I Need A Push

Good Evening Everyone,

      Everyone has times in their life when they need to make a change.  Some people are able to make that change and some are not.  For those who fail to do it, there are usually couple reasons why.  First, is that they don't know where or how to begin.  Second, is that they don't have the drive or motivation to begin.  Most people out there (including myself) have had times in their lives in which they used one or both reasons as to not make a change that was needed. 
      Just because you have this reason in your head as to why you can't do something, doesn't mean you should give up either.  There are ways to get over that hump which is stopping you.  Researching the information needed so you solve the "how or where to begin" is one way.  Reading a motivational book to get the drive and motivation you may need is another way.  Both of these solutions work great if you like to figure things out on your own.  For others, asking for help works the best.  You'd be surprised just how helpful it is to ask the help of someone that who has already made the change that you are looking to make.  Either way, make sure you don't let anything get in your way of doing something in your life that you know needs to be done!
     
So for anyone out there reading this, please feel free to ask me for help in making that change in your life.  If I can't do it, then I'll try my best to point you in the direction of someone else who can help.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
856-547-6587
drjeff@brucechiropracticonline.com  


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

What?...I Can't Hear You

Good Evening Everyone!

       You've probably heard wives complain about their husbands never hearing them, or being hard of hearing in general.  The joke is that the men have "selective hearing," and they choose to block out what they don't want to hear.  Well, I'm here this week in defense of those hearing challenged men out there.  According to a recent research article, most men may not have "selective hearing," but are actually loosing their hearing.  The best part about the article was that this may actually be prevented. 
       The article reported analgesic use to increase the risk of hearing loss in men.  Analgesic use includes aspirin, NSAIDS(all other pain reliever/anti-inflammatory), and acetaminophen.  The study tracked men who consumed those medications 2 times or more every week.  It also had different results for two different groups: men above 50 years and men below fifty years (the results may surprise you). 

The actual results for increased risk of hearing loss were as follows:


                                   Risk for above 50 years             Risk for below 50 years
Aspirin                                    12%                                            33%
NSAIDS                                 21%                                           61%
Acetaminophen                        22%                                           99%


* acetaminophen presented the greatest risk for both groups reporting a 22% increased risk of hearing loss in men above 50 years and a 99% increased risk of hearing loss in men below 50 years.  The others still presented risk that should be paid attention to.

       To prevent this from happening, we first have to realize that men are taking these drugs most commonly to help with chronic pain relief.  So here are some couple ways to help reduce pain without having side effects.  First, and my favorite is chiropractic care to help reduce & prevent pain.  Second is one that I have written about in the past, and that is taking high quality fish oil (which research has proven to be more effective in the long run vs. pain medications).


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
drjeff@brucechiropracticonline.com     

Source: 
Analgesic Use and the Risk of Hearing Loss in Men,  The American Journal of Medicine. March 2010; Vol. 123; No. 3; pp. 231-237.

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Prevent Upper Respiratory Infections with Chiropractic Treatment!

Good Evening Everyone!

      It's well known that when you are under a high amount of stress that your body's immune system does not function properly.  When your immune system isn't working to the best of its ability, you're more open to infection and sickness.  One solution is to get rid of the stress in your life, but this isn't easy and most times impossible.  So we need another way to help our body deal with the stress which negatively affects our immune system. 
      It just so happens that I was reading a research article which reported that musculoskeletal manipulation (i.e. - chiropractic adjustments) helps to reduce stress and increase immunity.  More specifically, the treatments helped to increase a substance called "human secretory immunoglubulin A (sIgA)."  High levels of that substance (sIgA) helps to decrease the incidence of getting upper respiratory infections! 

*Since upper respiratory infections are most common during this time of the year, please make sure to come in for an adjustment to help your immune system work the best it possibly can.
Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587

Impact of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Secretory Immunoglobulin A Levels in a Stressed Population., Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, March 2011, Vol. 111, No. 3, pp. 143-147.




Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Keep Your Holidays HAPPY!

Good Evening Everyone,

      Well, it's that time of the year again.  The holidays forthcoming should bring happiness to you and your family.  For some, that's still the case and they truly enjoy the whole season.  For others, the holiday season brings stress on many levels and they can't wait for the whole thing to be over.  The season most often begins with excess mental stress.  That alone has negative effects on your health, but mental stress usually doesn't come alone.  It tends to bring on its friends:  physical and chemical stress.

       I'd like to see that everyone finds a good amount of enjoyment from the holidays, so I'm going over some tips to help reduce the stresses in your life at this time. 

1)  Mental Stress:   This is tough to avoid and usually comes from the running around in preparation of dinners and time with family. 
     -  tip #1 - take a long vacation for the holidays if possible :)
     -  tip #2 - lock the doors, turn out the lights and don't answer the phone :)
   
2)  Chemical Stress:  Usually in the form of eating unhealthy food to help deal with mental stress
     -  tip #1 - If you feel the need to eat some comfort food (which is rich in fat and sugar); first try to drink a full glass of water and then wait for 15 minutes.  If you still feel the need to satisfy that craving after 15 minutes, then you probably won't feel the need to eat as much.

3)  Physical Stress:  This is the stress of running around, lifting groceries, spending extra time on your feet and not getting as much rest/sleep.
     -  tip #1 -  Try to not procrastinate when preparing for the holidays (or any stressful event for that matter).  Everybody says this, but it's true!  If you break up your errands (so that you don't have to run around) when getting ready for stressful events, you will be able to maintain the sleep/rest & balance that your body needs to stay healthy. 

Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center, LLC
856-547-6587  

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Red Wine's Amazing Benefit!

Good Evening Everyone!

      This one goes out to all those red wine drinkers out there...  This is your lucky day!  According to a research article in the peer-reviewed Spine Journal, there's an ingredient in red wine that helps to stop spinal disc degeneration and reduce disc & associated nerve pain!  The ingredient is called Resveratrol and is found in grape skins (the most is found in Pinot Noir).  Resveratrol helps to reduce the production of inflammatory "cytokines," which are the main cause of disc degeneration and pain.  If that isn't good enough, resveratrol also increases the production of "proteoglycans" in the body, which potentially helps the discs to regenerate!  
      So it's true; drinking red wine will provide you with resveratrol which does all of the great things above, but for you to get the optimal about of resveratrol for it to be effective, you'd have to become drunk everyday.  This will help you with your back pain, but it will probably also cause you to lose your job and family (so please don't get drunk all day everyday :)).  Instead of having to become intoxicated, resveratrol can be taken as a supplement (100mg per day is sufficient).  This way, the occasional or casual red wine with dinners will just be icing on the cake.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff 
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587

P.S.  If you cannot locate this supplement at your local health food store, let me know and I can order some for you.

Reference:
"The Red Wine Polyphenol Shows Promising Potential for the Treatment of Nucleus Pulposus-Mediated Pain In Vitro and In Vivo,"  Spine, October 1st 2011; Volume 36, Number 21, pp. E1373-E1384.
            


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

"I Have a GUT Feeling"

Good Evening Everyone!

      Have you ever heard someone say: "I have a gut feeling about this." ?  Actually, that may be completely possible.  Truth is, that your gut and brain are created out of the same type on nerve tissue.  During development they start as one and then split into the central nervous system and the (gut) nervous system.  They stay connected and communicate with each other by using the vagus nerve.  Example of this is when you get nervous and get butterflies in your stomach.
     You might be saying: "So what's your point Dr. Jeff."  So the point here is simple.... Healthier Gut equals Healthier Brain.

3 Things to do for a healthier gut:
1)  Reduce sugar and high glycemic index foods in your diet
2)  Add probiotics to your daily (probiotic yogurt or probiotic supplement)
3)  Increase water intake (start small by adding two tall glasses per day to what you already drink)

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center, LLC
856-547-6587
  
     




Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Eating Makes Us Happier!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

      The title of this week's blog is true if you're willing to make some changes to what you're eating.  First, is that you have to stop or limit many of the foods that make you happy.  I know that sounds crazy since the title of the blog is "Eating Makes Us Happier!"  The foods that need to be stopped or limited are most of our comfort foods (which get that name because they tend to relieve stress and make you happy while you are eating them and for a short while after).  The comfort foods tend to be higher in Trans-Fat and Saturated Fat  (both of which have been linked to long term depression in the research).  Polyunsaturated Fats and Monounsaturated Fats such as olive oil, black current seed oil, flax oil, fish oil (and some others) are found in the research to prevent depression.  These oils are more seen in the Mediterranean diet (rich in legumes, fruits, vegetables, fish and cereals, but low in meat and dairy products).

Two points this week:
1)  stop or limit comfort food rich in trans-fat and saturated fat -- these foods will make you feel good while you are eating them but worse in the long term.
2)  replace those foods with more of a Mediterranean diet (rich in mono and poly-unsaturated fats) -- these foods prevent depression


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587 

Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Depression, Public Library of Science (PLoS), January 26, 2011; Vol. 6; No, 1; pp. e16268.



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Last Chance!!

Good Evening Everyone!

      Well here we are, with only a little over two months left in the year of 2011.  In the beginning of the year, I spoke of topics like "focus" and having "personal goals" for the new year.  I suspect that many people did set new personal goals for the new year, but I wonder how many have stayed focused and kept to their promises.
      This is a great time for everyone to stop and evaluate how they've done with staying focused on their goals this year.   If you've done well then I send you congratulations and encourage you to continue.  If you've fallen off course in reaching your goal, then this is a the perfect time to pick your self up and get back on track.  There's plenty of time before the end of the year to make some measurable progress towards your personal goal.  Trust me... If you get back on track and reach toward your goal(s) until the end of the year, you will be just as proud of yourself, as if you would be if you never fell off course!!
      So for those that have done well with their goals and for those that are going to re-focus on them;  Make sure that you finish the year strong!!  This will help you become even more excited to begin on new and bigger goals for the new year. 

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center, LLC
856-547-6587  


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

I'm a Calm Guy, But This Stuff Gets Me Fired Up!!!

Good Evening Everyone!

     I've heard that each year medicine gets better. This leads one to assume that if medicine was getting better we should be getting healthier and therefore need less medication.  I've recently reviewed a book that proves the opposite is happening.  Medicine is evolving and there are many new medications & surgeries available, but the American public is definitely not healthier and in turn is spending huge amounts on prescription drugs.  Here are some statistics to ponder:

• The average number of prescriptions per person annually in 1993 was 7
• The average number of prescriptions per person annually in 2000 was 11
• The average number of prescriptions per person annually in 2004 was 12
• The cost per year in 2005 for prescription medication was about $180 billion
• The cost per year in 2008 for prescription medication was about $234 billion
• The cost per year in 2010 for prescription medication was about $307 billion 

The purpose here is not only to point out a major problem, but also to hopefully get people to start taking their health into their own hands!  The stats above prove that we can't rely on medicine to do it for us.  We have to get back to the basics!!

