Posts Tagged ‘backcaretreatment’

Benefits Of Using Chiropractic For Back Pain

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

When back pain strikes, it can bring your everyday activities to a screeching halt. But for a person who doesn’t like the idea of using traditional pain medications to treat back ailments, a chiropractor is a viable option.

Chiropractors are trained to treat conditions that are caused by misalignment of the spine, as well as other conditions that affect the central nervous system. Some of the most common conditions treated by a chiropractor include: fibromyalgia, poor postural alignment, strains and sprains, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, osteoarthritis and sciatica.

A chiropractor is required to do two to four years of undergraduate studies, and then spend a specified amount of time at a licensed chiropractic college. Before a chiropractor can treat patients legally, he must pass a national and state examination. To find out if your chiropractor is licensed to operate in your area, contact the local Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

Chiropractors use a number of drug-free methods to treat back pain. These methods often include massage, hydrotherapy, decompression, and spinal realignment. Massage relieves pain in the back by releasing endorphins and easing muscle spasms. There are several types of massage used to treat back pain. Talk to your chiropractor to see which one is best for you. If you have blood clots, cancer, or are pregnant, talk to a doctor before getting a massage. Hydrotherapy is commonly used by chiropractors to relieve pain in the back. This type of therapy can include sitting in a pool of warm water, or using ice packs on the affected area. Spinal decompression therapy is used to treat conditions such as degenerative disc disease and herniated discs. Decompression therapy uses vacuum pressure to relieve pressure and restore fluids and nutrients to the discs. Ultrasound is commonly equated with pregnancy, but this machine can be used by chiropractors to treat back pain. This method uses ultrasound waves to warm the tissue, and reduce swelling in the back.

Spinal realignment requires a chiropractor to use a specialized technique to readjust the spine and improve alignment. Modern equipment makes it possible to adjust the spine painlessly and without any “back popping.” If natural treatment methods are not an enough to manage back pain and drugs are needed, a chiropractor can point you in the direction of a doctor who can help.

A quality chiropractor not only treats conditions of the spine, they offer education to help patients keep these problems from reoccurring in the future. Regular exercise, good posture, weight loss, and proper sleep habits are some of the recommendations chiropractors will make to patients to help keep back pain at bay. A chiropractor is trained to carry out his job duties effectively by offering a wide range of drug-free treatment options to manage conditions of the spine and central nervous system.

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The 3 Unlikely Causes Of Low Back Pain

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

When back pain victims think of what causes back pain, they often believe that all of a sudden, they make a quick and sudden movement or pick up a heavy object and their back goes out. While this may happen in some circumstances, it is far more likely that repetitive conditions leading up to a sudden traumatic injury have much more to do with the pain than the proximate cause itself. While there are a large number of reasons for back pain, here are a few that are not often discussed.

First, people who have static postures for long periods of time will create compression forces on their spine and discs. This is especially true if workers are forced to perform tasks in a posture with a flexed trunk type bending over posture. There is a greater risk and higher incidence of developing back pain over time. These types of postures can greatly increase the forces on the lower back and the longer they need to be held, the more likely it is that chronic discomfort or injury will be the result.

Another cause of low back pain is simply sitting down while working for long periods of time. Long-term sitting postures at the workplace have a tendency to lead to chronic back discomfort. People who sit down hunched over a computer for 8-10 hours every day are asking their lower backs to perform functions for which it was not designed. Just getting up and extending the back with a stretch periodically throughout the day can help prevent long-term pain.

Finally, a very little-discussed cause of back pain and the third one here is vibration. This is especially true if it is occurring when in a seated position. Sitting in a car or on the bus or train for several hours a day while commuting to work can cause stress on the spine and connective tissues. These vibrational forces are unpredictable and challenge the body’s ability to stabilize the spine. Over time, sitting while vibration is going on can lead to chronic back pain, even though the cause and effect may never be linked.

Everyone should consider these causes of back pain. At New Century Spine Centers in San Diego, these causes of back pain are regularly treated by the chiropractors and spinal decompression doctors. Avoiding back pain is important. Knowing what causes back pain is the first step to preventing back pain.

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome May Have Absolutely Nothing To Do With Your Wrist!

