Kidney Damage from Pain Relievers?

While the unintended deaths from high profile prescription drugs continue to make front-page news, there may be a far more dangerous drug problem lurking in your medicine cabinet.


Every day, millions of people take an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) for quick, easy pain relief. Because these drugs are easily accessible, there is a dangerous misperception that they are risk-free. Problems can range from mild stomach upset to stomach bleeding and ulcers. This is because NSAIDs prevent prostaglandins from doing their job of protecting the lining of your stomach. NSAIDs also prevent the body's ability to stop bleeding.



Pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are the leading cause of stomach ulcers and may cause side effects including stomach bleeding, which can be life threatening.


Prostaglandins are also essential for the proper function of your kidneys. The elderly are especially susceptible to kidney damage from NSAID use. A recent study of 114 elderly men and women who had just begun taking ibuprofen, a popular NSAID, showed that 13% were experiencing reduced kidney function. When taken in high doses, NSAIDs can permanently damage your kidneys.


Before relying on a drug, stop in for a chiropractic adjustment. Side effects include improved energy, increased vitality and enhanced well-being!  Call us today, we can help!

Facts About Fibroids

The good news about fibroid tumors is that they are rarely cancerous. The bad news is that they tend to develop during a woman’s peak reproductive years and they can affect your ability to become pregnant.
Fibroids are the most common type of tumor found in the pelvis and they are generally located in various spots in the uterus. Normally, you wouldn’t even be aware that you have them, unless they grow excessively large or cause discomfort. They rarely develop before the age of 20 and are non-existent before the onset of puberty, leading many experts to believe that they may be an adverse reaction to estrogen production. Generally, they shrink in size and in some cases can actually disappear in post-menopausal women who do not take estrogen supplements.
Pregnancy, a time when there is increased estrogen production, and the use of birth control pills that contain estrogen, may cause fibroids to grow more rapidly.
Most women with fibroid tumors experience no symptoms at all. When they do, they generally complain of pain and excessive bleeding during menstruation, which may not be noticeable at first. But then the woman’s periods may begin to last longer, and sometimes there is constant bleeding. Another symptom may be an enlarged stomach due to the stretching of the uterus that results in the intestines being pushed upward.
Fibroids are usually discovered during an annual gynecological examination when a mass may be detected. Many doctors will perform an ultrasound to properly diagnose the mass.
While hysterectomy was once the treatment of choice for fibroids, there are far less invasive alternatives. Some believe that fibroids are the result of certain trace mineral deficiencies, estrogen imbalance, inflammatory diet, obesity or the way we handle stress.
Our office has helped many women with fibroids, by restoring harmony to the nervous system through adjusting, nutritional guidance, and weight reduction.
Surgery and the use of pharmacological agents should always be the last resort for treating any health problem. Try natural, safer, less-invasive methods first!
Call us today to see if we can help you!   (386) 492-4881 or reach us at here!

Pregnancy Related Pains

Pregnancy is a time of rapid physiological changes with the most dramatic being physical. Those physical changes are often associated with pain and discomfort. For those expecting mothers who do experience pain and discomfort, the primary location is in the region of the lower back, pelvic girdle and legs.  A recent study conducted by the Spain National Health Service indicated that more than half of pregnant women experience low back pain (71%) and pelvic girdle pain (65%), and close to half (46%) experience leg pain. Results came from 61 clinicians across 5 regions in Spain consisting of 1158 pregnant women in their 31st through 38th week of pregnancy. Chiropractors have thorough training to assist with the physical pain and discomfort often associated with pregnancy. There are a number of chiropractic techniques as well as exercise and stretching regimes that can be utilized to help reduce the pain and discomfort of pregnancy and keep the future mom on track for the big day. If you're an expecting mother experiencing those pregnancy related pains and discomfort, why not consider safe, natural chiropractic care.  If you know someone who is pregnant, please refer them to our office, so we can make a healthy difference for them and their baby!  (386) 492-4881 Source: Spine: 01 August 2012 - Volume 37 - Issue 17.

The Health Costs of High Fashion

For years, women have worn high heels to add inches to their height, to make a “fashion statement” or to accentuate a long lean leg. All this fashion NONsense has wreaked havoc on women’s spines, necks, legs and backs.
Ask most women why they wear high heels and they might respond, “They complement my outfit,” or “They make me look taller.” Ask these same women if these shoes are comfortable and most will respond with a resounding “NO!” What they may not understand is that wearing these types of shoes can alter the forward curve in the spine, causing the pelvis to tip forward. This affects the body’s ability to maintain its center of gravity. Because of this, wearing high heels can actually increase your risk of falling!
When I see a woman walking down the street with high heels and a two-ton bag, I want to stop her and make her aware of what she is doing to her body.
Your legs are an important part of your musculoskeletal system. When you stand bare-footed you have the best opportunity to balance yourself. Your hamstring muscles along the back of your legs are taut and both parts of the pelvis are stabilized. But by raising your heel, you shorten and actually weaken these crucial support muscles.
Aside from all the stress you place on your spine by wearing high heels, they can also cause damage to your feet, such as corns, calluses and bunions that can last for a lifetime. They can even change the shape of your foot!
The solution? Wear flat shoes or lower heels with the proper arch support as often as possible. And if you’re concerned about the long-term effects that wearing heels may have had on your spine, mention it on your next visit.

Flax Seeds and Menopause

Several studies looked at the consumption of flax seeds and its effect on menopausal symptoms. One study
published in the Journal for the Society for Integrative Oncology (2007Summer; 5(3): 106-12) involved 30
women having at least 14 hot flashes each week. The subjects were given 40 grams of crushed flax seeds each day. Over a six week period, the women experienced a mean 57% decrease in the number of hot flashes. Subjects receiving the flax seed also experienced less joint and muscle pain, a reduction in sweating and chills, and a general improvement in the quality of life.

Another study, appearing in Family Practice News (February 1, 2005:48), was double-blind and placebo
controlled. It involved 85 women who were experiencing at least 5 episodes of either hot flashes or night sweats per day. They were randomly assigned to receive either 40 grams per day of flax seed or a placebo for three months. After the initial three month therapy, the subjects switched roles, with the placebo group receiving therapy and the initial therapy group receiving a placebo (crossover). There was a 38%
decline in the median number of hot flashes when a group was receiving the flax seed. Occurring with the decline in symptoms was an increase in enterodiol, enterolactone and other lignans found in the urine.

Other Flax Seeds and Menopause research appearing in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Preview
(October 2000;9:1113-1118) also found an increase in urinary lignans when women were supplemented
with flax seed. The flax seeds may affect estrogen levels. A study that appeared in Cancer Epidemiology
Biomarkers Preview (July 2000;9:719-725) found that supplementation with flax seed increased the ratio of the urinary excretion of 2-hydroxyestrogen and 16 alpha-hydroxyesterone. A study appearing in Gynecology
and Obstetrics Investigation (2007; 64(4): 204-207) looked at the effect vitamin E supplementation had on
hot flashes. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 51 female subjects who were given
either 400 IU of vitamin E or a placebo for a period of four weeks. They were taken off of the
supplement for a week and given it again for another four weeks. The vitamin E supplementation produced
statistically significant reduction in the number of hot flashes experienced by the group receiving the therapy.