Exercise For Pain!

You've heard it said, "No pain, No Gain."

That is because the discipline it takes to exercise regularly is the Pain part. Exercise can feel good, and researchers at Stanford have suggested that vigorous exercise may help prevent joint and muscle pain. Yes prevent! In people 50+ years old, those who exercised regularly had pain-rating scores 25% lower than their sedentary peers, as well as a lower incidence of arthritis.
If you're not over 50 yet, don't worry, you will be soon enough!
This was noted in the journal, Arthritis Research and Therapy, 2005.

Red Wine Time

For the wine enthusiasts in northern California, the wine crush is nearing it's end. A short-drive trip to Amador County from Sac will reward the casual wine drinker with an abundance of tasty opportunities. Unlike Napa, every place I have been in Amador offers free tasting too.
Unless one has issues with alcohol, it seems that a couple ounces a day of red red wine will keep the doctor away.

Some of the Benefits of drinking Red Wine:

Decreasing the levels of LDL's in the blood. That's Low-Density Lipoproteins. Aka sludge!
Increasing the levels of HDL's in the blood. That's High-Density Lipoproteins. These are good!
Decreasing the risk of blood clotting.
Free Radical neutralization with the powerful antioxidant, Resveratrol. Great stuff!

Enjoy some Red this month!

Elasti-Girl gets neck pain

Even super-heroes can get neck pain. Interestingly, all the tissues in your body, even bones, have a certain amount of elasticity. Maybe not as much as Elasti-Girl from The Incredibles film, but some! Perhaps there's a common reason your are not feeling so incredible...

Just like a rubber band, if a ligament (that holds your bones together) is stretched too much or for too long, it will stay lengthened. The more time and the greater the weight, the more stretching that occurs. This is one of the consequences of repetitive actions or of a sustained position.

If stretched too long (think of poor forward- head posture of the neck) then these ligaments can stay permanently lenthened! If this occurs in your neck, the muscles of your neck may have to hold your head up all day. They can get tired and grumpy, since at 10-12 pounds for the average head, that is a lot of work, and is one of the main contributors to a sore neck. Adjustments and postural awareness help combat this.

You Should Teach An Old Dog New Tricks (and do them yourself too!)

We've all heard that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. That may be true, unless of course the old dog is motivated! Same for us it turns out.

A study on the effect of formal mental training on elderly volunteers, with an average age of 73 at the start of the study, showed the brain appears to benefit from regular exercise, even as we age. After 5 years of training, a positive effect was seen when evaluating the subjects' ability to do the activities of daily living.

The training involved using things like mnemonics, acronyms and rhymes to aid memory; however, the author of the study believes other mental exercises, such as doing Soduko puzzles, would be effective as well, especially if done regularly. The research is being hailed as showing promise as a non-drug treatment to combat declines associated with aging.

Journal of the American Medical Association, December 2006

Myth Busters

I hear all kinds of crazy things.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend who told me that she heard "once you start going to a chiropractor, you have to keep going to a chiropractor forever."

I laughed and told her she was nuts! The key goofy words here are "have to." We live in America and God has given us free will, which we exercise on a minute to minute and daily basis. We don't "have to" do most anything. Now, eventually the choices we make or don't make will lead to natural, legal, social or even spiritual consequences. Perhaps ones we don't like. But we still get to choose.

I told her that I heard once you start eating right, exercising or brushing your teeth, you have to keep doing it forever! Prudent people keep doing the things that seem right. The truth is, once many people start going to a chiropractor, they choose to keep coming for years because they feel the benefit.

Now, you "have to" call and get your adjustment before we close for the weekend! Enjoy.

Go aHead, Call me Fat-Head!

The next time someone calls you a FatHead, say thank you! Ok, maybe those won't be the first words out of you mouth, but check this out:

The more Fat in the form of Omega-3 fatty acids in the brain, the better. Yes really! A recent study looked at MRI images of the brain in volunteers. It was discovered that consuming Omega-3 fatty acids increases the volume of the grey matter in the mood and emotional areas of the brain (the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, right amygdala and right hippocampus, for those who must know).

