The side effects of these drugs are extremely dangerous.  Rotting jaw bone, spontaneous fractures of lare bones, and esophageal cancer are some very possible and dangerous side effects. Some of the less serious side effects such as joint pain, muscle pain, and atrial fibrillation are common side effects. The pharmaceutical industry has so much money, so many lobbyists,  and such amazing power that it makes prescribing this and other very dangerous drugs commonplace.

There are whole food supplements and clinical nutrition protocol that are a safe, natural way to improve bone integrity. Products that we use in our clinic made by Standard Process and MediHerb have a very good track record of helping women and people with osteoporosis and in fact the National Osteoporosis Foundation published a study endorsing the method that our office uses.

Parents are very relieved when they bring children into our chiropractic clinic. They understand that we have been trained in orthopedic and neurological testing. When we do a thorough exam, we are able to determine whether or not the injury is within our scope of practice. There have been times when we have found fractires and immediately reffered them to an orthopedist, urgent care center, or emergency room. More times than not, we see things from the children of our established patients that are in our scope. Parents are delighted whith the standard of care that their children receive and are happy with the subsantial savings over other types of care. We charge $25 for an office visit for children under 17. One mother said the exam and two treatments got my son back in the game and cost me less than my copay in the emergency room.

A 17 year old female softball player was having trouble with her neck and shoulder and was having difficulty with pitching, batting, and using proper form during athletic activities. Her mother was happy to see that we are well trained in sports injuries, rehab, physiological therapeutics, sports injury management, spinal adjusting, extremity adjusting, and theraputic exercise. A few weeks after her daughter received treatment in our clinic she reported an increase in her batting average and much improved overall athletic performance.

*This information came from an article written by Dr. Kim Chastain called “Sports – Related Extremity Injuries in Young Athletes.”

It is now spring and most people become more active. They plant flowers and vegetable gardens, maintain their lawns, and do extensive spring cleaning. Any physical activity burns calories and improves health. It is good to start making mental lists of things we can do to become more physically active. There are many simple ways. Park your can in the far end of the parking lot. This way, when you are walking to and from the store it will increase the time that you walk. Take the stairs and even walk your dog. A couple of months ago I realized how fat my eight year old beagle was getting. This must mean that I am not getting enough exercise. In the west Cobb/Dallas/Hiram/and Paulding county areas there are many parks, trails, and other places that are great for walking, hiking, biking and getting outdoors. My dogs and I have increased the length and frequency of our walking trips.

I have a genuine weakness for ice cream, french fries, and oatmeal rasin cookies. Most of us have a pretty long list of things that we love that are not the best to consume for our health. There has been much in the media about the benefits of dark green, leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables. During the growing season there will be plentiful produce. Try eating some kale, brussels sprouts, spinach, brocoli, fresh beets (with leaves and stems), and just about as many fresh vegetables as you can find. These will ease lung congestion, are beneficial to the stomach and liver, and boost your immunity. A lot of dark green, leafy vegetables are high in iron, calcium, vitamins A and C, chlorophyll, lutein, and zeaxanthin. There are many benefits to these types of foods in addition to the ones mentioned above. They help prevent cancer, macular degeneration, and lutein is proven useful in patients with cataracts.

You should always try to eat healthy foods first and take supplements second. For those of you who just refuse to improve your diet or need extra help to get you over a health concern, Standard Process makes a product called Cruciferous Complete which contains dried, powdered vegetables and has been proven by independent research to be very effective.  A-H Betafood, which contains a lot of dried beets, helps improve  gallbladder and liver function.

What is it? Our Father’s Hands is a non-profit organization that unites the community  to serve the homeless and those in need. Their main source of funds come through the upbeat resale shop located in Powder Springs. Funds raised feed and clothe the homeless downtown as well as provide for the homeless children in Cobb County Schools. Other programs include recovery meetings, bible studies, and a job training program for homeless women. To read more about their mission, visit their website at (www.ourfathershands.com) or contact Linda Lipp by phone (770-222-6775) or by e-mail (ourfathershands@comcast.net).

