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.