Monday, April 23, 2018

Posture is the Window to the Spine

Which one of these looks like you?


Have you seen someone whos head sits way far forward off their chest and shoulder? This is called, "forward head posture," it is dangerous! It reduced proper nerve function from the brain to the rest of the body, decreasing your good health potential. For every 1" of forward head position, there's an extra 10 pounds of stress on the neck, leading to early degeneration and to early death. When your posture fails, your joints suffer! So many people shrug off poor posture as if it was like biting their fingernails. Bad posture will cause accelerated arthritis and rapid degeneration that is irreversible. Regular adjustments promote better posture and prevent degeneration.


Dr. Singleton shares low back exercise for beginners.

Here is a simple exercise that you can do at home with no equipment. It works your multifidus, erector spinae, transverse abdominus, oblique muscles. The good thing is, you don't have to go to a gym to do this exercise and it's going to help stabilize your loser back and feel better.
The purpose of this exercise is to increase your low back strength and muscular endurance which will help you with any loser back pain or discomfort.
By doing this simple exercise you will also have the benefits of improved stability more functional strength and you'll help prevent any future injuries, so it's a great exercise to do every day

Begin by laying on your back. Extend your arms above head flat on floor. activate your core and your knees above your hips and maintain a 90/90 hip knee position like you see in the picture. Now, activate your core. Lift one arm off the floor and raise it towards ceiling  until it's above shoulder level while simultaneously extending one leg downward towards floor. Pause momentarily. Return to start position, alternating sides. This core activation  should be maintained throughout the entire exercise. Repeat this for 10 repetitions and do 2 sets of ten. Then you're done.

Get Alkaline, Get Healthy

Do you remember high school chemistry class when we learned about pH? It provides a measure between 0 (almost acidic) and +1 (most alkaline). Our body sits near a normal pH of about 7.6. Research has shown us that inflammation and disease, including heart disease and cancer, occur in more acidic environments. Our current day diets of common sense would tell  us, then, that better health and body healing will come from and alkaline environment. So the question is, how do we make our bodies more alkaline? The following are some ways you can help your body return

1. Eat more vegetables, beans and nuts. Increase green, leafy foods.
2. reduce acidic foods, including red meats, eggs, carbs and refined sugar.
3. Reduce or stop alcohol intake and greatly increase  alkaline water Most alkaline water has a pH near 9 while regular water or tap water is near 6.5 to 7.0.
4.Increase alkaline drinks, such as lemon water or peppermint tea.
5. Exercise at  least 30 minutes 4-5x a week.
6. Stress can contribute to acid build-up. so jump into yoga, meditation and other deep breathing techniques to help you relax and "de-stress."

Keep in mind, if you eat healthier foods and drink more water, your acidic body will move towards alkaline. This will decrease inflammation  in the body. This in turn will promote healing in your body of many conditions and maladies affecting you right now. If you are diagnosed with cancer, it just may be the thing that improves your health and saves your life.

The Secret Statistic

There's one medical statistic doctors don't much talk about despite it's importance. It's called "number needed to treat," or NNT. It's measure developed in the past 20 years, and it's one of the best-kept statistical secrets in medicine.
The idea of NNT is simple enough. Most clinical trials look at how much better people do on a particular medicine. NNT answers the question: how many people have to take a particular drug to avoid one incidence of a medical issue (such as heart attack, or recurrence of cancer)? For example, if a drug had an NNT of 50 for heart attacks, then 50 people have to take the drug in order to prevent one heart attack. That doesn't sound like a lot, so pharmaceutical companies tend to keep the number quiet and focus on broader, U.S. population-based statistics. But that could be changed if you ask for the NNT up front the next time you're handed a prescription.

When the NNT statistic was first developed in 1988, it was intended to help you make a decision about whether or not to take a drug. After all, having it put in simple terms such as "out of every 50 people who take this drug, perhaps one heart attack will be prevented, and the other 49 will receive no benefit," puts things into perspective...a perspective that the drug companies do not want you to see. One of the most blatant examples of how drug companies have hidden NNT for their own self-serving purposes lies with cholesterol drugs. These drugs, which can cause side effects like liver damage, muscle weakness, cognitive impairment and many side effects like liver damage, muscle weakness, cognitive impairment and many others, are touted as miracle pills that can slash your risk of a heart attack by more than one third.
Well, "business week" actually did a story on this very topic earlier this year, and they found the real numbers right on Pfizer's own newspaper ad for the cholesterol lowering drug "Lipitor."
Upon first glance, the ad boasts that Lipitor reduces heart attacks by 36 percent. But there is an asterisk. And when you follow the asterisk, you find the following in much smaller type: "That means in a large clinical study, 3% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a heart attack compared to 2% of patients taking Lipitor/"
What this means is that for every 100 people  who took the drug over 3.3 years, three people on placebos, and two people on Lipitor, had heart attacks. That means that taking Lipitor resulted in just one fewer heart attacks  per 100 people.
What if you put 250 people in a room and told them they would each pay $1,000 a year for a drug they would heave to take every day, that many would get diarrhea an muscle pain, and that 249 would have no benefit? and that they could do just as well by exercising? How many would take that?

