What Exactly Is Whiplash?

When you think of whiplash, most people immediately think “car accident.” But a fall or many types of repetitive movement may also cause whiplash. Sometimes the symptoms from whiplash take days or even weeks to manifest themselves, but the damage it causes can last for years.

What exactly is whiplash? It’s a condition in which the joints in the back of the neck, joints that usually slide easily over one another, are forced together, causing damage to the nerves, discs, ligaments and muscles all around them.

The symptoms? Generally, these include headaches, dizziness, neck and arm pain, decreased attention span, an inability to focus and fatigue. These symptoms can be both very painful and downright debilitating to the whiplash sufferer.

It helps to come into our practice immediately for a thorough examination if you have been involved in an accident and suspect that you might be the victim of a whiplash injury. The earlier you establish the proper intervention, via chiropractic adjustments, the better your chances for a full recovery.

Of course, chiropractic adjustments also help older whiplash injuries, but recovery is usually slower and care during the acute phase generally takes longer.

We manage whiplash injuries with careful and precise neck adjustments, sometimes ice and rehabilitative exercises that are designed to address the injured neck and shoulder muscles and joints. This has been shown to be very effective in managing the symptoms of whiplash, particularly the headaches that often accompany this type of injury.

Visit www.atlanticchirofl.com for more info!

Spinal Curves, What Do They Mean?

When you think of your spine, do you think of a straight row of bones that go from the bottom of your brain to the bottom of your back? In reality, the spine is made up of four different curves that provide balance and flexibility to your body and help prevent injury. These curves also allow the spine to support 10 times more weight than it could if the curves were missing! You can more easily see these curves when you view a model of the spine from a side view.
The four types of spinal curves are:

• Cervical Lordosis – A backward “C”-shaped curve located in the upper part of the spine. This curve helps to keep your head from moving too far forward. Neck pain usually results when there is any type of significant loss to this curve.
• Thoracic Kyphosis – The “C”-shaped curve of the upper and mid back, comprised of 12 vertebrae
• Lumbar Lordosis – The five vertebrae of the lower back that are also in the shape of a backward “C.” This area of the spine faces backward when seen from the side.
• Sacral Kyphosis – The sacrum is a triangular-shaped bone at the base of the spine, between both hip bones. It is also a “C”-shaped curve.

As a pre-born baby develops, it has only one type of spinal curve, the kyphotic “C”- shaped curve. As an infant’s motor skills begin to develop, the baby learns to hold its head up, sit, crawl, stand up and walk – all causing significant muscle development and allowing more weight to be shifted to the spine. This also begins the development of the additional spinal curves.

It is important that these curves be properly maintained to balance your body and to avoid pain and injury. Proper lifting requires that you bend at the knees, instead of at the waist, to keep your spine from straightening.

Of course, regular chiropractic check ups and adjustments help to maintain your proper spinal curves. In addition, there are specific products, such as cervical pillows, that also help to keep spinal curves in place and keep you out of pain! Call our office for an appointment today!  (386) 492-4881 or www.atlanticchirofl.com

What Color Should Pee Be?

The normal color of urine is a straw-colored, pale yellow. But what does it mean if you experience urine that’s a different color? There are many reasons for changes in urine color – illness, certain foods, supplements, dehydration –all may cause changes in the urine color.


Some reasons for changes in the color of your urine include:



• Red Urine – May be a sign of blood in the urine (requires further investigation as to the cause which may be one of many), eating certain foods, beets, blackberries, food dyes, medications, or a urinary tract infection.

• Green Urine – May be caused by eating asparagus or other foods and by artificial coloring in medications or food.

• Orange Urine – May be caused by eating rhubarb, laxatives with Senna, bile in urine or dehydration.

• Cloudy Urine – May be caused by a bladder infection, certain kidney conditions, different types of food or drinks, normal vaginal secretions or an abnormal vaginal discharge, kidney stones or prostatitis.

• Blue Urine – Generally results from artificial coloring in foods or medications.

