Archive for chiropractic
After blogging for most of the year about the benefits of exercise and the national need for obesity prevention, as your Cameron Park Chiropractor I am pleased and gratified to inform you that this month obesity prevention is being “officially emphasized” by that National Chiropractic Association. Since 2004, October has been National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM), a nationwide campaign sponsored by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). Why are both the ACA and NCHM calling attention to obesity prevention, and not the more “traditional” focus on back pain, for instance? Well, the fact is that the ACA recognizes chiropractic professionals as preventive care providers with expertise in optimizing health, as well as treating musculoskeletal problems that result from accident, injury, or the aging process. This year’s theme, “Why Weight? Get Healthy,” highlights doctor-of-chiropractic approved prevention and treatment options for patients dealing with obesity. And, if you don’t already know from reading my past blogs, obesity affects more than 60 percent of adults in the United States (according to the Center for Disease Control). Dr. Rick McMichael, president of the ACA said, “This is an important opportunity to educate the public on the general health benefits of chiropractic care, which include so much more than simply the expert hands-on care that DCs are so well known for.”
As I have been writing about (and hopefully you have been reading about), obesity frequently has detrimental effects on the musculoskeletal system. Excess weight causes back and neck strain, and can contribute to osteoarthritis, which often keeps obese people from physical activity. This official emphasis on preventative healthcare provides important recognition and confirmation that in addition to pain relief and prevention, doctors of chiropractic are trained nutrition specialists, as well, and can offer natural ways for patients to combat obesity.
Dr. Gerard Clum, president of Life Chiropractic College West and also a spokes person for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, stresses that there are many strategies that are used to address obesity concerns. The most important and the most well established are basic changes in lifestyle related to food, physical activity and personal motivation. “Doctors of chiropractic represent an under-utilized resource for addressing this critical health and societal concern,” says Clum. “The hands-on nature of chiropractic care lends itself to opportunities for advice, counseling and encouragement to address this important health risk.”
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on the many benefits associated with chiropractic care) is joining the ACA in this year’s obesity prevention campaign by offering the following healthy living tips:
- Follow a balanced diet – emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans
- Eat less harmful food – reduce intake of sugar, soda, fats and processed foods
- Drink plenty of water – try for several glasses a day
- Exercise regularly – aim for 20 – 30 minutes, three to four times a week
- Stay positive – the right attitude will lead to greater success
Source:
Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
2555 Greenwood Ln Cameron Park, CA, 95682 USA
dr.yongkim@gmail.com • 530-677-7333
Have you heard the saying, “Getting old takes courage”? If so, have you ever wondered what that means? Of course, if you are already a senior, then you probably already know the answer: The older we get, the more health risks, and even death risks, we incur. As a Cameron Park chiropractor I know from treating hundreds of patients through the years, that the aging process stresses the musculoskeletal system. Joints degenerate often due to poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive movement. In addition, the nervous system often becomes impaired causing balance problems. Falls are a major cause of injury and death among seniors. The good news is that there are screening tests available that can assess the physicl abilities of those who are middle-aged and above to help identify individuals who are at increased risk of accident, injury, and death, so that interventions such as strength training and balance issues can be made.
The tests involve simple physical activities that people perform on a regular basis. Grip strength, walking speed, rising from a chair, and balancing on one leg can reveal a person’s capacity to perform everyday tasks safely. To bring the point home, so to speak, in order to help people understand the importance of strength and balance, researchers at the University College London analyzed 33 studies that examined physical capabilities in people of any age and recorded subsequent deaths among the participants. Overall, those who had poorer results on physical function tests had a consistently higher risk of death.
What did the tests reveal specifically? Here are some of the test results:
- In 14 studies that included a total of 53,476 people, the death rate was 1.67 times higher for people with the weakest grip strength than for those with the strongest grip.
- Five studies that included a total of 14,692 people found that the death rate was 2.87 times higher for the slowest walkers than for the fastest walkers.
- Five studies that included a total of 28,036 people found that the death rate was nearly twice as high for people who were slowest to rise from a chair than for those who were quickest at this task.
It is important to not that while most of the studies included older people, the association between grip strength and death risk was also found in younger adults. The study was published online Sept. 10 in the BMJ.
So, the good news is that such screenings are available. But, even better news is that your chiropractor can not only also assess your abilities in these areas, but can recommend individualized strength exercises and reassess your abilities. And, in addition, chiropractic care has been shown to be relieve balance problems such as vertigo and those relating to improper alignment and nervous system interference. So, if you’d like an evaluation of your risk potential, as well as help with lowering that risk, see your chiropractor in Cameron Park today!
