My Back’s Out…And That Means What Exactly?

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My Back’s Out…And That Means What Exactly?

Oh the power of words and what they actually mean.  The most common phrase that I hear with new patients is typically, “My back’s out,” or, “Outta whack,” or something along those lines.  Now, we could just let that slide by and everything would be okay, OR we could educate and tell you more.  Before we begin, let’s clear the board and announce that in Chiropractic school, training, clinicals, national board exams, preceptorships, etc. etc., not once did we Chiropractors learn about the phrase, “My back’s out.”

My Back’s Really Out…Right?

Listen to the words we are saying, “My back’s out.”  NO, the back cannot simply “go out”.  The back doesn’t randomly decide to leave your body and go hang out at Costco without you.  Too critical?  Let’s use the word misaligned instead.  A misalignment in the spine, otherwise called a subluxation, can and does happen.  Once it occurs it will stay in that misalignment until forces (Chiropractic adjustments) begin to correct it.  Still, you cannot simply just feel like “My back’s out” or even if you try and be witty you cannot just say “I just felt a subluxation occur in my back.”

If My Back Is NOT Out, What IS Happening?

Here’s another common phrase “Don’t kill the messenger!”   When a subluxation occurs, it places undo stress upon the Central Nerve System (CNS) and can specifically irritate a spinal nerve.  This spinal nerve made certain muscles and controls certain muscles.  Therefore, when the nerve gets irritated, the muscles become irritated.  The last messages to appear after a subluxation has been existent will be chronic muscle tension, knots, and irritation.  A subluxation that goes on uncorrected and neglected for years is equivalent to your teeth not being cleaned.  As time passes, your symptoms begin to appear, and eventually when your body is in a stressed state, the PAIN messages appear.  Now your muscles, tendons, ligaments and tissue become inflamed…thus creating an episode of, “My back’s out.”

Just Get Checked

It’s simple.  If you utilize your Chiropractor correctly, you will know him before you need him.  Understand the reverse of this phrase as well.  When you do decide to get adjusted, the bone does not just simply “go back”…  It requires time and repetition for your CNS to allow your body to heal and ADAPT from the neurological strain that it was under for so long.  Just get checked!

 

Pediatric Chiropractic Care – The Establishment Of Health

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Pediatric Chiropractic Care – The Establishment of Health

The First Trauma That Goes Unrecognized

When establishing health, always look towards the spine first.  Why?  The brain was the first “thing” that was made in utero. The brain then made the spinal cord and a protective coat of armor called the spine / spinal bones / vertebrae.  By accessing the health of the spine, we are accessing the entire health of the body.  The first trauma that your spine endures is the birth process.  This is often neglected and forgotten about because of the euphoric feeling that happens after a new born is brought into the world.  Early labor, active labor, delivery and the overall birth itself is stressful on a newborn.  We cannot stress enough the importance of pediatric chiropractic following birth.

Pediatric Chiropractic Care

If you want the best for your child, get them checked immediately after the birth process and continue from there.  A subluxation is an irritated nerve fiber that places undo stress upon the central nerve system.  A subluxation can be created through the birth process.  The only way to know is to get checked following birth.  Your spine is literally the backbone of your body’s ability to function properly. The focus of chiropractic care is to remove any physiological blocks to the proper expression of the body’s innate wisdom.  Pediatric chiropractic adjustments are gentle and noninvasive on your child.

The Numbers Are Not In Our Favor

Check out these statistics about the United States and the growing epidemics in our children.  These numbers are silent in nature and only hit home when it is our child that is affected.  Birth traumas that went uncorrected and neglected increased risk of autism five-fold.

  • Autism 1 in 45 children
  • Attention Deficit 1 in 10 children
  • Asthma 1 in 10 children
  • Allergies 1 in 4 children
  • Diabetes 1 in 4 children
  • Obesity 1 in 3 children
  • Major Depression 1 in 2 children

We are not saying that birth trauma causes these numbers or does not cause these numbers.  You have two choices…Stress Vulnerability or Stress Resiliency.  In our office and the community we are reaching, we are committed to Stress Resiliency Care in our office.  Pediatric chiropractic care is the foundation to health.

