Helpful Practices That May Help You Avoid Hip Fractures From Falls
It isn’t news to anyone that elderly people are more prone to bone fractures, especially of the hip. Fortunately, there are a number of preventative measures that older adults can take to help avoid bone fractures, especially from falls. As a chiropractor, I recommend a number of preventative measures to my older patients, not the least of which is for them to have regular chiropractic treatment to help to improve and maintain balance and to keep their body in good alignment. As far as I’m concerned, in addition to balance challenges and poor muscle strength, an aging body that is out of alignment is a hip condition waiting to fracture.
According to a new study by Dr. Marian Hannan, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical school and co-director of the Musculoskeletal Research Program at the Institute for Aging Research, elderly people who eat more protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures. Why? Because consuming proteins such as meat, eggs, fish or cheese helps to build stronger muscles in the legs, which, in turn can reduce an older individual’s chances of falling. In addition to helping to build stronger muscles, other studies have shown that protein intake can increase bone density. For more on protein study go to: dailymail.co.ukNot All Carbohydrates Are Equal
As a chiropractor who works with athletes, both young and old, and one who preaches a healthy diet in addition to regular chiropractic care, I am often asked by my more active patients about “fuel foods,” especially before a big high school football game or prior to a weekend warrior event. The most frequently asked question is: Are carbohydrates the best source to “fuel my sport”? And, my answer is “yes and no.” If you play sports, it’s important for you to know that even though carbohydrates burn off quickly, and are generally the best source of energy (and I recommend them highly), other factors come into play when the body is under the “stress” of the game. And, while pasta, energy bars, fruits, breads, yogurt, potatoes, cereals, and milk may all be great energy foods to eat before your sport, you should also include high sources of protein, including meat and peanut butter. Why? Because even though carbohydrates give you energy, proteins rebuild your cells and help you to maintain your muscle mass.
Another important thing to remember is that not all carbohydrates are equal. And while healthy fats can be an excellent source of energy during your sport, it isn’t wise before the game to eat fats that digest too slowly, like the fats contained in potato chips, fried foods, doughnuts, candy bars, and other sugary foods. Not only can hard-to-digest fats cause stomach cramping, but these types of fats are hard on the body systems for many reasons.
Maintaining an active lifestyle is important to overall health. But, doing it right and not overdoing it will make a big difference in how well you perform.
The Hottest Buzz: Social Media and Chiropractic Marketing
Posted by admin in chiropractic marketing on April 30th, 2010
Social Media is the “hottest” topic on the Internet today. If you’ve been thinking about getting on board, but you’re not sure where the platform is, let’s talk a little about the “Who, What, When, Where, and How” of social media and you, that’s “Who.” Then you can decide if you want to add Social Media to your chiropractic marketing strategy.
Social media marketing may seem familiar in some aspects to other chiropractic marketing strategies you’ve thought about in the past, but still unfamiliar at the same time. In the “familiar” category, you wouldn’t consider any type of marketing plan without making an effort to understand what it is and what you want to get from it. What are your goals? Once you’ve decided what you want, you’ll be more capable of using social media to your best advantage.
When you are ready to begin your social media venture, but before you start, you will need to make sure that you “own your name” on all the social media outlets, that is to say, make sure that your name or your clinic’s name is attainable so that you can use the exact same name on each and every one of the social channels you desire to use. When you’re ready, there’s a service, which is totally free, that can assist you with your search. That who is knowem.com. This service will check where your name is and/or if it’s available or not on a large number of social media sites.
When you have “captured” all of your social media accounts, the next step is to choose where you want to be active. Starting with only a small number of social media sites is the most beneficial because, let’s face it, you have a clinic to run and patients to see. You won’t want to get involved in too many social media sites. So, how do you choose the best sites for you? The big ones (where most of the action is) are facebook, twitter, linkedin, and Youtube.
What your social media activity goal should be is to build a real presence in your community. What is definitely a no-no is for you to try to “sell” on your social media sites, in other words don’t sell your chiropractic services, don’t sell products, don’t sell anything! The benefit of social media is for you to have an addition channel through which to network with the community. Certainly, let them know what you do, but do it by becoming a participant. Social media works the same way as social networking offline. People on social media sites don’t want to be sold to, plain and simply. Social media sites are similar to a neighborhood backyard barbecue. People are standing around talking about who they are and what they do, and then a participant asks you what you do. Or, maybe you start the conversation by simply stating, “Hi, I’m Dr. ____. The same kind of interaction applies with social media. Social media sites should be handled the same way you’d “work” offline networking opportunities to promote yourself, i.e., answer the questions and concerns that get potential patients interested in the who that’s you!
If You’re a Woman, Take a Walk!
So ladies, take a walk! Do it for your health's sake! For more information on this interesting story, click the link provided above.
Your Cincinnati Chiropractor Can Help You Avoid Work Injuries
Posted by admin in work injuries on April 20th, 2010
As a Cincinnati Chiropractor I treat a lot of seniors who are affected by balance problems. In fact, dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related challenges affect at least 9% of adults, aged 65 and over. Good balance is crucial, of course, in assisting seniors to continue to be independent and to avoid falling down and encounter injuries that are commonly very serious or even fatal. But, I wonder if you are aware that falls contribute to a large portion of work injuries for individuals under 65 years of age, including workers in their twenties and thirties? That’s right! No one is immune to balance problems, no matter what their age may be. It is for this reason that those who work in “high places” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or anywhere else where a ladder is required are in danger of serious injury if their balance is “off.”