Individuals with a lower intake of Omega-3 fatty acids were found to be impulsive (saying mean things to people like "hey Fathead") and have more negative moods and sour dispositions. This was reported by the University of Pittsburg Reuters, April 2007.

Next time you are in the health food store, pick up some Omega-3's. Many nutritionists recommend about 3 grams per day. You may end up being more fun to be around!

News You Can Use

Dear Friends. Today I had yet another one. The young patient had a back spasm, and a tight sacro-iliac area. He'd already been to the doctor and got a whole bottle of guess what? You guessed it, muscle relaxants and valium. Let's just nuke em! The muscles are doing their job after the joints were sprained playing soccer. We call it "splinting muscle spasm." They are following the wisdom of the body and protecting the injured area.
MORE on this young man in a minute...
A recent study published in Spine, a prestigious journal showed that 63% of patients who saw a doctor took a muscle relaxant for back pain. It was also revealed that patients using muscle relaxants took as much as two times longer to recover than those who did not take muscle relaxants. No brainer folks. Flush the drugs!
BACK to the young man. I found his sacro-iliac joint rotated and extremely tense. After a specific release of the pressure with a nice adjustment, the muscles relaxed and he felt ready for action! No drugs required!
Moral to the story: The body is smart. Muscle relaxants try to outwit the body, but the owner of the body is who is getting outwitted. Try an adjustment next time your back muscles get tight.

Try It You'll Like It

I love turning people on to feeling great by getting adjusted. Hardly a day goes by that a new patient will tell me how much better they feel, even after one adjustment. Adjustments can be powerful. For example, adjustments help:
1. Pain relief. When the body moves better, trapped chemicals are released, tight muscles are relaxed and pressure on joints and nerves are reduced. Adjustments relieve pressure.
2. Better breathing. If you tighten your chest and try to inhale, you'll find it doesn't work too well, and it is difficult to oxygenate. If your back or ribs are tight, then you experience restricted oxygen intake. Adjustments can free up your back and ribs, allowing easier breathing.
3. Nervous System function. All of your spinal nerves are protected by the spine. When it moves well, it functions well. Adjustments help nerve functioning.
4. Blood flow. Tight muscles will restrict blood flow, and the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the cells of your body. Adjustments can relax tight muscles.
These are just a few of the benefits. If you haven't been feeling your best, Try it, you'll like it.
We're here to help.

Fit for Vacation

At the Anderson house, while we are a week and a day into the "back to school" routine, it still feels like summer. Of course it helps that it was about 95 degrees today. Our summer vacation to Maui pictures are spread all over the art table in a scrapbooking project. It was tough to leave the island and come back home.
Looking at the pictures tonight, I was reminded of a highlight for me, the road trip to Hana. We stopped every few miles and swung on vines, hiked up to waterfalls, body surfed and basically had a blast amidst the amazing beauty. While we were slogging up a muddy trail in the rain, it dawned on me how fortunate I was to have the health and fitness it took to make it up there and not die! I needed stamina, coordination, agility and vision! I appreciate my good eyes too. I think I know why some people get and stay fit. It is so they can do the things they love. Hana for me was such a beautiful blessing, and it was my healthy spine and body that got me there. To have fitness, you got to have a WHY for the fitness. What is it you would like to do, or keep doing?
If you can answer that, I know I'll be seeing you soon in the office for a tune-up so you can keep it up! Enjoy!

New Website

I am excited about this new website and blog. I am pleased to offer a site that is easy
to navigate and that reflects our office well. Check out the blog regularly. I like to read and be informed about health and wellness issues, and share what I find that is useful. With our printed newsletter, the in-office Weekly Health Updates, many of our visitors and patients appreciate being informed and better prepared to make good decisions about health.

Thanks! I did come kickin' and screamin' a bit into the web-based era that we now are living in, as I am such a face to face kind of person. My hope with this blog and site is to stay connected with you between the times we actually get to visit. Enjoy!