Why You Should Not Wait Til January To See A Doctor

I always like to keep my patients, friends and family up to date with the insurance world so they can SAVE MONEY.  Here is a little food for thought:

• Most people's 2011 insurance benefits end on 12/31/2011, they DO NOT roll over to 2012.
• New benefits that start in 2012 most likely will have higher co-pays and deductibles.
• Most people have met their required deductibles and out-of-pocket expense limits by December and therefore have no out-of-pocket cost between now and the end of the year.
• Many health issues do take time to get resolved.  Therefore you should be very proactive to get your health issues addressed ASAP in December.
• Many physicians work longer hours at the beginning of December to make sure they can accommodate New Patients.  I make it a rule that if a New Patient calls today they will be seen the same day if they wish.
• Making excuses why you have to wait til after the holidays WILL in most cases cost you a lot more money!! I see it every year and sadly there is nothing I can do to help.

It is your choice but if money is a concern for you like it is for most I hope you will use this information to your benefit.

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!!

Steps to Stay Healthy during Cold and Flu Season

REMEMBER: people DO NOT make you sick.  It is your bodies inability to fight off the invader that lets you get sick.  Follow these rules to stay healthier:

1. Chiropractic Adjustments help keep your nervous system and immune system working at their optimal levels.
2. Drink lots of Pure Water.  Water in coffee and tea is not as beneficial.
3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  Fall/Winter foods like Chili are not as healthy.
4. Daily Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium, and immune Builder.  Buy your vitamins from doctor's office.  Most vitamins in big retail stores are inferior because they are bought in bulk with more effort put into their marketing than health value.
5. Stretch EVERYDAY and exercise at least three times per week for 30 minutes.
6. Fresh Sunlight.  Get outside for walks so the sun can hit your face and produce Vitamin D.  (Windows block the beneficial rays of the sun)
7. Fresh Air.  Get outside for fresh air.  Keep home and office window cracked slightly so fresh air will mix with stale recycled dirty furnace air.
8. Use room humidifier in bedrooms to put more moisture in the air if needed. 

Take this advice for what it is worth.  I have followed these principles throughout my career and have never missed a day of work in 11 years due to illness.  I have never had a flu shot either. 

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Auto Accident Info You May Not Know

Did you know that the typical symptoms from even the most minor auto accident can take six months to a year to present themselves?

From the mild fender bender to the complete collision most people are fortunate enough to walk away from their car accident with seemingly minor injuries.  At least that is what they think.  The truth is that although a person may not break a bone or have major cuts and scrapes there is no question that their body has sustained an injury.  Soft tissue injuries related to auto accidents can lead to such symptoms as headaches, neck and/or back pain, fibromyalgia, etc.

Again, these symptoms in many cases do not appear for at least six months after the accident; therefore in most cases a person that has enjoyed relatively good health has no clue as to why they are now having problems.  In most cases the person will just assume it has to do with their age.

Have you ever watched television when they show a crash test simulation with a dummy at the wheel?  That is what happens to the human body during an accident.  The energy of the impact travels through your body at rocket speed and is over in a millisecond.

If you are braced for impact at the time of the accident because you know you are about to hit someone or about to get hit then the probability for injury rises greatly short and long term.  The rigidity of your musculoskeletal system at the time of impact has no give so therefore bone breaks, muscle tears and/or sprain/strains can occur.

If you have been in any auto accident, boating accident or bad event tubing and/or skiing (same principles apply) please do yourself and your family a favor and get evaluated by a chiropractor as soon after the episode as possible.  A chiropractor can detect if their is a musculoskeletal injury from the accident that needs to be corrected so that it does not lead to symptoms down the road.

After a decade of treating these injuries I can tell you that the early a problem is diagnosed and treated the better the long term outcome is for the patient.

Sports and Chiropractic

In today’s world children are asked to play sports at a level that has never been seen before in history.  Long gone are the days of playing seasonal sports for just fun and exercise.  Today children are pushed to excel in whatever sport they or their parents choose for them to play.  The season no longer ends at a certain point in the year, instead clinics and travel programs pick up so the kids in many cases literally have no break.

