8 Ways To Prevent Neck Pain

1. Keep your neck and shoulders warm when traveling on an airplane. This will prevent muscle stiffness.

2. Position your computer monitor at eye level.

3. Do not sleep on your stomach. This increases stress to the neck.

4. If you sleep on your side, put a small pillow between your knees.

5. Take frequent breaks from your computer desk.

6. Stretch your neck slowly on a daily basis. Hold your stretches about 10 seconds.

7. Look up at the sky or ceiling a few times per day to help stretch the neck.

8. Maintain proper neck alignment by being checked by your chiropractor on a monthly basis.

6 Ways To Prevent Low Back Pain

1. Do not sit on your wallet. This twists the hips and causes pain over time.

2. Do not cross your legs for long periods of time. This can increase pressure in your low back, and lead to circulation disorders.

3. Do perform regular stretching for the spine. This will keep you mobile and prevent stiffness.

4. When driving, take a break about every 60 - 100 miles.

5. Do not lock your knees when exercising. This increases pressure to the low back.

6. Use your legs when lifting, and above all do not twist the spine.

* Consult your chiropractor on a regular basis to help maintain spinal health.

Chiropractic and Walking

The average person takes about 10,000 steps on a daily basis. The feet provide stability and balance for your body. Fallen arches can effect your body’s position and weight distribution. Structural foot problems can create neck and low back pain. This in turn causes the hips and knees to overwork.

Your Doctor of Chiropractic knows that foot imbalances can be corrected by adjustments to the feet, and you may also be fitted for orthotics. Orthotics can help balance the body, and provide stability to injured areas.

Foot problems may not always result in pain. Your chiropractic adjustments also have less chance of holding if the feet are out of balance.

Consult your chiropractor if you are experiencing back and foot problems.

Chiropractic and Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that responds well to chiropractic care. When the joints are in proper alignment, they perform better, and last longer. It is kind of like keeping the front end aligned on your car. The tires last longer and gas mileage improves.

Exercise and gentle stretching can help alleviate symptoms. Inactivity can actually increase the severity of osteoarthritis. Decrease the amount of saturated fats, (which are loaded in red meat). Increase your intake of mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Food supplements such as glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin sulfate may also be of benefit. These supplements take about 3-6 months to be of benefit.

Check with your chiropractor for more specific instructions.

Learning Disorders and Chiropractic

Recent statistics indicate that over eight million children in the U.S. suffer from a learning disability. The cause is now being traced back to nerve interference.

Children with learning disorders have trouble in many aspects of their life. They develop emotional and self-esteem issues that later lead to psychological problems.

Hyperactive children are often put on the drug, Ritalin. This medicine has many side effects, and in some cases can actually worsen your child’s condition.

A prominent Director of Psychoeducational and Guidance Services of College Station, Texas, noted that out of 10,000 hyperactive children treated, the ones that had prior chiropractic care showed the most dramatic improvement. Children were then referred to chiropractors for treatment. In this blind study, chiropractic adjustments were about 30% more effective then the popular medications.

By improving nerve flow it could be possible to change many bodily functions. In our clinic we check our children’s spine on a regular basis. Parents that want healthy children should have their spine checked regularly.

Healthfully Yours,

Dr. Bob Moulas

X-Rays and Chiropractic

X-rays may be performed on your first chiropractic visit. X-rays can be helpful in determining bone health. They can detect bone disease, fractures and misalignment of joints.

Your chiropractor uses up to date procedures for insuring your safety during x-rays. Most chiropractors will do a Report of Findings with their patients. This usually occurs on the second visit, and consists of looking at x-rays and exam findings. At this time, a treatment protocol will be recommended by the Doctor.

Pregnancy And Chiropractic

Pregnancy can be hard on the neck, shoulders, and low back. The increased development of breast tissue causes the shoulder posture to be rounded. This puts extreme pressure on the neck and upper back. The development of the fetus pulls the low back into a compromised position.

During the nine months of pregnancy the body undergoes many hormonal changes. The ligaments relax and the pelvis rotates forward. This tightens the lumbar spine region, and creates a painful low back.

Chiropractic adjustments can help realign the joints, and help alleviate many pains associated with pregnancy.

Chiropractors Perform The Most Manipulative Procedures

If your spine is out of alignment, there is a 90% chance that it will be corrected by a Chiropractor. The correction procedure is called an adjustment. The adjustment is performed to help realign joints of the body, and this in turn restores normal nerve flow. All parts of the body are controlled through the nervous system.

Doctors of Chiropractic spend many years perfecting the Art and Science of spinal adjustments, and that is why the majority of spinal realignments are performed by chiropractors.

