and even lack of use. When the shoulder joint goes unused and remains in the same position for long periods of time, such as when a patient is placed in a sling or unable to use their arm, the joint tightens and mobility is decreased. An autoimmune response in the area may cause the joint to stiffen and restrict the joint causing the initial pain. When the initial pain is not addressed, the inflammatory nature of the disorder will progress and adhesions form in the joint further restricting mobility and increasing the level of pain.

Frozen Shoulder Due to Systemic Disorders
A large population of patients who suffer from systemic diseases may be more likely to develop frozen shoulder. These systemic diseases include those who suffer from thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroid and hypothyroid, both overactive and underactive thyroid function. Other diseases include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis and Parkinson's Disease. Frozen shoulder treatment related to these diseases is paramount and the importance of early diagnosis followed by early manipulation and treatment are necessary, because more drastic treatments are often times not an option. Our chiropractic staff are experts in diagnosing and treating the issue to help resolve your pain and regain your range of motion, so you may return to a normal routine.

Frozen Shoulder in Surgical Patients
Patients who have recently gone through shoulder surgery such as rotator cuff repair or repair to the labrum, one of the many tendons in the shoulder, may experience frozen shoulder. Patients who have had recent mastectomy or cardiovascular surgery are at risk, as well. The reason they are more susceptible to the disorder is lack of use of the shoulder. When the shoulder remains in the same position for a prolonged period of time, the joint stiffens and the pain sets in.

Once the surgical site heals sufficiently, physiotherapy and chiropractic manipulation are highly recommended to help return range of motion to the joint and reduce pain. Our office can develop a program for you that will reduce the pain and increase the range of motion over a healthy period so you can return to a normal schedule in you life.

Chiropractic Treatment of Frozen Shoulder
Chiropractic therapy for frozen shoulder can produce the results you need and resolve your frozen shoulder. Our staff will evaluate your baseline range of motion and pain level to develop a plan tailored to you. In-office physiotherapy coupled with exercise you may do at home will address and increase your range of motion. It will also build the muscle to prevent muscular atrophy or the shrinkage of important muscles in the shoulder. Coupled with treatment for inflammation in the joint space, patients can see improvement over a period of time and resolution of the disorder.
Hard work is the key. Failure to work on stretching in the office as well as at home can delay the recovery process. Trust our staff to direct you along the path to recovery.

Sources:
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/related-conditions/frozen-shoulder.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/frozen-shoulder/DS00416/DSECTION=risk-factors http://www.aafp.org/afp/990401ap/1843.html http://www.healthgrouponline.com/frozenshoulder.html

What You Need to Know About Sciatica

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I am not sure if you're back has ever hurt, but if it has or it does currently, you need to read this. The term "sciatica" describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that usually originates in your lower back and travels down through your buttocks and down the LARGE sciatic nerve in the back of your leg.

If you've ever had this type of pain, you know that it's something you want to get rid of as fast as possible.

Sciatica (pronounced sigh-at-ih-kah) is not a medical diagnosis in and of itself - it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition.

Sciatica is often characterized by one of more of the following symptoms:

• Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg (rarely can occur in both legs)
• Pain that is worse when sitting
• Burning or tingling down the leg (vs. a dull ache)
• Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot
• A constant pain on one side of the rear
• A sharp pain that may make it difficult to stand up of to walk

Sciatic pain can vary from infrequent and irritating to constant and incapacitating. These are symptoms of an underlying situation in your body and the longer you let them go or cover them with aspirin or some other drugs, the worse the problem will become.

Specific sciatica symptoms also vary widely in type, location, and severity, depending upon the condition causing your sciatica (such as a lumbar herniated disc). If you have had or do have symptoms currently make sure you call the office immediately. 

Cause and Effect

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Hi!

Think about this.

When we get sick or experience aches and pains, it's tempting to look for causes outside ourselves.

Convenient Culprits:

Bad luck. Like accidents or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Germs. Blaming illness on germs overlooks one critical ingredient--being a hospitable host!

Genetics. The new fall guy is "bad genes." Yet, research shows that gene expression is a reaction to our environment.

We live in a world of cause and effect.

Every Symptom Has a Cause

It's tempting to look to outside causes, but many health problems are the result of our own choices, beliefs, and habits. Sometimes the effects can take decades to appear.

