4- Tips to Get Welcome Relief

Back Pain: 4- Tips to Get Welcome Relief

Chiropractors are experts in the conservative treatment of the joints, especially the spine along with nerves, and muscles —which makes up about 60% of your body.  Optimal function is necessary for overall good health and vitality.  Do you suffer from chronic back pain?  Does it affect your daily life?  Do you often avoid exercise or other activities because of your back pain?  Does it cause you to sit more than you should?  You aren't alone.  Because five percent of Americans miss at least 1 day of work annually because of low-back pain, (LBP).  While more than 80 percent of workers who report an episode of low-back pain return to work within 1 month, more than 90 percent return to their usual activities within 3 months.  Back pain is a common problem. Read on to find out if you can solve your chronic back pain now!

 Our goal for you is this:

• Understand the mechanism  of your back pain
• Identify ways to prevent recurrence of your back pain
• Improve conservative and other non-surgical treatments for your back pain
• Prevent lasting disability if you’ve suffered with LBP for more than 3 months. 

Once your initial back pain begins to subside, try going for a walk as soon as you can.  A short walk is fine, around the block or down the street and back perhaps, maybe less.  Don't carry anything and keep your head up. This kind of gentle exercise can reduce back spasms and improve your mood. If the walk doesn't reduce or eliminate the pain, it will at least take your mind off of it. Then, avoid prolonged sitting at all costs, here’s why:  

You'll live longer.  Because the risk of death from any cause increases with the amount of time spent sitting. 

In order to help prevent back discomfort from occurring, make sure you use chairs properly. For example, many office chairs have controls for adjusting the height and position of the seat back part of the chair. Utilize these controls to ensure you are getting the most comfortable, back-friendly position possible when using these chairs.  Remember 90 degree angles are best.  Your feet should be 90 degrees with your legs, your thighs and hips 90 degrees with your torso.  

Avoid lifting while reaching, and lifting while twisting or anything that is too far away from you. Always move closer to the object and do not twist around to grab something like in the back seat of a car, or reaching into an awkward space for example. Do not extend from the couch and reach for things that are too far away either.

Strengthening your muscles is as important to healing from a back injury as it is to preventing future injury. That said, people who already experience back pain should not engage in exercises that put undue strain on their injured muscles. For that reason, walking briskly every day is the best way to work through injuries while also working all the muscles in your body to prevent future injuries.

As you know, if you sufferer from chronic back discomfort, the pain alone can negatively impact your life and cause you to have trouble with daily activities. Now that you know what can be done to fix your back pain, you may be able to solve this and improve your quality of life!

One simple method is a series of chiropractic adjustments known as manipulation.  Eight to twelve visits in the course of 4 to 6 weeks.  Spinal manipulation refers to the use of a specific force in a precise direction applied to a joint that’s fixed or “locked-up.” and helps normalize spinal movement.  Adjustments help return bones to a more normal motion, and helps relieve pain and subsequently the ill health resulting from it.  Osteopathic doctors and chiropractors use their hands to mobilize, adjust, massage, or stimulate the spine and supporting muscles. This kind of treatment tends to be most effective in people with uncomplicated pain and when used with other therapies such as exercise.

Bless, and be blessed ALWAYS,

Lewis Meltz

90 Per Cent Alive, or 10 Per Cent Dead?

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“Am I 90 Per Cent Alive, or 10 Per Cent Dead?”

How Simple Can It Really Be?

From the moment of conception you became you in every unique way. The genetic blueprint from the combined DNA of your mother and father is what determines the color of your eyes and the hundreds of millions of other details that makes you one-of-a-kind.

From the very first cell that divides within hours of conception to the very first heartbeats, it’s your nervous system consisting of your brain, and spinal cord that controls and organizes your growth and development.  Today as a child or an adult your nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ system, and every other coordinated thing you do like sleeping, breathing, digestion, talking, reading, the list goes on and on.

