Tag Archives: chiropractic care

What diseases do chiropractors treat?

The answer is: None of them and all of themPalmer

Chiropractic is not a treatment for named diseases but should be sought out no matter what conditions or diseases a person suffers from or is diagnosed with – back pain, depression, cold. flu, cancer, autism, allergies, asthma – everything from A to Z.

How can that be?

Chiropractic’s purpose is to release subluxations – blockages or interferences in your body that prevent you from functioning at your best.

Think of chiropractic subluxation correction as you would good nutrition. What diseases do you need good nutrition for? All of them!

The chiropractic message is simple: do not live with subluxations and do not let your children, your spouse and your friends and relatives live with subluxations.

One day going to the chiropractor for a subluxation checkup will be done by most everyone on a regular basis. We need to start more conversations with, “Hey, did you see your chiropractor this week?”

Have you?

Stress and Chiropractic Care

Q: When should I come in for care?a man looking stressed out

A: There is no “one size fits all” schedule but there are general guidelines you can follow.

Under Stress

Definitely come in when you are under a lot of stress. Why? Because stress – whether it is physical (from accidents or falls), chemical (toxicity in our foods and environment) or emotional (family stress) – causes subluxations in your body. You may not feel any pain, but they are there and sapping your energy.

Did you know there is macro-stress, for example, getting hit by a car or falling, and micro-stress, for example, using a mouse or sitting in a bad position. Both can cause damage – micro-stress takes longer of course – but in time both cause subluxations. It’s the same with emotional and toxic stress.

That’s why we will often tell you to come back even if you have no pain or other symptom so we can find subluxations before the pain and suffering and before real damage has occurred.

Latest News from Charmaine: January Newsletter: Intentions

Greetings all!

Well, our happy news that ended 2016, was that we became first-time grandparents to a bouncing 10lbs 8 oz baby boy, Alfred.  Damaris and Anders and Alfred are all doing well and by the time this letter is published, I will have been to Norway to see him and to help out the new mother.   Needless to say, I am sure our life is going to change “a bit” (LOL).  We will both be going over for his christening in April/May.

Meanwhile, life here continues.  Please make sure that we are current and up to date with ALL your pertinent information:

  • address
  • phone numbers
  • insurance info

It helps keep the systems flowing in the office.

This newsletter will talk about Intentions instead of Resolutions, will include a few funnies and some recipes. If there is ever anything you would like a bit more information about, talk to me and I will see what I can do for you.

See you in the office, on the mat or under the barbells!!

Researching Chiropractic: Case Studies in Trigeminal Neuralgia, Asthma and headaches, and Constipation

Chiropractic clinical case histories have been a regular feature of our patient newsletter since its inception. There seems to be no limit to the health problems that respond to chiropractic care. How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care? 

Probably most of them.

Case Study for Trigeminal Neuralgia (tic douloureux)case-study-trigeminal-neuralgia

For seven years a 77-year-old woman suffered from severe right-sided face pain (trigeminal neuralgia or TN). Her pain was made worse by chewing, talking, and smiling and when her symptoms were at their worst, she was unable to eat or talk well for up to 4 days. Medication gave temporarily relief and at times did not help at all.

When she began chiropractic care she rated her pain 10 out of 10, describing it as a constant hot, throbbing, burning sensation that progressively got worse. Subluxations were located at C1 (upper neck) as well as other areas. The patient was put on a protocol for subluxation adjustment/correction.

After six visits of subluxation correction there was a significant reduction in pain; after four months of care she went off her medication and after 6 months of care was pain free. (1)

Case Study in Asthma and Headaches

A 15-year-old boy was suffering from asthma and headaches. He began specific chiropractic care for correcase-study-constipationction of his subluxations.  His asthma and headaches resolved completely following care. (2)

Case Study in Constipation in an eight-month old

An 8-month-old baby boy was suffering from constipation. When the mother brought him in for care he had not made a bowel movement for five days. Increased fluid intake was unsuccessful.

Within a short period of his first adjustments, the infant proceeded to have a very large bowel movement while sitting in his car seat. Two hours later additional bowel movements occurred. The mother also stated that her child was of a much happier disposition. (3)


  1. Zielinski E, Mankal K, Pirini J. Resolution of trigeminal neuralgia following chiropractic care utilizing Chiropractic Biophysics and diversified techniques: a case study. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. November 6, 2014:177-183.
  2. Jaszewski E, Willard A. Resolution of asthma in a teenager following subluxation-based chiropractic management utilizing the Pierce Results System: a case study & selective review of the literature. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2016;3:84-91.
  3. Miceli J, Alcantara J. Resolution of constipation in an 8-month-old child following adjustment of vertebral subluxation. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2016;1:14-17.

How did D.D. Palmer Discover Chiropractic?

Palmer

Dr. Palmer makes a discovery

In 1895 Dr. Daniel David Palmer, a popular magnetic (energy) healer, discovered a spinal “bump” on a deaf individual. It appeared as if the spinal bone were out of place. Upon questioning, Dr. Palmer learned that the man had bumped his head seventeen years prior and became deaf shortly afterwards.

