Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/02/how-can-chiropractors-benefit-your-health/#ixzz1u1s2O4PL

An increase in chronic childhood disease is part of the reason parents today seek alternative health care for kids. Chiropractic care is an effective and affordable program by licensed providers that addresses children’s health conditions associated with the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Gentle, noninvasive and drug free, chiropractic adjustments treat, resolve and prevent a wide range of health problems. Recent research by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) found spinal manipulative therapy safe and successful in treating children of all ages.

Acute Conditions

Acute conditions may result from birth trauma, sports mishaps and accidental injury. Chiropractic care benefits children by correcting the spinal alignment to improve their overall health. When vertebral joints are misaligned during birth or from a blow or fall, muscle tissue and nerves may also be affected. Spinal adjustment frees joints, restores motion and relieves nerve pressure, which may be the cause of additional ailments. Parents report successful treatment of children’s health issues such as acute earache, upper respiratory infection, muscle pain, neck pain and accident trauma. Spinal manipulation for children as young as newborn babies is an alternative treatment for the discomfort of colic and other digestive disorders as well.

Chronic Conditions

Parents surveyed by the ICPA reported behavioral improvement for kids who saw a chiropractor, as well as improved sleep and stronger immune systems. Although scientific evidence in these areas is still inconclusive, the growing number of those seeking children’s health care from chiropractors (up 8.5% since 1991, according to the American Chiropractic Association) is a positive endorsement of its benefits. Chiropractic America reports that natural, drug-free chiropractic care is sometimes more effective than traditional medical approaches for chronic earache, scoliosis and neck pain. Headaches and sleep disorders of nonspecific causes respond well to spinal adjustments, which affect and repair interrupted neural pathways. Asthma and allergy symptoms and patterns of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also be treatable with chiropractic.

Prevention

Success in these areas has implications for chiropractic care’s preventive capacity. Periodic ongoing adjustments at a young age may help stave off the above ailments before they begin. Proper spinal alignment now may delay or prevent degenerative bone or joint disease, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. In addition to maintaining children’s health, regular visits to the chiropractor also instill the value of proactive health care in kids. They’ll be more likely to monitor and manage their health as they grow up and less likely to be afraid or in denial of any health problems. Encouraging good lifelong health habits is one of chiropractic’s best benefits for kids.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/71159-benefits-chiropractic-care-kids/#ixzz1sQQjb1Sv

Flores Chiropractic: “Approaching stiff problems with gentle solutions”

When we get stressed out, we often aren’t conscious of how we got there. Did I work too much? Am I eating right? Am I exercising enough? Fixing a problem often begins with preventing it before it happens. This a good practice not only for adults, but for children as well. Embracing chiropractic care as a family helps ensure that children’s bodies grow the way they’re supposed too.

Choose health, choose Flores Chiropractic.

10 Reasons Parents Take Healthy Children To Chiropractors

Here are some of the exercise related injuries that can be prevented through visiting Flores Chiropractic.

Chiropractic and Running Injuries

There are two types of injuries which a runner may sustain: Acute trauma, and an overuse injury.

The acute trauma is sudden, such as a torn ligament or broken bones. The most frequently problem encountered by chiropractors is injury through overuse. Here is an overview of the most common injuries a chiropractor will see.

Plantar Fasciitis

Cause: stretching or tearing the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot where the tissue attaches to the heel.
Symptoms: Pain in a specific area on the bottom of the foot towards the heel, possibly radiating towards the ball of the foot. The foot feels tender early in the morning and becomes less painful with movement. Is often associated with pronation and a fallen arch.
Prevention: regular stretching of the calf and Achilles tendon. It is also important that the feet are assessed for any biomechanical problems. Orthotics or insoles may also be prescribed.

Bursitis or Tendonitis

Common problem areas include the knee and ankle. It is an irritation of the bursa (fluid filled sac which sits under the tendon) or tendons from friction, trauma, pressure or dysfunction.
Symptoms: Pain and stiffness on movement with no visible swelling at first, but swelling as the condition worsens.