I am not here to judge whether or not this is right or wrong.  No, I have written this in order to educate parents about how Chiropractic care can and will help their children not only perform at an optimal level but also help to prevent injury.

Did you know that each year more than 3 million sports related injuries are reported in children under the age of 15.  These children are treated in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinics across the country.  Fortunately, with proper treatment these injuries will not be career ending.

Chiropractic care very simply is all about structure and function.  The body MUST have proper structure in order to function at 100%.  If a child’s skeletal structure (spine, hips, pelvis, etc.) does not have perfect structure then not only will they not be able to perform to their fullest potential but they will be risking injury as well.  I use Michael Phelps as an example.  He is arguably the best swimmer in the world, yet he made sure that he was checked and adjusted before each race at the Olympics on the side of the pool to make sure that he would perform at his best.  This is just one example.  In today’s world at least 95% of all professional and college athletes use chiropractic to make sure that they are able to give 100%.

Injury prevention is maybe even more important of a reason to see a chiropractor.  If the biomechanical structure of the body is not correct then the possible of injury rises dramatically.  A trained chiropractor will assess for these imbalances and advise on the best way to correct them.  However, if an injury has already occurred and the athlete is in pain then chiropractic treatment can get an athlete back to playing much quicker than other forms of care. In many cases without the need for prescription medication that only mask the symptoms of the injury and provides no long term correction.  In these cases a subsequent injury can occur quickly to the athlete because the real cause of the problem was never treated.

Other Professionals and Teams who use Chiropractic regularly include: US Olympic Team, Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings, Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Charles Barkley, and Arnold Schwarzenegger just to name a few.

Why you should have a Chiropractic evaluation even when you feel well

Question: Why should I come and see a chiropractor if I feel good and have no pain or symptoms?

Answer:  Maintenance!!  Every physician in the world knows that symptoms come at the very end of the disease process and yes even pain, discomfort, headaches, sciatica, etc are disease processes.  They have a starting point that usually is not felt in any way, shape or form. And an end point, the first symptom.  The only exception to this rule is traumatic injury which can take perfectly healthy tissue and damage it causing immediate or delayed symptoms.

Question:  How long does it take for the symptom to arise after the condition begins?

Answer:  It can literally take as little as a day to as long as multiple decades for a little condition to become a major symptomatic problem.

Question:  How do I know if this is occuring in my body?

Answer:  Unless you have symptoms you will not!!  Only a well performed evaluation including x-rays (minimal views are needed) will give your doctor clues as to what is happening within your body. 

Can it be fixed if I wait til there is a symptom and how long will it take?

Depending on the problem it possible can or cannot be fully corrected.  In most cases the problem can be treated and the symptoms reduced or eliminated.  Of course, the treatment plan is more intense and the costs are much greater at that point.

The point of this post is to emphasize the point of MAINTENANCE HEALTH.  I want to encourage people to be PROACTIVE about their health rather than REACTIVE to their symptoms. 

Some simple examples:

1. Brushing your teeth.  If you do not have a cavity today then why brush your teeth?  To prevent developing a cavity.
2. Annual physical.  If you feel fine why go have an annual physical?  To catch any possible problems at the earliest stage possible.  This is why so much research is done to develop tests that can find problems earlier and earlier.  The earlier it is found, the easier it is treated, with the best prognosis.

At the end of the day our health is the most valuable part of our lives.  Cherish it and protect it because if you wait until it is too late to have that evaluation you may be sorry.

Headaches/Migraines

Stop suffering from Headaches/Migraines.

Chiropractic is a great way of treating a person's headaches.  

Why?  

Because of the direct relationship that the upper cervical spine and/or occiput (back portion of the skull) have on the brain stem.  The brain stem sits down into the 1st and 2nd cervical vertebrae and has 12 cranial nerves.  These nerves go back into the head and control everything in our head including the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.  They also have a direct affect on whether our capillaries in our head our dilated (open) or constricted (closed) thus affecting the blood flow.  By adjusting the spine the pressure on these nerves is lessened and the signal to the affected vessels is improved, causing vaso dilation and improved blood flow.  In simple terms, less throbbing/pounding in your head.

