Can the Internet Make You Sick?

We live in age where technology is king! Our phones act as mini computers where we can schedule, e-mail, surf the internet and actually talk to other people (although some people manage to avoid human interaction by sending 20,000 text messages a month). Not only do most people use a computer all day at work, but they come home and surf the internet, play on-line computer games and update their social media status, over and over...and over again. Humans are more connected now than ever before and we learn about current events so much faster than in the past. To put things in perspective...when I started college in 1996, it was the first time I was able to surf the internet without tying up the telephone line and no one, and mean no one, had a cell phone. Crazy and wild times!

Some people tend to spend more time on the computer than others, but it seems that overall we are spending more and more time staring at our computer screens. It seems that the younger generation, especially college students, tend to be the group that is most guilty of "computer abuse". Prolonged time at the computer can lead to several physical ailments that can affect your activities of daily living. Overuse of the computer can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS. CTS causes pain, numbness and burning in your thumb, first finger and middle finger. This can be caused by typing too much on your keyboard with your wrists held in the wrong position for extended periods of time. Overuse of the computer can also lead to lower back and neck aches, severe headaches, dry eyes, strained vision and sleep disturbances. Many of these symptoms are exacerbated by the fact that people's work stations are not set up properly. The monitor may be too low or high, the mouse may be too far away, the keyboard too close and even the height of your chair can lead to spinal and muscle pain.

If you are an individual, or you know someone, who is always on the computer and complaining of any of the symptoms that I listed above, chiropractic care or massage therapy can really help. Not only can a chiropractor help to alleviate muscular and joint pain quickly, but most chiropractors are very aware of the proper ergonomics for a desk or one's work station. Even if spending excessive amounts of time on the computer is unavoidable, a chiropractic treatment can help prevent your aches and pains from getting worse and can even prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place!

"No thanks, I don't need to be treated. I'm not having any pain."

The above phrase is one that I can guarantee most chiropractors have heard at least once during their career. Heck, I hear a version of that statement uttered at least once per week. The current medical model in this country involves treating people's symptoms or pain. They are given a pill, or the option to have surgery and everyone expects a quick fix. Over the last few years, wellness or preventative care has started to take root and expand, but for the most part, we are taught from an early age that if we are not feeling any pain, then we are healthy; and unfortunately that is not the case.

Both my father and my grandfather were helped a lot by chiropractic care when I was growing up. They both started care after experiencing a bout of acute pain, but they both continued to receive treatment after their symptoms had dissipated. Watching their success with chiropractic is what really influenced me to become a chiropractor. I had never been treated with chiropractic care before attending chiropractic college. I felt healthy; I didn't have any pain; so why did I need to go? I started receiving regular chiropractic adjustments while attending school and kicked myself for not getting treated sooner. I had always been bothered by migraine headaches (which seemed to go away with treatment), my neck and lower back felt looser and I would feel great, both mentally and physically following a chiropractic adjustment.

So why is it a good idea to get treated when you don't feel any pain? Everyday, the activities of daily living and the repetitive micro-traumas that we put our bodies through cause the muscles and soft tissues that make up the joints of our spine to fatigue and toxic metabolic waste to build up around the nerves. Since we don't like to experience pain, our bodies tend to compensate at first. Over time, our bodies can no longer compensate and we start to feel pain. With chiropractic adjustments, the joints stay moving freely and you can prevent those serious bouts of neck and lower back pain.

Personally, I try to get adjusted at least once a month based on how I feel. If I have done a lot of running or played hockey and I am feeling sore, I may go two times that month. A quick chiropractic adjustment can keep me feeling good for several weeks. Even if you're feeling good, it is a good idea to have your spine checked for subluxations or misalignments, that if left untreated can cause problems down the line. Go find a chiropractor and see what you've been missing!

Concussions: Not Just A Problem at the Professional Level

Anyone who is a fan of professional sports knows that head injuries and concussions have become a major problem over the last decade, especially in the NFL, NHL and to a lesser extent MLB. The players are bigger, faster and stronger nowadays. The collisions between these athletes, although high in entertainment value, are becoming very dangerous. New helmets have been designed in both hockey and football to minimize the impact to the brain from these collisions in order to cut down on the number of concussions. New concussion protocols have been enacted in all the major sports as well. Players are put through extensive testing before the season starts to measure their "baseline" levels, so if a concussion is suspected they can be re-tested to see how bad the damage is. Long gone are the days when a player is allowed to go back out onto the field immediately following a concussion. In some cases, a player may miss weeks or months before their brain "returns to normal" and they are allowed to compete again.

