Let Dead Dogs Lie

Honestly, you shouldn't go around touching dead animals, they could carry disease. Also, who wants to talk about something so depressing right before Christmas anyway?

But anyway, the holidays are one of those times where you have to be around people you may not like (surely not me) or want to be around just because you share their blood (note-sharing blood may also lead to disease) or through that really lame wedding your wife dragged you to last year with all those people you thought you wouldn't have to see again so you broke out your 'best' karaoke.

Eggnog notwithstanding, many do not enjoy this time of year. They dread having to be around that one person who said/asked/did something that offended them, and feelings are still hurt; and/or you're afraid they'll say/ask/do the same thing again. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident: there's what's said, what was meant to be said, what you heard and the intent with which it was said/heard and how much box wine went into the hearing/saying.

We allow the event to play over and over in our head like a top 20 song on the radio. It begins to not only affect but consume us. We will allow this negative energy to damage our relationship with the offender, it will also impact our ability to make and manage other relationships also. It will become a major drag on our mental and emotional health along with a stumbling block to our success and well being.

Overtime, the emotional stress brought on by an offense (real or perceived) will begin to make physiological changes in our tissue. Stress hormones are catabolic, which means they destroy tissue. There will be a change in our muscle tone that will affect the function of our joints. Our body's ability to process oxygen and digest food will also change. These neuro-chemical and hormonal alterations will then lead to diseases from headaches to disc pain to cancer to heart disease.

Life is at best short - so why would we allow these thoughts to steal our precious time and drain our energy? It's time to start looking at letting go of the past. But the question is how?

Try this:

Press the PAUSE Button and Ask:

1. Is it something I can learn from to become a better person?

2. Is it something I can use to motivate me to act?

If the answer is yes, then do it and move on. If the answer is no, take the memory, write it down on a piece of paper and throw it out, light it on fire or be responsible and recycle it. Then it's over, it's done; it's forgotten. And you can move on with your life, move on with your relationship(s) and let dead dogs lie.

Kinda Creepy

Creep-(noun): My college roommate... Why girls never came over.

Creep-(verb): a soft tissue reaction where as a displacement in amplitude or length of collagenous structures over a period of time when a force is applied... Why you’re shorter at the end of the day.

How often do you have to adjust the rear-view mirror on the drive home? Sure, Harford County roads are partially to blame, but by 5pm we’re all about 1-2% shorter.  Blame Darwin; we’re just animals adapting to our environment.

We start our day hunched over simple carbs and neuro-stimulants. Then off to be hunched over the steering wheel, keyboard, not so smart ‘smart’ phone, back to steering wheel  (stopping off somewhere for some extra-high inflammatory processed lunch from McSatan’s) then home again and back to the keyboard (but this time it’s okay because you’re reading this).

This causes a shortening and tightening of our anterior muscles: Rotator cuff/thoracic outlet and carpal tunnel syndromes & decreased oxygen consumption. And conversely a slow over-stretching and weakening of the posteriors: headache, neck pain, back pain & abnormal nerve activity.

That’s why for those of you we performed a Functional Capacity Examination on; we strive for a 1:1.14 flexor: extensor ratio. In other words, your back needs to be a little stronger than your front (except your knees, they’re backwards). So, in short, stretch the front and build up the back. Don’t know how? Try Google. But if you want the right answers, ask me.

The White Stuff

Tricked or Treated  Today's edition is brought to you by the real boss, Mrs Spine: It's that time of year again, where parents will be busy with all sorts of Halloween related activates. My kids like yours are so hyped up about the upcoming "Holiday". My middle daughter came home yesterday and informed me that she needed to use a pillow case for trick or treating because you can get more candy that way. Halloween has turned in to sugar-polooza. Once a year is one thing. But anyone who's ever tried to lose weight, rid themselves of Candida or balance their pH knows that sugar is el Diablo. But sugar is found in almost everything we eat, in addition to the obvious sweet and tempting treats such as candy and cookies, cakes and pies, sugar is found naturally in fruit and milk, and is an ingredient in many brands of yogurt, tomato sauce, and salad dressings. Also, many foods are converted to sugar once they pass the pie hole. It's called the 'glycemic index,' Google it, you may be surprised. Sugar not only adds sweetness to foods; it also plays a role in our ability to eat and enjoy food in many other ways. It creates texture and color in baked goods, adds body to yogurt, balances acidity in tomato products and increases the boiling point and reduces the freezing point in foods. Have you ever noticed that your kids act differently after eating certain foods? Most people will build up a tolerance to sugar as you eat more you do not feel its effects. In our house you will find fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, yogurt and other healthy snacks. But on occasion we do let our kids have whatever they want. I can instantly see a difference in their attitude and behavior. For example when taking our oldest girl to a certain Italian Ice stand, we immediately notice a difference in her attitude and behavior. She turns into a completely different little girl...for the worse I might add. My weakness is chocolate like most women. When I first met Doctor Lee, my favorite green food was green peanut M&M's. I loved chocolate with all three of my pregnancies. The only thing I found to help curb my chocolate addiction was when I completed the Novolife cleanse, three years ago. Completing this cleanse stopped my cravings for chocolate and carbs as well. I went from eating chocolate every day to having a bite of brownie every once and awhile, and a few bites of birthday cake.

