What Is Scoliosis And How Can Your Chiropractor In Grand Rapids Help?
Scoliosis is the medical term for an abnormal lateral (side-to-side) curvature of the spine, which your Grand Rapids chiropractor has many successful years in treating. Your chiropractor wants you to be informed that there is a significant difference between bad posture and the condition termed scoliosis. Whereas bad posture is easily correctable, scoliosis, an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, is considerably more difficult to overcome.
Even prior to seeing your chiropractor in Grand Rapids, there are quite a few ways for you to see the difference between poor posture and scoliosis. First of all, you would likely notice that one shoulder is higher than the other in a standing position, and that the scapula (shoulder blade) is raised or more prominent. You probably would notice a larger space between the arm and the body on one side if the person’s arms were dangling loosely at his or her sides. Also, one hip would likely higher or more conspicuous than the other. And one more clue might be that the head will not be in plumb with the pelvis.
Scoliosis symptoms are often mild; even so, if the curve and rib rotation are acute enough, both pulmonary and cardiac functions can be restricted. The cause of scoliosis in 85 percent of cases is unknown. This type of scoliosis (Idiopathic) is considered to be genetic, or to at least have a genetic component because it tends to run in families.
Idiopathic Scoliosis commonly develops during adolescence when the body is completing its final major growth spurt. This type of scoliosis is most frequently found in girls. A scoliotic curve, if found, should be monitored for any progression. Your Grand Rapids chiropractor can provide periodic examinations and, if necessary, will suggest standing x-rays.
As mentioned above, most (nearly 90 percent) of scoliotic curvatures are mild to moderate, and make a brace unnecessary. In these cases, regular chiropractic care is beneficial in both in decreasing and adjusting any compensatory musculoskeletal conditions that may occur.
Are You Looking For Low Back Pain Relief That You Can Depend On? Get Relief From A Chiropractor In Concord, CA!
Are you suffering from back pain? You are definitely not alone; there are loads of people who suffer from back pain as well. A reliable and qualified Concord chiropractor, who can deliver effective back pain relief, is just a phone call away.
There are different types of low back pain. A back pain can be experienced anywhere from a dull ache to a sharp, severe pain. Not only is the individual afflicted by pain, but such back pain may also restrict normal body movements. Some people experience back pain that lasts for a couple of days, while some experience acute pain that lasts for weeks – low back pain that lasts for more than 3 months is known as “chronic”. Getting a friend to walk on your back is not going to help; visiting a chiropractor can!
Realizing that taking drugs can often cause side effects, and surgery has many possible risks, you can see that being treated by a certified chiropractor is a better choice if you have low back pain.
To get relief from your annoying back aches, chiropractic treatment is the best – And, you will be doing a lot of good to your liver when you don’t put drugs into your system!
Your Concord chiropractor offers a wide variety of chiropractic services that work in tandem to improve your overall health and well-being.
Highland Chiropractor Explains Why “Pale Yellow” Is A Dependable Key To Good Health
Air and water are the Big Two for human survival. We humans cannot live long without either. Now, most adults likely haven’t intentionally held their breath to see how long they could go without breathing (or in order to see if mom or dad would give in and give them what they wanted) since they were children. But, how often do we, adults, forgo the other necessity of life…drinking water? And, not just drinking water, but drinking enough water. In order for the human body to function optimally, it needs water (and plenty of it!) Every cell, tissue, organ and system in your body relies on the water you drink. For instance, did you know that your saliva, and the fluids around your joints, are essentially water? It’s true, and in addition to generating dry mouth, dehydration may make your joints ache. Furthermore, water controls the temperature and metabolism of your body and keeps your blood circulating. And, there are still more wonders to drinking sufficient water, such as the improvement of nutrient absorption and toxin removal, as well as the reduction of heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, headaches. Even back pain has been attributed to staying well-hydrated. As a Highland Chiropractor I make it a point to ask my patients with back pain and joint pain how much water they drink each day, and I advise all of my patients to drink plenty of water on a daily basis.
