The first 25lbs my patients hardly noticed. But I did. Clothes got looser, I felt lighter, knees did not ache.
“You did it the right way?” a friend asked. (He meant not using Gastric Bypass, just sensible eating and exercise). I did it the right way.
How? I’ve been doing all the things I always knew… but never did.
- First I made up my mind and accepted it would take time
- Then I did Weightwatchers online. When got bored with that I’ve done other things that keep me focused on healthy eating and being active. Period.
- When I stumbled and ate junk, I got back on the horse the next day and focused. See #1.
- I look for triggers and manage them. Carbos seems to make me crave. I minimize them and no whites- white flour, white rice or processed stuff.
- I don’t deprive myself, but I taste vs. having a bowl of good stuff (that’s not good for me).
- I do vigorous exercise every 48hrs, or more often. I don’t like it but I tell myself it helps me to my goal and let’s me live longer. Its true, right?
- I try on a belt that does not fit, every day. Eventually it will, then I’ll need something else to keep me reminded not to stop.
- I surround myself with supportive people. So far 10 patients are joining me to lose 25lbs in 2010. That’s a great way to celebrate my 25th year in practice.
- I talk to myself – “I’m an athlete” I say when I walk down 5 flights of stairs instead of the elevators.
- I put my butt on the line. I told my practice I planned to lose another 25lbs. Hard to avoid doing it with hundreds of eyes watching, caring eyes by the way.
- I drink. Water, tea, iced tea – whenever I want to put something in my mouth.
- I avoid artificial anything. I stopped Splenda, stopped sodas etc. and went for whole foods, fruits and veges. Th best of the best.
- I become a bit of a pain in a restaurant. I ask for what I should have… and take some home
All of it is getting easier and I’m thrilled that patients are doing it with me. Something great to celebrate later in the year.
To be continued….
This gal needs a pillow - not a recipe for a good sleep
Symptoms of pillow problems:
- Don’t sleep well
- Wake with a sore neck or tired
- Wake with numbness and tingling in the arms and hands
- Your hand weaves it way under the pillow to support your head
- You have to scrunch up the pillow repeatedly to try to get support
Is the pillow supportive? Is it firm? Does it support your neck and head? Is it a natural fiber? If you have a funky pillow, it’s often because your neck is not comfortable – see your Chiropractor.
Pillow fit. All pillows are not created equal. A football playing 350lb linebacker needs a brick of a pillow. A petite female has much less upper body physique and requires a matching pillow to her frame.
I recommend mostly feather, 5% down pillows. We have them custom-made for the office because most stores sell air – they are not firm enough particularly if you have broad shoulders.
Position it to fit your body. Under your shoulders if you lie on you back, NOT under your shoulders if you lie on you side.
Position it to fit your bed! If the pillow is not against the headboard or the wall, it will slide out from under you in the night and not support your neck. If you want to be a few inches down the bed, use some spare pillows between the pillow you lie on and the headboard. If the pillow is not under your neck, its not supporting.
Custom-made pillows: We have them in four filling sizes (firmnesses) of hypo-allergenic 95% feather, 5% down. Our flattest pillow has more fill than the firmest you might buy at a store. Contact the office if you are interested in a top of the line pillow.
This pillow is too high
stomach sleepers twist their neck - often there is a cervical problem
Some say “things come in threes.” And I started the new year with three very severe migraine cases amongst my new patients.
Three cases*:
One is a teen with a three-year history of migraines – daily. Some last all day, some last for weeks at a time. School has become an impossibility – she is on a special home study program. This young lady has been to every expert from Orange County to Santa Barbara. After five visits (a couple twice a day) there is noticeable improvement.
A second case is a 25-year-old male in the second week o f a debilitating headache. He came to me after a week of suffering. An MRI at the ER revealed no brain abnormality. Medication has caused rebound headaches, worse than the original headache. The rebound sets in 4-6 hours after the medication is take. This patient has essentially been in bed with ice packs on his head and neck in a dark room for two weeks.
The third case is a 10-year-old girl in that was in a car accident last year. The child was thought to be “OK” but has recently developed debilitating multi-day migraines. Along with the pain in the head is pain in both feet, shins and up to th knees. X-rays, limited for the child’s age, reveal that the bones don’t line up in the neck, there is indeed ligaments that have stretched allowing pressure on the spinal cord and its supporting structures.
In all three cases, the migraines don’t just “happen”. There is prior documented trauma, to the head and neck.
What happens? Migraine research details the physiology of a migraine – there is plenty of information on the web as to WHAT happens in various types of headache. Medicine tries to interfere with that physiology. The patients mentioned above take medication for blood pressure, depression, pain, inflammation and combinations thereof. All of the medication produces various side effects that can be as challenging as the headaches, but the patient is still victim to the process.
The Chiropractic approach: says that migraine is just evidence, a symptom of a nervous system malfunction. Correct the spine, the nerves including the brain stem have less irritation… the patient’s chemistry shifts – migraines get better.
Is it possible? “TOO SIMPLE!!” some say. It is SO simple and applies to many health conditions. Chiropractic is still around because patient get better. Ask my patients that USED to have migraines several times a week that don’t have them for months or years at a time.
