As a chiropractor I always recommend that my patients get regular exercise. Often the “resistance” I get is from my older patients who don’t have “convenient” exercise opportunites available. However, it is extremely important, especially as we age, to keep our body moving or to get our body moving, so whether it is convenient or not, every individual needs to find a way to make routine daily activity…routine.
According to a new study, many older men find themselves leaving out this important aspect of health. In fact, the new study points to the health benefits of living in neighborhoods with built-in physical activity resources. Researchers conducted a study among community-dwelling men age 65 years or older from the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. They wanted to see whether or not older men who live within one-eighth, one-quarter, or one-half mile of physical activity resources (including parks, trails and recreational facilities) are more likely to maintain or increase the amount of time they spend walking than men who live farther from these resources. The study ran from March 2000 – April 2002 at six U.S. clinical centers, and then was then followed an average of 3.6 years to assess changes in time spent walking. The results of the study revealed a positive association among urban-dwelling older men between living within one-eighth mile of parks and one-half mile of trails and maintaining or increasing time spent walking, although the association was limited to men living in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. The study’s authors said, “Proximity to physical activity resources such as parks and trails may be important for maintaining moderate physical activity over time among older men residing in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. These findings support an eco-social model of physical activity promotion incorporating neighborhood-level resources and parks and trails.” Source American Journal of Public Health“Convenience” May Be Key When It Comes to Regular Exercise
February 21st, 2010Chiropractor in San Jose Reveals That Chiropractic Treatment Will Help to Greatly Reduce Low Back Pain Caused by Arthritis
February 12th, 2010Right now there is a variety of treatment options from which you can decide as it pertains to your low back pain and soreness in many parts of your body as a result of arthritic transformations, not to mention visiting your chiropractor in San Jose. But unfortunately, a large number of men and women who are suffering from painful arthritis and lumbar pain all the same suppose that they have to search for a medical doctor as the lowest risk way to discover a treatment method for their pain. However, you might be surprised to find out that not many medical doctors are able to be beneficial people wipe out, or naturally minimize the difficulties of lumbar pain resulting from arthritis. Instead of being accustomed to detecting and treating the root cause of the soreness you are feeling, medical doctors habitually start treating simply your symptoms, that one could do not just for pain reduction, but to genuinely decelerate arthritic changes in your body.
Finding a San Jose chiropractor is actually one of the very best things that you can do to assist your arthritis and low back pain. Chiropractors are doctors who focus completely on taking care of the musculoskeletal system, and arthritis is a joint problem. Chiropractic care has aided many individuals in decreasing the process of arthritis by getting their joints in motion. Motion is necessary for joint health. A good chiropractor is extremely proficient in the treatment of low back pain, even when it is because of arthritis
If you have never gone to a chiropractor previously, you might be somewhat concerned about what will occur once you are in the office. It might help to offer a quick picture of what you can anticipate. You’ll be asked about your medical history, which will oftentimes include a family account of arthritis. The chiropractor will likely inquire about your present-day diet and lifestyle and may propose explicit changes that will be very helpful in lessening the inflammation attributable to arthritis. And, finally, you will receive a scrupulous examination. After the testing is finished, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic care can help your back pain, and also reduce your painful arthritic difficulties. of your visit Then you’ll learn about the actual therapy you are going to should have.
A chiropractic adjustment reduces pain gently and organically, and it is a painless approach. And, probably the most fantastic factor of going to a chiropractor for your lumbar pain and arthritis is that you can feel certain that the source of your pain is being dealt with effectively, and that the comfort you experience doesn’t entail masking the warning sign of pain, but truly eliminating the basis of your condition.
A First for Olympic Athletes: Chiropractic Care Included in 2010 Olympic Vancouver Winter Games
February 6th, 2010Whether you see a chiropractor for “crisis” care or on a regular basis, you may have assumed that chiropractic treatment has always been included for the athletes participating in Olympic Games. But, sadly, that hasn’t been the case until now. Read on… For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, will include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility that offers comprehensive health care and medical services. While doctors of chiropractic (D.C.s) have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, the upcoming events mark the first time that D.C.’s from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.
“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, D.C., MS, DACBSP, and Team USA Medical Director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused D.C.s, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”
Throughout the years, chiropractic has become a mainstay in the care of world-class athletes, leading to a growing number of D.C.s included in the Olympic Games. Countless athletes attribute the care they receive from their chiropractors — working along-side other health care professionals – as a key to properly preparing their bodies to perform optimally.
