Thursday, December 8, 2011

Solve Neck and Back Problems at Hands of Gold Chiropractic


Chiropractors specialize in manual treatment of muscles and joints in the body, most commonly in the neck or back. Hands Of Gold Chiropractic is one of the best in the business.

One of Hands of Gold Chiropractic's patients recently experienced whiplash, a neck injury caused by an abrupt deceleration following an acceleration, as the result of car accident. As he was moving down the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the car behind him crashed into his bumper. The patient's neck thrust forward and became hyperextended.

After experiencing prolonged discomfort in their neck, the patient came to Hands of Gold Chiropractic for an evaluation. After a series of pain-free Manipulation treatments, which consist of moving joints slightly further than one could themselves, the patient was fully recovered.

Pain is not always this isolated or easy to identify, however. The neck and back can sometimes refer pains to other areas of the body like the arms, legs or areas of the Central Nervous System.

If you think you have experienced whip-lash or any of these other pains, Hands of Gold Chiropractic can solve your problem. They specialize in cervical and lumbar spinal decompression.

Hands of Gold Chiropractic's office is located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Dr. Jason Peloquin is dedicated to bringing better health and believes the promotion of health and wellness is superior to the treatment of disease.

To learn more about Hands of Gold Chiropractic, check out their website.

Hands of Gold Chiropractic: 277 88th St. Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, November 12, 2011

EVER CONSIDERED ACUPUNCTURE WITH CHIROPRACTIC CARE?


Did you know that:


•More than 8 million Americans have used acupuncture

•Growing numbers have sought out acupuncturists for chronic pain and health problems when conventional medicine has not worked or has not provided answers

•The National Institute of Health and World Health Organization have both given formal approval for certain uses of acupuncture

•Medical doctors refer their patients to acupuncturists more than to any other “alternative” care provider

How does Acupuncture work?


Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory

The Classical Chinese explanation is that energy (Qi) flows in channels (meridians) throughout the body and over its surfaces. These channels are rivers of energy which are referred to as meridians. The Chinese have identified 71 meridians in the human body, which is a basic energy map for all people. The meridians are often compared to a series of interconnected highways. Each of the major organs in the body is associated with its own meridian. Through the network of meridians the internal organs are connected to certain areas and parts of the body including the muscles, bones, joints, and also other organs.

The Chinese believe that health is a manifestation of balance, both within the body itself and between the body and the external environment. When the body is internally balanced and in harmony with the external environment, Qi flows smoothly through the meridians to nourish the organs and tissues. If an obstruction occurs in one of the meridians, the Qi is disrupted and cannot flow properly. When the Qi cannot flow smoothly or is forced to flow in the opposite direction, the body’s innate balance is disrupted and illness results.

Acupuncture points are the specific points on the meridians where the Qi is both concentrated and accessible. Acupuncture engages the Qi by inserting needles at these specific points, the goal being to restore the proper flow of Qi. As the body regains its natural balance, well-being returns.

To the human body, acupuncture needles are a physical stimulus. In Western science, a stimulus is defined as a detectable change in either the external environment or within the body itself. When the body detects change, it produces a response. Although acupuncture is not yet fully understood by Western science, with modern technology scientists can now actually begin to “see” the body’s response to acupuncture. For example, usingFunctional MRI, researchers have shown that when a needle is inserted at specific acupuncture points on the body, corresponding changes occur in the brain.


In the West, acupuncture is most well-known for its ability to relieve pain so the majority of research thus far has been done in this area. Acupuncture points are now believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release pain-relieving chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord and brain. Acupuncture may also stimulate other chemicals to be released by the brain, including hormones that influence the self-regulating system of the body.

Summary

In the West, acupuncture is most well-known for its ability to relieve pain so the majority of research thus far has been done in this area. Acupuncture points are now believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release pain-relieving chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord and brain. Acupuncture may also stimulate other chemicals to be released by the brain, including hormones that influence the self-regulating system of the body.

We use acupuncture and other forms of Oriental medicine, including Chinese herbs and moxibustion (a localized heat treatment). This form of treatment has been proven effective for many, many conditions, from asthma to women’s (gynecological) issues.

All treatment begins with a proper diagnosis, which takes place during your first visit. We spend a lot of time getting a complete picture of your health and lifestyle. We examine the condition of your tongue (is it cracked, coated, excessively pink? etc.), and check your pulse on both wrists (the quality of your pulse gives information about possible imbalances). We’ll also ask questions about your emotional state, and specific symptoms you may have. This is done because unlike Western medicine, we treat the whole person. Instead of merely focusing on the symptoms of your condition, we treat the underlying cause of those symptoms.

The first visit (with diagnosis) can last from an hour to an hour and a half, and end with an acupuncture treatment lasting another 30-60 minutes. Your subsequent visits will be much faster – usually an hour long. We’ll make a short review of your progress followed by an acupuncture treatment.

If it’s warranted, we also prescribe an herbal formula. Herbs are nearly always prescribed in a balanced formula, where different herbs have supporting effects. Thousands of years of use and research have shown that this is far more effective than large doses of a single substance.

Typically acupuncture treatments are given once a week. If the condition is acute and painful, treatments may be given 2-3 times per week until the condition starts to come under control. The exact duration of treatment depends on the condition, your basic level of health, and how well you respond to acupuncture.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Chiropractor Behind The Healing: Dr. Jason Peloquin


Feeling bent out of shape? Need to get straightened out?  Have you been to other professionals and still haven't found the results or answers you are looking for?

Jason Peloquin at the Hands of Gold Chiropractic delivers dedicated and personal care with a practice of just himself an acupuncturist, massage therapist and an office manager. Dr. Peloquin has been caring for patients for 7 years as a chiropractor. He loves his work as a chiropractor at Hands of Gold Chiropractic because he offers a drugless, noninvasive process of healing the body and creating a happier "you."

Dr. Peloquin takes a whole body approach to chiropractic care. He offers non invasive spinal decompression, cold laser therapy, massage therapy, Cox flexion distration as well as Graston technique, Active Release Technique and Kinesiotaping. He advises his clients in diet, exercise techniques and therapeutic practices to keep you feeling good and healthy even after you leave his office.

Dr. Jason practices in the neighborhood where he was born and raised. He has a very strong love for Bay Ridge, its people and his community. Anyone who comes into his office is more than just a patient, they're a friend and neighbor.

Call Dr. Peloquin and the Hands of Gold Chiropractic and make an appointment today to get well, feel better and enjoy the benefits of functioning at 100%.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Are You TechnoHealthy?

October is National Chiropractic Health Month!


This year’s activities focus on how chiropractic care can help prevent and treat the repetitive stress injuries associated with the improper use of handheld technology. This year’s NCHM is designed to help enable DCs to reach out to their patients and communities and help to raise awareness about a technohealthy lifestyle.


Modern technology such as smart phones and texting is bringing people together in new ways…but it also has the potential to take a toll on our bodies and our health.


This year for National Chiropractic Health Month  ACA (American Chiropractic Association) asks chiropractic patients and the public the question, “Are you TechnoHealthy?”

As experts in ergonomics, doctors of chiropractic can help their patients use technology safely, avoiding unnecessary injury and strain, or treat the aches and pains that may already exist. Being TechnoHealthy also means knowing when to unplug and reconnect with the world around you through exercise and other wellness activities.
 
Some common injuries to patients are tech neck, blackberry thumb, carpel tunnel syndrome and poor egonomincs leading to poor posture.  Prolonged inactivity mixed with poor posture is a sure way of hurting your spine and compressing the nerves exiting your back.
 
For more information, please our website at http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hands of Gold "Spreads The Wellness" For Bay Ridge!


Dr. James Peloquin is bringing his Hands of Gold techniques and philosophy of a healthier you to the Green Spa.