• Purple Urine – Indicates urine from alien or extraterrestrial origin. (Just joking!)

 • Clear Urine – Often the result of proper hydration and good health.

Whenever you experience urine of a different color that gives you cause for concern, and you are certain that it is not related to eating a particular food or taking medication that is artificially colored, you should seek the counsel of a health care professional to rule out any serious condition or illness that may require further treatment.

In the meantime, be sure to drink plenty of water. Water “flushes” impurities out of your system and keeps your “motor” running! Regular visits to our practice also keep your immune system operating at peak capacity to help you fight off many of the causes of disease.

www.AtlanticChiroFL.com

Don't Fear The Fever!

Most people automatically think that a fever is something bad that should be lowered as quickly as possible.
Not so fast!

It's important to remember that by itself a fever isn't an illness. It's usually a symptom of some underlying problem. Often, it's a natural way the body responds to fight viral and bacterial infections. Rushing in to artificially lower the body's temperature can actually serve to lengthen the time it takes the body to do the needed work.

Most fevers are usually not cause for concern until they reach a temperature of 104° F (40° C) and only then if the fever lasts for three days or longer.  That said, it doesn't mean you should ignore a fever and take a cavalier attitude. A fever means the body is in a battle and has "set the thermostat a bit higher," using temperature to help subdue the enemy. Careful you don't throw open the doors and windows and force it to work even harder. More helpful would be a chiropractic adjustment or two!

Call us today, and let us help you feel the best you have ever felt!
(386) 492-4881
www.atlanticchirofl.com

That Spare Tire Around Your Middle Can Be Hazardous to Your Health!

Pot belly. Spare tire. The middle age spread. These are just a few of the endearing names bestowed to the extra layer of fat that accumulates around the abdomen. But aside from the amusing nicknames, this type of fat is a serious danger. Unlike fat that appears on other parts of your body, belly fat increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea and some types of cancer.

Subcutaneous fat is the jiggly fat that rests between your skin and abdominal wall. Visceral fat is the next layer and surrounds your internal organs. Visceral fat is biologically active. It produces an excess of hormones, which increase the risk of insulin resistance - a key factor in type 2 diabetes. This hormonal imbalance puts women at higher risk of breast cancer. And visceral fat boosts inflammation throughout your body. Your chiropractor can tell you how inflammation is closely tied to numerous diseases and health conditions.

Why does belly fat affect so many people? Genetics play a role, so you may see the problem from one generation of a family to the next. Hormone fluctuations in the body can increase fat. After menopause, hormonal changes in women cause fat to gather more in the belly than hips or legs. As you age you lose muscle mass and your metabolism slows, which makes it easier to acquire fat in the abdominal area.

Poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity are also big contributors to this problem. Our increasingly sedentary ways have unleashed an explosion of obesity across North America and other industrialized areas of the world. Our love of unhealthy fatty foods and refined carbohydrates has made it all too easy to surge the waistline well past the appropriate size.

What to do?  In our next issue we will look at ways to combat this through diet and exercise. In the meantime, talk to your Chiropractor about things you can start doing today!

  www.atlanticchirofl.com

(386) 492-4881

Your Personal Health Insurance Policy

Everyone is aware of the extremely high cost of most health care services. These costs can be measured not only in cash outlays, but also in time spent at a doctor's office. Waiting times can often be an hour or more for a comprehensive physical examination at a family physician's or internist's office. If you have a problem that requires same-day attention, the waiting time at a local hospital emergency room is open-ended and can easily range into several hours or more.

Those fortunate enough to have health insurance are able to buffer some of the monetary expenses. But even with an individual or family health insurance policy, annual out-of-pocket costs continue to rise steeply as monthly premiums, co-payments, and deductibles increase substantially year-over-year. For example, during the past five years monthly premiums for many policies have increased 15% or more annually. This means that monthly payments in 2013 would be approximately double those paid in 2008. Twice the cost for the same coverage. That's a tough situation. Of course, the fees don't stop at the monthly premium. Many policies have deductibles in the range of $5000 or more.

