Category Archives: Blog

Weekend Warriors, Sports, & Health

Posted on by

This is the time of the year when many of us gear up for fun and excitement.  We have goals to run that 5K or 10K race, or to improve our golf game and soft ball becomes an addiction.  We have been taught that exercise is good for us, RIGHT? Unfortunately what can be good for us can also cause serious health problems.  This is called the “Weekend Warrior Syndrome”.

Unfortunately many people are not seasoned athletes and have been dormant up to the point that they decided to get into shape.  There is very little thought put into how to become physically active and compete without hurting themselves. This also applies to hard physical labor that is needed to do yard work or major home improvement projects. If you are anything like me, you just want to dig in and get it done. So why does this cause so many problems and pain?

It is all about conditioning.  I’ve had many patients state that, “I could do this while I was younger without problems, now it just hurts”.  When you were younger you were a lot more active than you are now and you body could handle the increased stress.  Now with the decreased activity levels and the lack of regular exercise your connective tissue has lost its flexibility and elasticity.  It takes time for our muscles to be conditioned to regain these properties. So what do you think happens when you suddenly overload non-pliable tissue? That is right, it tears. These tears occur in the tendons, Cartilage, Ligaments and muscle tissues. This can cause long lasting injure and pain that can and will affect you health.

So, how do you avoid these injuries? There are several simple rules to follow if you want to avoid injuries. The first rule is, a warm muscle is always more pliable than a cold muscle. Take time to get your heart rate up above 120 for at least five minutes before any strenuous activity. Avoid hard or heavy stretching before you are warmed up, it should be at the end of your activity. If you are doing work that you are not accustomed to doing, plan on taking more breaks to rest those muscles that are being over stressed. These two simple steps will greatly decrease you chances of  personal injure and destroying your health.

If you have further questions please contact us at 801-465-8177 or post a question or comment on our blog.

Water, it’s life!

Posted on by

Have you ever wondered why so many people have health problems? Well, here is one of the answers. Over 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. You may say, so what does this mean. It means that your cells do not have enough H2O to function and do all the work required of them. This will drastically affect you health and your performance in any endeavor. To prove my point here is some statistics I drummed up on the web.

WATER
#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated..
(Likely applies to half the world population)
#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak
that it is mistaken for hunger.
#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs
for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of
Washington study.
#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of
water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain
for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of
colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop
bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water
you should drink every day?

Let us compare the benefits of water to the effects of soda pop or cola which many people chose to drink instead of water.

COKE
#1. In many states the highway patrol carries
two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from
the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the
toilet bowl and let the ‘real thing’ sit for one hour,
then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes
stains from vitreous china.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:
Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds
Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour
a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
away the corrosion.
#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola
to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into
the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.
Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix
with the Coke for sumptuous brown gravy.
#8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke
into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run
through a regular cycle.. The Coca-Cola will help loosen
grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your
windshield.

 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Also Pepsi, and any cola. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major
contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (The concentrate) the
commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place
cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean
engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water?

The Question you need to ask yourself is, am I drinking enough water and if you can’t answer that question or don’t know how much you should be drinking then this may help.  Take your body weight and divide it by two (200lbs/2=100 oz.) equals the amount of water you should be drinking a day.

Make the decision today and raise a glass of H2O to your health.

Have a splitting headache?

Posted on by

Payson, Utah — If you have a headache, you are not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.

Headaches have many causes. Ninety-five percent are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease. The headache itself is the primary concern. Only about 5 percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems or disease.

The majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck. Dr. Ted Koren, D.C. reports on one study of 6,000 long term headaches sufferers (2-25years) that revealed neck injury (whiplash, falls) was the most important factor in the cause of headaches.

He says, “A tiny distortion or misalignment of the spine can stress the nervous system that controls your body and this can cause headaches. Anything that stresses your body can cause this misalignment.”

Another important factor is that Americans engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture. This can increase muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.