When it comes to staying well-hydrated, “water on the brain” is a very good thing! Drinking enough water is fundamental for optimum health in all the ways described above one day researchers may find even more. Now, most humans would not be foolish enough to try to go through the day without breathing, yet all too often many of us go through our day either not drinking water at all or not drinking enough. No matter what phsycial activity a person may engage in, the human body requires proper hydration. When it comes to functional challenges caused by dehydration, athletes (and you’d think they’d be far more cognizant of the importance of hydration than non-athletes!) are markedly at risk. Researcher, Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, said of athletes,”Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are.”
People often ask how much water is sufficient. Chiropractors like me, your chiropractor in Highland, agree with most health care professionals in advising at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water daily for most of our patients. However, for our patients who are athletes, or for patients who carry around excess weight or exercise or work where it’s hot, we advise even more! So, how can you tell if you’re drinking “enough” water? It’s simple! The answer is in the color of your urine. If you’re well-hydrated, your urine will be a light, pale yellow!
Decatur Veterinarian Wants You To Know That Physiotherapy May Be Able To Help Your Arthritic Dog
Does it seem strange to you that a Decatur veterinarian is writing about arthritis? Well, let me share my reason. I suspect that many people don’t know that arthritis isn’t limited to humans. Sadly, it’s true. Most animals can develop painful arthritis, as well, including your dog or cat. And, since certain pets, like dogs, are active companions to “their” humans during many daily activities, arthritis can be especially disabling. Arthritis in humans can make simple activities, like taking a walk and climbing stairs exceedingly painful. Because dogs frequently accompany their owners, dogs can experience the same kind of pain and debilitating problems doing the activities that their owners do.
Simply going for a walk, let alone catching a frisbee or running in the park, can be very difficult and extremely painful for a dog with arthritis. To put it another way, arthritis can take the fun out of doing what dogs do best…have fun! As a attentive veterinarian in Decatur I am pleased to tell you that treatment for canine arthritis is not totally reduced to the use of painkilling drugs. Dogs suffering from arthritis may be able to benefit from the physiotherapy that helps to improve joint mobility, just like humans are. Physiotherapy, in humans, aids in decreasing arthritic pain and improve function of the affected joints and limbs. You may be wondering how physiotherapy affects canine joints and limbs, as well as what exercises are most effective.
Even though physiotherapy for dogs has been available for a while now, until recently there hasn’t been enough research done to competently document its effects on canine arthritis. However, according to a new study, the results of which were published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research, validation of the efficacy of physiotherapy in decreasing arthritic pain and immobility has been made by researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
The researchers used a specifically-designed treadmill and sophisticated computer algorithms to study the movements of the joints in the front and back legs of dogs while the dogs performed three different types of exercises: walking uphill, walking downhill and walking over low obstacles.
The study showed that the three movement protocols had distinct and explicit effects on the movements of the dogs’ joints. While walking downhill did not appear to have much therapeutic benefit because it caused the hip to be less bent and the tarsal joint to be less extended, walking uphill caused notably greater bending at the hip, while the stifle joint (the dog’s knee) was less extended. There were also decreases in the accelerations at the carpal and elbow joints. However, the most significant effects came when the dogs walked over low obstacles. This resulted in increased bending of all joints except the hip and shoulder, and greater extensions of the carpal and stifle joints.
What does all of this mean for your dog? One for, it’s an indication that walking uphill is an easy exercise that you could provide to help to improve your dog’s joint flexibility, especially at the hip joint, and that adding low obstacles could aid in improving the bending of the joints in the forelimbs and hind limbs. It is important to mention, though, that adding low obstacles should be avoided if your dog has recently had surgery for the tibia, because such activity could result in increased bending of the joints and potentially strain the tendon that joins the knee to the shin.
And, as a dog loving Decatur veterinarian, I would add one final suggestion for “man’s best friend,” since the study indicated that walking downhill wasn’t shown to be effective anyway, after you’ve exercised your dog uphill, perhaps a ride in the car back down the hill would be a nice treat!
If You Suffer From Tension Headaches, Oak Lawn IL Chiropractor Explains How Chiropractic Adjustments Can Help
Are you suffering from painful tension headaches? Dr. Gerald Helwig, the best Oak Lawn Chiropractor, knows that life can be a pain on occasion. Sometimes the pain is the result of an accident or injury. Sometimes it can be the result of the cumulative effects of bad posture and poor gait. Sometimes it can be created by degeneration due to the aging process. And, frequently pain, especially headache pain, can be caused by everyday stress.
