Jan
25
2012
Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal about Neck Pain. It compares spinal manipulation by a chiropractor, home exercises, and medications for people with neck pain. There is a lot of research and articles posted about the effectiveness of chiropractic and low back pain, but less about neck pain. This will be worth a quick read.
–Dr. Geske
Neck Pain? Skip the Pills, Just Stretch Like a Chicken
By JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN
Doing some simple exercises at home is more effective than medicine at getting out a painful crick in the neck, a new study shows.
Neck pain afflicts at least three quarters of people at some point in their lives, and many take over-the-counter medications or visit doctors and chiropractors in search of relief. Sedentary office workers tend to be most susceptible to the condition.
“It’s good news for patients that there’s something they can do themselves,” says Gert Bronfort, vice president of research at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minn., and the study’s lead author. The study is the first large federally funded study comparing the 3 treatments: spinal manipulation performed by a chiropractor, home exercises, and medication for effectiveness at relieving neck pain…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203462304577136790735904520.html?KEYWORDS=neck+pain#articleTabs%3Darticle
Oct
10
2011
There are different types of chiropractic treatment. Regardless of what type of treatment you decide, when a misalignment is found, the chiropractic doctor does adjustments mildly to give the patients relief in the exact area of complaint, as well as the areas of compensation.
Three primary types of treatment exist with chiropractic.
Type 1 – Chiropractic Relief
This kind of chiropractic care is given to people who have some type of discomfort or pain. It doesn’t have to have any one cause. The treatment is for the purpose of giving fast relief for the particular problem. How the long the treatment is needed depends upon the severity of the condition and its ease to repair.
Type 2 – Corrective Form of Chiropractic
This type of chiropractic care is a bit more advanced than the one above. It is given to the patients that have been afflicted with a long-term spinal condition, which is more severe and has not been treated properly. This corrective treatment usually is a long-term one. It will depend on what kind of damage has been done and how fast the patient starts getting better.
Type 3 – Chiropractic for Maintenance
This is to maintain the condition of the patient after the treatment has been given for spinal problems. Sometimes chiropractic treatment is on going after success has been reached through the first round of care. The purpose of this type of care is to keep the problem from coming back again, especially in the area of the spine.
Why Chiropractic Care is Important
Chiropractic treatments are part of alternative medicine for the benefit of one’s total health. It targets a person’s internal healing processes that can hone in on the spinal condition, which is causing an interference with how the cells and nerves work. This is why chiropractic care is increasing in popularity for improving how one’s body functions.
As for the various health needs of a person, a variety of treatments are offered. Therefore an exam need to be performed by the chiropractic doctor to determine how much damage there is and which treatment will repair it. Through restoring the normal functions of the body, it is able to heal naturally.
It also helps to prevent more damage by correcting the malfunction in the body. As soon as anyone feels a problem in their body, they need to search out help from a local chiropractor. A chiropractor can keep the condition from getting worse and improve the health overall.
Written by: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/fort-collins-back-pain-chiropractic-care-covering-different-health-conditions-2012315.html#ixzz1aPEj6VKq
Sep
9
2011
Often times we are too busy to pay attention to how we are loading and unloading things, picking up grand kids, or lifting. In my practice, I teach my patients how to lift with the proper mechanics whether they are at home, at work, or on the go. These are the 5 L’s of Lifting Properly:
Load: You need to test the load before lifting. Make sure that you can safely lifted realistically. If it’s too heavy, get some help. It is not worth the risk of injury to your body.
Lever: Keep the object you are lifting close to your body. Keep your lever arm short. Physics teaches: torque = force x lever arm. Bend at your knees, not your waist, to get close to the object. This minimizes the intradiscal pressure in your lower back.
Lordosis: Maintain a neutral lower back position. It should almost feel like you are “sticking your butt out” in a comfortable relaxed way. Your back has a normal curvature to it. Flexibility and lower body strength will help to maintain this position.
Legs: Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Leg muscles are stronger than back muscles. Use your gluteals and quadriceps to lift, not your lower back. Flexibility and strength will help maintain your “lordosis”. Move your legs in the direction of travel. Avoid twisting in your trunk or feet.