Palmer reasoned that the accident may have displaced a vertebra in the man’s spine, hence the slight bump, and that re-aligning the vertebra may give relief.

A slight adjustment

Using his hands, he “adjusted” the bone back into alignment and after 17 years the man could hear again. Shortly thereafter a patient with a heart condition was similarly found to have spinal displacements. When they were adjusted the heart condition improved.

Palmer reasoned that if two conditions so different, deafness and heart disease, could be caused by displaced vertebrae in the spine, could not other conditions be related to spinal displacements (later called subluxations)?

So began the discovery and evolution of chiropractic.

Why Lifetime Chiropractic Care?

You’ve probably heard the old myth that “once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for the rest of your life.” lifetime chiropractic care

It’s not true.

However, we do have many patients who chose to see us once a month or even more frequently.

What’s going on?

Stress levels

Those who face physical, chemical, or emotional stress (that’s all of us) often find regular chiropractic adjustments helpful in correcting muscle tightness and the resulting postural changes.

Avoiding a relapse

Because long-standing spinal problems can produce weakened areas that are susceptible to repeated problems, regular care may often help strengthen supporting muscles and ligaments, avoiding a flare-up.

Prevention

Regular chiropractic checkups can often detect smaller problems before they become more serious (and difficult to correct).

Wellness

Being our best starts with an interference-free nervous system.

Gravity

And let’s not forget the relentless effects that gravity places on our body. Regular chiropractic care helps maintain proper spinal curves to accommodate the compression of spinal joints due to gravity.

Remember, how long you choose to benefit from chiropractic care is always up to you.

We are here to serve you.  How can we help you live life to it’s fullest?

(THANKS, PATIENTMEDIA)

How is chiropractic different from regular (orthodox) medicine?

questions-and-answers-about-chiropracticQuestion: How is chiropractic different from regular (orthodox) medicine?

Answer: Chiropractic and medicine have different philosophies about life and health.

Perhaps the best way to explain the difference is by looking at how chiropractic (and other vitalistic/natural healing arts) approaches symptoms as opposed to how medicine views symptoms.

Chiropractors view the body as intelligent, and symptoms are mechanisms the body uses to re-balance and return to homeostasis. Chiropractors respect symptoms and do not work to suppress them.

The medical approach, on the other hand, sees the body as a passive “machine,” and symptoms as bad, with no purpose other than to cause damage. Therefore, MDs prescribe drugs to fight, suppress or counteract symptoms. While people on drugs may feel better (while the drugs last), constant symptom suppression drives disease deeper into the body leading to chronic (permanent) illness.

Chiropractors promote natural healing by helping your body use its symptoms to cleanse and detoxify. Chiropractors respect the wisdom of the body when it comes to symptoms.

Your Hips and Chiropractic: A Natural Alignment

They’re your hips!hips-and-chiropractic

You need them for a good golf swing, dancing, a healthy pregnancy and to support your spine (and head). They anchor your legs so you can walk and you sit on them too.

Your hips are really two large bones (each made up of three fused bones) that are attached to your sacrum – the base of your spine. They are strapped to your sacrum with lots of ligaments. Around your hips are lots of tendons that attach to many muscles.

What happens if your hips are out of alignment?

If your spine is out of alignment (it’s subluxated), your hips may “do the twist” causing one leg to appear shorter than the other.

One leg isn’t really shorter than the other. It just seems that way because your legs attach to your hips. If one hip is a little higher than the other, then one leg appears longer and one appears shorter. This is most obvious when you lie down. That’s why chiropractors sometimes have patients lie down (usually face down) to measure their leg length difference. This is one sign your body structure is off-balance.

Why do my hips hurt?

Apart from causing problems with your tailor, uneven hips can cause unnatural wear and tear on your spine, arthritis and/or lumbar (lower back) disc bulging, any of which can lead to leg and sciatica pain. If your pubic bones (the front of your hips) are not aligned it may cause sacroiliac pain and pain during pregnancy and childbirth.

Unhappy hips also can cause fatigue and exhaustion because you will be out of alignment with gravity.

Signs of Hip Problems

Signs of hip problems include:

  • a bad golf swing
  • difficulty standing or sitting for long periods
  • leg problems
  • knee pain
  • foot problems such as bunions
  • shoulder problems – your hips and shoulders work together – if one is moving improperly the motion of the other will be affected.

Chiropractic care and your hips

A chiropractic checkup will help ensure a balanced and healthy spine, hip, pelvis and femur (thigh bone) relationship. This ensure that you have a more stable, balanced pedestal from which to work, play, carry children (especially if you are pregnant), and be pain-free and have more energy.

A healthy spine-hip relationship is especially important during childhood – that’s why infants, babies and children of all ages should get a chiropractic checkup. It can help ensure a healthier body for life.

If you are experiencing any discomfort or pain in you hips please schedule an appointment with us. We’d love to help you. Call 517 627 4547.


 

Research Source: De Jong MR, der Elst MV, Hartholt KA. Drug-related falls in older patients: implicated drugs, consequences, and possible prevention strategies. Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2013;4(4):141-146.