FACT: Bad Health is the "result" of your body's inability to accommodate physical, chemical, or emotional stress.

Similarly, if you not only want to feel good, but have good health results, this happens when your body works the way it was designed to get. Get checked!

Chiropractic Care as a Secret Ingredient

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Orange County Chiropractor

Your body, your physical self, is a deeply complex structure, and as a result is exquisitely sensitive to changes in initial conditions. For example, eating high-calorie fast food on a regular basis may lead, not only to weight gain and possible blood sugar problems, but also to problems such as autoimmune disorders including asthma and celiac disease.

To guard against such problems, we need to pay attention to the "triangle of life." Importantly, the smooth functioning of the triangle of life takes for granted that all your body's different systems can work together accurately and efficiently. Regular chiropractic care is the secret ingredient in this process. By restoring spinal alignment and removing nerve interference, regular chiropractic care helps you get the most out of your exercise, nutrition, and rest, so that you can achieve your highest levels of health and well-being.

The Power of Cross-Training

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Cross-training refers to a combination of different methods of exercise. Specifically, cross-training refers to the combination of strength training and cardiovascular training in your overall exercise program. Whether you're a 14-year-old just starting out on your first fitness program, or whether you're a 74-year-old who hasn't exercised in more than 40 years, cross-training will provide optimal results for the time and effort you spend on exercise.

In cross-training, it's not that you're doing aerobic and strength-training activities simultaneously. Rather, you're incorporating both methods in your weekly exercise regime. One week you might do three sessions of strength training and two sessions of cardiovascular activity. The next week you could do three sessions of aerobic exercise and two sessions of strength training. The result is that, overall, approximately half of your exercise time is devoted to each of these two methods.

The remarkable outcome of combining two distinctly different training modes is that both sets of results are enhanced.^1,2 Doing cardiovascular exercise on alternate days makes you stronger. In other words, your muscular strength and size are greater than they would be if strength training were your only form of exercise. Correspondingly, doing strength training on alternate days provides you with heightened cardiovascular gains. Specifically, your stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped on each contraction of your heart muscle) and vital capacity (the amount of air you can take in on each breath) are greater than the results you would have obtained by only doing aerobic exercise.

The benefits of cross-training are automatic. There's nothing you need to do intentionally to achieve these gains, other than engaging in your cross-training program five days a week. When you train your heart and lungs by doing cardiovascular (really, cardiorespiratory) exercise, your skeletal muscles automatically participate in your walking, running, biking, or swimming activity. When you do strength training, exercising your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs (on different split-training days, of course), your heart and lungs automatically participate, pumping the extra blood and breathing in the extra oxygen required for any vigorous physical activity.

The synergy created by the cross-training format potentiates the results obtained from each method.³ The improved performance of your heart and lungs, derived from aerobic training, enables greater strength training gains. A stronger musculoskeletal system, derived from training with weights, causes your heart and lungs to become more efficient to meet new demands. A positive feedback loop is established from which you obtain improved health and enhanced wellness and  well-being.

The best time to begin your new cross-training program is today. Start slowly, increase duration and intensity gradually, and evaluate your gains at 6- and 12-week intervals. Your chiropractor is experienced in exercise rehabilitation and will help you design a cross-training program that works for you.

1. Fournier SB, et al: Improved Arterial-Ventricular Coupling in Metabolic Syndrome after Exercise Training. Med Sci Sports Exerc  2014 May 27.

2. Kolka C: Treating Diabetes with Exercise - Focus on the Microvasculature. J Diabetes Metab 4:308, 2013

3. Dos Santos ES, et al: Acute and Chronic Cardiovascular Response to 16 Weeks of Combined Eccentric or Traditional Resistance and Aerobic Training in Elderly Hypertensive Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Strength Cond Res 2014 May 19.

Surprising Ways a Chiropractor Can Help You

Via Karen Erickson, DC..American Chiropractic Association

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Well-designed studies have shown that chiropractic care (often just called "chiropractic") is at least effective-and sometimes more effective - than traditional medicine for treating certain types of physical complaints. Emerging research indicates that chiropractic affects more than just the spine and surrounding muscles. It has been used to successfully treat a variety of conditions, including digestive complaints and ear infections.

Ways chiropractic can help...

