Ban is Advised on Two Top Pain Relief Pills

Sep/27/09 Filed in: Health
An advisory committee for the Federal Drug Administration recommended a ban on Percocet and Vicodin because of their effects on the liver. The drugs contain acetaminophen which is found in Tylenol and Excedrin. Each year 400 people die and 42,000 are hospitalized due to overdoses. People are using these drugs to limit or decrease the pain they are experiencing. Low back pain, neck pain, headaches are common reasons for taking it.
These are also the aches and pains that chiropractors can effectively treat. Now doesn't it make sense to see a chiropractor to see if he can help rather than risk liver damage by taking acetaminophen?

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Pain's Message

Jul/04/07 Filed in: Health
Most people think of pain as an annoyance. Pain actually serves a very useful purpose. It is telling you that something is wrong and needs fixing or correction. However what most people do today is to take a pain pill that will make the pain go away. This is actually a bad idea because once the pain is gone then you are much more likely to do something which will aggravate your condition. So what you need to do is figure out why you are having you pain. Was it the first time in a while that you went to the gym and you now have sore muscles. Well that should go away in a day or two. Is it something that has been going on for months or even years? Then that definitely warrants further investigation. What happens is you may have some degeneration going on in your spine that is affecting the nerves going to your muscles. This should not be ignored. Degeneration in the spine is a progressive condition that if not stopped can lead to permanent decrease in space for the nerves to come out of the spine and greatly increases the chance of having problems now and in the future. So don't wait and let this condition continue.

Isn't It Just Muscle Pain?

Jul/02/07 Filed in: Health
Many of my patients describe their condition as muscle pain, achy sore stiff muscles. I get a lot of questions about muscle pain. Can't I just stretch it and have it go away. What people don't realize is that the muscle pain they are feeling really has its origin as a nerve problem. The nerves are getting pinched by their vertebrae and this decreases the nerve flow to the muscles. This then shows up as muscle aches, stiffness, soreness and tenderness. But since it is the muscles that hurt they think the origin of the problem lies in the muscles. However no amount of stretching is really going to help, because the real problem is a bone out of alignment pinching the nerve. People commonly think or nerve problems as pins and needles or numbness and tingling in the arms and hands. It is important to realize that achy and tight muscles can also indicate nerve involvement as well.

Should you see a chiropractor after an auto accident?

Jun/25/07 Filed in: Health
If you have been in an auto accident, especially one where you have been rear ended, then it is very important to see a chiorpractor. You may have suffered what is called a whiplash injury. What is more important than the pain you may be experiencing is the possiblity that the curve in you neck may have straightened or even reversed. What this means is that if the curve in you neck is not restored to normal then over time you will experience accelerated degeneration of the spine and not be aware that it is occuring. There is also a greater chance of headaches occuring in terms of frequency and intensity. A chiropractor can not only help with the immediate pain but also help with restoring the curve in your neck towards the way it should be. It is much easier to help correct something that has happened recently than it is after 15 to 20 years have passed.

Stretching to prevent back pain

May/27/07 Filed in: Health
Stretching is very important for your body. I want you to think just a moment about what a dog or cat does when they wake up from sleep. They stretch their whole body and then go about their business. But people commonly role out of bed after hitting the alarm button, take a show and get dressed for work. What you really want to do after just waking up is to slowly stretch your back and your neck. By taking your time and stretching each morning you can help prevent your spine from going out of alignment during the day

Maintaining Balance is the Key to a Healthy Spine

May/27/07 Filed in: Health
What do I mean by balance? What I mean is that when you carry something with your right hand you should periodically carry something in your left hand. This helps balance the load on your spine. One problem women have is that they always carry their purse on one shoulder and not the other. Over time this will cause a misalignment in their spine. So you need to shift your purse to the other shoulder. This is also true when carrying a new born child around. Typically the mother or father will always hold the child on one side. Usually their stronger hand and arm. But you really need to hold the child in the other side as well. Children who have book bags should also wear both shoulder straps rather than carry the book bag on one shoulder. Balancing the load on your spine is important to keeping it aligned.

How To Sleep Properly

May/27/07 Filed in: Health
Believe it or not but there are good ways to sleep on a bed and ways that will actually aggravate your condition. The best way to sleep on a bed it to lie flat on your back, the second best is on your side and the worst is on your stomach. The reason why laying on your stomach is bad is because you have to turn your head either to the left or to the right so you can breath, and this will actually cause neck problems. Laying on your side is OK if you support your head so that your spine is straight and not tilted up by a big pillow. You also want to put a pillow in between your legs to help support your hips otherwise a you spine might twist. Finally laying on you back is the best because you can evenly support your neck and back. It is best for you neck if you have your head lie flat on the bed, and then roll up a hand rag or small hand towel just enough to support your neck while letting your head lie on the bed. If you have a back condition put some pillows under your knees and this takes pressure off your back

Simple Tip To Prevent Back Pain

May/27/07 Filed in: Health
Here is a helpful and useful tip on how to prevent back pain. Many men typically keep their wallet in their back pocket of their pants. This is a bad location because when you sit for long periods of time whether driving, sitting in a chair in an office you are actually causing your spine and hips to get misaligned. The typical wallet can be one to two inches in width. So imagine siting on a two inch pad for long periods of time. It will naturally begin causing misalignments in your hips and spine. So what I always tell my patients is to keep their wallet in their front pocket. This prevents pelvic unleveling from the wallet. This simple habit can prevent the occurrence of back and hip pain.

Don't Do This Do This Instead

May/27/07 Filed in: Health
One of the most common ways my patients have hurt their back is by picking up something heavy and then as the lift they twist at the same time. For instance you are moving a heavy item from the ground to the top of a table and it is just easier to twist and put it on the table than to properly position yourself. This is a really excellent way of damaging the disks in your spine. You see the lower back is really not designed to twist or rotate much as much as your neck. It is really designed to go up and down. So what you want to do when you lift up a large heavy item is lift it straight up and then move your body by moving your feet rather than twisting. So Don't lift and twist Do lift and shuffle or move your feet to properly position your body.