Ask A Doctor - Chiropractic Care

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Q.
I have chronic daily headaches. Can chiropractic care help?
A.
First we would have to determine what is causing your headaches. Chiropractors are concerned with correcting the cause of headaches, not covering up the pain with drugs. There are many causes of headaches. These include physical trauma, emotions (stress, anger, fear, worry), and chemical toxins (alcohol, drugs, preservatives, pollution, or poor diet). For example, aspartame (marketed as Nutra Sweet or Equal) is an excitotoxin that has been associated with headaches. Also, virtually all medications used to treat headaches can become a cause of headaches, if overused. These headaches are called “rebound” headaches. Consequently, physical, emotional and chemical stressors can also cause subluxations of the spine. A subluxation is a misalignment of a spinal bone that irritates nerves exiting the spine. If nerves in the neck are irritated, headaches may result. If a history and exam reveal you have a subluxation, then chiropractic care to correct that subluxation may improve or eliminate your headaches. Chiropractic has long been successful helping individuals with migraines and headaches. Studies have shown chiropractic care is effective in reducing overall occurrence of headaches and in decreasing the need to use medication.

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Q.
Can chiropractic care help fibromyalgia?
A.
Little is known about fibromyalgia. There are no diagnostic laboratory tests for fibromyalgia. There are no medical x-ray findings. The only confirmation of the condition is tenderness to pressure at 11 of 18 points on the body. Studies have found 2 neurologically important substances (substance P and homocysteine), believed to be involved in generating persistent pain with fibromyalgia patients. Both are pathologically elevated in the central nervous system of an individual with fibromyalgia. This indicates fibromyalgia is a disorder of the nervous system rather than strictly a musculoskeletal disorder, as originally thought. Also, those with fibromyalgia often have a history of injury of trauma to the central nervous system. If the nervous system is involved, chiropractic care may help. Our goal is to detect and correct problems with nervous system function. We would perform two tests, Surface Electromyography and Thermography, which detect problems with autonomic and motor nervous system function. If a problem was detected, correcting that problem may improve the condition. Over the years, we have seen great improvements in individuals with this condition. It is not because we treat fibromyalgia, rather when the nervous system function is improved, the condition often improves because the body starts functioning properly.

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Q.
Is using the Wii a good form of exercise?
A.
I will assume you are referring to the new video game system, Nintendo Wii that came out in 2006. A study was actually conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin to test the fitness benefits of playing Wii. Volunteers between 20 and 29 years of age were recruited. It was found that playing Wii Sports actually increases heart rate, VO2 and perceived exertion, and thus calorie burn. To have the calorie burning benefits, participants needed to mimic the movements used in playing the actual sport. It is possible to manipulate the onscreen players using minimal body movement, such as a flick of the wrist, however it does not contribute to significant calorie burn. Playing Wii Sports did not burn as many calories as playing the actual sports, but it was significantly bettter than sitting passively while playing a sedentary video game. When mimicking the actual movements in sports, boxing burned the greatest number of calories, followed by tennis, baseball, bowling and finally golf, which burned the fewest calories. So, is the Wii a good form of exercise? Yes, if you move your body as though you were playing the real sport. It is absolutely better than sitting on the couch playing a sedentary video game.

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Q.
What is the best position to sit at a computer to avoid back pain?
A.
It is important to position the spine in a neutral position so that your joints are naturally aligned. This reduces strain on the muscles, tendons, and skeletal system. There are two things to consider when sitting at a computer, the chair you sit in and the position of your computer. A good supportive chair is essential. Most computer chairs are adjustable to accommodate the user. Sit with the feet flat on the floor and your back against the chair for support. If your chair does not have a built in lumbar support, invest in a lumbar support pillow to place in the small of the back while sitting. This will prevent muscle fatigue. Your ears should be directly over your shoulders. Adjust the height of your chair so that your hips are parallel to your knees, or just slightly higher than your knees. Relax your arms on the chair armrests, if you have them. Your computer monitor should be placed directly in front of you, not off to one side. You should be between 2 and 2½ feet from the screen. Place the monitor at a height that allows your head to be in a neutral position. If you have to look up or down at the monitor, you will strain your neck muscles, which can create headaches. Your keyboard should be positioned so that your forearms are parallel to the floor, elbows at 90 degrees. It may help to rest your wrists on a wrist rest to take the weight of your arms off the shoulder and upper back. Regardless of how good your posture is, sitting still for prolonged periods is not healthy. Muscles become fatigued and you end up hunched over by the end of the day. This is why you should take frequent breaks every 20 to 30 minutes to stand up, stretch and walk around a bit.

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Q.
Can chiropractic care help asthma?
A.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing. Chiropractic is not a treatment for asthma. However, many people with asthma report improvement after receiving chiropractic care. Why? The lungs and diaphragm (the muscle used for breathing) are controlled by your nervous system. Nerves that control these areas leave the brain, travel down the spinal cord and exit the mid-cervical (neck) and thoracic regions of the spine. Subluxations (misalignments of spinal bones that irritate nerves) in these areas of the spine can interfere with nerve supply to the lungs causing the lungs to function abnormally. A chiropractor would correct the subluxations, restoring proper nerve supply to the lungs, allowing the lungs to function optimally. A study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research documented the results of 81 children with asthma who received chiropractic care. The two month study revealed that those under chiropractic care who reported asthma attacks before the study, saw a 45% decrease in the number of attacks, and that 31% of the subjects voluntarily chose to decrease their medication. All this occurred because of improved nervous system control of the lungs.