Vitamin D Plus Calcium, a Supplemental Plus?
January 13th, 2010Okay, I know that all of us are secretly looking for a “silver bullet” that will guard against everything from cardiovascular disease and cancer to bone fractures and sagging skin. But, the truth is that there will likely never be just one thing to “fix” any one problem, much less one thing to fix all the problems at once! As a case in point, I offer the results of a recent study about a wonderful vitamin, Vitamin D, and calcium, both of which shouldn’t be neglected, but aren’t “the answer” either.
Vitamin D Plus Calcium Guards Against Fractures
But the vitamin alone doesn’t offer significant protection, researchers say
(HealthDay News) — Daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D reduce the risk of fractures in women and men of all ages, even if they’ve suffered previous fractures, but vitamin D supplements alone don’t offer significant protection, a new study has found.
Researchers analyzed data from 68,517 people, average age 70, who took part in seven studies that looked at the effect vitamin D or vitamin D plus calcium had on reducing fractures.
The analysis revealed that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10 micrograms to 20 micrograms per day doesn’t prevent fractures. However, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce the risk of hip fractures, total fractures and possibly vertebral fractures.
The study, published online Jan. 12 in BMJ, called for additional studies of vitamin D, especially vitamin D given at higher doses without calcium.
There’s a growing consensus that a combination of calcium and vitamin D is more effective than vitamin D alone in preventing nonvertebral fractures, Opinder Sahota, of Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham, England, wrote in an accompanying editorial.
Further research is need to determine the most effective dose, treatment duration and method of taking the calcium/vitamin D combination, Sahota said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about calcium and vitamin D.
No Evidence that Chiropractic Causes Stroke According to Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation
January 8th, 2010Amidst a great deal of emotion and rhetoric coming out of Connecticut this week regarding the stroke issue The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has just released a very clear position statement on the issue of chiropractic and strokes.
Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes. “While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney. According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists. “What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.” While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.” Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.” Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.” In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.Sacramento Chiropractor: Golf Injuries Can Be Prevented
January 8th, 2010With any type of sport, injuries are not uncommon. You can often times avoid getting injured in a particular sport by discovering what injury is apt to happen, and then do as much as you can to avoid it. Sadly, sports injuries can’t always be avoided. As a result, it’s advantageous to take excellent care of your body to make injury less likely, or less traumatic. The most valuable thing that you can do is to be sure that you have the proper fitness level prior to starting to play a sport, such as golf. You will probably keep your body safe from injury if you adhere to these general guidelines: Maintain a healthy lifestyle; keep your joints mobile and your muscles limber; prepare your body prior to activity; use proper form and good postures while actively playing; give yourself plenty of cool down and relaxation time.
It isn’t simply amateur golfers who get injured. Close to a third of pro golfers playing in the same time frame are playing with injury. The good news is that overall good health and fitness can decrease the number of injuries that you may incur and may possibly deter them altogether.
Effective body strength in the muscle areas most utilized during golf is crucial. However, before you try to build muscle strength, it’s essential to make sure your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A injury-free golf swing is contingent upon your spine’s facility to efficiently move in a rotational manner. Back injuries are the most widespread kind of injuries suffered by golfers. To insure that your spine is in appropriate alignment and there is efficient movement in the vertebrae, see your chiropractor in Sacramento. Chiropractic treatment can go a long way in helping you to prevent back injury.
Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Being prepared for your round of golf is essential to safe, injury-free action on the green. Golf stretching and flexibility exercises will warm up your muscles and make injury them less likely. Complete body range of motion (ROM) exercises will enhance flexibility, fairly fast, in all regions of the body. Furthermore, elastic band conditioning offers functional golf range of motion improvements and can increase needed strength in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Sports professionals, such as your chiropractor, are adding elastic band training to their golf conditioning programs because the bands provide dynamic resistance that general weight lifting does not provide.
Along with back injuries, a large number of golfers suffer from “Golfer’s Elbow.” There is a small difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow though they are almost the same. Whereas the outside of the upper arm is disturbed in tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow impinges the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can result from a single intense action, such as (in golf) hitting the mat at the driving range or thrusting down on a hard fairway surface. Repetitive stress from smaller shocks, though, is more commonly the protagonist. In addition, it can happen to those who all of a sudden begin to play too much golf. As a case in point, if players that ordinarily play golf once or twice a month elect to enter into a tournament, they are conceivably at risk for developing the injury.
