Posts made in January, 2012

Fried Food…..NOT Bad For You?

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Jan 31, 2012 in Blog, Diseases, Free Exam, Health Tips | 0 comments

Preventing Injury on the Slopes

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Jan 24, 2012 in Blog, Free Exam, Health Tips, Uncategorized | 0 comments

I have been hearing from more and more patients about hitting the slopes! Ski and snowboarding season is truly upon us. That means fresh air, lot of fun and exercise. Unfortunately for some, it also means injury. Many a chiropractor are kept busy during the winter months treating skiing injuries and boarding injuries. I would like to help you stay injury free this ski season. As such, here are 6 easy tips to keeping ski injuries away.
Six Tips to an Injury Free Ski Season:

1. Professional Instruction. Don’t be cheap. Yes, a day at the slopes is expensive, but if you are new to skiing or it’s been a while don’t scrimp on the lessons. You’ve got a friend who’s a really good skier and promises to “show you the ropes?” Being good at something doesn’t mean you’re a good teacher. You need to know what you’re doing on the hill or you’re just asking for trouble.
2. Know your limits. You’ve had your lessons and you know how to ski or board. Nothing can stop you! You’re friends are encouraging you to try the black diamond run, saying it’s “easy.” It’s best to know your limits.Tackling a run that’s above your ability is a god way to get in trouble.
3. Warm up. Sounds basic, doesn’t it? Yet most people don’t do it. Cold muscle is less flexible. Make a quick turn and you can tear the muscle or it can pull on your joint. Wear appropriate clothing. Do some basic stretches before you head up and do a couple of easy runs before you tackle a more technical run.
4. Core Stability. Skiing and boarding require a lot of torsional (twisting) movements to your body. This is not an action that most people do in the gym. Think about it. On all those cardio machines we keep our bodies straight. When lifting weights we keep our bodies straight. Then we head out to the hill and twist our bodies and wonder why our back hurts when we’re “in such great shape.” You need to do some core stability work before and during the ski season. Join a yoga class, a pilates class or one of your gym’s core stability classes. Find which one you enjoy the most and stick with it.
5. Pay attention to fatigue. It’s a familiar story in our chiropractic clinic. You’ve been out all day having a blast and decide to go for one last run. That’s when the injury happens. As your muscles fatigue, they do their job poorly. Balance, agility and stability are affected. To remedy this, take regular breaks and keep hydrated /eat through the day. Be honest with yourself, when you’re tired you should be done for the day.
6. Chiropractic. You didn’t expect a chiropractor to not write about chiropractic, did you? Chiropractic is not only a big part of injury treatment, it can also be an important part of injury prevention. Lack of joint mobility puts the body at risk of injury. Before you head out to the slopes, come by our office at Heuser Chiropractic for you free spinal exam to make sure your spine is mobile and ready to ski or board!

Acute and Chronic Lower Back Pain: Difference in MD vs DC Treatment

Posted by Dr. Tarr on Jan 21, 2012 in Drug Free Treatment, Free Exam | 0 comments

Have you ever considered who is the best suited to treat back pain?  Since there are so many treatment options available today, it is quite challenging to make this decision without a little help.

To facilitate, a study looking at this very question compared the effectiveness between medical and chiropractic intervention.  Over a 4-year time frame, 2780 patients were followed with questionnaires. Low Back Pain patients were treated using conventional approaches by both MDs (Medical Doctors) and DCs (Doctors of Chiropractic).

Chiropractic treatments included spinal manipulation, physical therapy, an exercise plan, and self-care education.  Medical therapies included prescription drugs, an exercise plan, self-care advice and about 25% of the patients received physical therapy.

The study focused on present pain severity and functional disability (activity interference) measured by questionnaires mailed to the patients. It was reported that chiropractic was favored over medical treatment in the following areas:

• Pain relief in the first 12 months (more evident in the chronic patients)
• When LBP pain radiated below the knee (more evident in the chronic patients)
• Chronic LBP patients with no leg pain (during the first 3 months)

Similar trends favoring chiropractic were seen for disability but were of smaller magnitude.  All patient groups saw significant improvement in both pain and disability over the four year study period.

Acute patients saw the greatest degree of improvement with many achieving symptom relief after 3 months of care.

This study also found early intervention reduced chronic pain and, at year 3, those acute LBP patients who received early intervention reported fewer days of LBP than those who waited longer for treatment.

While both MDs and DCs treatment approaches helped, it’s quite clear from the information reported that chiropractic should be utilized first.

These findings support the importance of early intervention by chiropractic physicians and make the most sense for those of you struggling with the question of who to see for your LBP.

If you or someone you know suffers from low back pain, contact Heuser Chiropractic for a free examination and consultation.

Cold and Flu Season- Be Prepared

Posted by Dr. Gengler on Jan 17, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

What Causes Colds and Influenzas?

Both colds and various influenzas are caused by a wide variety of viruses (not bacteria).

While the two ailments typically affect your respiratory tract, there are some differences between them.

Common symptoms of a ‘regular cold’ include runny nose, congestion, cough, and sore throat. The symptoms of the flu tend to be far more severe, as the influenza viruses are capable of causing severe lung infection, pneumonia and even respiratory failure. They also tend to affect your joints—hence that allover achy feeling.