Headaches and the Neck

"orthopedic surgeons and neurologists studied 100 headache prone children. They tested children because so many adult patients traced their chronic headaches back to childhood and because children wrestle with each other, fall off bicycles or sleds or get inured in sports. Pain and stiffness in the neck disappear in a day or two and the injury is forgotten. But that slight injury can be -permanent, and flower periodically into headaches.
By stretching and putting the neck into traction using a 4-7 lbs. weights,  97% of the children improved after a 20 year follow up."
Does this sound like new exciting recent research to you? It was completed and released to the public in 1970! After nearly 50 years, we are no closer to accepting that most headaches start from neck problems! It need not be treated by aspirin, pills, injections, prescriptions or surgery. When will we learn? Or will we? I'm not sure any longer...

Friday, March 23, 2018

Shoulder Problems

What most people call their shoulder are really several joints that combine with tendons and muscles to allow a wide range of motion to their arm- from scratching their back to throwing the perfect pitch. Here's what most don't know: Most shoulder problems involve the soft tissues-muscles, ligaments, and tendons-rather than the bones. Most of these shoulder problems fall into three major categories:
  1. Tendonitis: A tendon is a cord that connects muscles to bone  or other tissue. Most tendonitis is the result of a wear and tear process that takes place over a period of years, much like the wear and tear process on the sole of a shoe. Generally tendonitis is one of several types:
    • Acute tendonitis following overuse from activities.
    • Chronic tendonitis resulting from degenerate disease or repetitive wear and tear due to age.
    • Rotator cuff injuries are among the most common of these disorders. The rotator cuff is the arrangement of muscles and their tendons, which provides shoulder motion and stability.
  2. Bursitis: Sometimes, excessive use of the shoulder leads to inflammation and swelling of a bursa, a condition known as "bursitis." Bursas are fluid filled sacs located around the joint that lessen the friction caused by movement of the shoulder. Bursitis often occurs in with rotator cuff tendonitis. Sometimes the many movement of the shoulder  become 'inflamed' and 'painful' limiting the use of the shoulder. The joint may stiffen as a result, a condition called a "frozen shoulder." Fortunately, with appropriate care, this condition will resolve but the faster you get in for treatment, the better.
  3. Injury/Instability: Sometimes the bones in one of the shoulder joints move (or are forced) out of their normal position. This condition can result in dislocation of one of the joints in the shoulder. Recurring dislocations, which may be partial or complete, cause 'pain' and 'unsteadiness' when you raise your arm or move it away from your body. When you lift your arm over your head, the shoulder may feel as if it is slipping out of place or an uncomfortable, unusual feeling that some people refer to as having a "dead arm."
  4. Arthritis: Shoulder pain can also result from arthritis. There are many types of arthritis, but generally it involves wear and tear changes with "inflammation" of the joint causing swelling, pain and stiffness. Arthritis may be related to sports or work injuries. Often people will avoid shoulder movements to try to lessen the pain from these conditions. This sometimes leads to a tightening or stiffening of the soft tissue parts of the joint, resulting in a painful restriction of motion.
When should you seek treatment?
 Here's the deal, many patients ignore temporary minimal shoulder symptoms with some bad effects. In the case of an acute injury, if the pain is intense, you should get treatment as soon as possible. If the pain is less severe, it may be safe to wait a few days to see if time will alleviate the problem. If symptoms persist, come in for an examination. We want to help you determine the source of the problem in the shoulder and recommend the right treatment method for the specific condition. Call me now.

Motion is Life

Remember that motion is life

The human body is an amazingly complex system of bones, joints, muscles and nerves, designed to work together to accomplish one thing: MOTION.

Everything about the human body is designed with motion in mind: your delicate nerve fibers stimulate your strong muscles to contract, then your strong muscles contract to move the hard bones, then your hard bones move around structured joints, and  your nervous system, which is the brain and spinal cord...controls it all.

As a matter of fact, research has shown that motion is so critical to your body's health that a lack of motion has a detrimental affect on everything from your digestion to your emotional state, immune function, your ability to concentrate, how well you sleep and even to how long you live.

If your lifestyle does not include enough motion  your body cannot function efficiently.

  • First, you will not be as physically healthy and will suffer from a wide variety of physical  ailments, ranging from headaches to high blood pressure.

  • Second, you will not be as productive in your life because of reduced energy levels and the lack of ability to mentally focus.