• Eat Better (Real) Food (that is food from the Earth)! 
• Engage in moderate exercise if possible
• Drastically reduce sugar, desserts, and processed foods
• Avoid refined flour
• Drink water as your main beverage 

If you only do these 5 things, you will drastically reduce your chances of being on multiple medications.... Oh yeah, and YOU WILL FEEL BETTER!!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center, LLC
856-547-6587

Source:
Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Lives, Minds and Bodies.  Greg Critser, Houghton Mifflin Company 2005 Page 2.

Note:
I checked statistics online and they all checked out

   
Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Tonight's FIGHT: The Fish vs. The Pill

Good Evening Everyone!

       That's right folks.... The fish are at it again in the news!  They seem to have a personal vendetta against nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) (i.e. Anacin, Bufferin, Alka-Seltzer, Bayer, Excedrin, Aspirin, Tylenol, Acetaminophen, Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, Mediprin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox, Napreian, Bextra, Celebrex or Vioxx).  The fish claim that their omega-3 oil is more effective than NSAIDS in treating non-surgical neck and back pain.  

       Investigators from the University of Pittsburg have heard the statements made by the fish and have done a study to see if there is anything fishy about their claims :) .  Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurosurgeon and specialist in degenerative spine disease at the University reported the findings of the study at the 73rd  meeting of the Association of Neurological Surgeons: 

• The study consisted of 250 patients who had neck/back pain and they were taking daily doses of NSAIDS. 
• After 75 days of taking high doses of omega-3 fish oil, 59% had stopped taking drugs for their pain.  
• At the end of the study, 88% reported that they were very satisfied and will continue to take the fish oils.  

Another argument won by the fish and yet another reason why natural, highly filtered and high dose omega-3 fish oil should be taken each day.  And remember guys... taking daily NSAIDS is a major contributor to the development of Erectile Dysfunction.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center, LLC
856-547-6587

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

We Are Being Sabotaged!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

      Over the past few decades, the average person in our country has been getting larger and larger.  According to a book that I've reviewed, widespread obesity and chronic disease which add to the bulk of deaths in the world are less the fault of the individual and more the fault of government and multinational corporations which have extreme power to shape our everyday lives.  Our government puts aside $50,000,000,000.00 each year to help farmers produce corn, wheat, soybeans, meat and poultry products.  Corn, wheat and soybeans have no need to be in the human diet (we can eat them, but we can do even better without them).  The book references that 40,000 years ago is when man ate in the healthiest manor as hunter/gatherers.  The majority of food at this time came from plants with the remainder coming from animals (no corn, soy or wheat).
      Today, it all comes down to money (I don't mean to bring up conspiracy theories, but it's true).  The farmers would loose a lot of money if they decided to use their land to grow vegetables and fruit.  The farmers across the mid-U.S.  are greatly motivated to grow corn, wheat and soybeans. These crops will then produce most of the caloric sweetener and over 80% of the vegetable oil used in the U.S..  They are then used to drive the beef and poultry industry (as feed for the animals).
      So basically, government subsidies for farming help to produce beef, poultry, corn, soybeans, wheat and sugar (which then help produce cheap, low quality and for the most part unhealthy food).  That's fine for us since the grocery bills stay low, but this has been at the expense of producing healthy plant foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Conclusion:
Government Farming Subsidies result in:
   - cheaper, low quality, fattening foods which result in:
          - poor health and increasing obsesity which result in:
                  - rapidly increasing health care costs
                           

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Give Me A "D"!!!

Good Afternoon Everyone,

     First of all, sorry for missing last week's blog...The holiday week got ahead of me.  This week I'm going over some information from an article I reviewed on Vitamin D.  Here are four eye-opening statistics:
1)  Vitamin D Deficiency is a pandemic that puts over half of the world's population at risk
2)  About 50% of healthy North Americans are vitamin D deficient and 80% of the population with chronic diseases are deficient in vitamin D
3)  80% of health Caucasian infants are vitamin D Deficient.  African American and Hispanic children have an even greater rate of this deficiency
4)  People with vitamin D deficiency will have 39% higher health care costs per year.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause:
osteoporosis
cardiovascular disease
cancer
autoimmune disease
multiple sclerosis
Pain
loss of cognitive function (brain function)
decreased strength
increased mortality for all-causes

Ask your doctor to make sure and test your vitamin D3 levels on your next blood test/check-up.

If your levels are low, supplementation with vitamin D3 should be done.  According to the article, up to 20,000 IU/Day should be done for 3-6 months and then maintained with 5,000 IU/day there after.  Naturally, one of the best ways to get your vitamin D is to have exposure to sunshine at least 15-20 minutes each day (using sunscreen  of course).

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587

Source:
"What We Have Learned About Vitamin D Dosing?" Integrative Medicine, Vol. 9, No. 1, Feb/Mar 2010
 



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Blah Blah Blah....Just Fix Me Dr. Jeff!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

        I've recently done many blogs on nutrition and supplementation.  As your doctor, my reason for doing this is in hope that the information provided will help to reduce chemical or nutritional stress to your body.  Reducing this stress helps to eliminate weaknesses which will ultimately cause many of your health or pain issues.
        Most people will come to me with a problem/pain that they hope I can make better.  That's only 50% of what I should be doing for them (even though most people think that this is 100% of what I should be doing).  The other 50% comes in the education about health that I have to offer.  So in receiving care from my office, patients should get the resolution of pain that they are looking for and the tools/information needed to improve their overall health and prevent future recurrences of their pain. 
       Remember....The Merriam-Webster Dictionary includes in the definition's second line that a doctor is:  b : a learned or authoritative teacher .  Please make sure that you hold me and the rest of your doctors to that definition!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Abraham Lincoln Is Toxic to Your Brain

Good Afternoon Everyone!

