Archive for back pain
Relaxation and Meditation: As Crucial to Health as Diet and Exercise
Posted by: | CommentsHere is our Wichita Chiropractic Weekly Health Alert:
(NaturalNews) You gotta relax, man. Life in 2012 means a degree of stress, for just about everyone. Our bodies and minds can take a lot of abuse, but its all too easy to get into a negative cycle, and just keep sinking. You don’t sleep well, you get up late, so you don’t eat, your blood sugar is low, so your temper is short, etc. Stress. If you need more time, more energy, or better sleep, then its worth taking the time to relax and meditate. Believe it or not, this investment in yourself can improve these aspects of your life, and many more.
Everyone knows stress is not good for you. Prolonged exposure to increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline is harmful to your organs. This condition is usually exacerbated by tense, tight muscles (causing pain), shallow breathing, and digestive problems. With just five minutes a few times a day, you can improve your health and cut stress. Best of all, it costs nothing and requires no equipment.
I know what you’re thinking: “Where am I going to go at work to sit in a lotus position and hum?” Well that is not the only way to meditate. Meditation can be simply the act of quieting the mind, breathing deeply, becoming aware of your surroundings, and relaxing. The benefits are many. According to Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, while meditation has long been known to provide peacefulness and physical relaxation, recent research supports the claim that it also provides lasting cognitive and psychological benefits. Measurable changes occur in the brain, after only a couple of months, in the regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress. If you find that you like it, take it further with a course on mindfulness exercises. Your local library or community center may have some, or you could learn more online.
You know when you’re in an airplane and the flight attendant tells you to “put your own mask on before helping others”? That concept is true in many situations. You have to take care of yourself or you’ll have nothing to give to anyone else. Your productivity, health, and attitude all benefit from you taking time for yourself to reduce stress. An easy first step is to learn how to breathe, correctly. Most of us take rapid, shallow breaths. Shoulders go up, diaphragm goes in, and only the top portion of our lungs fill. Proper breathing expands your diaphragm, stomach, and ribcage – but not the pectoral area. Exhaling deeply is equally important so that you can better oxygenate your body and empty as much carbon dioxide and toxins as possible with each breath. Got a baby or a dog around? Watch them while they sleep. Higher oxygen levels in the blood increases function and health of the organs. It also improves mental clarity, mood, and stamina. More toxins are released through the lungs than through any other avenue of elimination.
Practice breathing deliberately several times each day. For several minutes, slowly breathe in through your nose, filling your lungs entirely with air and expanding your belly. Try for four breaths per minute – quality trumps quantity. Exhale slowly and deeply through your nose, pulling your belly in. Then, continue, but exhale through your mouth for several more minutes. Use this kind of breathing when you feel stressed, when you’re exercising, when you’re trying to go to sleep, or when you’re trying not to lose your temper.
Why not decide to try some of these tips for three weeks to see if you notice a difference? The power of intent is a strong one. If you choose to develop some good habits, you will begin to feel better. Who knows – if this works you may go crazy and start going for a walk everyday too! Next thing you know, you’ll be in a positive cycle instead of a negative one.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110121144007.htm
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue-15/how-to-breathe.php
3101 North Rock Rd #100 Wichita, KS, 67226 USA
dr.melodyshubert@gmail.com • 316-636-4444
Unwind with Chiropractic
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Here is our Wichita Chiropractor Weekly Sticky:
Ever feel ‘wound up’ from the stresses of life? You feel tight and distorted, like a rubber band that’s been twisted to the brink of snapping? That tension you’re feeling isn’t in your head… it’s actually in your Nerve System.
The constant, never ending stress of life builds tension in your nerves like an over twisted rubber band that robs you of experiencing the fullness of Life. Chiropractors refer to this state as being ‘Subluxated.’ If you don’t regularly purge this tension from your nerves, it builds silently until a physical or emotional crisis manifests. The solution… release the tension with preventative Chiropractic care, and get control of your Life again!
Chiropractic care gently removes stress from your spine and spinal cord before a critical failure can occur. This is one ‘rubber band’ you need to keep clear! Unwind your stress with regular Chiropractic adjustments and start experiencing the tension free Life you were born to have.
Thanks Weekly Sticky!