For more information on seniors and exercise, go to: The U.S. National Institute on Aging
Cameron Park Chiropractor: Curling Up With Your Laptop May Be Bad for Your Health!
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health problems due to bad posture occurs for many reasons and is nothing new to the spines of humankind. For thousands of years, men and women have hunched over their work, whether pounding rocks to make tools or pounding a keyboard on their computer. Fortunately, chiropractic was discovered in 1885 to remedy many of the problems occurring from bad posture! Since that time chiropractors like me, your Cameron Park Chiropractor, have been helping people to correct the musculoskeletal damage resulting from bad posture, as well as providing exercises, gait training, and lifestyle changes to improve posture and avoid problems in the future. Most of us already know that excessive computer use is unhealthy for the human body, so it may not come as a surprise that researchers are cautioning that the very design of laptop computers encourages bad posture among college students (and other heavy users) and can lead to headaches, muscle strain and debilitating neck, shoulder and hand injuries.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine explained in a university news release that the “unified body construction” of a laptop, with its inseparable keyboard and monitor, makes it difficult for users to configure their equipment in a way that minimizes risk to their bodies. For instance, awkward positioning of the fingers and body can cause nerve injury to the wrist and prompt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, while poor neck position and shoulder posture can cause muscle strain and soreness in those areas.
Researcher, Dr. Kevin Carneiro, a physician in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and his colleagues point out that laptop users can take specific steps to minimize their risk. So, listen up and heed the tips below:
- If you are working at a computer, your body should form 90-degree angles at the elbows, knees and hips.
- Use a docking station and cables to hook up to an external monitor and/or separate keyboard that are movable to encourage better posture.
- With the help of a docking station, position the computer so you can read the screen without bending your neck.
- Pay attention to the chair you sit in — look for one that is adjustable and comes with back support.
- Tilt the screen so you don’t need to bend your neck, and place the mouse so that your wrists are in a neutral position (one in which they are aligned with your arm and not raised above it).
- Take frequent short breaks every 20 minutes or so — this can help rest muscles and encourage position shifting. Do some shoulder shrugs, gentle forward head rolls, and shoulder scrunches to stretch your muscles.
- Stay hydrated — drinking plenty of water can help keep discs in your back lubricated.
In addition, be sure to watch out for warning signs, such as pain and tingling. These may mean you need to use better posture, take more breaks, or see your chiropractor in Cameron Park!
If you read my Cameron Park chiropractic website blogs, then you already know I adhere to the philosophy that motion is life. Our body is designed to move, move, move; to walk, run, play, and dance! My “job” as a Cameron Park Chiropractor is not only to get you out of pain, but to help you to keep your musculoskeletal system healthy and well-adjusted so that such movement is energizing and freeing rather than painful. Because I believe so strongly that lifelong movement is essential to our overall health as human beings, I’m always happy to offer new incentives to my patients and blog readers to get moving. A new study offers another good reason for everyone, but especially women, to get active and stay active. The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that women who are physically active at any point over the course of their life, whether it is in their teen years, 30s, 40s, or 50+, maintain a lower risk of cognitive impairment later in life as compared to those women who are inactive.
Let’s face it, life these days has become a spectator sport for many people. Kids sit in front of the television or their computers — and so do adults! Business often demands it and, after a long day of sitting at the computer at the office, “relaxation” or “family time” frequently comes in the form of vegging in front of the TV. There is growing evidence to suggest that people (and in the case of this particularly study, women) who are physically active in mid-life and beyond have a lower chance of dementia, as well as the “more minor” forms of cognitive impairment in old age. However, until now there has been less clarity regarding the importance of physical activity for women early in life and at different stages of life. The researchers at Sunnybrook health Sciences Centre in Canada compared the physical activity and cognition of 9,344 women at different ages (teenage, age 30, age 50, and late-life) to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages on later cognitive abilities.
“Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive, but also that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment,” said Laura Middleton, PhD, who lead the research. And, in addition, she and her research team found that women who were physically inactive as teenagers, but became physically active at age 30 or age 50 had significantly reduced their odds of cognitive impairment as well compared to those who remained physically inactive. “Low physical activity levels in today’s youth may mean increased dementia rates in the future,” Middleton added.
What’s good for the body is always good for the brain. So be smart and stay that way by being physically active. Motion is life, so get moving!