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) maybe one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed and mistreated conditions in modern medicine. It’s a crying shame because countless carpal tunnel victims could end their pain and suffering…almost overnight…if they only knew what I’m about to reveal to you.

I’m serious. If you’re suffering with CTS, what you’re about to discover can literally give you your life back. If you know anyone battling carpal tunnel, give them this newsletter. You may be responsible for changing their life. So, without any further adieu, let’s jump right into it. Here are the facts: The U.S. Department of Labor has concluded that carpal tunnel syndrome is a “chief occupational hazard – disabling workers in epidemic proportions.” Carpal Tunnel Syndrome affects over 8 – million Americans.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the #1 reported medical problem, accounting for about 50% of all work related injuries. Only 25% of all Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients were able to return to their previous professions following surgery. Up to 36% of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients require unlimited medical treatment. Surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the second most common type of surgery, with well over 230,000 procedures performed annually.

I don’t know about you, but reading those statistics tells me something is wrong…radically wrong…with the “accepted” methods of treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out surgery is NOT the way to go when 230,000 are being performed each year and only 25% are able to return to their previous jobs. And returning to work does NOT mean pain-free. I wonder how many of that 25% were actually pain free? Add in the inherent risks of all surgeries (like the ones that go horribly wrong) and your option of going under the knife starts looking like a DISTANT last resort. NOT a valid first option.

So, What Other Options Do You Have? Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has traditionally been defined as an entrapment of the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel of your wrist. The floor of the carpal tunnel is made of eight carpal…or…“wrist” bones. They are odd shaped and fit together kind of like a puzzle. Ligaments (which are like fishing line) help hold the bones together. The roof of the tunnel is a ligament – the transverse carpal ligament – that stretches from one side of the tunnel to the other. The space that is formed between the carpal bones and the transverse carpal ligament is about the size of your pinky. A bunch of “things” pass through that small space, including: nine flexor tendons (tendons attach muscle to bone), blood vessels and ONE nerve, the median nerve, which is the primary nerve to your hand.

The traditional definition of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is compression of the median nerve as it passes through that tunnel. Nerves are like tiny wires that transmit electrical impulses from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. Every time you want to move your hand, your brain sends electrical impulses down the median nerve to the muscles in your hand, causing them to contract. Nerves are VERY sensitive and can easily get “pinched” or “compressed.” If the median nerve gets pinched or compressed as it passes through the carpal tunnel — it causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It is commonly thought that an injury or repetitive stress to the wrist can cause such an injury.

Here’s the problem with all that: there is another condition that causes the exact same symptoms as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that has little or nothing to do with the wrist! This condition is called Double Crush Syndrome and here’s how it works: There are many sites that can compress a nerve as it goes from your brain and spinal cord to your wrist. Simply put, Double Crush Syndrome occurs when you have multiple compression sites.

More importantly, a compression site closer to the spinal cord (closer to your neck) and brain makes it much easier for a nerve to be compressed elsewhere…like the wrist. In plain English…You Would NOT Have Carpal Tunnel Symptoms If You Only Had Compression In Your Wrist. It Is The COMBINATION Of The Compression Sites That Causes The Problem!!! So, in most case, if you remove the entrapment or compression that is closer to the spine (neck), many, if notall, of your symptoms will go away without ever touching the wrist!!!

The most common sites of compression or entrapment are – - a muscle in your forearm called the pronator teres, the thoracic outlet (by your shoulder), and your neck. The most common place seems to be as the nerve exits your spine in your neck. Is There A Solution? That’s why specific Chiropractic care can work wonders for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome when all else has failed. By gently restoring function of your neck via chiropractic care, compression on the nerve can be relieved… eliminating Double Crush Syndrome… the TRUE cause of your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

A complete Chiropractic evaluation can also detect if your carpal tunnel symptoms are coming from one of theother compression/entrapment sites like your forearm, shoulder or wrist…and work on those areas as well. The important thing to remember is you must be evaluated by a doctor that understands Double Crush Syndrome and evaluate you for all the possible compression sites and fix them properly. A hand specialist may completely overlook the REAL cause of your problem…Double Crush Syndrome. If you are suffering with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), be sure your doctor has thoroughly examined you to determine if your CTS is due to Double Crush Syndrome. A proper examination for CTS would include the entire arm and neck in order to trace the full length of the nerve. Since the neck is the most common site for a Double Crush to occur, a consultation with a cervical spine specialist (Chiropractor) would be in your best interests, especially if you’ve been recommended for carpal tunnel surgery. Only by identifying the true cause can your doctor accurately treat and relieve your condition.

cts tx in San Diego

Carpal tunnel treatment in San Diego

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The Secret To Why It Hurts So Much Even though all you did was bend over to tie up your shoelace.

