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!

 

Learn Why Patience Is Key To Healing Your Body

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Patience is the Key to Healing Your Body

Teaching Patience to Patients

In this day and age the status quo is living in the fast-food lane, meaning we want things to happen NOW.  The age of patience is becoming a lost art. Industries will cater to this fast-food lane mentality and sell you products, trends, fads, and gimmicks, trying to convince you that something can happen in the NOW.  The “sale” that strikes a nerve with chiropractic care is emergency or urgent care.  Unfortunately my profession will sell you the quick “fix”.  Chiropractic care is not an emergency room or urgent care.  Chiropractic enables your body to adapt to the external stressors that plague it.  Feeling good just comes with the territory.  If you only come in to see the chiropractor when you’re in pain, then you should only eat healthy food when you get sick.  It takes time for your body to heal and adapt.  It takes patience.

The Truth about Patience in Healing

Nobody is too busy to heal, it just comes down to your priorities and choices you make in life.  Chiropractic care is not designed to make you instantly feel better.  It is actually designed to instantaneously begin the healing process and allow your body to adapt to your stressors.  Simple enough? Patience is fundamental with chiropractic because adapting to your stressors is a process, not an event.

The Father of Patience

“Healing is a matter of time, it is sometimes a matter of opportunity,” – Hippocrates.  Think of it this way.  If you work a 9-5 job Monday through Friday, and a good majority of that time you are sitting at a desk utilizing a computer, a substantial amount of physical and emotional stress is placed on your body.  Chiropractic care enables your body to adapt to the external stressors in your life.  If you have complete loss of patience you will just conform to the “status quo” and take medication.  Your body will always go through stress, but it’s your innate responsibility to promote adapting.  Adapting comes with understanding how patience is required in healing.  If you get a cut, a scab will form and you will heal.  If you break a bone, you will heal.  The same can be said for just about ANYTHING in your body when you give it time.  Chiropractic care paired with patience will promote adapting and healing within your body. #getchecked

How To Ditch The Junk And Create Health

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Ditch the Junk and Create Health

Is It Healthcare or Sick-care?

It’s the end of January and the New Year started with a BANG.  Either you have set the stage to create health and are continuing on your journey, or maybe you just need a little push.  The “healthcare” industry thrives on the New Year and people looking for a fresh start.  Wikipedia put the definition of “Healthcare Industry” as such: The healthcare industry is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, and palliative care.  The healthcare industry is ranked 4th of all industries in the United States.  When measuring the US healthcare compared to others, study after study continuously ranked the US in the bottom half.  What exactly does that mean?  Despite high spending on health care, the U.S. population has poor health.

Create Health by Eliminating Junk

To create health, you need to eliminate the junk that you have been exposed to.  Gimmicks, trends, health fads and the newest and latest PILLS.  It’s literally junk.  Here’s a nice tid-bit of information for you.  The FDA stated that 70% of all supplement companies violate agency rules.  This means there is no filter for what they can create, produce and SAY to get you thinking that you will benefit from one of their potions. This is not even talking about medicine and the pills they produce, this is just the supplement industry itself.  Just think, if their efficacy has such low standards, what other rules are they manipulating?  They will say anything to make you think that they can “cure, heal, or fix” you.

Create Health with the Foundation First

A healthy inside creates a healthy outside.  The inside we are referring to is the central nerve system (CNS).  The CNS made every organ, tissue, and cell in your body.  If you want to be healthy make sure your spine, which protects the CNS, is completely free of interference. It’s no secret, trend, or new fad that creating a healthy you begins with the inside first.  Specific Chiropractic care does not sell you anything.  Chiropractic care only enables your body to do what it is supposed to do…be healthy.  #getchecked

Know Us Before You Need Us…The Misconception About Chiropractic

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Know Us Before You Need Us…The Misconception About Chiropractic

The First Truths

Blurred lines create the biggest misconceptions of what Chiropractic actually is.  To set the record straight the very first recorded adjustment in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa was not for lower back pain or a headache.  The first recorded adjustment in fact enabled a deaf individual to restore his hearing.  Thus Chiropractic was born.  Looking toward the spine for all disease in the body was NOT something new.  Hippocrates, The Father Of Medicine, stated, “Look Well To The Spine For The Cause Of Disease.”  Even American Indian hieroglyphics demonstrated ‘back-walking’.  The sick would lie down and have their spines manipulated by the feet of others.

Blurred Lines Create The Misconception

The age of insurance creates and sets new demands.  With the age of insurance beginning in the mid 1990’s there became an alarming rate of what they called “musculoskeletal pain.”  One might say this was due to the changing lifestyle of desk jobs, diet, or just an accumulation of not taking care of ourselves.  Either way, insurance companies started dictating what was necessary for the patient rather than the patient deciding for themselves.  When pain would occur, Chiropractors had great results in helping patients; the insurance companies recognized this and did not like it.  They would rather you get out of pain as fast as possible and never let you HEAL or ADAPT.  The “quick fix” was a growing trend that was not dealing with overall health and well-being.

Education Is The Foundation To Correct The Misconception

Keep in mind that in the mid 1990’s pharmaceutical companies did not have the power they now assume.  A pain reliever drug such as Tylenol was not even invented until the 1950’s and it started out just like all drugs as a prescription first.  There was no such thing as walking to the gas station and buying a pain reliever over the counter.  Regardless, if you use your Chiropractor as an expensive Tylenol, then you will only get Tylenol like results, aka temporary.  Chiropractic is the study, art, and science of getting the sick better and keeping the healthy well.  #getchecked

 

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.

3 Reasons Tight Muscles Deplete Your Energy

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic, Ear Infections

3 Reasons Tight Muscles Deplete Your Energy

#1 Tight Tight Tight

The first and most obvious reason that tight muscles deplete your energy is because you just got done working out.  This is stating the obvious, yet sometimes is often misunderstood.  Any form of physical fitness is great for the body.  When performing exercise your muscles require energy; it’s give and take.  Just like fueling your car for a long road-trip.  This cause and effect of exercising is to be expected.  With this being said, let’s explore the unknown reasons of tight muscles.

# 2 Spinal Misalignment = Tight Muscles

Spinal misalignments, also called subluxations, exist unknowingly.  This is the same notion as a cavity in your mouth going unnoticed for years.  Subluxations place undue stress on the spinal nerves.  Stress…Who likes to have to stress in their lives?  Just about nobody.  So, imagine a nerve that is supposed to supply your cells with abundance of life happens to be stressed.  This will result in your body working unnecessarily harder and faster in the organs, glands, tissues, and muscles that it supplies.  Working harder uses fuel faster than it should.  Subluxations will deplete energy stores without notice.

# 3 Fighting Gravity Requires Energy

Gravity exists whether you believe it or not.  Newton’s law of universal gravitation acts on our bodies every single day.  The spine is designed primarily to protect the central nervous system (Brain & Spinal Cord) and secondly to keep us upright.  The spine is supposed to be completely straight when visualizing it from face to face with somebody. When a subluxation is present in the spine it places constant stress on the nerves. A healthy spine, free of subluxations, alleviates the stress on the nervous system, which in turn limits your total energy expenditure.  By maintaining your spinal hygiene you are maintaining your overall health and energy at the same time.

 

 

 

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.