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How To Avoid the Flu

If you've been watching the TV or reading the paper there is a "Flu Scare" being put out there by the media with all kinds of recommendations for identiying the flu and what to do if you should be one the tiny percentage of the population to contract it.

By next week we'll be seeing lines of people lining up to get their flu vaccine shot.

Let's have a flu panic party !

Maybe we should put things in perspective  -

First: It's a virus and it's not from outer space. 

Taking a flu shot is more risky than you might think and you really ought to think about it.

Viruses mutate or change constantly / frequently.

          So, to make a vacine for swine flu (today's version) won't likely work a week from now because              it'll be a different flu virus next week. How many shots do you want to have to get?   

Something to consider regarding flu vaccines in general - If you've had 5 consecutive flu shots you have a ten-fold increased risk of getting Alziemer's Disease later in life.

Is that true?  when you look at the ingredients of flu vaccines...it's quite possible

Wanta test it?

I have a better idea on how to deal with the flu - 

Why not treat it like any other Virus? 

To avoid a virus infection of any kind...you have to make yourself an in-hospitable host.

In other words - Be a place the virus does not want to be.

     How do you do that?

                              EASY- Adopt the chiropractic lifestyle

1) Be warm - not hot, but comfortably warm. Viruses love us when we have a chill.

2) Be well hydrated - drink 4-8 glasses of water everyday. Viruses love us when we're even slightly         dehydrated.

3) Be well rested - go to bed at a reasonable hour every night so your body is not fatigued. Viruses love us when we're exhausted and worn down.

4) Get some exercise regularly. It lowers your stress levels substantially - Viruses love us when we're stressed out. Exercise also keeps the metabolism (that internal "engine" ), running in top form -            Viruses love us when we're weak, mushy couch potatoes.

5) Eat better - less carbs and more protein, in proportion, not in excess. Lay off the junk food and soft drinks. excess sugar weakens our immune sstem. Viruses love us when we're poorly nourished.

6) Last but definitely not the least important - Get yourself to a chiropractor and get adjusted - not once but regularly. It keeps the immune system running in high gear. Virses don't want to live in someone with a strong immune system at all.

      I have patients who come in only once in a while, ie.: when their back has a melt-down - the perfect candidate for the flu. People who hurt their back very often get a cold or flu within a week or two.    Then again, I have patients who come in once a week or maybe once every other week - and I've been seeing some of these people for over twenty (20 years)-

                        I have never seen THESE people get a cold or flu

 I've seen this enough to be able to authoritatively make this bold statement.

See the difference? 

How Dangerous Is Chiropractic?

 

Nine serious chiropractic injuries in the history of medicine have been found related to spinal manipulation (versus hundreds of thousands of deaths every year from orthodox medicine). [Vohr S, Johnston BC, Cramer K, Humphreys K. Adverse events associated with pediatric spinal manipulation: a systematic review.  Pediatrics. 2007;119(1):e275-283.]     Courtesy of reknowned Dr. Ted Koren

 

Bouncing Back From Injury

Face it - sooner or later, if you play hard - you’re going to get hurt eventually.

             Not being negative - it’s just reality

 The big question I always get asked is:

                                       How long will it take get back to your old self?

That depends on the nature and location of the injury.

We do not heal by Tylenol, muscle relaxers or antibiotics.

    Pain "gone" does not equal healed - not by a long stretch.

                                We only heal by replacing damaged cells with new ones.

Different body parts / tissues replace their cells at different time frames.

If you bite the inside of your cheek those cells replace themselves in about 36 hours - healed.

If you break your leg skiing, bone cells replace themselves in 6- 8 weeks.

                      Now you know why the cast stays on for 6-8 weeks.

The cast does not grow new bone cells - it holds your leg straight while YOU do.

Sprain your ankle and you’re looking at 6-8 weeks - Ligaments take as long to replace their cells as bone does.