Monday, August 30th, 2010

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.

How about another typical pain invoking experience. You rush out the door because you are late for your 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…whammo, 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 SO MUCH PAIN!!! There are a few different responses to this type of situation. Before we talk about those, let’s just get real philosophical for a moment.

If you were hanging out with Hippocrates right now at Starbucks sipping on a Latte and talking about life and science and the human experience, how do you think he would respond if you asked him if it was normal for the body to respond like yours did when you bent over to pick up that heavy toothpaste lid or when you whipped your head around to back the cart out of the dirt road. I would guess that he would first ask you what toothpaste was and then once that was cleared up he would tell you ……NO. This is not a normal physiological response for your body to such a minimal action. The reaction does not equal the action.

Ok, philosophy class being over let’s get back to how you would respond to this situation. Here are 5 common mistakes that I have observed from people who experience these types of situations. 1. I put a heating pad (hot water bottle/hot tub/long, hot shower) on the area and it felt great. I am not against heating pads or heat but here is the situation. When you have an acute injury (acute = from the time the injury occurs to at least 72 hours after it occurs) you never put heat on it. Heat opens up the blood vessels which are already engorged even more causing more swelling and fluid accumulation in the injured area. This will result in relaxation for up to 12 hours after heat use and then pain worse than the initial event after the trip to lala land has ended. There are exceptions but for the majority of people please resist the urge to use heat unless I’ve told otherwise.

The second is thinking that it would go away but it has been two to three weeks and the pain hasn’t stopped.

Ouch, this one is not good! The real question from me to you is why you thought that the pain would go away. Let me give you an analogy. Pretend the oil light on your car goes on, would you continue driving until it went out and just assume that the problem went away. I hope not. This is the best analogy that I can think of to relate to the pain signal that your body is sending you. Don’t pretend there isn’t something wrong. Get to the root of the problem. Come get adjusted immediately or as soon as possible after the initial event.

The third is thinking I don’t know why this happened, I am totally healthy, and there is nothing wrong with me.

This is my favorite one from the men. Guys, we have to admit to some facts. Women are much better at taking care of themselves then we are. The reason is because they are willing to tell someone when they aren’t feeling well and then they try to get help for it. Generally speaking, men are much more willing to put up with little problems that they experience. This is not good in the long run. One little problem + one little problem + one problem = One BIG PROBLEM. The proof is that women tend to live something like 4 years longer than men. Surprise, surprise, I wonder if we men just think Oh well we aren’t going to live as long anyways so why not just put up with what we got and die sooner. This is of course some faulty logic because if we did take care of ourselves we would live longer.

The forth is I know that I only need one or two adjustments and everything will be fine. The only man I know in history who performed one treatment on someone and they were fine was Jesus. I am not Jesus. I don’t know any chiropractors named Jesus. Normally when people tell me the chiropractor fixed them in one adjustment and I look in their files, or consult with the other chiropractors I see that they have been adjusted 4 times on the low end and 8-10 on the high end (normal, about 6 visits) for an acute problem. My goal is to see you out of pain as quickly as possible so that you can function normally, but my goals do not end there! Which leads me to the next common mistake…

The fifth is not getting adjusted regularly to prevent these occurrences in your life. Now I am not saying that if you get regular adjustments your life is going to be perfect. Life is not perfect. I myself get regular adjustments. I don’t stop getting adjusted all together because I know that if I didn’t get regular adjustments and a flare up occurred, it would be a lot worse than it normally is. Our bodies are not perfect but if we work preventatively to keep things moving and aligned throughout the course of our lives a lot of these irritating pains could be avoided.

