Archive for chiropractic
As a Cincinnati Chiropractor I continue to explain to my patients how important it is for all of us to maintain good balance, especially as we age. If you’ve read my previous blogs then you already know that good balance helps us to walk without stumbling, get up from a sitting position without swaying, and to climb stairs without missing a step. In other words, good balance is extremely important to our health and well-being. And, even though many adults aged 65 and older report episodes of dizziness, “wooziness, and other balance-related challenges, getting older, in and of itself, doesn’t have to mean a fall is inevitable or that being younger includes an exemption. In fact, a new research study found that remaining physically fit and sticking to a regular exercise routine lowered the risk of taking a tumble both the old and young, especially if you’re a male.
And, as I’ve mentioned in before, falls for both men and women of any age can be serious. The overall statistics on the number of falls sustained each year in the U.S., not only for people 65 years and older but for younger individuals as well, may surprise you. Nearly 19,000 people die each year from falls and almost 8 million seek treatment in emergency rooms. And, as mentioned, although falls are the leading cause of injuries among people age 65 and older, the study revealed that young people fall down just as frequently as seniors!
Let’s face it, even though reaching old age can be a very “risky” business in many ways if we don’t take care of ourselves along the way, as far as falling goes younger people are more likely to intentionally engage in risky activities than seniors, such as standing on ladders and ledges, running, and playing sports — activities that can often lead to a serious tumble.
But, no matter what a person’s age may be, the more physically fit we remain reduces our fall potential, especially if you are a male. The study included individuals between 20 and 87 years of age. Of the 10,615 participants in the study, done be researchers, lead by Kristin Mertz, M.D., at the epidemiology department at the University of Pittsburgh, 20 percent reported falling in the past year. Of those who fell, 15 percent fell while walking. Surprisingly, the study found that women were 2.8 times as likely to fall while walking as men, but that the fitness levels of the participants only seemed to make a difference in men falling while it did not appear to have the same effect for women. The study found men with low fitness levels were 2.2 times more likely to fall while walking than were highly fit men.
“We were surprised to find that fitness and physical activity seemed to have a stronger relationship with walking-related falls in men compared with women,” Mertz said. As a chiropractor, I am surprised with that finding as well.
And, as your Cincinnati Chiropractor, I would like to add the following commentary: Whether you are young or older, male or female, maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, routine exercise, and regular chiropractic adjustments can benefit the entire body and help to maintain your fitness level and balance acuity as you age.
Look for research study results in the only July issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Source: Health Behavior News Service
8035 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45231 Cincinnati, OH, 45231 USA
dr.kimberlywells@gmail.com • 513-522-3600
Cincinnati Chiropractic Offers One More Good Reason for You to Lose That Belly Fat
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Let’s face it, there’s just nothing good to say about belly fat. In fact, when you look at all the studies that have come out recently about the adverse effects of excess weight around the midsection, even Santa Clause doesn’t look all that jolly anymore. As a Cincinnati chiropractor, I’ve explained to my overweight patients who are experiencing low back pain that too much weight in the middle is likely the culprit. The spine wasn’t designed to haul around excess weight on a regular basis. As an individual puts on extra fat in the belly, the spine starts to distort and compress, which creates pain and discomfort. Belly fat can also cause the pelvis to tilt forward and pinch the sciatic nerve. But, if low back pain and sciatica aren’t enough to get you to change your eating and exercise habits, how about this: A new preliminary study suggests that excess fat in the abdomen during middle age can actually boost the risk of dementia later in life!
It is estimated 24.3 million people worldwide suffer from dementia. In the new study, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine examined the medical records of 733 people with an average age of 60 years. (Note: Nearly 70 percent were women.) The study found that increasing levels of body-mass index in middle-aged individuals corresponded with lower brain volumes when they are older, i.e., lost mental capacity, especially when the excess fat was in the middle.
So, there you have it. You have one more good reason to get rid of those extra pounds, especially around your midsection. Lose the weight, lose your back pain, and you may not lose your mind!
