We do not often consider that a healthy personal lifestyle – relating to fitness and nutrition – has an impact on the environment and the global biosphere. But our personal choices and actions do matter. Our life-affirming choices to get fit, be fit, and eat right affect everyone and everything around us. How you get to work is a perfect example.

Of course, most of us drive to work, as it is a lifetime habit, and we don’t even think about it. But, driving always produces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – every gallon of gas burned pumps 17 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Biking to work and walking to work are fitness-promoting activities that have a double benefit.1,2 You are exercising on your workdays and you’re actively helping to reduce GHG emissions and stabilize the Earth’s climate.

If it’s too far to walk or bike to your place of employment, arrange to car pool with co-workers and walk or bike to their house on the days when you’re not the designated driver. Planting a garden or participating in the activities of a community garden is a health-promoting action step that has a triple benefit.

First, you’re producing or helping to produce foods that are grown locally. Foods consumed in the United States travel an average of 1500 miles to reach your local supermarket. Foods grown locally eliminate almost all of the fossil fuel resources required to transport non-local items.

Second, you are adding really fresh vegetables to your family’s diet, providing vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals required for abundant good health.

Third, gardening is exercise – the kind of exercise people used to get when they did not sit in chairs at desks all day long.

The benefits of health-promoting activities keep on coming.3 For the most part, healthy people don’t wind up in the local hospital emergency room. Resources saved include fossil fuels burned by high-speed ambulances, fossil fuels burned to produce electricity used to power life-saving medical devices, and energy utilized to produce the vast amounts of medical supplies consumed in an emergency procedure, including syringes, IV set-ups, and towels, wipes, and disinfectants.

To be a healthy individual as a member of a healthy family has a huge multiplying effect. Your chiropractor knows that all body systems are deeply interconnected and must work together to produce good health. So too are the many different living systems that make up Planet Earth. Your chiropractor can provide you with detailed information about good nutrition and good exercise that can help make a real difference in your health and the health of your community.

1Villegas R, et al: The cumulative effect of core lifestyle behaviours on the prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia. BMC Public Health 13(8):210, 2008 2Christie BR, et al: Exercising our brains: how physical activity impacts synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus. Neuromolecular Med 10(2):47-58, 2008 3Booher MA, Smith BW: Physiological effects of exercise on the cardiopulmonary system. Clin Sports Med 22(1):1-21, 2003

For additional information on health and nutrition please contactDr. Jason Fowlerwww.lakestlouisdc.com

Normally, a protruding disc can lead to herniated discs.

Phrases such as prolapsed, ruptured or slipped disc may be used to describe this condition. Other phrases include protrusion, bulging disc, sciatia, pinched nerve, disc degeneration or disease, degenerative disc disease and black disc.

This condition can affect any disc but the lumbar and cervical discs are most commonly affected. Lumbar is more common of the two and results in pain in the lower back, leg pain, pain in the thighs, buttocks, foot or toes. Numb and tingle sensations are often felt throughout the legs and even into the feet. A slight burning sensation may also be felt in the hips and legs.

The thirties and forties is the time when most people are likely to suffer from herniated discs. The nucleus of the disc is still a soft substance that begins to dry during the out at later in life. When the nucleus dries out completely, the chances of this condition decrease significantly.

Cervical herniations happen in the neck. Indications can affect the back of the neck, skull, scapula, shoulder girdle, shoulder, hand and arm.

Herniations in the thoracic discs rarely occur because of stability. However, the symptoms are like those from neck and back herniations.

Everyday wear and tear from lifting or sitting can result in herniated discs. Traumatic injury to lumbar discs most often happens from improper lifting. Minor and chronic back pain or fatigue is a sign of normal wear and tear that makes it more likely that herniation will occur. A straight spine equalizes internal pressure. Lifting and sitting shifts that pressure.

Diagnosis of a herniated disc can be done by a doctor using the history, phyical exam and symptoms. Further testing may be needed to rule out other possibilities such as spondylolisthesis, tumors, degeneration, metastases and possible space-occupying lesions.

Procedures that may be used to rule out or confirm injury include x-ray, CAT scan, MRI, myelogram, and EMG/NCS.

Most injuries to the disc will heal within six weeks on their own.

If pain persists, anti-inflammatory treatment may be prescribed. They should not be used for long term treatment. Steroid injections into the back can also be an option because of the short term pain relief. Physical therapy may also be recommended in combination with other treatments.