Dr. Bob Moulas on Chiropractic Misconceptions Part III

Do I have to keep going to the chiropractor for the rest of my life? This is a common question I field in my clinic.

Chiropractic treatments are like orthodontics of the spine. With repeated treatments the spine is trained to stay in alignment, and keep pressure off the nervous system. Time is required for braces to hold the teeth in place. Everyone’s condition is different, and once the spine has been corrected, it can be maintained by being checked by a chiropractor about every 4-6 weeks.

It is like an exercise program. Can you quit exercising after you get in good shape?

Dr. Bob Moulas on Chiropractic Misconceptions Part II

In all health care professions, safety is a major issue. Chiropractic has been well documented in many top health journals as being very safe. Only about 1 serious mishap occurs in one out of 1 million chiropractic treatments.

Recent research shows that the medical community of M.D.’s have about 100,000 people die of complications from prescribed drugs per year. (This was reported by the American Medical Association.) This makes the use of prescription drugs one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

Chiropractors are well trained experts that can provide a high quality of health care.

Dr. Bob Moulas on Chiropractic Misconceptions Part I

Doctors of Chiropractic make up the second largest health care profession in the United States. They have the title of “doctor” along with medical doctors and dentists.

The educational background for chiropractors is similar to that of an M.D. Chiropractors have pre-chiropractic studies at colleges before being admitted into Chiropractic College. In chiropractic college, the length of study is 5 years, which is concluded with a clinical internship.

Chiropractors must pass state and national board examinations, where they earn the title “Doctor of Chiropractic.”

A Chiropractic Miracle?

On September 18, 1895, D.D. Palmer performed his first adjustment on a janitor, Harvey Lillard, who had been deaf for seventeen years. The man’s hearing returned, and because of the success of Palmer’s spinal adjustment, the modern recorded history of chiropractic began.

Here is the description of this event in D.D. Palmer’s own words.

“Harvey Lillard… could not hear the racket of a wagon on the street or the ticking of a watch. I made inquiry as to the cause of his deafness and was informed that when he was exerting himself in a cramped, stooping position, he felt something give way in his back and immediately became deaf.

“An examination showed a vertebra racked from its normal position. I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man’s hearing should be restored. With this object in view, a half hour’s talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I racked it into position by using the spinous process as a lever, and soon the man could hear as before

“There was nothing accidental about this as it was accomplished with an object in view, and the result expected was obtained. There was nothing `crude` about this adjustment; it was specific, so much so that no other Chiropractor has equaled it.”

Chiropractic and Hippocrates

Hippocrates was a Greek Doctor that passed away in the year 377 B.C. He was an author of more than 70 books on healing. Hippocrates was a firm believer of Spinal Manipulation. He believed that nature could heal the body. It was the Doctor’s job to remove the obstacles so the body could perform its miracle healings. By realigning the spine, the brain and body were able to stay in optimal communication. Hippocrates is credited with the following: “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”

New Era Chiropractic

THE CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE OBJECTIVE: The professional practice objective of chiropractic is to correct vertebral subluxations also referred to as nerve interference, in a safe and effective manner. The correction of nerve interference is not considered to be a specific cure for any particular symptom or disease. It is applicable to any patient who exhibits nerve interference regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms or disease.

Source: Chiropractic First

Posture, Golf and Chiropractic

We all know what a great game golf is? It is a sport you can play into your 70’s and there is nothing better then the scent of fresh cut grass in the air.

Recently I was on vacation, and I was able to frequent the golf course on three different occasions. I love watching golfers hit golf balls, because everyone seems to do it in a different fashion? The driving range is the most fun to watch, because people are trying to crush the ball.

The one ingredient I noticed that was missing in 90% of the golfers was they all had improper posture while addressing the golf ball. That is kind of like Kobe Bryant trying to shoot free throws facing in the wrong direction. It is not going to happen! I trained with Paul Callaway of Body Balance for Performance a few years ago, and that was one of his pet peeves.

Most golfers have tight chest muscles, and weak stomach/core muscles. In my chiropractic clinic I also find that most right handed golfers have a very tight right hip region overall. Playing golf like this is equivalent to driving your car with the emergency brake on.

The solution to this above common scenario is to get a full body golf evaluation! This will help detect weaknesses and will help strengthen and fine tune your body. The end result is an improved golf game.

In my chiropractic clinic I have 24 years experience helping golfers reach their true potential. We also have Spinal Decompression available to help eliminate chronic back pain.