Lungs: Make sure you breath. Just before lifting inhale thru your nose. Tighten your abdominal muscles (as if someone would punch you in the stomach, those muscles) and as you lift exhale thru your mouth. Remember to constantly breath throughout the entire lift. Do not hold your breath.
If possible, try to slide, push, pull, or roll the object instead of lifting it. It is better to push an object than it is to pull it. Avoid twisting when you transfer objects. Avoid bending and twisting at the waist always. Avoid bending at the waist with out bending at the knees.
I hope this help you in all your future lifts. Here are more tips for a healthy back.
–Written by: Dr. Dean A Geske, Costa Mesa Chiropractor
Aug
1
2011
The three weakest links in the body are the neck, knees and back. If any of these three parts are out of commission, you know it. Your whole day is affected. You must be extra careful with your back.
Just about everything you do affects your back. Most people will have back pain at some point in their life. Back pain can be caused by being overweight, performing repetitive movements, sitting, standing, stress and improper lifting procedures. The back is very complicated and taking care of it now can go a long way toward preventing many forms of back problems in the future.
Here are some tips for keeping your back healthy and strong:
1. Practice good posture. Slouching puts undue stress on your back.
2. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts stress on the back.
3. Eat well. We need calcium and vitamin D among other nutrients to keep bones in good shape.
4. Quit smoking. Studies suggest that smokers are more likely to experience disc problems.
5. Strengthen your abdominal and back muscles. By keeping your abdominal muscles strong and maintaining good posture, you will be creating a natural “girdle” around your body to give your back good support.
6. Keep the spine flexible with yoga and gentle exercises. It’s been said that a flexible spine is the secret to a youthful body.
7. Exercise regularly to keep your body fit and strong. Many back injuries happen when people who are not active play a vigorous game of football or softball on the weekend. Condition your body with regular exercises so you can play sports without pain.
8. Reduce stress. Tense people often have tense backs. Get enough sleep, exercise, be positive and practice deep breathing regularly.
9. Be comfortable. Avoid restrictive clothing and high heeled shoes which can put stress on your back.
10. If you stand for long periods of time, raise one foot on a box to lessen the strain on your back. Check your posture and try to maintain the natural curve in your spine. Take frequent breaks if possible.
11. If you must sit for long periods of time, get up every 30 minutes, walk around and do a few stretches.
12. If you work at a computer, adjust your chair so your elbows to wrists are parallel to the floor and the screen is at eye level.
13. Use your legs when lifting. Bend at the knees and straighten your legs as you lift the object. This puts less strain on your back.
We often don’t appreciate a healthy back until we’re laid up with a bad one. Take a proactive approach to a strong, healthy and pain-free back.
Jun
2
2011
Motor vehicle injuries commonly lead to joint, tissue and whiplash injuries. Chiropractic is the treatment for Serious Whiplash and Soft Tissue Injuries. Chiropractic massage and chiropractic therapy is a health care discipline which emphasizes the natural recovery of car accident victims from pain, whiplash. Chiropractic techniques and the skills of chiropractic doctors are particularly well-suited to relieve Neck pain, provide Back pain relief and other debilitating effects of whiplash.
Repeated and effective Chiropractic adjustments have proved successful for many thousands of car accident victims. Chiropractic treatment for car accident injury finds out the cause of your symptoms and helps to correct the problem by realigning the spine and other parts of the body. Chiropractic services use the natural healing process of the body.
Whiplash is caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways and could be from a car accident, during sports, or from an accident at work. Whiplash injuries are such that the symptoms can take years to develop. Chiropractic deals with all the aspects of the mechanisms of neck sprain and hence is a good choice to cure whiplash and car accident injuries.
Whiplash or other injuries need a thorough check-up and treatment from a chiropractic doctor specialized in treating car accident injuries, because chiropractic massage and chiropractic therapy is exceptional in the treatment of soft tissue injuries, car accident injuries especially of the spine. The aim of chiropractic care in curing whiplash injuries is to optimize motion in the spine, treat the spinal discs, reduce muscle spasm and improve muscular strength.
