Stress Can Be Good for You!

Stress management.

As long as it’s not the hair-pulling, nail-biting variety, stress may actually be a good thing!

Stress Can Be Good for You!

Most of us are all too familiar with the negative effects of stress on our bodies. Fatigue, an inability to concentrate and anxiety are only a few conditions that may result from negative stress. Chronic, unrelenting stress eventually takes a huge toll on your body in terms of illness, overall body function and quality of life.

But are there times when stress is actually good for you? Of course, but in short bursts, like the fight or flight adrenaline rush you get when you’re about to be hit by a car. Or the jolt of energy you get when you receive an assignment that needs to be completed "yesterday." Or the sweat you might feel when you walk into an exam. Or the excitement you feel when you lay eyes on your new baby for the first time. These are motivating types of stress that can actually strengthen your immune system and help you to maintain a sharp and focused mind to protect you against aging diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

Research conducted by Dr. Suzanne Segerstrom, University of Kentucky, and Dr. Gregory Miller, University of British Columbia, and reported in Psychological Bulletin supported the notion that there are good types of stress that contribute to positive health outcomes. For example, patients who report moderate levels of stress prior to surgery report better recovery experiences.

Another stress study confirmed a decreased risk of breast cancer in women who experience moderate levels of stress because of lower estrogen levels. And of even greater significance, a study out of Johns Hopkins found that babies born of mothers with higher levels of stress hormones during pregnancy were developmentally ahead of babies whose mothers had lower levels.

So from this, it’s easy to see that stress can be positive – yet it’s a double-edged sword. Get too much of it and you’re at risk for conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and depression. The key is moderation between both types of stress – extremes on either side are harmful to your health. Channeling positive stress into the energy you need to focus on whatever is before you is key, rather than allowing stress to overwhelm you.

Of course, chiropractic adjustments help your nervous system to deal with stress in your life so you can control it to use in a positive way, rather than allowing it to harm you. Make sure you’re keeping up with your appointments and if you haven’t been here recently give us a call to come in for a visit! We’re always available to help you!

Shoreview Chiropractor

What Causes Subluxations?

What Causes Subluxations?

Subluxation

If your spine isn’t working right, your nervous system probably isn’t either!

Not only must your spine help you stand erect, it must allow you to move while allowing the vital nerve communications between your brain and your body. Your spinal cord and nerve roots are the most vulnerable part of your nervous system. That’s why we’re so interested in your spine. If your spine isn’t working right, your nervous system probably isn’t either—even if you feel great and don’t have any symptoms!

There are many causes of spinal subluxations. They fall into three broad categories. Here are some of the causes our patients have mentioned:

Physical

Being born
Learning to walk
Raking leaves
Shoveling dirt
Car accidents
Getting into your car
Sitting on your wallet
Hotel beds
Contact sports
High heeled shoes
Sweeping the garage
A bad pillow

Mental

Getting bad news
Tomorrow’s deadline
Stress
Feeling rushed
Job interview
Frustration
The holidays
Paying the bills
Being late
Your mother-in-law
Funerals
A speeding ticket

Chemical

Drugs
Muscle relaxers
Alcohol
Pain pills
Cigarette smoke
Paint fumes
Vaccinations
Sleeping pills
Preservatives
Allergic reactions
Too much coffee
Anesthesia

Shoreview Chiropractor

What's Your Glycemic Index?

What is the Glycemic Index?

If you have diabetes or you are watching your weight, it may be wise to pay some attention to the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index ranks how much a particular food raises your blood sugar level after you eat it. It is really all about carbohydrates and how they raise blood sugar, since foods high in protein and fat have little effect on blood glucose. The carbohydrates that break down quickly in the digestive process have a higher glycemic index than those that slowly release glucose into the blood stream. Illustration of a glycemic reading.

The higher the number, the greater the impact to your blood sugar level.

The Glycemic Index is starting to get some attention in the health care arena based on the fact that more than 17 million Americans suffer from diabetes, with millions more in the making. Several of the popular diet books are also based on the Glycemic Index approach to losing weight, including Sugar Busters (Ballantine), Eat Yourself Slim (Erica House) and the South Beach Diet (Rodale).

According to the Glycemic Index, mashed potatoes, ice cream, and cornflakes raise blood sugar levels higher than pure table sugar! While fruits, vegetables (other than potatoes) and grainy breads have a low glycemic index.

What are some of the benefits of eating foods with a low glycemic index?

• Weight loss
• Feeling of "fullness" for a longer period of time after eating
• Lower rise in blood glucose levels
• Lower risk of diabetes

For a listing of more than 750 international foods, along with their glycemic index and glycemic load (how much of a carbohydrate is in the particular food), go to www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm.

