Farmers Markets Are Open

  Our local Farmers’ Markets, offering the freshest possible, nutrient-rich produce, are open during COVID-19. 

Deemed “essential,” there are markets open on Sunday in Live Oak, Saturday in Westside Santa Cruz and at Cabrillo, Wednesday downtown Santa Cruz, and Tuesday in Felton.

Farmstands, such as Everett Family Farm on Old San Jose Road and Natural Bridges Farm at the Homeless Garden in westside Santa Cruz, are also open. All offer organic vegetables, and some fruits, in season.

Produce at these local Farmers’ Markets is fresh-out-of-the-ground, and as loaded with nutrient power as you can get. As well as a key way to support our general health and immune systems, buying our produce at Farmers’ Markets provides needed support to our local farmers.

       Check websites for current hours.

What Causes Scoliosis?

 Abnormal lateral spinal curves, called scoliosis, develop for reasons that are largely unknown. Although there are various theories, about 80% of scoliosis is considered idiopathic---of unknown cause. 

Statistically, about 4 adolescent girls in 1000 may develop it, and about 1 in 2500 boys. Roughly 2% of the adult population has some degree of it.

Schools offer scoliosis screening for good reason; the earlier it is detected and addressed, the better chance that conservative care can be effective. 

My treatment plan, the earlier began the better, includes precise Chiropractic balancing of the entire frame, accompanied by specific exercises. 

Special attention must be given to the pelvis, which is the biomechanical foundation for the spine. An unlevel pelvis must be corrected and monitored, because it results in an unstable foundation for the spine.

Medicare 2020

  Every year in October, Medicare allowances and deductibles are updated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS https://www.cms.gov).

Amounts that will be reimbursed for visits to your Chiropractor changed in October, 2019 for the ensuing year, effective until October, 2020. There was a slight increase in what Medicare pays for Chiropractic care.

The annual deductible increased from $185 to $193.

For now, Medicare only covers adjusting the spine. If you are having a problem with your shoulder, knee, arm, wrist, foot or ankle, for example, Medicare will not pay.

However, Chiropractic professionals are actively lobbying and educating Medicare about the benefits and efficacy of Chiropractic treatment of the whole body. We hope that in the near future Medicare will provide comprehensive coverage of Chiropractic care for our patients. 

Muscle "Splinting"

  Your body will respond to an instability or an injury by tightening muscles to protect you. This is an involuntary, autonomic response that I see every day in my practice; I call it muscle “splinting.”

The effect is similar to when the doctor puts a splint on an injured limb to protect it. The splint stabilizes and protects the area from further disturbance and pain.

A common site of muscle “splinting” is in the low back, alongside the vertebrae in the lumbar spine. Autonomic tightening of these muscles accompanies misalignments of the lumbar vertebrae, as well as soft tissue injuries or stresses such as accompany a strain-sprain.

When vertebral misalignments, whether from overuse, one-time biomechanical stress, or an injury, are corrected by precise adjustments with the Activator instrument, the muscles are then able to start to relax. 

A Painful "Crunch"

  A "crunching” in your knee when you crouch or squat may signal that you have the start of a degenerative condition called chondromalacia patella, a form of arthritis. 

This is a condition of abnormal wear-and-tear, and Is commonly caused by aberrant tracking of the patella, or kneecap. The kneecap is embedded in the tendon of the quadraceps (quads) muscles, and every time you bend your knee back or forth, which activates these muscles, the kneecap slides in a grove in the bone underneath.

Misalignment of the patella causes it to rub too far sideways in that groove. What causes this misalignment? Commonly, it is uneven action in the quads.

My treatment is two-fold---correction of the patellar misalignment with the Activator instrument, and teaching the patient how to do daily exercises to correct the action of their quads.