Achilles Tendonitis

The Achilles tendon is the connection between the heel and the most powerful muscle group in the body, the calf and is a very common site for a disabling injury.

NB: To prevent a chronic problem, do not run through pain. If your Achilles tendon is sore, get it treated immediately. Again, it is also important that the feet are assessed for any biomechanical problems. Orthotics or insoles may also be prescribed and the use of soft heel-lifts are effective as part of chiropractic treatment.

Shin Splints

Cause: Faulty posture, poor shoes, fallen arches, insufficient warm-up, muscle fatigue, exercising on unyielding surfaces or poor running mechanics.
Symptoms: pain or discomfort on the front, the inside and/or the outside surface of the shin bone or directly on the shin bone.
Prevention: Good shoes with shock absorbing features, heel toe landing for the minimum impact, and calf stretches. Sports taping will also help.

Stress Fracture

These small fractures occur due to excessive stress (overuse of the bone) or an increase in intensity or distance running, resulting in gradual breakdown of the bone.
Symptoms: Pain occurs especially in the foot and lower leg becoming more intense with weight bearing activity. X-rays appear negative initially but fractures become visible up to two weeks after the initial injury.

Ankle Sprain (see also web page on Sprains and Strains)

Running on level ground rarely results in an ankle sprain but cross country running, trail running and stepping in a pot hole all could potentially lead to an ankle sprain.
Treatment: Treat immediately. Rest Ice Compression (gentle) Elevation.

Note: Ice should be applied for about 15 minutes at a time, with at least 15 minute intervals between application.

Runners Knee

This essentially means softening of the cartilage of the knee cap. Portions of the cartilage may then be under either too much or too little pressure. This may result in cartilage deterioration at the inner part of the knee cap. Pain is usually also felt after sitting for a long period of time with the knee bent.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

This is pain or aching in the outer side of the knee and usually happens in the middle or at the end of a run and is often seen in runners who train only on a track or on uneven ground. Read more about Chiropractic treatment for Iliotibial Band Syndrome.

How To Avoid Injuries

The majority of running injuries occur from overtraining. Avoid doing too much too soon. An unrelenting increase in mileage from one week to the next will ultimately result in a breakdown.

Progress in mileage and speed should be gradual
Mileage should only be increased by approximately 10% per week. Every third week drop back a small amount
Intersperse hard days and easy days each week
Devote one or two days each week to rest or non-running activities to allow the body to recover
Regular stretching may help reduce injuries
Have a chiropractor assess your running technique and running posture
Pain is a warning; stop running and consult a chiropractor immediately.
Preventing sports injuries.
Treatment

At the initial consultation at the clinic, the chiropractor takes a full medical history, investigates lifestyle, posture etc, carries out a thorough examination and takes x-rays when necessary. Once the diagnosis is made, a treatment plan is prepared.

Chiropractors use gentle, specific manipulation and adjustment techniques to free stiff joints, restore normal movement and remove spinal irritation. Chiropractors may also use modalities such as ultrasound and interferential treatment.

Treatment is generally painless, although some short-term discomfort may sometimes be felt around the injured area.

Once painful symptoms settle, the chiropractor will encourage you to follow a programme of rehabilitation exercises to help strengthen the injured area, improve flexibility and prevent recurrence of the problem.

Chiropractic treatment aims to restore normal function to your joints and muscles as well as your nervous system, which will increase control, co-ordination and muscle strength.

Source

We encourage you to prevent tomorrow’s health problems by visiting Flores Chiropractic today!

We have recently been posting studies on our Facebook page announcing chiropractic care as a more effective medicine for treating neck pain than painkillers. This report looks at the alternative medicine practice as an anecdote for common headaches. If you spend multiple hours at a desk per day or experience heightened stress levels, consider coming in for an adjustment today.

