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!

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.

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.