Arthritis breaks down the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement. When you lose cartilage, your bones rub together. Over time, this rubbing can permanently damage the joint. Basically, the joint is wearing out.
Arthritis, or joint inflammation, includes more than 100 conditions, including gout, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and many more. It affects 20 million Americans or 1 in 13 people in the US. Rheumatoid arthritis affects over 2 million Americans.
Contrary to belief, arthritis can affect people of any age; not only those who are middle-age or elderly. Chiropractors mostly see patients with osteoarthritis.
Symptoms of arthritis:
Tender, warm, and swollen joints.
Pain and stiffness lasts for more than 30 minutes after a long rest.
Decreased ROM
Trauma - major trauma / mircotrauma, obesity or just getting old causes osteoarthritis. It can be diagnosed with X-rays, MRI or CT scans. Chiropractors alleviate the pain with spinal adjustments.
Consider the soft tissue component. Some arthritic pain can be treated with a simple technique called Graston. This technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation. Benefits to the patient include a greater range of motion, increased strength and reduce pain. In addition, chiropractic modalities such as joint mobilization, cold laser therapy, massage and electro-therapy may be used to aid in the treatment of painful and stiff joints. Therefore, the treatment depends on the patient and how severe the condition is. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are great nutritional solutions to joint pains.
Exercise can occasionally help. It depends on the degree of arthritis. Someone with severe knee or hip arthritis should not be running. Swimming or non weight bearing exercises like biking is a good way to keep in shape without the joint impact of running or doing other aerobic exercises.
Regular chiropractic care prevents osteoarthritis. If you keep your spine in proper alignment it will not become arthritic. If you already have arthritis, regular chiropractic adjustments can halt the progression of arthritis.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by phone or Facebook!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
How Orthotics Can Help You
The foot is a machine. It functions as our interface between the ground and the greatest deforming force on the human body which is gravity. Forces of 3 1/2 times the bodyweight passed to the foot with each step and the average person takes in excess of 10,000 steps per day most of which in our society is on concrete. This should give you some idea as to the enormity of the forces endured by the foot. As we age, even a normal foot flattens or we lose some degree in the arch of the foot. All of the common for problems such as the bunions, plantar fasciitis, metatarsal, hammer toes, calluses and corns are usually caused by the lack of enough arch in the foot when we are standing, walking or running. Because our feet are the foundation to our bodies and it is very important that we keep them in good shape. As we age, our arches tend to fall and when that happens, that can affect our ankles, knees, hips and even our backs. It's just a good idea to make sure our feet are in good shape at all times.
Orthotics are custom-made inserts that you can put in your shoe. They are designed to change the mechanical function of the foot. Orthotics work dynamically during weight-bearing activities like walking, running or standing. Ideally, it should provide full custom and corrected arch contact so that the foot works in a biomechanically correct way.
Making orthotics is quite an easy process. The patient sits down and an impression is made of their feet. The company I use is called Sole Supports. This company is actually owned by podiatrists. I just cast the feet and send the cast into the company and they make the orthotic.
As you can imagine, there are many orthotics companies out there. What makes Sole Supports unique is the orthotics themselves. The plastic piece that goes in your shoe is specially designed. The thickness of the plastic is dependent on the mobility of your foot and your body weight. So this orthotic is made out of plastic, but it also gives so there's some cushion to it. It's called a semi-rigid orthotic. So, it is not a super hard piece of plastic under your foot. Without question, the most common complaint I get about people purchasing orthotics elsewhere is that they are so hard and uncomfortable. The Sole Support also has a layer of foam on top of the plastic which make the orthotic very comfortable.
The plastic portion of the orthotic will last a lifetime. The top cover which is made out of foam usually needs to be resurfaced every 10 years. I also guarantee the fit. The last thing I want is for someone to purchase a pair of orthotics from me and have them sit in a closet somewhere. I will guarantee that they will be comfortable so you will be wearing them every day. From start to finish it usually takes about two weeks.
