Thursday, March 28, 2013

Think of the Kids


Where cellulite comes from; please make it stop.

CO2+H2O <-> H2CO3 <->H+ +HCO-3 <-> 2H= +CO3(2)-


(Ok chemistry nerds, the website editing software doesn't understand balancing equations, so it's a little off, I know)

Take a look, and long, hard look. This picture is the most important chemical equation of all time. The carbonate buffer system aka acid-base buffering system aka why does my butt look like cottage cheese equation. Don’t think that’s important? When was the last time you went to Ocean City?

This is what keeps your body at the correct pH. Think of your blood as the county pool. The staff loads it up with enough bleach to kill a horse, but has to put enough acid to eat a Ford to keep it level. If not, your skin will melt off when you get in (not a bad alternative to whatever those kids are depositing). It’s so important, this is very first thing you learn in college physiology.

In a nut shell, your body wants to keep just the right amount of hydrogen. If you get too much it tries to get rid of the excess and vice versa. For the most part though-we have too much hydrogen. It comes from the breakdown of sugar, artificial sweeteners and proteins. It can also build up when we have breathing issues such as COPD, heart conditions, asthma etc.; but mostly diet.

What happens is when you drink a diet coke, you get a buildup of H, so the body makes water (H20) to get rid of the H. To make water you need an oxygen. Where does that oxygen come from? According to the chart carbonate yes, but ultimately the body tissue. So now the body is missing an oxygen (hypoxia). What does hypoxia do? Lot’s of bad stuff, like inflammation, but also tissue dimpling-Cellulite; (also leading cause of kidney stones).

So, drink more water? Yes. But if we introduce more carbon, we can force the equation the other way and force hydrogen out through the kidneys while saving the oxygen for our back side. Where do we find carbon? Kale, Brussels Sprouts and other leafy green vegetables. That or buy a bigger swimsuit.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Whip it, Whip it Real Good


If you've been in an auto accident, chances are you may be hurt worse than your car. Symptoms range from neck and back pain with headaches to ringing in the ears, tingling in the fingers or toes; to feeling like, well that you got hit by a car; and much, much more. It may be immediate or it could take years before you start to notice the symptoms, depending how much damage was done to your body, how big you and your car are and your age.

For you science geeks: Upon impact, the target vehicle begins to move forward into the occupant, making contact chiefly through the seat back. In accordance with Newton's 1st law of motion, the occupant's inertia resists this motion. As the seat back continues to move forward, the occupant must yield. Initially, the thoracic curve is flattened by the seat back. This results in a vertical compressive force which is transmitted through the spine. As the vertical compressive force continues up the spine, some rise of the torso also occurs. This is called ramping and is halted after 1-3 inches of vertical displacement, usually because of the restraining effect of the seat belt and the weight of the torso. Meanwhile, as the torso now is undergoing both a -z acceleration vertically and a forward x linear acceleration, the head-also acting in accordance with Newton's 1st law of motion-resists this motion. As the vertical force extends upwards into the neck it initiates flexion of the upper cervical motion segments and hyperextension of the lower segments. Compression then quickly gives way to tension as the upward moving head and now downward moving torso attempt to disengage. Also, as the torso moves forward with respect to the head, significant amounts of horizontal shear force occur in the neck roughly parallel to the facet joint line, and now for the rest of us: Your head snaps back and forth like a whip, jacking everything up.
 
The damage never goes away on its own and may actually get worse over time. If you're in pain after a car accident, or have been in a car accident and want to prevent the pain from coming. Give us a call: 443-512-0025


Dr. Shawn R Lee, chiropractor; Susquehanna Spine & Rehab. Chiropractic, Physical Therapy & Massage in Bel Air & Abingdon, Harford County Maryland