How Important is your Health Really?

Do You Really Want To Be Healthy?

There is an old saying, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there.” health-happy-family

A similar statement could be made concerning health. In almost any survey taken asking people what they wanted most out of life, good health is one of the top three things on the list.

The only two things that ever top it are usually happiness and good family relationships. Yet how many of us allow other less important things to keep us from attaining maximum health?

Like happiness, health does not come by luck. It is true that hereditary factors are important to good health but most people can be healthy in spite of hereditary weakness. Conversely, hereditary strengths will not overcome a failure to take care of yourself.

A Desire to be Healthy

Most people who come into a chiropractic office indicate a desire to be healthy. Unfortunately, thealth-sitting-backhey often do not realize that it will take some effort on their part.

The average person’s experience with medicine has led them to believe that they will be made healthy by what the doctor does to them or what he gives them. They can just sit back, do nothing or at most, remember to take their medication every four hours.

While this approach may be “relatively effective” in the treatment of disease, it has virtually nothing to do with health. For the most part, disease treatment is a passive activity. Health maintenance, or health restoration, is largely an active endeavor. Therein lies the problem.

Sitting back and doing nothing will not promote or maintain health.

Hoping or wishing for it will not make it happen. It must be actively pursued. A choice must be made. Good, nutritious, health-promoting food is available, but then so is junk food. You must make the decision as to what kind you are going to eat and then make the extra effort to get it. Exercise is not a passive activity. You cannot get it by just watching PX90 videos.

Chiropractic is not a passive activity either.

While it is true the patient lies on the table and relaxes, it is the body that makes the adjustment. The chiropractor introduces a force to the spine and the body’s muscles actively move the bone to exactly where it belongs. Further, the benefits of chiropractic care occur after the adjustment, like exercise and eating, they are far reaching and unlike treatments, they are not designed for short-term, immediate effects. It is true you may feel good after eating a good meal or after a good work out. You may also feel good right after a chiropractic adjustment, but the real benefits are the long-term ones. When the body is working better it can actively promote health and well-being and add years to life.

The patient must make the commitment to care.

There is another aspect that makes chiropractic care an active approach. The patient must make the commitment to care. The chiropractor cannot give you a bottle of adjustments and say, “take one every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next six weeks.”

The patient must make the willful decision to come in, be regular and follow the program. The chiropractor cannot follow you around or take you by the hand.

Do you really want to be healthy?health-do-you-want-to-be-healthy

Sadly, too many people do not want to pay the price, which is time, money and effort. Happiness does not come by accident. Fame and fortune are not a matter of luck. Similarly, you cannot expect to have good health unless you do those things necessary to attain it. Every individual has to establish his or her priorities. Is watching television more important than exercising for your health? Is saving money by eating poor quality food more important to you than spending the few dollars for good food? Is doing whatever you do that interferes with regular adjustments more important than your health? Only you can answer these questions and how you decide on these and other relative questions could very well determine your health, your happiness and your life.

So do you REALLY want to be healthy?

Getting Into Maintenance Mode

Chiropractic patients are divided into two general categories: Healing and Maintenance

maintenance#1 Healing the Body

The first category includes a large number of patients who utilize chiropractic to enable their bodies to work better so that they might heal themselves of some condition or symptom. They understand that the chiropractor is not treating the condition or attempting to alleviate the symptom but that if he or she can correct the vertebral subluxation, the body will have greater capacity to heal itself.

They come in to have their subluxations corrected and find that their bodies work at a higher level, quite often high enough to get well of the physical problems they had when they arrived. Thousands of people have had their health restored because when nerve interference is removed at the vertebral level, the principle that heals and runs the billions upon billions of cells in the body is free to work a little better. Sadly though, many of these people do not fully utilize chiropractic care because they often stop once they feel better.

#2 Maintenance Mode

The second group of people realize that the same principle that enables the body to get well can also keep it well. They do not use chiropractic care as merely a way of regaining their health but as part of an overall, health maintenance and enhancement program.

They come regularly whether they feel good or not. They know that being adjusted will enable them to express more life in numerous ways, some we cannot even imagine. We do know that you can have more energy, better coordination, more flexibility, a greater ability to handle stress, and a greater benefit from the food, exercise and sleep that you get.

 All of this from regular adjustments?

Absolutely! Which of the above is not affected by your nerve system? Logically, a better nerve system, one free of interference, has to help accomplish all the above. How much benefit depends upon you, but everyone will have a better functioning body with a good nerve supply.

Not only do, these people come regularly but they also bring their families in and refer friends and relatives for chiropractic care. They know that it is far better to get someone under care while they are still healthy than to wait until they manifest the symptoms of a lack of health. They want everyone to experience some of the benefits listed above.

Getting everyone into maintenance mode

Our desire is to see primarily the second category of patients. We obviously would not turn away a patient with a medical condition who wanted his or her subluxations corrected for a greater potential for healing. Everyone needs chiropractic care, people with medical conditions of any kind need regular adjustments as much as people with no medical problems, even if they need medical care at the same time.