Is it that simple? It’s not that simple. Chiropractic for these cases has to be done right, or they can be made worse! In our office I am glad to have an instrument to help tell WHEN NOT to adjust, glad to have the Palmer and Gonstead measurement systems to help tell WHAT to adjust, and to have enough experience to pull together the information and to be able to offer the patients hope.
The patient’s role: Migraine patients have triggers. Some get to know them when they are young and include patterns, fluorescent lights, chocolate or high fat foods, to name a few. The patient has to help the process by learning their triggers at the start of care. Later, those triggers can be less of an irritant but if varies from patient to patient.
*details changed for privacy purposes.
Resolutions? Statistics show that most of us are not able to keep their resolutions for the New Year. Do we really need statistics? Most of us know the truth.
Goals and Plans: One of my patients said that her parents had her write out goals at New Years which she continues to do into adulthood. She shared that his year, 2010 she wanted to do something extra for her health each day. A serious reflection of achievable goals is more constructive with a plan to match is more constructive than a quick resolution no matter the intent.
Set-back strategy: What if there is a set-back? If you quit exercising is that a reason to give up for the year?
Check-up strategy: Plan to have a look at the plan sometime into the future. Adjust what is not working to help stay on track.
Our 25th Anniversary Goals: Amongst the goals of the year we plan to lose 25lbs this year. When I say “we” – Dr. Miller, Randi, and any patients or friends that want to join in the “fun”.
Our 25th Anniversary Lose Weight for Health weight loss plan:
- We are asking patients to pick their own strategy. They know what works for them but we’ll share a bit.
- In the office we emptied any holiday treats. Only good food is around us. We’ll do the same at home.
- We will support each other and pick up those that fall off the program. We should all do that as part of sensible goal planning. Set-backs occur.
- It begins as of their first January office visit. You can’t back date weightloss.
- They write down their loss, not their weight. We are affirming the positive.
We wish our patients, our friends and families success achieving their goals in 2010.
It is with great pride that I announce the beginning of my 25th year in practice.
I give credit that I am still in practice to those that helped me along the way:
- my late Grandfather who took my father to a chiropractor in the 40’s.
- my late Father who graduated from Palmer College, Davenport Iowa in 1955 and taught me most of what I know.
- my wife who was introduced to me by a Chiropractor friend and is always an advocate for natural healing.
- my patients who allowed me to “practice” on them for the last 25 years.
- my staff over the years who have worked alongside me.
- my community surrounding Arcadia, CA which makes for a wonderful place to live, work and belong.
We have plans for the 25th year to celebrate, to give back, to educate, and to give hope to those suffering. Check out the 25th Celebration page of this blog.
Two patients returned to my office last week, frustrated. One lives two hours away, another under an hour (much longer in bad L.A. traffic of course).
They had tried to find closer Chiropractors and both were worse. They were frustrated by the effort and expense and frustrated at the profession. I got an earful- And reasonably so.
Neither of my colleagues called to see how I had helped the patients. Granted I use X-ray measurement methods and specific adjustments – old-fashioned Chiropractic which might be difficult to describe over the phone. But it should save the new Chiropractor from starting over at least somewhat.
I hope for the New Year my profession will raise the bar, be more communicative and serve the patients better. In the meantime, my patients have long commutes.
Sciatica variations – Pain down the leg, or knee, or butt, or foot…
Classic sciatica presents as a searing pain from the low back down t he leg. Patients hobble in to our office, their face often knotted with pain. The back is usually stiff as the body tries to prevent movement near the irritated nerve.
Several spinal levels from the sacrum, up to the third lumbar nerve root i.e. at least FOUR levels from the low back can be irritated to produce pain – SEE DIAGRAM. And not just pain.
Location of the Symptoms: Anywhere along the nerve root group can be affected – it’s not a linear thing. Pain can be located in the:
Sciatic pain from various nerve roots
-
- buttock
- sacroiliac pain and stiffness
- hip
- thigh
- knee
- calf
- foot/ankle
Other Symptoms related to nerve function can include
- stiffness of joints or muscles
- weakness of joints or muscles
- imbalance of joints or muscles i.e. its easier to move one way, not another
- difficulty moving or poor coordination of muscles
- burning and tingling
- itching or a sensation of “ants” crawling on the skin
Disc bulging can be related. But biomechanical malfunction can too. Or both. The area of the spine may not bend and turn without irritating the tissues and eventually the nerves.
First response: Try Chiropractic first. I’ve seen it help in the worst cases.
Over the pre-Christmas weekend there was health related news about the Health Bill passing and two other pieces of interest to me:
- Autism now affects about 1% of children. Vaccination opponents say messing with the immune system early in life is one of the components. Others suspect nutrition, preservatives, food dies and other chemical challenges to the body.
- Cell phone dangers have not been proven to produce brain cancers in Scandinavia where cell phone are ubiquitous. But a World Health Organization study suggests there is a risk. Maine is considering written warnings (article). Opponents of cell phone use fear the emission of the signal so close to the brain can lead to increased brain cancers.
Nay-sayers respond:
- Autism type conditions are counted differently which makes the numbers larger.
