More Than Just Relieving Pain

More Than Just Relieving Pain

Chiropractic is so much more than simply a means of relieving pain. Ultimately, the goal of receiving adjustments should be to restore the body to its natural state of optimal health.

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Let Life Go On Unhindered

“Our body is a machine for living. It is organized for that, it is its nature. Let life go on in it unhindered.” Leo Tolstoy

Let Life Go On Unhindered

“Our body is a machine for living. It is organized for that, it is its nature. Let life go on in it unhindered and let it defend itself, it will do more than if you paralyze it by encumbering it with remedies.” Leo Tolstoy

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The Importance of Water and Proper Hydration

The First Lady has announced her new social campaign and is taking alot of heat for the simplicity of it.  While I do not agree with many of her ideals, I can give her a nod of approval on this one.  

For as simple as the concept sounds, it is a fact that most people DON'T drink enough water through the day. For many people, sufficient water intake can be one of the most important steps to improving their health and well-being.

Soda pop, coffee, juice, sports drinks just aren't the same.

So with this in mind I have dug through my archives to find an article which I wrote several years ago for a rodeo magazine when I was more active in the circuit caring for the participants.  The article is written specifically for the rodeo athlete but has valid points and information for all walks of life.

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Water and Your Physical Endurance.                           

By Dr. Russell Heller

As a competitor in the rodeo and rough stock sports, like any athlete, you constantly strive to maintain your endurance and top performance.

Water, and maintaining proper hydration, are an important step in doing this.  Anyone who has ever competed in the Midwest and southern climates during the summer and early autumn months can attest to the difficulty of maintaining body fluid levels (hydration) and avoiding dehydration.  

Most of us have come to take the sign of the dry mouth as a signal that the body needs water, at its also assumed that fluid levels are well regulated yet the symptoms of dry mouth are not noticed.  Dry mouth, however is one of the last outward signs of extreme dehydration.  Other signs to watch for are: persistent/recurring heartburn, stomach ache, headache and mental irritation.  Dehydration over a long period of time can lead to: recurring and/or chronic pain, low back pain and water retention (believe it or not).

                          

Water, for as simple as it is, is a very important part of us.  It makes up about 60% of the young males weight and 50% of a females.  Two-thirds of this water is found in our blood cells the rest is outside the cells and includes the plasma of the blood.  Proper hydration is important in regulating body temperature energy metabolism and cardiovascular stress.  Therefore, it has a vital role in maintaining athletic & physical performance.

So the question to answer is, How do we avoid dehydration?

·      Drink before you feel thirsty.  We must remember that the thirst mechanism is too inefficient and slow for proper hydration purposes.  By the time your body senses the need for water to maintain mineral balance, dehydration has already started.  An estimated proper level of water intake can be calculated at 50-75% of your body weight in ounces.  50% for sedentary people, 75% for active people.  Example:  An active 150 lb. person would require 112.5 oz of water per day (75% of body wt. in oz.)   Divide this by the number of hours you're awake to find your hourly water requirement; 112¸16= 7 oz./hr awake.     **During strenuous work an additional 16 oz. per day should be consumed plus an additional 16 oz. per day in dry climates.

·      Avoid caffeine.  While caffeine does have some properties that can enhance athletic performance, it also acts as a diuretic, causing your body to get rid of fluid instead of retain it.

·      Avoid high calorie drinks like sodas.  Even though they do contain large amounts of water, the large amounts of sugar in these drinks make the water more slowly absorbed.  Also many sodas contain caffeine.  Sports Drinks offer little benefit over water during the first 90 minutes of heavy activity,  after 90 minutes of strenuous activity they can facilitate the replacement of minerals and sugars.

·      Avoid regular use of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's) such as aspirin, ibuprophen, acetaminophen, etc.  Under tough conditions the kidney's need to function at 100%.  These drugs interfere with kidney function and can cause an excess loss of minerals in the urine and upset the electrolyte balance of the body which can be quite serious.

·      Avoid taking just water.  Especially during periods of heavy, extended labor.  To avoid diluting the mineral and electrolyte balances of the body we also need to replace the sodium lost through perspiration and glucose loss through physical activity.  Along with water, it's a good idea to snack on salty, high carbohydrate foods such as pretzels, snack crackers, tortilla chips, etc.

These recommendations can help prevent and avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke during the intense heat of the summer while competing; however, these points should also be kept in mind when working long hours, outdoors in the summer.  

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Enjoy the outdoors, enjoy your activities and be safe.

Yours for better health,

Dr. Heller

Breakfast: A Very Important Meal For Your Health

Skipping breakfast because you think that one less meal through the day will help you lose weight?  Well, you may want to rethink that.  The medical literature reports that roughly 10%-20% of Americans routinely skip breakfast whether for weight management or out of convenience.

A new report on a randomized trial finds that skipping breakfast can trigger a condition referred to as insulin resistance.  It was found that skipping breakfast triggered acute insulin resistance and elevated levels of free fatty acids in nine obese, non-diabetic women, compared with a day on which they ate breakfast.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas and released in the blood stream in response to sugars in the blood (glucose).  Glucose is obtained from nearly all the food we eat and serves as the fuel to produce energy for every tissue of the body.  The insulin is necessary for the glucose in the blood to enter the tissues, sort of like a key in a lock.  When the body develops resistance to insulin the body is then forced to dump more insulin into the blood stream in an attempt to "open up the tissues".  Ironically this excess insulin release tends to make the tissues even more resistant, and the cycle repeats itself over and over with each skipped breakfast. The situation is not much better with a breakfast that is high in refined carbohydrates (ie, breakfast cereals) and low in proteins. 

