Showing posts with label Dr Elizabeth Quinn Chiropractor Santa Cruz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr Elizabeth Quinn Chiropractor Santa Cruz. Show all posts

Monday, March 21, 2022

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.

Monday, March 7, 2022

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.

Monday, January 3, 2022

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.

Monday, December 27, 2021

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.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Reversal of Cervical Curve



Often after an injury such as whiplash, there is a reversal, or “straightening” of the normally forward-facing curve in the neck. Sometimes this happens in absence of injury, and is unexplained. The altered curve changes biomechanical function, posture, and may result in chronic discomfort. The cervical vertebrae should be gently and precisely aligned, and appropriate exercises and stretches prescribed. Traction is often part of my treatment plan for this.

 

Monday, November 29, 2021

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). 

Monday, November 22, 2021

Reading In Bed

Patients often tell me how they habitually read in bed, propped up on pillows behind their back, neck, or head. These patients are often plagued with chronic neck or back discomfort, exhibit poor posture, have headaches, and have pain or paresthesias in their arms or hands. Frankly, it is almost impossible to healthfully position oneself for any amount of time by propping up on pillows and sitting or partially reclining this way in bed. It just doesn’t work, doesn’t give healthy support for the back, the spine, the neck, or the shoulders. It’s much better to enjoy reading elsewhere, but if you must read in bed, lie on your side and support your book on a pillow adjacent to the one supporting your head.

Monday, November 15, 2021

Aberrant Cranial Rhythms

The bones in our head have very subtle rhythmical motions, that are not synchronized with our heartbeat or breathing. They are associated, however, with the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that that bathes our brain and our spinal cord.
The rhythms can become aberrant, or abnormal, if they get “stuck” or out of their normal pattern. Balancing, or correcting, the aberrance can relieve headaches, vertigo, tension in the jaw or face, and patients report partial relief of sinus congestion. I have had patients tell me that they had felt “out of sorts” or irritable, before receiving cranial balancing, but felt relieved and better afterward.

       Cranial balancing is part of every patient's full-body balancing in my practice.

Monday, October 11, 2021

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.

Monday, June 7, 2021

No-Till Farming

Want a vibrant, healthy garden that produces nutrient-rich vegetables, herbs, fruits, etc. while sequestering carbon by increasing soil organic matter (SOM)?

Disturb the soil as little as possible.

At Singing Frogs Farm north of San Francisco, a “No Till No Kill” system is an example. 

They cover their planting beds with mulch and compost instead of plowing or using herbicides. New plants are inserted directly into the compost; they use a high biodiversity of cash & cover crops which are continuously rotated to break weed, disease and pest cycles.

This system retains more water, requiring less irrigation, & produces high crop yields. 

It has increased SOM by 400% in under six years, sequestering significantly more carbon.

        The Singing Frogs system is applicable to more than 80% of farms around the world---the majority of farms are under 5 acres.  https://regenerationinternational.org/2021/03/08/best-practices-how-regenerative-organic-agriculture-and-land-use-can-reverse-global-warming/

Listen to a podcast by owners of Singing Frogs Farm at https://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-05-27/paul-elizabeth-kaiser-sustainable-farming-2-0/  


Monday, May 31, 2021

"Noisy" Knees

  If you hear a “crunching” or “grinding” noise in your knee when you bend it, this is a sign of an arthritic, or degenerative, condition called Chondromalacia Patella.

For various reasons, the patella, or kneecap, may begin tracking abnormally as it slides up and down in a groove on the front of the femur with bending of the knee, resulting in abnormal “wear & tear” in the articulation.

If not corrected with the proper treatment plan, the condition can advance to painful and debilitating arthritis.

The patella should be adjusted by vectoring the ACTIVATOR instrument appropriately to correct its tracking. I also give the patient exercises to prevent recurrence.


Monday, May 24, 2021

Nerve "Maps"

      Areas of our skin receive sensory innervation from particular spinal nerves. 

      These sensory areas, called “dermatomes,” are predictable from person to person, and can be “mapped” on a model of the human body.

      An a an example, if a patient presents with pain, or with numbness & tingling, in a specific area of the arm or hand, the doctor can identify the involved spinal nerve(s) based on the dermatome map of the upper extremity.

      As an Advanced Proficiency Rated Activator Chiropractor, once the involved nerve(s) is / are identified, I can make precise, gentle adjustments accordingly to relieve nerve impingement & help relieve the patient’s symptoms.


Monday, May 17, 2021

Gardening With Native Plants to Attract Birds

Have you ever considered that garden plants native to your area have advantages for birds and for you as well?

A landscape of drought-tolerant natives will use less water in your garden, can be more resistant to native pests, and natives provide food suited for area birds.