DIGESTIVE DISORDERS.

A survey of 1,494 patients found that 22% reported digestive relief following chiropractic treatments, even though the majority had never mentioned digestive issues to their chiropractors. Many of the spinal nerves that are affected by chiropractic manipulation control digestive functions. Patients who undergo routine manipulations may experience changes in their levels of digestive fluids, the speed at which foods moves through the intestinal tract or the strength and/or frequency of intestinal contractions. We're often told by patients that manipulations for, say neck or low-back pain not only helped their musculoskeletal complaints but also resulted in improvements in constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive issues.

Digestive problems need to be medically diagnosed first, but the most effective treatments involve an integrative approach, which can include chiropractic. I often get referrals from medical doctors of patients with constipation, colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome. Help for colic: A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that colicky babies treated with chiropractic cried about three hours less daily than they did before, compared to a one-hour reduction in those given the drug dimethicone, s standard treatment. The manipulations given to children are very gentle. Many have a reduction in colic after just one of two treatments. Look for a chiropractor who specializes in children's problems.

TENSION HEADACHE.

The headaches that we all get from time to time often are related to the cervical spine in the neck. Known as cervicogenic headaches, these occur when vertebral misalignments cause muscle tightness or spasms. The tension begins in the neck but can radiate through the occipital nerves that rise upward from the base of the skull. A study that compared patients receiving chiropractic care for tension headaches with those who were treated with the antidepressant amitriptyline showed reduction in both the frequency and pain intensity of these types of headaches. Most important, the chiropractic patients sustained these improvements after the treatment period, unlike patients who were treated with medication.

In a typical treatment, the chiropractor attempts to realign the cervical joints by manipulating the neck and head. The main goals of the treatment, apart from adjusting the vertebrae, are to increase the range of motion, relax the surrounding muscles and decrease pain and inflammation. People who have only recently started getting headaches often will improve after one or two sessions with a chiropractor. Those who have suffered from headaches for years probably will require multiple treatments before they start to notice a significant improvement.

Also important: The chiropractor will take a detailed history to learn why there is misalignment in the neck. This usually is due to life style issues. For example, many of us look down at our computer monitors, which puts excessive tension on the neck. Raising the monitor to eye level can correct this. Women may be advised to carry a handbag rather than a heavy shoulder bag. Cradling your phone between your neck and shoulders also can cause problems. If you often find yourself doing this, get a headset. It's not clear if chiropractic manipulations may affect nerves that control vascular expansion and contraction, a key component of migraines.

EAR INFECTIONS.

Some adults and virtually all children accumulate fluids in the Eustachian tube, the passage between the throat and the middle ear. The fluid is a perfect medium for viruses and bacteria, which can cause otitis media, an infection or inflammation of the middle ear. Many studies have shown that chiropractic can relieve and prevent ear infections without antibiotics. The treatments, which include chiropractic adjustment and massage of the lymph nodes along the neck and around the ear, help drain excess fluid. The adjustment helps regulate the nervous system, which in turn drains the Eustachian tube and promotes long-term drainage.

SINUSITIS.

People with chronic sinusitis (inflammation of the mucous membranes in the sinuses) rarely get long-term relief from antibiotics or other types of conventional medicine, such as antihistamines and decongestants. Chiropractic can sometimes relieve all or most of the typical symptoms, such as facial pain and nasal congestion. People with chronic sinusitis often have a misalignment in the cervical vertebrae. Chiropractic adjustments may help sinuses drain more efficiently. The treatment for sinusitis also includes applying pressure to the sinuses near the eyebrows and on either side of the nose.

REPETITIVE STRESS DISORDERS.

Most repetitive stress injuries, including tennis elbow, are caused by tendonitis, an inflammation of the fibrous tissue that connects muscles to bones. Carpal tunnel syndrome, another type of repetitive stress injury, is caused by nerve inflammation in the wrist. Doctors usually treat these conditions with anti-inflammatory drug, including steroid injections in severe cases. For carpal tunnel syndrome, surgery to "release" pressure on the nerve is sometimes recommended. Chiropractic, a more conservative approach, is effective for virtually all types of repetitive stress disorders. Manipulations to realign joints and improve range of motion can reduce pressure on tendons and nerves. The movements also improve lymphatic drainage, which reduces inflammation, improves circulation and accelerates healing.

