Honolulu Chiropractor

Exactly what does the word, “vertigo, ” mean? Vertigo is a name for the dizzy disturbance a person suffers within a fixed location. The perception is that the outer world is tilting and even spinning. Vertigo might be quick and short- lived or chronic. Regardless, no matter what, the particular source of vertigo needs to be diagnosed and the proper treatment plan undertaken.

There are lots of reasons for the symptoms of Vertigo. An inner ear malady, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, will occasionally show up as the impact of a sustained head injury or intense cold. On occasion this particular vertigo may be the result of the aging process. The trigger, nevertheless, fairly often is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non- progressive condition that is a result of, as its name implies, a unexpected change in head position. The difficulties are by and large surprising and variable.

It will be facilitative to look at the function of the inner ear in an endeavor recognize what causes this frequently disabling symptoms of this type of vertigo. The brain senses movement and keeps equilibrium employing the fluid found in the inner ear. Also in the inner ear are miniature calcium carbonate crystals, medically known as otoconia. The crystals usually float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the reactive nerve endings in the inner ear, they lead to the complaints of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.

The good news is that chiropractic treatment can minimize the discomforts of BPPV very quickly and effectively using a technique called the Epley maneuver. By means of the use of this process, a chiropractor rotates the head of a BPPV victim into a number of the different positions, letting gravity shift the calcium carbonate crystals into a space of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will induce no subsequent dizziness.

Your chiropractor has aided hundreds of persons for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo using the Epley Maneuver technique. Quite often, with just one treatment the majority of patients no longer suffer from vertigo.  Call your Honolulu Chiropractor today!

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Knee X-ray

New research coming out of Tufts University School of Medicine has determined that patients 65 years of age and over who’ve been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, increased their physical capability and experienced less pain. Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that brings about a breakdown of joint cartilage. Chiropractors provide therapy for many men and women suffering from OA in a number of areas of the body, including the joints of the knee. Knee pain and disability is one of the most prevalent conditions of the musculoskeletal system, second only to spinal complaints. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are a surprising 4.3 million people in this country over 60 years of ag diagnosed with knee OA, and the CDC predicts that by age 85, half of American adults may incur symptoms of OA. Knee osteoarthritis results in pain, immobility, functional disabilities, and a reduced quality of life.

Are you wondering why so many adults develop OA? As with the majority of the musculoskeletal dysfunctions that we develop as we age, abnormal stress to a joint day after day is a major determinant. That is why as people age they are more likely to develop OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect mechanics of the knee, poor gait, compensatory foot mechanics as a consequence of foot pain, and overload of the knee joint all produce undue stress on the knees. Consequently arthritic changes in the knee joint develop. In addition to chiropractic treatment, chiropractors wholeheartedly endorse natural, drug-free practices, such as Tai Chi (Chuan), that can mitigate knee pain. Tai Chi (Chuan) is a traditional style of Chinese martial arts that features slow, rhythmic movements that create peace of mind, as well as an enhancement of balance, an increase in strength, and more flexibility.

The 40 men and women selected for the Tufts study were on an average 65 years of age, overweight, and with confirmed OA, but in otherwise good health. Patients were chosen at random to take part in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.

Tai Chi practice involves the type of range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout that is compatible with current exercise recommendations for osteoarthritis. Furthermore, researchers found that the “mental feature” of Tai Chi promoted a sense of well-being, life enjoyments, and perceptions of health that aided the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Significantly, the group practicing Tai Chi displayed a considerable decrease in knee pain compared with those in the control group.

Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

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Do you experience pain in one or both hips whenever you twist them or when you cross your legs?  Does the pain keep you awake at night and make it hard to get a good night’s sleep? When you get out of bed in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it initially difficult to move your legs? If you answered “yes” to any or all of the previous questions you may have imbalances and alignment problems in the lower part of your body that, in addition to creating hip pain, can in the course of time produce degenerative joint disease in your hips if not addressed.

Even though hip pain and related problems can often be traced to age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the “bad guy”. In fact, instead of creating the original problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the ultimate result of damage to your hips earlier.