Dr. Peloquin's role as part of the Green Spa is to treat patients suffering from spinal related conditions as well as offer counseling to create a holistic approach to better health. As part of his efforts to give back to the community and provide wellness to Bay Ridge, Dr. Peloquin spreads the realization that healing comes from within; and that ultimately, the promotion of health and wellness is superior to the treatment of a disease.

Already providing a place to relax and unwind, The Green Spa is a perfect partner for Hands of Gold Chiropractic. Dr. Peloquin has a sincere caring for your health and practices the latest techniques to improve your overall well being.

The Green Spa is excellent when you need the very best therapists that are highly trained in healing techniques that encourage physical, spiritual and emotional wellness. That is why Dr. Peloquin has joined them in his quest to create a healthier and happier Bay Ridge.

Call Dr. Peloquin today to book your wellness day! 718-833-WELL.

Monday, September 19, 2011

10 Questions We're Always Asked


1.What is a subluxation?


A subluxation happens when the spinal segments lose alignment and pressure is placed on the spinal nerves.. These subluxations have a negative effect on the way the nervous system funtions. Dr. Jason Peloquin is able to realign your spine in order to allow the nervous system to maintain balance and function efficiently. Some symptoms that can be caused by subluxations include: numbness and tingling, fatigue, headaches, neck pain and/or back pain. Since immunity is controlled by the nervous system, subluxations can make you more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections.

2.What is that popping noise?

Gases accumulate in your joint fluids, the popping sound occurs when those gases are released. Knuckle-cracking creates the same sound and tests results indicate that while irritating to those around you, knuckle-popping will not hurt you.

3. Will it hurt to get an adjustment?

From time to time individuals that have not experienced a chiropractic adjustment may feel a little bit of tenderness, similar to what you would feel after a hard workout at the gym. Most patients do not seem to find it a problem. Because, really…….if it felt painful how many people would come back? Based upon on the individual case heat or cold might be recommended.

4.How long will it take?

A typical adjustment takes around 5 or 10 minutes. Times may vary depending on exactly what type of treatment is done. Several procedures take longer and those are influenced by things like exercise instruction, heat and cold treatments and traction. The majority of chiropractors use hands on style adjustments. Some employ an instrument referred to as an activator or a mechanical adjusting device to make the adjustment easier.

5.Will I need to do exercises?

Once in a while I may recommend particular exercises to support the adjustments. Exercises help tone muscles and help provide support to the spine. Several varieties of exercises may also be recommended so that you can enhance the range of motion.

6.Is it safe to give adjustments to children?

Definitely! Children and Infants profit considerably from chiropractic adjustments. With children, different techniques must be used extra care is taken. Sometimes, simply the pressure of a finger is all that should be used. Chiropractors take care of ear infections and allergies. Slip and fall accidents are prevalent with children and are often efficiently treated by chiropractic.

7.Will I need to be x-rayed?

X-raying may be done on a case by case basis. Routine treatments may not call for x-rays, but usually accidental injuries will. Almost always, children or pregnant women will not will need x-rays.

8.Will I need more than one adjustment?

For most patients, it requires a period of time for a problem to be felt. Because the majority of people wait around a short time before attempting to get therapy, the body adjusts itself to the situation and it will require more than an overnight to be able to correct the issue.

9.Someone said my bed could be the problem, is this accurate?

It absolutely can. Old mattresses lose their ability to correctly support the body during the night. Not only can your mattress be a problem, but pillows also create neck problems.

10.Is there a proper way to Sleep?

Most people do not realize it is best to sleep on their back. You can also sleep on your side though shoulder pain may result

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Trigger Points and Pain

Trigger points are persistent, localized muscle spasms that can cause a great deal of pain.  Trigger points alone may be responsible for many cases of neck pain, upper back pain, and lower back pain. This relationship is fairly common knowledge among physicians who treat pain, including chiropractors, rheumatologists, and physiatrists (doctors of physical medicine).
What is not generally known is that trigger points may also be implicated in radiating pain into the arm and hand or radiating pain into the leg and foot. In fact, radiating pain due to trigger points may be mistaken for pain caused by a herniated disc, in either the neck or lower back. Trigger point pain affecting the wrist and hand may even be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. A patient in whom a correct diagnosis of trigger point pain is missed may lose much precious time and other resources, as she fruitlessly "tries" one doctor after another and needlessly undergoes all sorts of complex and costly testing.
The key to correctly identifying the source and cause of upper or lower extremity radiating pain is to be able to accurately characterize its nature. Radiating pain caused by trigger points is diffuse - the pain broadly covers a region. This diffuse pain is described as "scleratogenous", meaning that it is pain referred from connective tissue such as muscle and tendon. Radiating pain caused by a compressed spinal nerve (ultimately caused by a herniated disc, for example) is described as "radicular" or "dermatomal". This pain is confined to a specific area - the area that is supplied by a specific spinal nerve. For example, pain involving the thumb and index finger could be caused by compression of the C6 spinal nerve. Pain involving the outside of the foot and the little toe could be caused by compression of the S1 spinal nerve.
Scleratogenous pain is not specific. A person might complain of pain across the "shawl" portion of the upper back and traveling into the upper arm, experienced "all over" the upper arm. Another person might be experiencing pain across the gluteal region, hip, and upper thigh. Both of these patterns of radiating pain are likely due to several trigger points, localized to the respective areas.
Of course, an accurate diagnosis is necessary to be able to develop an effective treatment strategy. The good news is that although trigger points necessarily represent a chronic muscular process, they may be treated with very good to excellent outcomes using conservative protocols. Chiropractic care is the optimal method for managing trigger point pain. Chiropractic care is a drug-free approach which directly addresses the biomechanical causes of these persistent trigger points and their associated patterns of radiating pain. Chiropractic care improves mobility and restores function, helping to reduce and resolve chronic pain.

For More information on Dr. Peloquin and the Hands of Gold Chiropractic please visit our website at:
Bay Ridge Chiropractor or like us on Facebook at Hands of Gold Chiro Facebook Page.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Are Backpacks Hurting Your Kids?

One of the cutest things I suppose you can see is the site of a tiny head and two legs and arms poking out from above, below and from the sides of a giant backpack, all wobbling toward you asking you if you brought it a snack! Ah, for those thrilling days of yesteryear!


Sigh-provoking as that scene is, it speaks to the ongoing problems our children are having with over-sized, over-stuffed and over-loaded back packs causing back and shoulder pain and the potential long-term issues they may face thirty years later. Simply stated most pre-teens don’t have the body strength that is necessary to maintain an erect posture under the ridiculous loads they carry and this weight and its distribution put substantial stress upon their immature skeletons and in the case of one-strappers, their shoulders.

The question then is begged as to what are the proper guidelines and some good tips for buying, loading and wearing a backpack?

Let’s start with the weight of the backpack. It is generally agreed that no more than 10% of a child’s body weight when they are pre-teens should be loaded into the pack. As they become older the weight can increase to no more than 15% of their body weight. You want to put the heaviest weight at the bottom of the backpack and it’s a pretty good idea, especially with younger children to clean out their packs every one or two days as you will be amazed at what you might find that has gone missing or is unnecessarily adding to the weight of the backpack.

In addition to the weight however, one of the major principles involved in safely wearing a backpack is to distribute the weight over as much of the body as possible. Therefore, one of the things you want to look at is a shoulder strap that is thick and well padded. Look for a backpack that has lots of side pockets as these can be used to further distribute the weight around the trunk. You don’t want the backpack to go below the natural curve of the waist, as this increased length will put more force across the skeleton; remember force is a function of weight times the distance squared. Additionally, I usually recommend that the backpack have a plastic or thick rubber lumbar support to fit as close to the body as possible and, although considered nerdy clasping the waist straps is very important in reducing the drag of the backpack and keeping the load as close to the long axis of the skeleton as possible (remember, distance squared!).

A final word about one-strappers. These are the teens that carry twenty to thirty pounds of books and goodness knows what else on one shoulder and then coms home and complaining that his or her shoulder hurts. Really! Needless to say, although way cool, these shoulder bags are a bad idea.