         That's right everyone....The research is in and old Abe is Neurotoxic (not Abe himself, but the coin that his face is stamped on)!  According to an article that I just reviewed, copper ( i.e. the penny) and iron can be toxic to our health (causing diseases of aging).  Both of these metals are essential for us to survive, but become dangerous at higher levels.  Aging diseases which include Alzheimer's (and other neurological diseases), arteriosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and others can be increased by having excess copper and iron.  This article reported that the population in the highest 5th of copper intake loses cognition at 3 times the normal rate.
         So how do we minimize copper and iron toxicity?  Well according to the article, we get most of our copper and iron from these sources:  Drinking water, Red Meat, Processed Meat, Shell Fish, and supplements containing copper/iron.  So reducing shell fish, red meat and processed meat helps, but the largest source seems to come from our drinking water.  To minimize this, a reverse osmosis device can be installed on the tap used for drinking and colling water.  Lastly, you can lower the risks of free copper and iron by choosing supplements/vitamins that do not have these metals in them.  Iron supplementation should be for those who are anemic only.   

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587
      


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Dear Women....Now He'll Listen To You!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       This week's blog is for every woman who has frequent pains in different areas of their body.  This also goes out to all the men who aren't sympathetic to their spouse's pain.  Sorry guys..., but she's not being over-dramatic or too sensitive and she's NOT faking pain just to get attention. 
       In a recent journal article that I reviewed, it gave evidence as to why women have more frequent & numerous clinical pain conditions and more inflammation related disorders.  The study reports that due to higher levels of sex hormones such as: estrogen, progesterone and other gonadal hormones; Women have an increased nervous system response to pain.  These hormones cause cells in the central nervous system to release "cytokines" which will increase the pain response to inflammatory stimuli.  Translation:  women tend to have a lower threshold for pain stimulus due to their hormone levels.

Take home message this week: 
Men -->  Be more sensitive when your spouse complains of body pains
Women -->  Be sure to show this to your spouse if they're not sympathetic to what you are feeling


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587




Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

What's Up or Not With E.D.

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       This week's blog is for guys who may be suffering from E.D. (erectile dysfunction).  The following information is from the Journal of Urology in April of this year.  This study found there to be a strong connection between the use of NSAIDS (nonsteriodal antiinflammatory drugs) and E.D. among men aged 45-69 years.  Examples of NSAIDS are: Anacin, Bufferin, Alka-Seltzer, Bayer, Excedrin, Aspirin, Tylenol, Acetaminophen, Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, Mediprin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox, Napreian, Bextra, Celebrex or Vioxx.  NSAID use that caused E.D. ranged from 3x a day to at least 5x a week.
       Now, I know what everyone is thinking out there...  Isn't that just normal for men between those ages?  The research addressed that question and still found that there was a 38% increased risk no matter older age or any other variable!    The study found that nearly half (47.5%) of men between ages 45-69 years are regular users of NSAIDS!

       NSAIDS are most commonly used for treating chronic pain, but there are many studies that show omega-3 fatty acids to be 59-88% more effective for chronic pain (WITHOUT side effects like the one above).  That will make you take a second look at taking that fish or omega-3 oil!


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587

Source Article:
Regular Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use and Erectile Dysfunction,  Journal of Urology, April 2011, Vol. 185, pp. 1388-1393.



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

The BAD Nugget!!!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

      Here is some news for those that eat at McDonald's.  If you think eating chicken from their menu is better, then think again.  I just finished reading up on some of the ingredients besides "chicken" that are in fried chicken dishes.  First, is dimethylpolysiloxane which is an anti-foaming agent that is made up of silicone.  Second, is tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) which is used as a preservative.  TBHQ can also be deadly if 5 grams or more is consumed.  There is a bunch of other stuff in those McNuggets, but I don't think we need to go further than the first two that I listed above.  The truth of the matter is that only 50% of the McNugget is actually chicken!

So the message for this week:  AVOID fast low quality food as much as possible!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587




Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Pillow Fight!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

      A few weeks back I went over beds and sleeping position, but I didn't go over what type of pillow to use.  This will make for a short blog this week, because I really only like one pillow to use for either side or back sleeping.  A soft synthetic down pillow is the one I like, and this one for a few reasons:
1)  it's great for side and back sleeping. 
2)  it allows your head to sink into the pillow rather than rest on top (which happens with most other pillows). 
3)  Once the pillow is broken in, you can mold the pillow to your comfort.

      You can purchase this type of pillow from most bed/bath stores or department stores, but I found that the bed pillows at Pottery Barn are the best.  I purchase my pillows there and only have to replace them about every two years.  It's simple there too; you just walk in and ask for their synthetic down bed pillows (king size or standard size).  You don't have to sort through a whole section of pillows to find the one you are looking for like at other stores.

