Every day we are alive gravity is constantly pulling on our body. This pulling is a stressor to the human body. As we get older the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons in our bodies tend to weaken and become much more vulnerable to this stress.

Proper alignment and mobility in the joints of the body is vitally important to weak muscle and joints. If any of the bones or joints are not in proper alignment or are not moving well this can create pain (such as low back pain or even headaches), stiffness, weakness, and instability. It is especially important to the aging body to maintain proper joint function. (more...)

baby boomers · front end alignment · ligaments and tendons · low back pain · proper alignment

Subluxation is a term that is frequently encountered in chiropractic care, but what exactly is it? To explain, a vertebral subluxation is a vertebra that is not in its normal range of motion. The subluxation causes interference to the nervous system and disrupts its proper function because it is not in its proper alignment.

Serious health problems can result if a subluxation is ignored for long periods of time since they interfere with a primary pathway of the nervous system, the spinal cord. A subluxation is often first indicated through chronic pain, but subluxations are also often present without any pain and will remain relatively undetected for several years until the pain arises. (more...)

cause diseases · condition · improper posture · long periods of time · nerve compression · Pain · person · proper alignment · spine · subluxation

I would guess that at one point or another you have had some type of pain in your body. This is a pretty safe assumption. I would bet that you have also had some kind of problem that was brought on by something very minor. Let me give you an example. You wake up in the morning and walk into the bathroom and as you go to squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube you drop the lid on the floor. So you bend down to pick it up and zap, lightning sharp pain shoots up your spine and back down again. You try to stand up straight but for some reason it feels like someone is pressing against your back causing you to hunch over and making it impossible to straighten up.

Here’s another typical pain invoking experience. You rush out the door because you are late for an appointment. As you settle into the car you remember that you forgot your keys so you hurry back into the house retrieve them and return to the car. As you start the engine and turn your head to back out of the driveway you feel like someone stuck you with a hot barbecue poker in the back of the neck causing you great difficulty to return your head to a normal position without feeling that searing pain that we all enjoy. So it may not be a toothpaste lid or the turning of your head that provokes you to fall to your knees in agony, but I am almost certain that you have experienced a similar type situation in which the action you performed such not have caused such extreme pain. There are a few different responses to this type of situation. (more...)

body · dirt road · extreme pain · hot barbecue · Pain · problem · reason · safe assumption · type · type situation

As a Ventura chiropractor I treat many pregnant women not only for common low back pain associated with pregnancy, but for other pregnancy symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, and swelling due to water retention or joint stress. A healthy pregnancy is crucial for both mother and baby. And although regular chiropractic care during pregnancy is very important, there are many other influences that can affect a woman’s health during her pregnancy. Some of these influences are well-known, but others are not. In fact, I just ran across a new study released in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives that discusses the effects of high levels of common flame-retardant chemicals on the thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women. It is the first large study to investigate levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their effects on the highly sensitive thyroid hormone in pregnant women. “Normal maternal thyroid hormone levels are essential for normal fetal growth and brain development,” stated Jonathan Chevrier, one of the study’s authors and a researcher in epidemiology and in environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley, “so our findings could have significant public health implications.”

Where are PBDEs found? Just about everywhere, such as in carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. PBDEs can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells. Is it any wonder then that PBDEs can be found in the blood of most American residents? And, if you live in California the situation is even more criticaul because of the state’s rigorous flammability laws. Concentrations of the chemicals in blood and breast milk have increased dramatically in the last three decades. (more...)

Berkeley · Brenda Eskenazi · California · environmental health perspectives · health · hormone · Jonathan Chevrier · last three decades · PBDEs · polybrominated diphenyl ethers · pregnancy · public health implications · thyroid · thyroid hormone levels

As a Ventura Chiropractor I know how important it is for all of us to maintain good balance, especially as we age. Good balance helps us to walk without stumbling, get up from a sitting position without swaying, and to climb stairs without missing a step. In other words, good balance is extremely important to our health and well-being. And, even though many adults aged 65 and older report episodes of dizziness, “wooziness, and other balance-related challenges, getting older, in and of itself, doesn’t have to mean a fall is inevitable or that being younger includes an exemption. In fact, a new research study found that remaining physically fit and sticking to a regular exercise routine lowered the risk of taking a tumble both the old and young, especially if you’re a male.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, falls for both men and women of any age can be serious. The overall statistics on the number of falls sustained each year in the U.S., not only for people 65 years and older but for younger individuals as well, may surprise you. Nearly 19,000 people die each year from falls and almost 8 million seek treatment in emergency rooms. And, as mentioned, although falls are the leading cause of injuries among people age 65 and older, the study revealed that young people fall down just as frequently as seniors! (more...)

age · balance · Chiropractor · emergency rooms · exercise routine · fitness · Kristin Mertz · ledges · M.D. · playing sports · risky activities · study · U.S.

