Posts by Dr. Gengler
Cold and Flu Season- Be Prepared
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
Cold Weather Exercise Tips
It’s fine to exercise in cold weather — as long as you take certain precautions. Boston.com has assembled some tips to keep you fit without suffering from hypothermia:
1. Wear layers. The first layer, directly touching your skin, should be a lightweight synthetic or polyester material. Then add a layer of wool or polyester fleece, and an outermost layer of lightweight, water-repellant material.
2. Add a hat. About 50 percent of body heat is lost from your uncovered head.
3. Wear gloves. Your body shunts blood away from your extremities to keep your internal organs warm. Gloves will help prevent skin damage and frostbite.
4. Avoid heavy cotton materials. These will sop up sweat and make you wetter and colder.
5. Check the forecast. It can be dangerous to exercise outdoors when the combined temperature and windchill falls below -20°F.
6. Consider a face mask or scarf. If the temperatures are near the danger zone, protect the skin on your face by covering it up.
Sources:
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Disc injury?
I have hundreds if not thousands of patients that on their history said “I have a bad disc” or a “slipped disc” or a “bulged/ruptured disc”.
Many of them have been to another doctor and their assessment it is perfectly accurate. Others have heard someone else with similar problem and self diagnose a disc problem. But….
What is the disc?
The disc is a cartilaginous circle. Like a tree the disc has a series of rings. In the middle of the rings is a soft gel. That gel helps keep the disc full of fluid and soft. The disc is the bodies shock absorber.
There is a disc between most vertebra (bones) of the spine.
How can the disc be damaged?
1- Trauma- Such as a car accident or lifting accident. It can happen with a slip and fall too.
2- Wear and tear- Wear and tear happens with spinal dysfunction for a period of time. Whether there is pain or not if the spine is misaligned wear and tear happens
3- Combo- wear and tear plus a trauma
What kind of problems can a disc injury cause?
Pressure/pinched nerve
Very severe unrelenting pain
Pain in area of the disc injury
Pain radiating into arm or leg
Numbness or tingling into arm or leg
How can Heuser chiropractic help?
FREE Exam- Find out if your symptoms are a problem we can help with
Chiropractic adjustment- restore normal spinal mechanics
Decompression therapy- hydrate, and speed healing of the disc.
Call 719-574-6006 for your FREE Exam
Read MoreHealthy New Year
We are near the end of 2011.
Christmas and New Year celebrations are scheduled for many. It is a time for Joy, Love and Peace.
Many of us really enjoy the party. Our health can get beat up.
The most common New Year’s resolution is to improve your health.
So do it!
You don’t have to wait until the calendar changes to make good choices.
Get back to your chiropractor!
Exercise some, eat a little better, don’t eat junk constantly or a every party.
Don’t wait to be healthier there is more than a week to get started!
Get your FREE exam now at Heuser Chiropractic!
719-574-6006
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Pregnancy and Chiropractic
Is chiropractic care safe during pregnancy?
There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. All chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant. Investing in the fertility and pregnancy wellness of women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is a routine care for most chiropractors.
Why should I have chiropractic care during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, there are several physiological and endocrinological changes that occur in preparation for creating the environment for the developing baby. The following changes could result in a misaligned spine or joints:
- Protruding abdomen and increased back curve
- Pelvic changes
- Postural adaptations
Establishing pelvic balance and alignment is another reason to obtain chiropractic care during pregnancy. When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. This restriction is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. This can affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth. Breech and posterior positions can interfere with the natural ease of labor and lead to interventions such as c-sections.
The nervous system is the master communication system to all the body systems including the reproductive system. Keeping the spine aligned helps the entire body work more effectively.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy?
Chiropractic care during pregnancy can provide benefits for women who are pregnant. Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
- Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
- Controlling symptoms of nausea
- Reducing the time of labor and delivery
- Relieving back, neck or joint pain
- Prevent a potential cesarean delivery
What about chiropractic care and breech deliveries?
The late Larry Webster, D.C., Founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association(ICPA), developed a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which enables chiropractors to establish balance in the pregnant woman’s pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis has been clinically shown to allow for optimal fetal positioning. The technique is known as the Webster Technique.
It is considered normal by some for a baby to present breech until the third trimester. Most birth practitioners are not concerned with breech presentations until a patient is 37 weeks along. Approximately 4% of all pregnancies result in a breech presentation.
The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reported in the July/August 2002 issue an 82% success rate of babies turning vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique. Further, the results from the study suggest that it may be beneficial to perform the Webster Technique as soon as the 8th month of pregnancy when a woman has a breech presentation.
Excerpt from AmericanPregnancy.org
Dr. Gengler is certified in Webster Technique and seen hundreds of pregnant women.
For a FREE exam call Heuser Chiropractic at 719-574-6006
Read MoreAbout Me
Dr. Charles Heuser was born and raised in Colorado Springs and graduated from Logan Chiropractic College in 1976. When he first started out, Dr. Heuser was the sole treating doctor in the office. In 1987, he ventured out to open other clinics in Arizona, Texas, and Missouri. It was that year that he began to bring in other associates to help treat his patients. Dr. Heuser has extremely high standards for his associates, and always makes sure they are paramount in their field of practice. They come from the best chiropractic colleges. Not only that, he makes sure their philosophy and practice are held as highly as his own, ensuring you the finest in chiropractic care.Connect With Us