The Hip Bone is connected to the....

Last month I experienced a first. My first earthquake. Actually it wasn’t my first, but the only one I’ve ever felt. Strange because I live through a few in California and Asia that knocked stuff off the wall, but I was sleeping or just didn’t notice. But the big (not that big according to West Coasters) East Coast Quake of 2011 I felt. It’s one of those forever remember what you were doing moments: sitting where I’m sitting now. My mind went through the list of possibilities: Another truck hit the light pole/bank on the other side of the parking lot (happened already), this close to APG I thought they did something or worse Peach Bottom; then one of the dozens of helicopters flying past went down. (My brother the Air Force pilot and Astronautical Engineer has always said planes are designed to fly, helicopters to crash).  No matter, when you live this close to DC, NYC, an army base and nuclear plant, your heart skips a beat anytime there’s a rumble.

Turns out it was an earthquake down in Virginia, 154 miles away from my front door, according to Google. That was the epicenter, but it was felt as far away as New York and Georgia. According to one of my very nerdy friends, the reason this earthquake has such a large spread was something to do with how the continental shelf is connected. Your back is the same way.

Let’s say your main diagnosis is a herniated L5 disc. Your disc is the epicenter of your problem, not the only problem. That disc doesn’t exist in a vacuum, It’s attached to stuff (and yes, stuff is the technical term). The damage from a bad disc spreads out all over your body. It leads to muscle spasm up and down the spine; muscle imbalance throughout the trunk, arms and legs; tendonopathy, neuropathy, and myopathy from head to toe and can mess with the innards too.

This is why we employee a whole body approach to treating what may seem like 1 sq inch of disease, but that’s attached to stuff.

It ain't worth the price

These days it’s important to keep health costs as low as possible. You may think that putting off treatment is a way to save money. But, many or most times, procrastinating on a health problem is only going to make it more serious—and more costly to deal with—down the road. Think of health care, like regular maintenance visits to a chiropractor, as an investment in yourself.  In this way, like regular blood work for your medical doctor, we can find small problems before they become large ones.  Like  many of our wellness minded, proactive patients do to keep their body  functioning the best they can so that it doesn’t have the opportunity to give them pain again.

Whether it’s your dentist, doctor or chiropractor, you shouldn’t wait until you’re in some sort of crisis before making an appointment. Preventive maintenance is, in the long run, a far less costly policy. And it goes beyond just pain. Regular chiropractic care has been proven to lower blood pressure, over-all inflammation and increase immunity.

Maintenance care is not for everyone and if it is more your style to “wait till it’s broke”, well, that is your choice.  Just don’t be mad about it when it takes longer to fix and costs you more at the time you decide to fix it.  That is a decision each person makes for themselves and no one will judge you on that either way; and we’ll still be here to help.

And now that the kids are finally in school, what else are you going to do with all your free time?

Nice Kicks

Having just spent the weekend in OC I made the following observations: people either don’t take a friend swimsuit shopping, or their friend lies to them.

Remember when friends were supposed to be honest with you and not just prop you up in your own delusions? Remember the 1980’s Friends don’t let friends drink and drive, do drugs etc? Well, consider me your friend. And I don’t want you wearing shape-ups or other rocker type shoes anymore (nor do I want to see you in some of those, let’s say ‘European Style’ suits I saw on the boardwalk).

Let’s be honest, did anyone really think you could get booty-licous by just walking around with your Cinnabon at the mall? Turns out, not only did Vida Guerra it did not make, they were damaging your health. The abnormal motion grossly alters the gait cycle. In other words leading to accelerated degeneration of the feet, knees, hips and low back. So much so numerous class-action lawsuits have been filed.

Want to bounce a quarter off it? Try running,  wall squats and pilates-esk exercises. All while wearing proper fitting shoes; not just for your foot size, but foot shape too. Questions? Come see me for your free foot-structural analysis. 

Fibromyalgia? Yes You Can!

Yes you CAN!

Gen. Halstead conquered fibromyalgia, so can you!

After 27 years of service, decorated U.S. Army Brigadier General Becky Halstead (Retired), the first female West Point graduate in U.S. history to command at the strategic level in Iraq and Afghanistan, decided to retire after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia - a medically unexplained syndrome affecting the muscles and connective tissues. Currently, the disease affects as 

many as 12 million Americans and has been reported two times as prevalent in 

deployed veterans (Annals of Internal Medicine, June 7, 2005, Vol. 142 No.11). 