Another aspect of headaches is what is called the cranio/sacral pump.  This simply means the relationship between the head and sacrum (end of spine) that creates the movement of our spinal fluid.  If there are restrictions in other areas of the spine between the head and butt the fluid does not move as it should thus contributing to a person's headaches.

Finally, many peoples headaches are simply due to the fact that they have so much musculo/skeletal restrictions in their back.  Their life creates stress either physically or emotionally that over time just leads to so much muscle spasm (tense musculature) in their neck and upper back that the result is aheadache.

Headaches have been successfully treated with chiropractic for over 100 years.  Whether the cause is believed to be stress, hormone, work related and/or considered inherited, properly applied chiropractic care has tremendous success rates.

Don't become a Chronic Pain Patient

How do I not let my pain become a chronic condition?

First, lets talk about what NOT to do:

DO NOT treat the SYMPTOMS, treat the CONDITION. When you treat your symptoms with Tylenol, Advil, Motrin and/or prescription medication all you are doing is dulling the sensitivity of the nervous system so you do not feel the pain/discomfort. 

During this time you falsely believe that you are getting better and continue to push your body at work and at home.  The reality is that during this time of dulled sensitivity people hurt themselves even more because they push their weakened/injured body instead of letting it rest and heal.  For example, a patient that may have a weak, bulging/herniated disc in their back could end up with a ruptured disc if they use drugs to dull the pain and then continue with the lifestyle that caused the injury in the first place.

What you should do:

Get evaluated by a chiropractor.  Why?  Because chiropractors evaluate and look to treat the CONDITION that is causing the symptoms.  Chiropractors do not prescribe medication of any kind.  By treating the condition that is causing the symptoms the body is able to truly heal and the pain relief the patient feels is real instead of chemically induced.  Research shows that those patients that choose chiropractic over modern medicine have a 70% less chance of becoming a chronic patient. 

I think everyone would agree that getting well without drugs or surgery is a good thing.

If the chiropractor evaluates the patient and feels that the condition is something he/she cannot treat then they will refer that patient to the physician the he/she feels would be the best fit for the patient.

What do you think, let me know.

Dr. Daniel S. Gordon


 

Golf and Chiropractic

How is your swing?  Do you hurt before, during or after playing golf? Chiropractic can help you swing easier, prevent injury, and relieve your back pain period.  There are approximately 25 million golfers in America.  Over 50% report to have pain or discomfort associated with their golf swing.  Most use some type of NSAID (Tylenol, Advil, etc.) as a form of treatment.  Others use physical therapy and many use chiropractic.  Surveys have shown that those choosing chiropractic care have had the greatest results in reducing their pain and improving their golf swing. 

Chiropractic works of the simple philosophy that by removing irritation to the nervous system the brain can better communicate with and heal the body.  Even the slightest irritation to a spinal nerve can significantly affect the flow of information, thus causing reduced range of motion, muscle spasm, and possibly pain.  The golf swing requires the body to coordinate many different muscle groups at the same time.  Lack of this coordination can cause the player to slice, pull, or hit his shot fat.  If you hit the ball in any of these ways then ask yourself these questions:

  

• Are your feet balanced and comfortable when you address the ball?

• Do your feet have to flare out in order to turn on the backswing?

•  Have you reduced your backswing due to the inability to comfortably rotate your body?

•  Do you find yourself walking slightly crooked the day after a round of golf? Maybe you couldn’t even get out of bed the next day?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you have some level of nerve irritation in your spine even if you feel great the rest of the time.  It is NOT NORMAL to have pain or discomfort every time you play the game you love.