Sleep well.... It's a great investment!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587



 
Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Dr. Jeff's Cosmetic Chiropractic

Good Afternoon Everyone,

      One of the problems with taking care of your spine is that you can't see your spine.  So for most people it's "out of sight - out of mind," when caring for their spine.  Teeth on the other hand are very much seen and will affect the way you look if they are not taken care of.  As a result, people proactively care for their teeth to prevent poor/unhealthy looking teeth and cavities. 
       In the past, I have compared subluxation (vertebrae misaligned and/or not moving correctly) in the spine to cavities of the teeth and that you need to proactively care for the spine to prevent subluxation just like that of cavities.  I think people get that idea, but will still forget about their spine.  The reason for this is that their spine is not staring at them in the mirror each morning.  As a result, most people will not take care of their spine until they feel pain. 
       So I have to turn spinal care into a cosmetic procedure.  To do this, I'm going to show how poor posture can be unattractive when compared to good posture.  Lets take a look at some examples of poor posture compared to good posture:

       Normal posture is on the left and the postures get worse as they move to the right. 

       *The challenge for this week is to have someone take a picture of you standing from the side, front and back.  If your postures resemble those to the right on the chart, then you may want to seek out some COSMETIC CHIROPRACTIC CARE to help correct your poor postures.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff

Bruce Chiropractic Center

856-547-6587

          

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Some Veggies to Clean Your Pipes

Good Morning Everyone!

        Everyone would probably agree that they'd like to have clean pipes in their digestive system. Fiber is one nutrient that we've went over to help with digestion and proper bowl movements.  Another very important part of your digestion is making sure that you have the proper enzymes in your diet.  Enzymes simply break down the food that you are eating and keep it moving through your pipes (intestines).  Enzymes are found in vegetables for the most part, but get removed from the vegetables when cooking them.  So a good tip would be to add RAW Vegetables (a small portion) to each meal to help with the digestion of the other food that you are eating.

So for the July 4th holiday, the menu should read:

Raw Carrots and Broccoli; with hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob

Note:  If Raw Carrots and Broccoli just seem to ruin the meal for you, then you can also get your enzymes be taking a supplement for them.  (rule of thumb as always with supplements is quality not quantity)

Also:  Only eat the raw vegetables if you can...Some conditions of the colon and intestines will get irritated by them.

Have a GREAT 4th!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff

Bruce Chiropractic Center

856-547-6587

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Arthritis Surgery for the Knee is Determined WORTHLESS...

Good Afternoon Everyone,

       For those of you who have osteoarthritis of the knee, you might considering doing nothing as treatment rather than getting arthroscopic surgery.  Proof of this doesn't come from some alternative or natural health journal; proof comes from the very prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.  That's right....the medical doctors themselves reported that arthroscopy is just as effective for treating knee osteoarthritis as doing nothing. 
      If this persuades you or someone you know not to have this surgery, then there are other options that may help.  Improved nutrition is one option which can help the health of joints.  Just the addition of a good fish oil (omega-3) and drinking a proper amount of water will help the joints over time.  Certain exercise(s) can help osteoarthritis of the knees (these exercises can be different for everyone so this is something that we can go over on your next visit).  Lastly, I've had a lot of success with arthritic knees by using chiropractic extremity adjusting, advanced muscle work (myofascial release) and traction techniques.  Everything I do is with the purpose of helping the knees function better.  When joints function better, they will release synovial (joint) fluid which acts as food for the cartilage in the joint.  This "joint fluid" contains all the things for joints that you here about....(i.e.  MSM, Hyaluronic acid, Glucosamine and Chondroitin). 

*These more conservative approaches to caring for osteoarthritis of the knee will take time, but they can be very beneficial for pain relief and improving function.  Personally, I've taken care of people that were in line for knee replacement surgery and no longer needed the surgery after being under care.  So if you or someone you know has osteoarthritis of the knee, please persuade them not to get surgery and seek alternative care first (you can send to our office or to any chiropractor in their area that works on knees).


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587      

Reference: 

Moseley, J. B, et al. "A Controlled Trial of Arthroscopic Surgery for Osteoarthritis of the Knee." New England Journal of Medicine 347, no. 2 (July 11, 2002): 81–88.

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Stop Hitting Yourself In The Head With A Hammer!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       Last week we went over the best type of beds to sleep on.  This week, we're going to add to this by talking about what sleeping position is best to prevent back/neck, arm and headache pain.  When I go over this with patients, many of them give me a special look that basically says:  "I'm listening Doc, but I'm not going change what I'm doing."  Then, they say: "How can my sleeping position be causing all of the pain that I am in?"  To that I say, "It's simple... If you came to me with headaches and then told me that every morning you woke up and hit yourself in the head with hammer, I would tell you to stop hitting yourself in the head with a hammer."  So if you are coming in with low-back/sciatic pain, I'm going to tell you to stop sleeping in a position that is adding to or completely causing the problem.
        Generally speaking, sleeping on your stomach is the one all around bad habit for the health of the neck & back.  Side sleeping and back sleeping are better options, but they need to be done correctly.  When sleeping incorrectly on your side, you can develop neck pain and eventual arm/nerve pain.  Sleeping incorrectly on the back can result in additional neck pain, headaches and low back pain. 

*To make sure you're sleeping in the best possible position, Please ask me to go over proper sleeping position on your next visit.  Normally I'd just tell you what to do in this blog, but sleeping position can be different for everyone (which means that showing you in person is a much better for your individual needs). 

As always, you can email me any questions:  drjeff@brucechiropracticonline.com

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

What's Causing My Back Pain?

