Why taking Ibuprofen could be the worst thing you could do for yourself...

I am by no means against taking medication, but we often forget, even when taking over-the-counter drugs, the reason these things change our present situation.  It's not simply that we are experiencing something undesirable, take a magic pill, and turn off the annoyance, though it may often seem that way.  What we are actually doing is turning off mechanisms and biochemical pathways that result in the "symptom" we are experiencing.  By turning off or altering these mechanisms, we also create a domino effect, turning off systems that are in place further down the line.  The processes that get interrupted are usually referred to as the "side effects," unless, of course, those effects are the desired outcome.

The reason I bring this up is because often, people will experience something in their body that they consider undesirable, like pain, and will instantly reach for Advil/ibuprofen to make it go away.  Since most folks are not biochemists, and are trained that ibuprofen and other "NSAIDs" are often the answer by medical doctors and pharmaceutical ads, they don't stop to think why it makes the pain go away or what other processes may be affected, so I'm going to teach you!

Advil and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce inflammation by interfering with an enzyme in the pathway that creates prostagladins called cyclo-oxygenase.  But prostaglandins are used for a lot more than just to create pain to indicate we've damaged something.  They also help our blood clot when we get injured, promote the production of mucus to protect our stomach lining from our digestive juices, and promote inflammation. 

Why in the world would we WANT to promote inflammation? 

Because that same inflammation is what tells our body where we need to heal!  It's a message that new tissue needs to be laid down.  By taking Advil, you are turning off the distress signal, letting your body know it has work to do!  Seems a little counterintuitive, doesn't it?  So if you need to cut the cycle off temporarily just to get through a rough patch, that's up to you, but taking these medications when your body is trying to recover from exercise, injury, or overuse will simply slow down the healing process... which I'm sure was never your intention.  Instead, get checked out by a good chiropractor, learn to use ice, heat, nutrition, rest, and even Epsom salts accordingly.  You'll bounce back faster than ever!

Why I spread my message to people who don't want to listen...

When I first started Chiropractic School, I was on fire with the passion to spread the Chiropractic message.  Any time I came across someone with a health issue, I would start telling them how Chiropractic could help.  But sitting at a family function last week, listening to a number of people gripe about their health issues and brag about the ways they've found to fix (aka cover up) the problem all by themselves,  I became frustrated.

The things they are experiencing are red flags of serious conditions lurking under the surface that no amount of medication is going to heal!  They've heard the miracles that occur in my office, and yet they don't seem to want that for themselves.  Do they not think it will work for them?  Are they deluded into believing that chemicals can grant them long-term quality of life?  Have they just decided that they'll worry about it later, when things are broken down past the point of repair?  Or are they convinced that the negative consequences will never catch up to them?  When they think of how many years they could potentially be on this earth, how could they not want to take care of the only body they'll ever have??? They treat their cars better!

It hit me, as I sat there biting my tongue, that somewhere along the way, I realized that some people just don't want my help.  I've already told them what Chiropractic can do for them.  I've told them how serious the condition is.  I wonder if I'm doing the right thing by giving up on them and quite honestly, I'm torn.

If someone had the answer to my problem - an answer that would make my life happier, longer, and more rewarding - I would feel cheated if they didn't share it.  Actually, I would probably want them to take me by the shoulders and shake some sense into me until I listened.

And this is why, despite the knowledge that many people don't want my help, I still find myself telling complete strangers, as well as friends and family, what chiropractic can do for them.  Most of the time, they brush it off, and continue living their sub-par existence, with their body and mind just struggling to exist in this world... but sometimes... they actually listen... and I get to see their lives transform.  And THAT really is a beautiful thing.  Those moments make all the rolled eyes worth it.

Don't be afraid to share the message... you might just save a life.

What to do when you can't turn your head...

A friend reached out to me with this question this morning and I thought I'd share my response:

Q: My neck muscle strained and I can't move it comfortably left to right - I have no idea how or why this happened. What can I do at home to gain more comfort and mobility? Heat or ice? Motrin load up?

A: As a Chiropractor, I get asked this question a LOT. Most folks completely underestimate the importance of this red flag! Nothing replaces a good chiropractic exam to determine exactly what the issue is. If I were alone on a desert island with no one to examine me and an endless supply of moist heat and ice, I would probably start with moist heat. If it got worse than it was when it started once the heat is removed, I'd switch to ice. I would also find which vectors made for a good stretch and hold the stretch for at least a minute at a time. Massage will also help. Since Motrin (ibuprofen) interferes with healing, that might not be the best idea. Tylenol (acetaminophen) interferes with T cell production and your immune system, so I would avoid that if possible as well.

Most of all, and I can't stress this enough, I would definitely get it checked out by a good chiropractor, since this is usually a warning sign that there are major problems lurking under the surface... If it's addressed now, you could potentially stop or prevent the development of arthritis and disease, saving you from a whole bunch of other issues including but not limited to headaches, fatigue, allergies, and more pain. I can't tell you how many times I see people coming into my office with major health problems that resulted from ignoring things like this. It's SOOO easy to fix when you catch it early on... but wait too long, and the damage becomes irreparable. Good luck! If you need the name of someone convenient to you, let me know and I'll see who I know in your area!!

Age is no excuse for pain... The World's Best Kept Secret

I had a patient come to me not too long ago.

He had heard about the fantastic results I had gotten for another patient with chronic neck pain and he wanted to know if I could help him. He had been getting adjusted for a year, once per week, and though his neck and shoulder pain had improved, it was still there. Mondays it was mild, but as the week wore on, it got consistently worse. The weekends, it was as if someone had pressed the reset button... and the pattern continued.

He has been seeing me for three months, and his shoulders feel great. The symptoms are gone, and the scans of his nervous system are vastly improved. We were marvelling together at his speedy recovery once the proper tools were implemented and we addressed the emotional component of his nervous system and the resulting symptoms and he mentioned that he had thought, as a man in his 50's, that he was just getting old. I noted, as I have many times with patients, that age really is just a number. He agreed... something that might not have happened if it hadn't been for chiropractic. "Isn't it sad that more people don't know that? It's the world's best kept secret."

Only 7-10% of the population is under care of a chiropractor right now. At least 90% have had a favorable experience with a chiropractor. I had the pleasure of hearing a Chiro in his 70's speak last night... he had great posture and was in excellent health despite years of beating up his body with the very physical work of being a high-volume chiropractor. What was his secret? Weekly Chiropractic Adjustments. Are you going to wait for your body to break down before you start taking care of it? Do you only brush your teeth when they hurt? Do you only change your oil after your engine breaks down? Any other part of your body can be replaced... but you only get one spine, and one nervous system. Treat it well.