Damage as the result of biomechanical problems, such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can cause changes in your gait that create hip pain. Furthermore, your gait may vary to compensate for new activities such as a job change, an alteration in the way you sit, a new sport or activity, or if you start driving for long periods of time on a regular basis..

In addition, gait imbalances can be caused by carrying a baby or small child on your hip, leg length discrepancies, or foot pronation challenges. Strictly speaking, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.

As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, your chiropractor may prescribe orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer suitable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.

Hip pain won’t vanish on its own. Hip pain is a sign that something needs to be corrected. Your chiropractor can help to get you out of pain, get back into balance, and get your life back!

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Striving to keep up with an active five-year-old can feel tiring from time to time. If you have an active child of this age, or if you’ve ever been around one for any length of time, you may have found yourself wishing that the kid would just “veg out” for a little while. However, recent research is validating the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, according to a new University of Iowa study, rather than attempting to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds ought be aided in being as active as possible. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Even if kids don’t stay as active later in childhood, being active at age five assists them in avoiding excess fat as they age. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.

The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. The kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days, providing much more solid data than relying on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven, even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity.  The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.

Although further research is required to learn what happens to the active kids’ bodies that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it may be possible that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something happened metabolically that provided some protection even as they became less active.

Weight moderation, however, isn’t the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have observed over the years that active kids have far less ordinary childhood health issues, like catching colds and the flu. chiropractic treatment is, of course, extraordinarily beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that happens during activities, especially those that require “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.

A large number children these days are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, lack of exercise is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than to participate in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous activity will not only benefit your child now, but will assist in building a healthier future. You can bank on it!

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We all know that movement is good for the whole body, right? From our head to our toes, our good health is determined by how much physical activity we get on a regular basis. So, why do so many people suffer from aches and pains in their feet? After all, aren’t our feet made for walking? Yes, but they weren’t designed for abuse. The average, healthy person takes 3,000-5,000 steps each day, not including activities such as running and aerobic exercise. But, often those steps are made by people walking incorrectly, with poor gait patterns and bad posture. In addition, a large number of people wear badly-designed, poorly-fitting shoes. Moving the body through space incorrectly on feet that are inhibited from functioning correctly cannot help but to cause aches and pains not only in a number of places in our feet, but in other parts of our body.  For example, if an individual over-pronates (walks like a duck) in a pair of poorly made or unevenly-worn shoes, or in a pair of high heels, that person is not only likely to develop foot and ankle problems, but will probably experience problems of the back, knees and legs.

One of the most well known foot problems is Plantar Fascitis (heel pain), which is usually caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a wonderful, multi-tasking band of connective tissue that encircles the muscles on the bottom of the foot, adheres the heel bone to the ball of the foot, supports the arch, protects the foot, and absorbs shock.

There are many factors that contribute to the development of Plantar Fascitis. One such factor is short and tight calf muscles. When calf muscles get short and tight they exert a strong pull on the back of the heel bone, producing undue stress on the smaller and weaker plantar muscles and fascia. How do calf muscles get short and tight? In addition to running and jumping activities such as aerobics, volleyball, running, basketball, and tennis, the wearing of high heels can cause the problem.

Other factors that contribute to Plantar Fascitis include sudden strenuous activity after a period of prolonged inactivity, abnormal walking patterns (such as over-pronation), improper footwear, walking on hard or uneven surfaces (especially barefooted), and obesity.

Once an individual develops Plantar Fascitis, the condition is frequently not easy to manage and can become intensely painful and persistent. If you are suffering from heel pain, your chiropractor will be able to determine the cause of your problem and what chiropractic management is best suited. Such care might include ultrasound therapy, laser, joint manipulation, muscle stretching and strengthening exercises, special taping and, in some cases, orthotics.

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I just read about a recent Consumer Reports survey of its readers that I, as your chiropractor, found “highly satisfying.” The survey, which included 14,000 Consumer Reports subscribers, found that “hands-on” therapies, led by chiropractic care, were the top-rated treatments for people suffering from back pain. In fact, chiropractors were given the highest “satisfaction with care” ratings, well above those given to medical doctors who administered various forms of care to back pain sufferers

The survey, reported in the publication’s May 2009 issue, found that more than half of the respondents had “pain (that) severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer, and 88 percent said it recurred throughout the year.” The report stated that while many go to a primary care physician first for diagnosis and treatment, the majority were disappointed with the results.