The joints of your spine are some of the key messengers of your nervous system. If they are not working there is no way for you to know because you cannot see them. Pain is your only signal and by then a lot of times it is already too late. Chiropractors are trained to detect problems with these joints and help prevent the pain before it occurs. Science has proven that nerve endings are all affected during an adjustment. The goal of treatment is to get you out of pain first of all, but to keep you pain free and fully functioning is the main idea.

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Can Chiropractic Get To The Cause Of A Headache

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Continuous headaches are a mystery to many of us. As a chiropractor, I regularly treat headaches and migraines. Why they occur seems to be the most common question to many health care providers. Some patients’ migraine headaches can be easily explained but many seem to get headaches for no apparent reason at all. An often-overlooked cause of headaches is the spine and spinal trauma to the neck. How does this occur to many individuals?

There are delicate attachments of connective tissue that link muscles in your neck areas around your spinal cord. One theory to the headaches is that tension can develop in these structures producing headaches and head pain. Another possibility to headaches is that they may be due to forward head posture.

Forward head posture occurs when the head is thrust forward in the classic bad posture pose. This is a little like a turtle neck. It is also sometimes referred to as a military neck. This can remove the natural curve in the neck causing undue stress on the spine and head. Since the head is quite heavy weighing approximately 10-14 pounds, the muscles have to counter this weight. When the neck muscles resist the load of the head, they can develop tensions, knots, trigger points, and sometimes spasms in the neck. Normally the head is more balanced over both the shoulders.

Another neck problem that may cause headaches is a joint injury/sprain that can occur after whiplash trauma from a car accident. Over some time, this may lead to joint blockage where there is not the normal free and fluid motion from side to side. Quite often other joints must compensate for this lack of movement with hypermobility of the joints. Your muscles can become tense in these areas to protect the spine from unnatural movements overall.

These types of disorders are very common in society. They should be ruled out before leaning towards using medications over the long term. It is always important to have an accurate diagnosis before proceeding with any treatment. If your headaches have become chronic long-term and just never seem to go away, it is a sign that you are not getting to the cause of the problem.

Correcting neck disorders when they occur is always a best bet when it comes to treatment. Headache can sometimes seem to come out of nowhere. If there is history of neck trauma in your past, the neck can and should be a part of your headache management strategy. At the minimum the neck needs to be examined by the proper physician.

Chiropractic care has been shown in multiple clinical trials to help patients with both tension-type and migraine headaches. In these studies, the neck or cervical spine is adjusted based on local problems of poor posture and mobility. The chiropractors at New Century Spine Centers in San Diego use chiropractic care, active release technique, and spinal decompression therapy to fix the cause of headaches.

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The Simple Secret That DOUBLES Your Chance Of Living For Over 100 Years

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

How would you like to live past 100? I guess that’s kind of a loaded question. Like the show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Of course you do! Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire? Well, not Bill Gates. Becoming a millionaire would make him poor; at least, RELATIVELY poor. Everything is relative. For example, living to 100 doesn’t interest me… if… I’m sick or in pain. On the other hand – I’d love to join the century club as long as the quality of my life… and health… was great.

You see, it’s all VERY relative.

That’s being said, here are the findings of a recent study that identified something that doubles your chance of reaching… and living past… the age of 100…

Here are the results according to an article in Earth times: “The researchers, Dr. Leonid Gavrilov and Dr. Natalia Gavrilova, say the age at which a mother gives birth is a major factor in the number of years the offspring lives. The chances of the child living up the age of 100 and beyond are almost double for a child born to a woman below 25 years of age.” The husband and wife team had previously discovered birth order is a major factor in longevity. For example, first-born children, especially daughters, are more likely to live past 100 years of age. The recent study shows the age of the mother is more important than any of the other factors. Gavrilov and Gavrilova used data from the U.S. Census, the Social Security Administration and

genealogical records to identify 198 centenarians born in the U.S. from 1890 to 1893 and then traced their family histories to establish possible predictors of their longevity. They found being born to a young mother had an important role in reaching the age of 100. There are other factors also like growing up in the Western part of the U.S., spending part of one’s childhood on a farm and being born first. They feel the study needs further elaboration and deeper research. Gavrilov suspects the younger women’s eggs are different in their quality, and the best ones, the most vigorous, go first to fertilization. The researchers are of the opinion that their findings may have important social implications because many women tend to postpone childbearing to later ages due to career demands.

