High heeled shoes can also cause foot, ankle, and knee pain too. You see when a person is standing the body weight is supported by the spine. The lower body tends to take more of that stress- your low back, feet, and knees. Wearing heels changes the wearer’s weight distribution and tends to shift the spine forward. This will also change ankle and knee alignment.
Your foot arches also get affected, and wearing heels with too much lift will change the arches and will cause decreased motion of the foot. Not to mention a lot of heels lack much foot support and also pinch the toes inward.
So, for these reasons, women who present with back pain who wear high heels often can ease their pain by switching to a flat shoe or sneakers for a week or two. Along with this, chiropractic adjustments can correct any alignment issues in the lower body. What happens is that the shifts in the spine or pelvis put pressure on nerves in the back causing pain. Even though the wearer may switch to flats, the misalignments or joint restriction may remain until treated.
Shoe orthotics may help as well. These are custom-made insoles for your shoes that help restore the alignment and arches of the feet. Everything is connected, which is why foot alignment issues can lead to knee or pelvis problems.
I have extensive training in extremity adjustments, as well as supports and exercises one may need to balance the spine and especially the lower body.
A place for sharing information on health, nutrition, chiropractic, acupuncture dry needling, spinal decompression, and wellness.
My office is located in LaVale, MD at 359 National Highway above Fratelli's Restaurant. We are always accepting new patients.
Call me at 301-777-3710
Facts About Stress:
· Stress-related disorders are fast becoming the most prevalent reason for worker disability according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
· Job stress and related problems cost American companies an estimated $200 billion or more annually through absenteeism, turnover, accidents, etc.
· The World Health Organization calls job stress a “worldwide epidemic.”
· 40 million Americans take antidepressant drugs daily!!!
· After the death of a spouse, the average life span of the surviving spouse is one year.
· Stress destroys the immune system, and ruins health to destroy lives.
Stress Management Techniques
1. In with the Good Air, Out with the Bad
Take a breathing break. Frequent short breaks during the day allow you to breathe deeply and relax your mind, preventing stress build-up.
2. Know the Enemy
What, exactly, is stressing you out? Is it your job? Your home life? Your relationships? Without knowing the root of the problem, you are unlikely to resolve it
3. Move It or Lose It
Begin an exercise program. Exercise helps release endorphins, which relieves stress.
4. Let Go
Recognize the difference between the things you can control and the things you cannot. Make a list of these two categories. Starting today, make a pact with yourself to stop stressing about the things in your job you have no control over.
5. Beware of the To Do List
Take note of all the good work you do and give yourself credit for it. Set short-term goals and allow yourself to take satisfaction in achieving them. Most people have too many long term goals, and have too many things on their minds at the same time.
6. Develop a Tough Skin
Try not to personalize any criticism you receive. Look at negative comments as constructive criticism that allows you to improve your work. “Who cares what other people think?”
7. Share the Load
Delegate or share work whenever possible. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are the only person who can do the job right. Your coworkers and boss might start to buy into that concept as well.
8. Don’t Make Work a Four Letter Word.
Job stress builds when our minds are constantly focused on work. Strive for balance in your life. Make time for family, friends, hobbies and, most importantly, fun.
9. Get Adjusted.
Your nervous system is how your body deals with stress! The easier it is for your body to deal with stress, the less of a deal it will seem to be!
Pain and family relationships never get along well. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who is in chronic pain? It never ends well, you try to offer help but it seems as if there is no hope. Generally, the very first treatment to relieve pain is drugs or surgery. Sadly, it usually does not solve the core problem and can come with side effects. Patients still have to bear the pain for a long time having much deeper implications than anticipated.
After an accident, physical wounds are healed, but often the mental wounds are still left untouched. These remain active in a person’s cognitive memory and can be observed in their daily behavior. The constant nagging, anxiety, and impatience can be easily noticed in a person who has had a recent accident or injury. These symptoms are also present in those suffering from long term and ongoing neck pain, back pain, and migraines etc. The prime concern here is that this consistent pain, either physical or mental, can have a devastating effect on family relationships.
Have you ever had it where no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape your pain. It is there all day long: in the morning, while driving your car, while sitting in the office chair, walking/jogging and during your sleep. This pain slowly aggravates which leads to constant mental tension. This tension builds and builds, to the point of explosion. The danger is who you explode on. Is it your 6-year-old daughter, your husband, an employee? We never know who it will be.
Conversational and thinking processes are also adversely affected by pain. Even a minor pain in the neck can deviate you from your conversation. An interesting conversation can slowly turn into an uninteresting one or even into a heated argument.