Head injuries are no longer just a problem at the professional ranks anymore. According to data obtained from the National Athletic Trainers Association Summit, there were 400,000 concussions in high school football last season! There were 29,000 concussions diagnosed in soccer players, where there were 40% more concussions among the female soccer players. There were also 13,000 concussions in womens basketball last year. It was estimated that 8,000 children are treated, per day , at emergency rooms for sports related injuries, and 62% of those injuries occurred at practice.

Those numbers are staggering, but the next stat is what really bothered me. From January 2008 through November of 2009, 120 young athletes died due to sports related causes in 31 different states! Why does this happen?

Most often these injuries occur when there is a lack of of trained personal to evaluate and treat these young athletes when they are injured on the field. Many times the athletes are told to "play through the pain" and proper attention is not given to what can be a serious condition.

Different steps need to be taken in order to prevent these injuries from happening, as well as being able to identify these injuries early enough, if they do occur. Parents, coaches and athletes need to be trained in the proper way that equipment should be worn (especially helmet use) and also need to be trained in what symptoms athletes exhibit when they have injured their head or been concussed. Having a local chiropractor, medical doctor or physical therapist at practices and games can go a long way. These individuals are trained in their fields and would add a level of expertise to helping diagnose injuries, brain and physical, on the field when they occurred. If an athlete suffers a head injury, there must be a plan in place to prevent that athlete from making the injury worse and that starts with concussion awareness.

Don't Remember to Forget! (Or Something Like That)

There is a great Elvis song called, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget". The song talks about how he can't forget this girl, even though he has told himself over and over not to think about her. I seem to have the opposite problem lately because there are many things I find myself forgetting about, even though I keep telling myself to remember them. In fact, I don't know many people who don't have the same problem I do. When I was younger I remembered everything! I could memorize facts for tests, remember what my homework assignment was and recall the time and date of all my appointments and meetings. I NEVER wrote anything down and amazingly all deadlines and appointments were met.

As I have gotten older, I find that if I don't write something down, fahget about it! Is memory loss something that has to happen as you age? Fortunately there are some steps that you can take to help improve your memory and give your memory a boost! The facts below are courtesy of Eric Plasker, the author of "The 100 Year Lifestyle," (Adams Media, 2007).

• Be Social: Stimulating conversations and interactions with others helps to lower the risk of dementia. So....get off the couch, turn off the TV and find a person to talk to!

• Supplements: It has been shown that people who don't get enough vitamin B12 or Folate in their diet have a higher risk of developing dementia. Spinach, romaine lettuce, lentils, black beans, broccoli and beats are foods that will help with that deficiency. Mediterranean diets rich in fish, vegetables and olive oil help to protect against Alzheimer's. Green tea can help protect against memory loss.

• Exercise Your Mind: Learning new things, working on the crossword puzzle and other brain teasers and reading a book can help keep your mind sharp.

• Nap Time!: Getting 8 hours of sleep and taking a 6 to a 90 minute nap everyday helps your brain sort, consolidate and store memories.

• I'll Have an O'Doul's: Alcohol is especially toxic in terms of memory loss and will directly affect the functions of the brain that preserve memory.

Make yourself a promise, and don't forget to remember the above tips to help keep your memory sharp!

If there are any chiropractic or health related topics you would like to see a post written about, be sure to drop me a line in the comments section.

October's Newsletter

Clink on this link to check out Suburban Chiropractic's October Newsletter. There is a lot of great information including; Do heavy drinkers outlive non-drinkers? Would your kitchen at home fail a restaurant inspection? What don't chefs want you to know? Can a sample of your hair link stress and heart attacks?

We always appreciate your feedback. Please let me know if there is something that you would like to know more about, or if there is a health related or chiropractic topic you would like me to write about. You can put your feedback in the comments section. Enjoy!

No, chiropractic does not cause strokes; Yes, chiropractors are real doctors.