Heavy Lifting

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All of us who've experienced a back injury of one sort or another have been told at some point to “avoid heavy lifting.” That type of advice appears to be a no-brainer or at least redundant, as no one whose back is hurting is going to try to pick up an air conditioner or even a 100-foot reel of garden hose. In this context, it’s important to remember the words of Shakespeare’s Cassius: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves”. The problem isn't the heavy lifting, as such. The real problem is in us, that is, in our overall level of conditioning or physical fitness.

Most back injuries don’t occur as a result of heavy lifting, but rather are caused by a seemingly innocuous event such as bending over in the shower to retrieve a bar of soap that has fallen to the floor. Other likely pain-producing scenarios are bending over to place a bag of groceries in the trunk o f a car bending over to tie a loose shoelace. None of these circumstances involved lifting extraordinary weight.  Rather, the common elements are lack of flexibility and lack of appropriate muscle tone and strength to support the weight of your body in a forward flexed position.

The problem isn't lack of big muscles. Picking up a bar of soap or positioning a 15-pound grocery bag doesn't require bulging biceps or massive lats. The problem is lack of conditioning. Most of us no longer do actual physical work on a regular basis. We spend the large majority of our day sitting, either working, reading, or watching entertainment on television or other devices. The result of such lack of activity is twofold. Muscles lose strength and muscle fibers are replaced by fat. Additionally, tendons and ligaments contract and become tight, losing their necessary composition of elastic fibers. The functional loss associated with these physiological changes is profound. We experience these change every time we feel a twinge, or worse, in our backs.

The fix is easy and primarily focuses on building up core muscle strength.^1,2 Core training is directed toward your deep abdominal muscles. The main such muscle is the transverses abdominis, which surrounds your entire waist, protecting and supporting your lower back. You can think of this critically important structure as your internal weight belt. Activation of the core muscles is required for all effective physical activity.³ Without this essential foundation, any minor attempt at work, even bending over to pick up a pencil, can lead to disaster in the form of excruciating back pain.

Core training includes exercises such as the scorpion, lying windmill with bent legs, push-ups, squats, and the plank. Many good books and numerous online videos are available to provide instruction in the performance of core exercises. Your chiropractor is experienced in rehabilitative exercise and will help guide you to the training methods that are best for you.

¹Inani SB, Selkar SP: Effect of core stabilization exercises versus conventional exercises on pain and functional status in patients with non-specific low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. J Back Musculoskel Rehabil 26(1):37-43, 2014

²Brumitt J, et al: Core stabilization exercise prescription, part 2: a systematic review of motor control and general (global) exercise rehabilitation approaches for patients with low back pain. Sports Health 5(6):510-3, 2013

³Wang XQ, et al: A meta-analysis of core stability exercise versus general exercise for chronic low back pain. PLoS One 2012;7(12):e52082. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052082. Epub 2012 Dec 17

Can You Get Help For Diabetes

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The possibility for chiropractic care to help people with diabetes is an up and coming area of research, and it is an important one. Roughly one out of every three men and two out of every five women born in the year 2000 will suffer from "diabetes" in their lifetime.

Research points to evidence that chiropractic care may make a valuable contribution to a wellness protocol that helps those diagnosed with diabetes.

Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States and a growing epidemic worldwide, so help is desperately needed!

The average person may not recognize how diabetes and chiropractic are connected. What does the back have to do with blood sugar? Often, an electrician understands this faster than most people. Interfere with the current flowing through the wires and the appliances or areas of the house lose normal function or might even catch fire.

If the nerve supply from the upper neck or middle back (the two areas that supply the pancreas) are disturbed, pancreatic function suffers; maybe in it's ability to produce enzymes to digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, or maybe insulin production, or both. Blood sugar and digestion become unbalanced, resulting in either diabetes or hypoglycemia.

Repairing an Injured Rotator Cuff

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As we get older, rotator cuff injuries become more common, a result of the natural aging process. A similar mechanism operates in the discs separating the vertebras in your lower back. These cartilaginous structures lose water over time, becoming less flexible and more brittle as the decades roll by. In the case of the shoulder, the rotator cuff tendon is pulleyed to and fro as the arm swings forward and back and up and down. As the years pass, this constant motion may cause fraying in the rotator cuff tendon and inflammation in the muscles that comprise the rotator cuff. Eventually, partial or full thickness tears may develop in one or more of these musculotendinous units, causing pain and some loss of function. Importantly, conservative care may be all that’s needed to reduce pain and restore needed motion.