Cameron Park Chiropractor: Harmful PBDEs Are a Hot Topic, Especially For Pregnant Women
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As a Cameron Park Chiropractor I treat many pregnant women not only for common low back pain associated with pregnancy, but for other pregnancy symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, and swelling due to water retention or joint stress. A healthy pregnancy is crucial for both mother and baby. And although regular chiropractic care during pregnancy is very important, there are many other influences that can affect a woman’s health during her pregnancy. Some of these influences are well-known, but others are not. In fact, I just ran across a new study released in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives that discusses the effects of high levels of common flame-retardant chemicals on the thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women. It is the first large study to investigate levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their effects on the highly sensitive thyroid hormone in pregnant women. “Normal maternal thyroid hormone levels are essential for normal fetal growth and brain development,” stated Jonathan Chevrier, one of the study’s authors and a researcher in epidemiology and in environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley, “so our findings could have significant public health implications.”
Where are PBDEs found? Just about everywhere, such as in carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. PBDEs can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells. Is it any wonder then that PBDEs can be found in the blood of most American residents? And, if you live in California the situation is even more criticaul because of the state’s rigorous flammability laws. Concentrations of the chemicals in blood and breast milk have increased dramatically in the last three decades.
Though it is not currently known just how the chemicals interfere with thyroid function, researchers believe that PBDEs could bind to thyroid receptors and alter how the hormone is released. The bottom line, however, is that these chemicals are dangerous, especially for pregnant women. “Our results suggest that exposure to PBDE flame retardants may have unanticipated human health risks,” said Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at UC Berkeley.
Drugs…Just in Case?
Posted by: | CommentsAs a chiropractor who believes in the human body’s ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the “treatment” of a number of conditions that don’t get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: “Try chiropractic first!” But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers “less severity” at best when it comes to a migraine headache.
The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had “avoided” a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.
I have treated many patients who told me how much they’d “feared” the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear of migraines can be. And, yet, the only “solution” this study offered?
This study is “important,” said Dr. Hu, because the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people’s anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. “Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times,” he and his colleagues concluded.
My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!
SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.
Will You Need to See Your Cameron Park Chiropractor “Forever”?
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a common question I hear asked, as a Cameron Park Chiropractor, by those considering chiropractic care: “If I start going to a chiropractor, will I have to always go?” I often wonder why this particular question doesn’t come up for someone who goes to a general medical practitioner. Think about it: How strange would it be if someone asked, “If I go to Dr. Smith for a general checkup and he gives me a prescription for a temporary condition I might have, will I have to see him ‘forever’?” The answer is “Of course not.” You don’t have to see Dr. Smith again, but you probably will for your yearly or bi-annual checkup and, naturally, in between if you’re not feeling well.
The same is true when you go to see a chiropractor. Most of the time, individuals go to see a chiropractor because they’re in pain (not feeling well). After the chiropractor has treated them and gotten them out of pain (a ‘prescription,’ so to speak, for a temporary condition), the chiropractor will probably suggest maintenance care (a general checkup even when you’re feeling okay). The only difference is that a chiropractor will likely suggest that you come in monthly. Why? Because chiropractors are all about preventative care whenever possible. Maintenance care is like a “tune up” that not only helps your body to maintain the “crisis” treatment you received when you were in pain and keeps you healthier and stronger so that you can avoid future injuries, but during your maintenance visit your chiropractor can make sure that you don’t have a “temporary condition” that needs to be corrected before it becomes “crisis” treatment.
Cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of regular exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related influences can produce pain, often excruciating pain, in your back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, etc. Getting “checked out” and “readjusted” on a regular basis keeps small conditions from becoming big problems.
So, to the question “If I start doing to a chiropractor, will I need to go “forever”? The answer is “No, but you may want to, for your health’s sake!”
There are several chiropractic treatment plans offered by Dr. Yong Kim, your Cameron Park Chiropractor, that can be effective when working with the musculoskeletal system, from treating very specific pain issues to responding to your overall health concerns. After thoroughly examining you, he will inform you as to which strategy would be most effective for you personally. As your Chiropractor in Cameron Park, he will want to provide you with several individualized treatment options to help you in making a decision based on your current health problems as well as your future health pursuits.
It might be helpful for you to have some thoughts, ahead of time, regarding the various chiropractic treatment plans your Cameron Park Chiropractor might advocate.
Relief Care is the specific chiropractic treatment plan provided to those who are suffering from any kind of pain or soreness, regardless of the root cause of the problem. The goal of this strategy is to make available urgent pain relief. The length of the treatment phase can fluctuate as it will depend solely on the extent of the condition or injury suffered by the individual and how fast it can be corrected.
Corrective Care can be described as a “more advanced” type of chiropractic treatment. It is for individuals who have suffered from spinal issues over an extended time period, which is to say, for individuals who have a long-term condition that has evolved into a more difficult problem due to their delaying that all-important therapy. Restorative treatment usually stretches over a longer period of time. The length of time is determined by the severity of the progressive injury and how rapidly the person responds to the treatment.