Thus, if we want to enjoy good financial health as well as good physical health, we might consider getting a "personal" health insurance policy. Such a "policy" requires more effort than that involved in writing a check. Your personal health insurance policy involves taking action in the two main lifestyle areas of diet/nutrition and exercise. A third lifestyle area, often ignored, involves personal well-being. This area includes building increasingly positive family relationships and friendships and developing a broader set of interests beyond one's favorite television stations and websites.

 

It is now well-established that lifestyle matters greatly to one's long-term health and well-being.^1,2 Numerous studies have shown that one in three Americans have one or more chronic diseases - diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The personal and family costs, the financial costs, and the costs to society of chronic disease are high. By establishing habits of good nutrition, regular vigorous exercise, and rewarding relationships and activities, we help prevent these major health problems.³ By engaging in healthy lifestyles, we are taking action that will reap many rewards for ourselves and our families down the years.

The only requirement to begin receiving the benefits of improved health is the willingness to get started. Even if you haven't done any regular exercise for many years, or if you can't remember the last time you ate a serving of broccoli, fennel, or kale, you can still start the journey to better health today. And if you begin, it's very possible that you'll look back after 12 months, 6 months, or even 3 months and be very glad you did.

 

 Chiropractic Care and Your Personal Health Insurance Policy

When we talk about lifestyle and good health, we usually only consider exercise and nutrition. A third area - rewarding and fulfilling relationships and interests - may be added as an afterthought. But a fourth area - chiropractic care - is in fact the key to gaining the benefits from all the other lifestyle areas and activities.
Chiropractic care focuses on how your body is doing its job. This "job" is to link harmoniously all the various separate physiological activities - to make sure all your body's systems are working well together. The responsibility for this harmony lies with the nerve system, the master system that ties together the functioning of your heart and lungs, your stomach and other digestive organs, your endocrine system, and your immune system. By identifying and correcting misalignments in the spinal column, chiropractic care helps ensure that your nerve system is functioning optimally. When your nerve system is doing its job, the rest of your body has the opportunity to produce the maximum health available. As a result, chiropractic care helps you get the most out of all your other activities and helps you gain and retain good health.

¹Thorgeirsson T, Kawachi I: Behavioral Economics: Merging Psychology and Economics for Lifestyle Interventions. Am J Prev Med 44(2):185-189, 2013

²Anderson AS, et al: Promoting changes in diet and physical activity in breast and colorectal cancer screening settings- an unexplored opportunity for endorsing healthy behaviours. Cancer Prev Res 2013 Jan 16 (Epub ahead of print)

³Mitra A, et al: Mechanistic studies of lifestyle interventions in type 2 diabetes. World J Diabetes 3(12):201-207, 2012

Atlantic Chiropractic and Wellness Center is dedicated to helping you achieve your wellness objectives.

Click here or call us at 386-492-4881 today!
www.atlanticchirofl.com

Don't Worry...Be Healthy!

Ever woken up in the middle of the night wondering how you were going to pay the bills? Then you know that a car payment or the electric bill can affect your health!
There are three types of stress: physical, emotional and chemical. Financial worries (and other anxieties) fall into the emotional stress category. And chiropractic can be helpful.



All three types of stress affect your nervous system. Like a chain that breaks at its weakest link, stress tends to show up where we are most vulnerable. Our neck. Our low back. Tightness between our shoulders. Stress can increase the frequency of headaches and compromise our ability to get enough restful sleep.


Chiropractic care, with its purpose of reducing neurological stress, can be helpful. Of course chiropractic care can't eliminate stress, but it can improve your ability to tolerate it. Regular chiropractic care now could be a wise investment for a healthier, happier and financially secure you!

Give us a call, and let us help you take that first step on the road to wellness!!!
 (386) 492-4881
www.atlanticchirofl.com