Healthfully Yours,

Dr. Bob Moulas

The Elderly and Chiropractic Part III

Some over the counter and prescription drugs can have serious side effects. Aspirin helps decrease pain and inflammation, but when taken in excess can cause stomach bleeding and ulcers. Drugs such as Advil, Indocin and Naprosyn can cause kidney problems, irritation of the stomach, small intestine and esophagus. Steroid drugs like hydrocortisone and prednisone help decrease pain, but they make bones weak and thin.

“There is no effect without a cause. Chiropractors adjust causes. Others treat effects.” B.J. Palmer D.C.

The Elderly and Chiropractic Part II

Recent trends show that seniors that follow a low-cholesterol, low-fat, vegetarian diet, and stay mentally and physically active, increase their longevity. Remarkably these individuals visit a medical doctor only occasionally.

Here are some statistics from the World Health Organization regarding a study on adverse reactions to drugs:

88% of all people had at least one problem with a prescribed drug.

22% of these patients had a possibly life-threatening condition perhaps caused by medication.

59% were given drugs that were either ineffective or contra-indicated.

28% were given an incorrect high dosage.

48% were given drugs that had severe interaction effects when taken with other chemicals.

20% were given drugs that had the same effect of other drugs they were already taking.

The Elderly and Chiropractic Part I

People in the United States are now living a lot longer then they did in the past.

Seniors are now becoming more active, and have discovered that they can increase their fitness levels quite dramatically.

Mental and physical health are now being studied. Not only is physical health maintainable, but so is mental health. In his best-selling book, Quantum Healing, Deepak Chopra states that:

“Careful study of healthy elderly people… has revealed that 80 percent of healthy Americans, barring psychological distress (such as loneliness, depression or lack of outside stimulation), suffer no significant memory loss as they age. The ability to retain new information can decline… but the ability to remember past events, called long-term memory, actually improves.

“As long as a person stays mentally active, he/she will remain as intelligent as in youth and middle age.”

A Chiropractic Miracle

About thirty years ago, I had a football injury. Over the next several years, I began to have pain in my left knee, a constant dull ache in the lower back on the right side, and sinus trouble. I went to the medical doctors for help and they said I would have to live with this the rest of my life. The diagnosis was a permanently damaged nerve. The physicians suggested corrective surgery.

I became very depressed. I couldn’t sleep at night and I was very difficult to live with. I was going through hell and so was my family. It was then that I was convinced to try chiropractic. After my first few visits to my chiropractor, I felt a great deal of relief. Now I feel like a new person. My back is greatly improved, without surgery, and it seems as if I never even had knee problems or sinus trouble. It changed my life. When you feel good, you look good and you develop a healthy attitude. It wasn’t very long before everyone noticed the great improvement in me. My own regret is that I waited so many years.

Doctors of Chiropractic are committed to patient education. Patients appreciate knowing in advance the value and purpose of every procedure before it is rendered. Ask questions! Get involved!

Source: Chiropractic First

How Often Do You Need A Chiropractic Adjustment?

This is another common question I field in my chiropractic clinic. I am assuming that you have been referred to a chiropractor that is well versed in all areas of care.

Pain relief care is given to the patient to help decrease their symptoms, and get them on the road quickly. This can vary from one to a few chiropractic adjustments.

Corrective care is utilized when a patient has had a condition for a long period of time. The chiropractor will perform an examination with x-rays to help determine if this type of care should be prescribed. Corrective care can take one to several months to accomplish your desired goal of total spinal health.

It is important to feel comfortable with your treatment protocol. Ask your chiropractor questions on any areas you have concerns.

Good Luck,

Dr. Bob Moulas

Magnesium For Your Health

Magnesium is a mineral that is involved with over 100 chemical reactions in the human body. Guess what? Seventy-five percent of Americans are deficient in this mineral! Muscles will cramp up quickly if deprived of magnesium. Think that one through athletes.

Magnesium works with potassium to perform its functions. Calcium and magnesium should be taken in a 2-1 ratio for optimal benefits.

Magnesium can be found in the following foods: oatmeal, bananas, yogurt, avocados and baked potatoes. The recommended daily amount of magnesium is 500-1000 mg.

Stay Healthy With Vitamin C

This vitamin has been helping people stay healthy for many years.

1. Vitamin C can slow the aging process, and delays chronic degenerative disease.

2. Research has proven that C increases the immune system’s ability to attack invaders.

3. Vitamin C can also reduce the risk of heart attacks.

4. Studies have shown that C can help lower cholesterol levels.

Vitamin C can be found in oranges, cantaloupe, broccoli, pineapple, strawberries and raw vegetables.

Recommended dosage is 500mg daily.