Wichita Chiropractor Reveals Recent Study on Failed Back Surgeries
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As your Wichita chiropractor I feel that it is my obligation to pass along the results of a recent study regarding failed back surgeries: Did you know that complicated spine surgeries that involve fusing two or more vertebrae are actually on the rise? You may find it surprising, or even shocking, to discover that experts estimate that nearly 600,000 Americans opt for back operations each year, and according to a study published in Spine several months ago, in just 15 years, there has been an eight-fold jump in vertebrae fusion operations. That statistic has most chiropractors, many public health experts, and even some surgeons concerned. In fact, Dr. Charles Burton, medical director for The Center for Restorative Spine Surgery in St. Paul, MN, said that spine surgery and fusion has gotten way beyond what is reasonable or necessary, and that there are some areas of the country where the rate of spine surgery is three or four times the national average. What’s worse, according to the study, in many cases surgery can even backfire, leaving patients in more pain!
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses. After two years, just 26 percent of those who had surgery returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling study finding, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery.
Researchers reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses.
After two years, just 26 percent of those who had surgery returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling study finding, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery. The study’s lead author, Dr. Trang Nguyen, said that the study provides clear evidence that for many patients, fusion surgeries designed to alleviate pain from degenerating discs don’t work.
I have said it before (many times before), but it bears repeating: Before choosing surgery to get rid of your back pain, call your chiropractor for conservative chiropractic treatment first. Your chiropractor is a spine expert who is committed to helping back pain sufferers get out of pain through natural, non-invasive procedures. Call today. You have nothing to lose but your back pain!
As a Chiropractor in Wichita I know the debilitating effects of back pain. Though some people try to “ignore” their back pain in the hopes that it will go away on its own, the majority of individuals know that back pain is difficult, if not impossible, to ignore. Back pain is a constant. It interferes with a person’s ability to work and to enjoy daily life, and it makes it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. In addition, many people know that untreated back pain can cause further musculoskeletal problems. But it will, no doubt, come as a surprise to almost everyone that unaddressed back pain that lingers six months or more has been linked with a loss of brain volume that’s equivalent to 10 to 20 years of normal aging. That’s right! According to new research at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, back pain can significantly age the brain! A. Vania Apkarian, Ph.D. and co-author of the study, said that the decline has to do with how the brain adapts to pain, and such decline can damage a person’s ability to assess emotional cues and control emotion.
If you are someone who needed one more reason to make an appointment with your chiropractor to get the treatment you need for your back pain, the possibility of significant brain decline might just be the “inspiration” you needed! Be smart (and stay smart) by calling your Wichita Chiropractor today!
Your Wichita Chiropractor: Low Back Pain is Nothing to Sneeze At!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re experiencing low back pain, your Wichita Chiropractor wants you to know that you’re not alone. Low back pain affects many people, an amazing 80% in fact, making it second only to the common cold in its frequency. However, contrary to the common cold, waiting for your back pain to “run its course,” and taking prescription or over-the-counter remedies while you wait, is not the answer. The majority of back pain won’t go away by itself. More often than not, if your pain lessens, it is usually due to the fact that your body has compensated for the problem and, unfortunately, is generating new conditions. Obviously, low back pain is nothing to sneeze at! If you’d like to eliminate your back pain for good (and who wouldn’t?), it is important for you to see a back pain expert, like Wichita Chiropractor, Dr. Melody Shubert.
Back pain is often a mystery to most people who are suffering from it, and chiropractors are skilled in solving their confusion. Most individuals ask: “Why is it that I have not experienced any trauma, accidents, or major injuries before the onset of my pain?” The answer is that the cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, improper lifting, lack of routine exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related factors create most back pain.
These elements add up over time and produce stresses and imbalances on the spine causing subluxations that can turn into serious back conditions. The process is similar to the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you insist upon driving anyway, there is irregular wear and tear on your tires. If you didn’t get the problem fixed, the situation would worsen until a tire “blew.” When the spine is misaligned, the function of the spine is put at risk. In other words, it’s not only a problem waiting to happen, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as seemingly benign as reaching down to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that generates back injury. When this occurs, the surrounding back muscles go into spasm in order to stabilize the stressed or injured tissues of the back.
Chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors when it comes to knowledge and treatment of the spine. They offer state-of-the-art diagnosis and experienced treatment for all musculoskeletal abnormalities. They not only provide welcomed relief if you are suffering from back pain, but they are knowledgeable about what will assist you in avoiding further back pain. As an adjunct to effective adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies, your Chiropractor in Wichita will give you an individual exercise plan and recommend other healthy lifestyle changes that will keep you well-adjusted and pain-free in the future.