Much the same way your brain is protected by the skull, the spinal cord is protected by the armor of 24- moving bones called vertebra.  Vital communication from the brain goes back and forth from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes and everything in between running up and down your spinal cord like a fiber optic cable.  Every nerve ending that senses hot or cold, the sound of the wind, a bellyache, or a hiccup along with everything in between is controlled and modulated by the nervous system. But a nick on a nerve here, or pressure on another there can cause big problems similar to power failures during periods of peak demand.

Because of the way your spine is designed, improper motion or position of the spinal bones can irritate, scrape, stretch, pinch or strangle delicate nerves exiting between the vertebra causing unnecessary interference with the function of the tissues they serve and control.  Doctors of chiropractic call this a subluxation, while others call it a spinal fixation or restriction.  No matter what it’s called, movement between two or more vertebra can change, which in turn influences proper neurologic function. Perhaps subtle at first or even unnoticed for months or years, after a while signs and symptoms may or may not appear.  But one thing is true, too much or not enough information getting to where its intended to go means trouble.  Nonetheless, ask yourself this question, “Am I 90 per cent alive, or 10 per cent dead?”

Shock Absorber

Between each of these vertebra is a large cartilage disk serving as a cushion, much like a shock absorber works to smooth the ride in a vehicle or on a bike.  This same disc provides enough space for the pairs of nerve roots to freely branch off each side of the spinal cord between each vertebra.  Through these spaces called neural foramen, the spinal nerves offer free unrestricted communication between the brain and every organ and tissue in your body… just as it normally should.

Injuries to the spine, as minor as they may seem, can occur any time.  In the past, a difficult forceps delivery at birth was a common cause that often went unnoticed for months or years and hardly ever attributed to the problems encountered.  More commonly, car accidents, stress, poor diet, long periods of sitting or driving, working in front of a computer and other day-to-day activities can cause the vertebra that protect your spinal cord to lose her normal mechanical function and motion.

Without adequate nerve supply the organs and tissues that need the information to survive, (the same as freshly oxygenated blood) become more fragile, and more susceptible to disease and malfunction. The beginning signs of this are the characteristic symptoms of pain and ill health that later manifest themselves as chronic disease and other debilitating conditions associated with aging and self- neglect.

Low back pain, joint stiffness, digestive problems, fertility, headaches and a host of other problems many times can be traced to spinal fixations and restrictions that can in turn cause nervous system interference because of the irritation caused by the scraping, tethering or stretching of a spinal nerve, (which may or may not be sufficient enough to cause pain at first — but nonetheless can be a precursor of slow and progressive unwanted change). 

As a chiropractic doctor who specializes in the detection, the reduction, and the prevention of nervous system interference, the primary method of correction is the spinal adjustment — manual orthopedic performance and injury care.   By correcting the restrictions of the spinal vertebra our practice members are pleasantly surprised how quickly their problems can resolve and then kept at bay with specialized exercises for the purposes of improving muscular power, strength, coordination, flexibility, and balance. 

By following a judicious course of periodic spinal adjustments every 90- days, (twice as often as you’d typically get your teeth cleaned) and embracing a therapeutic lifestyle, many people find they are able to sleep more restfully, have more energy, pay better attention to their diet, are able to control their weight more easily, are able to manage their stress more effectively, and are able to focus and concentrate on their work more efficiently…

Who doesn’t need an active aging solution? Especially when chiropractic adjustments are safer than back surgery, muscle relaxers, narcotic pain relievers and most over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.  No matter the type of doctor you consult, doctors don't heal, only your body is able to heal itself, and does so when the obstacles to healing are removed or sufficiently minimized so the body's innate intelligence can take over and do the job its intended to do — naturally.

Chiropractic Orthopedic Group - Dr. Meltz

Simply stated, the chiropractic approach to better health is to remove the nervous and mechanical interference so your own inborn healing ability can thrive. 

Periodic chiropractic care makes sense. Its scientific, it's evidence-based, it's safe, and most important it’s proven to work.  It doesn't get any simpler than that. 

Bless and be blessed,

Lewis Meltz

Why Am I So Jittery?

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Coffee Products lead the rankings in many categories

Ask Yourself, Why Am I So Jittery?

More products than ever before contain unbelievable amounts of caffeine! 