Sure - It may feel better in less than 6-8 weeks but I’m talking about healed.

...Big difference

Test question: If you bend wrong, causing a popping sound with searing pain (ie.: Ligament tear), in your lower back - how long will it take to heal?

Some therapies we use in the chiropractic office setting will speed up cell replacement time and thus speed up healing.

One popular treatment we use is Low-Level Laser, also called Cold Laser. This actually accelerates cell replication time, reducing healing time by as much as 10-15 %. It also reduces pain - Nice!

And then, some treatments RETARD healing. Many common over-the-counter and prescription medications such as Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, Cipro, Oxycodone, Acetaminophen and other anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving medications actually slow down cell replication.

                                   Something to think about...

Big Misconception About Back Pain

One of the big misconceptions about back pain is where the actual problem is located.

We may think that because we have a sharp pain in the lower back or butt that radiates into the thigh, that we must have a herniated disc.

Looks can be deceiving.

Some statistics and studies suggest that one in four "disc’ injury cases are really, in fact, sacro-iliac joint problems instead.

More often than not, I find, on examination that that pain in the patient’s lower back or butt is coming from the sacro-iliac joint.

How can you tell the difference?

A proper examination is necessary but from a review of postures and activities that produce the pain, the timing of when the pain starts and where it hurts - one can usually tell the difference.

The sacro-iliac joint injury patient feels a great deal of pain or discomfort when laying or sitting. He feels increased pain transitioning or changing to another position such as getting out of bed or the car to a standing position...but he feels much better once standing up right and walking.

He cannot sit still and appears visibly uncomfortable, almost fidgety, needing to keep moving.

His leg pain, if any, is more often seen radiating to the front of the thigh and into the groin and if in the back of the thigh - it rarely extends below the knee.

Quite differently, however, the disc injury patient feels best lying down. Similar to the sacro-iliac patient, he also feels increased pain changing position from sitting to standing but once standing and walking, his pain increases and he is shortly looking for a place to lay down.

The disc injury patient is more prone to lay very still.

His leg pain is more likely to be in the back of the thigh and to extend below the knee and often to the foot.

Do you experience either of these scenarios or maybe even a combination?

Maybe it would be beneficial to have it checked out.

If nearby, come into the office and Dr. John will do an examination and find out what is causing your pain.

If you’re too far away to do that - why not fill out the Backdoconline Consultation Form (located under links on the side bar), and submit it for Dr. John’s evaluation? Following his review of your consultation form he will give his recommendations as to what may be causing your pain and what you might do for it, including what type of doctor you should go see and what exercises might help you.

Chiropractic Care for General Back Health

Chiropractic is like flossing your teeth -

Do it once in a while, maybe when you’re in pain and

                        it sorta helps.... Somewhat

Do it regularly and it helps - A whole lot

It’s all about motion

                                           Got Motion - Got Health

Pills don’t make stuck joints move better

Acupuncture needles don’t make stuck joints move better

Surgery doesn’t make stuck joints move better

Massage doesn’t make stuck joints move better

                                  Only chiropractic restores lost motion

Who Is Most Likely To Have Back Pain?

After being in practice for over 25 years and having had the opportunity to help well over several thousand people - I was always curious to see if there was a common thread - something about back pain that was age related, job related or something to do with economic back-round or the type of bed they all slept in, etc.

At first I couldn’t find anything that they all had in common - Back pain seemed to happen to anybody regardless of income, sex, age or whatever.

After closer evaluation though I did find that there was one thing that most people who have chronic back problems Do have in common.

People who have recurring back problems are out of shape. They may have been in shape at one time but have since de-conditioned. They’re not necessarily over weight but there is a strong correlation there that cannot be ignored.

But, people who have recurring back pain do not move as much as others who do not have back problems, they are generally more sedentary, their ligaments and muscles are tighter, they’re less flexible and their joints don’t have as full a range of motion as those who do not have back problems.