Golf makes distinctive requirements on our body. Fatigue can be a problem because the game ordinarily lasts longer than most other sports. Whenever the body is fatigued, bad posture and impeded coordination normally follow. This combination can create an assortment of injuries. Moreover, the shoulder muscles are prone to injury because of the continuous swinging of the golf clubs. Just as it is crucial for you to stretch and warm up before you start your golf game, be sure that you rest your body suitable between games.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is, perhaps, an unexpected injury associated with golf. But, as it a condition that occurs due to repetitive stress, numerous games of golf played over several months repetitively may create this injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a severe injury creating incapacitation and on occasion necessitating surgery. However, chiropractic treatment and, sometimes the use of a brace will relieve the problem if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, detects it at an early stage.
Injuries are assumed to be inevitable part of life for many golfers. Nonetheless, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, appropriate exercise and muscle conditioning, reaching and sustaining a a good fitness level, and prudent rest and recuperation after your game is over, can help to make injuries much less a part of your golfing experience.
Dr. Yong Kim is a Sacramento chiropractor with over thirteen years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. His office is located at 1707 Professional Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825. He has special training in the area of sports injuries. Dr Kim is himself an avid health enthusiast. For more information go to his website at http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yong_J_Kim
How Did You Sleep Last Night?
January 7th, 2010
Getting enough sleep is an important component for a healthy life. Many people work too many hours, enjoy a “demanding” social life, and have lots of commitments with their families. Worries, to do lists, arguments, and forgotten tasks creep into their minds when it is time to wind down at the end of the day, keeping them from getting a restful nights sleep. Getting enough sleep is essential for a healthy immune system. It also helps to reduce stress, is necessary for the body to make repairs, and makes you more alert. If you are are one of the many who are lacking enough rest, make a New Year’s resolution that will impact your whole life. Get to bed!
Some tips for getting a night of rest that will make you feel your best:
1. Make your bedroom a place where you either sleep or have sex. Don’t bring work to bed with you, stop checking your Blackberry, and turn off the TV!
2. Reduce caffeine; have your higher caffeinated drinks earlier in the day and don’t have any 7-8 hours before bed.
3. Give yourself a bedtime. If you know what time you have to rise, set the clock 8 hours before that and give yourself no more than 30 minutes to get in bed.
4. Take a hot shower or bath and use essential oils like lavender that help induce sleep.
5. Figure out if exercise energizes you or makes you tired and decide when you should incorporate your routine into your day.
6. Try Dr. Andrew Weil’s breathing exercises. Calming the mind to reduce the internal chatter will do amazing things for your bedtime routine. How are you sleeping at night? Do you have any tips for the chronic insomniacs? Please share your comments at Integrative Nutrition.
San Jose Chiropractor: Chiropractic Adjustments Can Take the Pain Out of Growing Older
December 23rd, 2009It probably goes without saying that as we age our body doesn’t feel or respond the same way as it did when we were younger. It hardly seems right that as our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive,” our body seems to become less “cooperative.” We’re stiff in the morning; many of the activities we do during the day make us sore in the evening; and, if we’re not truly careful, even a motion as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped piece of paper, can cause our back or some other muscle group to go into spasm. Fortunately, there is natural treatment available that is not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can aid us in avoiding some of those problems completely.
For an example, arthritis. Most of us would agree that, barring pharmaceuticals, traditional medicine doesn’t attend to this age-related condition. What is the basis for such a limited approach? The answer is that most medical practitioners are only concerned with the symptoms of arthritis. The chiropractic approach is to uncover the origin of the problem and relieve the pain at its source. Chiropractors, like your San Jose Chiropractor, have been treating men and women suffering from pain caused by arthritis, and other age-related challenges, for over a century.
Repetitive stresses, years of poor gait and incorrect posture, and lack of beneficial movement cause wear of certain joints over time and create the arthritic changes the body experiences as you get older. Chiropractic adjustments bring back motion into your joints and decrease any vertebral misalignments that may be producing irritation and restriction. In addition, did you know that misaligned vertebra, along with causing arthritic changes in the spine and escalating pain, can also lower your resistance and immunity? It’s true, and this could be one of the reasons why it may seem to you that as you get older you experience more health problems and that it often takes longer for you to feel better again. Studies have shown that older individuals who are under chiropractic care stay healthier. In fact, you could say that, as you get older, chiropractic adjustments are good for what ails you!
