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. 

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.

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.

Miracles Never Cease

Hang around chiropractors long enough and your bound to hear stories of how a patient who had been suffering from asthma, dysmenorrhea, ADD, colic, infertility, chronic ear infections and a whole host of other diseases had been seemingly cured with just a few adjustments. I’m sure most people file those stories away with other urban legends, but in fact they are true. Not everyone, every case every time, but ‘miracles’ happen everyday in clinics across the globe, and many happen here.

Really, it’s not that miraculous, it’s scientific. It’s all easily explained by neuropathophysiology. First, we must understand the nature of disease. Disease is caused by a bad interaction of our body with our environment. We are daily exposed to physical stress, chemical stress and emotional stress. These stresses affect our spine. Sitting in traffic causes our backs and necks to stiffen; putting up with your spouse will do the same. So does about 10,000 other things we do on a daily basis.

Many of you know that I grew up in Texas. Many of those years were spent in Houston. Four of which were in Pasadena. Yes the same Pasadena, TX that was home to Mickey Gilley’s where Jon Travolta rode the mechanical bull and met Sissy. The same Pasadena that is home to numerous chemical spills and fires. When there was a spill, the alarms would go off triggering Shelter In Place. Everyone was to shut and lock their doors and turn off the AC; the emergency radio would go on and we all waited anxiously.

When our spinal joints are offended, they become hypomobile (less mobile). This leads to biomechanical stress that causes cellular damage that causes cell walls to break spilling their guts everywhere exposing intracellular fluid (in other words, a toxic spill), triggering the firing of nociceptive nerve fibers and an endocrine (hormonal) response.

Nociceptive nerve fibers travel up and down the spinal cord exciting the Autonomic Nervous System (think fight or flight) hampering digestion, reproduction, and skin health; trigger mast cells (histamine release-allergies) and a whole host of other issues. As they travel on to the brain, 10% go to the thalamus creating the sensation of pain. The other 90% goes to the hypothalamus were their signal is processed as nausea, dizziness, malaise, changes in digestion, respiration, heart beat and reproduction.

The endocrine or hormonal response is much the same. It also leads to the production of enzymes (chemicals) such as PGe2, TNF and other cytokines/eicosanoids. Doesn’t matter what they’re called, they’re bad news. They are the chemicals that lead to the outbreaks and symptoms of asthma, infertility, dysmenorrhea, colic and pretty much every other disease you could name.

Restoring full and complete motion to the joints shuts off the alarm and reverses the “spill.” Restoring full and complete motion to the spinal joints is the proprietary domain of chiropractic.

So there you go.  That’s how chiropractic fights disease. We fix the hypomobile joints that cause pain 10% of the time, but disease the other 90%. If you, a friend or loved one is suffering, we can help. 

A place called Vertigo

Vertigo, a kind of cool Hitchcock movie and a really cool U2 song. But there’s nothing cool about the world spinning around you and puking everywhere. College students everywhere spend their weekends in the bottom of a Nat Light can trying to reproduce it; but there’s many people out there trying to stop it.

Vertigo, just like other symptoms (pain, burning, numbness, tingling, coughing, runny nose…) is not a disease or disorder, but the sign or side effect of a disorder. There are 4 main, treatable causes of vertigo: BPPV, Migrainous vertigo, TMJ disorders and upper cervical trauma/disorders along with intra-cranial masses that maybe somewhat treatable by doctors who drive nicer cars than me, like brain surgeons.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) dizziness is thought to be due to debris which has collected within a part of the inner ear.  This debris can be thought of as "ear rocks", although the formal name is "otoconia". Ear rocks are small crystals of calcium carbonate derived from a structure in the ear called the "utricle" . While the saccule also contains otoconia, they are not able to migrate into the canal system. The utricle may have been damaged by head and or neck injury, infection, or other disorder of the inner ear, or may have degenerated because of advanced age/abuse. BPPV is treated by reversing the damage to the head and neck and through gentle adjustments to the ears coupled with specific exercises that dislodge the rocks.

Migrainous Vertigo is just what it sounds like, vertigo from a migraine. A migraine, as you may remember from earlier posts, is more than a headache, it’s an event. A migraine happens when the blood vessels of you neck spasm allowing too much or too little blood into your brain which results in pain, blurred vision, hallucinogenic events, so on and so on along with vertigo. As with migraine headaches, if you stabilize the joints and associated structures of the neck, you can ward off migraine attacks.

The TMJ aka the temporo-mandibular joint, or jaw. People who are under lot’s of stress grind their teeth at night, even though they don’t know it oftentimes. Also people who eat lots of hard and or chewy foods, chew gum, who’ve been whacked in the head or neck, spend a lot of time in front of a computer and/or have bite issues develop TMD (TMJ disorder). TMD is manifested by headaches, ringing in the ear, facial pain, tooth and jaw pain, and as you’ve guessed, vertigo. I am more than the self-proclaimed TMJ expert of Harford County, I am the TMJ expert of Harford County.

The most common form of head and neck trauma that leads to vertigo is whiplash. They say there are 2 types of people in the world: those who believe in whiplash, and those who haven’t had it yet. The facts about whiplash are another story for another day, but it happens, and I’ve fixed it.

Healthy Highlight:

Joint Complex-developed by SD State pharmacist to help her husband, the softball coach and former catcher re-grow cartilage in his knee, and it works. Joint problems? Pick up a bottle.

All that and good looking too.

Everyday people will ask me what exactly I do. Other than optimizing human performance, increasing vitality, making you look and feel younger, adding life to your years and years to your life along with improving your quality of living; not that much.

I do it all by focusing on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.  Even though it’s mostly to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches; through therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as  nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.