"Agonizing pain, debilitating fatigue, joint stiffness and sleep deprivation-you name it and I felt it," says Halstead. "There I was in Iraq, responsible for over 20,000 military men and women, and I privately struggled to physically keep myself going."

Initially, Halstead was prescribed every drug imaginable, though the pills only masked the pain and resulted in a spiral of reactions affecting her psychological and physical health. It wasn't until a close friend suggested chiropractic that she was able to find relief and return to a normal, nearly pain-free life. She discovered that the comprehensive treatment of chiropractic care improves joint motion, reducing and in some cases eliminating the pains and symptoms associated with fibromyalgia - such as fatigue, sleep deprivation anddepression. 

"Chiropractic treatment helped improve my whole outlook on dealing with this chronic ailment," she says. "The spinal adjustments along with the postural and nutritional advice I received helped to treat the fibromyalgia and allowed me to have many days with minimal pain -- and most days without any medications. The care of a doctor of chiropractic was life changing for me." 

Today, Brig. General Halstead has made it her personal mission to educate others suffering with fibromyalgia - and to consider consulting with doctor of chiropractic, as she did. 

To heel spur or not to heel spur?

 Have you ever tried to get out of bed in the morning, and it felt like your heel was bruised and it hurt to walk? Don’t remember injuring yourself, what could that be?

That’s classic for plantar fasciitis-the swelling of the plantar fascia, erroneously known as heel spurs (though over time a spur will form on the calcaneus from chronic stress, it is not a pain generator). The bottom of your foot is composed of 3 arches that act as shock absorbers. They are covered by tissue known as fascia. As you stand and walk, you exert 3-5times the force of gravity on your feet. Over time, the fascia over stretches and becomes inflamed. Not that you expressly did anything to mess it up, it just happens. Like a rubber band that you pull over and over and it eventually frays. This is extremely painful and sometimes debilitating. Though it may seem like it came on overnight, it has actually been brewing for some time. Just like no good wine before its time, there’s no good crippling foot pain before its time (doesn’t rhyme as well).

Ice is a powerful anti-inflammatory and excellent home remedy. Also make sure you are wearing proper fitting, well-made and not over-worn shoes.  However, to prevent it from coming back or getting worse, most people will need a round of rehab to correct the damage followed with customized foot orthotics to help stabilize the foot and ensure proper function.  

Learn more @ http://susquespine.com/custom_content/c_125152_foot__ankleheel_pain.html

Have you always wanted that amazing night’s sleep on a luxurious Tempur Pedic mattress but thought it wasn’t affordable? Well now TempurPedic is offering 12 months same as cash, delivered to your bedroom financing on the professional line when purchased through authorized health care professionals (that’s me).

Can chiropractic help with arthritis?

Certainly! Arthritis alone is the general inflammation of joints, which leads to pain, stiffness, and decreased function of the joint.  There are several types of Arthritis.  Each form has its particular symptoms, demographics, and development.  Osteoarthritis is most directly the result of generalized “wear and tear” of joints and their associated structures.  Rheumatoid, Psoriatic, JRA, Septic all are systemic forms of arthritis that develop as a result of the presence of variants in the blood.  Lastly gout and pseudo gout are metabolic forms of joint inflammation that is generally associated with dietary input into the body as well as improper metabolic function of the body.  Each form has its specific signs and symptoms that Chiropractors are trained to recognize during a comprehensive health history, physical exam, and utilization of x-ray diagnostics.    Chiropractors are expert in the operation of joints and in the therapies that keep them working properly. Though the spine is the chain of joints they are best known for working on, their training lets them help with ailments of all the body’s joints. Depending on the type of arthritis you have, the condition can flare and subside. A key to managing the disease is a balance between rest and exercise.   Your chiropractor can give you a regimen of exercise, like stretching and dance moves, that improves range of motion in arthritic joints; strengthening exercises, including weight lifting, which can tone the muscles critical to joint support; and aerobic or endurance exercises, which help improve the cardiovascular system, tone muscle and control weight. A Chiropractor can make recommendations for dietary changes as well as the use of vitamins and supplements to reduce swelling and promote healing mechanisms within the body and joints.  Additionally the mobilization of joints will create a pumping mechanism which aids in the circulation of swelling out of the joint spaces. As always, for more visit www.susquespine.com or on Facebook as Susquehanna Spine N Rehab.

Breaking News

Observation and warning

Breaking news!!! For the 10^th straight year, Dr Lee has been voted the coolest, most-handsome chiropractor in the land…And a warning on a popular anti-biotic.