While there have not been a sufficient number of long-term studies to make any definitive statements about the long term effects of carrying a heavy backpack (such as the oft-heard it causes a curved spine) these common sense tips and approaches to this yearly annoyance will serve everyone well and help your child avoid unnecessary aches and pains.

They just don’t have the body strength to remain erect under these very substantial loads, and it puts their skeletons under substantial duress.


Monday, August 29, 2011

Time For New Beginnings



The time is always right to begin returning to good health. Regardless of whether your issues involve weight, exercise, diet, blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic pain, now is the time to begin taking action on your own behalf.


You are not alone. Literally hundreds of millions of people worldwide have various chronic complaints and illnesses.1,2,3 Some problems are more serious than others, but everyone eventually wants to find a better way to manage their health problems. Eventually everyone wants to actually begin to be healthier and feel better.

Of course, a healthy diet and regular vigorous exercise are the key elements in any process of returning to good health. People know this, but for the most part this knowledge alone does not do any good. The deep truth is that feeling good and actually being healthy takes a lot of effort. It's much easier to pick up dinner from a fast food restaurant than to spend precious time planning and shopping and preparing meals. It's much easier to sit on your couch and watch people on TV trying to lose weight than to actually do the work of losing weight yourself. It's much easier to spend 30 minutes watching the news for the third time that day than to put on your workout clothes and go for a brisk 30-minute walk.

We are all slaves to our habitual ways of thinking and habitual ways of living. Just as in physics, people have inertia. Newton's First Law of Motion states that a body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted upon by an external unbalanced force. We will do the same things we have always done, achieving the same results we have always achieved, unless we make an active choice to engage in new thinking and new activities.

By the way, no one is going to make any lasting changes in their lifestyle - for example, by choosing a healthy diet and daily exercise - merely because someone told them they needed to do it. If you're chronically overweight, your doctor has told you every year that you need to make changes. Every year at your annual physical she tells you to begin regular, vigorous exercise and adopt healthy eating habits. Do any of these admonitions ever make a lasting difference? They don't, not becauses they are bad advice, but because they were not a match for your own world view. Real change, lasting change, has to come from within, from your own personal choice.

When a person is actually ready to choose to revamp her lifestyle with respect to achieving good health, there are many possible steps to take. Chiropractic care can be an important and critical component of an overall health improvement strategy.





Sunday, August 14, 2011

Above Down - Inside out!

"Above-down, inside-out" is a poetic coinage by Dr. B.J. Palmer, one of the founders of the field of chiropractic. "B.J.", as he has been affectionately known by chiropractors for almost 100 years, was describing the inner workings of the brain and spinal cord, the complex nerve system connected to all parts of the body, and the cells, tissues, and organs comprising the bulk of human physiology.


In his inimitable style, Dr. Palmer was addressing many deep, complex phenomena all at once. From a high-level viewpoint, he was describing how the central nervous system communicates with the rest of the body. One major conclusion is that the brain (as the originator of nerve signals that flow to the spinal cord and from there to the organs, tissues, and cells) is the master controller of all the other systems. The gastrointestinal, endocrine, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal systems are all ultimately controlled and regulated by activities within the brain.

More than this, "B.J." was pointing directly to an organizing intelligence responsible for all the operations of living tissue. This concept, "Innate Intelligence", was propounded by his father, Dr. Daniel David Palmer. "B.J." expanded, publicized, and promoted the idea of Innate Intelligence as he helped the field of chiropractic grow into the second largest healing arts profession in the United States.

In the above-down, inside-out paradigm, Innate Intelligence is an intrinsic guiding and instructional force that maintained ongoing health and healing. Innate Intelligence knows how much oxygen and other nutrients a cell needs to meet its energy requirements. Innate Intelligence knows how to direct B lymphocytes to build a new antibody to fight a previously unencountered bacteria or virus. Innate Intelligence knows how much insulin should be released by beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans in order to properly use the carbohydrates you ingested during your last heart-healthy meal.

But disorder within the nerve system can interfere with the body's ability to carry out the instructions of Innate Intelligence. Symptoms, pain, disorders, and disease ensue from such nerve interference. Chiropractic care helps restore balance within the nerve system, thus helping restore health and well-being.





Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Have You Been Suffering From Chronic Knee Pain?


Chronic knee pain is notoriously difficult to treat successfully. Persons with these problems often become discouraged as they shuttle from specialist to specialist, from rheumatologist to orthopedic surgeon to physical therapist to acupuncturist and back again. Lack of progress and improvement becomes understandable when one considers that typical evaluation and treatment are directed at the symptoms. But with chronic knee pain, and many other pain syndromes, actual benefits may be obtained by addressing underlying biomechanical problems.


Faulty biomechanics are at the root of many ongoing knee problems. Of course, various other diseases and orthopedic conditions may cause the same type of chronic pain. The most likely of these possibilities need to be considered and ruled out before a diagnosis of biomechanical knee pain is established. Osteochondritis dissecans, a torn meniscus, and synovial effusion are all frequently encountered in persons over age 40 with chronic knee pain. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis are a few rheumatologic conditions which may result in sporadic or chronic knee pain.

When these medical entities have been eliminated as possibilities, a biomechanical causation becomes probable. How does a person develop "faulty biomechanics"? In fact, most of us have never received effective instruction in how to use our bodies. We stand and sit in all kinds of unsound postures, slouching and slumping and generally giving in to every available force of gravity. We stand with all our body weight on one leg, neck and shoulder muscles gripped tightly and abdominal muscles sagging and protruding. When we sit we slump down, stressing the lower back with poorly tolerated mechanical forces, or sit for hours with legs crossed, stressing the lower back, hips, and knees.

Over the course of a lifetime, our bodies have continually tried to adapt to a range of inefficient and stressful postures and habits. But eventually no more adaptation is possible. As a result joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons break down and fail. We experience this failure as pain. And once this type of pain has started, it is not going to go away unless the underlying causes are corrected. Specifically, the person's biomechanics need to be restored closer to normal.

Correction of posture takes time and can only be accomplished gradually. The key is to learn what to do, learn how to do it, and to be working on posture every day. The most important thing is to begin. Three basic biomechanical corrections are as follows: (1) When standing, be sure to have your weight over the balls of your feet and to have your weight evenly distributed on both legs. (2) Activate your deep abdominal muscles by visualizing an "inner lift". (3) Have straight lines of force running down your legs (rather than lines of force crossing at your knee, creating torsion and tension). Visualize "straight energy" flowing from your hip sockets, straight down through the center of your knees, straight down to your feet, between your first and second toes.

Visualizing and implementing these three biomechanical corrections on a daily basis represents the first series of steps toward improving knee mechanics and reducing chronic knee pain.





Friday, July 29, 2011

IS YOUR LIFESTYLE MAKING YOU SICK?


What is your lifestyle? Not whether you are married or where you live, but rather, how are you choosing to live your life? What choices are you making to keep yourself and your family healthy and well?


It is startling to learn that some of the most prevalent causes of illness, disease, and death – including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes – are all heavily influenced by lifestyle. For example, we don’t usually think of cancer as a lifestyle disease. We think a person is unlucky if they have cancer, and often we have a fatalistic outlook toward news that someone has developed cancer. “It’s in their genes,” we say. Or “stuff happens – the luck of the draw.”

But only approximately 10% of cancers are based on genetics. The vast majority of cancer cases are very much related to how we live our lives – our environment, the food we eat, whether we exercise regularly, and the quality of our relationships. Within the last ten years medical researchers have been learning of the strong correlation between overweight/obesity and a person’s likelihood of developing cancer. It seems that fat cells are not merely passive storehouses of excess energy in the form of fat. Fat cells are metabolic furnaces that spew out a wide range of chemicals, including hormones and inflammatory agents that may often cause normal cells and tissues to become cancerous.