Other treatment options are chiropractor visits, weight loss, massage therapy, physical therapy or bed rest.

Surgery should be a last resort treatment.

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The statistics are alarming. Sixty-five percent of Americans –0 million in 2001 – are overweight. Fifteen percent of American children are overweight (up from four percent only 20 years ago). Health care costs related to overweight Americans has ballooned to $117 billion (that’s billion) in 2003. And the numbers keep going up. The scales do not lie.

And yet, diet and weight-loss books fill our nation’s bookstores. Low-carb diets. High-protein diets. The cabbage soup diet. The grapefruit diet. The raw foods diet. Most people we know have tried one or more of these. The new diet works for a while, then we can’t take the deprivation any longer and break the diet. Then, horrifyingly, all the weight we lost comes right back, and we’re right back where we started. Or possibly even a few pounds heavier. The very good news is that a real, long-lasting solution exists. The basics of this healthy approach to long-term weight loss have been known for decades. This solution is not a diet. It doesn’t have a catchy name. There are, though, a few “magic” secrets to this food plan that works.

“Secret” Number 1 – eat six small meals throughout each day, separated by 2.5 to 3 hours “Secret” Number 2 – combine protein and carbohydrates in each meal “Secret” Number 3 – drink plenty of water (eight to ten glasses) throughout the day “Secret” Number 4 – eat two portions of vegetables each day “Secret” Number 5 – take one day off each week (a “free” day) and eat whatever you want, whenever you want Why combine protein and carbohydrate at each meal? This critical combination feeds our muscles by providing the amino acids (from protein) necessary to build and maintain muscle tissue, and the carbohydrate needed to shuttle the amino acids into the cells. If the carbs are not there the protein doesn’t get used. There’s also a human performance benefit – eating balanced meals enables better cognitive/mental function. So we’re not only getting healthier on this food plan, we’re getting smarter!1

Why eat six times a day? Studies have shown this approach results in a faster metabolic rate, a lower percentage of body fat, and reduced “bad” cholesterol levels, all while maintaining lean muscle mass.2,3 Each meal contains approximately 300 calories (proteins and carbohydrates in each meal are in “portion” sizes). That’s it! This sensible, easy approach to food allows you to eat everything – there are no restrictions. And, on your free day you can indulge, or not, letting your natural instincts guide you.

1Fischer K, et al: “Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning.” Physiol Behav 75(3):411-423, 2002 2Jenkins JD, et al: “Nibbling vs. gorging: metabolic advantages of increased meal frequency.” NEJM 321(14):929-934,’89 3Verboeket WP, et al: “Influence of feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.” Eur J Clin Nutr 43(3):161-169,’91

For additional information on health please contact Dr. Jason Fowler Dr. Jason Fowler

So back pain is not a good thing. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to remedy your back problems, as well as prevent future back pain.

Kyle Reilly, staff researcher for a Reno Chiropractic Clinic, counsels patients that most ailments can be helped by regular exercise. And an ailing back in no exception. But you have to be careful. If your back is currently weakened or racked with pain, the wrong type of exercise and movement could exasperate the problem. So consider only exercises that do not cause too much strain or put too much of a load on your back. Not only will they improve your general health, but being more fit should help alleviate a lot of you aches and pains, including back pain. Paying particular attention to strengthening the muscles around your core, especially your abdominals, can be exceptionally helpful.

Staff at the Reno Chiropractic Clinic recommends losing a few extra pounds can also be very beneficial in easing back pain. Extra pounds can put added stress and strain on your joints and muscles, including your back muscles. Drop the weight and you will often experience a significant reduction in pain and discomfort.

Did your parents ever say, “stomach in, chest out, shoulders straight?” Well, they had a point.Turns out they were right on target. Whether sitting or standing, improper posture can put a strain on your back. Pay attention to your posture a few times a day and you can quickly find yourself feeling a lot better.

One of the easiest ways to injure back is to lift heavy objects improperly. All of those people who have told you to lift with your legs knew what they were talking about. Let your legs do most of the heavy lifting. Bend at the knees and simply carry the object up in your arms. Don’t use your back to make the lift. And, if you have to lift something really heavy, don’t try to do it alone. It is better to ask for help lifting than to ask for help to seek medical attention. Not only will this protect your back, this can prevent many other mishaps, like dropping and damaging an expensive item.Ask for help and save your back.