Family bonding is essential for maintaining a healthy ambiance in your home. When a person is suffering from constant pain, he/she no longer concentrates on spending time with family. Even if one does give it a try, they end up unsuccessful. The anxiety and impatience ensued by the pain, is well noticed in the conversation. These cherished moments are now lost.
Unfortunately, modern medical science deals with such mental problems in an uncanny way. Classified under depression, these pains, too, are treated with drug medication. But the truth is pain requires a holistic approach in order to be cured. It is not a physical entity and is linked to various body parts including physical and psychological realms of the human body.
Especially in case of back and neck pain, people prefer to visit a chiropractor for treatment. Chiropractic is a non drug and non surgical holistic medical practice that treats disorders of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system through gentle spinal manipulations. It is extremely effective and safe for people suffering from chronic issues and or looking to stay proactive against them. In fact, many researches show that spinal manipulations performed by a chiropractor are one of the very few means to effectively and safely decrease and eliminate pain.
Chiropractors offer a myriad of holistic alternative medicine to treat neck and back pain without any side effects. A chiropractic doctor starts his treatment by doing a full case history and exam to give him an insight into your medical history. This helps them decide exactly what you need. Some common problems come from carelessness, improper posture, inflammatory diets, or lack of motion. These usually lead to moderate back and neck trouble, while severe pain is due to born defects like scoliosis or large traumas.
The spinal manipulations or adjustments help decrease injuries in soft tissue and facilitate the stimulation of the nervous system of the body. Besides this, a chiropractor may also work on your diet, exercise, or lifestyle to help strengthening the nervous system. If your nervous system is healthy, your body’s innate ability to heal itself improves drastically. If nerve interference is present, there is decreased activation of the brain causing devastating effects to vital body organs and tissues.
If you were inspired by this post and think that your family trouble is related to pain please give us a call at 301-777-3710. Its time you did something proactive about your health.
Sincerely,
Dr David Bohn
Exotic Fruit Juices Exposed
Every day, I am asked a dozen times, “What do you think of that Acai (a-sigh-EE) berry? Is it any good?” The great news is that while Acai berries are a tasty and wonderful fruit, there isn’t any outstanding research out there to back up their claim that it is any better than say, your typical apple, oranges, cranberries and blueberries. There is not one shred of evidence that shows that it is better than any other fruit(s) in this planet.
The popular Men’s Health magazine recently did an article on this and found out the history of this so-called “exotic” fruit from the Amazon. From the information that they gathered, “Last year, 53 new food and drink products containing the Brazilian berries with the funny name were introduced in the United States. Total sales of all things acai surged to $104 million — more than double the 2007 figure, according to the market analysis firm Spins. Not surprisingly, some of the beverage world’s big players took notice: Pepsi-owned Naked Juice also sells acai blends, and Jamba Juice offers an acai concoction.”
Further, they stated that, “In truth, what we’re guzzling by the gallon is very skilful marketing. Rather than being a “global wonderberry, acai might better be described as an overhyped jungle juice that’s no better for your health than the average orange. Instead of the happy tale of the little berry that could, the acai phenomenon is really just the latest example of how time and time again we turn off our brains and open our wallets when we’re presented with a bottle of exotic “superfruit” juice that’s been packaged as a shortcut to immortality.”
In other words, WE’VE BEEN HAD. Again.
There’s definitely no doubt that Acai berry offers nutritional benefits (like most fruits that’s out there). The big question mark is whether this Acai berry is the all mighty and powerful fruit that we thought it would be.
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
- Acai berry and Omega 3’s. One of the unique selling points of Acai berry is that it has Omega 3’s, the fatty acids found in cold-water fish (i.e. salmon) that is endorsed by the American Heart Association as a cardiovascular support. While it’s true that very little fruit out there contain Omega 3’s, Acai is one of them but not necessarily loaded with Omega 3’s. VERDICT: You would need to take almost 2.5 gallons of Acai fruit compared to taking a 3 ounce serving of salmon.
- Acai berry and Fiber. 1 gram of fiber in 8 ounces of Acai juice. How about this? Drink a quart of juice, or eat a slice of 100 percent whole-wheat bread. VERDICT: Acai juice will set you back 600 calories, versus 100 for the bread.