The crucial whiplash treatment for joint dysfunction, chiropractic adjustment or spinal manipulation involves the gentle movement or a short push of the injured joint into the direction in which it is restricted, done by an expert chiropractic doctor. Chiropractic treatment technique for car accident injuries may also involve applying gentle stretches to the muscle which has excessive tension or repeated contractions of the muscle that is inhibited. A chiropractic doctor may also apply vigorous stretches if the muscle is very tight. Moreover, different types of exercises, like McKenzie exercises and Stabilization/Sensorimotor exercises may also be employed as part of chiropractic care for treatment of whiplash and car accident injuries.
Many studies have also found that car accident victims prefer Chiropractic Massage and Chiropractic therapy for the treatment of their injuries. One such study evaluated 190 individuals who had come for whiplash treatment and found that those who received Chiropractic Cure reported 100% treatment satisfaction.
Benefits of chiropractic treatment for an accident injury:
1. Assist on Making Personal Injury Insurance Claim Maximum Settlement
2. Chiropractic Treatment for Severe Whiplash and Soft Tissue
3. Chiropractic helps to diminish Chronic Symptoms
4. Chiropractic helps in speedy recovery
5. Chiropractic massage is also helpful in restoring movement lost after the car accident
Contact a car accident attorney if you have been in a car accident. Car accident attorneys can claim the insurance money for your chiropractic care and massage therapy.
The chiropractic treatment for accident injuries also entails ideas for performing daily activities with negligible strain to the body. Chiropractic helps with factors in everyday work, home or recreational activities that bring about the dysfunctions which result from the whiplash accident. Moreover, chiropractic professionals teach the patient about the better “use of self” and, if necessary, stress reduction methods to help chiropractic problems.
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/chiropractic-care-helps-car-accident-victims-2295577.html#ixzz1O3OD31Mu
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Apr
21
2011
Stress can be a killer – quite literally, research suggests, but it can also make your day-to-day existence miserable. Who wants to walk (or rush) around all day as the oppressive weight of stress takes its toll on your body and mind? Here are five simple strategies to help you deal with stress and get back on the road to health and wellness:
1. Walk it off. There are so many physical and mental health benefits to a good walk; when it comes to stress, it’s the perfect opportunity to relax, enjoy the outdoors and reduce your stress, either by forgetting about it for a while or having the chance to process it. In fact, in many cases stress isn’t caused by a particular situation, but by the sense that you can’t escape your situation – your too-loud, too-hectic, too-frantic, responsibility-filled day. A walk is your chance to escape. From a biochemical perspective, it’s also a great way to relieve stress because physical activity promotes the release of endorphins, hormones known to relieve pain, reduce stress and increase your sense of happiness and well-being.
2. Talk about it. One of the things that makes stress so damaging is that we often keep it to ourselves. Sometimes talking about how stressed you are (and why) with someone else is exactly what’s needed to reduce it or at least understand it a little better – and that’s half the battle. Your significant other, a family member, a friend or even a co-worker might be just what you need to get your stress (and how it’s affecting you) out in the open. And once it’s out in the open, it’s easier to deal with. So talk about it with someone who not only provides compassion and understanding, but also has the capacity (and willingness) to tell you not just what you want to hear, but what you need to hear – even if it hurts a little. In the long run, honestly and openness will go a long way toward melting your stress away.
3. Distract yourself. Stress doesn’t have nearly as much power over you if you’re not thinking about it. That can be a challenge, of course, especially when your every thought is focused on a particular stressor, but it’s worth trying something – anything – to take your mind off your stress. This doesn’t mean taking a walk, because if you take it alone, you’ll likely obsess about your stress the whole time, and if you walk with a companion, you’ll likely end up thinking and talking about it, too. True distraction means doing something that forces you to discard your stress to the greatest extent possible – try a baseball game, a night at the movies (particularly pure action or comedy), or even a good book or board game at home. Anything that requires your mind to focus on something other than your stress.
4. Deal with it. Too often, people let stress build until a molehill becomes a mountain, occupying their every thought and affecting their every action. If they’d dealt with the issue (to the best of their ability) at the outset, it might never have gotten to that point. How do we “deal” with stress? It can involve any of these five suggestions, but there are definitely a whole bunch more. It boils down to a few simple rules: a) Recognize when you’re stressed; don’t ignore it or pretend you’re “fine.” b) Understand why you’re stressed; identify the source of the stress and think carefully about why it’s affecting you. c) Find a way to reduce the stress (or eliminate it entirely); if that’s not immediately possible, at least find a way to manage it so it doesn’t continue to build.