How can I help? Chiropractic Wellness is teaming up with Our Father’s Hands to help raise money for those less fortunate. With a $100 donation to Our Father’s Hands, Dr. George will give you a free exam and two adjustments. This gives you an opportunity to help others while also helping yourself, but hurry because this is a limited time offer. This offer is available on the 3rd and 4th Saturdays of March, April, and May of 2012 (3/17, 3/24, 4/21, 4/28, 5/19, and 5/26).

Many patients walk into our office, aware that antibiotics are often not good or effective treatment.  They express concerns about building up antibiotic resistant infections, and they ask what we can do to help alleviate symptoms and get back to work or school faster. There are 3 products that dramatically affect the above mentioned situations.  They are Fen Gre, Andrographis and Congaplex.  Many patients report that their sinuses are clear within 24 hours.  Results vary slightly between individuals, but these products are extremely effective.

CBS

CNN

There are many risk factors for heart disease. Some are controllable and some are not. The factors that you have control over include smoking, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, diabetes, high LDL (bad) cholesterol, low HDL (good) cholesterol, obesity, and unmanaged stress and anger. All of these things significantly increase your risk of heart disease. Factors that, unfortunately, no one has control over include your race, gender, family history of heart disease, and age.

Studies show that Caucasian males, African Americans, American Indians, and Mexican Americans are all at very high risk. The older you get, the more your chances go up. Also, post-menopausal women are at higher risk. Everyone needs to identify their own risk factors and then work with their physician to minimize their risk. Some simple things that almost everyone can do are to exercise for 30 minutes 6 days per week, and find new outlets to manage stress and anger. Also, improve your diet to include more good cholesterol, less bad cholesterol, less sugar, and more fruits and vegetables. Your diet effects your blood pressure, whether or not you have diabetes and how severe it is, and obesity.

We all have various fitness levels. Check with your doctor and verify that you are healthy enough to exercise. Many of us who are healthy enough to exercise just simply chose not to do so. Walking is generally a very safe exercise. You can start out gradually and increase the length of time you walk as time progresses. Get a walking partner or listen to music to make it more enjoyable. It can also be a great time for couples. Having a goal of doing aerobics six days a week will greatly inprove you length and quality of life. Start at whatever level is safe for you to start at and increase it by a few minutes every week. In one study I read, people with metabolic syndrome did one hour of aerobics per day and after four weeks their labs improved 58%. There is no way to avoid exercise if you want to be healthy.

There are many factors and much information to absorb about diet and nutrition. Much of what people generally believe are lies that have been carefully used to make you buy products and spend money. One thing that cannot be disputed, if you want to be healthy and live longer, stop eating junk! This includes organic junk. Organic pop tarts, chips, etc. have the same risks as non-organic except they avoid the pesticides. Sugar is also a large contributor to many health problems. White sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, and high fructose corn syrup are all high-calorie, high-carbohydrate sweeteners. Some are marginally better than others but sugar is still just sugar when it relates to health.

“Saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are not the cause of coronary heart disease. That myth is the greatest scientific deception of this century, and perhaps any century.” This quote comes from George V. Mann, M.D., professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University in 1991. There are two very interesting articles that I think everyone should read. The first is about a Harvard study yielding results to support the fact that fat in your diet is not a bad thing. The second article was written by a medical doctor who admits that 80% of what he and other doctors do is actually guesswork.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/coverage-in-the-media/time-to-stop-talking-about-low-fat-say-hsph-nutrition-experts/

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/what_your_doctor_doesn_tell_you_RGm6oJpm2eUOsJj89c3JJO

In our clinic based in Dallas, Georgia, we practice evidence-based chiropractic care.  We’ve seen many patients with acute musculoskeletal pain.  In the last several years, there has been more research coming out about subluxation-based chiropractic care.  Doctor Matt McCoy, the editor and publisher of The Journal of Subluxation Research, has done wonderful work to advance evidence about the benefits of chiropractic care.