Most people and even some physicians are unaware of these facts. The connection between lifestyle and heart disease, and between lifestyle and type 2 diabetes, seems obvious. But cancer, too, is a lifestyle disease. The very good news is that by creating the willingness to make healthy lifestyle choices, you’re making positive long-term changes in your health and well-being.

Additional good news is that these choices are in your hands. Every day you get to choose a healthy lifestyle or not. Of course, some days or even some weeks just seem to go by without a real opportunity to do things that are healthy. You might be on a business trip in a country where it’s difficult to find good, nutritious healthy food. It might also be difficult to find the time to exercise when you’re on a travel schedule. That’s OK, though, because lifestyle is a lifetime project. If you’re eating healthful nutritious food most of the time and doing daily exercise most of the time, you can take a week off or even two weeks off here and there. The main goal is to be on a healthy lifestyle path the vast majority of the time.

Chiropractic care is an important component of healthy living. Chiropractic care helps ensure that your body is functioning at its maximum. Chiropractic care helps ensure you’re getting the most out of the healthy food you’re eating and the healthy exercise you’re doing. Your chiropractor will be glad to provide guidance on creating nutritional plans and exercise programs that will work for you.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Talking Low Back Pain

You never know until you hurt it how much you use your lower back all day long. When your lower back is injured, every movement becomes painful. Simple actions, such as getting out of a chair or bending over the sink, become excruciating, and your daily routine becomes difficult and frustrating.

Back pain affects 60 to 80 percent of U.S. adults at some time during their lives, and up to 50 percent have back pain within a given year. Some of these problems are easily treated and never return, but in five to ten percent of patients low back pain becomes chronic and the person continues to have recurrences and exacerbations.

Effective treatment of uncomplicated lower back pain involves treatment in a chiropractor’s office and beginning and continuing an exercise program. A recent study conducted by the Medical Research Council, a research organization based in the United Kingdom, has found that patients given a combination of spinal manipulation and exercise experienced greater improvement in back function and greater reduction in pain compared to those treated with spinal manipulation or exercise only.

Most mechanical lower back pain is associated with tight leg muscles and weak abdominal muscles. Leg muscles need to be stretched and abdominal muscles need to be strengthened to avoid recurrences of lower back pain.
People are generally not aware of these relationships. You may know you “should be exercising”, but you may be unaware of the importance of stretching. Also, abdominal strengthening is usually the last thing a person thinks of when he or she thinks of doing exercise.

Abdominal strengthening helps support the lower back. Spinal muscles are not designed to carry your body weight. If your abdominal muscles are weak, then your back muscles will be used to carry your body weight, and eventually you’ll have a lower back injury. Abdominal strengthening not only helps keep your lower back healthy, but also helps maintain good posture. Postural benefits include an easy, relaxed gait; muscles that are long and supple, rather than short and tight; and an open chest that allows for easy, smooth breathing. Your body is a machine. Everything’s connected. A lower back problem affects many other areas, ultimately. By making sure to stretch regularly and by including abdominal exercises in your gym routine, you can help ensure having a lower back that works.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

CHIROPRACTIC IN THE EYES OF THE AMA

This is just a reprint of a small history lesson written for the AMA by a Chiropractor.

Chiropractic’s Fight for Survival

Despite generations of opposition from organized medicine, chiropractors, unlike most other groups of professionals, maintained an identity distinct from the practice of medicine.


Although the chiropractic profession now occupies a largely mainstream place in the health care spectrum of the United States, this has not always been the case. From its formation in 1895 by founder Daniel David (D. D.) Palmer [1], the chiropractic profession faced a plan of containment and elimination by the American Medical Association (AMA) that continued for nearly a century. It took an antitrust lawsuit filed against the AMA in 1976 to reveal the magnitude and scope of the AMA’s plan. Despite generations of organized medical opposition, chiropractors did what most other groups of professionals failed to do: they maintained a separate and distinct identity from the practice of medicine while growing in an otherwise hostile environment created by the AMA and its component state associations [2].

During the 1800s, there were a variety of medical sects vying for market share in the United States. Homeopaths, eclectics, naturopaths, and osteopaths, as well as the so-called “regular” orthodox medical practitioners, all had a stake in shaping the dominant health care paradigm [2]. The medical practitioners organized the American Medical Association in 1847 with the primary goals of standardizing medical education and instituting a program of medical ethics [3]. By 1849, the AMA had taken on the role of investigating the various competing sects of medicine and challenging them on the basis of their ethics [3]. The AMA took the position that the other forms of medicine, including the newly discovered chiropractic profession, were unethical and “unscientific.” Many authors, however, have made the argument that the AMA’s intent was to decrease competition for financial reasons rather than to protect the public from unethical practitioners [4, 5].

Medical doctors from this fledgling group broadcast the message that their practice alone was scientifically based, despite the fact that their approach to medicine was no more scientific than that of the professions they were competing with [6]. This claim, however, was an important first step in marginalizing other professions as “unscientific” or “pseudoscientific” and allowed this sect of medicine to organize and professionalize quickly and eventually exert a massive influence on all aspects of health care policy in this country for generations [6]. Not coincidentally, the AMA’s efforts resulted in the transformation of American medicine from a modest, even menial profession into one of sovereignty, power, and financial affluence [5].

By convincing state legislators that their profession was scientific while all others were not, the AMA and its state member associations were able to gain protection in the form of endorsement for educational programs and laws that limited “irregular” practice. The system of schools and hospitals, as well as the legislation protecting them, led to a “golden age of doctoring” that lasted until the 1970s [2]. Orthodox or “allopathic” medicine enjoyed virtually complete dominance of the health care market in the United States. With the exception of chiropractors, competing professions shrank to nonexistence or were absorbed into the orthodox medical profession, as in the case of osteopaths [4].

From its inception, chiropractic was looked upon as a menace by medical authorities. Palmer’s first chiropractic patient was a partially deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard, whose hearing improved dramatically under Palmer’s care. Following his development of chiropractic, Palmer used both incredible claims of cures as well as an antimedical platform to advertise his practice. Neither endeared him to the medical authorities in Iowa or Illinois [7].

Palmer intended to keep chiropractic techniques a family secret, but a near-fatal railroad accident caused him to change his plans, and he established the first chiropractic school, now known as Palmer College of Chiropractic, in 1897 [1, 8]. A good number of Palmer’s early students were medical doctors or had been trained in other health care disciplines prior to learning chiropractic [9]. Palmer established a unique theory about the nature of disease and emphasized the role of the patient’s body and its innate healing ability, rather than doctors’ treatments, as the key to health.

Chiropractic’s first challenge as a profession was the licensure laws that protected medical practice. While there were provisions in some states for chiropractors to practice as “irregulars,” in most states chiropractors faced the possibility of arrest and imprisonment for “practicing medicine without a license.” The first known case of this occurred in 1905, when Wisconsin chiropractors E. J. Whipple and G. W. Johnson were convicted at the urging of A. U. Jorris, DO, the first osteopath to be elected to Wisconsin’s board of medical examiners [9, 10]. In fact, an early issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association commended “Dr. A. U. Jorris in his fight against chiropractors” [11]. D. D. Palmer himself spent 23 days in Scott County jail for the same offense in Iowa in 1906 [8]. Recognizing the need for a protective organization of their own, chiropractic leaders founded the Universal Chiropractors’ Association in 1906, primarily to provide legal representation for chiropractors facing legal persecution.

In 1907, however, Wisconsin v. Morikubo found the first gap in organized medicine’s armor. Chiropractor Shegataro Morikubo was arrested for practicing osteopathy and medicine without a license. Indeed, there is ample evidence that Morikubo established his practice in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, specifically to test and challenge the precedent set in Whipple and Johnson’s case [10]. The trial ended in the legal establishment of chiropractic as a separate and distinct profession from medicine and osteopathy, largely on the basis of chiropractic’s unique philosophy [12].