Chiropractors are highly proficient when it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, from the small, growing frame of an infant to the full-grown body of a mature adult. Your chiropractor understands the aging process and has exceptional observational and diagnostic skills that help in locating spinal misalignments and joint conditions. A chiropractic examination can, in fact, frequently reveal some age-related conditions before they’ve had a chance to create noticeable pain. Moreover, your San Jose Chiropractor can check your posture and analyze your gait to determine if there are any faulty patterns that might create further arthritic changes.
So, if feeling your age has become a painful experience, call your San Jose Chiropractor today!
Dr. David Hoewisch is a chiropractor in San Jose with over 25 years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. His office is located at 1221 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, CA, 95050. Dr. Hoewisch has traveled around the world and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and learned sign language at an early age. He treats many deaf patients in his clinic. For more information go to his website at http://www.mysanjosechiropractor.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Hoewisch
Athletes Warned Against The Misuse Of NSAIDs
December 18th, 2009Athletes’ superstitions and rituals can help them get psyched up for contests, but when these rituals involve non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which many athletes gobble down before and during events, they could be causing more harm than good.
“These agents are treatments for the symptoms of an injury, not the injury itself,” says Stuart Warden, whose research at Indiana University focuses on musculoskeletal health and sports medicine. “They may allow an athlete to exercise or train at a certain level, but pain occurs for a reason. It is basically the body’s mechanism of saying, ‘Hang on, you’ve got some sort of injury that should not be ignored.’”
Natural Herbal Products to Stock in Your First Aid Kit
December 15th, 2009from Alternative Medicine and Natural Health Information
Keeping a first aid kit around the home and carrying one around during outdoor excursions such as camping and hiking is a smart idea. While many over-the-counter conventional remedies are standard in a first aid kit, you should not discount adding a few natural herbal products as well. In some instances, the natural herbal remedies actually speed healing and reduce infection risk.
Natural Herbal Products in your First Aid Kit
Your first aid kit will always carry the basics such as sterile gauze, adhesive bandages, sterile needles, tweezers, scissors, thermometer, sterile water and even hot and cold packs. However, your medicines for scrapes, cleaning wounds and bruise treatments can easily be treated with natural herbal remedies. Here are some handy products to consider:
- Lavender Oil – Lavender has antiseptic properties. If you have minor cuts, scrapes or even bug bites, applying lavender oil to the affected areas can help them heal, sometimes twice as fast as treating them with a conventional method.
- Honey – Honey has antimicrobial as well as anti-inflammatory properties. After rinsing a minor wound or burn with water, you can apply honey directly onto the affected area and cover with a bandage.
- Tea Tree Oil – Tea tree oil is a powerhouse herbal remedy because it has antifungal, antibiotic and antiseptic properties. You can treat a wound, rash and insect bite with tea tree oil.
- Cayenne Pepper – This spicy pepper not only opens nasal passageways and lower blood pressure if consumed, it also has the power to stop bleeding and reduce pain in a wound such as a cut, abrasion or scrape. Sprinkling the cayenne pepper straight onto the affected area may sound strange, but the throbbing pain will lessen and bleeding stops quickly.
- Calendula – Tincture made from calendula oil can be effective and safe for skin rashes, cuts and abrasions. It helps alleviate the pain, swelling and stinging sensations of a wound.
- Comfrey –A powdered form of comfrey can be mixed with distilled water to form a paste which could be applied directly to wounds. Comfrey contains a compound called allantoin which speeds the healing process as well as reduce swelling and inflammation. This herbal concoction has both antifungal and antibacterial properties.
- Vinegar – Containing natural antiseptic properties, vinegar can be used to cleanse wounds by mixing it with water. Vinegar also soothes rashes and insect bites. Sunburns are also soothed by a rag or bandage soaked in vinegar and then applied to the affected area.
- Yarrow – Powdered yarrow leaves can be mixed with a little distilled water to form a paste which can be applied to cuts and other minor wounds. The yarrow stops bleeding and even disinfects the affected area.
If you use an herbal essential oil for your first aid kit, be sure to pack a carrier oil such as almond oil, olive oil or coconut oil. You typically have to mix a few drops of essential oil with the carrier oil to prevent skin irritation. With the basics along with some or all of these natural herbal products, you have a solid first aid kit that can handle virtually any minor emergency.