Many people feel that Chiropractors are anti-medicine and anti-medical establishment. For the most part we aren’t. Like the old Jeff Foxworthy bit goes: Not all Southerners are crazy or stupid, only the ones on TV are; same thing with my kind. I try not to be anti-anything. I am for anything and everything that will make you, my friends and patients, healthy.

Today however, I am here to speak out on a particular drug: Levaquin. In 2 weeks I have had 2 patients come in with chemically induced rotator cuff tear and 1 with an ACL tear, all from Levaquin. In fact, the following is straight from the National Institute of Health’s website: “WARNING-Using levofloxacin injection increases the risk that you will develop tendinitis (swelling of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) or have a tendon rupture (tearing of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) during your treatment or for up to several months afterward. These problems may affect tendons in your shoulder, your hand, the back of your ankle, or in other parts of your body…”

In short, taking Levaquin may (and does) have the same effect on your body as falling down the stairs or 20 years of manual labor. 

Great Big Fancy Word of the Day

As many of you know I have 3 little girls that LOVE everything pink. So it goes without saying that Pinky Dinky Doo is one of our favorite shows. Just in case you haven’t seen it (I’ll try not to give it away) Mlle. Dinky Doo goes about telling her little brother and pet Guinea Pig a story using the “Great Big Fancy Word of the Day.” Today’s GBFWDs are ‘acid-base precipitation reaction’.

‘Acid-base precipitation reaction’: Kidney stones. I have been told that the pain from a kidney stone is worse than labor.   Kidney stones are like snowflakes, no 2 are alike; and shaped much like one too. Spherical with sharp and jagged edges, they are many time as or larger in diameter than the small, sensitive ureter and kidney vessels they pass through. Think of swallowing a golf ball coated in broken glass, but down stairs. Yet they are quite preventable

Precipitation is well, rain. The atmosphere is full of water, and when conditions are right, that water precipitates out. While urine is sterile, it is not pure. There’s lots of stuff floating around in it, but dissolved. When conditions are right, like concentration and pH, the stuff goes through a, GBFWD-acid-base precipitation reaction, and ‘un-dissolves’ itself forming stones.

You can prevent stones by controlling urine concentration and pH. First, 8 glasses of water a day, minimum. Second, diet. What you eat and drink shifts your body chemistry either acidic or basic. Animal proteins, carbs, sugar and alcohol tend to run acidic while vegetable matter basic. You should keep a good balance of both to keep your body chemistry operating at the optimal pH.

If you aren’t getting enough vegetables in your life, you should try Anabolic lab’s Essential Greens: a day’s supply of vegetables along with extra anti-oxidants and enzymes in one serving.

Did any of you catch the teaser for the local news during the Superbowl pre-game about this new “fountain of youth pill?” Well, it ain’t exactly new. They were talking about resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, pomegranate, blueberry, mangosteins, goji berry’s and a handful of other fruits. It is a super anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory that does slow the effects of aging. However it is most, GBFWD-bioavailable-dissolved in alcohol as in red wine. It has to be naturally dissolved, so pomegranate martini’s don’t’ count. If you’re concerned about the extra calories or just don’t like red wine, the best place to find the fountain of youth is in Lyflo Select’s Inflammation Defense; as with Anabolic’s Greens, exclusively available here.

Ironic isn't it?

It’s like Rain…

…On your wedding day. Ironic really. Almost embarrassing. I, Dr. Lee, a chiropractor and self-proclaimed most handsome disc specialist in Harford County if not all of Maryland, threw my back out. I saw it coming. As with most cases, it wasn’t one single event like saving a little girls bunny from a raging river, it developed over time. And obviously so, can happen to anyone anytime.

A few years back I injured my foot skiing. I rehabbed it. But the tendons and ligaments of the leg are very plastic in nature and never go back 100%. I wasn’t the most diligent in my follow up care; so I injured it again running. And I was even less diligent in my follow up care. So I then developed an abnormal gait pattern (hitch in my get-a-long). This caused my spine to over-compensate weakening the joint. Add that to my diminished workout schedule due to my bad foot; the fact I’ve been slacking on my veggie eating now that my CSA is out of season; staying up too late to watch Colberet; only getting adjusted monthly as opposed to bi-weekly-Wham! There goes my disc. Luckily for me, I am the above-mentioned handsome-most disc expert in Maryland. I’ve been on the spinal-decompression machine and rehabbing the heck out of it.

Just like cops have to be tased to carry a taser, it’s good for doctors to be on the other side of the table at least once. I have a better appreciation for what my patients go through and more sympathy for their plight (except somehow female OB’s seem to be more hardened in an “I did it so can you” kind of way).

So, if you or a loved one is suffering back or neck pain, not only am I one heck of a nice guy to refer to, I know where you’re coming from.