Wichita Chiropractor Advises: Don’t Let The Pain of Sciatica Interfere With Your Life
As a Wichita Chiropractor for over twenty years, I have helped many patients suffering from sciatic pain, so I know from experience just how incapacitating sciatic pain can be. Those who suffer from sciatica are sadly all too familiar with the deep radiating pain that accompanies their waking hours each day and interferes with almost all of their daily activities.
Are you wondering if your low back pain could be generated by sciatica? You are more than likely experiencing sciatica if your pain travels from your low back, through your buttock(s), down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s), and possibly penetrates into one or both knees. In addition, sitting, as well as motion, can be painful. Frequently lying down will lessen, or sometimes even temporarily eliminate the pain. Even so, it’s important for you to be aware that sciatica cannot be corrected without proper management.
Radiculopathy
One of the clinical diagnoses of sciatica is referred to as a “radiculopathy”, a medical term that means simply that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the spine and is pressing on the radicular nerve, or nerve root, in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. This kind of pressure can produce excruciating pain.
Increased pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles surrounding the spine, can take place during and after extended sitting, particularly in an improper position. A particular event or injury isn’t usually the cause of sciatica, more often sciatica is likely to evolve over time as a consequence of general wear and tear on the vertebrae of the lower spine. Over the course of time the lower spine can lose its normal functioning capabilities during ordinary stresses.
Ultimately, the intervertebral disc undergoes small fissures or cracks that then let the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. Pain is produced as the disc pushes on sensitive tissues. This condition is commonly known as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, a person can develop sciatica. Fortunately, most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be totally alleviated with chiropractic manipulation and management that frequently includes postural exercises.
Periformis Syndrome
Periformis syndrome is another cause of sciatic pain. Periformis syndrome happens when the periformis muscle, for whatever reason, goes into spasm and irritates the sciatic nerve, is superficial to the nerve Along with chiropractic manipulation, this kind of sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor can recommend.
If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is essential for you to see your chiropractor for treatment. If you are in the Wichita area, as your Wichita Chiropractor, I invite you to come in to see if I can get you out of pain and help you to get your life back!
Pick Your Poison, Choose Your Beer
Let's face it, if you like beer, you're going to look for a good reason to drink it, whether it's a tailgate party, as a pizza accompaniment, or to help built strong and healthy bones. Say what? Up until I heard the recent news reports and read an article that appeared recently on the HealthDay News blog, I wouldn't have listed that last reason on the "pro" side of any health list I was making. But according to a new study published in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture beer, or at least some beer high in barley and hops contain dietary silicon,contributes to bone mineral density. I'm a chiropractor, so naturally anything that helps to build bone density is good in my book. And, though there are foods, such as bananas, that also contain dietary silicon, if you like beer, this study is good news!
Beer for the Bones? (HealthDay News) — Beer may help keep bones strong because it's a rich source of dietary silicon, which contributes to bone mineral density, a new study reports. But the amount of silicon apparently varies by the type of beer. "The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied," study author Charles Bamforth, a professor in the food science and technology department at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. The study is published in the journal's February issue. "We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer," Bamforth said. Wort is liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer. The researchers tested 100 commercial beers and found that their silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter. "Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," Bamforth said. "Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort, and much of this survives into beer."More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about bone health.
SOURCE: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, news release, Feb. 7, 2010
If You’re Pregnant, You Have Alternatives When It Comes to Back Pain Relief
80 Ways To Use Twitter As A SMB Owner
80 Ways To Use Twitter As A SMB Owner
It’s pretty common. A small business owner comes to us looking for help promoting his or her business. We suggest using Twitter as a way to find new leads, build relationships and as an overall way to cost effectively market their business. The small business owner then turns around, tilts their head and responds, “Twitter? What can Twitter do for me?”
Well, I’ll tell you. Below are 80 ways a small business owner can use Twitter to build and market their business.
Just like last time, hit print.
Build Credibility
- Answer common customer questions
- Share insight and opinion
- Pass on interesting links/posts
- Tweet links showing your company featured on other Web sites or mainstream media
- Tweet often to keep your brand in customer’s top of mind
- Share high quality content that is relevant to your customers needs
- Share information about your organization that customers, colleagues and others may be interested to know
- Promote competitors when they deserve it
- Tweet links to Slideshare presentations or videos of speaking engagements.