Good Afternoon Everyone,

        I often get asked; "Doc, what do you think is causing this pain in my back?"  If there is no obvious trauma or injury, one of the first things I turn to is sleeping.  I first ask what position the patient normally sleeps in.  Then we go over what kind of bed they have and how old the bed is.  What I've found in asking these questions is that there are many situations that connect poor sleep habits to different pains in the spine.  One of the most obvious sleep/pain pattern is when someone comes into the office with sciatica (severe pain in the low back with shooting pain down one or both legs).  The sleep habit that most commonly goes with sciatica is simply having the wrong bed.  Either the bed is too old, too soft, a pillow top bed or a combination of all three.  Even a new pillow top bed is bad for the back and lead to conditions such as sciatica.  A bed is too old if it is over 8 years old (some beds are too old at 6 years....things aren't made the way they used to be).  

"So what sort of bed should we be sleeping on?" ...is usually the next question that I get and here is the answer:

1)  If you want to buy a traditional spring type mattress;  make sure that it is medium to firm, NOT a pillow top, and in the mid price range that sort of mattress. (expect to get 6-8 years out of the bed)
2)  If you want to get a "specialty bed," then I have two recommendations:  
     -  Name Brand Tempur-pedic mattresses (memory foam)...They will last up to 15 years and are great for your spine 
     -  "Sleep Number" Beds would be my next recommendation as they allow you to adjust the firmness to what makes you feel the best....They also last for up to 15 years

As always, please feel free to stop in with any questions or concerns.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587  
        
       


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Put Your Best Foot Forward!

Good Morning Everyone,

Hopefully everyone had a great holiday weekend! 

      This week we're talking about the health of your feet and how poor foot mechanics can cause other problems throughout the body.  When having the opportunity to evaluate some of my patients' feet, I can report that most are wearing the wrong shoes (possibly wrong size) and have poor mechanics in the bones/joints of the foot & ankle.  Incorrect foot mechanics and foot wear will lead to improper mechanics when walking.   This in turn will negatively affect the health of the knees, hips and spine (especially the low back and pelvic/sciatic joints). 
      So make sure to bring any pains in the feet, ankles, knees or hips to our attention.  Don't have any pain in those areas?  That's OK, because you can still ask us to have the feet/ankles checked to prevent future problems from arising.  If we find issues that we can help, we'll recommend proper foot wear and use chiropractic adjusting to make sure the foot/ankle is functioning properly.

If you have any questions about this or any other topic, please feel free to email me:  drjeff@brucechiropracticonline.com

Enjoy this beautiful day!


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587    
           



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Forget The Knife...Get Cracked!

Good Afternoon Everyone!


     There's good news!!!  For those people who are thinking of having surgery for their sciatica pain, they can save their insurance company thousands of dollars and choose chiropractic care instead.  This is according to the recent study:  "Manipulation or Microdisketomy for Sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study," (Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, October 2010, Vol. 33 iss. 8, p: 576-584.  "Researchers concluded that spinal manipulation was just as effective as microdiskectomy for patients struggling with sciatica secondary to lumbar disk herniation (LDH)."  Translation:  Chiropractic adjustments were equally successful for low back pain/sciatica when compared to surgery!  During the study, patients would either receive surgery (Cost:  $25,000.00 per procedure) or 21 chiropractic sessions (Cost:  they over-estimated a cost of $100 per visit which would be $2100 total).  The difference of the two methods of treatment would be $22,900 in savings and the fact that the chiropractic care will come with much less chance for negative side effects!     

*The point here is if you or someone you know has low back/sciatic pain, PLEASE have them consider chiropractic care before surgery!


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

STRESS Causes CAVITIES For The Spine??

Good Afternoon Everyone!

     Since being a kid, I've always understood from the dentist that eating too much sugar is bad for my teeth and can lead to having cavities.   This seems to be a basic fact that is understood by most (if not all) people.  One thing (among many) that I didn't know as a kid was what STRESS can do to the body.  Now as a chiropractor, I see STRESS to be just as bad for spine as sugar is for the teeth.  Stress can cause subluxation in the spine (kind of like cavities for the teeth).  Subluxation is when a vertebra or series of vertebrae are out of alignment and or not moving properly.
     Just like a cavity in a tooth, a subluxation in the spine can result in other conditions.  Some examples are: pain, inflammation, poor posture, accelerated arthritis, degenerated discs, disc herniations, headaches, neck pain, low back pain, sciatica...just to name a few.  One additional effect is that a subluxation of the spine can interfere with nerve flow to the body (not just parts you can feel, but also parts that you can't feel ....such as all of your internal organs).  This nerve interference can result in an overall poor health (this happens as the nerve interference affects how the brain communicates with the body).

Take Home Message:
1)  Sugar --> cavities --> tooth decay (and resulting conditions)
2)  Stress --> spinal subluxation --> Nerve interference (overall poor health), pain, inflammation, poor posture, accelerated arthritis, degenerated discs, disc herniations, headaches, neck pain, low back pain, sciatica...just to name a few   

So make sure to get your spine checked for subluxation (aka: spinal cavities) if you've been going through a large amount of stress.  Also, please pass this message along to any loved ones that you think have too much stress in their life.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587

          

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Tonight's Menu: Laboratory Created Meat and Vegetables...mmmmm