DEACTUR, AL (WAFF) -One of the most common and yet most debilitating ailments we have is a headache. A recent study in the annals of internal medicine showed chiropractic manipulation and exercise were better than drugs when it came to treating neck pain relating to headaches.

Gary Ray is on the receiving end of a manipulation designed to help headaches. He says his headaches were tension related. But after seeing Dr. Laron Hardy, he hasn’t had any bad headaches for two years.

One of the first things a doctor will do is order an X-ray and the results of that X-ray can determine the course of treatment.

“The chiropractic approach for headaches is adjusting the cervical spine. Most headaches, even some migraine headaches are what we call cervicogenic, which means they originate in the cervical spine,” said Dr. Hardy.

Dr. Hardy also added the treatment is not limited to tension headaches. He said it helps most headaches whether they are migraine headaches or cluster headaches.

A well publicized study in the annals of internal medicine looked at three groups of headache sufferers.

“The study showed 58 percent of the chiropractic group showed a 75 percent improvement, where as the group that took medication probably showed about a 33-34 percent improvement,” said Dr. Hardy.

Another group used home exercises and 47 percent of them showed improvement.

Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved.

With chiropractic care quoted on average at one third the cost of traditional medicine, alternative medicine can provide you and your family substantial savings. Preventative healthcare means stopping a problem before it happens: come visit our practice today!

Some people associate chiropractic care with sounds of loud cracking and popping.

One chiropractor is defying negative stereotypes and redefining public perception of the medicinal practice with an innovative adjustment procedure.

Dr. Noe Flores is a practicing chiropractor in Portland, Oregon. Nestled in the Northwest neighborhood, many patients approach his practice apprehensive about chiropractic care.

Some are concerned about potential side-effects such as micro-tears in the adjacent soft-tissues of affected areas.

Flores Chiropractic is gaining a reputation for avoiding harmful side effects completely.

Their adjustment procedure is easier on both the patient and the doctor

Dr. Flores utilizes a low-force technique to gently adjust the vertebrae. The prone-specific method yields better results with stabilizing the condition.

This is due to less micro-trauma to soft-tissue ligaments that occurs with conventional, high-velocity chiropractic adjustments.

Ultimately, the method is more approachable to people who have reservations about seeing a chiropractor. The “crack” and “pop” is less frequent, especially in the cervical region.

This is why Flores Chiropractic has seen an increase in female referrals since employing the adjustment procedure. Dr. Flores says the prone-specific method is especially applicable to infants, children, and the elderly.

As alterative medicine enters the limelight, consumers need to be aware of what they’re paying for. Dr. Flores continues to utilize a gentle-adjustment procedure to achieve the most comfortable, maximum results for his patients.

]]> http://www.floreschiropractic.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=58 http://www.floreschiropractic.net/blog/?p=56 http://www.floreschiropractic.net/blog/?p=56#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:05:03 +0000 admin http://www.floreschiropractic.net/blog/?p=56

Although chiropractors care for more than just back pain, many patients visit chiropractors looking for relief from this pervasive condition. In fact, 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time.1

A few interesting facts about back pain:

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One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.2
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Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections.
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Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.
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Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.3
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Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.4

What Causes Back Pain?

The back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. You can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture disks, and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain. While sports injuries or accidents can cause back pain, sometimes the simplest of movements—for example, picking up a pencil from the floor— can have painful results. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain. Back pain can also directly result from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots, or bone loss.

Manipulation as a Treatment for Back Problems

Used primarily by Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) for the last century, manipulation has been largely ignored by most others in the health care community until recently. Now, with today’s growing emphasis on treatment and cost effectiveness, manipulation is receiving more widespread attention.