The shoulder joint is beautifully designed and a marvel of engineering. Its construction makes possible a full 360-degree arc of motion in both the sagittal and frontal planes. In other words, you can swing your arm in a complete circle from front-to-back and to-the-side-and-up-and-around. In the third, horizontal, plane, 180 degrees of motion is available. The overall combination of movements in three-dimensional space makes the shoulder joint the most freely movable joint in your body. However, as with all freedoms we enjoy in this life, there is a price. The shoulder joint’s great mobility is countered by its very limited stability.

The shoulder’s lack of stability needn’t concern us in our average day-to-day tasks. Protection to the joint is built-in by way of the rotator cuff muscles, which form a strong hood that envelops the intersection of the arm bone and shoulder blade. Falling on an outstretched arm may result in a dislocated shoulder, so we need to have some care in this regard.

If you’re a young athlete and have suffered a rotator cuff tear, surgery may be an appropriate option.¹ But for the vast majority of people, especially for those over age 40, most rotator cuff injuries are chronic rather than acute and can be treated with rest and rehabilitative exercise. Again, if you’re a 60-year-old skier who has torn his or her rotator cuff in a downhill accident, surgery could be indicated. For the rest of us, rehabilitative exercise is the key.^2,3

Four or five primary strength training exercises are involved in shoulder or rotator cuff rehabilitation. The three basic shoulder exercises are (1) seated overhead press, which trains all the shoulder girdle muscles simultaneously; (2) standing side [lateral] raise; and (3) seated or standing bent-over raise. The lateral raise specifically trains the middle deltoid muscle and the bent-over raise specifically trains the posterior deltoid muscle. Specific rotator cuff strength training exercises include internal rotation and external rotation on a flat bench using very light dumbbells. More painful injuries with greater loss of mobility may require (1) Codman pendulum exercises and (2) finger-walking (up a wall) to the front and to the side.

The goals of rotator cuff rehabilitation, as for any mechanical injury, include decreased inflammation, decreased pain, return to more full active range of motion, return to more full muscular strength, and restoration of function.

¹ Plate JF, et al: Rotator cuff injuries in professional and recreational athletes. J Surg Orthop Adv 22(2):134-142, 2013

² Escalmilla RF, et al: Optimal management of shoulder impingement syndrome. Open Access J Sports Med 5:13-24, 2014

³ McMahon PJ, et al: What Is the Prevalence of Senior-athlete Rotator Cuff Injuries and Are They Associated With Pain and Dysfunction? Clin Orthop Relat Res 2014 Mar 12.

ADHD Helped With Chiropractic, A Case Study

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In the October 2004 issue of the peer-reviewed research publication, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), comes a study of a child with ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), who was helped with chiropractic.

The case was pf a 5 year old boy who had been diagnosed with ADHD at age 2. The child's pediatrician prescribed methylphenidate (Ritalin), Adderall, and Haldol for the next 3 years. The combination of drugs was unsuccessful in helping the child. At age 5 the child was brought to a chiropractor to see if chiropractic would help. This history taken at that time noted that during the child's birth, there were complications during his delivery process. The results of this trauma and complications resulted in a 4-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. The child's mother reported no other incidence of trauma.

The chiropractic examination and x-rays showed noticeable spinal distortion including a reversal of the normal neck curve indicative of subluxations. Chiropractic care was begun and the child's progress was monitored. According to his mother, positive changes in her son's general behavior were noticed around the twelfth visit. By the 27th visit the patient had experience considerable improvement.

The child was brought by the mother to the medical doctor for a follow up visit and questioned the usage of Ritalin. The medical doctor reviewed and examined the child and based on that assessment and his clinical experience, the MD felt that the young boy was no longer exhibiting symptoms associated with ADHD. He then took the boy off the medications that he had been taking for 3 years.

The conclusion of the author of the JMPT case study noted, "The patient experienced significant reduction in symptoms. Additionally, the medical doctor concluded that the reduction in symptoms was significant enough to discontinue the medication"

How Do You Rate?