5. Find the positives. There’s a silver lining to every stressful situation or circumstance, whether it’s stress about your job or career, your relationship, your family life, your (lack of) free time, your finances or anything else. It might be difficult to see at first, but it’s definitely there. Think of stress as an opportunity to explore creative solutions that will not only ease your stress, but also reduce the chance it will return. What’s good about your job? Use the positives to maximize your experience with your current employer – or plant seeds for your next job. Relationship needs mending? Your stress is the motivator to sit down with your partner and discuss exactly what’s going wrong (and what’s going right).
–Written by: To Your Health (http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1423)
Mar
2
2011
Plantar Fasciitis, Bunion, Morton’s Neuroma, Metatarsalgia, Hallux Ridgidus, Knee pain, Low back pain. Have I got your attention with any of those?Five Reasons Why You Should Be Concerned About Your Feet:
(Content from Sole Supports website)
1) Foot pain and deformity get worse over time
2) Surgery is not a long term solution
3) Foot problems affect the knee, hip, and back
4) Feet get flatter over time
5) Foot pain can turn an active person into a couch potato
2) Surgery is not a long term solution
3) Foot problems affect the knee, hip, and back
4) Feet get flatter over time
5) Foot pain can turn an active person into a couch potato
Chiropractors are biomechanical specialists of the human body. They are educated and trained, not only on how the body is designed but how it works together with other bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and organs. Most people do not live in a bubble or in a vacuum like Outer Space. Most people have outside forces that consistently and periodically put stress, pressure and force on your body and feet; activities like running, jumping, and standing on concrete. The feet are the foundation of your body and need to be supported thru these high impact activities as well and thru activities like standing or walking.
The Five Main Reasons Sole Supports Are Not Like other custom orthotics:
(Content from Sole Supports website)
1) They actually change your foot posture
2) The combine great comfort with superior control
3) They can correct knee, hip, and back posture
4) The only orthotic that is calibrated to match your weight, foot flexibility, and activity level
5) They may reduce an established deformity with regular use
2) The combine great comfort with superior control
3) They can correct knee, hip, and back posture
4) The only orthotic that is calibrated to match your weight, foot flexibility, and activity level
5) They may reduce an established deformity with regular use
Sole Supports is a company that I use to help patients restore normal joint function in their feet. I am trained and certified to cast custom orthotics. They are superior to other orthotics in that they “are the only company to make a medical grade orthotic made to mass theory and design principles.” I also perform chiropractic adjustments to the patient’s feet and often times perform adjustments before casting the orthotics.
If you are interested in the care of your feet please call my office to set up time for your feet to be adjusted and casted for orthotics. Click on this link to watch a Video from Sole Supports.
Written by: — Dr. Dean A Geske, DC
Jan
24
2011
Getting medical care fast in these times is not always the easiest thing to do. That is why urgent medical care is so important. Even if your problem seems to be an emergency, you can be stuck waiting for hours. Especially if you are trying to get quick help for a child, this wait time can be extremely aggravating. So what are you supposed to do immediately after you receive a sprain, strain, or bruise?
The first things you should do after receiving any of these three injuries is apply it with ice for twenty five minutes out of every hour. This will help in two ways. First, it will reduce pain. This is almost necessary for some people and for some severe cases. Second, it will reduce swelling and inflammation. Sprains, strains, and bruises are all caused by torn, stretched or damaged fibers in muscles, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and/or the tissues in between. If you are in severe pain to a point that you think you need medical attention, then visit the doctor as soon as possible. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle goes hand in hand with visiting the doctor when needed. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Fortunately, there are doctors you can visit that will deal with these types of injuries urgently. At high quality doctors’ offices, they will truly work your problem out with you as a specific case. Many doctors do not do this, and the overall health of a person can be sacrificed. Good doctors will show you exactly how to treat your problem over time. If you need medication, it can be given, but it is always best to avoid this, especially if it is unnatural.