Health & Wellness Shoreview, MN

How to Use Your Telephone

When Talking on the Phone Gets Painful…

Do you have the kind of job where you spend a lot of time on the phone? How do you usually hold the phone? Do you cradle it between your ear and your shoulder? Perhaps you also experience frequent headaches?

Telephone shoulder!

If you spend a lot of time on the telephone, wear a headset so you can avoid “phone neck” and potential headache complications.

In a recent study conducted by Surrey University in the UK, 65% of all workers who used the phone for at least two hours a day admitted that they often suffer from headaches. The standard posture that many adopt while on the phone is cradling the phone between their ear and shoulder, so they can use their computers or take notes while they talk. Known as “taco neck” or “phone neck,” this posture is wreaking havoc on their musculoskeletal systems.

More and more research is linking poor workplace habits with chronic headaches. And these headaches have people rushing to their medicine cabinets for pain relievers that may cause even more harm in the long run.

The National Headache Foundation has issued warnings about the frequent use of pain relievers (Motrin, aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen) which are known to cause kidney and liver damage that can be fatal. Scientists have reported that taking the maximum recommended dosage of these medications for long periods can be dangerous and may cause liver disease, and even liver failure, in some users.

If you use the phone for more than two hours a day, consider using the speakerphone feature or investing in a headset. Many studies have shown that chiropractic management of headache pain produce symptomatic relief in up to 98% of cases! And with chiropractic care, there are no adverse reactions, no potential for serious drug interaction problems and no drug-induced drowsiness that affects your ability to drive or work.

If you suffer from frequent headaches, or know someone you work with that does go to Headache Relief MN

Are Ear Tubes Really Needed?

Are Ear Tubes Really Needed?

childrens health
Many times children with frequent ear infections also have neurological compromise from malpositioned spinal bones in the neck

Ear tubes – seems like there are a lot of children getting them, but just how necessary are they and how well do they work in terms of preventing future ear infections?

By the age of three, 70% of all children have experienced at least one ear infection, after all, it is the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician’s office. Like antibiotics, ear tubes treat the symptoms of ear infections, and not the cause, yet more than 500,000 children receive ear tubes each year, making it the most common surgery under general anesthesia for children.

Ear infections result when there is a build up of fluid in the middle ear. This is commonly the result of inadequate drainage by the Eustachian tubes, which are usually shorter and more horizontal in young children. The build up of fluid provides a fertile breeding ground for either a viral or a bacterial infection. Antibiotics have no effect at all on viral infections and recent research shows that repeated antibiotic usage for bacterial infections does not prevent the infections from recurring and may actually lead to repeat ear infections.

With repeated ear infections, a physician may recommend ear tubes as parents express concern about developmental delays and hearing loss. But, ear tubes are often rejected rather quickly after insertion, because the body views them as “foreigners” that should not be present.

So, what are the alternatives? Many in the health care field believe that the ingestion of cows’ milk and other dairy products lead to an increase in ear infections. It is true that breastfed babies tend to have fewer ear infections. Others have suggested a link between the use of pacifiers and recurrent ear infections.

Many noteworthy studies have focused on the role of chiropractic care in helping to eliminate chronic ear infections and the build up of fluid in the middle ear. In one such study, published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics, 332 children with chronic ear infections, ranging in age from 27 days to five years, were given a series of chiropractic adjustments. The results were impressive. In 80% the infection cleared within several days and the children were still infection-free 6 months later.

If your child has chronic ear infections, please consider bringing him or her in for an evaluation. Many children in our practice have experienced noticeable improvement in the frequency and duration of their ear infections following a series of gentle chiropractic adjustments – a fact that brings comfort to the parents as well as their child!

Ear Tubes, Ear Pain, Ear Infection Help Treatment MN

What Do Your Feet Have To Do With Your Aching Back?

Your Feet and Your Aching Back

Plantar Fasciitis, Fallen Arches, Flat Feet

Proper spinal alignment and movement starts down here. Surprised? So, you think that your feet can't possibly be related to your chronic lower back pain, and that it's ridiculous to even suggest such a thing. Well, think again, because if your lower back aches all the time, you really need to have a look at your feet!

Consider these facts:

• Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in adults under the age of 45

• 80% of all people will have at least one episode of lower back pain during their lifetime

• Most people are born with nearly perfect feet; by age 20, 80% of all humans have some type of foot abnormality and at age 40, nearly everyone has some type of foot disorder

Do you remember the words to the old spiritual poem/song, "Dem Bones," the song that was used in Bible study to teach anatomy to small children?