Let’s face it, there’s just nothing good to say about belly fat. In fact, when you look at all the studies that have come out recently about the adverse effects of excess weight around the midsection, even Santa Clause doesn’t look all that jolly anymore. As your Ventura chiropractor, I’ve explained to my overweight patients who are experiencing low back pain that too much weight in the middle is likely the culprit. The spine wasn’t designed to haul around excess weight on a regular basis. As an individual puts on extra fat in the belly, the spine starts to distort and compress, which creates pain and discomfort. Belly fat can also cause the pelvis to tilt forward and pinch the sciatic nerve. But, if low back pain and sciatica aren’t enough to get you to change your eating and exercise habits, how about this: A new preliminary study suggests that excess fat in the abdomen during middle age can actually boost the risk of dementia later in life!

It is estimated 24.3 million people worldwide suffer from dementia. In the new study, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine examined the medical records of 733 people with an average age of 60 years. (Note: Nearly 70 percent were women.) The study found that increasing levels of body-mass index in middle-aged individuals corresponded with lower brain volumes when they are older, i.e., lost mental capacity, especially when the excess fat was in the middle. (more...)

belly · body mass index · boston university school · boston university school of medicine · Chiropractor · Fat · low back pain · Pain · sciatic nerve · weight

As a chiropractor who believes in the human body's ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the "treatment" of a number of conditions that don't get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor  who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: "Try chiropractic first!" But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers "less severity" at best when it comes to a migraine headache.

The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had "avoided" a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines. (more...)

Chiropractor · Dr. Hu · headache · headache sufferers · migraine · migraine drugs · migraine headache · migraine sufferers · quot · social commitments · study

As a Ventura Chiropractor, one of the most common questions I hear asked by those considering chiropractic care is: “If I start going to a chiropractor, will I have to always go?” I often wonder why this particular question doesn’t come up for someone who goes to a general medical practitioner. Think about it: How strange would it be if someone asked, “If I go to Dr. Smith for a general checkup and he gives me a prescription for a temporary condition I might have, will I have to see him ‘forever’?” The answer is “Of course not.” You don’t have to see Dr. Smith again, but you probably will for your yearly or bi-annual checkup and, naturally, in between if you’re not feeling well.

The same is true when you go to see a chiropractor. Most of the time, individuals go to see a chiropractor because they’re in pain (not feeling well). After the chiropractor has treated them and gotten them out of pain (a ‘prescription,’ so to speak, for a temporary condition), the chiropractor will probably suggest maintenance care (a general checkup even when you’re feeling okay). The only difference is that a chiropractor will likely suggest that you come in monthly. Why? Because chiropractors are all about preventative care whenever possible. Maintenance care is like a “tune up” that not only helps your body to maintain the “crisis” treatment you received when you were in pain and keeps you healthier and stronger so that you can avoid future injuries, but during your maintenance visit your chiropractor can make sure that you don’t have a “temporary condition” that needs to be corrected before it becomes “crisis” treatment. (more...)

care · checkup · chiropractic care · Chiropractor · condition · Dr. Smith · neck shoulders · Pain · sitting posture · time individuals · unhealthy lifestyle

Do you know that chiropractic therapy has been rising in popularity for years and that it is continuing to grow annually as the selected healthcare option for many men and women? Your Ventura Chiropractor knows that people are making a choice on chiropractic care thanks to the many benefits that such treatment provides. No other healthcare practice is less invasive to the body and, at the same time, can promote the body’s innate potential to heal itself instead of masking symptoms with drugs.

Let’s face it, wherever there’s a musculoskeletal system, just as in the human body, there’s the likelihood of musculoskeletal dysfunction such as lower back pain and neck pain, pain in the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee joints, and ankle and foot pain. No one is immune from misalignment of the spine and joint inflammation, even though numerous health issues are often the outcome of sports injuries, accidents, and the aging process. Irrespective of the origin, any type of movement on a traumatized spot of the body can not only lead to more pain or suffering, but plenty of down time and inactivity. And, of course, particular musculoskeletal problems, if left untreated, can result in permanent disability. (more...)

body · care · Chiropractor · Don · Dr. Alff · joint inflammation · knee joints · lower back pain · Pain · pain in the shoulder · recuperation time · treatment

What is vertigo? Vertigo is a medical term used to denote the dizzy feeling that someone suffers within a fixed environment. It is a sense that the outer world is tilting or spinning. The disturbance can be sudden and short-lived or chronic. Whether acute or chronic, however, the origin of the vertigo should be uncovered and the necessary treatment undertaken.

There are a number of causes for the symptoms of Vertigo. An inner ear condition, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can frequently occur as the aftermath of a sustained head trauma or severe cold. Sometimes this type of vertigo can be the result of the aging process. The cause, however, frequently is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo may appear to be an unusually long term, but it delineates perfectly this non-progressive affliction that is caused by, as its name implies, a quick change in head position. Such episodes are generally unexpected and unpredictable. (more...)

Benign · benign paroxysmal positional vertigo · calcium carbonate crystals · Chiropractor · ear · Paroxysmal · paroxysmal positional vertigo · sensitive nerve endings · symptoms of vertigo · vertigo