- Acai berry and ORAC value. Ever heard of “antioxidants?” Yes you have and ORAC value is just a form of measurement about how good of an “antioxidant” a fruit is. Antioxidants are properties of a fruit (in this case) that make it good for preventing disease(s), researchers believe them to be similar to a “PacMan” gobbling up the bad cell molecules that play a role in aging and disease in your body. Simply put, the higher the ORAC value the “stronger the PacMan” is in gobbling up the bad cells in your body. Hence, within the marketing world, antioxidants and ORAC value have an even greater impact: They move product. Here’s a good example, fresh blueberries have 6,552 ORAC points per 100 grams, while Red Delicious apples have 4,275 per 100 grams according to USDA data. Now, let’s look at Acai. The USDA has yet to test the berry, but it’s marketed as having 50,000 ORAC points (nearly 8 times that of blueberries). VERDICT: An average person on the street looks at this and says “whoa!” this Acai stuff is awesome! The jaw-dropping 50,000 ORAC is for 100 grams of powdered Acai extract that was calculated, while the ORAC score of blueberries was calculated using fresh diluted (but also more real world representative) form of blueberries.
The kicker though is that, even if the numbers are correct – and Acai scored higher than any other fruits on this planet – there’s no evidence that it’s better than “regular” fruits, says Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., and director of USDA antioxidants laboratory at Tufts University. Reason: they do not say about what happens in the body.
So, what should we do as a health conscious consumer? While there isn’t any harm in trying Acai berries, just because it sounds “exotic” and it’s from the “amazon” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better than other fruits out there.
MY VERDICT: Eat “real” fruit and save your money from multilevel marketing concoctions.
Coffee has been blamed for causing many ailments, but in many instances it is found not guilty.
The most popular beverage worldwide is tea (after water), but coffee is close behind it in industrialized countries. While caffeine is a natural component of both coffee and tea, coffee contains more of it. According to UC Berkeley, coffee contains approximately 60 to 120 milligrams in six ounces, depending on brewing method and factors. Caffeine is considered to be a mild psychoactive substance – it stimulates the central nervous system and increases alertness. It also enhances the analgesic effect of aspirin and other pain relievers, which is why it is added to some drugs. And yes, in large amounts, it can cause heart palpitations, insomnia and stomach upset.
Coffee’s history dates back in the 1500’s, even though they are seeds, they are referred to as “beans” because of their resemblance. Coffee bean contains many phytochemicals besides caffeine, and does have many beneficial effects in the body (very similar to tea) which is currently being studied. The studies done on coffee has been whether it can cause disease and not so much for its beneficial effects, which is why many people think that it is bad to drink coffee. While many believe that drinking decaf is better, there is actually no proof of it being any better than your regular ‘cuppa joe.
So, is coffee guilty of causing many ailments or not? In many instances, it has been declared…not guilty.
- Many studies exonerated the link of drinking coffee and heart disease. Some researchers are still worried that it can cause hypertension – but many studies have failed to show that it does. If you consider smoking and heavy alcohol consumption into account, any link between coffee and heart attack disappears.
- Coffee and fibrocystic disease (painful lumps in breast), proved no connection.
- Osteoporosis risk in coffee drinkers is minimal – although controversial. (Heavy coffee drinkers are more likely to eat poorly and smoke, which increases their predisposition to osteoporosis).
- Miscarriages and birth defects haven’t supported intake of coffee – perhaps high intake. Pregnant women should limit their amount to one or two cups a day.
The research on coffee continues…Here are the latest tidbits:
- Several large studies have shown that caffeine intake is associated with a reduce risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) in men, but studies in women have been inconclusive. Men who drank no coffee were two to three times more likely to develop PD than those who drank one to four cups a day and five times more likely than those who drank more than four cups a day. The protective substance was caffeine. Again, this is unexplainable at the moment, with many limitations. Definitely worth investigating further.
- In another study, those who drank two to three cups daily cut their risk for developing gall stones by 40%. Again, there is no explanation to this – therefore, do not jump on the java wagon and say that it can prevent gall stones just yet.
Studies in regards to coffee are still out there, and some do raise minor issues. Five to eight cups of unfiltered European style coffee, made in a French press (pot with plunger – raises blood cholesterol. Majority of coffee consumed in the U.S. and Canada are filtered. And anyway, that’s a lot of coffee.
Another study brings up urinary incontinence linked to coffee consumption. This is definitely a no brainer. Hence, cut back.
Bottom Line: If you’re healthy it’s fine to drink coffee in moderation (no more than three or four cups per day). Social coffee drinking is not a bad thing. In fact, don’t deprive yourself if you like the lift it gives and the sociability that’s attached to it. Overindulging in coffee sure does have some negative effects – as does eating and leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Drink up!