Good News And Bad News…

There appears to be both good news and some bad news. For example, if your mother was under the age of 25 when you were born… you’re probably doing back flips right now. On the other hand, if your mother was a little older when you were born, you may be a little depressed by what you just read. Well, the real truth of the matter is: you shouldn’t be too elated or discouraged by what Dr. Garilov and Dr. Garilova uncovered…

Here’s why: The first thing to understand is that correlation is not causation. This “study” was comprised of data from 198 people who were born from 1890 – 1893. 198 is not a lot of people and may not be representative of the overall population. In other words, just because a certain percentage of the study group who lived to be over 100 years old were born to a mother under the age of 25 does not necessarily mean that was the CAUSE of anything. For example – let’s say we were trying to find out what causes certain people to have high IQs. So, we looked at some data of 198 people with IQs of 150 and above. And in that data, we found that a high percentage of these people’s parents had blue eyes. Would your conclusion be that blue eyes are a cause of high IQ? Of course not! It is simply a correlation that has nothing to do with causation, especially if your data came from a part of the world where a large portion of the population has blue eyes!!!!

The second important thing about the study is that 1890 – 1893 was a long, long, long time ago. In terms of health and what we know about health…

It Is An Eternity!!!

To put this in perspective, let’s take a look at a few key medical discoveries and when they took place (plus a few nonmedical facts to make it even more interesting!):

1895: D.D. Palmer discovers Chiropractic. Wilhelm Roentgen discovers X-rays and the technology is immediately introduced into medicine.

1900: The invention of an easy-to-use device to measure blood pressure leads to the discovery of a new disease: hypertension. Measuring blood pressure gradually appears in general practice

1905: Scientists identify the organism responsible for Syphilis: Treponema pallidum.

1918-1919: Worldwide epidemic of influenza kills an estimated 20 million people (World population is approx. 1.5 billion at that time.)

1922: Banting discovers insulin.

1928: Fleming discovers penicillin, but basically ignores its implications. It is not developed as an antibiotic until 1941.

1935 – Social Security Act is signed into law. Something to think about: At the time of its passing, the age to start collecting is 65 and the average lifespan? 67.

1936: Volwiler and Tabern discover the general anesthetic Pentothal, which is administered intravenously.

1945: Women first admitted to Harvard Medical School.

1949 – Last case of Smallpox in the United States.

1950: First organ transplant. First modern credit card introduced.

1951: Color T.V. introduced. Truman signs peace treaty with Japan… officially ending World War II.

1952: Car seat belt introduced. Polio vaccine created.

1953: Watson and Crick discover DNA.

1954: Report says cigarette smoke causes cancer. Segregation ruled illegal in the United States.

1960: The Laser is invented.

1961: Soviets launch first man into space.

1967: First heart transplant. First Superbowl.

1969: Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon.

1970: Computer floppy disc introduced.

1971: VCR introduced.

1972: Pocket calculator introduced.

1978: First test tube baby.

1981: IBM introduces the first personal computer.

1987: DNA first used to convict criminals.

1989: President Bush announces that he does not like broccoli.

1993: Use of Internet grows exponentially.

1997: Scientists clone sheep.

Pretty interesting list… wouldn’t you say? It’s amazing that the Internet was virtually unknown only 13 years ago! And no one had a computer in his or her home 25 years ago! And that’s only a tiny fraction of all the changes that have taken place in the last 100 years. Incredible. This is why I’m not too sure you should be concerned about living to be 100 if your mother was over 25 when she gave birth to you. There are other factors that affect your lifespan that you can control such as weight, activity level (exercise) and stress.

…And remember, if you have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Please contact us with your questions. We are here to help and enjoy participating in your life long good health.