 CrackHeads2 Candies (1 box 37 grams) = 1.5 Starbucks coffee (20 ounces) = two shots of 5-Hour Energy = 2.5 Monster Energy Drinks (16 ounces) = 12 cans of Coca-Cola (12 ounce) = 21 Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bars (1.5 ounces) = 2 NoDoz tablets.

Even though caffeine might keep people alert — some may argue it’s a prized quality of an always-turned on world.  Hyped-up, amp'd, and buzzed nearly all day long like so many are, it stimulates the brain's pleasure centers, and it’s mildly addictive.  More than just naturally occurring, these are just two possible reasons why so many manufacturers and suppliers add a little extra to foods and drinks.

Energy Drink Brand

Data supplied by FoodNavigator-USA reveals how the 5-Hour Energy shot surged 35.7% to $924 million in the 52 weeks ending August 7.  Producing 36- million bottles a month, this gives the little shot an 88% market share.  And while the brand extension of 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength jumped to $13.6 million, the 5-Hour Energy brand owns 89.3% of the market share for energy shots.  Comparatively, the energy drink market enjoys $8.0 billion in sales each year in the U.S. alone. Overall, the energy shot market in the United States is worth $1.05 billion, and doesn’t include Wal-Mart sales so the numbers could be a lot bigger.  

If you're asking yourself, who drinks this stuff, the success of 5-Hour Energy has been the ability to appeal to office workers and older consumers who are trying to stay alert.  Energy drinks and energy shots are different, and both appeal to different groups. They say energy drinks are about rebelliousness associated with extreme sports, younger people, and men in particular keeping up with friends in social activities more than anything else —situating nicely into a wide range of diversified social settings.  Shots however, appeal to a wider group of older people, women and professionals in an office environment because staying alert, and working harder in a cubicle, an assembly line, or driving is more important to them in order to keep their job, and solitary consumption is much more common.  Although energy shots have a universal appeal over energy drinks, (aimed at 18-34-year-olds) we see 55+-year-olds are the ones buying energy shots. 

Typical ingredients

The growing caffeinated-foods industry has raised a high level of scrutiny at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lately.  Although the FDA does not regulate the amount of caffeine in foods and drinks— they say less than 400 mg a day "is not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects." However, it is reconsidering regulations because some manufacturers are adding caffeine in many other products you'd never suspect, and at such high doses, and combined with large serving sizes, they can pack a bigger punch than you'd ever know.  Energy drinks often provide a bigger kick because they contain a cocktail of other ingredients that artificially magnify alertness, and what you might perceive as stamina and endurance when all it’s nothing more than a stimulant —with a crash sure to come.

The FDA is concerned about the cumulative effects of the daily and multiple intake of caffeine products all through the day, which could lead to dependency.  All too often it’s the “caffeine withdrawal headache” experienced by some alerting them to a problem.  If they fail to get their caffeine fix by 10 o'clock in the morning, these headaches can be worse than a migraine headache episode, and the withdrawals can last for days at a time.  All because of the rebound swelling of blood vessels around the brain from not being artificially constricted sometimes days, weeks or months at a time thanks to the effects of caffeine.  Also, the American Academy of pediatrics cautions parents that the consumption of caffeine products by children may be linked to the onset of some neurological and other cardiovascular problems.

Bless and be blessed, ALWAYS

Lewis Meltz

Going barefoot is GOOD for your health

Bare Foot Walking in El Dorado Hills

Walking Barefoot Might Be Crucial for Your Good Health… So go ahead… kick your shoes off.

New research revisits a practice called earthing or just another word for walking around barefoot.  You can also achieve similar results simply by putting yourself in direct contact with the ground with something called a “tether” that will connect you electrically to the earth’s natural electric field while reading, watching a movie, or sleeping.  Sort of like a leash that grounds you to the earth’s circuitry.    

Ask yourself, when was the last time you enjoyed the feeling of the green grass, or sand in between your toes?  Been awhile I’m sure. 