They’re great for runners too! Runners put high demands on their bodies, especially their feet and arches. A typical 150-pound athlete who runs 10 miles per week will hit the ground with about 10 million pounds of impact load each week. This puts a much greater demand on the feet and body than somebody with a relatively sedentary lifestyle.
Contact our office to learn more about purchasing your own pair of orthotics.
Orthotics are custom-made inserts that you can put in your shoe. They are designed to change the mechanical function of the foot. Orthotics work dynamically during weight-bearing activities like walking, running or standing. Ideally, it should provide full custom and corrected arch contact so that the foot works in a biomechanically correct way.
Making orthotics is quite an easy process. The patient sits down and an impression is made of their feet. The company I use is called Sole Supports. This company is actually owned by podiatrists. I just cast the feet and send the cast into the company and they make the orthotic.
As you can imagine, there are many orthotics companies out there. What makes Sole Supports unique is the orthotics themselves. The plastic piece that goes in your shoe is specially designed. The thickness of the plastic is dependent on the mobility of your foot and your body weight. So this orthotic is made out of plastic, but it also gives so there's some cushion to it. It's called a semi-rigid orthotic. So, it is not a super hard piece of plastic under your foot. Without question, the most common complaint I get about people purchasing orthotics elsewhere is that they are so hard and uncomfortable. The Sole Support also has a layer of foam on top of the plastic which make the orthotic very comfortable.
The plastic portion of the orthotic will last a lifetime. The top cover which is made out of foam usually needs to be resurfaced every 10 years. I also guarantee the fit. The last thing I want is for someone to purchase a pair of orthotics from me and have them sit in a closet somewhere. I will guarantee that they will be comfortable so you will be wearing them every day. From start to finish it usually takes about two weeks.
They’re great for runners too! Runners put high demands on their bodies, especially their feet and arches. A typical 150-pound athlete who runs 10 miles per week will hit the ground with about 10 million pounds of impact load each week. This puts a much greater demand on the feet and body than somebody with a relatively sedentary lifestyle.
Contact our office to learn more about purchasing your own pair of orthotics.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Top 12 Cancer Prevention Strategies
We CAN prevent cancer. My top 12 cancer prevention strategies include:
1. Reduce or eliminate your processed food, fructose and grain carbohydrate intake. Eat tons of whole foods, Veggies, fruits, meats, beans. Anything that doesn’t take a “process” to make.
2. Normalize your vitamin D levels by getting plenty of sunlight exposure and consider careful supplementation when this is not possible. If you take oral vitamin D and have cancer, it would be prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly. To learn what your vitamin D level is, go to your MD and have your blood drawn.
3. Control your fasting insulin and leptin levels. (Improved insulin and leptin control is the natural outcome of reducing or eliminating fructose, grains, and processed foods from your diet.) Leptin is a hormone that has a central role in fat metabolism. Leptin was originally thought to be a signal to lose weight but it may, instead, be a signal to the brain that there is fat on the body.
4. Normalize your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats by taking a high-quality fish oil and reducing your intake of most processed vegetable oils.
5. Get regular exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
6. Get regular, good sleep.
7. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are sorely underappreciated. However, some cancer specialists are now using nutritional typing as an integral part of their cancer treatments. Check out “Eat Right for Your Type” on Dr. D’Adamo’s website: http://www.dadamo.com Find out your blood type (typo O, A, B, AB) from your MD.
8. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
9. Limit your exposure and provide protection for yourself from EMF (Electronic Magnetic fields) produced by cell phone towers, base stations, cell phones and WiFi stations. On May 31, 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), declared that cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic to humans." To protect yourself, try not to wear it next to your body. When I am in the car I put it on a cup holder. At the office I set it on the desk. Talk as little as you can on the cell phone. Use a land line if possible.
10. Avoid frying or charbroiling your food. Boil, poach or steam your foods instead.
11. Have a tool to permanently reprogram the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
12. Eat at least one-third of your food raw. Eat as much fruits and veggies as you wish. If you love apples feel free to eat 4-5 on them a day!
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