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Healthy Neck and Ergonomic Office Chair for a Professional

November 24, 2010 by drburt

Millions of people all over the word wonder how to eliminate their neck problems. Many people ignore the basic principle of a good posture, thus inviting stiff cervical spine pain which slows down productivity and degrades the quality of life. Individual won’t even realize how often he or she will be slouching during a day or sitting wrong. For those of you where living depends on sitting for prolonged hours in front of the computer, chronic neck pain due to strain and overuse of muscles is inevitable. It is important to catch yourself slouching and prevent doing it in the future. If you find yourself in the situation where pain during working hours in front of the computer becomes a daily occurrence, stretches and exercises for your neck is a must. Additional exercises such as Isometric Neck Exercise would be a great addition to keep your spine healthy.

Another great way to keep your neck healthy is by using an ergonomic desk chair. An ergonomic desk chair should help increase back and neck support to help improve posture and prevent slouching. Employees frequently experience back pain because they sit in their chairs for long periods of time. This increases stress in the spine, neck, arms, shoulders, and legs as well as in various muscles. A chair that isn’t ergonomically friendly can also aggravate existing conditions. READ MORE…

If you get to the point that exercises and stretches do not help to coop with pain and work productivity it is time to visit a health care professional who specializes in soft tissue rehabilitation. Local Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Physical Therapy and CMT comes to mind.

Pain is a warning sign that there is something wrong with your neck or other body part that is hurting. Ignoring the warning signs can be the cause of the osteoarthritis in your vertebral joints. Osteoarthritis is irreversible condition that will only get worse when a person ages. Overuse of neck muscles can aggravate neck arthritis, take ample rest. Check these simple but a very helpful charts – Helpful Hints For a Healthy Neck and Exercises For Cervical Strain.

Question: if you have any additional tips and advices please feel free to leave them in our comment section.

Chronic Headaches and Natural Healing Remedies

November 19, 2010 by drburt

The definition of chronic headache – occurs about 15 times a month during 3 months period. There are primary and secondary cephalgias. The primary one includes – migraine, tension type and cluster headaches. Very frequent or prolonged ones are know as the chronic cephalgias. Medical conditions such as infections or intracranial pressure will be classified as secondary headaches. The percentage of the secondary headaches is very small.

There are varieties of treatments available for different types of headaches. Prescription medications such as, beta blockers, Analgesics, antidepressant and injection of anesthetics are used for headaches treatment. These medications are only providing temporary relief and are not treating the cause of the problem. Frequent use of these medications will loose the therapeutic effect. Many have serious side effects. There are varieties of alternative therapies for pain relief which are quite as effective and without any side effects.

Meditation, Hypnosis, Biofeedback, and Yoga – these are stress management and relaxation techniques therapy.
Dehydration could be another cause of headaches: Drinking up to eight glasses of water a day can help you lessen the onset of headaches and be in optimal health.
Massage therapy is a great way to relieve stress. Massaging scalp, forehead, sub occipital muscles and neck could help relieve the headaches
Acupuncture can help relief the muscle tension.
Ice pack can be used in a dry towel. Apply it to your forehead for 10-15 minutes every waking hour. Cold reduces the inflammation and relaxes tense muscles.
Watch what you eat. Many of us are allergic to certain food and often times do not even aware of that.
Avoid Caffeine at all times. Products such as tea, chocolate, certain medications, and some drinks contain caffeine. If used on regular bases, dependency is inevitable and can develop withdrawing of the substance which may lead to severe headaches.
Foods such as: Aged Cheese , Vinegar (relish, salad, sauces, catsup), organ meat (kidney, liver), alcoholic beverages ( red wine in particular), Sour cream, Yogurt, some processed meat, yeast extracts pickles, onions, olives, fava beans, raisins, nuts, avocados and canned soups all contain Tramline. Tramline is a substance that has been found in certain foods after a breakdown of protein
Food preservative and additives: MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), aspartame, saccharine, nuts, hot dogs, ham, sausage, bacon, luncheon meats, Chinese foods, caned soups, dressing, mayonnaises, frozen foods and potato chips. Many of these additives in food could be the cause of nasty headaches.
Salt intake reduction will help to eliminate headaches, excessive amount of salt can and will cause headaches.
Aromatherapy: Olfactory nerve or cranial nerve #1 will be stimulated by this therapy. This method of healing has been around for centuries.
Reflexology: This type of therapy seems to help some but not all headache sufferers. It is worth a try as there is no side effect from this procedure.
Avoid triggers. Many things such as particular foods, stress, and direct sun light can trigger headaches. Try to avoid these triggers in the future and save yourself form needless suffering.
This list would not be complete without mentioning Chiropractic Care. Your local chiropractor can help with tension, long lasting and severe headaches.

Finally, it’s important to note that frequent or severe headaches may be symptoms of another illness or disorder. If you experience frequent or severe headaches, or headaches that are accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, vision problems, or dizziness, you might want to make an appointment with your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and effective treatments. Headaches can be a sign of many different things, always consult your health care provider for any health care concerns you may have.

Question: Do you know any additional information about natural headache relief? Please leave your answer in a comment section.

Infant Chiropractic Adjustment

November 17, 2010 by drburt

Last week I was visiting my family in New York City. My sister had her third child, beautiful and healthy baby boy – Gabriel. As soon as I saw my nephew my professional eye has noticed that his head was bent to the left at all times. Either he was laying down in his bed or held in hands the position of his head would not change. I could not help myself but perform a digital palpation of this one month old baby and figure out what was happening.