The most common though being a “spinal manipulation,” also called “chiropractic adjustment.”   The purpose of manipulation is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become hypomobile – or restricted in their movement – as a result of a tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as improper lifting of a heavy object, or through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture, and through a varying barrage of chemical and emotional stress for an extended period of time. In either case, injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain, and diminished function. Manipulation, or adjustment of the affected joint and tissues, restores mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness, and allowing tissues to heal.

Adjustments also remove the affects of the other forms of stress on your body, boosting your immune system and improving performance helping to treat and prevent all forms of disease and disorder (more on this to come).

Healthy Highlight

Whether you are an athlete or an arthritis sufferer, Lyflo Select Topical Pain Crème helps provide speedy relief to aching joints, muscles and bruised tissues. Using Celadrin®, an all natural proprietary ingredient clinically proven to reduce pain and inflammation as well as rapidly promote joint health, Lyflo’s Topical Pain Crème acts fast with deep absorption to improve flexibility and mobility.

COW

Know anyone with headaches? Stop the pounding fast with chiropractic!

Not now, I have a headache.

Headaches can be due to a wide variety of causes, such as drug reactions, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), tightness in the neck muscles, low blood sugar, high blood pressure, stress and fatigue, the majority of recurrent headaches are of two types: tension headaches (also called cervicogenic headaches) and migraine headaches.

Tension type headaches are the most common, affecting upwards of 75% of all headache sufferers. Most people describe a tension headache as a constant dull, achy feeling either on one side or both sides of the head, often described as a feeling of a tight band or dull ache around the head or behind the eyes. These headaches usually begin slowly and gradually and can last for minutes or days. Tension headaches are often the result of stress or bad posture, which stresses the spine and muscles in the upper back and neck.

Migraines are intense and throbbing headaches that are often associated with nausea and sensitivity to light or noise. They can last from as little as a few hours to as long as a few days. Many of those who suffer from migraines experience visual symptoms called an "aura" just prior to an attack that is often described as seeing flashing lights or that everything takes on a dream-like appearance.

Migraines are caused by a spasm in the blood vessels in the brain. During the constriction of the blood vessels there is a decrease in blood flow, which is what leads to the visual symptoms that many people experience. Once the blood vessels dilate, there is a rapid increase in blood pressure inside the head. It is this increased pressure that leads to the pounding headache. There are a number of things that can trigger migraines, such as lack of sleep, stress, flickering lights, strong odors, changing weather patterns and several foods; especially foods that are high in the amino acid tyramine (found most in aged foods).

No matter the headache or cause, they all respond well to chiropractic and wellness care. If you or someone you know is suffering, call ‘now;’ now you’ll have to find another excuse.

Supplement Spotlight: Anti-oxidant support. Not only does it make you feel younger; you’ll look it too. Anti-oxidants reverse the damage of life on your body.

Holiday Survival Guide

As we all now, the year ends next Wednesday at 4pm. Sure, the calendar goes on, but we’ve all checked out; any aspirations of health have been replaced with visions of sugar plum (shots) and mini-crab cakes dancing in our heads. On Jan 2 we all crawl out of our eggnog induced haze and wonder what happened while celebrating the abrupt death of our resolutions with a trip to the Chinese food buffet.

So why weight (intentional pun)? Get proactive; to help, here’s my Holiday survival guide:

1. An all you can eat buffet is not a double dog dare. This is the thing I struggle with the most. I paid good money to eat all I can, and I’m going to get my money’s worth; take it from someone who’s learned that lesson, it’s not worth it. Also remember it’s not a race. Generally, the slower you eat, the less you will.
2. An open bar is not a challenge.
3. Water, water, water. No less than 6 glasses a day, more if you’re drinking or eating sweet/salty foods.
4. When possible, take a nap.
5. Instead of doubling your coffee to keep up, try vitamins.
6. Replace one meal a day with the endless salad, not the one from Olive Garden, that’s the endless waistline salad. Recipe: chopped peppers, cucumber, celery, onion, lettuce, other greens, radish, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, endive, arugula; tossed with lemon or lime juice/vinegar or hot sauce (not wing sauce) Notice how no one said salt? Eat as much as you want, and this time I mean it.
7. What ever was said, can’t be unsaid, let it go. The holidays are an emotionally trying time. Harboring hate and resentment makes you sick. The past is the past and it’s not coming back. Take out a piece of paper and write down his/her name, wad it up, throw it away and forget it; you’ll be glad you did.
8. Exercise. Even if it’s an extra lap around the mall, or a round of Wii, get out and move it.
9. Just because you’re having dinner at 2 houses with 2 different families, doesn’t mean you have to eat as much as 2 families. Portion control is lost this time of year. Try this: Drink a large glass of water. Instead of using a dinner plate, eat off the salad plate-it holds less food. Drink another large glass of water and wait at least 5 minutes before going for seconds.
10. It really is better to give than receive.
11. Eleven, really? Ten isn’t good enough for Spinal Tap, neither for me. DON’T FORGET YOUR APPOINTMENTS!!! I’ll get lonely here without you, plus we don’t want to loose the progress we’ve made in getting you back to optimal health.

More of Me

I've started this blog to further promote health, wellness and prevention. The real thing, not how a politician or salesman uses those words. Quickly, I am a trained chiropractor with physical therapy priveleges in Bel Air, MD. I have thousands of classroom and hundreds of thousands of experience hours in diagnosing and treating all manor of disease along with how to prevent it from a natural model of health. You can visit me on the web at http://www.susquespine.com or http://belairdiskpain.com and be my facebook friend: Susquehanna Spine N Rehab