Youth Sports Tips From Cincinnati Chiropractic
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re a young athlete in junior high or high school, or if you’re the parent of one, Thomas Solecki, DC, DACBSP, a sports medicine expert and chiropractic physician, has some tips on how to get the most out of youth fitness and sports activities that will not only maximize the health benefits of youth exercise, but will help to avoid injuries as well. Dr. Solecki is a faculty clinician at National University of Health Sciences’ Whole Health Center, is certified in exercise rehabilitation and exercise performance enhancement, and also serves as a chiropractic physician for athletic teams at DePaul and Northwestern universities. So, when Dr. Solecki offers advice, as your chiropractor in Cincinnati, I say “listen up!”
Sports Safety Tips:
- Warm up with light activity, then progress to moderate activity at least 5-10 minutes before exercising or participating in sports. You should feel “hot” and have a little sweat going if you are properly warmed up.
- Cool down and stretch after every workout. Never just walk away from a sport or activity. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds to one minute without bouncing.
- For safe training, never increase your exercise intensity or the amount of weight lifted by a factor of more than 10 percent every two weeks.
- Train specifically for your sport. Each activity uses different muscles and patterns in the body; make sure your body is trained for your sport
- Use heart-rate guidelines in training for endurance sports. Certain formulas can be used to help calculate safe heart rates for training children, teens, and adults. These ranges can be used to train specifically for longer endurance, short bursts of heavy exercise, etc. Talk to a fitness professional to help you find these ranges.
- Give your body a break. Always take one to two days off per week to let your muscles heal and your body repair.
- Cross-train with different activities. This allows your body to repair and helps you gain strength and endurance at the same time. Your body adapts to an exercise program every four to six weeks. Change exercises or types of workouts every four to six to help improve your performance and also to avoid overuse injuries.”
- Don’t use thirst as a guide to drinking. By the time you are thirsty, you are already more than 3 percent dehydrated. Guidelines:
- Drink at least 64 ounces (eight 8 oz. glasses) of water per day
- Drink two to three cups of fluids up to two hours before exercise
- During intense and prolonged exercise sessions, or when exercising in an environment that is hot and/or humid, drink 8-10 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes.
- After exercise, drink enough fluids to quench your thirst plus extra. (A good guideline for hydration is urine. Urine should be clear, if it is dark colored you have dehydrated and need to drink more.
Dr. Solecki advocates using what he calls a “periodization schedule of training” for serious and competitive high school athletes who focus year-round on their fitness and sports training. What does this mean? According to Dr. Solecki, it means that your training should be very different in your off-season versus pre-season. In other words, give yourself periods of time with more strenuous exercise and periods with lighter/recovery types of exercise.
Dr. Solecki also wants you to be aware that if you change workout types or start a new sport, some muscle soreness is normal and even good. The soreness from lactic acid build-up is an indication that you are building stronger muscles. But, not all pain is “gain.” He suggests that if you find yourself much more sore on day two than you were on day one, or if you’re only getting sore on days two or three, this is an indication that you are pushing too hard and need to back off.
And, finally, Dr. Solecki advises that children age 12 and under should avoid using weights or heavy lifting because the growth plates at the end of children’s bones may be damaged by lifting weights too early, which will affect later growth and development. The alternative? Dr. Solecki recommends that younger athletes stick with exercises using only body their own body weight until their growth plates have closed.
Source: National University of Health Sciences, www.nuhs.edu
Did You Know That Just a Few Extra Pounds Can Create An Imbalance in Your Immune System?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s a little extra weight, especially when your clothes still fit? Most of us know that “too much” extra poundage can lead to heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases, not to mention the damage that it does to the musculoskeletal system. As a chiropractor I witness first hand on a regular basis the toll that extra weight takes on the low back, hips, and knees. But, did you know that even as “little” as 10 extra pounds of body fat, particularly abdominal fat, in addition to stressing body joints and burdening the efforts of the heart, can actually trigger the production of “pro-inflammatory” immune cells that circulate in the blood and promote inflammation in the body. When our immune system isn’t working “for” us, we experience adverse reactions and painful conditions.