A little bit about the birth history. The first two children were born normally without any complications. However, the third child was born via C section. It is kind of strange because statistically the second and the third child should be relatively an easy birth. Unfortunately for my sister the last addition to the family was positioned wrong and normal delivery via birth canal would not be possible at all. This prolonged abnormal positioning in a mother’s womb was the cause of the left lateral neck tilt.

During digital palpation I have noticed that the paraspinal musculature on a right side of Gabriel’s neck was very tight. He also had very limited ROM when I tried to bend his neck to the right side. After I have finished my examination I figured out that his C6 vertebral level was out of alignment. The newborn’s vertebrae are not ossified and are very small. The best way to adjust and palpate this tiny spine is by using small fingers of both hands.

I guess one video will replace thousand words. Below is a video of an Infant Chiropractic Adjustment.

Right after Chiropractic adjustment I have rechecked Gabriel’s cervical spine and noticed that he had improved range of motion in his cervical spine. You can see at the end of this video a happy smile on his face. I guess it is a sign of my nephew saying: “Thank you uncle.”

This is an article from Parents magazine about Chiropractic Care and Children written by Holly Pevzner who is a mother of two boys.

My dad sees a chiropractor. Some of my runner friends do, to. But babies? And for crying? It’s true. “Today about twenty percent of my pediatric patients come in because if colic or digestive issues,” says Elise G. Hewitt, a board- certified pediatric chiropractor in Portland, OR. Baby chiro care is not as scary as it may sound. The adjustments involve short, quick impulses delivered to the spine with hands, as well as using very light touch on the bones of the skull. It’s quite comfortable for the child and can be done while he lies on parent’s lap or chest. “babies often fall asleep during treatment,” notes Hewitt.

Why it may work for you: Soon-to-be published research found that parents were eight times as likely to report a significant reduction in crying when the baby was treated with chiropractic care three or four times over a ten day-day period than if the baby wasn’t, says lead researcher Joyce Miller, associate professor in clinical sciences at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, in Bournemouth, England. The theory behind it: The practice helps alleviate tightness and joint issues that were caused by cramped position in utero or during birth. To find a chiropractor experienced with infants, talk to you pediatrician or go to the website of the American Chiropractic Association

Quit Smoking after 30 years of Addiction and the Power of Chiropractic

November 10, 2010 by drburt

This is a true story about my father who was a chain smoker for over thirty years. He came to visit me in California and stayed with me for one month while I was in my last year of Chiropractic College.

The health of my dad was in a very bad shape. He would be taken to a Hospital by an ambulance about 15 times a year because of his blood pressure which at times could jump so high that he could not even see straight. Medical Doctors would prescribed him a large variety of medications for lowering his blood pressure. At one point he had over twenty different bottles on a table. This amount of medications could easily kill a horse if given to one. Even my dad sometimes was wondering why was he given so many different medications for one problem. Why Doctors don’t tell him the cause of the problem. A simple advice for quit smocking and diet could have easily improved his condition. However, it was a chase for a symptom improvement but not the cause.

I had all the necessary tools and enough knowledge about anatomy and physiology of the body to figure out how to fix the problem. After reading PDR (Physician Desk Reference) I could not believe how ignorant his doctors were. All of his prescribed blood pressure medications had serious side effects. During a prolonged period of time taking these numerous blood pressure medications my dad has developed a variety of other problems.

One of the most serious symptoms was failing kidneys. His kidneys were leaking protein into a blood. I am not going to go into the significance of this pathophysiological effect, but the long term outcome was fatal. Yes, my dad was going to die if things would not be stabilized in his system any time soon. The main reason why he stayed with me for the entire month was because he thought it would be our last time together.

I had a huge poster in my room of a human body and how nervous system controls every single organ in our body. I knew that it would be a good starting point of educating my dad how smoking is effecting his health. Every day for thirty days I would take a cigarette from him, bring to the mouth on the poster and explained to him how damaging it is to his health and how each organ is be stressed because of him smocking. I told him that if he continues this way he might not have much time left in this world. Believe it or not he listened to every word that I was telling him. I have ordered special supplements for kidney support for Standard Process (Nutritional Company) and I have also changed his diet. I have also provided chiropractic adjustment to his spine every other day. As you already know a good functioning nervous system makes your system work better.

After about five days of education my dad did not light up the cigarette for the entire day. When I got home from school he told me that it was
the most difficult day in his life. Yes, he had nicotine withdrawals. I have informed him that each day it will get easier if he keeps it up this way. His desire to live life was stronger than the desire to smoke another cigarette. He understood what I was saying to him every single time while he was staying with me in California. When the time came for him fly back home to New York City he felt much better, refreshed, hopeful, happy, and energized with a new hope and a new chapter in his life. He was looking for forward to a new beginning.

I was afraid when he gets back home he will start smocking again. During conversation with my mother I asked her if dad had been
smocking. She informed me that he can not even look at cigarettes and hates when someone smokes around him. Every time I come to visit my parents in NYC I jokingly asked my dad if he wants to smoke. He replies: “I don’t understand how people can hold that disgusting poison in their mouse. It is a slow death.” These words came from a guy who smoked for 30 years.

This event took place over ten years ago. Ever since my dad quit smocking he has not been taken to a hospital E.R at all. The health has normalized and his kidneys function have returned to normal. I could probably say that Chiropractic saved my dad. I am writing this post from NYC from my parents home while I am visiting them. The photo above is the real photo of my dad that was taken from my I Phone about an hour ago.

Question: Do you want to quit smoking? What stops you? How does smoking affect your life?