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.