Get in the Car... Right!

Did you know that there is a proper way to get in and out of your car? Well, believe it or not, there is, and it is especially important that seniors and those who have arthritis practice these simple maneuvers to enter and exit a car safely.

• Swivel in and out – Enter the car backwards and then swing your legs into the car in front of your seat. Reverse this order to get out of the car.

 • Use the handles on the inside of the car – Generally located over the door or on the side of the door, holding on to these handles as you enter or exit the car helps you maintain your balance and gives you some leverage with which to raise and lower your body into or out of the seat.

• Use running boards – Most SUVs and trucks come with side running boards that you can step up on to get into the car. If your car is high, and you have difficulty “climbing” into your seat, think about installing them if your vehicle did not come with them.

• Use a plastic bag to cover the seat – This is an easy and rather inexpensive way to “slide” in and out of the car if you usually have difficulty. The bag slides with you!

It is important that you give yourself enough time to get to your car if you have a condition that is aggravated by getting in and out of your car. When you are in a rush, you tend to compromise your safety, which may lead to further aggravating an already painful condition.

Keep in mind too that chiropractic care keeps your nervous system running the way it is intended to and that regular adjustments often relieve the pain associated with arthritic conditions, making a ride in the car a real joyride!

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Causes and Treatment Options for Muscle Cramps

A muscle cramp can bring a jogger to his knees or elicit the fear of drowning in a swimmer; however, athletes are not the only individuals to experience a muscle cramp or spasm. According to one estimate, approximately 95 percent of people will at some time in life experience the sudden, sharp pain associated with a muscle cramp.

A muscle spasm is an involuntary contraction of a muscle, part of a muscle, or several muscles that usually act together. If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. Most people describe a muscle cramp as a feeling of tightness in the muscle; it’s not unusual to feel a lump of hard muscle tissue underneath the skin in the vicinity of the cramp. During a spasm or cramp, it may be painful, or even difficult, to use the affected muscle or muscle group.

Cramps and spasms can affect any muscle, even those affiliated with the body’s various organs; however, they are most common in the calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Cramps in the feet, hands, arms, and lower back occur frequently, as well.

Many possible causes
Common as they are and painful as they can be, a shroud of mystery surrounds the cause of muscle spasms and cramps. Some researchers believe that inadequate stretching and muscle fatigue lead to cramps. According to the University of Michigan, other possible factors include a low level of fitness, overexertion (especially in intense heat), stress, and depletion of electrolytes through excess sweating or dehydration. Certain diuretic medications can also cause cramping due to a loss of sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

Treatment of muscle spasms
Typically, muscle cramps require no treatment other than patience and stretching; medicines are not generally needed to treat an ordinary muscle cramp. Gentle and gradual stretching, along with massage, may ease the pain and hasten recovery.

When a muscle spasm or cramp is the result of an injury, applying ice packs for the first two to three days may help alleviate the pain. Spasms that last a long time may be treated with moist heat for 20 minutes several times a day.

If you tend to get muscle cramps during exercise, make sure you drink enough fluids, and, after your workout, consider a warm Epsom salt bath followed by stretching of the affected muscles. Generally speaking, water is sufficient for rehydration; however, some may find a sports drink or juice beneficial as a means to restore their body’s electrolyte balance.

If your muscle cramps are associated with a specific medical condition, keep in mind that you need to address the underlying health problem for the cramps to subside.

Tips for Prevention
As with any health condition, it is always best to prevent muscle cramps or spasms—especially if you tend to develop them. Consider altering your diet and lifestyle by incorporating the following suggestions:

• Take steps to improve your diet. Eliminate sugar and caffeine from the diet, and increase consumption of fiber and protein. In addition, remember to eat plenty of calcium- and magnesium- rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables, yogurt, legumes, whole grains, tofu, and Brazil nuts. High-potassium foods, including bananas, avocados, lima beans, and fish, may also be helpful.
• Before and after you exercise, stretch muscle groups that tend to cramp.
• Incorporate strengthening exercises into your fitness routine.
• Avoid dehydration. To prevent dehydration, consume plenty of fluids and foods high in water such as fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid excess sodium and soda (high in phosphoric acid), as they can leach calcium.
• Avoid chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol, which can interfere with magnesium absorption.
• Improve your posture. For example, you may have mid-back spasms after sitting at a computer desk for too long in an awkward position.

