First off, I suggested to to Jeff that telling Susan that her PMS was a “mental problem,” was not only just plain risky, it was also just plain incorrect! I went on to explain that, in most cases, there are physiological causes of PMS including one that he might find surprising — spinal misalignment. He seemed shocked that Susan’s back could actually be the culprit. But, I explained to both him and Susan that spinal subluxations, particularly in the lower back, can commonly produce a diverse variety of female health conditions in addition to Premenstrual Syndrome, such as pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, incontinence, and even infertility.

Then I told them how chiropractic can help to relieve the symptoms of PMS because chiropractic treatments get rid of nerve impingement in the body. The fact is that the nervous system controls and regulates every cell, fiber, tissue, organ, and system in the body. Susan’s reproductive system is included in this master regulation. If her reproductive system isn’t functioning optimally due to nerve impedance, it can produce a variety of symptoms such as those analogous with PMS like agitation, pain, heavy bleeding, or severe cramping if her reproductive system were overactive. Missed periods or infertility can be caused by an under-activity reproductive system.

I concluded by telling them that on the positive side, if nerve disturbance was generating Susan’s PMS symptoms, then I could help because chiropractic adjustments restore harmony and balance to the nervous system and, hence, help it to function more normally.

I’ve known for years that along with improved overall health, many women experience recovered reproductive health, as well, while under chiropractic care. Chiropractic care offers an all natural solution for PMS that could help you to avoid periodic misery, without medication, and keep you pain-free and active all month long.

So, we went to my chiropractic clinic and I adjusted Susan. Needless to say, the rest of the visit went more smoothly for all three of us!

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“One of the greatest services we can provide our communities is to ensure that all children obtain access to books and discover the joy and value of reading,” said Carol H. Rasco, President and CEO Reading is Fundemental, the nation’s oldest and largest children and families’ literacy nonprofit organization, which took part in the seven-day focus. In fact, to further raise awareness about the importance of literacy and its long-term impact on the economy, RIF is challenging all Americans to collectively log 3 million minutes of reading with children by September 11, 2009, on the Read for Change website: http://www.RIF.org/readforchange. At the end of the challenge, RIF will select five participants to receive a children’s multicultural book collection as well as the opportunity to select a school in their community to receive a book collection.

What a wonderful way for us to spend our volunteer time here in San Francisco, don’t you think? As a chiropractor, I treat many children in my clinic. Over the years I have noticed that children who read, just for the fun (and interest) of it, seem to stay healthier in general. The human brain requires stimulation in order for the body to stay healthy and, of course, a chiropractic adjustment stimulates the brain in very positive ways. But, it seems to me that there is a correlation as well between the stimulation a child’s brain receives through the joy of reading and a healthy auto-immune system.

So, let’s get started spending some time reading to our children, or our friend’s children, or volunteering at a school or boys and girls club. Statistics show that nearly two-thirds of low-income families own no books for their children. If you like to read, share your joy of reading with a child. It won’t cost you anything but time, but the rewards, as they say, are priceless!

Read the full story at http://literacyandreading.blogspot.com/2009/07/americans-called-to-log-time-spent.html

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Like me, you may be questioning whether or not our human pursuit of longevity has unexpectedly been replaced by a mission to find immortality. No doubt, you’ve been reading a lot recently about the astounding heart benefits of red wine (resveratrol), the extraordinary memory retention benefits of coffee (caffeine), and the myriad benefits of a multitude of natural supplements that, in their own way, “guarantee” to reduce or prevent every known cause of mortality.

To start with, let me make it super clear that I unwaveringly believe that certain~particular things that we ingest can be beneficial to our health. Therefore, I’m absolutely not against taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but take them myself. Secondly, if confession is good for the soul, and red wine is good for the heart, then I’d like to take this opportunity to help both by stating for the record that I enjoy drinking a glass of red wine. The suggestion that it might have heart-healthy properties, well, that’s like icing on the cake, so to speak. And, lastly, as far as caffeine’s ability to genuinely reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s disease goes, I believe that if that were generally true, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.

However, before taking ill-considered action, and indiscriminately adding another cup of coffee to your morning habit, an extra glass of red wine to your evening meal, or an extra expenditure of your hard-earned cash on exotic herbs that promise to make you live forever, let’s rationally consider a couple of things.

For instance, let us consider the fact that we, humans, are dynamic, biological beings, free to enthusiastically interact with life. We have not been detained in a cage, and not one of us has been “propagated” to artificially develop the age-related debilitation and disease that lab animals are bred to do, conditions that are then “reversed” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic herb.

Basically, our being dynamic and biological is another way of saying that we, humans, are not ” mechanistic automatons.” In other words, we aren’t all precisely alike. Due to the fact that our central integrative states are not exactly the same, internal provocation factors and external irritation influences affect us in different ways. For example, though smoking cigarettes is commonly harmful to most people, there are a few individuals who can smoke cigarettes and still achieve longevity without any related ill effects.

