Osteoarthritis: What can ACTIVATOR Chiropractic do to help?

Osteoarthritis: What can ACTIVATOR Chiropractic do to help? Yesterday I treated a patient with it. I balanced his entire body, relieving joint fixations and correcting misalignments that were causing abnormal joint stresses. Getting those arthritic joints normally positioned and moving better helps relieve pain. And he'll benefit more now from daily exercise. I LOVE what I do!

Five Keys to Healthy Sitting

Keys to healthy sitting include:
--- Both feet flat on the floor,
--- Knees slightly lower than the level of the hips,
--- Back resting comfortably against your chair,
--- Keep your head in line with center of gravity of your body (avoid head-forward postures).
--- One of the most important features of whatever chair you use is that you can change the height of the seat.

Could It Be Shingles?

Back pain or headache that is severe, often "burning" or "searing," that doesn't get better with chiropractic treatment or good home care may, unfortunately, turn out to be shingles. If you've had chicken pox, you are vulnerable to getting shingles. The virus from chicken pox sequesters in the nerve ganglia alongside your spine, where it stays with you for life. Stress, getting overheated (hyperthermia), and ingestion of foods containing a high arginine / low lysine ratio (peanuts, chocolate, etc.) can stimulate an outbreak of the virus. This is shingles. The pain presents along a dermatome, the section of skin supplied with feeling by a spinal nerve. It may run in a line from your spine across & under your arm, or across part of the head or face. Soon, painful blisters appear along the pain line. See your M.D. or Doctor of Chiropractic if you think this is happening to you.

5 Things to Know About Fender Benders

1. The visual damage to your car is not necessarily an indicator of the impact on your body.
2. Feeling confused, "fuzzy," disoriented, and irritable often follow.
3. Symptoms may have delayed onset; you may "feel fine" for the first few days, or even longer.
4. The sooner you come in to see me and get your whole body checked & balanced, the better, and your chances for a speedy recovery are improved.
5. If you don't have Medpay on your auto policy, get it. If you have it, and you're in an accident, your own insurance will cover your care, so you or your doctor won't have to wait for the other party's insurance to pay. It's insurance that's really worthwhile.

Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs)

Genetically modified foods may be associated with allergies, immune problems, faulty insulin regulation, and other health problems---the bottom line is, we don't really know for sure. The long term effects aren't fully understood. In addition, many GMO crops are designed to resist herbicides and pests, so they are loaded with toxic residues. Wouldn't you like to know whether a food contains GMOs, so you make a choice of whether to eat it or not? 

Total Body Balancing

I am a Total Body, Low Force chiropractor, and have been in practice in Santa Cruz for 30 years. I use Activator Method, the most widely used method of low force adjusting in the world. ACTIVATOR is comfortable, precise, and thorough. The patient's total body gets balanced at every visit, and I do craniosacral each visit, as well. I'm happy to answer questions; give me a call. 831-476-2168.

Neck Pain and Tension

Neck pain and tension can be a difficult cycle to break. My Chiropractic approach is to adjust misalignments, release fixations, and share home care advice: ergonomics, posture (including sleep), etc., tools patients can use on their own to get relief.

Pelvic Distortion

What is pelvic distortion? Why does it matter? If your pelvis gets distorted, it becomes unlevel. This makes an unstable foundation for your spine. It's uncomfortable, and may lead to problems above, in your neck or shoulders. As an Activator Chiropractor, I can correct this with a gentle, comfortable full-body balancing.

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Chiropractic: How Long, How Often?

Patients commonly want to know: "How often do I have to come in, and for how long?" In my chiropractic practice, each patient's Treatment Plan is tailored to the individual. Some patients come in for their initial treatment and one follow-up, and they're done. Some people need more. It depends on the person's problem, their general health, whether they've been injured, whether they follow Home Care Instructions, etc. As soon as each patient is sufficiently improved and able to continue healing on their own, I release them. I am always available to support them, should they need me again. 

Four secrets to a strong immune system

Four secrets to a strong immune system: 

(1) Avoid sugar---the amount of sugar in one soft drink suppresses immune function for up to 12 hours. 

(2) Support the health of your intestinal tract by taking a good probiotic---up 70% to 80% of our immune system is in our intestinal tract. 

(3) Get plenty of sleep. 

(4) Find effective ways to manage your stress.

29 Problems, 29 Solutions

As an Advanced Proficiency Rated Activator Chiropractor, I have 29 adjustments for the knee. 

 In-other-words, in Activator, the Advanced doctors, who are the most highly trained, have 29 tests for misalignment or aberrance of the structures of the knee. This includes the osseous components (the bones) as well as soft tissue (muscles and their tendons which act on the knee). We even have new adjustments for the medial and lateral meniscus, which, in my practice, I am finding very helpful for my chronic knee patients.

Can Chiropractors Opt Out of Medicare?

 

No. Medical doctors can choose to opt out, but Chiropractors cannot.

