Learning From The Leading Cause Of Death

By | Benefits of Chiropractic, Chiropractic Myths, High Blood Pressure | No Comments

Learning From The Leading Cause Of Death

The number one leading cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease.  The western lifestyle and diet left unchecked encourages the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).  In most cases, the first symptom of CVD that is physically very obvious is a heart attack. That is one heck of a first symptom!  When we hear the story about the “57 year old man who ‘never’ had a sick day in his life dies from a heart attack”, we wonder what happened!  In actuality, it takes YEARS to develop CVD before the first noticeable symptom appears.

What Should We Learn From CVD

When one’s health is being neglected, there are other subtle symptoms that occur prior to a heart attack that we normally don’t notice.   Learn to recognize these symptoms before the root cause begins to spiral out of control. Many symptoms are painful, but we think it is a normal part of our lives and try to just get by. A more practical approach would be to gain control of your health, improve on it daily, and not take it for granted.

Health Is Hard-Work

Taking care of your body begins with your spinal health. Regular check-up’s by your chiropractor will ensure that there is a proper connection between the brain and body.  Healthy spine = healthy body. How so? Your central nerve system created the spine to be an external protection . Keeping your spine aligned and happy keeps your central nerve system happy as well.  People assume that you should only see a chiropractor when you have back or neck pain. WRONG! That is equivalent to only eating healthy food when you are sick. Just like a heart attack being the last noticeable symptom of CVD, back or neck pain will sometimes be the last symptoms to appear when your spinal health has been neglected.

Basic Anatomy 101

When a nerve is irritated by a misaligned spine and has unnecessary stress, the nerve does not send proper signals to the cells, organs, and glands that it controls.  That is Basic Anatomy 101 in Chiropractic and Medical Studies. What does this mean? Imagine that the very nerve that made your heart, controls your heart and sends electrical impulses to make it beat is irritated.   In this case, the messages to the heart will be either HYPER or HYPO (aka High Blood Pressure or Low Blood Pressure). Look to the spine in order to get the messages clear. Be preventative and act now. #getchecked

 

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

By | Benefits of Chiropractic | No Comments

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!

 

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.

Chronic Ear Infections: Covering Up Or Healing

By | ADHD, Asthma, Benefits of Chiropractic

When the word chronic is used to describe a health condition that you have, typically 10 out of 10 times it will be a bad thing.  Why?  Well, first of all you do not hear people saying “I am chronically healthy!”  Many mothers who bring their children into our office for chronic ear infections typically do so as a last resort.  We think that chiropractic care is only for backaches…which is an absolute lie and false information.  Chiropractors are trained experts in the detection and adjustment of vertebral subluxations.  Vertebral subluxations cause chronic ear infections.  What is a vertebral subluxation?  Let’s continue!

The Actual Cause Of Chronic Ear Infections

The actual cause of all dysfunction in the human body, such as an ear infection, is vertebral subluxations.  The vertebral subluxation represents all physical disease in the body.  How and why?  A vertebral subluxation limits the body from adapting and healing.  It places undo stress and tension on the central nerve system, which controls all life.  This then restricts all messages sent throughout the body, or in this case, the inner ear.  When the central nerve system is limited by what it can do, in-coordination occurs within the body.  In-coordination will cause neglect of tissue cells, resulting in symptoms such as ear infections.

Cover It Up Or Help It Heal?

The primary function of the body is to use all parts in harmony to maintain health.  Constant movement in the inner ear allows the Eustachian tubes to function properly by draining.  A vertebral subluxation does not allow the Eustachian tubes to drain due to a disconnection between the brain and the inner ear.  It is that simple.  Covering up chronic ear infections with medication does not allow healing to happen.  Hence, the use of the word chronic.  Keep health simple and keep it straight. If you want more information or more specifics backed up with our research all you have to do is ask.  #getchecked

 

Feed Dis-ease Or Prevent Dis-ease. Choose Wisely?

By | ADHD, Benefits of Chiropractic

If You Believe You Can…You Will!

Is it just a belief or is it a fact that you can choose to be healthy?  Both are actually true.  Science supports that if you choose to be healthy you will be healthy.  Notice the word “choose.”  If you believe you will be healthy… you still have to act upon that belief.  You must lay down the foundation of health and what it means.  Getting checked by your chiropractor, exercising, watching your posture, and putting the right food in your body are all great examples.  Prevention does not come in the form of a pill.

Dis-ease vs Disease 

Referencing the Chiropractic Textbook by R.W. Stephenson 1927 he defines dis-ease and disease as:

Dis-ease defined.  “A Chiropractic term meaning not having ease; or lack of ease.  It is a lack of entity.  It is a condition of matter when it does not have the property of ease.  Ease is the entity, and dis-ease the lack of it.”

Disease defined.  “Disease is a term used by physicians for sickness.  To them it is an entity and is worthy of a name, hence diagnosis.”

In order to simplify the difference between dis-ease and disease, we break down the meaning of entity.  Often when we classify someone with the entity of disease, we say they things such as, “That kid is autistic,” or, ” I am diabetic.”  By putting a label on somebody we dismiss the person as an actual human being and classify them as the disease, which is not the case.  The body having lack of ease will create symptoms to remind us that something is amiss in the body.

You Cannot Catch Disease

Literally what the title states, you cannot simply catch disease.  In our society we often hear that someone “caught” this disease.  When in reality you did not catch anything.   If your tissue cells have uncoordinated and non-adaptive properties, your body will be dysfunctional as a result.  Remember, health is hard-work!  Chiropractic ensures that your master control system, the central nervous system, is working at optimal potential.  When the brain is functioning correctly and without limits, the body is at ease.

 

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.

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.