  • Third, because you have less energy, your activity level will tend to drop off even further over time, creating a downward spiral of reduced energy and less activity until you get to a point where even the demands of sedentary job leave you physically exhausted at the end of the day.

Make sure that you keep your appointments and you refer your friends and family.

Spinal Decay

How Spinal Decay and Tooth Decay Relate:

Spinal Decay is just the same as tooth decay.
  1. It causes no pain in the beginning
  2. It slowly progresses and spreads still causing no pain.
  3. Finally, by the time you begin to experience pain, the decay has been there for quite some time.
Regular maintenance is the key ingredient to fighting decay!

Regular Chiropractic adjustments keep the joints of your spine moving and healthy and prevents degeneration from developing or from advancing.

If any of your family members haven't had their spines checked in our office, please don't delay in getting them checked out. Time makes all the difference and the sooner a problem is found, the easier is can be corrected!

Thanks for being a great patient!

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Hip Pain

Do you have hip pain?

If you do, I want you to realize something, you could end up like this man, and hopefully you want to do whatever it takes to avoid this happening to you or someone you care about.
 
You may just have hip pain right now but if you don't take care of it NOW, there's a good chance that you can end up having to use a walker, a scooter or a cane.
 


 

 

Your hips serve innumerable functions for your body, they:

    1. Keep you upright
    2. Allow you to bear weight
    3. Walk, run, jump, kick and play
Since your hips are engaged in nearly every move you make, pain in this area of your body can have debilitating consequences for you (if you have hip pain.) Although hip pain is frequently the result of osteoarthritis or some type of injury, it can also be a sign of other health conditions.

If you'll mention that to me, I'll examine you and find out if I can help you identify the source of your hip pain and develop a tailored treatment plan just for you.


One of the Most Common Causes of Hip Pain:

 
Inflammation: Hip pain can derive from the structures within the hip joint or from the structures and ligaments surrounding the inflamed joint. Within the joint itself, there is limited space for the femoral head to move in the socket of the acetabulum. If an injury, misalignment, psoas muscle problem, or illness in your joint can trigger inflammation then the joint space can become easily filled with fluid, causing you pain.
 
  • Inflammation of the sac outside of the hip- the bursitis- can also be the source of pain. Bursitis is often the result of minor trauma or overuse. If you want to get checked call the office today. We're here to help.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Antibiotics

Did you know?

"Over 7 million children consume over 8 tons of Ritalin every year in the U.S."
-Johns Hopkins Newsletter
 
 
    • Scientists at the University of British Columbia analyzed data from 8 studies on asthma and antibiotics. They found that kids who received even 1 dose of antibiotics in the first 12 months doubled their risk of developing asthma later. Each additional dose increased the possibility by 16 percent.
    • Medical research has cautioned against the use of antibiotics saying that over 90% of all infections are viral (antibiotics do not kill viruses) and that 98% of all infections heal up just fine, and in fact far better than on their own.
    • University of Washington found that if you filled 25 or more prescriptions for antibiotics over 17 years, you double your risk of cancer. (TIME, 12/6/04)
    • Infants exposed to 1 single round of antibiotics during their first year of life are twice as likely to develop asthma as those who do not. The more courses of antibiotics, the worse the immunity and the greater the risk of asthma. (NEWSDAY, 3/6/06)
    • For decades, doctors have given short term antibiotics prior to a dental procedure to many patients with the belief the drugs would prevent infectious endocarditis (IE). Although allergic reactions are minimal, new evidence shows the risks outweigh the benefits for most patients receiving these antibiotics.
    • 793,939 people in the U.S. die from medications each year.

The Food Industry

The Food Industry

The Food makers:
      • Spend nearly 1.6 billion annually to market and reach children under 12 years of age.
      • Makers of junk food products donate large sums of money to nutritional associations to get access to decision makers and promote their products even though they are not nutritionally sound.
      • Processed foods gain more profit than minimally processed foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. More processing means more profit, although much less healthy food.
      • Less processed foods are generally more filling and satisfying.
      • Label claims such as "zero trans fats," or "whole wheat" create false impressions that a product is healthy when it isn't. Foods loaded with salt, sugar or saturated fats is an unhealthy choice.
      • In 2006, major beverage makers agrees to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines, but persuaded lawmakers to allow high sugared sports drinks and vitamin water to be sold.
      • A group called Center for Consumer Freedom that are funded by companies like Coca-Cola, Tyson Foods and Wendy's, are against obesity related public health campaigns.
"How will you make some better choices this New Year on what goes into your body?"
 

70% of us are either overweight or obese and that number includes our children as well. Knowing that these can increase risks of cancer, diabetes heart disease, stroke and many other illnesses, we are literally digging our own graves with our forks and cups.

 
Make a commitment to your temple and your health, one day at a time.