On the other hand, 59 percent reported that they were “highly satisfied” with the care they received from chiropractors. The next highest rated practitioners were physical therapists (55 percent) and acupuncturists (53 percent), followed by “specialized” physicians (44 percent) and primary care physicians (34 percent).

Respondents were also asked to rate the types of treatments they received. Again, chiropractic/spinal manipulation got top honors, with 58 percent rating it as “helping a lot.” Spinal injections were next highest, rated at 51 percent, followed by massage (48 percent) and physical therapy (46 percent). Other highly rated treatments included prescription medications (45 percent), yoga (44 percent), movement therapy and acupuncture (both 41 percent).

According to a Dynamic Chiropractic article on that report, “Chiropractic ranked first out of 11 treatments, including massage, acupuncture, and exercise, in its ability to treat back pain. More readers said that chiropractic ‘helped me feel much better’ than any of the other therapies.” Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs ranked eighth and 10th, respectively.

So, if you’ve been “highly satisfied” with your chiropractic care, you’re not alone! In fact, more and more people are turning to chiropractic treatment not only for back pain relief, but for a wide variety of painful conditions from sports and repetitive stress injuries to arthritis.

A public version of the report can be found on the Consumer Reports Web site

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allergies can turn our everyday life into misery. Unwelcome symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash can occur from a simple walk in the park, a play date with Kitty, a shellfish stew, or even something as small as a nut. To make the situation worse, for some of us allergic reactions can go from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as our air passageway constricts and we have a problem breathing. If you have allergies, it may seem that, from time-to-time, your environment is a very unfriendly place and that the world around you is, literally, out to get you!

You may wonder why it is that other people appear to be so unaffected by the environment, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to it It’s a great question. The answer is because some people, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that virtually “freaks out” when they are confronted with everyday substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.

Have you been wondering if your chiropractor can help your allergies? The answer may surprise you. A lot of individuals have noticed that they experience ease from their allergy symptoms after chiropractic treatment, even though chiropractic care doesn’t actually treat allergies. This relief takes place because chiropractic adjustments affect the whole nervous system, including the autoimmune system. When there’s an impedance in the nervous system, in addition to other problems, the autoimmune system, whose task it is to help us adapt and respond appropriately to our environment, can become under-active or overactive. In the case of your allergies, the breakdown is the latter. Because chiropractic manipulations lessen or take away disturbances in the nervous system and bring the body back into balance and harmony, the manipulations provide that same homeostasis to the auto-immune system as well. A healthy immune system responds appropriately to so-called allergens in the environment.

So, as mentioned above, your chiropractor doesn’t actually treat allergies. You could say, instead, that a decrease in your allergies is clearly a part of a healthy nervous system. If you’d like to get back into harmony with your environment as soon as possible, call your chiropractor today.

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At one time or another, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) disturbs and estimated 90% of women and nearly 20% of those women afflicted experience severe to disabling symptoms. Suggesting to a woman that her PMS is “just in her head” can be not only just plain dangerous, it’s also just plain incorrect! There are physiological causes of PMS in the majority of cases, including one that you might find surprising — spinal misalignment. That’s right. Your back could actually be the “offender.” Spinal subluxations, expressly in the lower back, can frequently cause a diverse variety of female health issues in addition to Premenstrual Syndrome, such as pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, incontinence, and even infertility.

Are you wondering how chiropractic can ease the symptoms of PMS? Chiropractic treatments get rid of nerve restriction in your body. Every cell, fiber, tissue, organ, and system in your body is governed and regulated by your nervous system. Your reproductive system is included in this master regulation. If your reproductive system isn’t performing correctly because of nerve impedance, it can cause a myriad of symptoms such as those analogous with PMS. You would most likely experience agitation, pain, heavy bleeding, or severe cramping if your reproductive system were overactive. Missed periods or infertility can be caused by an under-activity reproductive system. Fortunately, if nerve disturbance is creating your PMS symptoms, then chiropractic management can assist because spinal manipulations restore unimpeded activity to your nervous system and, therefore, help it to function more normally.