Keeping Yourself Natural

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, Ear Infections

We are stoked to provide material for the 406 magazine.  Newest article is out about Keeping Yourself Natural.  Understanding that people will try to sell you health and what to be aware of when in the pursuit of making sure you are healthy.  Fads and trends will always be out there.  Stick to what works.  Read our article on page 54.  Click here for online version.

Chiropractic Care Vs. Emergency Care – Understanding The Difference

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic

Chiropractic Care Vs. Emergency Care – Understanding The Difference

 

The Need For Emergency Care

In order to understand the difference between two different types of care, let’s first understand the need for both types of care.  During your life if you obtain a major injury, accident, or trauma to your person you should seek emergency care.  That’s what their services are intended for and we should utilize the people that assist in times of “emergencies.”  Be honest, nobody prefers to be in the emergency room.  Yet, when trauma strikes, we are thankful for the people that help us.  Emergency services far exceed their expectations and are highly advanced in helping people in need when the time calls.

The Need For Chiropractic Care

Let’s start off with what chiropractic care is not.  It does not involve injections, surgery, exercise, diets, pills, lotions, potions, or anything else you can think of that EXTERNALLY alters or attempts to alter the body.  Chiropractic is done solely by hand to adjust and remove subluxations within the spinal column.  By making specific adjustments within the spinal column, chiropractic is directly concerned and focused on the central nervous system.  Chiropractic care is not emergency care.  Specific chiropractic care allows the body to be self-regulating and self-healing by allowing adaptive forces to do what they are supposed to do.  We are designed to be amazing.  Simple.  Do not over-complicate health with insecurities that drugs are good for us based on false advertisements and propaganda.

The Mix-Up

Chiropractic care is not emergency care.  Emergency care is not chiropractic care. Some people assume that chiropractic is strictly for muscular pain, which is the farthest thing from the truth.  Going to the chiropractor only when you are in pain is like eating healthy only when you’re “sick.”  While most forms of medicine will seek to cover-up symptoms, chiropractic focuses on the cause.  The root cause of all dysfunction in the body is directly attributed to the central nervous system.  Receiving consistent spinal care ensures optimal alignment for your best health, performance and well-being.

The Secret To Man’s Best Exercise

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic

The Secret To Man’s Best Exercise

Exercise…It’s Too Easy

Do you think exercise is easy?  When it comes to your overall health and well-being the best exercise has been around for a very long time.  It’s called posture.  In reality, striving for amazing posture is no secret.  The notion of having good posture in our society is so far saturated with cover-ups due to the fact of how simple it is.  The biggest reason posture is misunderstood for the “magical” benefits it possess it because you cannot SELL it.  If you cannot make a profit off of it, what really is it worth?

The Best Exercise Is Still The Same

Is posture really an exercise?  Having good posture is actually really hard-work.  Take standing for instance.  It is a lot “easier” to slump over and have lethargic posture as opposed to standing straight-up.  The same can be said when we are sitting down.  Having the right posture means that the right muscles are working the way they should be.  With bad posture comes abnormal movement patterns that we begin to perceive as “normal.”

Get Back To The Spine…It’s No Secret

As a chiropractor we check and adjust vertebral subluxations along the spine.  After a patient receives a specific adjustment the BEST exercise that they can perform is to be diligent with their posture.  There are no gimmicks here.  It is that simple.  The spine is a “tunnel” that houses and protects the most important part of your body, the central nerve system.  Once adjusted, the spine feeds proper nutrients back to the brain.  Maintaining posture enables uninhibited flow of communication.

Re-Route The Posture

After a specific adjustment, your top priority is your posture.  Bad posture creates detours along the spine which will inhibit your overall functionality.  The first symptom experienced with bad posture is low energy.  When you use muscles, tendons, and ligaments inappropriately, your body will feel like it is working overtime.  This is the complete opposite of a healthy exercise.  Exercise can be harmful if done wrong.