Despite this legal precedent, at least 672 chiropractors throughout the country were arrested and jailed for the practice of “medicine” or chiropractic without a license over the next several decades, some many times [13, 14]. Records exposed during the discovery phase of the Chester C. A. Wilk et al. v. AMA et al. case showed that medical doctors were encouraged by the AMA to accuse chiropractors of ethical violations [15]. There was the additional problem that no state had established an official license for chiropractors, so in many cases chiropractors were harassed for practicing without a license that did not exist in the first place.

This changed in 1913, when Kansas became the first state to establish a separate chiropractic board and fully legalize the practice of chiropractic [16]. Other states quickly moved in the same direction. By the end of the 1920s, more than half of the states had legalized chiropractic. Louisiana was the last state to do so in 1974 [13]. Even the state chiropractic boards, however, were not safe from the pressures of the medical associations. State boards were routinely challenged and sometimes dissolved due to pressures on state legislators from the AMA and its state member associations [17]. All the while, the AMA waged an ongoing campaign against chiropractors, using the popular media, medical journals, and any other source that could be used to describe chiropractic as a “cult” [18].

Now that chiropractors could legally practice in most states, the AMA advocated adoption of “basic science” examinations that all doctors had to meet to qualify for a license. These exams were biased heavily toward those with standard medical training—since chiropractors received no training in medical procedures such as surgery and obstetrics. Chiropractors found it nearly impossible to pass the exams or gain licenses in states that adopted them. For example, Nebraska established a Basic Science Board and examination in 1927. From 1929 until 1950, not a single chiropractic license was granted in the state due to the inability of chiropractors to pass these unfair examinations [19]. The basic science examinations kept the number of chiropractors legally practicing in a state to a minimum. It was not uncommon for chiropractors to practice without licenses in states with such restrictions, creating additional opportunities for charges against them.

The AMA’s plan to undermine chiropractic became even more organized with the establishment of the Committee on Quackery in 1963. This AMA committee adopted a plan that was devised in 1962 by the Iowa Medical Society under the leadership of Robert B. Throckmorton. The so-called “Iowa Plan” outlined the “containment of the chiropractic profession” that “will result in the decline of chiropractic.” [15, 18] Action steps outlined in this plan included “encourage ethical complaints against doctors of chiropractic,” “encourage chiropractic disunity,” “oppose chiropractic inroads in health insurance,” and “oppose chiropractic inroads into hospitals,” among others [15, 18]. Joseph Sabatier, chairman of the Committee on Quackery, said that “rabid dogs and chiropractors fit into about the same category…. Chiropractors were nice but they killed people” [20].

The massive scope and methodical nature of this plan were exposed in hundreds of thousands of pages of AMA documents that were brought to light in the 1976 trial Chester C. A. Wilk et al. v. AMA et al, which started one year after the Committee on Quackery was disbanded [21]. AMA writers ghostwrote television and movie scripts, as well as Ann Landers’ widely read newspaper column and any other media outlet that could be used to tarnish the reputation of chiropractic in the public eye. The AMA even encouraged the distribution of antichiropractic materials to high school guidance counselors so they would dissuade interested students from pursuing careers in it [15, 18]. During the 11-year court battle that ensued, the AMA settled three lawsuits by relaxing its position on the referral of patients to chiropractors by medical doctors. In 1980, the AMA revised its Principles of Medical Ethics to reflect this new position, allowing medical doctors to be free to choose the patients they served, the environment they served in, and the other types of practitioners they associated with [22].

In 1987, United States District Judge Susan Getzendanner found the AMA and its codefendants guilty of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. In her decision, Getzendanner asserted that “the AMA decided to contain and eliminate chiropractic as a profession” and that it was the AMA’s intent “to destroy a competitor” [22].


While it took some years for old habits to fade away, in the current era medical doctors and chiropractors openly refer to each other for diagnostic services, treatment, and co-management of cases, and chiropractors serve alongside medical practitioners in clinics and hospitals all over the country.





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What is Cetyl Myristoleate?

Derived from Palm or coconut oil and found in fish vegetables and nuts.  It is an essential fatty acid and EFAs are depleted in chronic inflammatory diseases and their deficiency are associated with many autoimmune diseases.

Firstly, it serves as a surfactant and not only lubricates the involved joints, but also lubricates the entire body, making muscles glide more smoothly over other muscles, bursas, and bones and at the same time softens these tissues making them more pliable.

Secondly, it functions as an immune system modulator. This is the reason it has been found to be so effective in treating auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis.

Thirdly, it functions like a fatty acid in that it mediates inflammatory processes. When cooled, cetyl myristoleate is a waxy substance and, at room temperature, has a buttery consistency.
 
 
In recent human studies, cetyl-myristoleate has proven effective when given orally.


A double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-center hospital human study with 431 arthritic patients revealed that 63 percent of those who took 18 grams per month (two capsules, 500 mg, yielding 100 mg pure CMO, three times daily) of the cetyl-myristoleate formula had an improvement in joint related symptoms.

For more information on natural anti-inflammatory joint relieving formulas, that can only be prescribed by a licenced doctor, consider consulting with Dr. Peloquin at 718-833-9355, or visit our website at:

http://www.bayridgechiropractor.com/

Best of Luck and feel well!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Breathing Exercises Improve Asthma Symptoms

In the United States, about 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma; nearly 9 million of them are children. The most common treatment for Asthma has been the use of corticosteriod inhalers.


A new study found that breathing techniques can cut the use of asthma reliever inhalers by more than 80% and halve the dose of preventer inhaler required in mild asthma, research finds.

The new study, published in the journal Thorax, compared the impact of two breathing techniques on symptoms, lung function, use of medication and quality of life among 57 adults with mild asthma.

One technique focused on shallow, nasal breathing with slow exhalations, and the second technique used general upper body exercises, accompanied by relaxation.

The participants, who used a preventer inhaler and required reliever inhaler at least four times a week, were randomly assigned to one or other breathing technique.

Participants practiced their breathing exercises twice a day for around 25 minutes over a period of 30 weeks. They were also encouraged to use a shorter version of their exercises in place of reliever inhaler, and to use reliever if the exercises did not work.

Researcher Professor Christine Jenkins, of the the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, found that the use of reliever medication fell by 86% in both exercise groups, a process which began within weeks of starting the exercises, and was maintained over eight months. She writes: "Breathing techniques may be useful in the management of patients with mild asthma symptoms who use a reliever frequently."

By the end of the study, the participants dropped from using around three puffs of their reliever inhaler each day to approximately one puff every third day. Preventer dose requirements were also cut in half.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

FOOD PYRAMID REPLACED WITH A PLATE

The Agriculture Department unveiled "My Plate" on Thursday, abandoning the food pyramid.



This Might actually work!  Its simple clear cut and easy to understand.  Gone are the old pyramid's references to sugars, fats or oils. What was once a category called "meat and beans" is now simply "proteins," making way for seafood and vegetarian options like tofu.

Even though the plate is divided into four different-sized sections, the servings don't have to be proportional. Every person has different nutritional needs, based on age, health and other factors.

Many nutritionists and nutrition groups praised the new effort, crossing their fingers that people will listen.  I myself think vegetables dominating the plate is a great leap foward toward overal public health.

What do you think?

For more information on Dr. Jason Peloquin or his Bay Ridge Chiropractic practice, please visit

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

STRESS AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

We do not have to look much further than out our own windows to observe our stress-ridden society. Work, family, personal interests and global terrorist activities all combine to send even the calmest person into a frenzy. To complicate matters further, add our environmental bombardment of chemicals; toxins and pollutants that stem from the water we drink; to the food we consume. Sadly enough, the triad of subluxation precursors has never been more prevalent than in our present era.


Stress: Fight-or-Flight Syndrome

The body's stress-induced, internal mechanism (fight/flight syndrome) was developed to preserve life during an attack or other threatening situation. However, dawdling human evolution, coupled with copious amounts of external stressors, can induce this emergency mechanism and lock it into place.

