Neck Pain and Our Pillow!

4 Jan

The relationship between neck pain and our pillow is more important than most of us realize! Though we all may have at one time or another slept on a variety of surfaces, and used any number of pillows (flat, medium, bulky) made of different materials (foam, feather, air, water, or memory foam), it’s usually not until neck pain and/or headaches start to become an issue that we start to think, “…how important is my pillow?” Thankfully, the question has been addressed in a randomized peer-reviewed study. So, what did they find out?

The goal of a pillow is to support the neck more so than the head. In a study headed by Dr. Liselott Persson, MD, of the department of neurosurgery at the University of Lund in Sweden, researchers tested whether specific neck pillows have any effect on neck pain, headache and sleep quality in people suffering with chronic (>3months), non-specific neck pain. They also researched whether there was an optimum or “best” type of pillow that was preferred by their 52 patient group. They used 4 different pillows, 1 “normal” pillow and 3 of which were specially designed, each having a different shape and consistency. Over a 4-10 week time frame, the pillows were randomly distributed to the neck pain group who then graded them according to comfort, the effects on neck pain, sleep quality and headache using a questionnaire, and also described the characteristics of an “ideal pillow.” Researchers and participants concluded the “ideal pillow” (for reducing neck pain and headaches and improving quality of sleep) includes a soft pillow with good support under the neck’s curve (lordosis).

 

There are many styles of contoured cervical or neck pillows that vary considerably. This study supports the use of a specially designed style over a normal pillow. So what are some of the things to look for? First, consider your neck’s length and girth.  When you look in a mirror, do you have a neck that is short vs. long or, narrow vs. wide? This will direct you to a pillow that has a larger “hump” for your neck to be cradled in if it’s a long neck and, the height of the hump – taller for the slender neck or, shorter for the wide neck. Some pillows have 2 options of “hump” sizes (located on the long edges of the pillow) – one short and flat and the other side taller and wider. Others recommend lying in the middle of the pillow if you’re a back sleeper vs. lying on the edge of pillow when sleeping on your sides. A measurement taken from the neck to the point of the shoulder determines if the pillow should be a small, medium, or large. Water filled and/or air filled pillows can be varied by the amount of water or air added. The bottom line of which is “best” is based on comfort and support. Regardless of which you choose, it can take several days to get used to the new pillow, so we recommend using the pillow for at least 1 week. By then, you’ll know if you chose the right style.

We realize that you have a choice in where you choose your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for neck pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

 

Whiplash and Side Collisions.

4 Jan

Health Update: Whiplash

 

Whiplash is most commonly studied when it is a result of a rear collision where the occupant of the vehicle is injured  from a flexion (forwards) and extension (backwards) whip-like mechanism of injury, but what happens when a T-bone type of impact occurs?

The answer to this question is quite similar to many of the factors associated with any collision: the size of the bullet vs. target vehicle, the speed at which the collision occurs, the deployment or lack thereof of the airbag(s), the position of the neck at the time of impact, the “build” of the patient (skinny/tall vs. muscular), the road conditions, the “springiness” and angle of the seat back, and so forth. Unique to side impacts is the location of the strike to the target vehicle (front, middle, rear) and perhaps more importantly, the lack of space between the occupant and the point of the strike as there is a relatively shallow “crumple zone” between the occupant and the side of the vehicle.

Probably one of the best examples of how side impacts from different angles can be appreciated is to think about what happens to a person when they ride the “Bumper Cars” at the local fair. Though many fairs have now banned that “ride,” you may recall participating or watching those kids who were “having fun.” When a bumper car is struck in a classic “T-Bone” manner in the front end, the target car is spun around and the occupant hangs on for dear life. Similarly, a side strike from to the rear of the bumper car spins the back end around. When the occupant is aware of the impending crash, they grip the wheel, tuck their head by shrugging their shoulders and make their body rigid and typically, do not get “whipped around” as much as those that don’t anticipate the impact. Because the bumper cars don’t dent or crush (that is, there is no plastic deformity where damage occurs, only elastic deformity where there is no damage or, no energy absorption by crushing of the car), ALL of the crash energy is transferred to the occupant or the contents. If a person has a purse lying on the floor of the bumper car, it can go flying out and spill all over. Similarly, the person who is unaware of the impending collision will “go flying,” giving great satisfaction to the driver of the bullet bumper car.