If a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic sees a patient who has Medicare, the Chiropractor must, by law, report it to Medicare. Medicare covers Chiropractic treatment to the spine, and patients with Medicare insurance have the right to have their Medicare pay for their spinal treatment. 

If your Chiropractor sees Medicare patients but does not accept assignment (accept payment from Medicare), you must pay at the time of service, your Chiropractor then sends the report of her / his services and charges to Medicare, and you will be reimbursed directly from Medicare. 

Medicare will process the statement of services and charges received from your Chiropractor, and then send the statement on to your secondary or supplemental carrier. Whatever amount your supplemental insurance will pay, they will also send the reimbursement directly to you.

Pregnancy and Postpartum

A hormone called “relaxin” is generated in a woman’s body when she is pregnant. It has a loosening effect on her joints, partly to prepare the pelvic joints for passage of the baby through the birth canal, but it affects all the joints in her body. Because of this, her joints become more vulnerable to misalignments or distortions.

It is especially beneficial for expectant moms to come in for periodic full-body balancing. My Activator Chiropractic method is gentle, comfortable, precise, and especially suited for women in pregnancy.

After the birth, relaxin slowly dissipates, but for a while the mother’s joints remain susceptible. So continuing to get checked and balanced, while the body returns to pre-pregnancy status, is a good idea.

Ribs---Like a Bucket Handle

Think of each of your ribs as being like a bucket handle:  on our right side, each rib is attached in our back at a thoracic vertebra, and curves around under our arm and across our chest, where it attaches in the front to our sternum. Ditto each rib on our left side at the matching spinal levels.

With inhalations, our chest expands. With deeper breaths, the ribs move up / out from their front & back attachments, in the same way that a bucket handle moves from its attachments on either side of a bucket.

An impact on a rib in the back can affect its attachment in the front of the body, and vice versa. Impacts on side(s) of rib(s) can disturb their attachment(s) in front and / or back. Careful assessment of the rib cage is part of my full-body balancing with Activator Chiropractic.

5 Secrets of Neck Pain Relief

 

5 SECRETS OF NECK PAIN RELIEF

WATCH OUT FOR HEAD-FORWARD POSTURES,

     which strain the muscles in your neck.

USE YOUR HEADREST,

    especially when you're a passenger. with someone else driving.

SLEEP ON THE RIGHT PILLOW,

    one that adequately supports your cervical spine.

BE KIND TO YOUR NECK,

    guard against sudden extreme movements, or repetitive motions 

    of your head.

GET YOUR SPINE CHECKED

    for underlying problems by your Activator Chiropractor---ME! 

Scoliosis--An Unwelcome Spinal Curve

Our spines have normal front-to-back curves:  forward-facing curves in the neck & low back, and a backward-facing upper back curve.

But “sideways” curves in the spine, called scoliotic curves, aka "scoliosis," those that you would see if the person has their back to you, are abnormal and can cause trouble. They have the effect of weakening the stability of the spine, which affects the attached and related soft tissue, including muscles and organs. 

Severe or advanced scoliosis can impair the lungs & breathing, as well as the functioning of other essential internal organs, and may require surgical stabilization. 

In my practice, I have worked with scoliosis patients who have successfully chosen to avoid surgery, and instead relied on consistent, regular, specific exercises and regular chiropractic care to manage the effects of their abnormal spinal curve(s). 

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis: What can ACTIVATOR Chiropractic do to help? Yesterday I treated a patient with it. I balanced his entire body, relieving joint fixations and correcting misalignments that were causing abnormal joint stresses. Getting those arthritic joints normally positioned and moving better helps relieve pain. And he'll benefit more now from daily exercise. I LOVE what I do!

Chronic Pelvic / Low Back Pain

If you have chronic pelvic or low back pain, it is critical to look for what is happening at your feet (called your "pedal foundation"). If you pronate or have flat arches, this reverberates all the way up through your legs, knees, hips, pelvis, and into the low back. Unless your feet are addressed, a treatment plan for your pelvic or low back pain may not be successful.

5 Secrets of Neck Pain Relief

WATCH OUT FOR HEAD-FORWARD POSTURES,
which strain the muscles in your neck.

USE YOUR HEADREST,
especially when you're a passenger, with someone else driving.

SLEEP ON THE RIGHT PILLOW,
one that adequately supports your cervical spine.

BE KIND TO YOUR NECK,
guard against sudden extreme movements, or repetitive motions
of your head.

GET YOUR SPINE CHECKED
for underlying problems by your Activator Chiropractor.

Essential Function of the Pelvis

 Our pelvis, commonly called the “pelvic girdle,” is the bio-mechanical foundation for our whole body. Everything above and below depends on the stability of the pelvis.

     If your pelvis becomes distorted, due to a fall, a sudden twist or jolt, or just due to accumulated stresses, then it becomes unlevel. An unlevel foundation is an unstable foundation. This can reverberate downward and affect your lower extremities, or upward and affect your chest and neck. 

     As an Activator Chiropractor, I specialize in full-body balancing, including careful attention to the pelvis. This helps my patients’ adjustments to be more effective and more long-lasting.