The foot bone's connected to the leg bone

The leg bone's connected to the knee bone

The knee bone's connected to the thighbone

The thighbone's connected to the hipbone

The hipbone's connected to the backbone

The backbone's connected to the neck bone

The neck bone's connected to the head bone…

So, as this song suggests, it does all start with the feet, the foundation of the body. If there is something structurally wrong with your feet, the rest of your body can suffer as well.

When you walk, the arches in your feet normally rise and fall and your thighbones and leg bones rotate in and out with each step. When there is a problem with your feet (i.e., flat feet), this can affect the rotation of the leg bones, which can then affect the knees, hips and lower back.

One way to tell whether your feet are causing your back pain is to notice if your shoes tend to wear unevenly (i.e., the outside soles wear down faster) or if your back pain is worse when you wear a certain pair of shoes or walk barefooted.

If you come into our office complaining of back pain, a few answers to our questions regarding your feet may provide clues as to the source (or one of them) of your back pain. If we find that structural defects, using our Foot Levelers electronic scanner, in your feet are contributing to your back pain, we may suggest Foot Levelers custom orthotics to stabilize your feet, legs, pelvis and spine, along with regular chiropractic adjustments, to realign your spine and lower body, which will relieve stress on your lower back, reducing or even eliminating your back pain.

Plantar Fasciitis, Fallen Arches, Flat Feet MN

Sports Injuries to the Neck: Chiropractic Care & Prevention

Sports Injuries to the Cervical Spine

Sports provide the perfect “arena” for injuries to the cervical spine or neck. Contact sports such as football, hockey, wrestling and rugby head the list of offenders, but non-contact sports such as skiing, skating, diving and track and field may also play a role.

The most common types of cervical spine injuries in sports include:

Cervical sprains/strains – includes injuries to the ligaments and/or muscles in the neck, which may result in pain that radiates to the shoulders, back, arms and hands.

Fractures or dislocations – these are far more serious and may lead to spinal cord injuries that can produce paralysis.

Damage to discs - includes tears, ruptures or herniation.

The most serious type of cervical spine injury is a spinal cord injury, which can lead to an inability to move, numbness, tingling sensations, inability to control leg/arm muscles, and/or loss of bladder or bowel control.

Many chiropractors have garnered permanent positions on all types of school, amateur and professional sports teams, including the Olympics, and for good reason. Sports Chiropractors, in particular, have received specialized training in the care of sports injuries. Many medical doctors have not received the necessary training to effectively diagnose and treat the neuromusculoskeletal problems that are so common among athletes.

Even wiser than proper care for upper spine injuries is prevention. And that’s where chiropractic care shines. Regular chiropractic care, along with proper strengthening, can help maintain this vital area of your spine and nervous system and help withstand the stress of competition.

Do you know one of those competitive types who should be seeing us? Urge them to see us. We can quickly determine if they’d be a good candidate for chiropractic care. Remind them that Olympic contenders and professional sports teams already see the wisdom of today’s chiropractic care.

Sports Injuries Care MN

Super Bowl 44 To Be Held February 7th, 2010 At Dolphin Stadium In Miami Florida

Super Bowl 2010 Date, Time, Location, Channel, & Half Time Show Information

Super Bowl 44 will be played on February 7, 2010. This is the latest date the Super Bowl has been played on. The game will start at 6:28pm eastern time. The pre-game coverage will start hours before. Super Bowl 2010 will be covered on CBS. CBS is celebrating 50 years of covering NFL football and covered the Super Bowl last year.

The game will be played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Florida. This is the tenth time it has been played in Florida. 5 times at Dolphin Stadium and 5 times at the Orange Bowl.

The cost for a 30 second commercial will be 3.1 million dollars with almost all of the advertising slots being sold. Some of the big advertisers from previous years, such as GoDaddy.com, Anheuser-Busch, and Doritos, will again have ads in this years Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl halftime show will be British Rock Band The Who.

In today's NFL the Super Bowl is the culmination of a great season and a lot of hard work, practice time, watching game film, and staying healthy. Today's athletes have a superior advantage because of today's medical advances, training advances, and for many of them the use of chiropractic.

Barry Bonds, Tiger Woods, Andy Roddick, and Lance Armstrong all have used and praised chiropractic, and hall of fame NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice is the spokesman for the Foundation For Chiropractic Progress. The Foundation embraces a mission of generating positive press for the chiropractic profession and increasing public awareness to the many benefits associated with chiropractic care.

According to an article in Chiropractic Economics, all but one of the 32 NFL teams utilize the services of a chiropractor. Longevity on the field is paramount to the player and the team. Chiropractic care helps NFL players get healthy and stay healthy.

If million dollar athletes and NFL teams are using chiropractic daily to heal and prevent injuries, everyone should follow their lead and use chiropractic to get out of pain and stay out of pain.

Dr Douglas Yost Shoreview, MN Chiropractor