Vitamin E has been said to help minimize cramp occurrence. Although scientific studies documenting this effect are lacking, anecdotal reports are common and fairly enthusiastic. Since vitamin E is thought to have other beneficial health effects and is not toxic in usual doses, taking 400 units of vitamin E daily could be considered.

Discuss with your doctor of chiropractic if your cramps are severe, happen frequently, respond poorly to simple treatments, or are not related to obvious causes like strenuous exercise. These could indicate a possible problem with circulation, nerves, metabolism, hormones, medications, and/or nutrition.

If you have any questions on this or any other condition, please contact our office at (386) 492-4881, and please visit our website at www.atlanticchirofl.com!

Cold and Flu Season

Cold and Flu Season is in full swing and this year its turning out to be one of the worst seasons on record.

What's the best way to fight or prevent colds and flu?

A Healthy Immune System!

Each year, more than $1 billion is spent on over-the-counter cold and flu medications, but these products do not attack the viruses that cause a cold or the flu. They only alleviate some of the symptoms and usually bring with them side effects like drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation and insomnia.

A strong immune system is the way to attack or prevent colds and flu. Chiropractic care plays a major role in optimizing the health of your immune system.

We just added a new page to our website that explains colds and flu in more detail along with why our chiropractic care will help with colds or the flu. Please take a minute to visit by clicking on the following link:

 

Cold and Flu Relief

If you or a family member is battling a cold or the flu or if you would like to help prevent catching a cold or the flu by improving the health of your immune system, please contact us by calling (386) 492-4881 to schedule an appointment, and please visit our website anytime.

 

Yours in Health and Wellness,

The Team at Atlantic Chiropractic and Wellness Center

Proprioception - Making Your Body Smarter

We usually don't think of our bodies in terms of their being "smart." For example, we walk to the corner store without giving a single thought to the complex mechanics involved in getting there and back. But behind the scenes there's plenty going on and your body's "IQ" has a lot to do with your success in accomplishing everyday tasks.

Proprioception is one of those background physical processes that make up your body's total IQ. Proprioceptors are specialized nerve endings located in your muscles and joints that inform your brain about your body's position in three-dimensional space. You're able to write legibly because proprioceptors are sending instantaneous data about the angles of the small joints of your fingers and wrists as your pen moves across the page. You're able to run on the beach because proprioceptors are continuously sending signals to your brain about the changing shape of the uneven surface of the sand.¹

Without these specialized nerve endings, we'd never be able to hit a baseball, throw a Frisbee, or drive a car. But proprioceptors can be smart or less than that. It all depends on how well-trained they are. One person out for a stroll might trip over a crack in the pavement and suffer a badly sprained ankle. Another person might trip over the same crack, even badly turning over their ankle in the process, and keep on walking without even a trace of a limp.

The difference between injury and non-injury is the level of proprioceptor training, and this level usually is related to whether you're doing regular exercise.² Exercise trains your muscles and joints to adapt to varying kinds of stresses (weight-bearing loads) throughout a variety of positions (the full range of motion of those joints). As a result, trained proprioceptors can withstand a high degree of stress (such as a sudden twisting of an ankle). The untrained ankle, possibly the ankle of a person who hasn't done much walking, running, or bike riding in the last 5 years, will be damaged by an unusual and unexpected stress. The result is an ankle sprain of varying severity and possibly a broken ankle.

Similarly, it is well known that older adults experience more frequent falls than do younger adults. Part of the explanation involves proprioception.³ Many older adults don't engage in regular exercise. Proprioceptive function decreases, changes in level or surface aren't recognized quickly by the person's feet and ankles, and the person falls.

It's easy to see that the effort to maintain your body's IQ is time very well spent. The fastest way to boost this skill set is by doing regular exercise. All kinds of exercise provide benefit, so the best exercises are the ones that have some interest for you personally. Optimally, a person is doing both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. As always, the key to long-term health and wellness is consistency.

 

 Chiropractic Care Helps Your Body Be Smarter

Your body's awareness of where it is in three dimensions is critical to your ability to function effectively in the world. This awareness depends on proprioceptors. These specialized nerve endings are part of your nervous system - your body's master system.

Nerve signals are transmitted from proprioceptors in joints and muscles, along nerve pathways, to spinal nerves. Spinal nerves connect to the spinal cord, and from there signals are transmitted to the brain. But spinal nerves are a potential bottleneck to the free flow of information. These nerves may become irritated or inflamed, blocking accurate information from reaching the brain and accurate instructions from reaching the rest of the body.

