What is An Activator Chiropractor?

   Distinctions between Chiropractors who use an Activator instrument and Chiropractors who are trained and Certified in Activator Method protocols are often not clearly understood.

Any Chiropractor can purchase an Activator instrument----so if you were to call 50 Chiropractic offices today and ask if the doctor uses Activator, they would tell you, “Yes.”

This does not mean, however, that the doctor is trained in Activator Chiropractic Technique, a research-backed, carefully developed and tested, specifically designed protocol for restoring normal balance to the entire body.

Qualified Activator Chiropractors are highly trained, required to complete courses of study in the protocol, and must pass written and practical exams in order to obtain Certification. They must complete an annual Continuing Education course in Activator Chiropractic Method to maintain their Certification. 

All Certified Activator doctors are listed on the website www.activator.com.  A doctor not listed here either does not have proper Activator training to become Certified, or has discontinued keeping up with their training and allowed their Certification to lapse.

What is Pelvic Complexity, & Why Should You Care?

  Patients with pelvic disequilibrium often exhibit nuances in the various articulations of their pelvic girdle. The pelvis is a multi-jointed, weight-bearing, essential foundation for the spine, and is integrally related to the status of the body above and below. 

Imbalances in the pelvis not only cause pain, but frequently result in one of the patient’s legs being shorter than the other. When this happens, it is a functional short leg, not an actual short leg. Correcting the imbalances brings the legs back to even.

Trouble-making pelvic imbalances are often quite complex, consisting not just of inferior /superior components, but also having internal or external rotational, or medial / lateral components to the aberrant pelvic pattern.

As an Advanced Proficiency Rated Activator Chiropractor, I am trained to precisely assess and correct the complex components of pelvic aberrance, reintroduce balance, relieve discomfort, even the legs, and restore normal functioning.    

Medicare and Chiropractic

  Medicare covers chiropractic, but only treatment to one or more regions of the spine. So, if you have a knee problem, for example, you must pay your chiropractor "out of pocket" for helping you with your knee.

The Chiropractic profession is diligently and consistently working to have Medicare cover Chiropractic care for the entire human frame, all the bones and joints. We hope this will happen soon.

Activator Chiropractic care is excellent support for seniors’ health, wellness, vitality, and function. Low-force and gentle, precise and specific, Activator Chiropractic is comfortable and effective.

As an Advanced Proficiency Rated Activator Chiropractor, I welcome Medicare patients in my practice, and am happy to be of service to seniors. 

Status of the Feet Affects the Whole Body

  What’s happening at our feet is integrally related to the state of our entire frame---our skeleton, our bones, our joints---to its overall equilibrium or disequilibrium.

For example, people who have fallen arches or who pronate need to support their feet with orthotics, not just for comfort, but also because these conditions in the feet reverberate up into the knees, hips, and pelvis and cause problems. 

Some may need prescription orthotics, but many people will find over-the-counter orthotics can do the job.

When the inside of your foot drops inward toward the floor when you’re standing, it’s called “pronation,” and is often seen in combination with fallen arches, or “flat feet.” This often creates abnormal stress on the Achilles tendon, causing a visible and abnormal inward curving. You can see this by standing behind someone who pronates and looking at the backs of their ankles. 

Pronation can cause foot pain and fatigue, but it also negatively affects the knees, and can reverberate upward to cause abnormal stresses in the hips and pelvis.

These abnormal stresses cause wear and tear that can lead to instability, pain, impairment of function, and eventually to osteoarthritis.

     Abnormalities at the feet should be properly addressed. My treatment plan includes precise assessment of feet, ankles, knees, hips, and pelvic joints and gentle, precise corrections with the  Activator instrument,.

Five "Secrets" About Fender Benders

1.  Despite insurance companies’ using it as the main criterion, the visual damage to your car is not necessarily an indicator of the consequences of the collision on your body.

2.  Feeling confused, "fuzzy," disoriented, and irritable often follows even a minor collision.

3. Symptoms may have delayed onset; you may "feel fine" for the first few days, or even longer. Be cautious about signing off on an insurance claim too soon; give yourself time for any consequences to your body to show up.

4. The sooner you receive proper care, the sooner you will recover. I encourage patients to come in as soon as possible after (an even minor) collision, to get their entire body checked & balanced, to better their chances for a speedy recovery.

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 reasonably priced and really worthwhile.

A Fall That Affects the Shoulder

  Instinctively in a fall, we reach out to brace our body’s impact with our arm(s) and hand(s). Among the upper extremity consequences of this instinctive reaction are injuries to the shoulder(s), which can be serious and painful.

Depending on the angle and direction of impact, forces driven up the arm may cause the head of the humerus, the bone in our upper arm, to misalign from its normal position at the glenoid fossa, a shallow “cup-like” socket which is part of the scapula.

This painful misalignment is commonly posterior, or backwards, occurring in falls forward such as tripping or stumbling, but can be anterior / superior, as when one’s foot slips forward and the body falls backward, with arm(s) instinctively extended backward to break the fall.

Carelul assessment of the shoulder after a fall and gentle, precise corrections of misalignments are essential to relieve pain, support healing, maintain normal range of motion, and prevent future degenerative changes that lead to arthritis.

Gratitude Is Healing

  Taking time to be grateful for the good in one’s life has positive physiological and psychological affects on our health. Focusing on gratitude relieves stress and unhappiness, and actually stimulates healing from illnesses.

Gratitude triggers release of mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, inhibits the stress hormone cortisol, and stimulates the areas of the brain that produce pleasurable feelings.

Being grateful helps depression, reduces pain and inflammation, lowers blood sugar, and helps immune function.