Prevention and simply lifestyle changes can make a world of difference in the quality of your life if you are suffering from back pain. Be wise. Ask for help, lose weight, and be kind to your body.

Stop by our Reno Chiropractic site for more articles and information about how to prevent back pain.

Most recently, and quite dramatically, vitamin D has been strongly associated with reduced cancer risks, preventing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, preventing cardiovascular disease, and even helping to prevent diabetes.2 Vitamin D seems to be a one-stop shop for helping combat many serious chronic diseases, and yet vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States.3 Very few foods are natural sources of vitamin D. The primary source of vitamin D for humans is sunlight – sunlight causes cells in the skin to produce vitamin D.

But most of us don’t spend enough time outside to get sufficient sunlight to provide us with our normal daily requirement of vitamin D. Supplementation is needed, in the form of fortified foods such as milk and in vitamin/mineral tablets. Interestingly, meeting our vitamin D and calcium daily requirements is only one step on the road to healthy, strong bones. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from the intestinal tract. Also, vitamin D helps bone cells utilize calcium to build new bone. But in adults, new bone will only be built if there’s a need for it. Mechanical stress causes the body to produce new bone – and the best source for this kind of bone-building mechanical stress is exercise.

Yes, the E word. It is not enough to passively swallow a bunch of supplements every day. We need to exercise regularly to get the most out of the nutrition we’re providing our bodies. When we exercise – particularly when we do strength training and other gravity-resisting activities such as running, walking, and bicycling – our bodies react not only by building new muscle but by building new bone as well. This response follows a physiologic principle known as Wolff’s Law – bone remodels along lines of physiologic stress.

Put another way, bone responds to mechanical challenges by building more bone. The result is more dense, stronger bones. Such bones are significantly less likely to fracture. And. logically, exercise helps prevent loss of bone mass, a primary cause of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and older adults. Chiropractic health care helps provide assistance to these metabolic processes. All of our metabolic activities are directed by signals from the nerve system. Our nerve impulses tell our cells when to start and when to stop these complicated biochemical processes. Chiropractic care helps ensure proper flow of information throughout the nervous system, helping us maintain optimal physical health and well-being. Your chiropractor is an expert in nutritional health and will be able to recommend a program and plan that will be right for you.

1Lins P: Vitamin D physiology. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 92)1:4-8, 2006 2Cavalier E, et al:Vitamin D: current status and perspectives.Clin Chem Lab Med 47:1, 2009 3Holick Me, Chen TC: Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr 87(4):10805-10865, 2008

For more information on health please contact Dr. Jason Fowler at Dr. Jason Fowler

It is better to get your headaches cured naturally than to keep taking prescribed or non prescribes pain relief. Over time such tablets and other forms of medication do not work as well and some sorts have even been shown to cause addiction meaning that when taken off them, the person is back to the initial problem.

When you suffer in this way and people around you do not understand you may feel that you are the only person who is like this, or that you are going out of your mind. You know that your pain descriptions are not an exaggeration but people shun what they cannot see or explain. There are 28 million sufferers in the US alone, and of these people many cannot work or find that they are constantly being disciplined or having to take unpaid leave while they recover.

This can take days after a bad attack and if it keeps repeating their employer will lose sympathy and you could lose your position.

This means that they will be out of work and unable to earn the money they need to enable them to pay bills and look after themselves and any family they may have. This can cause stress not only to the person but also to those around them. This has in the past even broken up relationships.

Why not see a Kennewick chiropractor so that you are able to get your problem solved near to your own home. This is a tried and tested method that has meant many people are able to live pain free in a way that they have not been able to before. It will give you a whole new lease of life to be able to do the things you have always wanted to.

If you have ever suffered from a headache or migraine then you will know that besides the pain it can also mean nausea and the fatigue that comes when it eventually goes. Kennewick Chiropractor will help to naturally alleviate headaches. More info now on http://www.painrelief-now.com

What does it take to be an informed patient? An informed patient is one who can participate in a meaningful way and not be merely the passive recipient of the doctor’s instructions and recommendations.

The first key is to identify a doctor – a chiropractor or family physician, depending on the circumstances – in whom you have confidence. Here are a few essential points you should consider:

The doctor has spent time with you on the first visit. The doctor has focused on you, and has not been distracted by all the other things happening in the office. The doctor has satisfactorily answered all your questions. The doctor’s recommendations are clear, and you understand what the next steps are going to be.