Blood pressure affects 65 million Americans.  The University of Chicago published a study in The Journal of Hypertension about the connection between neck adjustments and a decrease in blood pressure.  The blood pressure dropped tremendously for the patients who received chiropractic adjustments.  There was a decrease of an average of 17 points.  It generally takes two blood pressure medications to achieve this kind of result.  http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=4520614&page=1#.TzLXociyOSo

Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique did a double-blind study.  There were 331 patients in the study, 64% were female.  They were randomly assigned to one of three groups.  The control group had no treatment or placebo.  Another group had placebo treatment where a sham adjustment was given with an inactive instrument used for adjusting.  The third group was given an adjustment with an activator instrument.  The patients ranged in ages from 18 to 85 years old.  The patients who actually received activator treatment had significant changes in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate.  http://www.activator.com/measuring-the-effects-of-specific-cervical-chiropractic-adjustments-on-blood-pressure-and-pulse-rate-a-randomized-controlled-trial/

We thought this important information on chiropractic care and blood pressure would fit nicely into February Heart Health Month.  Included at the bottom of this page are some links to various studies that support what is expressed in this article.

http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754%2800%2990244-6/abstract

http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754%2805%2900002-3/abstract

http://www.activator.com/measuring-the-effects-of-specific-cervical-chiropractic-adjustments-on-blood-pressure-and-pulse-rate-a-randomized-controlled-trial/

http://www.activator.com/a-randomized-controlled-trial-to-measure-the-effects-of-specific-thoracic-chiropractic-adjustments-on-blood-pressure-and-pulse-rate/

http://www.activator.com/effects-of-chiropractic-treatment-on-blood-pressure-and-anxiety-a-randomized-controlled-trial/

CHIROPRACTORS AND NUTRITIONISTS DO NOT DIAGNOSE OR TREAT HEART DISEASE! THIS IS THE JOB OF A CARIDOLOGIST.  IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE HAVING A HEART PROBLEM, GET EMERGENCY MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY!

When a patient walks into a chiropractic office with neck pain, arm pain, chest/shoulder pain, it is important to determine what type of pain he or she truly has.  We start by taking a careful history of the patient and asking the right questions in an attempt to distinguish between cardiac and non-cardiac pain.  If the pain is diffuse below the sternum (breastbone) radiating into the arm or jaw and lasting between 10 and 60 minutes, it is likely to be a cardiac problem.  If the pain is worse on exertion or if the patient has a history of drug use such as cocaine or other stimulants, it is highly likely to be an emergency medical situation.  Other factors that can mimic heart disease can be anxiety, panic attacks and depression.  As part of a healthy lifestyle, do not smoke or use tobacco.  If your doctor tells you that you are healthy enough to exercise, exercise often and walk 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.  Maintain a healthy weight.  Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) and keep it between 18.5 and 24.9.  If you are depressed, seek a professional for diagnosis and treatment.  Limit your alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks per day, and do not drink every day.  Heart disease, as with most health problems, has a large behavioral component.  So in addition to the above recommendations, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  When you consume grains, make sure they are whole grains.  Eat fewer products made from flour, and use whole grains in soups and stews.  Eat brown rice instead of white rice.  We will have more information on heart disease and more lifestyle recommendations throughout the month of February in honor of Heart Health Month.

Supplementary Information:

People at risk for rapid bone loss:

~Men and women over 50

~Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

~Women recently pregnant or nursing

~Slender, small-framed women

~Tobacco users

~Heavy alcohol consumers (particularly men)

~Men and women with lactose intolerance or dairy allergy

~Race, particularly Caucasian or southeast Asian descent

~History of dieting

Conditions associated with rapid bone loss:

~Sedentary lifestyle

~Family history of osteoporosis

~Overactive thyroid

~Depression

Selected medications

~Hysterectomy

~Stress

~Low vitamin D and calcium

~Weak digestion

~Irregular periods

~Weak adrenals