Learn more at:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/11/28/effects-of-gratitude-on-health.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20191128Z1&et_cid=DM398041&et_rid=759098228

The Pubic Symphysis

 An often overlooked or forgotten joint in the pelvis is the pubic symphysis. It is a small, movable, flexible joint in the front of the pelvic "girdle" (the bones and articulations that make up the pelvis in the human skeleton).

      There is a disc in this joint, similar to the discs in our spine. In women, the joint is able to expand during childbirth. 

     The pubic symphysis is an essential joint because it is integrally involved in motion of the pelvis during our gait cycle (walking), and in stability and equilibrium of the pelvic girdle. 

     I often find this joint misaligned when the patient’s pelvis is distorted, especially when the distortion is severe. A patient who complains of groin symptoms will often exhibit an aberrant alignment of the pubic symphysis, and correcting it will bring relief.

      I make precise, directional corrections to the pubic symphysis with the ACTIVATOR instrument to relieve groin & pelvic pain and help the pelvis to stabilize. 

Kneecap Troubles

      If the kneecap is misaligned, there is resulting abnormal wear-&-tear underneath it, which can eventually lead to arthritis of the knee.

     The kneecap, or patella, is imbedded in the tendon of the quadriceps (quads) muscles. Whenever the quads are activated by bending the knee, the kneecap moves with the tendon, sliding up and down in a groove on the front and lower end of the femur (the bone of the upper leg).

     As long as the kneecap slides smoothly and evenly in this groove, all is well. But if the kneecap begins to rub unevenly against the side(s) of the groove, trouble---abnormal wear & tear---and eventual development of arthritis---will result.  

     A misaligned patella easy to correct with ACTIVATOR Chiropractic, once a careful and precise assessment of the knee is done. I evaluate and then correct the misalignment, and I give the patient special exercises help the correction to hold.

Got (Cranial) Rhythms?

      Got cranial rhythms?  Yes, in fact we all do. 

      The "cranial rhythms" are very subtle, predictable rhythmical motions of the bones in the head. These motions are so subtle that it often takes a long time and a lot of practice to learn to discern them.

     To detect them, I place my hands gently on the patient's head, then wait. Depending on which movements I'm checking, I "listen" with my hands for the tactile sensations of movement. 

     The bones in the head move in these rhythms in pairs---the temporal bones have a characteristic rhythm, as do the parietal bones, the occiput, etc. We know what normal is, and feel for it. 

     Sometimes the rhythmical motions get "stuck" or out of synch. Then I gently encourage them back to normal. This is particularly good for headaches, and often helps with vertigo, sinus congestion, and sometimes tinnitus. 

     Cranial balancing is part of every treatment in my office. 

Tennis Elbow

      Pain and tenderness just below and near the outside of the elbow is commonly due to inflammation of the tendon of the wrist extensor muscles in the forearm (the muscles that bend your hand backward). It is a form of extensor tendonitis. 

     Called "tennis elbow" because it's common in tennis players, it is an overuse or improper use syndrome. Chronic or excessive contraction of he wrist extensor muscles causes inflammation of the tendon attaching these muscles at the elbow. Every time the muscles are activated, it causes pain in the tendon and at the tendon attachment.  

     The wrist extensor muscles in the forearm should be massaged, then iced and rested. The inflamed tendon must be protected so it can heal; this is done by a compression band worn just below the tendonous attachment to relieve stress on the tendon. 

     As an ACTIVATOR Chiropractor, I find tennis elbow is associated with particular misalignments of the bones in the forearm, the ulna and radius, and often of the carpal bones in the wrist. Correcting these misalignments is an essential part of my treatment plan.

Loss of Cervical Curve

  Often after an injury such as whiplash, there is a “straightening” of the normally forward-facing curve in the neck. This can happen in absence of injury, and may be unexplained. 

Sometimes called “military neck,” it can have various consequences. 

The altered curve changes biomechanical function in the cervical spine, affects 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.

Magnificent Magnesium

          Magnesium is important to our health in multiple ways. It is required for functioning of over 300 enzyme systems, important for efficient energy production in our cells, and for heart health and cognition.

It is involved in the metabolism and activation of other nutrients, including Vit. D.

There is a link between magnesium and Type II diabetes; magnesium helps regulate blood sugar by improving insulin sensitivity. Studies show that magnesium deficiency may be linked to an increased risk for diabetes.

Magnesium-rich foods include leafy greens, nuts, whole grains, avocados, and legumes.

Medicare Patients Welcome!

 If you have Medicare, you are welcome in my office---I enjoy serving Medicare patients in my practice. My low-force Activator Method is especially suitable for elders because it is gentle, comfortable, and safe.

My specialty is low-force, full-body balancing, and my adjustments are comfortable and gentle. My goal is to help you feel better, recover full functioning, and resume the activities that you enjoy.

"Just" a Head Bump?

      Bumping your head can be more than just an embarrassment or a temporary discomfort.  It can disturb the cranial rhythms, possibly setting you up for future headaches. 

      The cranial rhythms are subtle movement patterns of the cranial bones. These rhythms aren't synchronized with our pulse or respiration. They are related to the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes our brain and our spinal cord.

     Disturbance of these movement patterns is frequently associated with headaches, and sometimes with vertigo.

     Balancing the cranial rhythms and restoring them to normal is part of every full-body treatment that I do. If you bump your head, or if you suffer from headaches, I will be happy to help.

Fire Safe Santa Cruz County

                      

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A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation

Whose Mission is to Educate and Mobilize the People of Santa Cruz County

to Protect Their Community, Homes, and Environment from Wildfires 

Learn how your tax deductible contribution to 

become a Community Partner can help at:

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