Follow The Flow Chart To Unhealthiness …Why To Be Specific

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, Ear Infections

Follow The Flow Chart To Unhealthiness…Why To Be Specific

Be Specific Or Be Nothing

Flow charts and their lack of specificity is nothing new.  A sequence of actions or things involved in a complex system or activity is what is described as a flow chart.  In reality while a flow chart works for cars, machine, putting a construction set together, and other integrative processing of components, they are unique towards that item.  The flow chart is specific towards that entity for what it is designed for, simple.  For your health and overall well-being flow charts fail to produce.  Why?  Specificity is key.  Your body is the complete opposite of everyone else.  So be specific towards you.

I Want What They Had

With chiropractic and your health specificity  is no different.  Some people think that all chiropractor’s “do the same thing” and “adjust the same way.”  It just cannot be so.  Gonstead chiropractic is a full spine approach that focus on your spine specifically, it is one of the most advanced and scientifically sound methods of chiropractic.  With Gonstead chiropractic you do not “get” what the other person “gets”.  Speficic adjusting procedures are unique and personalized to your spine to correct your subluxations in your spine.  Thus creating a healthier version of you, and the best part is that no flow chart is required.

My Own Flow Chart

When focusing on someone’s health and well-being you must look towards the spine first.  ​”All drugs in the world cannot adjust a subluxated vertebrae.” B.J. Palmer, D.C., Ph.C.  Specific Gonstead chiropractic care creates your own, and unique version of a flow chart.  Specific spinal motion for you is like your brain’s energy generator.  It will give you more clarity and more energy.​  The key to understanding where your spine needs motion comes from understanding you.  Our job is to keep you expressing life in a healthy and substantial manner. 

Learning From Hippocrates – 3 Truths That Survive Time

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic, Ear Infections

Learning From Hippocrates – 3 Truths That Survive Time

# 1 The Patient Vs The Disease

Hippocrates was basically the first known guru of studying health and what causes someone to be healthy.  They say he is the father of medicine because of the people he was able to help.  Contrary to popular belief, the word “medicine” back in the day also was focused on “Prevention.”  Nowadays, medicine is associated with disease, diagnosis, and treatment.  Hippo actually was in charge of a school, and their philosophy on how to help somebody was centered around the patient.  Hioppcrates’ rival was another school called Cnidus.  Cnidus was ran by a man called Euryphon who’s focus was on treating the disease rather than the patient.

# 2  Look Towards The Spine For The Cause

These two viewpoints on helping people: one focusing on the patient and the other focusing on the disease, have been around for a long time.   This is nothing new.  Hippocrates said “Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.”  He taught that to cure disease the cause must be sought and removed.  The physical representation (signs and symptoms) of disease in the body is always directly or indirectly related to the spine.  Subluxations limit the body from healing by not supplying adaptive forces to trigger a healing response.  Subluxation irritate a nerve fiber and nobody likes to be irritated.  Whenever a nerve becomes irritated, the body cannot function correctly.

 # 3 Hippocrates: Nature Must Heal

Hippocrates taught us that nature must do the healing.  Once again, this is not something that is new.  Hippo, writing numerous books, even wrote one called Manipulation and Importance to Good Health.  It is interesting to note that during this time another man called Herodicus, who was deemed the first great drug-less healer, was also helping people.  Herodicus claim to this world was curing diseases by correcting spinal abnormalities.  It is paramount to understand that chiropractic isn’t some new fad or trend.  It has survived the test of time and will continue to do so.  Chiropractic is the study of health and what causes someone to live…simple.

What Not To Do During A Fire

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic

What Not To Do During A Fire

Let’s say that there is a fire in your house.  Would you ignore the fire and just turn the smoke detector off?  Let’s hope not! You wouldn’t focus on the smoke detector when there are bigger problems occurring.  The last thing on your mind during a fire should be the beeping of the smoke detector.  We can use this analogy to compare many cover ups in our health and society.  We often mask what our central nerve system is telling us with the use of cover-ups.

Don’t Touch That Fire!

The “fire”, for the most part, is the one aspect that is typically neglected in our health.  Think of a fire as a particular sign or symptom that your body is trying to tell you about.  When it starts burning we often take an artificial substance to mask the symptom, or “turn off the detector”.  This causes us to perceive that we are fine, when in reality, the “fire” is burning without limits to stop it.  Don’t allow yourself to become comfortable or think that your body is fine just from “turning off the detector”.  The source of the issue(s) in your body are still present.  The true cause is still manifesting and causing dysfunction within your body.