Insulin resistance is the forerunner of type 2 diabetes and a component of the disorder metabolic syndrome.  Elevated insulin levels in the blood have also been linked to a number of other health compromising conditions.

On the days of skipped breakfast indirect calorimetry measures showed decreased energy expenditure (difficulty burning calories) and a significantly reduced respiratory quotient (a measurement of basal metabolic rate), which indicates greater fat oxidation (LDL cholesterol production).

Just 1 day of missing breakfast could do this.  It is easy to see how skipping breakfast regularly over time may lead to further metabolic problems such as chronic insulin resistance and possible progression to type 2 diabetes.

It seems breakfast is an important meal of the day, maybe more so than originally thought.  It is important to eat a balanced breakfast containing a significant amount of quality protein such as eggs or yogurt.

For your better health,
Dr. Heller

Calcium Channel Blockers and Breast Cancer

More than 60 million Americans have high blood pressure (high BP), high BP is a major risk factor for a
heart attack or stroke.  This "disease", which is largely lifestyle in origin, is reaching epidemic proportions.

In past studies, calcium channel blockers have been shown to lower the risk of stroke, they have also been shown to produce an increased risk for heart attacks.


A new study indicates that women that use of calcium-channel blockers for 10 or more years had a  significantly higher risks, 2.5 times higher (250%), of both ductal breast cancer and lobular breast cancer. This connection did not vary much by the type of calcium-channel blocker used. In contrast, use of diuretics, beta-blockers, and ACE inhibitors were not associated with risk of breast cancer.  According to the National Cancer Institute more than 232,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year.

Cancer risks aside, calcium channel blockers still produce some mild side effects including constipation, allergic reactions, fluid retention, dizziness, headache, fatigue, and impotence (about 20% of users). More serious side effects include disturbances of heart rate or function, heart failure, and angina.

Examples of calcium-channel blockers include:

• amlodipine (Norvasc)
• diltiazem (Cardizem CD, Cartia, Dilacor Xr, Diltia Xt, Tiazac)
• felodipine (Plendil)
• lacidipine (Motens)
• lercanidipine (Zanidip)
• nicardipine (Cardene, Carden SR)
• nifedipine (Adalat CC, Procardia XL)
• nimodipine (Nimotop)
• nisoldipine (Sular)
• nitrendipine (Cardif, Nitrepin)
• verapamil (Calan, Covera-Hs, Isoptin, Verelan)

The Take Home Message

Although chemical intervention can effectively control blood pressure, the longer term risks associated with these drugs lead to other health concerns and complications.

So, what to do?  As I mentioned at the start of this article, high blood pressure is most often a result of lifestyle.  High blood pressure can respond nicely to conservative lifestyle changes.

These changes can include:

• Regular exercise/activity
• Weight management
• Nutritional supplementation:
• magnesium
• arginine
• and others
• Avoid NSAID's (over the counter pain relievers)
• Increase intake of antioxidant foods
• Reduce/stop smoking
• Relaxation practices
• Increasing intake of water (if there is no history of kidney disease)
• Chiropractic care to address postural problems that can compress the chest cavity

These are possible suggestions for natural control of your blood pressure.  Not all these possibilities are appropriate for everyone.  You should discuss these with a knowledgeable provider in natural therapies.  You should not stop your blood pressure medication without monitoring by your doctor.

For your better, long term, health,

Dr. Heller

Gardasil and Menopause in Teens

There are several reasons which we advise to explore, independently, the effects and safety of vaccines before making the commitment to vaccinate your children.   The most recent stories revolve around Gardasil.  Gardasil is a vaccine intended to protect young women against infection of the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is linked with the potential to trigger cervical cancer.  HPV is contracted through sexual contact with an infected person. 

Current guidelines recommend the vaccine for females 9 years of age and older.  In their stated effort to prevent cervical cancers, there was a push, in 2010, to put into the guidelines recommendations for boys to receive the vaccine and recently the push has been to vaccinate infants.  All this for and infection which is only transmissible through sexual contact.   Sounds more like a push for profits.

Numerous reports in recent years have surfaced regarding young women having severe immune reactions with in weeks and neurologic reactions and damage while in the doctor's office after receiving the injection.  It seems the latest tale of grief triggered by this product intended to save lives actually affects reproductive health of these young women.

Reports have been published in medical journals regarding the onset of menopause in women as young as 16 years of age.  The American Journal of Reproductive Immunology reported cases of cessation of menstruation due to destruction of the ovaries, the medical term is primary ovarian failure (basically a chemically induced hysterectomy).  

It seems that the Gardasil manufacturer did not conduct studies on ovarian effects of the vaccine or any studies regarding ongoing fertility effects.  Another example of the inadequacies of drug testing and reporting.

Once again, you need to research and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for yourself through outside and independent sources before submitting to vaccines for the safety of yourself or a loved one.

Look before you leap.

Yours for better health,
Dr. Heller

Proper Sitting For a Healthier Body

I see many patients through the weeks that complain of worsening problems with desk work.  I came across this graphic that can help those individuals and thought it good enough to get out to all my readers.  This is a very good graphic to keep in mind when working at a computer work station. The only thing they have ignored is the possible use of a cushion/wedge to help increase the angle of the hip.   With proper hip angles the "need" for a lumbar support is virtually eliminated.

For proper support of the low back we want the hip joint (located at the back corner of the side pocket seam) slightly higher than the middle of the knee joint. They show it being done with the seat adjustment, but I have found that in real life that is nearly impossible, due to the "popular" constructions of office chairs.

You, your family and friends can have access to more helpful information such as this by liking us on FaceBook at: David City Chiropractic and Acupuncture or visit our website at www.dcbetterhealth.com,  you can even join our mailing list to receive our free newsletter.    

Yours for better health,
Dr. Heller