Summer Art Series

"Each month in the summer, the Museum features a different local artist who is inspired by the natural world of the Santa Cruz region."

     I am pleased to support my community by sponsoring the 2018 Summer Art Series at the Museum.
     
     Go here to learn more:    http://www.santacruzmuseum.org/exhibits/summer-art-series/

Consequences of Whiplash

Among the common sequelae of an acceleration / deceleration injury (whiplash), including pain, are a feeling of weakness in the neck, temporary loss of the cervical curve, and development of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS).

These may not be immediately noticeable, but may appear slowly following the injury.

A feeling of weakness after this trauma is normal, and often the patient is given a foam neck brace, which helps support the head and relieve the cervical muscles.

Loss or straightening of the normal, forward-facing, cervical curve commonly appears on lateral X-ray, and may persist over months or even years. Proper rehabilitation, including chiropractic adjustments, can help restore the curve.

Numbness or tingling or pain down the arms or hands may develop after this trauma as the nerves exiting the spine in the cervical region become impinged between cervical muscles or in passage under the collarbone. This is called thoracic outlet syndrome. Resolution of TOS can take time, but is assisted by precise chiropractic adjustments, proper stretches, postural corrections, and focused soft tissue therapy.  

Shoulders Rolled Forward

 This is a common component, along with head-forward postures, of what’s called an upper thoracic kyphosis. The upper part of the back, and the shoulders and neck, become bent forward and over. In advanced stages, as with some elders, the condition has become so chronic it becomes impossible to straighten up. 

Strain on the neck and upper back, discomfort, compression of the anterior chest and lungs, shortening of the anterior cervical muscles, and medially rotated upper humerus (bone in the upper arm that articulates at the shoulder) are some of the results.

Early awareness and proaction can prevent this. Be aware of your posture---if you find your head is out in front of the center of gravity of your body, gently bring it back. If you spend lots of time on a computer, take frequent breaks to stretch, bring your shoulders back, roll and drop them to release tension.

An excellent stretch that counteracts development of this condition is simple and easy. Find and face into a corner, place your hands on the wall, keep your head up, and lean in. The stretch to the front of your chest and shoulders feels great! Change the height of your hands, and notice how you feel the stretch in different parts of your upper body. 

Sometimes this stretch is advised in a doorway, but I caution that it’s better to do it in a corner. You will be much less likely to lose your balance and overstretch.

Appropriate chiropractic adjustments help prevent the condition, as well. As an Activator doctor, I have precise, comfortable protocols for aligning and balancing the upper body. 

Medicare & Exercises

     Your Chiropractor may give you exercises or stretches to facilitate your healing and help keep your condition from recurring.

     Since for Chiropractic care, Medicare only pays for adjusting the spine, they will not reimburse for exercises, so the Medicare patient must pay for this often essential adjunct to their Chiropractic adjustments.

     The profession of Chiropractic is working with Medicare to change this, and hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, Medicare will agree to pay for this important part of a treatment plan.

Tight Psoas

     The psoas is a major postural muscle which attaches to the lumbar vertebrae and goes diagonally down and out to attach at the hip to the trochanter, or upper part of the femur.

     If the psoas is in spasm, it can pull the pelvic girdle into distortion, causing a short leg, and a myriad of other problems. 

     The spasm and resultant distortion cause discomfort, and can impact the gait.

     With my Activator instrument, I can correct the distortion, and reset the tension in the psoas. Then I'll show the patient how to stretch the psoas muscle at home on their own to help keep this from happening again.

Headache "Scrunch"

     Chronic extension of the neck---leaning the head backward---for example, to better see a computer screen when wearing bifocals or graduated corrective lenses---is a common cause of headaches. 

     It causes tension in the suboccipital muscles along the base of the skull, compression at the occiput, and can result in an upward tilt of the posterior part of the C2 vertebra.

     This combination is a reliable headache producer.

     Watch out for this posture, and if you do get in trouble because of it, my gentle, precise adjustments with Activator Chiropractic Method can correct the area and bring relief.

Memory Foam Pillows

     Some patients use them, and love them. In that case, I don’t try to talk them out of their pillow. But I’m not a fan of memory foam pillows, and here’s why:

     A good pillow, in order give adequate proper support to the cervical spine, should provide consistent resistive support.

     Is this what memory foam does? No, in fact the converse is true---it provides little to no such support. When you lie down on it, it squashes down as the weight of your head & neck contact the foam, creating an indentation which offers minimal, at best, support.

           

Calling All Birds

Attracting birds to your yard & garden is easy with native plants, which are adapted to your local climate, and require little special care in order to flourish.

The National Audubon Society offer a “native plant database,” where you can find your native plants, and how to grow them, by putting in your zip code  

https://www.audubon.org/native-plants?ms=digital-eng-email-ea-plants-20180505_native-plants_medium&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180505_native-plants&utm_content=medium

Native plants will lure the birds you love to watch, help them to thrive, and support other beneficial pollinators in your area.

Numbness---Which Fingers?

   

     Numbness and tingling in the hand & fingers is often originating from impingement of nerves in the neck.

     The particular part of the hand or the finger(s) where the patient feels the numbness / tingling helps pinpoint the location of the impingement.