Maintenance Care, as the name implies, is intended to maintain or support any type of therapy previously given to a patient. Oftentimes, chiropractic treatment is extended only after the initial treatments have proved to be effective. The reason for this type of chiropractic care is to minimize the possibility of the initial problem returning and to prevent degenerative changes in the future.
wellness Care is made available to people who are not going through acute discomfort, but want to enhance their overall health. Routine chiropractic treatment increases the flow of blood and oxygen inside the body, boosts muscle flexibility, aids in averting work and play injury, and enhances an individual’s all round sense of well-being.
Regardless if you are presently in pain or you desire to enhance your overall health, chiropractic care can help. Call Dr. Yong Kim, your Cameron Park Chiropractor today!
What does the word, “vertigo, ” suggest? Vertigo is the term for the dizzy disturbance a person suffers within a stationary environment. The perception is that the external world is tilting and even spinning. Vertigo might be quick and short- lived or chronic. But, in either case, the precise reason for vertigo should be identified and the correct treatment plan undertaken.
There are many causative factors for the problems of Vertigo. An inner ear ailment, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, will oftentimes manifest as the impact of a sustained head trauma or very bad cold. On occasion this particular vertigo is the result of the aging process. The trigger, often times though, fairly often is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non- progressive affliction that is attributable to, as its name suggests, a quick change in head posture. The difficulties are almost always unpredicted and variable.
It will be valuable to look at the functionality of the inner ear in an endeavor comprehend what causes the commonly incapacitating discomforts of this kind of vertigo. The brain senses changes in position and keeps equilibrium utilizing the fluid within the inner ear. Also in the inner ear are miniature calcium carbonate crystals, also known as otoconia. These crystals usually float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the responsive nerve endings in the inner ear, they lead to the discomforts of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
The good news is that chiropractic treatment can take care of the complaints of BPPV very quickly and effectively employing a technique known as the Epley maneuver. By means of the use of this method, a chiropractor rotates the head of a BPPV sufferer into a number of different positions, letting gravity move the calcium carbonate crystals into a local of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will cause no subsequent dizziness.
Your chiropractor has aided numerous individuals for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo by means of the Epley Maneuver technique. Quite often, with only one treatment the majority of patients no longer suffer from wooziness. Make an appointment with your Cameron Park Chiropractor. He can help!
Your Cameron Park Chiropractor: "No Pain, No Gain?" Not When It Comes to Getting Older
Posted by: | CommentsIt probably goes without saying that as we age our body feels and acts differently than it used to when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem fair that as our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive,” our body seems to become less “cooperative.” We’re stiff when we get out of bed; certain activities during the day make us sore at night; and, if we’re not truly careful, even a movement as simple as turning too hastily or bending over to pick up a dropped pencil, can send our back or some other muscle group into spasm. But, our body doesn’t need to go from bad to worse because there is natural treatment for us, “boomers,” that can not only slow down the aging process of the body, but help us to avoid some of those problems altogether.
For instance, arthritis. To be sure, barring pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine fails to take care of this age-related affliction. What is the basis for such a limited approach? The answer is that most medical doctors focus only on the symptoms of arthritis. Chiropractic management, on the other hand, not only is beneficial in relieving the pain of arthritis, naturally, without drugs, but it addresses the origin of the affliction and corrects it. Chiropractors, like your Cameron Park Chiropractor, have been treating men and women suffering from pain caused by arthritis, and other age-related challenges, for over a hundred years.
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 restore motion back into your joints and ease any vertebral misalignments that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also reduce your resistance and immunity? It’s true, and this might be one of the reasons why it may seem to you that as you age you experience more health issues and that it frequently takes longer for you to feel better again. According to studies done on older individuals, those who received regular chiropractic care stayed healthier. In fact, you could say that, as you get older, chiropractic adjustments are good for what ails you!
When it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractors are highly knowledgeable whether it’s the small, growing frame of an infant or the full-grown body of an aging adult. Your chiropractor is experienced in working with the aging process of the body and has exceptional observational and diagnostic skills that aid in detecting spinal misalignments and joint degeneration. In fact, a chiropractic examination can often reveal some age-related changes before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. Moreover, your Cameron Park Chiropractor can check your posture and analyze your gait to ascertain if there are any faulty patterns that could generate more arthritic changes in the future.
So, if you have been feeling your age lately, but you’d like to feel a whole lot better, make an appointment with your Cameron Park Chiropractor today!