- Promote upcoming speaking engagements
- Mention awards you’ve won or accreditations you’ve earned
- Be the one to break the news in your industry
- Livetweet events
Market Your Business
- Talk about company culture and values
- Let people know the events your company will be attending this year
- Offer discounts, coupons or special offers to customers who find you via social media
- Offer discounts on conferences for folks who come to hear you speak
- Show your human face
- Talk about what you’re doing
- Talk about who you are
- Talk about why you do what you do
- To get blog subscribers
- Direct traffic to your site
- Find referrals
- Offer referrals
- Connect vendors to one another
- Hold contests
- Highlight employees
- Publish your Twitter handle on all direct mailings, email newsletters, on your Web site and all other marketing channels. Put it everywhere
- Promote your latest blog posts and newsletters
- Share reviews people have left about your site that made you laugh. Or smile
- Tweet when you do something cool
- Admit and apologize for flubs to help neutralize the impact
- Be excited about your week
- Ask for votes on social media sites (use sparingly)
Grow Ears
- Track conversations about your brand for online reputation management
- Track your most important keywords and subscribe to an RSS feed
- Listen in on conversations about your general industry
- Do free market research to see what people want/don’t want
- Conduct Twitter polls to quiz consumer opinion
- Learn about what’s working/not working for your competitors
- See how your competitors are interacting with customers
- Find out who your competitors are talking to and do some competitive intelligence
- Track conversation patterns for your industry to determine when people are most active online
- Identify Twitter trends or hot topics related to your industry
- Find ways to connect what you do with what’s already trending on Twitter
- Ask people for their opinions. Listen to them
- Notify customers of any holdups, mishaps or things that may affect business
(Read more…)
Say It’s Not “Too Early” Before It Becomes “Too Late”
It’s time that we start paying attention to a real problem that has been around for a few years now and will only get worse. Let’s face it, kids who are overweight suffer physically and emotionally. And, statistics have consistently shown that unless there is affective intervention obese kids turn into unhealthy obese adults. Read on…
Experts urge screening for obesity in kids
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Doctors should screen children and teens between 6 and 18 years for extra pounds, a federal task force recommends. For children who are found to be obese based on their body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of the relationship between height and weight, the task force also calls for referrals to a comprehensive program that includes dietary advice, physical activity, and behavioral counseling to promote weight loss. The new recommendations update earlier ones from 2005. Skyrocketing rates of obesity have reached between 12 and 18 percent in 2- to 19-year-olds, increasing up to 6-fold since the 1970s, members of the United States Preventive Services Task Force report in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics. Obesity is linked to the early development of diabetes and high blood pressure. For their update, the task force reviewed 13 studies of behavioral intervention in 1258 obese children and adolescents. Moderate- to high-intensity programs, involving more than 25 hours of contact with the child and/or the family over a six-month period, resulted in a decrease in BMI 12 months after the beginning of the intervention. In addition to dietary and physical activity counseling, effective programs included behavioral-management techniques such as self-monitoring and eating management. However, the programs only worked in children who followed through on treatment. (Read more at Reuters.com)
No Evidence that Chiropractic Causes Stroke According to Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation
Amidst a great deal of emotion and rhetoric coming out of Connecticut this week regarding the stroke issue The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has just released a very clear position statement on the issue of chiropractic and strokes.
Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes. “While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney. According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists. “What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.” While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.” Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.” Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.” In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.Losing Weight But Still Not Feeling Fit?
Fit VS. Fat: New Research Sheds Light On Debate
Although proper nutrition alone can lead to weight loss, it doesn’t necessarily equal true health or fitness, says a new study in the January issue of the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., FACSM, directed 36 overweight (not obese) adults to participate in one of three programs during a six-month intervention: diet alone, diet plus exercise, or a weight-maintenance program (control group). The diet-only and weight maintenance groups were instructed not to change their physical activity regimens during the six-month period. Although both the diet and diet-plus-exercise groups lost weight during the course of the study – around 10 percent of total body weight – only the exercising individuals improved their internal fitness in addition to their waistlines. Read more at medicalnewstoday.Brief Training In Meditation May Help In Pain Management
Living with pain is stressful, but a surprisingly short investment of time in mental training can help you cope.
A new study examining the perception of pain and the effects of various mental training techniques has found that relatively short and simple mindfulness meditation training can have a significant positive effect on pain management. Though pain research during the past decade has shown that extensive meditation training can have a positive effect in reducing a person’s awareness and sensitivity to pain, the effort, time commitment, and financial obligations required has made the treatment not practical for many patients. Now, a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte shows that a single hour of training spread out over a three day period can produce the same kind of analgesic effect. Read more…Sacramento Chiropractor: Get Conditioned to Avoid Golf Injuries
Injuries are not unusual with any type of sport. It is beneficial to discover what injury is apt to happen in a particular sport and then to do as much as you can to avoid it. Unfortunately, sports injuries can’t always be avoided. Therefore, it’s advantageous to take conscientious care of your body to make incurring injury less predictable, or less traumatic. Prior to starting a sport, such as golf, the most critical thing you can do is to be certain that you have the proper fitness level. You just might keep your body safe from injury if you follow these general guidelines: Cultivate a healthy lifestyle; keep your joints mobile and your muscles limber; warm and stretch your body before to activity; use proper form and good postures during activity; give yourself plenty of cool down and relaxation time.