The questions you ask are not just to keep talking and capture more of the doctor’s time spent with you. An informed patient does some preparation – some homework – before the actual office visit. The Internet offers a lot of valuable information on both chiropractic and medical treatment. And, it is important to remember that not all information is accurate and authoritative – consider the source of the “information”.

You should consider the author’s background and affiliations. Consider the potential for bias. Is the site itself up-to-date – for example, are there “dead links” on the site.

Do your best to evaluate the doctor’s recommendations. First, what are the expected results? How quickly should you begin to feel better? Are there potential side-effects of the recommended treatment? What are the alternatives?

Alternatives may include other forms of therapy within the doctor’s office and may also include consultation with another specialist. The main point is not to be left with a confusing array of choices. Have enough information to go forward with a treatment plan that makes the most sense, both to your doctor and to you.

If a prescription is involved, make sure you write down the exact spelling of the medication and the exact dosage and frequency. Prescriptions are usually scribbled, and both doctors and pharmacists can make a mistake. Don’t let your doctor simply hand you an illegible piece of paper. Insist on ensuring that you understand what is being prescribed, and be sure to ask your doctor about potential side effects, risks, and interactions with any other medicines you may be taking.

As in all relationships, the doctor-patient relationship is based on clear communication and mutual trust and understanding. You can help your doctor help you by being an informed patient and participating in the decision-making process.

1Informed Consent. “Ethics in Medicine”. University of Washington School of Medicine. http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/consent.html#ques1 2″Be an active healthcare consumer”. Agency for Healthcard Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/path/beactive.htm

For more information on wellness feel free to contactDr. Jason Fowler www.lakestlouisdc.com

A chiropractor is a health care practitioner that is sought out as an alternative health care provider. The job of the chiropractor entails diagnosing and treating any health problem that is associated with your muscular, nervous, and/or skeletal system. A chiropractor must be licensed in the state for which he is working in.

If you have never visited a Chiropractor, then here is what you can expect. When initially seeing a chiropractor you will be asked questions and examined for any problems that you are experiencing. Most likely x-rays and lab tests will be conducted.

The chiropractor will look for the main causes of the problems that you are reporting. Tests are used to further validate or invalidate the input you provide. A chiropractor is interested in restoring your spine back to it fullest healthy condition.

The main role of the chiropractor is to get everything working correctly again. They may use their hands to provide a variety of treatments. Typically, they use manual force against a joint to move the part beyond it normal range. By using some forms of pressure, the chiropractor will make adjustments to alignment of your spine.

Most people are familiar with the concept of a chiropractor making adjustments. Unfortunately, many perceive this to be a painful process. Although you may hear a loud popping sound when the adjustment is done, the treatment is not painful, but actually relieving. The adjustment helps to realign the bones of the spine which takes undue stress off of a few key vertebrae.

Chiropractors use also work on the soft tissue that surrounds and supports the spine. These are the tendons and muscles that also need some therapy to help restore them. Popular treatments are electro-stimulation and massage therapy.

If the doctor recommends electrical stimulation, then the patient is hooked up to a machine that gives electrical pulses via strategically placed electrodes. Low voltage electricity is used to stimulate the muscles which helps them to relax and restore flexibility.

Massage therapy is a therapeutic treatment used for the muscles. Massage chairs provide a range of massage treatments and can be used to target a general area or can be used for full body relaxation. Massage chair therapy helps to relax the muscles and to increase their flexibility.

The use of medications or surgery is not used in the chiropractic practice. If the chiropractor feels that this is necessary for your condition, he or she will direct you to a physician. The goal of the chiropractor is to get your body to be able to sustain is healing process in a natural way.

Doctors of chiropractic medicine are holistic health practitioners. They are examining the symptoms and then work to determine the root cause. Once they know where issues are originating, then they will develop a treatment for your situation. The most common treatments are adjustments, massage chair therapy and electro-stimulation.

As with any possible medical condition, it is always best to obtain advice from your health care provider. They can provide you the best options for your situation. If you are interested in natural therapies, then mention this to your doctor so they recommend what is best for you.

If you suffer from back or owe yourself toer pain, then you owe yourself to find out more about Massage Chair Therapy and how you can relieve tightness and stiffness. Find out about the best massage chairs by viewing our Massage Chair Reviews for the perfect chair.

Benson is not alone. It is estimated that 28 million Americans suffer from migraines. As anyone who experiences these intense headaches can tell you, they can be extremely debilitating. Acute pain, possible visual disturbances and nausea, as well as sensitivity to light, sounds and odors can render a person incapable of going about everyday responsibilities, much less performing complicated tasks like surgery.