Are you “put out of commission” by your tension headaches? Do they cause you to be absent from work or ineffective while you’re there? Do they interfere with your family and social life? Most people have experienced more than one tension headache in their life. If you are one of those people who has had tension headaches, the intense, dull ache in your head is a familiar one. Such pain is frequently accompanied by a sensation of tightness or pressure along the forehead or on the sides and back of the head. Occasionally, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and periodically you may experience a loss of appetite or even nausea.
Most tension headaches are defined as mild to moderately intense, but the severity of the pain varies from one person to another, and can vary from one headache to another in the same person. Do your headaches occur often? Headaches are considered chronic if they occur fifteen or more days days a month for a minimum of three months.
The good news is that if tension headaches are interfering with your life just once in a while or chronically, chiropractic treatment can help. For over twenty years Dr. Helwig has been helping the Oak Lawn Community to get out of pain, whether an individual is suffering from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, and headaches. Just in case you didn’t know, chiropractor don’t just treat back pain. They take care of the entire musculoskeletal system!
So, if you’re not living your life as fully as you’d like, call Dr. Helwig, your Chiropractor in Oak Lawn, Illinois today. Get back to living fully again!
Why Can’t the Chicken Cross the Road?
Crack! The egg bursts onto the pan and shines like the sunrise. A familiar visual for many, eggs are an integral part of the American diet, but many of us don’t think twice about what kind of hens those eggs come from. In a recent New York Times article, and across the media, the discussion of caged hens has become an important debate.
Farmers with large egg farms (farms that house 4 million hens, yielding 3 million eggs per day) believe that caged chickens are just as functional as hens kept outside of cages. However, “extreme caging methods” are being banned in California and are up for review in Ohio, calling into question the factory farming methods that are used.
Many animal rights advocates believe that the lives of these caged chickens are subpar. They can hardly move, let alone roam free as they would in their natural habitat.
The debate is contentious, especially because eggs create a large portion of school lunches and 90% of eggs consumed by the American population come from these large farms. Is there a way to feed our population while still respecting the animals that provide for us? What do you think?
Your Oxnard Chiropractor Offers An Unexpected Solution to Your Allergy Discomfort
Dr. Donald Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, is aware that allergies can make your day-to-day activities unpleasant. A walk in the park, snuggling with your favorite feline, a seafood entree, or merely something as minute as a nut might bring about such unwelcome symptoms as itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash.
But then, in some cases an individual’s allergic reactions can go from merely bothersome to acute and life-threatening as the air passageway begins to tighten and breathing becomes difficult. This progression of symptoms can typically generate a state of panic and even a trip to the emergency room.
Allergies can, indeed, turn into an alarmingly troublesome matter and make you feel unable to participate in daily life. Indeed, if you are one of the many sufferers who have allergies, it may even seem to you that, from time to time, your environment is a pretty antagonistic space and that natural environment out there you is, literally, out to get you!
You might contemplate as to why it is that others seem to be so immune to the very same environmental stresses that send your system into overwhelm. Other people seem to be either unaware of or plainly`totally unresponsive to the would-be irritants that lurk at just about every turn, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to them. Why you? It’s a valid question. The fact is that some men and women, not unlike yourself, have a hyperactive immune system that literally “goes into a frenzy” whenever you encounter routine substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.
Can your Chiropractor in Oxnard help you in obtaining a significant decrease in your allergy symptoms? The answer is a resounding “Yes,” and the treatment may likely surprise you. A good number of chiropractic patients have noticed that they enjoy freedom from their allergy symptoms following a chiropractic treatment, even though chiropractic care does not really treat allergies, per se. The true reason for the abatement of allergy symptoms is because of the fact that chiropractic manipulation has an effect on the whole nervous system, which includes your autoimmune system, which is the origin of your allergic responses. Whenever there’s a disturbance within the nervous system, together with other challenges, the autoimmune system, whose duty it is to enable you to adjust and respond appropriately to your surroundings, will likely become under-active or overactive. Where your allergies are concerned, the breakdown is the latter (it becomes overactive).