Scientific studies isolate certain variables in order to achieve particular outcomes. That’s scientific inquiry! But, because the results occur through such isolation, and due to the fact that they are generally done on animals, when it comes to translating such results to humans, it can be said that what may work for some of the people all of the time, won’t work for all of the people all of the time, and sometimes won’t work at all (to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln!).

You make choices each day, some that are intentional and others that may be indifferent, that will affect your physical health, now and in the future. You decide what (and how much) you’ll eat and drink, and the amount of physical activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you can “sense” what is healthy for you, by the way your body responds, sometimes, perhaps too often, you may override the feedback. Clearly, when you don’t consciously make healthy choices, you jeopardize your health and longevity.

Then you, like many others, may enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon of the latest report that announces that researchers have uncovered THE VERY THING that has the potency to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things you have been doing to your body on a routine basis! Talk about wishful thinking!

Your human body is an elegantly complex, homeostatic system. In other words, every operation is interdependent and sensitively balanced. When you choose an unhealthy lifestyle, your fastidiously-responsive system gets “off balance.” Sooner or later, the imbalances created by choosing unhealthily, result in diseases and a shortened lifespan.

As a chiropractor who supplements daily, I suggest that you supplement, too, if they help you to feel vigorously healthy. I agree, as well, that if it feels like the thing to do, an extra cup of coffee might actually be personally beneficial for you. And, if it truly feels healthy, have a little more red wine. Just keep in mind, however, that the only authentic way that you can prevent or reverse age-related health problems is by changing an unhealthy lifestyle. You won’t become healthier or live longer by waiting for the discovery of a “magic potion.”

Dr. Jamie Phillips, a Santa Barbara Chiropractor, has been in private chiropractic practice for 24 years. She is also a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic internet marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She can be reached at (805) 985-9502

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This particular seminar was very helpful, too. And, I’m looking forward to utilizing what I learned. Oh, and I met several very cool bay area chiropractors. I particularly liked the doc from San Jose. So, if you see his ads online, just remember, even though your first thought is that he’s trying to make money, his real intention is to help you to find him so that he can help you to feel better again!

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A normal spine is straight, without much disparity from side-to-side, when the body is seen from behind. But, if the spine is seen to have a lateral, or side-to-side, curvature, the patient might have a disorder called scoliosis.The affliction shouldn’t be confused with poor posture, even though it often gives the appearance that the patient is leaning to one side. Scoliosis is a complicated deformity that is defined by both lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebra often causing a symptomatic “rib hump” in the mid or thoracic spine. This is caused by the vertebrae in the area of the major curve rotating toward the concavity and pushing their connected ribs posterior thus causing the characteristic rib hump seen in thoracic scoliosis. The pulmonary and cardiac functions can be interfered with if the thoracic curve and rib rotation exceeds 70 degrees. This degree of curve and consequential cardiac and pulmonary changes are oftentimes seen later in life in untreated severe idiopathic infantile and juvenile scoliosis patients and, more often than not, present a threat to life.

Anatomy

If a person were to look at the trunk from a side view, the spine would display four normal curves: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral. The thoracic, in the chest area, has a healthy round curve, “reversed C,” called a kyphosis, while in the lower spine there is a natural “C” curve, known as swayback or lordosis. Increased kyphosis in the thoracic area is called hyperkyphosis, while heightened swayback is termed, hyperlordosis. Changes from normal that are visible from a side view frequently accompany scoliosis changes. Some round back deformities are simply due to unhealthy posture and can often be corrected with postural exercises. A small portion of patients with kyphosis have more rigid deformities than the postural type, which are coincidental with vertebral deformity. This class of deformity, called Scheuermann’s kyphosis, is much harder to treat than postural kyphosis, and it’s cause is unknown.

Even a layman can help to identify a child or adult with scoliosis just by looking at the person in a standing position, preferably with no shirt and in boxers, and observing the following:

• One shoulder may be raised than the other.

• One scapula (shoulder blade) may be raised or more prominent than the other.

• With the arms hanging freely at the sides, there may be more room between the arm and the body on one side.

• One hip may look to be raised or more prominent than the other.

• The head is not in plumb with the pelvis.

• When the person is viewed from the rear and asked to bend forward until the spine is horizontal, one side of the back looks more raised than the other.

Once scoliosis is identified, the child or adult should be sent to a healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor, for further diagnosis. your chiropractor would be happy to help.

The most common kind of scoliosis is, by far, Idiopathic, and though there are a variety of origins and many varieties, Idiopathic Scoliosis accounts for approximately 85% of all cases. “Idiopathic” means “no known cause” and is observed with equal occurrence in boys and girls in the mild or low curve magnitudes. Depending on the age of onset, this condition can be sub-classified into infantile, juvenile and adolescent cases. Idiopathic Scoliosis may be caused by genetic or hereditary influences as it often runs in families. However girls, for unknown reasons are five to eight times more likely than boys to have their curves grow in size and require treatment. As the term “Idiopathic Scoliosis” implies, this type of scoliosis commonly happens when children are completing their last major growth spurt. It is a good idea to have this age group viewed by a professional on a regular basis because young people are disinclined to permit their body to be viewed by parents or other adults.