- Phone company say there are still no proven dangers from cell phone use.
Dr. Miller responds:
I have concerns in both areas. If your child has autism and you were the one parent who followed the medical model and got all the vaccinations and your child reacted and developed autism… what would that be like? One of my patients had a child that reacted to vaccines and has been in an institution since he was a child.
Another patient, an all day cell phone user recently passed away from a brain cancer that was operated on several times and just kept growing. If he there was even a slight chance that we might be sensitive to the radio waves close to the brain… shouldn’t we be warned.
Assessing risks? The challenge with the news is how to think about it. How to assess the risks. It gets exhausting as proponents battle their position in the news.
The debate on Vaccines: Putting foreign substances directly into your body (vaccines)… or letting nature take its course with childhood diseases that challenge the immune system? I tell my children that these conditions strengthen their immune system though they don’t like the temporary discomfort of a flu, measles, chicken pox or the common cold. Every time a fever breaks, or they beat another cold I am glad their immune systems are working well… and I tell them so. Is this the way you think of your body when its working as created?
With vaccinations, whatever your choice, you should know ALL the risks. And at least THINK about the as yet undetermined risks.
With cell phones most people would agree that having something near your head that emits any kinds of waves may not be good for you. Even if we can’t show it or prove it yet. Our bodies’ don’t come with warning labels for who of us might get cancer. Common sense says we should use hands-free when we can and keep an eye on the debate.
I think patients understand teeth better than spines thanks to education by dentists. But tooth decay rarely kills someone; spinal decay can shorten lives. So, using the tooth analogy….
No Tooth Pain: If you go to a dentist regulalry, you can still have tooth decay without pain.
Tooth Pain: If you have a toothache you typically try to get in to dentist. You might able to use a pain-killer temporarily. But ff the bacteria, Streptococcus viridans goes into the bloodstream it has propensity for the the heart and can produce bacterial endocarditis (inflammation).
Chronic Pain: In the same way, if you have a neck ache that radiates down your arm and you think you can cope with it, you can take Advil or Vicodin and think you are OK, but you may also be on a slippery slope. The nerve may be deteriorating WITHOUT pain. But there are simple tests for various portions of the nerves. These are test conducted in the office, without specialized or expensive testing equipment.
For example the nerves in your arms:
- grip strength can test the integrity of the nerve supply to the hands and compare sides. Weakness is a sign of nerve deterioration.
- muscle resistance against the doctor’s hands can test each component of various nerves.
- reflexes check the automatic circuitry that make you pull your hand way from heat or pain. Diminished reflexes or increased reflexes indicate nerve
- pinwheel which has needles that rotate gently over the skin test sensory nerves.
- finger to finger and finger to nose test can check coordination of the arms.
- testing the neck externally for causes of radiating pain include
- movement (range of motion)
- compression and stretching
- orthopedic tests
- posture evaluation (how you hold your head naturally)
Long Term effects:
- Muscle Weakness – are your arms weaker? your hands? your legs? Sprains for no apparent reason?
- Internal Weakness – loss of bowel/bladder control, reflux, or other organ system deterioration
- Numbness or Tingling – signs of nerve irritation or deterioration
- Clumsiness or Falls – dropping things, catching a toe frequently (foot drop).
Background: Let’s back up a step. Patients with “fibromyalgia” may have also heard the following diagnoses from doctors when describing their pain as their condition worsened:
- its your age
- its in your head
- its genetic
- or a blanket statement such as “you are a woman/man/tall/short/fat/skinny/allergic/hypochondriac/sensitive to weather ” etc. etc.
These are statements that our health care providers might throw out when they don’t know what to do. For fibromyalgia there is still no cure.
Derivation: from fibro-, fibrous tissue, Gk. myo-, muscle, Gk. algos-, pain, meaning muscle and connective tissue pain i.e. ligaments and tendons (the things that hold together bones and attach muscle to bone). We would expect to feel it if we were lumberjacks, or ditch diggers… until our bodies adapted to it. And there’s the key – our body’s are supposed to adapt to use, even lack of use. But some don’t and we have pain.
Chronic Pain – NOT!: We don’t accept that condition in our office. There has to be a reason for patients to suffer. I have jackhammer operators that do not have fibromyalgia and inactive patients that do have it. It does not add up.
Secondary conditions: There is a long list of conditions that have been connected with fibromyalgia including joint stiffness, sleep disturbance, even depression. Now there is a “fibromyalgia syndrome” which includes these conditions added to the pain.
Our approach Part A: Firstly, I discount the diagnosis. I don’t care what the doctor’s have said, patients should not suffer an incurable condition expecting a lifetime of pain and its sequaelae:
- because they hurt, they don’t move as much
- because they hurt, they get depressed
- because they hurt, they get fat
- because they hurt, and don’t move, and get fat, they don’t sleep as wel
- or have normal bowel function
- or have side effects from pain medication
- or a host of other things that would happen to ANY of us if we hurt, did not move as much, took meds, gained weight and got depressed.
Our approach Part B: Chiropractic care, nutrition, movement and hope. Patients get better and the condition goes away. Chiropractic 101 still works and the body heals.