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Shocking Statistics About Children Every Parent Needs To Know…

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Being a parent is difficult. It is probably the biggest and most important responsibility anyone will ever face. You would think kids would come with some sort of instruction manual. Sadly, they don’t… and raising kids today is more complex than at any time in history. That’s why it’s so important to learn all you can – whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Now Is One Of Those Times
For example, there are a couple of alarming statistics and trends every parent should know. They have the potential to shape your children’s future in positive or negative ways.
Here’s the first statistic every parent should know: According to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “The average young American now spends practically every waking minute, except for time spent in school, using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device. “Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than 7½ hours a day with such devices, compared with less than 6½ hours 5 years ago.” That does not include time spent simply texting or talking on the phone. It also found: “that heavy media use is associated with several negatives, including behavior problems and lower grades.”
Here’s the second statistic, as reported on January 20, 2010 in the New York Times: “Between 1977 and 2002, the percent of the American population eating 3 or more snacks a day increased to 42 percent from 11 percent, according to a large study of American nutritional habits conducted by the Agriculture Department with the Department of Health and Human Services. Further, researchers found the percent of children surveyed who said they had eaten 3 meals on the previous day went down, while those who had a snack went up more than 40 percent.”
Even though these statistics are from several years ago, researchers in the article say the trends have not changed. It is very possible the situation is even worse today.
Think about it. Food is everywhere. Have you been to an event for your children lately that did not have some snack for sale? As the New York Times’ article pointed out, these snacks are usually “junk food.” Here’s something very interesting from a parent interviewed for the article: Once a week, Vivian Zachary’s 6-year-old son, Joel, goes dashing for the vending machine at the gym after his gymnastics’ class ends at 5 p.m. “Last week it was a Fruit Roll-Up and a can of 7-Up,” Ms. Zachary wrote in an e-mail message. “I’m not sure why I let this go on, and I often think that if I were a better parent, or at least more able to tolerate incessant complaining, I would let him buy the snacks but not actually consume them until after dinner. But I have already established the pattern [the ‘rule’ in Joel’s mind], so there’s no going back now.”
Like the first sentence of this newsletter stated, “Being a parent is difficult.” It also pointed out how important this responsibility is. So, you have to ask yourself at some point…

Who Is Raising Who?

Who’s making the important decisions? Who is the parent and who is the child? And clearly… it is NEVER too late to start doing the right thing – no matter how difficult it may seem. When looking back on our lives, it is easy to see our “mistakes.” It is also easy to say we made those mistakes because we just didn’t know what to do at that time. We didn’t have the facts. We didn’t know the right answer.
But, that’s not true, because most of the time we DO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER. We do know what we should do. We just don’t choose to do it because it seems too darn hard. We take what seems to be the easy way out – and then deal with the terrible repercussions later.

A Great Story About This Instantly Comes To Mind…

Several children were asked to come into a room with an interviewer one-by-one. When the child sat down with the interviewer, one marshmallow was placed in the center of the table. As soon as the “interview” was to begin, someone would enter the room and announce they needed the interviewer. The interviewer would tell the child he had to leave and the child had two choices… The child could eat the marshmallow while he was gone or wait until he got back. If the child ate the marshmallow while he was gone, that’s all he would get. If the child waited until the interviewer got back, the child would get an entire bag of marshmallows.
As the story goes, these children were followed up later in life. The children who immediately ate the marshmallow had a tendency to lead difficult lives. They had a hard time keeping jobs and relationships. They usually did not amount to very much. The kids who waited were very different. They tended to be very successful in most aspects of their lives. They had good jobs and healthy long-term relationships.
This story exemplifies the value of… Delayed Gratification
In other words, the ability to put off a small reward, pleasure of satisfaction now, for a larger one in the future. Should you purchase those new shoes or big screen TV on your credit card today – or should you save your money and buy it with cash later? Should you eat that piece of chocolate – or go to the gym and exercise?
Should the parent in the quote above deal with her child complaining about getting a snack now or give in and have a larger problem in the future? We all know the right answer is NOT eating the marshmallow right now and getting a whole bag later. It is standing up to a 6 year old and making the right choice for them because it will lead to a better life for everyone.
Dealing with problems head-on, no matter how difficult they may seem at the time, is almost always the best choice. Visit http://www.backcaretreatment.com for more info.

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What we know about… Easing Back Pain? More Exercise Or Less? Weights Or Aerobics? New Studies Shed Light On These Questions And More… How top athletes trigger anti-aging effects at the cellular level, and can the Wii Fit® video game help your family get fit?