The most common way these viruses are spread is via hand-to-hand contact. For instance, someone with a cold blows their nose then shakes your hand or touches surfaces that you also touch. However, the key to remember is that just being exposed to a cold virus does not mean that you’re destined to catch a cold.

If your immune system is operating at its peak, it should actually be quite easy for you to fend off the virus without ever getting sick. Ditto for flu viruses. If your immune system is impaired, on the other hand, they can easily take hold in your body. So, it’s important to understand that the reason you catch a cold or flu is because your immune system is impaired. It’s not an inevitable event based on exposure alone.

Lifestyle factors that can depress your immune system, alone or in combination, include:

• Eating too much sugar, particularly fructose, and too many grains. The average person is consuming about 75 grams of fructose per day, and when fructose is consumed at that level it can devastate your immune system.One of the ways it does this is by unbalancing your gut flora. Sugar is ‘fertilizer’ for pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungi that can set your immune system up for an assault by a respiratory virus. Most people don’t realize that 80 percent of your immune system actually lies in your gastrointestinal tract. That’s why controlling your sugar intake is CRUCIAL for optimizing your immune system.

  It would be wise to limit your total fructose consumption to below 25 grams a day if you’re in good health, or below 15 grams a day if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or are insulin resistant.

Vitamin D Deficiency: An Underlying Cause of Both Colds and Influenzas

It’s estimated that the average U.S. adult typically has two to four colds each year, while children may have up to a dozen. Each year, between five and 20 percent of the US population also come down with flu-like illness, according to Medline.

One reason for the widespread prevalence of colds and the flu may be that vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common in the United States, especially during the winter months when cold and flu viruses are at their peak. Research has confirmed that “catching” colds and flu may actually be a symptom of an underlying vitamin D deficiency. Less than optimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

In the largest and most nationally representative study of its kind to date, involving about 19,000 Americans, people with the lowest vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu — and the risk was even greater for those with chronic respiratory disorders like asthma. At least five additional studies also show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D levels.

But the research is quite clear, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections. I strongly believe you could avoid colds and influenza entirely by maintaining your vitamin D level in the optimal range.

Get your Adjustments!

Multiple studies have shown that a chiropractic adjustment improves the immune system.  It is better for your immune system to get an adjustment even when your sick.

Get your sleep!

Not getting enough sleep will suppress you immune system.

Get your emotions in good order!

High stress will crush your immune system.  Find multiple strategies to help you deal with stress.

Get your exercise!

Getting exercise 3-4 times a week clearly boosts your immune system.

Get your FREE chiropractic exam at Heuser Chiropractic

Call 719-574-6006

Source Mercola.com

Vitamin D Helps Muscle Injuries

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Jan 17, 2012 in Blog, Free Exam, Health Tips | 0 comments

I’ve come across a new research study that I wanted to share with you. This study looked at Vitamin D levels and the NFL players that have lost time to muscle injury. As part of their pre-season routine examinations, 85 NFL football players had their Vitamin D levels taken. Normal levels are considered to be 32 ng/mL or higher. Then, the amount of time each player lost to muscle injuries was tracked throughout the season. The study found that the athletes that suffered a muscle injury had an average vitamin D level of only 19.9 ng/mL!

Now, let’s look at this to figure out what it means. First of all, I’m shocked that a highly paid professional athlete would have dietary deficiencies at all.  But working with olympic athletes in my past tells me it’s the little things they don’t worry about, like drinking plenty of water or maintaining the appropriate vitamin levels. But that aside, does it mean that low vitamin D levels mean you are more likely to see injuries? Maybe. The study didn’t mention if their were any other dietary deficiencies, but it’s certainly possible that if the athletes were low in vitamin D they may have been low in other nutrients. Should we make sure we have adequate vitamin D levels? Absolutely!

Some vitamin D facts:

• It’s important  for bone density (preventing osteoporosis)
• Normals levels prevent heart attack and make it more likely to survive one if you do have one.
• Colon, breast and ovarian cancer have been linked to deficiency
• Good levels of vitamin D have been linked to a stronger immune system.
• Alzheimer’s patients have lower vitamin D levels (unknown if this is a cause or result of the disease)
• Good vitamin D levels result in less falls in the elderly.
• Has been suggested to be linked to mood, depression and cognitive function.

Wow! With all those benefits, we certainly should make sure you get enough. So where do you get vitamin D? In the summer, your skin will make vitamin D when exposed to the sun.  Milk, and most soy and rice milks, are fortified with vitamin D so you may be getting your requirements there. Dietary sources include oily fish (cod, salmon, tuna), eggs and liver. Unfortunately, you would have to consume large quantities of these foods to meet your requirements. I’m in favor of getting good nutrition through food, not tablets, but if you must supplement do some research abuout the brand before you buy to insure it’s a high quality supplement.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that you must follow recommendations when taking vitamin D supplements. The recommended daily dose for an adult is 600-800 IU/day. 4000 IU/day is considered the upper tolerable limit for this vitamin and you will see the effects of toxicity above these levels.

Remember, good nutrition and chiropractic adjustments is a key to injury prevention.  If you have a muscle injury come in for you free spinal exam as soon as possible!  Get adjusted!