Find out why “yards with non-native plants create ‘food deserts’ for bugs and birds,” find the best plants for your area, and learn how to create your native plant garden at: 


https://www.audubon.org/PLANTSFORBIRDS?emci=c10dc46c-ff2b-eb11-9fb4-00155d43b2cd&emdi=2b6388a5-d02d-eb11-9fb4-00155d43b2cd&ceid=721242

Monday, May 10, 2021

"Craning the Neck"

Have you ever heard the expression, “don’t crane your neck?” It’s really good advice---”craning,” or straining, the neck, such as to better see a computer screen, or when accommodating to bifocal lenses, sets one up for neck pain and headaches.

These postures cause abnormal cervical stresses, and one of the common results is a superior misalignment of the posterior arch of the 2nd cervical vertebra, C2.

In my practice, about 80% of my headache patients have this misalignment.

It is corrected by precise, gentle adjustment with the Activator instrument.


Monday, May 3, 2021

Got Cranial Rhythms?

    We all do. 

The bones in our head have very subtle, normal, rhythmical, motions. 

These motions are not synchronized with our heartbeat or breath. They are characteristic to the cranium, and are thought to be related to the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. 

Abnormalities in the rhythms can be associated with headaches or vertigo, or just feeling "out of sorts." 

I find that balancing the cranial rhythms often relieves a patient’s headaches, and can be effective for vertigo as well. 

Balancing patients' cranial rhythms is part of my focus on overall, full-body balancing.


Monday, April 26, 2021

More "Bang" for Your Exercise "Buck"

An exercise routine can be great, but if performed when the body is in dis-equalibrium, aka a state of imbalance, it will not be maximally effective.

For example, strengthening the muscles that support the low back, including the abdominals, is an essential part of relieving low back pain, protecting the low back and keeping it healthy.  However, when your underlying framework---the bones and joints of your pelvis and spine---is skewed, or out of alignment, your exercises won’t work, or hold, as well.

I can help; as an Advanced Proficiency Activator Chiropractor, my focus is on restoring balance and equilibrium to your body, which supports & enhances your exercise regimen.


Monday, April 19, 2021

GERD

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common and uncomfortable condition caused by dysfunction of the circular muscle (sphincter) at the lower end of the esophagus.

This allows stomach acid to seep back up into the lower esophagus, resulting in irritation, inflammation, and burning pain (“heartburn”). 

It is important for this condition to be addressed by a medical doctor, because chronic, untreated GERD can lead to more serious consequences.

In the meantime, I have an adjustment, done with the Activator instrument, that often brings temporary relief.


Monday, April 12, 2021

Persistent Tendonitis

When bicipital tendonitis, which is inflammation of the tendon that attaches the biceps muscle in the upper arm to the shoulder, is not resolving with a full-component treatment plan, as an Advanced Proficiency Rated ACTIVATOR Chiropractor, I look for what may be keeping the patient’s healing from progressing.

Culprit #1 is biomechanical. Specifically, the humerus, the bone in the upper arm, can be rotated, causing stress on the bicipital tendon as it “rides” in a grove on the front of the humerus. The rotation can be medial or lateral. Both cause stress on the inflammed tendon. The solution is a precise, directional adjustment with the ACTIVATOR instrument to correct the rotation. The adjustment may need repeating over the course of several office visits.

The #2, and critically important, culprit is the patient’s nutrition. If (s)he is eating foods that cause inflammation, such a sugar, damaged fats, etc., this will significantly slow or even block healing.


Monday, January 25, 2021

Regenerative Agriculture

 

Just transitioning 10 percent of agricultural production to best practice regenerative systems will sequester enough CO2 to reverse climate change 
and restore the global climate.” 

Regenerative Agriculture uses farming and grazing methods that rebuild the soil’s organic matter, restore soil biodiversity (organisms and microorganisms), sequester more carbon in soil, and increase the amount of water the soil can hold.
It’s done by:
---disturbing the soil as little as possible; aka “no-till” farming. No plowing, which disturbs healthy soil fungi & microorganisms & increases erosion,
---cover crops, composting, & crop rotations to feed nutrients into soil,
---managed grazing to stimulate plant growth & increase soil fertility. 










Monday, September 7, 2020

Yep, It's All Connected

  “The thigh bone’s connected to the knee bone, the knee bone’s connected to the.....” as the saying goes. 
And it’s true. The technical term is “a kinematic chain.” Meaning the movement of one part affects or is linked to movements of the other parts.
Thus a problem at the hip affects the knee and possibly the foot, a problem at the ankle affects the knee & in turn the hip, a distorted pelvis reverberates down into the lower extremities, etc.
So if you come in with hip pain, I'm going to also check your pelvis, knees, ankles, and feet. If you have knee pain, I will likewise check your lower extremity above and below your knee, as well as your pelvis. 
Unless the whole kinematic chain is addressed and corrected, you're not likely to get lasting relief.