How can chiropractic help you? Chiropractic care helps by achieving proper vertebral alignment which allows the muscles, tendons, ligaments and discs to work in proper motion with each other.   This is done through light spinal adjustments, possibly therapy (heat/ice, traction, laser, ultrasound), and incorporating stretches that are specific to the golf swing.  99% of patients that address their spinal issues as they relate to golf find that not only does their golf game improve and become more enjoyable but their overall health improves as well.  To this point, Chiropractic can help with many conditions including: headaches, sinus issues, asthma, allergies, ear infections, heartburn, reflux, constipation, sciatica, scoliosis, etc.  Ask your chiropractor for more information.

The Truth About Cow's Milk

Does milk help prevent osteoporosis?  Is it a good source of calcium?  How much should we drink?  Should we drink whole, 2%, 1%, or skim? 

These are the most common questions that I have been asked over the years regarding  cow’s milk.  My response to these questions is usually met with shock.  Why?  Because cow’s milk is a poor product and a poor source of calcium.  Let me elaborate.

If you look at every other mammal species on this planet, you will find one general rule applies towards milk.  Once a baby is weaned from its mother, it will never again drink milk.  This is a natural law.  The purpose of milk in infants is to provide nutrition, immunity, and fat for the developing child.  Once that infant is able to consume other foods, milk is no longer a necessary component of its diet.   I understand that not all women can breastfeed their children during infancy, therefore we are blessed to have formula and other forms of milk to help their children through those early months. 

As a source of calcium, milk is a poor product; although well marketed by the dairy industry.  Why, because cow’s milk was only created and meant for cows.  In today’s industrialized world, the dairy industry is forced to keep these cows penned up without the ability to roam and graze. Moreover, they are treated with antibiotics and steroids for disease and growth which is passed through their milk.

When this milk is introduced into the human body it causes a reduction in the acid levels of the blood.  In order to maintain homeostasis, the body must then actually pull calcium out of the bone to re-balance the blood chemistry (FYI, products like Tums do the same thing).  More calcium is actually added to milk in the attempt to balance out its negative effects.

Another fact about milk that is relatively unknown is that milk causes inflammation of the mucus membranes of our body; therefore, when our children have ear or sinus infections or colds it increases the inflammation already present.

Finally, common sense plays a role in this argument.  The United States consumes more milk than anywhere else in the world and yet we have the greatest rate of osteoporosis in this country.

It is true that our children do need some form of milk as infants.  However, soy milk and other products will give the same benefit with less negative effects.

You can enjoy dairy products but DO NOT be duped in believing they do the body good.  Use in proper moderation.

Scoliosis, What you need to Know

Of all the problems that can affect the spine and trunk of children, scoliosis can cause the most long term negative effects.  Scoliosis is a condition in which the normal straight spinal column has developed an abnormal curvature.  It may be due to a muscular imbalance, structural asymmetry, compensation to a genetic abnormality (inherited from parent), or idiopathic (unknown) in nature.  Untreated childhood traumas such as falls from bikes, sports, accidents, etc. can be initial triggers for the condition.

The condition can be painful in nature, usually associated with muscular spasm or pathology.  However, despite its profound effects on the patient it usually presents without pain.  It is more commonly seen in females (especially those in dance and gymnastics classes) and tends to progress more rapidly during an adolescent growth spurt.  Untreated, the child is destined to have a life of physical deformity and potential discomfort.

Traditionally, bracing has been the method of choice to prevent the progression of the curvature that is greater than 25 degrees.  However, bracing does nothing towards the correction of the condition.  Chiropractic treatment for curvatures as small as 5 degrees or as great as 20+ degrees has been shown to positively help reduce the curvature or at a minimum prevent the furtherance of negative change in the spine.  A combination of bracing and spinal adjustments is recommended for curvatures over 20 degrees.

Early detection will always coincide with the most successful recovery.  On a semi annual basis developing children four and older should be examined professionally for scoliotic change in their spine.  This exam should be performed by an expert such as a Chiropractor or Pediatrician.  If detected regular treatment as prescribed by a board certified Chiropractor can begin to correct and / or stabilize the scoliosis.