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Q.
What do you think of using pain meds and muscle relaxers for lower back pain?
A.
Symptoms such as pain are signals that your body can no longer adapt to its current environment. They are a warning sign that you need to address an underlying problem. Drugs never cure disease. They merely hush your body’s warning signals. Taking drugs will decrease symptoms, yet the underlying problem still exists; and while your symptoms are improved you may lift or move in such a way as to worsen your condition. Therefore, caution must be used. A healthy individual is one whose cells are functioning in a state of homeostasis. This means your cells are functioning in balance or equilibrium with one another. When your body expresses symptoms, you have moved away from homeostasis. Treating symptoms with drugs can reduce symptoms, yet moves you even further away from homeostasis, and thus makes you sicker (more unhealthy). This is because they are toxins that the body now has to work on detoxifying, and they decrease normal homeostatic cell function. Chiropractic care works to address the underlying cause of the problem. This approach moves your cell function back toward the normal, healthy state of homeostasis. Disclaimer: Under no circumstances are we recommending a person stop using their prescribed medications. Any change in medication use must first be discussed with your medical doctor.

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Q.
I always seem to get sick this time of the year. All the coughing hurts my back. Can chiropractic help?
A.
Most people think this time of the year as “cold and flu” season. Actually it is “holiday stress” season. There are two types of stress that affect the body’s function, especially this time of year. They are deficiencies, which can include lack of proper nutrition, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, lack of positive thinking, lack of personal time, lack of proper nervous system function, and toxicities, which can include excess sugar, excess alcohol, excess caffeine, excess sitting, excess worry or anxiety. This year the worry is compounded by stress over the economy. Making unhealthy lifestyle choices this time of year forces our cells to adapt to the physical, chemical, and emotional stress. Adaptive cell function leads to the production of stress hormones, insulin resistance, inflammation and decreased immunity. Thus, you get sick much easier when you are dealing with a stressful environment. In order to express health or healthy cell function, you must supply all the nutrients necessary for healthy cell function, and eliminate the toxicities. This boils down to eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (avoid canned foods), get proper rest (about 7 hours), exercise a minimum of 30 minutes four times a week, keep your thoughts positive (laugh often), take 20 minutes a day for yourself, keep alcohol, sweets and caffeine to a minimum, and have your spine checked for subluxations. Chiropractic care improves nervous system function which helps the body function optimally. This aids the ability of the body to fight infections.

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Q.
Does everyone have subluxations?
A.
Subluxations, or spinal misalignments that affect nerve function, are pandemic in the world we live in because our industrialized lifestyles expose us to constant traumas and stressors. These traumas and stressors can lead to vertebral subluxations. Many stressors are lifestyle choices and thus are avoidable. They include: CHEMICAL STRESSORS: Smoking, pollution, poor diet, caffeine, excessive sugar, artificial sweeteners, food additives, hydrogenated oils, pesticides, herbicides, drugs (prescription and over the counter meds), illegal drugs, vaccinations, heavy metals (lead, mercury), alcohol, fluoride, chlorine. PHYSICAL STRESSORS: Birth trauma, falls, car accidents, shoveling snow, raking leaves, sports injuries, physical abuse, repetitive stress injuries, high-heeled shoes, a bad mattress or pillow, extensive sitting (at computer, in school, while driving), repetitive lifting or bending, carrying a heavy bag on one side, lack of sleep, excessively clean environment (everything chlorox-ed), sedentary lifestyle. MENTAL or EMOTIONAL STRESSORS: Relationship stress, work deadlines, children, fast paced life, death of a loved one, getting downsized, holiday stress, financial stress, concealing feelings, verbal abuse, being a perfectionist or procrastinator, negative self thoughts, a lack of love. When subluxations occur, they reduce your vitality and energy, they compromise your body’s ability to adapt to the environment, and lead to increased susceptibility to illness and disease. Chiropractic care restores mobility to the joints allowing restoration of neurological function. This strengthens the immune system and allows the body to function optimally.

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Q.
Can chiropractic care help with balance? I am very unsteady when it comes to balance.
A.
There are a number of conditions and situations that can cause a loss of balance. Some of these include prescription drug side effects, infections (especially of the ear or central nervous system), head trauma, tumors or neuromas, muscle weakness, MS, alcohol abuse, Lymes disease (in advanced stages), poor posture and subluxations. A thorough history and exam would be necessary to determine the cause of your imbalance. Nerves in the neck send messages to the inner ear which controls balance. A subluxation (spinal misalignment affecting nerve function) in the neck can affect balance. The goal of chiropractic care is to detect and correct subluxations in the spine to restore proper nerve supply or messages to the various areas of the body. If a subluxation is detected in your neck, it is possible to improve your balance by correcting the subluxation. In our office we would prescribe specific postural exercises to improve posture and muscle balance, which would also improve your stability.

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