     Fortunately we have a "map" of the areas of skin (called "dermatomes") in different parts of the body that tells us which spinal nerve provides sensory innervation to each area. With minor individual variations, this dermatomal "map" is applicable to every patient.

     By comparing the patient's area of symptoms with the "map," the doctor can discern which nerve is being impinged. 

     As an Advanced Proficiency Rated Activator Chiropractor, I can make precise, gentle adjustments at the site of impingement, in this case in the neck, to relieve the symptoms.   

Glycemic Index

     The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrate foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. The lower the relative value, the slower the metabolism of the food, and thus the slower the food causes an increase in blood glucose.

     Any rise in blood glucose, of course, affects insulin levels, a critical consideration for people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

     However, attention to the GI is a good idea for everyone, because spikes in blood sugar due to what we eat can lead, over time, to ever-increasing proximity to a diabetic state.

     So---it's not just about sugar! 

     Ultimately it's about how rapidly any food raises our level of blood sugar. 

     Find out more at   https://www.gisymbol.com/about-glycemic-index/ 

     

Arthrokinematics

     Combine "arthro" meaning "of a joint," and "kinematics," meaning "properties of motion of objects" and you get a cool new word, "arthrokinematics"---which is applicable in describing the motion of any joint in the body.

     For example, the "roll and slide" movement of the lower end of the thigh bone, the femur, moving against the top of the larger bone in the lower leg, the tibia, when bending the knee.

     Whether kicking a soccer ball (the femur is stable & the tibia is rolling & gliding)  or squatting (the tibia is stable & the femur will roll & glide), the arthrokinematics are crucial to maintaining stability of the knee throughout its range of motion.   

      

"The Straw That Broke the...

     .......Camel’s Back."  As the saying goes, when a seemingly insignificant action or event results in sudden, extreme pain. 

     What’s going on here?

     Patients often tell me, "All I did was bend over to pick up the newspaper," or "I just got up out of a chair." Simple actions that should not be expected to cause the pain that followed.

     In fact, 90% of the time, dysfunction has been building, often becoming more complex, but not yet symptomatic, or maybe the little twinges you felt were easy to ignore. 

     Then a simple movement, change of position, or event, suddenly pushes things over the edge into pain. What has been lurking becomes painfully impossible to ignore.

     When you feel those little twinges, or sense that maybe something in your underlying structure isn't right, come in and get your body balanced, and you're much less likely to get into that place of severe pain.

To Sit or Not to Sit

  Widely available in different configurations, the standing desk can be an ergonomic blessing to people whose work keeps them desk-bound for long periods of time. 
     Most advantageous are the adjustable types, which can be raised for working while standing, or lowered for sitting to work. The flexibility allows for changing positions throughout the work day, a good antidote to chronic unhealthy postures.

  Whether you sit or stand, or mix it up, it is still wise to take frequent breaks---at least once an hour, walk away from your desk, move around, get some motion in your body, do some stretching, rest your eyes.  
     If you decide to use a standing desk, it’s a good idea to have a cushioned pad to stand on.  

Rotated Scapula

The shoulderblade (scapula) often rotates abnormally, or becomes stressed, in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Another way to conceptualize this is to imagine the bottom angle of the scapula moving in direction toward, or away from, the spine.

Because of how the scapula articulates at the shoulder, these rotations can affect the upper extremity all the way down to the wrist.

In my Activator Chiropractic protocol, after I find a rotated scapula and correct it, I then check the humerus (the bone in the upper arm), the radius and ulna (the two bones in the forearm), and the carpals (bones in the wrist).

This is a good example of the thoroughness of Activator Method when assessing and adjusting the  body.

As A Doctor Serving Medicare Patients

        Sadly, Medicare fraud is apparently rampant and on the rise. According to the April, 2018 edition of the AARP Bulletin, ways that fraudsters have figured out how to “bilk the system” include:

---”charging for services never delivered,

---falsifying patient records,

---inflating claims,

---stealing your ID,

---filing duplicate claims,

---providing unneeded equipment,

---buying off doctors / patients, (and)

---shortchanging your care.”

As a Doctor Serving Medicare Patients, I take my responsibilities to you and to the Medicare system very seriously. I work hard and pay careful attention to:

 ---giving you honest, clear, and complete information about your care in my office,

---inviting questions about anything, anytime, including my services, fees, what Medicare covers and does not cover, 

---guarding your personal records and information carefully,

---keeping complete & legible records about your diagnoses, your treatment, and your progress,

---being vigilant, careful, and compliant about Medicare rules,

---treating you only as frequently & for as long as is reasonable & necessary for your recovery from pain & resumption of acceptable functional status, and

---reporting accurately to Medicare on your behalf about the care you receive here.

Ventana Wilderness Alliance

     I am proud to support this local group, which is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and restoring the wilderness public lands of the northern Santa Lucia Mountains and the Big Sur coast. 
     From their website  www.ventanawild.org :
     "Founded in 1998, the Ventana Wilderness Alliance (VWA) is a California nonprofit corporation with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. It is dedicated to protecting the wildlands of California's northern Santa Lucia mountain range. VWA is composed of people from all walks of life who share a love of Wilderness and a goal to ensure it remains wild in perpetuity."
     See page 6 in their Spring, 2018 newsletter  http://www.ventanawild.org/images/docs/newsletters/Spring_2018_Ventana_Wilderness_Watch.pdf   for my personal statement of support.