When the fight/flight syndrome becomes the body's daily default mode, the adrenal glands are the first organs to be triggered into action. Although the initial stressor may no longer be present while locked into this emergency mode, the body will continue to perceive the threat and act accordingly. After time, limitations of matter prevail, and the body can no longer surge the adrenal glands to respond, even though it still desires to.

Emergency Mode: Survival Physiology

As adrenal dysfunction ensues, a wide spectrum of symptoms will manifest. Everything from sleep disturbances; blood sugar imbalances; depression; joint pain; or weight problems (gain or loss) can occur. After the body can no longer maintain the fight/flight mode merely using its typical means, it will begin to "steal" hormonal precursors (which can later compromise the sex hormones) to keep the adrenals in the alarm state. These resultant sex hormone imbalances in both sexes can lead to reduced libido and male impotency and female menstrual or menopausal problems.

The key to addressing this complex situation is to move the body out of the fight/flight syndrome to allow the adrenals to recover. Until this mechanism is shut off, and hormonal balance is maintained, the body will continue this destructive pattern, which can lead to lethal consequences. As the adrenals are allowed to repair and normalize, the rest of the body can become more balanced.

Adrenal Help is Near

Our job as doctors is not to 'fix' our patients' problems. However, adrenal dysfunction is a serious condition that could potentially keep the patient subluxated and geared toward other systemic deficiencies or failures. Therefore, its potential negative health impact makes it worth investigating.

Whether you maintain a strict adjusting-only policy, or you partake in other adjunctive therapies, there are simple yet effective ways to help support the adrenals to allow for better all-around recovery. Many of these suggestions can be easily obtained through health food stores, or directly ordered by you, the practitioner.

1.Chiropractic approach: Using your own judgment, balance the body as much as possible. Be wary, especially of adrenal innervation and upper neurological involvement; as we already know, any vertebral level that is subluxated could be suspect.

2.Salivary hormonal testing: many laboratories provide easy-to-use at home testing for patients at a reasonable cost. Getting a baseline of the adrenal, as well as sex hormones, gives an excellent starting point to help balance the patient's endocrine system. As with x-rays, hormonal imbalances on paper offer substantial evidence and may motivate the patient to take action and responsibility for his or her health.

3.Transdermal creams: many companies carry creams that can bypass the GI tract by delivering their contents directly through the skin. Transdermal delivery is optimal because its absorption rate is much superior to oral or sublingual transport.

4.Other supplementation1 (not a conclusive list) includes:
■vitamin B complex: 50mg daily;

■additional B5: 500mg with food; and

■Ca/Mg: a good ratio. Calcium aragonite is a excellent form of this.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DR. JASON PELOQUIN AND HIS BAY RIDGE BROOKLYN PRACTICE, PLEASE VISIT HIS WEBSITE AT:
http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/

Friday, April 29, 2011

What Is A "Dead Arm"?

Definition of a Dead Arm


Dead arm syndrome starts with repetitive stress from overuse of the shoulder.

The posterior capsule of the shoulder is connected to the tendons of the rotator cuff of the shoulder. The rotator cuff is made four muscles which are responsible for internal and external rotation of teh shoulder. Both the biceps and triceps tendon wrap around the inside of the shoulder joint, deep to the capsule. These muscles aid in holding, protecting and moving the joint.

Overuse can lead to a build up of tissue around the posterior capsule called hypertropy or swelling. The next step is tightness of the posterior capsule called posterior capsular contracture. This contracture leads to limited mobility of the joint.

If left untreated, a tear may develop in the labrum. The labrum is cartiage around the shoulder socket to help hold the head of the humerus in the joint. This condition is called a SLAP lesion.

When all of this is occurs, the result is a "dead arm".

Personal Belief

I am writing about this condition due to the recent events in the paper involving NY Yankee pitcher, Phil Hughs.

The term Dead Arm has been used multiple times with his condition, yet MRI with contrast has been negitive.

They then started to worry about vascular claudication, or a blood clot in his arm. Again Doppler studies are negitive.

This all leads me to personally believe that Phil Hughs is suffering from overuse, misuse and not a " Dead Arm".

For more information on Dr. Jason Peloquin or his office, Hands of Gold CHiropractic, please visthis website at:

www.HandsofGoldChiropractic.com

Thursday, April 21, 2011

20 things that are more dangerous to children than lead paint!

The top 20 things that are more dangerous to children than lead paint!





This blog is a repost of something I read, brought to my attention by another chiropractor.  It's a real eye opener and makes you wonder extacly how much a young immune system can take with all the chemicals they are exposed to.  Please remember that chemicals are toxic.


1. Mercury fillings

Often called "silver fillings" to hide the fact that they're made from mercury, these highly toxic fillings are placed directly into the mouths of children where they are inhaled (mercury vapor) and swallowed, causing systemic mercury poisoning to the child and leading to long-term neurological damage. Visit www.IAOMT.org and watch the "Smoking Teeth = Poison Gas" video to learn more.

2. Vaccines

Think vaccines are safe? You've been hoodwinked by the popular media parroting drug company propaganda. Vaccines are preserved with methyl mercury, one of the most dangerous chemical forms of the toxic heavy metal. This mercury is injected directly into the bodies of children where it causes severe neurological damage. And yes, it does cause Autism, despite what you've read in the dumbed-down press. Only a fool would inject their child with mercury-preserved vaccines.

3. Hot dogs

Hot dogs are made with horrifying processed meat parts (click here to see shocking photos of processed meat products, then preserved with a cancer-causing ingredient called sodium nitrite. As detailed in my book Grocery Warning, this ingredient causes brain tumors in children, not to mention leukemia, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer and other cancers. Hot dogs are far more dangerous to a child's health than lead paint in my opinion, and yet parents keep feeding them to their children!

4. Antibacterial soap

How about a little nerve toxin in your soap? That's what's found in antibacterial soap. It's a toxic cocktail of chemicals designed to kill life. That's how it kills bacteria. The problem is that it also harms people -- especially infants and children who are trying to develop healthy nervous systems. Avoid all products claiming to be "antibacterial." You're better off using natural soap (like Dr. Bronner's soap, www.DrBronner.com ) and letting your child's immune system fight off common bacteria. The world isn't sterile, after all. You can't turn your house into a germ-free bubble.

5. ADHD drugs

Would you give your child street drugs like speed or meth? Probably not, but what if your doctor wrote you a prescription for speed and said your child needed it because he was ADHD? If you're like most parents, you'd fall in step and start giving your child speed. But wait, you say: ADHD drugs are not speed, are they? But of course they are. They belong to a class of drugs called amphetamines. They used to be illegally sold as speed. Now they're prescription drugs, and they're given to children in schools all across America (and elsewhere). Psychiatrists and drug companies are making a killing dosing up kids and infants on substances that used to be considered illegal street drugs (and that have no legitimate medical use whatsoever).

6. Sports drinks

For some reason, parents irrationally believe sports drinks are healthy because they contain the word "sports." Didn't they notice the neon green artificial coloring? Sports drinks are, in my opinion, a nutritional joke. Made from salt water, processed sweeteners and petrochemical coloring, many of their ingredients are actually harmful. Drinking water would be smarter, and feeding your child some healthy trace minerals would be even better. Low on potassium? Eat a banana.

7. Cough syrup and over-the-counter medicines

Nearly all children's over-the-counter medicines contain multiple toxic substances such as chemical sweeteners, preservatives and additives. Cough syrup, in particular, has been scientifically proven to be absolutely worthless in preventing coughs. Many "children's" medicines are actually more toxic than their adult counterparts because they're sweetened up and cosmetically enhanced with artificial colors made from petrochemicals. Yet parents poison their children every day with over-the-counter medicine.