We've all heard it before: "Don't let the chiropractor treat your neck, it's dangerous and they can hurt you!", or "You should go to a real doctor because chiropractors don't know what they are doing and they can cause you to have a stroke". Those are frustrating statements because they are both false. It is hard to sit back and observe how the facts get twisted by sensationalized media reports.

First of all, chiropractors are REAL doctors. I entered chiropractic college after obtaining a 4 year degree in Biological Sciences. My chiropractic program was a 10 semester (5 year) program that I completed in 3 1/3 years by going all year long. I attended New York Chiropractic College, which is accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), a federally accredited agency. As a chiropractic student I completed 2,000+ hours of biology and clinical sciences, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, public health, orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, geriatrics and other health sciences; 1000+ hours of chiropractic science: bio-mechanics, spinal analysis, manipulation, diagnostic imaging and interpretation; and 900 hours of clinical practice: patient histories, physical exams and chiropractic manipulations. As a Doctor of Chiropractic I use my knowledge to pay attention to the physiological and bio-mechanical aspects of the body including structural, spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, nutritional, emotional and environmental relationships to restore and maintain health.

The chiropractic program that I participated in was intense, rigorous and stressful, but I feel I walked away with the knowledge that that enabled me to become a good doctor. I have become an expert of the spine. Every patient that gets treated in my office is screened for Vertebrobasilar Artery Disease (VBA) before any manipulation or chiropractic treatment is performed. This screening not only involves specific testing performed during the exam, such as specific orthopedic tests, ROM, blood pressure and listening to the pulse in the neck, but a detailed history is taken to see if the patient may be predisposed to having a stroke. The vertebral arteries are the vessels that carry blood into your head and run up both sides of the neck. When this artery is "ripped" or "torn", blood flows out rapidly causing the patient to have a stroke.

The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and It's Associated Disorders analyzed 9 years of data from a population of 110 million people. They found that a vertebrobasilar artery stroke is a very rare event and that the risk of a VBA stroke following a visit to the chiropractor appears to be no different than the risk of a VBA stroke following a visit to the primary care doctor. The study goes on to say that the observed association between VBA stroke and a visit to the PCP or chiropractor is due to the fact there can be an undiagnosed tear in the vertebral artery of the patient, causing them to seek care for neck pain or headaches prior to them having the stroke. In other words, if you have a default to your vertebral artery, you have as much of a chance of having a stroke turning your head to back out of your driveway as you do seeing your chiropractor. Chiropractic does not cause the damage to the arteries. The damage is already present when these unfortunate patients go to see their doctor.

Unfortunately, popular media has sensationalized the association between chiropractic manipulation and stroke. This assertion is anything but correct. The Task Force mentions chiropractic as a suitable treatment for neck pain. Chiropractic care can help with many disorders arising from the neck including neck pain and headaches. Chiropractic is safe and yes, we are real doctors who have extensive training in the treatment and diagnosis of the spine and extremities.

The Truth About Carpal Tunnel

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) has become a very popular diagnosis for anyone who is experiencing wrist or hand pain with or without numbness and tingling. The problem with that particular diagnosis is that it can be wrong...a lot of the time. I have seen many patients in my office with pain in their forearm or their entire hand and they claim they have been diagnosed (or self diagnosed) with carpal tunnel syndrome.

CTS affects a very specific part of the wrist and the hand. Those affected with CTS will get pain in the wrist and numbness and tingling in ONLY the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger closest to the middle finger. The pinky is NEVER affected in CTS (see picture to left). The median nerve is the main nerve affected in CTS. If you hold your arms at your side, with your palms facing out, the median nerve runs down the outside of your arm. In CTS, the median nerve gets trapped or "pinched" in the bones of the wrist. The median nerve actually travels through a gap or "tunnel" in the wrist bones called the Carpal Tunnel to supply information and sensation to the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger.

Nerves carry information and signals away from the spine. If the median nerve is pinched or trapped in the wrist, it will not send pain into the forearm, but only into the hand. For those people who are getting numbness and tingling in the upper arm, the forearm or the hand, the problem might be coming from the neck, the shoulder or even the elbow.

The good news is that chiropractic can conservatively treat pain in the arm and hand through manipulations to the spine. Even if CTS is the proper diagnosis, chiropractic care utilizing ultrasound, cold laser, exercises and adjustments to the bones in the wrist can help to diminish or eliminate these symptoms.