Allergies

There are some really great "home" remedies for common seasonal allergies and with over twenty million people who suffer from these, I wanted to write a "blog" about it.  Most people get little relief from congestion with conventional medication which have common unwanted side effects.  The effects of long time allergies can cause fatigue and eventually lead to depression.  The Good News!  There are many natural remedies for combating allergies.  Neti Pots which are a salt water flush of the nasal passageway to clear pollen which is causing the allergic reaction.  Another would be eating foods containing (or a good dietary supplement with) omega-3 fatty acids such as cold water fish, flax seed or walnuts.  Allergy shots are an interesting concept, it is an injection of  small doses of the substances you are allergic to.  Although these shots are still common in the US the UK stopped using them after several adverse reactions occurred and strict limitations were imposed on them.  A simpler and healthier treatment would be local honey (try to stay withing a ten mile radius of your home for best results), which is my advice for people who suffer from seasonal allergies.  It is a natural way for your body to build up a normal immune response to the pollens instead of having a hyper-sensitivity (allergic) response to them.  Other ways of treating allergies is by acupuncture, one of the oldest for of medicine known to man dating back over two thousand years ago.  With acupuncture certain meridian points of the body are treated to again decrease the hyper-sensitivity response to the allergen.  This is a brief and very summarized overview of natural treatment's of allergies and there are many other treatment methods out there so do plenty of research and ask questions before jumping into anything where your health is concerned! 

Ounce of Prevention

The famous saying by Benjamin Franklin "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" was actually a slogan for fire prevention, although it applies to just about anything.  Since your health is your most important asset it only makes sense to take care of yourself.  I hear excuses all the time about why people don't take care of themselves.  The truth is people that take care of themselves have a better "quality" of life.  Some common conditions of people who don't take care of themselves are, obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease just to name a few.  All of which are preventable with proper diet, exercise and good mental health. Maintaining your health is the easiest way to stay healthy!  Once your health has deteriorated it is very time consuming and expensive to get back to good health! So it makes sense to take the necessary steps now to stay in good health.  Zig Ziglar said "you don't pay the price for good health, you enjoy the benefits of good health".  Meaning by exercising, eating right and proper maintenance of your spine and joints, you enjoy the benefits of being able to do things that people who don't take care of themselves cannot do. Chiropractic, acupuncture and massage are essential natural treatments you can use to enhance your healthy lifestyle.

Headaches and Natural Pain Relief

To keep this brief I will focus on the three most common types of headaches – tension headaches, cluster headaches and migraine headaches.

Tension Headaches

These are the most common type of headache. They may occur frequently as a result of physical or emotional stress. They most likely occur when the muscles that cover the skull contract, causing pain.

• Symptoms of tension headaches include:
• Dull, steady mild to moderate pain
• Described by some as a band of pressure that circles around the head, with more intense pain above the eyes
• There are no particular pattern or warning signs
• May be more common during middle age as a result of stresses that are common in this age group

Cluster Headaches

These are a type of common chronic headache that often occur at the same time(s) of the day for several weeks, months or even years at a time.  Cluster headaches are far more common in men than in women and usually occur in from the ages of 20 - 40.
Symptoms of a cluster headache include:

• Severe, sharp and steady pain on one side of the head
• Usually occurs 2 to 3 hours after falling asleep during REM stage of sleep
• Worst pain lasts 15 minutes to 3 hours
• Eye and nose on same side as pain may be affected; eye may redden, tear or swell and nose may become stuffy or runny

Migraine Headaches

Migraines are the second most common of the primary headaches; they affect children as well as adults; in childhood the ratio of males to female sufferers is about equal while migraines are more prevalent in adult women.


Symptoms of a  migraine headache include:

• Throbbing pain on one side of the head only
• May be preceded by an aura or some type of visual disturbance,
• Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, loss of appetite, weakness and/or sweating are common

Natural Treatment for headaches include several types of herbs, one of the most common would be Feverfew.  Chiropractic has shown great results treating all three of the above mentioned headaches.  A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, involved 218 headache sufferers who received either chiropractic care or drug therapy or both. Initially, there was a 40 – 50% reduction in pain in all three groups. However, four weeks after all care ended, only those who had chiropractic care still had the full benefit of their relief, while those who had received drug therapy lost about half of their improvement.

Another study, conducted at Duke University, compared chiropractic care with drug therapy (using the drug amitriptyline). Both treatments had similar short-term effects on tension headache pain; however, amitriptyline caused adverse side effects in 82% of the study participants.  The more impressive findings were noted after all care was discontinued. Patients who had received drug therapy returned to the state they were in prior to the study. However, patients who had received chiropractic care continued to benefit from a significant decrease in headache frequency and severity, even when chiropractic care was discontinued.  The conclusion to this study is that chiropractic care actually corrects the cause of the problem instead of masking the symptoms.

Remarkable results for sure and the same results that occur every day in our practices. No healthcare provider can guarantee these same results for every patient, but our practice can show you testimonials from all types of headache sufferers that reaffirm the efficacy of safe, natural chiropractic care.

Arthritis Pain

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis so I am going to focus on it for this Blog. Osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown of the cartilage due to abnormal wear on the joints, causing them to rub together.  Abnormal wear may be caused by an imbalance of muscles supporting the joints or inactivity causing muscles to become less elastic and increasing pressure to a certain area of the joint instead of equally across it.  It may also be caused by an old injury that was never addressed or treated.  Exercise is essential for people who suffer from arthritis even though most shy away from exercise due to the pain it initially causes.  Movement increases the flow of nutrients into the joint space and forces out waste products stuck in the joint when no motion is introduced.  It is better to wait until the painful flare ups have subsided before a work out program is initiated, but once you have a noticeable decrease in pain should become apparent.  You should always consult with your physician before beginning an exercise program although some of the best exercise is low impact.  Walking, cycling, yoga, tai chi and water aerobics are all great ways to exercise and loosen overly tight musculature.  Activities of daily living is not enough because the joints have to be taken through full range of motion on a daily basis, in fact stretching first thing in the morning and before you go to bed will bring the most noticeable decreases in pain and stiffness in the morning and throughout the day.  Make sure no pain or burning is noticed while stretching as it may be causing more damage to the joint and as you stretch more and more the pain free range of motion should increase.  Thanks for taking the time to read and you can email with any questions or comments.

Cold Weather and Aches/Pains

As we get older those of us who have abused our bodies in any way seem to feel the repercussions of our actions especially during cold/wet weather.  When our muscles get cold they tend to contract compressing joint spaces and actually causing fatigue and tension in our problem areas.  Movement/staying active is a great way to keep the muscles loose and will help decrease the amount of weight added on by Holiday feasts!  Stretching is also another great way to keep muscles stretched and warmed up which will also prevent injury preventing future aches/pains.