In order to cope, Dr. Benson has used Ibuprofen and heat to manage the pain, but sometimes it doesn’t work. “I used to keep a preloaded syringe of Toradol [a strong, anti-inflammatory pain reliever] in my medicine chest,” he admits, “because once my headaches get really bad, I get nauseated and can’t take anything by mouth. It saved having to go to the ER.”

Having trained as an M.D., Benson confessed that chiropractic treatment wasn’t in his knowledgebase or on his immediate list of pain-relieving measures. In fact, if he had not been visiting his brother, a doctor of chiropractic, when a bad migraine hit, he may never have received chiropractic care. “The Ibuprofen didn’t work, so my brother offered to examine me and adjust my neck,” he says. “When you’re in pain, you’re willing to try anything.” Within 10 to 15 minutes of the adjustment, his migraine had disappeared.

It is likely that Benson’s body reacts to stress by tensing muscles around the cervical joints in the neck, causing nerves in his neck to become impinged and triggering his migraines. Chiropractic adjustment alleviates this pain by relaxing muscles and promoting a full range of motion in the neck, allowing the headache to subside. And Benson’s positive experience isn’t uncommon. Recent studies at Duke University found that spinal manipulation was almost always immediately effective in relieving headaches originating in the neck and provided longer-lasting relief than commonly prescribed pain medications.

Benson’s migraines probably won’t go away completely without substantial lifestyle changes- changes that could be tough to implement with his profession. Once migraines are an established pattern, they are very difficult to get rid of, explains his brother. But he can work to minimize them with chiropractic care- a solution that doesn’t carry the potential side-effects of over-the-counter and prescription pain medication. Whenever a potentially incapacitating migraine hits and Benson gets an adjustment from his brother, “It always works,” he says.

For more information on chiropractic feel free to contact Dr. Jason Fowler www.lakestlouisdc.com

In order to fight against various uncomfortable ailments, it may be very useful to find a chiropractor who has been trained to offer you with the relief you need Of Course, it is essential to find a professional chiropractor.

Chiropractic therapy is often related to as an alternative treatment that specifically treats the human structure, specially its painful parts. It implies that those with a peculiar persistent pain can get relief by undergoing a chiropractic treatment. The main areas of interest of a chiropractor are spine, ligaments, tendons and muscles. A professional chiropractor is made to do various things to help patients. As a matter of fact a qualified chiropractor has had professional training to help people getting rid of pains. It’s not unusual for a chiropractor to act in liaison with other treatment as prescribed by a physician.

Simultaneous application of chiropractic treatment and other remedial measures can prove very effective to get relief from pains. Chiropractors know how to ‘listen’ to a patient’s body thru the symptoms only they recognize. Besides the prescriptions of a practitioner of medicine, a chiropractor knows to examine a sufferer in his own way, using his specially developed skills. These health care providers often use different diagnostic tools to adequate chiropractic treatment for each patient. In addition, they try to find the balance between valuable clinical data and intuitive details.

Chiropractic practices have been known to mankind since thousands of years when it was realized that there definitely was a direct correlation between general state of health and the state of human spine. However, spine began to be treated aptly by application of contemporary tools and methods in the 19th century.

Sometimes your personal physician may advise you to have chiropractic treatment and you will be required to look for a competent professional to improve your medical status. It will not be out of place to add here that sessions with a chiropractor are quite expensive but worthwhile to get the much needed relief.

Every chiropractor uses different techniques and tools to relieve the patient and the expense of his services would often depend upon the approach he takes. Some of the common practices adopted by a chiropractor are massages and heat or hydrotherapies. Moreover, the nature and the extension of the treatment will be essential when the chiropractor evaluates the price for the treatment.

You may be aware that a majority of insurances do not offer any compensation for being treated by a chiropractor. However, the profits it offers will be surely worth paying the cost.

Human body has some natural remedial capacity and chiropractors know how to tap that for an overall healthy body that keeps the pains at bay. Chiropractors understand how this natural power present in a human body can be directed to provide the strength needed to make it function without causing any pain. With the help of this inherent power, these incredible health care providers will be able to provide the best support for any other type of therapy.

Chiropractic treatment principally deals with the treatment and prevention of body pains particularly the spine. Please visit our site about chiropractor to know more about it. You can also visit our site about general health care, for a healthy living.