When considering factors such as plastic vs. elastic deformity, side air bags, and the shallow crumple zone on the sides of motor vehicles, some manufactures stand out in their ability to protect the occupants in side impact collisions. Generally, those vehicles with a stiff side and roof structure have been found to be the best in protecting the occupant from injury by maintaining the survival space and dissipating the energy, or force, of the impact away from the occupant. Manufactures that stand out include Volvo, Mercedes, and Subaru. They have had the best design for decades and remain at the forefront for occupant protection in side impact collisions. The combination of energy absorbing side structure design and the side airbag has proven to be one of the most important factors in improving the crashworthiness in side impact collisions. Side air bags became popular in the 1990s. In 2012, more than 95% of all passenger cars sold in the US are equipped with side impact airbags as standard equipment.

We realize you have a choice in where you choose your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for whiplash, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR WHIPLASH!

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL (717) 697 1888

Are You A Good Enough Person To Do This?

2 Jan

Here is proof that there are still amazing people in the world.  Are you one of them?

Every day, it feels like all the news covers is the dark, horrible side of humanity.

Sure, people do bad things,  even evil things.  But, there is another side to this story.  There’s a clear argument that can be made that many more people are good than bad.  For every one bad person in the news (or going viral on the internet) there are hundreds, thousands, or millions who did not do anything wrong.  In fact, many, if not most, probably did quite a bit of good.

So, why don’t we hear about all this good?  Quite frankly, it’s because bad stuff sells.  It sells much more than good news.  People love drama.  It’s no coincidence Honey Boo Boo, The Kardashians, and The Jersey Shore were/are monstrously successful shows.

That’s why I bet you have probably heard of those shows but have not heard about this…

Rabbi Noah Muroff lives in New Haven, Connecticut and bought a desk off Craig’s List for $200.  So far, that’s nothing shocking… but it gets better…

When he got the desk home, he couldn’t get it into his office in one piece.  So, Rabbi Noah took the desk apart and pulled out the drawers.

Behind one of the drawers, he found a plastic bag.  At first glance, Muroff saw what he thought to be a $100 bill.

When he opened the bag, he discovered there were quite a few $100 bills.  In fact, there was $98,000 in cash.  That’s ninety-eight THOUSAND dollars in CASH.

WOW!  So let me ask you a question… What is the first thing you would do with that money after you stopped jumping around cheering? Pay off some bills?  Buy a car?  Go on vacation?  Give some to charity?

Muroff did none of that.  Instead, he did the right thing.  He called the person he just bought the desk from and told them what he had found.

As it turned out, the desk’s previous owner had hidden her inheritance money in the desk and had forgotten all about it.

Muroff returned the money.  All of it.  He is quoted as simply saying, “The most important thing in life is to be honest.”

That’s it.  There was no police chase.  No drugs or violence.  No one yelling and screaming.  Just an ethical and moral person choosing to do the right thing and not making a big deal about it or even looking for public approval or praise.

The comments posted on this story were varied.  Some praised him and said they would do the same thing.  Others said he was a fool and they would have spent the money.  Some said it is all just a matter of the amount and that we all have a price.  If that was $10 million… or $1 billion… that he would have kept it.

So, the question for you is, what would YOU do?  Let’s say it was $10 million and no one else knew.  It was your secret.  Do ethics and morality really have a price?

Do YOU have a price?

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and 

getting them feeling better!  We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger!

Don’t be a stranger.  You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – MD vs. DC. Whom Should I See?

2 Jan

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a very common problem affecting a large population (1 out of 20 in the general population) including typists, assembly line workers, postal employees, secretaries, servers/waiters, musicians, carpenters, and many others. CTS drives a high level of cost to the health care system between time lost from work, treatment costs, and short and long term disability payments (on average $30,000 per claim, and this is an old stat!). Continued CTS signs and symptoms can persist long after surgical treatment and the question that typically arises when this happens is “…why?” Let’s take a look at reasons for failed treatment of CTS…

The classic non-surgical medical management model for treating CTS includes non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medication (like ibuprofen), rest, and the use of nocturnal (night time) wrist splints. This approach works in some cases, but in the majority, it is unsuccessful and leads to the next medical management step: surgery.

The classic chiropractic management model for treating CTS includes similar initial treatment approaches including anti-inflammatory measures, rest, and night wrist splints. One anti-inflammatory measure is ice massage or cupping, where the ice is rubbed directly on the skin until numbness is achieved (this usually takes about 4 minutes). Prior to numbness, there will be a burning and aching often described as intense, “…like a brain-freeze when I drink a slushy too fast.” The ice cup approach can be repeated several times a day. Other anti-inflammatory measures may include the use of herbal anti-inflammatory nutrients such as ginger, tumeric, boswellia, bioflavinoids, and/or the use of digestive enzymes taken between meals to help reduce the inflammation. The “rest” component is also shared by both models as is the use of the night wrist splint. So, what makes the chiropractic model different?