Because chiropractic manipulations are intended to decrease or even entirely remove perturbations within the nervous system and bring back balance and harmony to the complete body, together with a variety of corrections, the treatments offer homeostasis to the autoimmune system as well. A sound immune system responds normal to so-called allergens in the natural environment.
So, as stated above, your Oxnard Chiropractor doesn’t simply address any particular allergy, though that doesn’t indicate your allergies won’t get better or disappear for good. On the other hand, you could point out, instead, that relief from your allergies is merely the consequence of your rebalanced nervous system. If you would like to get back into a balanced relationship with your environment as soon as possible, visit Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, today. He can help you to enjoy your environment again!
Obesity: A National Epidemic That Needs to be Eradicated
As a chiropractor and healthcare provider, I cannot say enough about the crucial issue of excess weight and how it adversely affects every system of the human body. I “preach” to my overweight patients and hammer away on the subject in my blogs because in addition to the cardio-vascular diseases caused by obesity, much of the back pain, hip pain, and knee pain that people experience is influenced by the undue stress excess weight puts on the joints of the body. And, though it may not surprise you, an expert panel in a report out just today said that people in this country must slash their calories and increase physical activity because the obesity epidemic is “the single greatest threat to public health in this century.”
We all know that dieting isn’t easy, but the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans gave this clear-cut advice: “People in this country need to cut the calories they consume from added sugars and solid fats (butter, marbled meats) and start eating a more nutrient-rich, plant-based diet.”
The report called for many changes in the food environment. To read more, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-06-15-
Chiropractic Internet Marketing Strategy: Do it Yourself or Outsource?
Here’s an interesting question for you to consider: Do you want to keep your chiropractic internet marketing in-house or do you want to hire a professional? There are pros and cons to both, and the answer lies in your particular situation. Let’s check out the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Advantages of in-house chiropractic internet marketing
- There is a lower monthly cost involved in using someone already employed by you.
- The staff knows your practice intimately. Your staff has a good understanding of your clinic’s particular services and, therefore, is able to describe your specialties easier than those who don’t know the specifics of your particular practice.
- You can communicate anytime. Being in-house it is easier to set up times to have meetings or just to chat about situations on the fly.
Disadvantages of in-house chiropractic website marketing
- The staff may not be fully aware of what SEO (search engine optimization) is, let alone how to accomplish it. In that case, a lot of education and training will be needed to make sure SEO gets done right.
- The staff may be overworked. Sometimes the time it takes to do SEO can be underestimated. It is an ongoing process that can actually be a full-time job. If a marketing manager has been told to do SEO as well as his or her full time job, obviously that person will be overworked and feel overwhelmed.
- Attention needs to be paid to detail. This goes together with Point #2. If the staff is overworked, they have no time to check out search engine news and keep up-to-date on how the search engines have changed the game each week and what needs to be done to implement those changes to keep your clinic internet presence up in the rankings.
Advantages of using an outside professional
- Chiropractic marketing companies are specialists in the field. They have experience in working on numerous clinics and their websites and optimizing them for SEO. They know, first hand, what works effectively and what doesn’t.
- There is a dedicated team at the company who will be working on your site and can give it the attention it requires.
- The company has a specific plan and won’t be just jumping around, going from short term tactic to short term tactic with no organized strategy and no clear way to reach your desired goals. In other words, they have an “integrated” internet marketing strategy.
Disadvantages of a chiropractic internet marketing company
- Let’s face it, it can get expensive, but costs vary widely from company to company. Some companies out there are charging $600-$700 a month for their services. It is definitely worth your while to shop around and research before you buy.
- There is usually a commitment. Most chiropractic internet marketing companies will want you to sign up for at least six months to a year.
- Account management can be a problem. With high turnover rates at many companies, especially the big ones, there may be a chance that you’ll get handed from account manager to account manager just when you were building a relationship of trust. You may have to start over again, maybe even have to redesign and reiterate your strategy with the new manager.
Now that you’ve taken a moment to look at the pros and cons of both keeping your internet marketing in-house or hiring a professional, the solution to SEO and your internet marketing strategy will depend on the size of your practice, the time and staffing you can devote to it, and your overall long-term goals.