 They do not work out. They don’t do resistance work or cardio on a regular basis.

Their idea of exercise is going to the mailbox to get the mail.

The "gym rats" - people who work out regularly generally don’t have problems with their back.

Yes, I do have those who got hurt working out - It happens.

I did it myself and I’m in the best shape of anyone I know.

However, people who are in good condition when they get injured - heal faster, more thoroughly, and are back to working out as soon as possible.

Some get hurt and because of their injury or their head-space, allow themselves to de-condition.

These people will continue to have recurring episodes of back pain.

A strong, healthy back is strong and healthy because it "moves".

Look at the school playground at recess time. It would be safe to say that most, if not all of the children, do Not have pack pain. As these same children age into adults some will slow down before others and become more sedentary - these are the ones you’re most likely going to be seeing later in the doctor’s office for back and other health-related problems.

If You Were To Design the Best, Optimum Care for Back Pain...

How would you go about it?  What would it involve?

Would it require popping a bottle of pills to cover up the pain without regard for the cause of the pain?

      And if the pain goes away are we to assume that the pain was caused by a lack of those pills...?

Would it consider cutting out and removing valuable parts and structures of the back?

      And if the pain goes away should we then assume that that part should never have been there in the first place...?

Or would the best, optimum back care examine the back and take into account all of its structures from an alignment or even mechanical standpoint to see if maybe one part or another was out of balance & symmetry and not moving the way it was supposed to with regard to the rest and that was creating all the fuss?

Is it OK to start using our head yet?

The First Sign of Back Pain

Most people who have ever had a problem with their back will tell you they got up that morning and everything was fine and then...all of a sudden it went out. Just like that. He will tell you he was just putting on his shoes and blamo - his back went out. She will say she was putting out the trash and nothing seemed wrong but later while simply driving to work she noticed something pulling in her lower back. Or, he was just walking out to the car and got this little twinge in his back and knew something was not quite right in Denmark.

In an attempt to de-myth bad back problems -

There is no way that a perfectly good, strong, healthy back went completely bad in the space of one minute.

Back pain is like a river. It has a beginning, an origin. It starts somewhere, sometime.

And, most often, it started long before it began hurting you on a perceptible level.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a crystal ball, to be able to know that your back was going to drop a bomb on your life today. Maybe it’s not the best day to clean out the garage... Maybe you could just stay home that day. Or...maybe you could take steps to avoid it like fixing the problem before it flares up on you.

Well - there is a way to know if your back is going to go out on you. Very often I can look at someone and know they’re heading for a "fall". I don’t always know exactly which day his back is going to start hurting but I can tell pretty accurately that his back is in trouble and it’s about to go to go out on him.

How do I know?

I look at him and compare his shoulders and hips. I look to see if one hip or shoulder is higher than the other. I look at the feet to see if one tends to be flared outward more than the other. I look at the way she leans her head to one side. I watch his gait and observe if it is symmetrical. I look at the head to see if he is carrying it forward of his shoulders.

If he is out of alignment / out of balance already it’s a cinch he’s going to have back pain very soon. Today maybe, tomorrow or the next day at the latest.

Then I look at what he is doing. Does he work slumped over his computer? Is he carrying a bunch of packages all in one hand? Is he trying to be macho-man and move the refrigerator by himself?

Got the misalignment, now we got the activity and pretty soon we get the pain.

What usually follows next is the look of surprise in her eyes. Why me?

The beginning of back pain is an imbalance somewhere, unequal weight bearing. This weakens the muscles and ligaments holding your joints together. Once weakened - it’s just a matter of time before you pick something up wrong, bend wrong or are stuck doing something when you’re slightly out of balance and then a bone slips out of place or a joint becomes stuck or fixated and your pain begins.

Did all that happen "today"?

No - you just became aware of it today.

How to avoid this?

Take at least as good care of your back as you do your car or your pet - Get your back checked for misalignments before they cause problems / pain.