The nerve affected in CTS is called the median nerve. It arises initially from the nerves in the neck, specifically, C6-8 and T1 nerve roots which are part of the brachial plexus. These form into one nerve (the median nerve) which travels through small openings, first at the neck followed by the shoulder (called the thoracic outlet), then into the arm through a muscle at the elbow (pronator tunnel), and finally through the carpal tunnel at the wrist to innervate the hand including the palm and the 2nd, 3rd digits and thumb side of the 4th finger. The median nerve can get “crushed” in more than one tunnel and treatment must address the WHOLE nerve, not just at the carpal tunnel / wrist. This chiropractic management of CTS helps many patients because the nerve along its entire course including the neck, shoulder, and elbow is treated, not just the wrist!

We realize you have a choice in who you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend or family member require care for CTS, we would be honored to render our services.

 

Low Back Pain, Balance, and Foot Orthotics.

2 Jan

Low back pain (LBP) can result from many causes, and sometimes it just occurs for reasons that are not clear, such as the accumulation of stresses that occur over time. Many causes of low back pain have been described such as bending over “wrong,” combined bending and twisting, lifting, over reaching, climbing, sitting too long, repetitious activities at home or work, sports injuries, being out of shape, and so on. But what about balance? Because poor balance leads to falling, which is the #1 cause of injuries in the elderly, ANYTHING that we can do to improve our balance should help prevent falls and hence low back injuries. Let’s look at strategies to improve our balance…

First, let’s measure our ability to balance by using a simple test you can do yourself. Stand on one leg in the corner of a room or in a doorway where you can easily grab onto something if you feel like you’re going to fall. Try to do this without holding on to anything, first with your eyes open and a second time with your eyes closed. If you have a stopwatch, click it when you start and stop (when you put your foot down). Otherwise, count, “…1001, 1002, 1003, etc.” Studies have shown that for those under 60 years old, you’re “normal” if you can balance on one leg with your eyes open for 30 seconds and 25 seconds with your eyes closed. Between ages 60-69, normal is 23 sec. (eyes open) and 10 sec. (eyes closed) is normal. If you’re 70-79 years old, normal is 14 seconds (eyes open) and 4 seconds (eyes closed). Give it a try! Notice how “normal” drops as we age. From 25 sec. to 4 sec. between age 59 and 70 is pretty dramatic! No wonder falling is so common among the elderly!

So, now that you’ve tested yourself, I’m guessing you aren’t too impressed with your balance skills. The question now is, how can we improve our balance? Performing balance exercises with a rocker, wobble board or cushion is VERY EFFECTIVE! You’ll be surprised that if you use this for 10 minutes a day, the improvement in balance is significant in just 2 weeks. Another method takes no effort at all on your part, and that is the use of custom made foot orthotics. Simply known as arch supports, foot orthotics (the good “prescription” kind) correct the rolling in or out of the heel bone, referred to as pronation (rolling in = most common) or supination (rolling out) by wedging the heel of the orthotic/arch support. This stabilizes the ankle joint, reduces the inward or outward shift at the knee and hip joints, and as a result, improves our balance.

Results of a recent study proved this to be the case. Researchers studied 13 subjects over 65 years of age who reported at least 1 unexpected fall in the past 12 months and measured their balance skills using a similar test as the one you just tried as well as 3 other tests (tandem stance, tandem gait, and alternating step tests) twice before and twice after starting use of custom foot orthotic intervention (immediately after and 2 weeks later). In each of the 4 balance tests, improvement was statistically significant in the post-tests and 2-week later follow-up tests PROVING that balance is effectively improved when wearing custom made foot orthotics. We recommend doing BOTH the exercises and the use of custom foot orthotics to obtain even better results. Since falling is such a common occurrence at any age, especially in those over 60-65 years old, these simple strategies seem like a “no-brainer” to implement into a treatment program, especially for people with poor bone density at high risk for fractures.

We realize you have a choice in who you choose to provide your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for low back pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

 

Getting The Most From A Doc Visit, and Bacteria For Avoiding Colds…

2 Jan

Dr. Michael F. Roizen

Co-Author of 4 #1 NY Times Bestsellers including: YOU Staying Young.