The good news, as far as the immune system goes, is that recently Australian researchers found that shedding just 10 pounds helped to bring back balance to the immune system of obese individuals. Getting the immune system back into balance is certainly a wonderful step in the right direction toward better health and longevity.
But, as you begin that important diet and exercise program, it’s a good idea to see a chiropractor. Chiropractors are highly knowledgeable when it comes to both diet and exercise. Your chiropractor may suggest that along with a nutritious diet, your individual body may require additional supplementation. And, in addition, your chiropractor will make sure that your body is in good alignment so that your new exercise routines promote pain-free mobility that leads to healthy weight loss.
The results of the Australian study were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism.Radical Surgery or Conservative Chiropractic Treatment?
Posted by: | CommentsI just read a very moving story in the news today about a man who’d had his prostate removed and, afterwards, spent every waking moment wishing that he had it back again. The gist of the story was, of course, that he’d waited “too long” to have his prostate checked and his condition had developed into a more serious problem making surgery unavoidable. But, as I read the story I began to think of the number of patients over the years who’ve come in to see me “too late.” Many came in for chiropractic treatment after back surgery, after neck fusion, after hip replacement, and after a regimen of pharmaceuticals that had caused unfortunate side effects. And, because their surgery had not only failed to relieve their pain, but had created more problems in its aftermath, many of them told me, “I only wish I’d come to see you sooner.”
Chiropractic treatment is a non-invasive, non-surgical, drug-free approach to pain relief and musculoskeletal corrections. If you are experiencing pain, your body is telling you that there’s a problem that needs to be addressed. A conservative treatment choice like chiropractic may not only be able to get you out of pain quickly, but can also help you to avoid more serious problems in the future. The wear and tear on your body from misalignments can, overtime, create painful conditions that can, eventually, make surgery the only option. Don’t let that happen to you. See a chiropractor in your area today!
Weightlifting Injuries a “Girl Thing”?
Posted by: | CommentsAs a chiropractor, I am always concerned about sports injury prevention, especially when my office is filled on Monday mornings with weekend warriors. And, over the years, I have treated quite a few teens who’ve hit the ground hard at the goal line or who’ve pulled a groin muscle or hamstring making it “safe” to first base. sports injuries have been occurring for as long as sports have been around, that is to say, for hundreds of years! But, I just read in the Orlando Sentinel that there is a sports injury affecting an unexpected sector of the population. A new, comprehensive study on weightlifting injuries, led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and recently published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed that while teenage girls are lifting weights more than ever these days, they’re also one of the biggest groups getting hurt.The 18-year study of weightlifting injuries, from dropped weights to pinched fingers, found that the increase in the popularity of this sport has led to an increase of trips to the hospital due lifting injuries. Although males sustained the largest proportion of weight training injuries over the study period, the increase in injuries in teenage girls was much higher than the increase in teenage boys, indicating that more girls are participating.
Most injuries happen, experts say, not because kids are lifting too much, but because they’re supervised too little. They offer these tips for newbie lifters:
- Never lift alone. It’s best to have a coach or trainer nearby at all times.
- Always use a spotter.
- Be sure to start slowly and build up to heavier weights.
Want to Lose Weight? Get Some Sleep!
Posted by: | CommentsAs a chiropractor, I’m very interested in the overall health of my patients. As part of a healthy lifestyle we discuss a nutritious diet, getting enough rest, drinking enough water, and getting regular chiropractic care, of course. And, since body weight can affect the stability and function of the musculoskeletal system, as well as impact its organic structures, I am always interested in new studies about weight issues. So, now, let me ask you this: What could be worse than feeling tired and groggy during the day after not getting enough sleep the night before? Well, craving calories, that’s what! A recent study found that normal-weight young men ate a “Big Mac’s-worth of extra calories” when they’d gotten four hours of sleep the night before compared to when they slept for eight hours.
Let’s face it, as a group, we Americans have been sleeping less and getting fatter over the past few decades. The researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical nutrition, “Sleep restriction could be one of the environmental factors that contribute to the obesity epidemic.” No experimental studies to date have actually looked at what happens to a normal-weight person’s eating patterns when he or she sleeps less.
To read more about this study, go to reuters.com