8. Sunscreen

The sunscreen industry is a huge scam. Most popular sunscreen products actually cause skin cancer due to the numerous toxic chemicals they contain (which are quickly absorbed into the skin where they cause DNA mutations that lead to cancer). Even worse, sunscreen blocks the UV radiation that allows the skin to manufacture all-important vitamin D -- the most powerful anti-cancer nutrient yet known to modern science. It prevents over a dozen different cancers, yet parents block it by slathering toxic sunscreen on their children, all while mistakenly believing they're "protecting their children from cancer!" What a scam.

9. Fluoride in the water

I've always found it amazing that city water officials were dumb enough to actually buy a toxic waste substance and arrange to have it dripped into the public water supply where it would be ingested by infants and children. The result? Mass fluorosis and toxicity to children everywhere. Didn't these people realize that fluoride only works topically? (That is, it only works if you rub it on your teeth, then spit it out, and even that only works if you're using natural fluoride, not the chemicals spit out as byproducts of the fertilizer industry, which is what city water departments are buying and dripping into the water supply.) Click here to see my CounterThink cartoon on this topic.

Whoever heard of drinking a topical medication in the first place? It's like swallowing sunscreen to prevent sunburn. Even worse, putting this into the public water supply effectively mass medicates everyone with a bioactive chemical substance that no one has been given a prescription for. This is all done with no regard for the level of natural fluoride children might already be ingesting from other sources. The situation is so crazy that it's difficult to find a more insane example of medical tyranny than the mass fluoridation of public water supplies. The fact that doctors and dentists so vehemently support it demonstrates just how crazy they really are.

10. Processed milk

Children as young as 10 years old are now being diagnosed with heart disease and clogged arteries. Ever wonder how it happened? It's due in part, I believe, to all the processed milk children are swallowing these days. Not only is the milk contaminated with pus, blood and detectable levels of pesticides and other chemicals, it's also homogenized, meaning the fats are artificially modified in a way that makes them stay in suspension. This homogenization also makes milk fats dangerous to cardiovascular health. While I support the consumption of raw, unprocessed milk, I think that consuming processed, homogenized milk is dangerous to the health of infants, children and adults alike!

11. Fast food

Fast food is extremely unhealthy for children. Not only are the foods often fried, homogenized, hydrogenated and otherwise altered, they're also laced with chemical additives, taste enhancers, processed sugars, petrochemical food coloring and other unhealthy substances. Strangely, many parents actually reward their children for good behavior by buying them unhealthy fast food meals, thereby creating a psychological association between good feelings and junk food. (Fast food restaurants further exploit this psychological link by building playgrounds and running feel-good advertisements that emphasize friends and fun, then link those good vibes to their food products.)

12. Antidepressant drugs

Children as young as six months old are now being put on psychotropic drugs such as SSRIs (antidepressants). These drugs, we now know, cause suicidal thoughts and violent behavior, especially in young boys. They imbalance brain chemistry and even alter the body's metabolism of sugar, promoting diabetes and leading to rapid weight gain. These drugs are so dangerous that feeding them to children should be considered a crime. Every single school shooting involving a child in the United States in the last 15 years has been linked to antidepressant drug use. Need I say more?

13. Chemical laundry detergents

Parents are shown fancy ads on television depicting how wonderful and clean their clothes will be if they wash them in brand-name laundry detergent. What they're not shown, however, is the toxicity of all the synthetic chemicals that go into most laundry detergent products. The fragrance chemicals alone are often carcinogenic, and they're just as bad for the environment as they are children's health. A new alternative has appeared, however: Soap berries! It's laundry soap that grows on trees. We offer it at www.BetterLifeGoods.com

14. Flame retardant chemicals

Did you know that new mattresses for infants and children are often sprayed with extremely toxic flame retardant chemicals? These are easily absorbed through the skin of infants and children where they contribute to numerous neurological disorders and immune suppression. Many clothing products are also sprayed with flame retardants, as are some carpeting products. In the push to make everything fireproof, state regulators (who have mandated the flame retardant chemicals in states like California) have created a toxic environment for everyone. I suppose if you're a politician, it's always better for a million people to die of a mysterious disease that can't be linked to you than to have one baby burning up on the evening news with fingers of blame pointed directly at you.

15. Soda

Aside from directly promoting diabetes and obesity, sodas also contain high amounts of phosphoric acid, a substance that dissolves bones and causes a loss of bone mineral density. This causes massive tooth decay as well as a shrinking jaw bone and overall skeletal fragility. Diet sodas are even worse, since they contain chemical sweeteners linked to neurological disorders and learning disabilities.

16. Air fresheners

Air fresheners contain cancer-causing chemicals. Unleashing them in the house exposes children to these chemicals, promoting asthma and other respiratory problems. If you value the health of your children, avoid air freshener products and just use essential oils or citrus peels instead. (Peel an orange and hang the peel in your kitchen.)

17. Synthetic vitamins

Many children's vitamins are made with cheap, synthetic "vitamin" chemicals that actually harm people who take them. Plus, many are loaded up with artificial colors, sucrose and chemical sweeteners. Avoid cheap, store-bought children's vitamins or anything containing cyanocobalamin (a toxic form of vitamin B12). Quality children's vitamins are available through sources like Nordic Naturals (fish oils) and www.IntegratedHealth.com (also check www.WellnessResources.com for high-quality supplements).

18. Dryer sheets

Most popular dryer sheets and fabric softeners are made with toxic synthetic chemicals that are not safe to use on children's clothing. The fragrance chemicals alone are often highly carcinogenic, and the other chemicals contribute additional toxicity to the clothing. Children's clothes should never be washed or dried in chemicals. Only use natural detergents and fabric softeners, or avoid the fabric softeners altogether.

19. Bacon

Most bacon and sausage are processed meat products made with sodium nitrite (like the hot dogs, above) and contaminated with various chemicals lodged in the animal fats. Conventionally-raised beef, pork and chicken products are, in my opinion, extremely toxic to the human body and contribute to colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and many other diseases and disorders. If you make meat for your children, shop for 100% organic, free-range, antibiotic-free meats that have no nitrites or nitrates.

20. Shampoo and bath products

Virtually all popular shampoo and bath products sold on the market contain cancer-causing chemicals. The ingredients read like a top-40 list of toxic chemicals. Virtually none of these chemicals have ever been tested or approved for use on humans (they are simply ignored because the FDA astonishingly believes the skin won't absorb chemicals). If you want healthy products, use the shampoo I recommend: Pure Essentials Fragrance-Free Shampoo from Earth Science (www.TheNewES.com)

Keeping your health priorities straight

So that's the list of 20 items that are more dangerous to the health of children than the lead paint. Most parents have no concern whatsoever for any of these 20 things, It all just goes to show you that the sheep will think anything the mainstream media tells them to think (and they'll ignore everything else).



http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892727/posts
http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

DO I HAVE A HERNIATED DISC?

WHAT IS A HERNIATED DISC?

A herniated disc is when the shock absorber(disc) between the two bones(vertebraes) ruptures and the insides(nucleus pulpolsus) leaks past the outter ring annulus fibrosis).

HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

Too much stress and pressure on the disc due to prolonged poor posture, a scoliosis, long term subluxation or trauma can and will lead to the disc rupturing.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF A HERNIATED DISC? 

The Nucleus is an irritant to the nerves as it leaks out from the inside of the disc.  The disc outter ring is highly innovated with nerve fibers, causing pain and swelling as it tears.  The herniated section of the disc can press upon the spinal cord or either spinal nerve of that level, causing numbness and tingling, sharp shooting pain or muscle twitching and cramping, to wherever that nerve travels to.  In your neck it would be your shoulders, arm and hands.  In you low back it will be your butt thigh and leg.

You must remember that only 20% of aq nerve is for pain, the other 80% is for you brain to tell your body how you function.  Nerves from your neck also innovate your thyroid, trachea, tonsils and diaphragm.
In your low back, those nerves go to your small intestines, reproductive organs, kidneys, adrenals glands, appendix, bladder, prostate and rectum.