The Owner’s Manual For Extending Your Warranty (Free Press)

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do over. It doesn’t take that long, and it isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course in what to do so it becomes easy for you, and for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the  quality and length of your life.

5 Steps to Turn a “Dud” Check-Up Into a Get-Younger Plan:

Just showing up isn’t what makes a doctor visit valuable. The value is in actually getting a plan to stay healthy, and then following it to live a longer and happier life. You can transform that all-too-often rushed doctor’s appointment to make sure you’re not in the 50% of patients who walk out not knowing what to do next. We believe in a plan.

Step one:  Partner up with your doc. We docs love it when you become the world’s leading expert on you, your body, and your health. Knowing as much as possible about any health conditions you have, and about treatment options, helps you make smarter decisions.

Step two: Come prepared. Bring along a list of the drugs, supplements and remedies you take, extra medical info (like X-rays or reports from other docs), all your health insurance information, and a note pad and pencil (maybe a tape recorder and/or a friend or relative).  Write down in advance any special questions you want answered.

Step three: Set health goals with your doctor. Do you need to quit smoking? Lose 15 pounds? Lower blood pressure or LDL cholesterol by 20 points? Spend 10 minutes a day chilling out to ease stress? Set a real target, with a “done by” date. (Need to start exercising? Not ready to walk for 30 minutes today? If you can get out the door, down to the corner and back in 15 minutes, start there and do it every day for a week. Next week, add a couple minutes. Get a walking buddy, or go to http://www.EnforcerECoaching.com—there is a charge.)

Step four: Find out what to do at home. Would a home blood pressure monitor, a new blood-sugar meter, a smart phone app that tracks your fruits and vegetables, or headphones help you reach your goals?

Step five: Schedule a follow-up visit. It’s good to see how you are doing on your plan and make midcourse corrections to your plan as indicated.  You want to get to 5 “normals” as a minimum (blood pressure, weight for height, LDL cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and absence of tobacco use) all with or without medications,whatever it takes for you to hit your plan goals for this and each year. That’s the real value of the yearly check-up with your doc.  That check-up isn’t just to get a blessing (no cancer, whew), it is to set targets and then ensure you have enough support to hit ‘em.

Reducing Colds With Bacteria:

Lurking in the 20-plus feet of your intestines are trillions of bacteria, some good, some bad, and none good looking! In fact, they make up between 40% and 60% of what you excrete (if you’re typical) every day.

But don’t let that bug you! You have more of these friends (we hope), 10 trillion, than you have of your own cells.  These microscopic creatures make up your microbiome, the inner world of bugs (bacteria really) that swirl through your digestive system in a sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial tango to promote immune strength, protect you from infection, help you control your weight (or send it up, up, up), and ease digestive woes. And yes, they battle the common cold too.

The one billion colds that afflict North Americans every year may have met their match in the gut-dwelling bacterial duo Lactobacillus rhamnosus (also in yogurt) and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. B12 (in fermented milks, infant formula) and maybe in other probiotics.

When college kids (notoriously susceptible to colds because of close living quarters, lack of sleep, and high levels of stress) were given a daily supplement packing 1 billion of each of those bacteria for 12 weeks, their colds were shortened by 2 days and they felt 34% better than kids who didn’t get the gut-strengthening buggers. So, opt for probiotic supplements in hard-shelled capsules – they make it through your stomach acid and bug that cold away!

Thanks for reading.

Young Dr Mike

NOTE: You should NOT take this as medical advice. 

This article is of the opinion of its author.

Before you do anything, please consult with your doctor.

You can follow Dr Roizen  (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories  of the week) on twitter @YoungDrMike. 

Feel free to continue to send questions to youdocs@gmail.com. You can follow Dr Roizen on twitter @YoungDrMike (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories of the week).  The YOU docs have a new web site: YOUBeauty.com  and its companion BeautySage.com the only site we know of where you can find skin products proven to meet the claims (opened for business on June 1st, 2012), and a new book: YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens.

Michael F. Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His radio show streams live on http://www.healthradio.net  Saturdays from 5-7 p.m . E-mail him questions at YouDocs@gmail.com.   He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including : YOU Staying Young and YOU: The Owner’s Manual. He is Chief Medical Consultant to the two year running Emmy award winning Dr Oz show– The Dr Oz show is #2 nationally in daytime TV.  See what all the fun is about, and what he, The Enforcer, is up to. Check local listings or log onto DoctorOz.com for channel and time. And for more health info, log onto youbeauty.com anytime.

 

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