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       Picture this:  You're sitting down in a restaurant and the server tells you about the specials of the night.  He says, "The special for tonight is a laboratory created steak with a side of laboratory created vegetables."  Sounds amazing huh?... Yeah Right!!!  I don't think their is anyone out there that would choose that meal over REAL fresh meat and vegetables. 
       So that tends to raise the question:  "Why would anyone take a vitamin or supplement that has been created in a laboratory?"  People take supplements to replace nutrients that they should be getting from natural foods in their diet.  It doesn't make sense to replace these natural food nutrients with those that are created in a laboratory.  The body simply responds much better to vitamins and supplements that come from organic and or whole food sources (just as it would respond better to real food as opposed to laboratory created food). 
      So what this means is that most of the vitamins taken such as Centrum, GNC or others from your supermarket/CVS are not as effective (if at all) as they advertise to be.  When shopping for a vitamin or supplement you should look for the source of the product.  The supplement should be from an organic or wholefood source.  These can be found at many local health food stores, the natural section of Wegman's, Wholefoods or you can order them from our office.  You'll probably pay more for the organic/wholefood supplements, but it makes more sense to pay more for something that works rather than pay less for something that doesn't work. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at drjeff@brucechiropracticonline.com


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587 


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

The Best Bowel Movement!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       In recent weeks, we have talked a lot about nutrition and digestion.  So with this week's topic, we're going over how to make sure our elimination is working the best it possibly can.  That's right folks....this week we are going to talk about bowel movements and how to make sure that you have them regularly and in good form.  Having proper bowel movements is very important to our health and can be fairly simple to maintain.
       First, you have to maintain a high level of water in your diet ( 1/2 oz. for every pound that you weigh per day).  You should try to drink your water at room temperature for best absorption and other liquids(drinks) do not qualify as water (you need good old plain water). 
       Second, you should have a consistent level of fiber in your diet.  If you think that you're getting enough fiber in your diet because you have a bran muffin and some "fiber cereal," you would be wrong.  Fact is, that most (if not all) Americans don't have enough fiber in their diets (because of the cooking and processing of foods).  The best way to know you're getting the fiber you need is to use fiber supplements (fiber powder or fiber pills).
FIBER RULES:
1)  Start with the recommended dosage from the bottle that you have purchased.
2)  ALWAYS TAKE THE FIBER AT THE SAME TIME (give or take 15 minutes) EACH DAY!!
3)  Do Not take fiber only when constipated as you will probably not get the results you are looking for, and you'll then think that taking fiber doesn't help.  Take fiber everyday.
4)  Read Rule #2 again and actually follow it!!!!  It really works great for the digestive and elimination system of your body

Note:  If you are just starting to take fiber, allow for 2-4 weeks before any real changes in your bowel movements are seen. 

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Bruce Chiropractic Center
856-547-6587



Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Oh Forget It!! I'll Just Try Again Next Year...

Good Afternoon Everyone!

      So how's everyone doing with their New Year's Resolution(s)?  For those of you who are doing great, I want to let you know that I'm truly proud of you!  For those that have gotten off track (completely or partially), I just want to spend a little time to help you get back on track.
      We tend to get off track with respect to our goals because of a lack of focus.  Our lives become filled with distractions each day which interrupt our focus and take the place of what we're supposed to be doing.  When this happens to you, the worst thing that you can do is just give up and say "Oh Forget It!"  If you do this, you forfeit any progress and effort that you have made thus far.  Instead, you should try to look at your life and identify the distractions that have made you lose your focus.  Once identified (which is the hardest part), just try to spend a few days removing them (this will truly make you feel so much better and re-energize you to get back to your goals).
      In a sense, all this means is that you need to clean out your head space and get back to business.  An uncluttered brain just makes you feel and work better.  You can compare this to how you feel when your house is a mess, and then how you feel after you spend the weekend cleaning the whole thing top to bottom.  So spend a few days doing this for your brain.... and please DO NOT WAIT until the next new year to get re-focused...DO IT NOW!!

Here is a hint on how to get started:  LISTEN TO YOUR GUT!  Your gut knows what you should and shouldn't be doing (we just choose to ignore it or block it out with distractions).   So spend the extra time doing what your GUT tells you... You'll get FOCUSED again and begin to feel better because of it!  

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff


Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Learn What Others Say About Your Medication?

Good Afternoon Everyone!

      Excuse me for the late article this week.  I got back from a small vacation on Tuesday and have had to play some catch-up this week.  So for this week, I have a short but important message for everyone.  That is, to treat your medication(s) the way that most people treat anything that they spend money on these days.  First, you look for reviews on the Internet, and then you make an educated purchase or decision.  This is done for restaurants, retail, vacations & doctors, but not for medications (or not as much as it should be).
      To find reviews on the medications that you have been prescribed to take, please take a look at this website:  http://www.askapatient.com/  .  You can browse around the medications or directly search for the type or name of medication in question.  Some medications have 100's of reviews while others only have about 10.  No matter the number of reviews that a medication has, it is very valuable to see what others are feeling/experiencing by using the same medication that you are taking or about to take.
      Lastly, it's far too common to be on a medication for longer than needed, or to be on a medication that is just not needed.  I have many patients that tell me about how they questioned their doctor on the medications they are taking, and as a result, the doctor saw that one or more of the medications were no longer necessary!  If they had not questioned, they would probably still be taking the medications and putting a lot of unnecessary stress on their bodies.

     Your goal for medications should be:   
1)  Make sure you know what medication you are taking? 
2) Why you are taking it? 
3) What are others experiencing while take that medication? (use www.askapatient.com for this)
4) Please make sure to only take the minimum of what is ABSOLUTELY NEEDED.


Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff
Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Hold Your Doctor to Auto Mechanic Standards!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       We'll start this week with a cartoon:

      Sounds ridiculous doesn't it?  Imagine going to the auto-mechanic because your car has an unusually low level of oil in it.  Your mechanic says:  "Looks like you have a condition that we call Hypo-Oil-ism. (mechanic terms for not enough oil in your car)  So I am going to write you a prescription for 1 quart of oil every two days.  It's your job to monitor the oil in your car and if you find that this amount is not enough, we'll have you come back for a prescription of 1 quart of oil per day."  

      Now, does this sound like an auto-mechanic that you would trust to take care of your car?  It definitely doesn't to me!  Obviously, no auto-mechanic would say this, because they'd first figure out WHY the car doesn't have enough oil in it.  Then they'll fix the problem, fill it with oil and send you on your way as a happy & satisfied customer. 

     Auto-mechanics conduct business this way because that's what is expected of them from their customers.  So, why is it that most of us don't hold our doctors to the same standards?  The job of a doctor should be the same as the auto-mechanic:

1.  Figure out what the problem is 

2.  Figure out WHY that problem is happening 

3.  Treat the problem 

4.  Educate the patient/customer so that the problem can be prevented in the future. 

Most doctors only complete steps 1 and 3 and send you on your way.  So my challenge this week is for you to challenge you doctors to complete the other 50% of their job in steps 2 and 4.  You should demand that from them, because you deserve the very best!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff

      

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Want to Scare Me?

Good Morning Everyone!

       If anyone ever wants to scare me, you could do so with this statement:  "I was in a car accident, but I feel fine."  I'm truly worried for the health and well-being of anyone that says that.  My experience and research has seen that even the smallest impacts can have life changing effects on the body.  The most concerning effects are to the spine (most commonly the neck).  The neck can undergo structural changes that will lead to accelerated degeneration (arthritis).  Once this degeneration advances, it will bring neck pain, arm/hand pain, headaches and stiffness.  If left untreated, this can eventually result in chronic constant pain and the possible need for surgery. 

For those that need a little proof that this can happen from a small impact, please take a look at the following videos of a 6 mph rear-end collision (one that almost all of us has been in or may be in at some point):   

    

That was the collision from the outside (doesn't seem like much does it?).  Now lets take a look at what happens to the person inside the car:

Very traumatic for only a 6 mph collision!  Now lets take a look at the bones inside the neck to see what is

happening: 

This is what a normal cervical curve (pre-accident) looks like: (notice the nice "C" shaped curve)

Now lets look at what can happen initially following even the most minor accident: 

*Notice the reversal of the curve in the neck when compared to the one above.

Now lets take a look at what this looks like if left untreated for years:

*Notice the break-down of the vertebra in the mid-neck area.  At this point, we are limited to what we can do and this is not reversible.  Chiropractic can only provide symptomatic relief at this point (maybe limited with symptomatic relief also).

      So the obvious message this week is to make sure that you come in to get checked if you've gotten into even the most minor accident.  Also, please make sure that your family/friends come in to get checked if they've been in an accident.  The rule with you or anyone you know is to get checked as soon as possible after the accident.  Also, if you or someone you know has been in an accident months or years ago without care, make sure you or they get checked (that process that I showed above may be already happening to them).  Lastly, the condition that I showed above is NOT something that the hospital is going to go over with you after an accident.  The hospital will tell you that nothing is broken and that the pain you are feeling (if any) should go away with medication or rest.  

So be careful driving out there!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff  

       

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Do You Know Any Onions?

Good Afternoon Everyone!

       Do we know any onions?....Alright Dr. Jeff, what the heck are you talking about this week?  Well, you might suspect that I'm not talking about the actual onions that grow from the ground and you'd be right!  In fact, if you do know or talk to actual onions then you may need a little more than a good chiropractic adjustment .  

      When I speak of onions I use them to describe the majority of patients that come in for care.  If you peel an onion you'll begin to see that it has layers and that you'll go through a series of layers before getting to the core of the onion.  That's how patients come in.... they have a main complaint that usually changes as they go through care.  They say to me... "Now I hurt here," and I say "GREAT....that means that we are working through the layers (onion layers) of your problem!" 

      So, the point of this week's blog is to remind you that it's normal (and almost always a good thing) when your pain starts to move to different areas of the body.  Also, if you do know any onions... please let them know about us, and that we'd be glad to peel off their layers (onion layers that is :)).  

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Can you help me with ________?

Good Afternoon Everyone,

       To tell the truth, this is a question that I don't hear enough!  Most people (99%) come to me for help with something related to the spine, but chiropractic can help any part of the muskuloskeletal system.  I have helped patients with pains or conditions in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles, TMJ, and  feet.  I'm excited to help with those areas in addition to the original spinal complaint, but far to few patients ask me about a pain or condition they are having in other joints/muscles of the body.
       For those that are reading this and thinking...."I do have a problem with my ________," then please do not hesitate to bring it up to me.  There's a good chance that I'll be able to help and possibly prevent you from having to get unnecessary medication, shots/injections or surgery!

So the Challenge for this week is to just ask me to help!  Also, don't worry if you haven't been into the office for a while...Everyone is ALWAYS Welcome!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Jeff 

Any medical information provided in Doctor Jeff's Blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. Any information provided is not meant to diagnose, treat or manage any specific disease/condition.  Doctor Jeff's Blog respects the confidentiality of individual patients and site visitors. All clinical anecdotes are compliant with HIPAA regulations.