You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May 2009.
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:
- There is no heating of tissues involved. The effect is created energetically, not thermally.
- Laser light at the wavelength used in our laser (Erchonia PL-5000) stimulates the mitochondria inside your cells to produce more energy.
- This increased energy output is what speeds healing, decreases inflammation and improves strength.
- 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.
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! 
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:
- 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.
- 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!
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!