It isn’t just amateur golfers who experience injuries. It has been estimated that nearly one-third of pro golfers playing at any given time are playing injured. The good news is that general good health and fitness can decrease how many injuries you may acquire and could possibly preclude them completely.
Good body strength in the muscle zones most used when golfing is very important. But, before you make an effort to build muscle strength, it’s prudent to make certain your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A proficient golf swing hinges on your spine’s facility to efficiently move in a rotational action. Back injuries are the most widespread sort of injuries sustained by golfers. To insure that your spine is in healthy alignment and there is efficient movement in the vertebrae, see your chiropractor in Sacramento. Chiropractic treatment can go a long way in helping you to avert back injury.
It’s time to strengthen once you’re “straightened.” A safe, injury-free day on the green depends upon your being prepared for your golf game. You can warm up your muscles and make injuring them less likely by doing golf stretching and flexibility exercises. Flexibility in all regions of the body can be escalated relatively fast as the result of full body range of motion (ROM) exercises. Furthermore, elastic band conditioning can provide targeted golf range of motion advantages and can increase needed strength in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Since elastic band training provides the dynamic resistance that ordinary weight lifting does not, sports professionals, such as your chiropractor, are making them a part of their golf conditioning programs.
Along with back injuries, a large number of golfers have painful “Golfer’s Elbow.” Though golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow are nearly identical injuries, there is a minute difference between them. Tennis elbow affects the outside of the upper arm whereas golfer’s elbow affects the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can be the consequence of a single extreme action, such as (in golf) thrusting down on the mat at the driving range or striking a hard fairway surface. Although, it generally is produced by repetitive stress from smaller shocks. Furthermore, it can occur for those who all at once start playing too much golf. For example, if players that ordinarily play golf once or twice a month decide to enter into a tournament, they are conceivably at risk for incurring the injury.
Golf makes distinctive requests of our body. Fatigue can be a problem because the game ordinarily lasts longer than many other sports. Whenever the body is fatigued, poor posture and impeded coordination often follow. Together, these two components can produce an assortment of injuries. In addition, the shoulder muscles are prone to injury as a result of the repetitive swinging of the golf clubs. Just as it is essential for you to stretch and warm up before you start your golf game, be sure that you rest your body properly between games.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is, sometimes, an unexpected injury connected with golf. But, as it a problem that occurs as the result of repetitive stress, a numerous amount of games of golf played over several months repetitively may cause this injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a serious injury creating disability and sometimes requiring surgery. However, chiropractic care and, sometimes the use of a brace will help the condition if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, discovers it at an early stage.
Quite a few golfers seem to feel that injuries are just an unavoidable part of a golfer’s life. Nonetheless, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, appropriate exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and maintaining a a good fitness level, and sensible rest and recuperation after your game is over, can assisting in making injuries much less a part of your golfing experience.
Dr. Yong Kim is a Sacramento chiropractor with over thirteen years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. His office is located at 1707 Professional Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825. He has special training in the area of sports injuries. Dr Kim is himself an avid health enthusiast. For more information go to his website at http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yong_J_Kim
Feeling old and blue? Green tea may help
(Reuters Health) Elderly men and women who sip on several cups of green tea a day may be less likely to have the blues, hint findings of a study from Japan.
Dr. Kaijun Niu, at Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering in Sendai, and colleagues found men and women aged 70 and older who drank four or more, versus one or fewer, cups of green tea daily were 44 percent less likely to have symptoms of depression.
Several prior studies have linked green tea consumption to reduced levels of psychological distress. This led Niu and colleagues to look at associations between drinking green tea and symptoms of depression in 1,058 relatively healthy elderly individuals.
About 34 percent of the men and 39 percent of the women had symptoms of depression, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. These symptoms were severe in about 20 percent of the men and in about 24 percent of the women.
Overall, 488 participants said they drank four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed two to three cups daily and the remaining 286 reported having one or fewer cups daily.
According to the investigators, the apparent protective effect of greater green tea consumption on symptoms of depression did not fade after they factored in social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems, use of antidepressant medications, smoking, and physical activity. Read more…