If a scoliotic curve is observed in the growing adolescent, it is very important that the curves be monitored for change by periodic examination and from time to time standing X-rays. In ninety percent of instances, the scoliosis is mild and does not require active treatment, however increases in spinal deformity require evaluation to ascertain if a brace or other management is necessary. In a small number of people, surgical treatment may be required.~Surgery may be required for a small number of patients.

Brace therapy (orthosis) is recommended for newly-identified symptoms of moderate scoliosis or abnormal kyphosis, as well as when an increase in scoliosis or kyphosis is observed in both juvenile and adolescent children. There are quite a few kinds of braces, all created to prevent curves from increasing through the process of acting as a buttress for the spine during active skeletal growth. Bracing is effective in stopping curve progression in a significant percentage of skeletally-immature adolescents. But, braces normally will not make the spine entirely straight, and cannot always keep a curve from progressing.

Scoliosis has no simple answer. Nearly all cases, even though frequently monitored, are not actively treated. Severe symptoms are occasionally treated surgically, but the standard medical treatment for moderate cases is a brace. You may want to see your local chiropractor first.

Besides bracing, many other methods have been used successfully including specialized exercise, electric stimulation of spinal muscles, nutritional programs, and chiropractic treatments. It seems like the most beneficial results have been sustained with a multi-faceted approach to the treatment of this condition.

There are chiropractors, that have expertise managing scoliosis symptoms.

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Non-trauma knee problems: Insufficient mechanics of the knee joint and the corresponding stress on the soft tissues of the knee are, by far, the most common cause of non-traumatic pain. Generally, the part of the knee implicated is the patella or knee-cap. Frequently the patella does not move smoothly or does not move adequately on the femur during bending of the knee producing undue stress on the tendons, cartilage and ligaments. This specific condition is frequently called chondromalacia patella (CMP) or Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain). The condition usually originates when there are imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that attach to and move the patella. Lower back ailments, especially in the sacroiliac joints, are one of the primary reasons for imbalances in the muscles related to knee movement, and subsequent knee problems. Pain and dysfunction can also be produced by imbalances in the muscle groups that attach to the knee. For example, the muscles on the inside of the thigh, when strained and tight, can create pain on the medial or inside of the knee.   Faulty foot mechanics that cause gait deviations such as pronation, are another cause of mechanical knee pain.

Evidence of overuse includes pain during activities such as climbing stairs, running, jumping, as well as pain upon getting up after prolonged sitting. Many women are likely to be predisposed to painful overuse problems for anatomical reasons, although such ailments are often caused by wearing high heels on a regular basis.

It is important to re-establish proper muscle balance, restore appropriate motion to the patella and other knee joints, and to correct any subluxations of the sacroiliac joints and bones of the foot.  In specific cases, a brace is used to assist with the positioning of the patella or to support the joint. Chiropractors, such as your San Jose chiropractor, are highly experienced in administering the appropriate diagnosis and care of these problems.

Knee problems due to trauma: Traumatic injuries often take place during sports that involve running and jumping, particularly. When the knee is pulled or contorted beyond the capability of the ligaments that hold the joint together, tearing of these tissues can occur creating a sprain. Strains to muscles that facilitate movement of the knee can occur when the muscles are torn during injury. As with a sprain, a muscle strain can range from a minor injury that necessitates little treatment to a severe injury needing surgery. The knee also is comprised of two special “cartilages” – the menisci – between the tibia and the femur that provide for fluid motion and cushioning. These cartilages can also be torn during trauma, and often require surgical repair, or even removal if damaged severely.

Traumatic knee injuries can cause intense pain and swelling and need urgent evaluation and care. In the majority of cases a competent chiropractor, such as your San Jose Chiropractor, can take excellent care of these types of injuries, however there are some injuries that do need the craft of an orthopedic surgeon. Whatever the case, it is crucial to stabilize the injured joint as soon as possible and to put ice on the hurt area, if possible, until the injury can be assessed.

Conditions such as poor mechanics and problems due to overuse, as well as traumatic injuries, need to be corrected at an early stage. If not, the tissues of the knee joint, expressly the cartilage, will start to erode. In that event the bones will rub on one another, and changes such as bone spurs can take place. This painful affliction, known as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis, commonly advances with age. Common treatment may involve medications such as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Nevertheless, there are natural anti-inflammatory supplements that are very effective such as rosemary, glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, bioflavinoids, curcumin. Conservative treatment, such as chiropractic, can be extremely valuable in relieving the pain. Your San Jose chiropractor is will be happy to recommend anti-inflammatory supplements. In addition, people can usually help themselves by keeping their weight down, doing exercises (especially in the pool), and wearing cushioned shoes or insoles.

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