Many women experience an improvement in their reproductive health, in conjunction with improved general health, while under chiropractic care. So, if you’ve been thinking that your PMS is just in head, think again! And, make an appointment to see your chiropractor as soon as possible. Chiropractic management provides  an all natural solution for PMS that could assist you in avoiding periodic misery, without medication, and keep you symptom-free and energetic all month long.

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Have you heard that chiropractors treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Well, that’s not completely correct. Chiropractors don’t “treat” ADHD. But, chiropractic care can certainly help children, and adults too, who suffer from it. The reason that chiropractic treatment is effectual is that ADHD is a neurological disorder. Chiropractic manipulations not only help to reduce nervous system disruptions in general, but an adjustment can be specifically directed to stimulate under-active areas of the brain and calm over-active areas as well. Due to the fact that a chiropractic approach to ADHD is natural and drug-free, many parents choose chiropractic care over the common medical approach of giving children Class 2 psychotropic drugs that have dramatically negative side effects including personality changes and permanent alterations in the brain. Nearly all of parents who’ve opted for chiropractic treatment for their children have observed stunning behavioral changes as a result.

Because of the differences between the ways in which boys and girls employ the two hemispheres of their brain, ADHD appears to afflict more boys than girls and, additionally, is often more obvious and easily discernible in the behavior of boys as opposed to of girls. Prominent symptoms include a hard time concentrating and sitting still, lack of ability to control impulsive thoughts and behaviors, easily distracted by noises and activities, constant movement of fingers, hands, arms, feet, or legs.

A large number of children who manifest ADHD symptoms are hypersensitive to certain foods, such as dairy or gluten products, and sugars and artificial sweeteners. In addition, they generally have a hypersensitive reaction to additives in foods, herbicides and pesticides used to grow non-organic fruits and vegetables, and laundry products such as detergents, fabric softeners, and other chemicals. Often, the elimination of these environmental agencies can go a long way in easing ADHD symptoms.

Your Honolulu Chiropractor will give your child a complete chiropractic examination, checking for spinal anomalies and analyzing certain responses to specific neurological tests.

Natural, safe chiropractic treatment can help your child to get his or her life back in balance. Before taking drastic pharmaceutical measures, if your child displays the symptoms of ADHD, call your chiropractor to make an appointment for a complete evaluation. Call today for the health of your child!

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If you drive a big car and you’re in an accident if your car looks “uninjured,” it’s easy to assume that you are not hurt, either. After all, isn’t that why you’re driving a big vehicle? It’s for safety, right? Well, research has proved that occupants of vehicles, both large and compact, can be injured a lot more than might be predicted from a minor auto accident. In fact, as far as your body is concerned, there’s truly no such thing as a “minor fender bender.”

Let’s face it. There are going to be consequences when your body is compelled to stop suddenly and unexpectedly. An emergency room attendant may offer you a clean bill of health because you haven’t broken any bones, and you might be given a prescription for drugs to reduce the muscle spasms that you are undoubtedly experiencing due to the structural changes in your neck or lower back that you encountered from the impact. But, unless you’re actually treated for the bodily trauma you’ve sustained, your problem can go from bad to far worse. In fact, quite a few people encounter problems years after an auto accident because they didn’t get the help they needed in the first place.

Your Honolulu Chiropractor truly knows what your body goes through during a car accident. chiropractic techniques include treatment for soft tissue injuries and spinal bio-mechanics abnormalities. And

If you’ve experienced a minor auto accident, although your car may not require much repair, you probably do. Neck and back injuries are not only painful in the areas in which they take place, but they can also cause pain, tingling, and numbness in your arms and hands and result in headaches days, weeks, even months after an accident occurs.

You can get back on the road to feeling good again with drug-free, natural chiropractic care.  It will help to put the trauma of your accident where it belongs – behind you. Furthermore, because your chiropractor has experience working with insurance companies and lawyers, not only will you experience less physical stress, but less emotional stress, too!

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