Don’t Mess With Fire…Unless Your Name Is Pyro

Cover-ups, Band-Aids, crutches, etc., are not benefiting your body.  Occasionally there will be a time and place for them such as accidents, injuries, or traumas.  Otherwise, a subluxation is the cause of ALL, not some, physical dysfunctions.  A subluxation is a disconnection from the brain-body highway.  When the body is disconnected, signs and symptoms begin to manifest.  As a direct result, your body will begin to suffer.  Stop turning off the smoke detector, and start addressing the cause of dysfunction.

Why “Popping” Your Own Neck Causes You Harm

By | Benefits of Chiropractic

“Popping” Your Own Neck Causes You Harm

Have you ever tried to “pop” your own neck?  In context, popping your neck is when someone forcefully moves their head in a twisting motion to elicit noise.  This can either be done with the use of your own hands or just by gaining enough momentum by using your head as a pendulum. Individuals that do this are called self-manipulators and are playing with fire.

Popping It like It’s Hot…Then Do It Again

Self-manipulators are attempting to correct something that only specific chiropractic adjustments can perform.  In actuality when they pop their neck they are creating chaos in a joint space that does not need to move.  Hence why after twenty minutes or so they have the sensation that this “popping” needs to occur again.  The sensation is brought on due to neuro-transmitters that are compromised.  Every manipulation is like flipping a fuse-box on and off really quickly for 5 seconds.  Why didn’t my body auto-correct the first time?

But It Feels Good

Think of manipulating your spine as a deadly-sin.  Physically it will feel good.  Chemicals are released that transmit “feel good” sensations and you think you fixed something.  Guess what else you are irritating when you manipulate your neck?  The vertebral artery.  Every manipulation irritates the lining and eventually will compromise the vertebral wall. 10/10 people that present to a chiropractor office and are suffering from a stroke, is due to their own manipulating.

Popping Long Term

What’s actually happening?  Your body has a vertebral subluxation that is unchecked and uncorrected.  A subluxation will produce lack of motion in specific areas.  Remember, everything in life requires motion.  Self-manipulators will manipulate the joints above and below an actual subluxation.  Leaving the actual cause uncorrected and creating chaos with ones health and well-being.

Picky Words

What is the difference between manipulation and adjustment?  Without going into detail too much, you can decide which sounds better.

-Manipulation – The action of manipulating someone in a clever or unscrupulous way.

-Adjustment – A small alteration or movement made to achieve a desired fit, appearance, or result.

Gut Problems – How Your Health Begins From The Inside

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic

Gut Problems – How Your Health Begins From The Inside

Gut problems?  Understanding the gut is crucial in how are bodies are functioning.  Often we take for granted the imporance of the gut and how it reveals our bodies overall health and well-being.  What specifically are we talking about when referring to gut problems? The particular organs associated with the “gut” are the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.  These organs are broken down into three distinct parts of maintaining a healthy body.  The importance of maintaining the function of the gut is crucial to everything else in the body.  Why?  Because the central nerve system (CNS) controls, regultes, and coordinates every gut FUNCTION.  And most people do not associate gut problems with overall health.

Gut Problems Tell The Story Often Neglected

Healthy spine = healthy gut = healthy body.  The reason to use the gut as a picture of overall health is to understand the CNS first.  The brain sends messages down via the spinal cord and the nerves exit the spinal column and regulates the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.  When gut problems occur people think directly that the gut is faulty, not the area controlling it.  When the spine is misaligned it will lead to altered digestive function.  Simple.  Now, if you decide to eat week old scrambled eggs and have some gut problems, don’t blame the CNS.  Cause and effect will surely do.

The Gut/Core – Your Measuring Stick

A hot topic in our society is the brain-gut connection or leaky gut or anything associated with the gut.  Now, to be witty we have always understood that the brain controls the gut.  It is not some new scientific exploration.  The light-bulbs being turned on for people is the significance of the gut and how it is used as a measuring stick for our overall health.  Misalignments in the spine do not take days off.  Which means your health does not rest.  Being healthy is hard work, it all begins and ends with the central nerve system.  If your unsure about your current health status consider your gut and how it functions.  It will lead you back to the beginning.