Headaches Cost Big Bucks!

The results of a recent survey by the National Headache Foundation, work-related headaches cost employers an estimated $13 billion each year and result in 113 million lost days of work.

Employees suffering from headaches report decreased productivity, an inability to concentrate, and changes in mood or behavior as a result of their headaches.

Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that there is nothing they can do about their recurring headaches, so they turn to medications to dull the pain (to the tune of $4 billion per year for over-the-counter pain meds) or just resign to dealing with them. The statistics tell another tale, though. It’s estimated that 78% of headache sufferers are dealing with tension-type headaches which studies have shown to respond very well to chiropractic care.

Try chiropractic. What do you have to lose, except for those nagging headaches?

Low Level Laser Therapy: How Does it Work?

People are always curious when they see someone in our office being treated with the low level laser. They wonder how a “red light” can create such dramatic changes in mobility and strength so quickly. Here’s a quick rundown of the science:

1. There is no heating of tissues involved. The effect is created energetically, not thermally.
2. Laser light at the wavelength used in our laser (Erchonia PL-5000) stimulates the mitochondria inside your cells to produce more energy.
3. This increased energy output is what speeds healing, decreases inflammation and improves strength.
4. Low level laser therapy has no undesireable side effects in the hands of a trained therapist.

The most amazing thing about it, to me, is how fast this happens. Most of the time, 2-10 seconds of laser therapy is all it takes to create the desired change for that visit. It takes vastly longer to test for what needs to be treated than to do the treatment itself.

In our office, low level laser therapy is usually recommended for patients with problems that don’t respond as quickly as we’d like using chiropractic adjustments. We’ve also had very good results with carpal tunnel syndrome patients using the laser too.

For those who want to dig into the science of low level laser therapy further, check out this article and its follow-up.

Activator Chiropractic: Gentle, Safe….Efficient!

As I have blogged about previously, natural health “guru” Dr. Andrew Weil exclusively recommends Activator chiropractic care via his website and in his practice. A component of his answer to a reader’s question stuck out to me.

Many people choose Activator chiropractic care because it is gentler than other traditional chiropractic techniques and is very safe. The part that struck me was his mentioning of how efficient it is. With our system of tests, we can very quickly identify what areas need correction, what areas need to be left alone and confirm that the proper corrections were made.

Frankly, people have far more important/interesting things to do than hang out at our office. With the Activator Method, we help people get in, get treated and get back to their busy lives.

To find an Activator Methods chiropractor near you, go here.

PS: In the article he states that “typically, a patient can be assessed and treated in less than 15 minutes.” In my experince, if someone needed 15 minutes of testing/adjusting, they would REALLY have to have some problems!

Chronic Pain Can Shrink Your Brain!

While this study is a few years old, I was recently pointed to it by Twitter post from Dr. Matthew Loop. In the study, they showed that people with chronic back pain showed brain cell loss 10-20 times that of normal aging.  I strongly encourage you to check out the entire article! Here are my thoughts:

1. There is no such thing as “normal” pain! Many people choose to suffer with chronic pain because they think it’s a normal part of aging/life. It isn’t! A basic rule of thumb I give my patients is this: Your body is designed to manage simple injuries/stresses on its own. However, if pain or discomfort lasts longer than 3 days, it’s time to get it checked out.
2. Since the article is on WebMD, the intervention focus is on pharmaceuticals. In my view, one should get to the root of the pain to help break the bad feedback loop that is accelerating the brain tissue loss. In many cases of lower back pain, this can be due to subluxations/misalignments of the spine creating increased stress and irritation. Improve the position/motion= breaking the bad feedback loop!

I’d love to see your thoughts about this article in the comments!

Self-Care Tips for Headaches

Many people are looking for self-care methods for managing headaches rather than popping pain meds. This article from Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at RealAge discusses some accupressure points to massage that can help with headache pain.

Keep in mind, though, that while these techniques can help you manage the pain, the headaches you are experiencing may be indicative of problems with the joints/muscles of your neck and upper back. In many cases, by correcting these underlying problems the headaches decrease in frequency and intensity or stop occurring altogether.

If you are suffering with headaches, give chiropractic care a try!

Beware Bursting Fitness Balls!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall on several popular fitness balls. Apparently, there have been incidents of overinflated exercise balls bursting during use, leading to the potential for injury. Here’s the link to the CSPC’s release about the recall.

I have to admit that I find it comical that all the boxes in the picture describe the product as a “burst resistant” body ball!

Chiropractic “Very Satisfying” for Back Pain!

In a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports on treatment of back pain, chiropractic had the highest satisfaction rating with 59% of those surveyed ”completely” or “very” satisfied with their care. The report also states that a whopping 88% of people who had tried chiropractic adjustments said that it helped “a lot.”

Stats also show us that over 80% of adults in the U.S. will suffer with back pain at some point in their life, yet only 7-8% of the population sees a chiropractor. Without the multimillion dollar marketing budgets the pharmaceutical industry is armed with, we rely on those “completely” and “very” satisfied folks to tell others about how chiropractic can benefit thier lives.

If you have had success with chiropractic care, share that with someone who is suffering! It takes just a moment to make an impact on someone’s life.

Mind Your Blood Sugar Now: Lower Dementia Risk Later

This was an interesting article featured in the RealAge Tip of the Day. Studies are showing that having chronically high blood sugar (prediabetes) or diabetes increases the risk for dementia later in life. This risk DOUBLES if the prediabetes or diabetes strikes before the age of 65.

This further underscores the importance of watching your diet and maintaing a healthy weight. In addition, there are also natural supplement options to help you lower your blood sugar levels as an alternative/complement to prescription medication.

Stress: Bad or Good? Depends.

Apparently, April is Stress Awareness Month. I recently saw an intresting tweet by James Arthur Ray breaking stress into 2 types:

1. Distress: which comes from focusing on what you don’t want. This is BAD stress. This type of stress, when prolonged, diminishes your health potential and can lead to pain/discomfort and be a contributing factor to other major diseases.
2. Eustress: or creative tension. This is that nudge you feel inside when you are focused on the achievement of a goal or intention. I would propose this is GOOD stress. It drives you forward. It inspires. It motivates.

So, this April, be aware of your stress! Are you in distress or eustress?

Walk This Way for Happier Knees!

The folks at RealAge recently posted this tip on a way to walk to help reduce the stress to your knees: Walk backwards! 

I don’t know how practical this would be for daily living, but it most certainly could be incorporated into a fitness or exercise routine.

If you currently do this, or decide to give it a try, post a comment about your experience.