HOW DO YOU DIAGNOSIS A HERNIATED DISC?

A herniated disc is diagnosed through MRI.  Although you can imagine how damaged a disc is through Xray, compression on the spinal nerves or cord must be witnessed by CT scan or MRI.

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE THERE FOR A HERNIATED DISC?

Treatments range from conservative care like traction and electric stimulation and ice, to chiropractic manipulative therapy and spinal decompression.  Cortisone injections sometimes help the swelling and in severe cases epidurals and surgery are required.  Physical therapy is a great idea to stabilize and strengthen the spinal and core, but after you have been treated by your chiropractor for realignment and decompression for at least one month.  After that, concurrent care brings about the fastest results.
Wearing a supportive orthosis(brace/belt) is highly recommended.  Drinking alot of water is definately required, because the disc is mostly made of hydrolonic acid and water.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HEAL A PROLAPSED DISC?

The current literature suggests a prolapsed disc(herniated), can take 12-18 months to heal correctly.  This is if the proper therapy, lifestyle changes and nutrients are added at the time of first diagnosis.  This is why I strongly oppose, laying down for a week to "see if it goes away."

If you or someone you know, has a herniated disc, both new or old, please allow our team to evaluate their condition and give them a treatment protocol that can get them out of pain, and back to what they love.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and The Hands Of Gold Chiropractic, please visit http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

WHATS ALL THIS TALK OF hCG DIET?

The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy.  The hCG diet, was developed by a doctor who believed that a hormone found in a pregnant woman's body could help overweight men and women lose weight -- and keep that weight off after returning to a normal routine.

Positive side effects of hCG:
1. In recent years, hCG has actually proven to reduce the risks of breast cancer:

2. hCG has proven to have far lower risks than the obesity it is used to treat.

3. Increased self confidence after hCG assisted weight loss.

4. Many people have experienced the following improvements to their health while on the hCG diet: migraines subside, blood sugars stabilize, increased energy, and of course increased metabolism.
Common side effects of hCG injections for weight loss.


Side Effects of hCG :
•Headaches


•Dizziness

•Mood swings and feelings of confusion

•Depression

•Blood clots

•Water retention

•Breast tenderness

Because the diet also emphasizes an extreme, low-calorie diet plan of only about 500 calories daily, individuals may also experience symptoms associated with near-starvation fad diets. Many medical professionals believe 500 calories daily is not even enough to promote proper brain function. This can result in the following symptoms.


•Extreme fatigue

•Loss of mental clarity

•Insomnia

•Lethargy

•Head and body aches

IS IT SAFE?
The jury is still out on this due to its new found success.  Most health experts will tell you that 500 calories a day lowers brain function and energy levels. 
Not that this means much but the hormone was recently added as a banned substance by Major League Baseball.

Nothing beats eating healthy, exercise and a proper diet.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Why is Vitamin D Deficiency on The Rise?

Why is vitamin D deficiency on the rise?


Research is pointing to more and more people suffering the consequences of vitamin D deficiency including susceptibility to serious illnesses like MS (Multiple Sclerosis).


Many people are avoiding sun exposure due to fear of ozone layer problems, or because of skin cancer or concern of skin wrinkling. Twenty minutes of sun exposure daily to 6% exposed skin is necessary for maintaining our body’s own production of vitamin D. Some drugs bind fats, including fat soluble Vitamin D and contribute to low vitamin D levels. These drugs include Cholestyramine, a bile acid sequestering medication, and laxatives.

Intake of Olestra and soluble fiber can also potentially reduce vitamin D absorption from food. Statin drugs can cause cholesterol levels to fall lower than ideal which may contribute to vitamin D deficiency. Patients with fat malabsorption, problems with bile production or production of lipase for digesting fats are also susceptible to low vitamin D levels.

Patients with dark skin pigmentation or a dark tan may require up to four times longer sun exposure to absorb the same amount of UVB as light or untanned skin, because melanin blocks UVB. African descent individuals have a much higher incidence of vitamin D deficiency, especially in northern states. Obese individuals can have 50% lower plasma levels of vit D than normal weight people, for the same supplementation levels or sun exposure.

Women with low hormone levels are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency. Estrogen or progesterone deficiency (amenorrhea, surgical or age-onset menopause) impairs the formation of the active form of vit D. Aging skin has a reduced capacity of vitamin D synthesis. By age 75, vitamin D levels can be 25% lower than levels in younger individuals.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Preparation For Snow Shoveling Prevents Injury

Well New Yorkers, here we go again!

Predictions are 6-12 inches so I would like to share with you an article I read from my Chiropractic association.

The ACA advises you to be prepared and follow these tips for exercise of the snow shoveling variety:

  • Be prepared.  Maintain your exercise program year-round.
  • Listen to weather forecasts so you can rise early and have time to shovel before work; rushing the job can lead to injury. 
  • Wear layers of clothing to keep your muscles warm and flexible.
  • Do some stretching before you grab the shovel. 
  • For big jobs, use a motorized snow blower.  If you shovel by hand, use a lightweight, ergonomically designed shovel to reduce back strain.
  • When you do shovel, push the snow straight ahead. Don't try to throw it; walk it to the snow bank.  Avoid sudden twisting and turning motions.
  • Bend your knees to lift when shoveling.  Let the muscles of your legs and arms do the work, not your back.
  • Take frequent rest breaks to take the strain off your muscles.  A fatigued body asks for injury.
  • Stop if you feel chest pain, or get excessively tired or have shortness of breath.  You may need immediate professional care.
  • If you feel sore after shoveling, apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours.  Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two.
If you continue to feel soreness, pain or strain after following these tips, it may be time to visit Dr. Peloquin.  For more information on chiropractic care please visit http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/




 

Friday, January 7, 2011

Four Resolutions for a Healthier Back


Eat more vegetables. Stress less. Take the kids out to the park more often. You may already have a long list of resolutions for the new year. This year, honor your spine, too. With the help of your doctor of chiropractic, these simple steps can promote a healthier back for the new year.

Consider replacing your pillow or mattress.

Do you wake up with aches and pains? It could be time to purchase a new mattress or pillow. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recommends finding a mattress that evenly supports your whole body. There should be no gaps between you and the mattress when you lie down. When choosing a pillow, select one that supports your head and neck in alignment with the rest of the spine, whether you sleep on your side or back. Keep in mind that what works for your partner may not work for you— there isn’t one mattress or pillow that fits everyone. Simple adjustments, such as adding foam padding, can help tremendously.

Re-evaluate your posture at work.

Americans spend an average of 44 hours at work every week— often behind a desk. To avoid poor posture that can lead to tension, back pain, and joint problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, check that your chair is the right size and adjusted correctly, says the ACA. Do your feet rest comfortably on the ground? Does the chair offer lumbar support? Are you able to tilt or swivel easily while performing tasks at your desk? Also, be sure you have adequate light (so that you aren’t straining to see documents or a computer screen), adjust your computer monitor so that it is at eye level, and wear a headset for longer telephone conversations. And don’t forget to take frequent breaks and stretch throughout the day.

Learn how to lift correctly.

Many back injuries are caused by improper lifting of items such as luggage, backpacks or briefcases, storage boxes, or even groceries. But knowing how to lift properly can prevent serious injury. First and foremost, don’t bend from the waist. Keep your back straight, and squat to reach the item. Then, keep it close to your body as you lift, and avoid twisting motions. When traveling, check all bags that weigh more than 10 percent of your body weight.

Eat right and exercise well.

Eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise helps your body stay toned and tension-free— and promotes a healthy weight and a happier spine. Smart exercise and a good diet can also prevent osteoporosis, which affects over 20 million American women. To start, the ACA recommends eating out at restaurants less (to reduce the amount of unhealthful fats and sugars you consume) and adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet. Aim for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, three or four days a week.