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In the field of statistics, a five-point rating scale is commonly used to evaluate all sorts of personal responses, feelings, and assessments. This frequently used tool is known as the Likert scale, and most people have completed such a rating device on numerous occasions, most typically in consumer after-sales surveys. The Likert scale asks a person to respond to a statement such as “I would recommend this restaurant to my friends”, choosing from the predetermined answers of “strongly disagree,” “disagree,” “neither agree nor disagree,” “agree,” and “strongly agree.” The Likert scale was developed in 1932 and has been consistently validated over many decades of use. We can effectively apply this rating system to our own state of health by answering the statement, “I enjoy high levels of health and well-being.” We can than employ our truthful answers to make sound decisions on our own behalf regarding future health-promoting activities.

If your truthful response is “strongly agree,” you probably have been engaged for a year or more in a regular, vigorous exercise program and consistently follow a nutritional healthy eating plan. You do at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise five times a week, on most weeks. You are probably at or very near your target body weight (based on a calculation of your body mass index, readily done at numerous online resources) and consume an appropriate amount of calories on a daily basis. Overall, you feel fit. You sleep well and wake up refreshed. You have abundant energy to do all the things you need to do for yourself and your family, every day.

At the other end of the Likert rating system, if your truthful response is “strongly disagree,” you probably haven’t done any form of exercise for some time. Of course, such a circumstance might be the result of a serious illness. But if your lack of engagement in regular exercise and healthy eating is related to apathy or some other form of ennui, or in itself is a personal choice, it’s useful to consider the consequences of such inaction. Or, rather, it could be personally beneficial to consider the value in taking on new habits that result in your becoming a person who responds “strongly agree” to the statement, “I am healthy and well.”

How do you get to “strongly agree”? The solution is three-fold. The first part is to make a choice that you want to enjoy high levels of health and well-being. No one is ever going to make such a commitment because someone else told him or her they should, no matter whether that someone is a spouse, other family member, or a physician. The decision must be a personal choice. The second and third components are to begin an exercise program¹ and a healthy eating plan^2,3. Exercise needs to be vigorous (“vigorous” is relative, based on your age, overall health status, and other considerations) and done five times per week. Healthy eating encompasses a wide range of selections and options. One of the key elements is to consume at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetable every day.

The good news is that every person who begins and stays with such a course of healthy living will soon reap the benefits. And not too long after that, you’ll find you’ve become a person who sleeps better, has more energy, and has, day by day, more fun in living. This is what healthy eating and exercise is really all about.

¹ Chilton WL, et al: Acute Exercise Leads to Regulation of Telomere-Associated Genes and MicroRNA Expression in Immune Cells. PLoS One 2014 Apr 21;9(4):e92088. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092088. eCollection 2014

² Michas G, et al: Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: Putting together the pieces of a complicated puzzle. Atherosclerosis 2014 Mar 27;234(2):320-328. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2014.03.013. [Epub ahead of print]

³ Yoon U, et al: Efficacy of lifestyle interventions in reducing diabetes incidence in patients with impaired glucose tolerance: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Metabolism 62(2):303-314, 2013

Inside Out Vs. Outside In

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If a patient has high blood pressure, a standard medical approach would be to choose a drug that lowers blood pressure, and ask the patient to take the drug. This may serve to lower the blood pressure, but ignores the underlying cause that is making the blood pressure high, and runs the risk of side effects complicating the person's recovery. Whether it's a nutritional issue, faulty control by the nerve system or a manifestation of stress, the medication could decrease the blood pressure, leaving the problem causing the symptom of high blood pressure unaddressed.

The Wellness Approach

Wellness is a state of optimal conditions for normal function...and then some. The wellness approach is to look for underlying causes of any disturbance or disruption (which may or may not be causing symptoms at the time) and make whatever interventions and lifestyle adjustments would optimize the conditions for no
rmal function. That environment encourages natural healing, and minimizes the need for invasive treatment, which should be administered only when absolutely necessary. When the body is working properly, it tends to heal effectively, then there is another level of health that goes beyond "aymptomatic" or "pain-free" which reveals an open-ended opportunity for vitality, vibrant health, and an enhanced experience of life. This is true for mental and physical health. Which some people may suffer psychological disorders, creating an atomosphere of mental and emotional wellness will address all but the most serious problems.