Because sprains, strains, and bruises are all minor injuries, the recovery time and effectiveness depends completely on you. Most of this time is spent on leaving the area completely unaffected. Sprains and strains are usually held stationary by some sort of device. The main thing to try and accomplish during this time is not irritating the area at all, for it is healing, and the position it is in hurts. If the area is irritated, then it will return to hurting, and the healing process will take much longer.
Even minor accidents can hurt. If you want care quick and efficiently, then it should be easily accessible. Sprains, strains, and bruises take a long time to recover, so the quicker you can begin the healing process the better.
Written by: Paul Buchanan (http://www.populararticles.com/article330569.html)
A Note from Dr. Geske:
Not only do you want to Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate (RICE) the injured body part, but you also need to have the bones re-aligned. Chiropractors align bones, taking the pressure off pinched nerves. This adjustment or ”re-setting” of the body’s nerve system helps to control the inflamation process: blood flow, swelling, endrophins and enkephalins (natural pain relievers), and muscle spams. If the bone has been bruised it is called a contusion. A similar approach to contustion as you would bruised, sprained, and strained soft tissue is the correct course of treatment.
Dr. Dean A Geske
Dec
2
2010
The 15 foods you don’t have to buy organic, are also called the “Clean 15″. The 12 foods that you should buy organic or grow on your own – are called the “Dirty Dozen”. Why is this important to know? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) (www.ewg.org) is a nonprofit organization that promotes policies to protect people’s health and global health. They produce the Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which ranks pesticide contamination for 50 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of 89,000 tests for pesticides on these foods, conducted from 2000 to 2008 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Food and Drug Administration.Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. Even small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, espcially during fetal and early childhood development. Caring for your family’s health is not the only reason for choosing organic foods. Pesticides and herbicides contaminate groundwater, ruin soil structures, promote erosion, and may be contributing to the honeybees “colony collapse disorder”. Buying and growing organic food is good and healthy for your family and for the planet.
Clean 15:
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume. (in order best to least)
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume. (in order best to least)
The vegetables least likely to test positive for pesticides are onions, sweet corn, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, eggplant and sweet potatoes.
The fruits least likely to test positive for pesticide residues are avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, domestic cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit and honeydew.
Dirty Dozen:
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions – or to grow organically yourself. (in order worst to best)
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions – or to grow organically yourself. (in order worst to best)
Celery, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale, collard greens and potatoes are the vegetables most likely to retain pesticide contamination.
Of the 12 most contaminated foods, 7 are fruits: peaches, strawberries, apples, domestic blueberries, nectarines, cherries and imported grapes.
Link to full list of 49 fruits and veggies combined in 1 list:
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
Sources:
FoodNews.org Printable Shopper’s Guide
www.foodnews.org (Go to this website to download the wallet-sized list!)
FoodNews.org Printable Shopper’s Guide
www.foodnews.org (Go to this website to download the wallet-sized list!)
Oct
25
2010
There are valid reasons for putting your kids to bed at a reasonable hour, not the least of which is that it guarantees them adequate sleep. It also conditions them to stick to a schedule and gives you a little much-needed time for yourself after tending to their needs all day.
Here’s another important reason to get the kids off to bed: Too little sleep can lead to a bad habit: overeating. According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reduced sleep time (less than six hours compared with more than eight) is associated with an increase in energy consumption — often in the form of snacks — without any increase in energy expenditure. In other words, if kids sleep less, they tend to eat more, but don’t expend energy during the extra time they are awake.
So, what could they possibly be doing that doesn’t burn any energy? Perhaps they are studying for next week’s exam or writting that long-overdue birthday card to grandma. But probably not. In fact, the chances are good that they are playing on the computer, watching television, “texting” their friends or pursuing some other sedentary activity, which is never a good thing, particularly when combined with additional caloric intake. That’s a bad combination that could lead to chronic overeating and weight gain, not to mention fatigue, irritability, and reduced performance attributable to lack of sleep.
Too little sleep equals too much snacking, simply put. And by the way, that applies to adults, too. So put away the remote, keep the chips in the pantry and get a good night’s sleep.
Written by: www.toyourhealth.com November 2010 edition