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Let’s start this article with an amazing display of some incredible psychic powers. How, you ask? I’ll tell you something about yourself, even if we have never met. Are you ready? Ok, here it goes: You have suffered from back pain. And, not only have you suffered from back pain, your back pain has been a problem for quite a while and you are afraid it will stick with you for the rest of your life.

Pretty accurate statement… isn’t it? Of course it’s accurate – but it has nothing to do with psychic powers. Although “psychics” use this very technique to…

Fool People Every Day!

What you have just read is a truism. A truism is something that is true for a majority of people. In this case, statistics show 80% of people in North America will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Not only that, for 85% of these back pain sufferers, the pain will be chronic. That being said, there are things you can do to ease and possibly relieve back pain so you are not just another statistic.

One thing, of course, is Chiropractic care. Studies have shown Chiropractic care to be effective (and cost effective) in the treatment of many cases of back pain and it is clearly a great option for many back pain sufferers.

It is wise for back pain sufferers to consult a Chiropractor to find out if Chiropractic care can help and to see what their options are. Besides Chiropractic, recent research reveals some important things about easing back pain you probably do not know – but should you use…

Weights Or Aerobics To Ease Back Pain?

“People who use weight training to ease their low back pain are better off than those who choose other forms of exercise such as jogging, according to a University of Alberta study”, as reported in a December 16, 2009 article in Science Daily. “The study, done in conjunction with the

University of Regina, showed a 60 percent improvement in pain and function levels for people with chronic backaches who took part in a 16-week exercise program of resistance training using dumbbells, barbells and other load-bearing exercise equipment. “In contrast, people who chose aerobic training such as jogging, walking on a treadmill, or using an elliptical machine to ease their back pain only experienced a 12 percent improvement, said RobertnKell, an Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus.” Researchers believe they achieve better pain management results with resistance training because they are using a whole body approach. On the contrary, aerobics training generally works just the lower body.

More Exercise Or Less?

According to a University of Alberta study, if you suffer with low back pain, you should exercise MORE, not less. In the study, 240 men and women with chronic back pain who exercised four days a week had 28% less pain and 36% less disability, while those who exercised two or three days a week did not see this change.

Amazing what a day or two in the gym can do, isn’t it? The study showed working with WEIGHTS four days a week provided the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life improvement. An important note: “Working with weights” is a very relative term. Before you start any exercise program, you should see a qualified doctor for a preworkout examination. And, all workouts should be designed to suite your individual case and needs. (We are trained to assist you in this.)

Now for some great benefits of exercise, besides your aching back…

How Athletes Stimulate An Anti-Aging Effect on The Cellular Level!

According to the Journal of the American Heart Association, new research shows exercise by professional athletes triggers anti-aging in heart muscle cells – which has a protective effect against aging of the cardiovascular system. In technical terms: Telomeres are DNA that protect the two ends of chromosomes from damage. Imagine the ends of a shoelace. The telomere is like the end of the shoelace that protects the lace from fraying; the end caps Telomeres have a shortening mechanism that limit the number of divisions a cell can undergo. This basically defines the life of the cell. Telomeres gradually shorten from cell division and this shortening leads to aging on the cellular level. The study found physical exercise by professional athletes leads to the activation of the enzyme telomerase.

Telomerase is important because it stabilizes telomere. Author of the study, Ulrich Laufs, says, “This is direct evidence of an anti-aging effect of physical exercise. Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system, reflecting this molecular principle.”

The study examined 32 professional runners from the German National Track and Field Team. Their average age was 20 and their average running distance was 45 miles per week. The study also examined 51 year olds who had a history of continuous endurance exercise since youth, with an average running distance of 50 miles per week.

Will The Wii Fit® Video Game make your family “fit?”

Wii Fit® may be a lot of fun… but according to a newstudy – just having “fit” in the title doesn’t mean it has anything to do with actual fitness… at least for the entire family. A University of Mississippi study shows the game has little effect on family fitness. The study analyzed 8 families who had a Wii Fit for 3 months. The data showed the children had a significant increase in aerobic fitness, but none of the other fitness factors were increased and fitness was not increased for the family as a whole.

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