Chiropractic spinal manipulation is a safe and effective spine pain treatment. It reduces pain, decreases medication, rapidly advances physical therapy, and requires very few passive forms of treatment, such as bed rest.5

In fact, after an extensive study of all currently available care for low back problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research—a federal government research organization—recommended that low back pain sufferers choose the most conservative care first. And it recommended spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective, drugless form of initial professional treatment for acute low back problems in adults.6

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) urges you to make an informed choice about your back care. To learn more about how chiropractic manipulation may help you, contact a Doctor of Chiropractic in your area. Search our online database of ACA members to find a doctor of chiropractic near you.

Tips to Prevent Back Pain

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Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
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Remain active—under the supervision of your doctor of chiropractic.
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Avoid prolonged inactivity or bed rest.
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Warm up or stretch before exercising or other physical activities, such as gardening.
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Maintain proper posture.
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Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
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Sleep on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any curve in your spine.
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Lift with your knees, keep the object close to your body, and do not twist when lifting.
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Quit smoking. Smoking impairs blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deprivation to spinal tissues.
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Work with your doctor of chiropractic to ensure that your computer workstation is ergonomically correct.

KIDNAPPED BY TECHNOLOGY

by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Many of us who are raising children likely have grown accustomed to the trance-like indifference and absent state of mind that our youth can masterfully turn on in a matter of seconds (it looks like an extended lapse in consciousness). We have probably all talked ourselves into thinking these “short trips” are normal. But has anyone wondered why it takes ever-increasing volume and inflection to catch a glimmer of attention or elicit a response from our best genetic contributions to humanity?

I often wonder, “Did I look like that when I was young, or is this mental glazing-over the product of our times?” Many parents of teenagers have seen the amazing trance-like brain states, and it’s difficult to tell if these kids are experiencing transcendental enlightenment or if anyone is really “home.”

Experts tell us that as we reach our teenage years and the struggle for our own identities begins, the major factor causing the young changing brain to make a quantum developmental leap is primarily under the reins of a genetic program. In the adolescent timeline, between raging hormones and the normal progression of brain development, most of the body’s blood flow and energy is shunted to the emotional centers located in the hindbrain and away from the forebrain. This means we’re prone to react more and think reasonably less — not that we don’t experience any of this in our adult lives as well.

Within the forebrain is the frontal lobe, essentially the brain’s executive, which controls attention, decision-making, emotional reactions, impulsive behavior, and purposeful planning; it is the home of our identity. But for you parents of teenagers, here’s the interesting news: we’re told that the frontal lobe, which helps us make sense out of life, doesn’t fully finish maturing until we are 25 years old. Think about this: we can drive a car at 16, vote at 18 and drink alcohol at 21 — while the brain’s most important center does not finish forming until we are in our mid-twenties. So don’t take it personally when your teenage daughter tunes you out while you’re intently speaking to her, or your adolescent son impulsively reacts without forethought. It can be seen as evolution’s gift that parents are baptized with the steep karmic debt of their own actions.

As we all know, it is not solely the genes that cast the dice of our destinies. We are, in fact, very capable of learning from different environmental stimuli, and it is through these interactions, that we become such amazing creatures of personal development and change. The waltz between nature and nurture gives us a broad playing field. But is it possible that the present cultural and environmental conditions are impacting the very function of the human brain?

Technology changes brain physiology

With the advent of technology, it should be obvious by now that environmental factors like video games, cell phones, text messaging, television, MP3 players, and Internet sites such as MySpace.com play an unseen hand in further affecting our children’s brain physiology. Technology is influencing our mind states to escalate in the direction of increasing emotional entropy by hijacking the brain’s natural reward centers. Therefore, if you want to add more insult to injury in a teenage household, just add more technology to a developing brain, and rest assured you will feel totally left out of your children’s lives.

The latest research has proven that a healthy diet decreases violence and aggression while improving brain activity. It also has been observed that the long-term use of video games alters the way the normal brain functions. When a child plays a computer game, each time they blow something or someone to bits, shoot down or destroy a plane, ship, UFO or any vehicle, break through a wall or barrier in order to move to the next level, or beat a character to severe injury, the brain responds chemically. In fact, it is proven that the pleasure center begins to release high amounts of dopamine, the brain’s natural pleasure chemical.