Chiropractic care helps keep your body free of nerve interference. By correcting spinal misalignments, chiropractic care helps remove nerve interference and ensures a free flow of information from the brain, to the spinal cord, to all the body's cells, and back again. Optimal health and well-being are the result.

Please visit us at www.atlanticchirofl.com for more information on how chiropractic can help you!

¹Wong JD, et al: Can proprioceptive training improve motor learning? J Neurophysiol 2012 Sep 12 [Epub ahead of print]

²Ferreira ML, et al: Physical activity improves strength, balance and endurance in adults aged 40-65 years: a systematic review. J Physiother 58(3):145-156, 2012

³Howe TE, et al: Exercise for improving balance in older people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev  2011 Nov 9(11):CD004963.

Save Money on Your Health Care Costs

How Do We Control Health Care Costs?

As we all know, health care costs in the United States continue to increase at staggering rates. The expense of health care insurance premiums and the amount of deductibles goes up, while the amount of coverage and benefits goes down.
Recent changes to national health care laws have both employers and employees uneasy about how much more health care costs are going to rise.  For many, the costs have reached such lofty heights, they simple cannot afford it, whether they are forced to obtain health care coverage or not.

 

 

The Reason People Are Coming to Us Is Changing

For years, people have been seeking our chiropractic care as an alternative to traditional medicine after their medical care failed to resolve their health problem. After months or even years of having to endure the pain and discomfort of trial and error treatments along with a variety of different medications or surgery, people turned to us for answers. They grew tired of living with the same health problem day after day, taking expensive prescription drugs that caused all types of side effects and watching their medical bills grow.

Today, individuals and families are coming to our chiropractic clinics not only for solutions when traditional medical care has failed, but to make us their primary health care provider. They simply cannot afford traditional medical care and turned to our chiropractic care for its affordability.
While they may have came to us due to our affordability, these patients are finding they are healthier and do not get sick as often with common illnesses likes colds and flu as a result of our routine care.

The Cost of Chronic Pain

A study by Johns Hopkins University reports the annual cost of chronic pain in the U.S. is approximately $635 Billion.

How do we drastically reduce this out-of-control cost?
We believe the answer lies with chiropractic care. We focus on wellness and optimizing the human body to prevent injuries and illnesses that cause pain. Our patients who receive regular chiropractic care and follow our lifestyle guidance are simple not getting injured and sick as frequently. Therefore, they do not have to endure excessive pain. If they do become injured or sick, we help them recover quickly without the need for expensive prescription medications.

The Astonishing Cost of Back Pain

A study by the University of Washington published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports spending on back pain in the U.S. exceeds $86 Billion each year.  The study shows medical costs associated with back pain have risen 65% in the past decade, primarily as a result of prescribing more medications, increased use of expensive diagnostics tests like MRI’s and more surgeries.  A significant portion of this huge increase is the medications being prescribed for back pain. Pharmaceutical spending for back pain increased 171% during the last ten years alone.
What’s even more astonishing than the huge increase in back pain related costs is the finding in the study that people with spine problems actually felt worse!
What’s the solution for treating back pain and reducing the associated costs? Based on our experience treating thousands of patients with back pain, we believe the answer lies clearly with chiropractic care.

It’s Time to Look at Chiropractic Care as the First Option

A wide variety of research studies like the ones highlighted above show the overwhelming costs of health care today. Aside from these studies, we all feel the pain of escalating health care costs on our monthly living expenses and budgets. The traditional medical health care model has reached a point where it has priced itself out of reality. The majority of people are struggling to keep up with out-of-control health care insurance coverage and health care related expenses or they simply cannot afford health coverage and are doing without it.
It’s clear the time has come to find a better way to approach health and receive affordable health care that enables you to enjoy your life. The answer can be found in routine chiropractic care.

See How Our Chiropractic Care Can Save You Money

It’s difficult to change and many people are skeptical of chiropractic care. An alternative to traditional medical care that does not involve taking prescription medications is a little hard to swallow for many.

Education, information and interaction will help calm your fears and answer your questions. You have an opportunity each month to obtain the necessary education, receive answers to your questions and interact with the physicians at Atlantic Chiropractic and Wellness Center by attending our monthly Half Hour to Health wellness workshops.
To RSVP for these free events, simply call (386) 492-4881!


Take control of your future health and health care costs. Learn how our chiropractic care will save you and your family money.  Please visit our website to learn more, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your health or the health of your family.