It could seem hard to believe, but going bare-foot, or in simple terms, “getting grounded” physically with the earth could possibly offer your health a much-needed boost.  People who work on delicate electronic components often ground themselves to their workbench with a conductive leash, in order to not short out the equipment they’re working on.  This is a great example of how industry applies this concept to the workplace… but how about your sleeping place?    

You’re truly an electric person, every sensation, movement, thought or memory is an electric exchange across billions of nerves and synapses from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.  The Earth's Surface is naturally charged with negative electrons, and on a regular basis your body produces opposite positive charges that can pre-maturely age you, and cause harm when the build up becomes excessive.  Because the Earth’s Surface is conductive, it has an abundant supply of free negative electrons to share neutralizing the damaging effects of positive electrons.  You just need a simple and easy way to encourage the exchange…and that’s where going barefoot comes in.  

Walking barefoot outside is an easy way to complete the circuit between you and the earth.  How many minutes of the day are you completely insulated?  Whether you’re awake, or whether you’re asleep?  Think about it.  Rubber soled shoes or sandals, carpeted or wood floors, plastic floor mats at work with insulated plastic casters… even driving in a car, you’re insulated.  Unless you’re walking barefoot on concrete at home or sleeping bareback on the lawn… you’re still fairly well insulated from the Earth’s healing negative electric field. 

As reported in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health:

"It’s a fact, Earth's surface area has an unlimited supply of freely mobile electrons.”

Evidence suggests the Earth's negatively charged potential can create a steady inner bioelectrical environment normalizing the way all body systems function. More than anything else, the subtle oscillations in the intensity of the Earth’s potential may be essential for setting biological clocks, which control diurnal rhythems, such as restful sleep cycles, and cortisol secretion influencing the way your body responds to stress and recovers from intense physical exertion.

There’s an ever expansive amount of information revealing the subtle connection to the planet's surface, and the way it plays an essential part in vitality, avoiding fatigue, and having more resilience when it comes to immunity and other diseases. 

Troubling indeed, while it’s true humans have in times past spent a lot of their time with their bare skin in direct contact with the earth’s surface… today this vital connection has been all but lost.   Our modern lifestyle has increasingly separated people from the elemental flow of Earth's electrons.

Just What Occurs When You Soak Up Electrons from the Earth?

The scientific theory behind the health and wellness advantages seen from this easy technique, is this.  The Earth has a greater negative charge compared to your body, and you wind up taking in electrons from it. This is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants we understand, and might have a dual purpose of anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant benefits. 

To put it simply, it's believed that the free-flow of negatively and positively charged electrons through your body coming from the Earth’s surface will help complete the circuit, and help neutralize the damaging effects of free-radicals produced by the consumption of oxygen, and the exhaust cells produce from burning calories.  This invariably helps to reduce acute and chronic inflammation, known to be the root of many health conditions and the pre-mature acceleration of aging.

 

Earthing Research Reveals Significant Conveniences.

Earthing research reveals a remarkable effect on an assortment of health conditions, and was discovered to offer improvements in the following disorders:

Sleep disturbances, including rest apnea.

Persistent muscular tissue and joint pain, and various other sorts of discomfort.

Asthmatic and breathing conditions.

Rheumatoid arthritis.

Irritation.

PMS.

Hypertension.

Fatigue,

Stress.

Immune system activity and feedback.

Heart rate variability,

Weakening of bones.

Fasting blood sugar levels among individuals with diabetic issues.

Another vital perk is this:  When your body is grounded, "its electrical potential matches the Earth's electrical potential through a transfer of electrons from the Earth directly into the physical body."  This, then, supplies an "umbrella of protection,” against the electro-magnetic fields that are now common in our environment.

Earthing Prescribed.

The effects of grounding seem so great that researchers recommend health and wellness experts advise outdoor "barefoot sessions.”  This is as basic as it gets -- you kick-off your shoes or sandals and walk barefoot on the yard whenever you can, and wherever you can. 

Just 30-80 minutes of barefoot time a day is enough to enjoy the benefits of pain relief, stress reduction, and slowing the effects of aging… naturally.  

Bless and be blessed ALWAYS

Lewis Meltz