The bottom line is that dopamine makes us feel good, especially when we’re winning at such a high pace. In addition, when accomplishment is coupled with excitement, the brain produces the adrenalines norepinephrine and epinephrine in order to wake itself up with a boost of heightened awareness. This chemical cocktail is the perfect mix for problems in normal brain function.

To reiterate, this type of computer game stimulation is not so bad for a short run, but begins to cause problems in the long term. As the brain’s reward center is repeatedly activated and the strong chemicals are released during the gaming, pleasure zones become overstimulated. As a result, the reward system becomes desensitized and then recalibrates itself to a higher threshold. In other words, it will need more of a chemical rush to produce the same feelings. A side-effect of this mechanism is addiction … and when it is tied to attention and learning, serious effects manifest.

As the brain’s physiology responds to a mind exposed to these abnormal virtual activities (no child blows up people or things in real life), the brain is fooled into thinking it is almost real. Additionally, the continuous release of chemicals on the nerve cells’ receptor sites (the cells’ docking points for chemical information) finally causes the receptors to become desensitized to the same level of the chemical rush. Therefore, the next time a youth engages in the game, it’s a guarantee they will need more of a thrill to excite their brain. It’s like living with a spouse who always yells at you — eventually they need to yell a little louder to get your attention, because over time that intense stimulation is considered normal.

Receptor sites are the same way. If you keep over-activating them, they become numb and require more and more substantial hits. The side-effect: the brain needs unrealistic highs to feel happy and satiated. In the absence of such high-level stimulation, the mind turns off, and your offspring do too.

So when your kid’s computer activity ends, count on your child looking like a drone because you’re probably not all that interesting compared to what he’s just been experiencing. In truth, everything in life will seem boring. Simple things like watching a sunset, playing with the dog or even visiting with a grandparent will seem like trivial nonsense. Why? Because nothing in the normal, mundane world can match the ecstasy of the virtual world or the super high it produces. Sounds like an addiction. And without proper restraint, future choices may be married to things that produce more heightened stimulation: drugs, pornography, gambling, excess shopping, over-eating … all because the brain’s satiation center may never be fulfilled.

The gamer in the classroom

Let’s take this scenario one step further. What about when a child, between Gameboy mania and a MySpace chat room, goes to school to develop his mind? Shouldn’t learning be a reward in itself? Attention spans inevitably will shorten for the gamer who sits in the classroom trying to pay attention to a topic that doesn’t turn his brain on or make his body feel alive. As the young brain goes through withdrawal in the classroom, the perfect stimulation might be to cause trouble by acting out.

Getting in trouble causes high adrenal activity and, unconsciously, the child is making the brain turn on again to provoke similar chemical releases as gaming provides. Fidgeting, falling asleep, interruptions, emotional outbursts, provocative and disrespectful comments are all side-effects of attention problems. It isn’t too difficult to reason the etiology in a child with no genetic history of ADD and ADHD, no head injury and no exposure to toxicity.

How do we make necessary changes in the best interest of the young developing mind? It is the parent’s job to think this complexity through to its end. If we propagate the use of technology without an emphasis on developing personal values, providing an environment for skillful learning, practicing reverence for all cultures and beliefs, performing daily rituals, participating in family and social activities, exposing our kids to nature, motivating them to exercise, debating philosophy or providing an environment for interpersonal evolution, we can surely predict how well — or how poorly — future generations will thrive on a planet with so much opportunity.

Joe Dispenza, D.C., best known for his role in What the BLEEP Do We Know?!, has authored several scientific articles on the close relationship between brain chemistry, neuroscience and biology, and their roles in physical health including his latest book, Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind. For more information on Dr. Dispenza please visit his website at www.drjoedispenza.com. This article was first published on AZNet News under the title Hijacked by Technology.