The primary action of good balance is to aid us in managing and maintaining our body position, whether standing still or moving, and whether on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance helps us to walk without stumbling, arise from a sitting position without tottering, and to climb stairs without tripping. In other words, good balance is crucial to our health and well-being.
What you may not have realized, however, could have a balance dysfunction without realizing how significant it may be. On occasion a person is able to “shake off” a dizzy feeling and the sensation may not reoccur for a while. However when sudden dizziness comes about at a decisive moment, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is usually certain.
The sensation by some people that they, personally, are spinning or that things around them are moving is termed “vertigo.” About 40 percent of people in the U.S. will have at least one experience of dizziness that is distressing enough to seek out help from a health professional, such as your Chiropractor at Cincinnati Chiropractic. However, if you are involved in any of the activities listed above, having a chiropractor check your balance before an episode of dizziness, make adjustments if needed, and then aid you in maintaining good balance, may save you from serious injury or worse.
Balance disorders at any age are serious. It is crucial for you to be examined and treated quickly if you think that you may have a possible balance disorder. In fact, if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, even if the experience is seldom or infrequent, it is highly recommended that you discuss the symptom(s) with a chiropractor as soon as possible:
• Have you experienced a feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Has the room seemed to spin around you?
• Has there ever a time when you felt as if you were moving when you knew you were standing still?
• Have you lost your balance and/or fallen down?
• Have you ever felt as if you were falling?
• Has your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Have you ever felt disoriented, or lost a sense of time, place or identity?
Remember: Balance problems are not isolated to a particular age group. From the time we learn to walk until we take our final step, our falling down is possible. If you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” event, you need to have your balance checked. Don’t wait until it’s too late! If you’re in the area, give your Cincinnati Chiropractor a call today. I can help!
Your San Diego Chiropractor Wants You to Know That Just a Few Additional Pounds Can Make a Big Difference in the Long Run
Posted by admin in weight loss on April 10th, 2010
As a Chiropractor in San Diego, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Have you been trying to persuade yourself that just a few extra pounds don’t matter? Over the years, extra weight can add up to a large number of health issues from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back pain and joint degeneration. Extra pounds put undue stress on organs, like the heart, as well as on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Regrettably,more than half (62%) of men and women in America are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant number and an enormous problem (no pun intended).
Though we try to pretend otherwise, most of us know that the human body has not evolved to transport excess weight in the form of body fat. Just 20 or 30 extra pounds can, in point of fact, overload and overburden the musculoskeletal system. Excess weight in the belly, for instance, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. The tilt puts pressure on the joints of the low back. Painful inflammation results as this joint compression restricts nerve activity. Most people that have a heavy midsectionsuffer from low back pain caused by an impingement of the sciatic nerve or spinal misalignments that impinge nerves as a consequence of weight-bearing stresses. If left untreated, misaligned vertebra in most cases create new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as persist in irritating the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Fortunately chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a healthy body weight is essential in order for the musculoskeletal system to perform in the way it is designed to. That said, in addition, chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve compression in the spine and help to get motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, especially in the low back, hips, and knees. And, naturally exercise and physical activity is a lot easier, and more beneficial for the body, when the spine is in alignment and the joints have good motion. The added benefit of exercise the, in addition to helping with weight reduction, it can actually reduce degenerative changes as over the years.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can advise you regarding your diet and exercise options. In addition to caring for individuals suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors offer proficient guidance regarding the kinds of lifestyle changes that can help an individual to stay healthier, more vigorous, and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility due to aging don’t have to be inevitable. The human body was designed for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if those extra few pounds have started to add up to a lot of pain, as your chiropractor in San Diego and someone who cares deeply about your overall health, I can help. Make an appointment today!
Conservative Chiropractic Treatment Can Relieve Severe Bakc Pain Caused by Spinal Stenosis
As a chiropractor who treats many senior patients suffering from painful back problems, I was very concerned when I read about a new study published this month in The Journal of the American Medical Association that found that the percentage of older adults undergoing a complicated fusion procedure for the painful lower-back condition called spinal stenosis has increased sharply– rising fifteenfold from 2002 to 2007.
This type of fusion procedure is not only complicated, but costly. And worse, it carries three times the rate of life-threatening complications than alternative procedures such as decompression (removal of part of the bone pressing on the nerve) or simple fusion (in which two or three vertebrae are fused and only the front or back of the vertebrae, rather than front and back). And, the bottom line is that earlier studies haven’t found that the complex surgery leads to better results or greater pain relief. Gentle, non-invasive chiropractic treatment can often relieve the severe back pain caused by spinal stenosis. I fully recommend a short conservative trial of chiropractic care prior to considering most surgeries involving the musculoskeletal system. Any type of surgery carries risks and such risks increase exponentially as we age. But, when a study reveals that a costly, life-threatening surgery does little to relieve pain or improve an individual’s quality of life, in my opinion such a surgery should not even be considered.Drugs…Just in Case?
As a chiropractor who believes in the human body’s ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free 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 migraines can be. And, yet, the only “solution” this study offered?
This study is “important,” said Dr. Hu, 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,” they concluded.
My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!
SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.
Chiropractic Masters Blog Talk Radio
Chiropractic News: Chiropractic Marketing internet radio show, Chiropractic Masters on Blog Talk Radio, interviews expert chiropractors around the country. The first episode featured Ventura Chiropractor, Dr. Steven Alff. Dr. Alff talked about spinal decompression and how it benefits his patients.