So when people ask me how to “avoid headaches” here are my suggestions:

1). If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, or a sewing machine, typing, or reading, do some forward head rolls and shoulder rolls. If you have trouble remembering to stop working, set a timer for 30 minutes, when it goes off, it’s time for a break. You may need to have your desk, chair, and computer evaluated for sitting postures. Changing your work height and position can make your body more at ease. You will feel less pain and stiffness, and reduce the chances of hurting yourself. If you would like us to evaluate your sitting posture and then give you specific solutions to correct it, please call our office.

2). Low impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.

3). Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lower teeth, except when chewing and swallowing. Teeth clenching results in tension of the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ and tension headaches.

4).Increase your water intake. The general rule is, take your body weight and divide by two and that is how many ounces a day you should be drinking.

5). Get checked by a chiropractor. Dr. Ted Koren also reports of a study at the University of Odense, Denmark, where headache sufferers used chiropractic care and reduced their use of painkillers by 36%, and the number of headache hours by 69%.

If you have any questions you can post a comment to the blog or calls us, (see contact us for our number).

Chiropractic Care Emphasizes Prevention; Proposed Health Care Reform DOES NOT!

Posted on by

Payson, Utah — Last weekend, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the keynote speaker at a chiropractic health care fitness event in Columbus, Ohio. Did you know that the Governor has personally endorsed the chiropractic profession for at least 40 years and has been speaking at the International Chiropractors Association symposium since 1993?

Here are a few quotes from this year’s symposium: “What I love about chiropractors, is that you say, OK, we can fix you up when you have an injury and we can help you when you’re sick, we can help you with all kinds of different things. But what you are really saying is in your profession is, look, why don’t you come to us before you get sick, before you have a problem with your back, before you have a problem with your shoulders or elbows.” He continued, “Prevention, it’s all about prevention.”

The California Governor noted, “If you don’t have prevention as a big-big part of the health care reform, you have nothing, you have absolutely nothing!” He continued by pointing out that incentives for healthy living and preventative health care must be included in health care reform, “This is why I say that prevention is the answer.”

He once again linked the chiropractic profession to health and preventative care when he concluded remarks by saying, “We know it (prevention) works. And we know that you (chiropractors) are in the right profession. Because you are really in a profession that saves people money, and it brings the health care costs down. This is what I love about your profession. You are the most incredible profession, you always help people.”

Many in the chiropractic profession personally oppose legislation because there is little in the way of adding preventative services-especially the type of prevention that chiropractic patients KNOW and LOVE. How about you? Have you experienced the fantastic benefits of chiropractic health care? Thank you for reading this blog, and I certainly appreciate all of those that would take the time to comment and add their own thoughts.

Learning to “live with it”

Posted on by

Payson, Utah — In consultation with new patients, I will quite often hear the phrase, “Oh doc, I’ve learned to live with….” And my response is almost always the same, “I’m sorry to hear that!”

Such was the case several weeks ago in the office. A sprightly young 80 year old lady in consultation asked me, “Is this pain do to old age, I had an MRI and it showed nothing, I’m I going to have to learn to live with it?” The thought of gardening in the spring and continuing to be active seemed impossible.

Well, it turned out that she had one knee replaced a few years back, and her spine had suffered damage as a result and she had severe degenerative arthritis. This was a straight forward chiropractic problem, and within 1 month, her concern of continued disability has turned to bright hope of future health. YES. Her spine was majorly imbalanced, and the result was that she had severe headache and hip pain and could no longer stand for more than a few minutes. However, after a few weeks of corrective care, she is indeed walking/standing 80% better with no headaches ALREADY.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of well-meaning doctors still advise that a certain amount of pain is just a “normal” part of life, and that the best approach is to mask the symptoms with medications or attempt to surgically alter the symptoms. When those approaches fail, it’s back to the wastebasket diagnosis and advice of, “You’ve got arthritis. This is due to your age. Here’s your narcotic refill, and it’d be best if you would just learn to live with it.”

Well, folks there’s a better way. Many of you, as patients reading my blog, can attest to this fact. So, I welcome your comments and suggestions for your blog entries