Now, of course, we are a chiropractic internet marketing company that specializes in helping chiropractors with their internet presence. So, I will admit that I am a bit biased on the side of your hiring an expert to do it right. If you are thinking of hiring a company to develop and implement your internet marketing strategy, it is tremendously important for you to hire one that specializes in chiropractic clinics. Why? Because we understand the chiropractic profession intimately. Therefore, in the long run it will save you both time and money not having to explain what chiropractic is about to some general SEO company. There are several of us out there.
If you are going to go with an outside company, be sure to read the fine print. Look at the bottom of their page for a disclaimer. If they have one, read about their “typical” results. You don’t want to be fooled by outrageous claims even though such hype can be enticing. Remember, your internet marketing strategy is just one stream of new patient leads. Even though chiropractic internet marketing is fast becoming a great source for new patient leads, and even though internet marketing gets more important with every passing day, and even though it is a crucial area in which to generate new patient leads, it is still not the only source of marketing you will need to succeed in your practice.
Whether you choose to keep your internet marketing in-house or to hire a professional, you want to be sure that the time and money you spend on SEO gets you where you want to go. A member of your staff that does your internet marketing for “free,” while squeezing those efforts in-between other tasks, may “cost” you in the long run. A professional whose sole focus is internet marketing, won’t lose sight of your goals. Internet marketing is essential to your practice, so choose your chiropractic internet path wisely.
Your Cincinnati Chiropractor Can Help You to Avoid Work Injuries Due to Falls
As a Cincinnati Chiropractor I treat plenty of older adults who suffer from balance problems. In fact, dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related challenges affect at least nine percent of adults, aged 65 and over. Good balance is crucial, of course, in helping seniors in remaining independent and in avoiding falls and encounter injuries that are frequently extremely serious or even fatal. But, it may surprise you to know that falls are the cause of a large portion of work-related injuries for workers younger than 65 years of age, including workers in their twenties and thirties. That’s right! No one is exempt from to balance difficulties, no matter how young they may be. It is for this reason that those who work at “dangerous heights” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or anywhere else where a ladder is required are far more vulnerable to serious injury if their balance is “off.”
The principal action of good balance is to aid us in managing and maintaining our body position, whether standing still or moving, and whether on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance aids us in walking without staggering, arising from a sitting position without teeterin, and in climbing stairs without missing a step. It is obvious, then, that good balance is extremely important to our health and well-being.
What may be surprising to you is that you could have a balance abnormality without realizing how threatening it is. Sometimes a person can “shake off” a dizzy sensation and the feeling may not return for a while. The problem is that when unexpected dizziness comes about at a consequential time, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is often unpreventable.
When you have the feeling that you, individually, are spinning or that things around you are moving, it is termed “vertigo.” About 40% of individuals in the U.S. will have at least one incidence of dizziness that is serious enough to seek out help from a health professional, like your Chiropractor at Cincinnati Chiropractic. But, if you are involved in any of the activities listed above, having a chiropractor check your balance prior to a distinct episode of vertigo, make adjustments if necessary, and then help you to maintain good balance, may save you from serious injury or worse.
Balance disorders at any age are dangerous. If you think that you may have a possible balance disorder, it is vital for you to be evaluated and treated without delay. Often guidelines are helpful. Therefore, if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, even if the experience is seldom or infrequent, you should discuss the symptom(s) with a chiropractor as soon as possible:
• Have you experienced a feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Has the room seemed to spin around you?
• Has there ever a time when you felt as if you were moving when you knew you were standing still?
• Have you lost your balance and/or fallen down?
• Have you ever felt as if you were falling?
• Has your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Have you ever felt disoriented, or lost a sense of time, place or identity?
Remember: Balance problems are not specific to a particular age group. Our falling down is an ever-present possibility from the time we learn to walk until we take our final step All the more reason to have your balance checked if you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” issue. Don’t wait until you sustain a work injury! If you’re in the area, give your Cincinnati Chiropractor a call today. I can help!
This item: Walk Yourself Well: Eliminate Back Pain, Neck, Shoulder, Knee, Hip and Other Structural Pain Forever-Without Surgery or Drugs by Sherry Brourman