Bay Ridge Sports Chiropractor

Dr. Jason J. Peloquin of Brooklyn, NY, has obtained the postgraduate designation of Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (CCSP) by the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians™ (ACBSP™). The CCSP certification requires the doctor to attend a minimum of 100 hours of a 120 hour postgraduate program. This instruction is specific to physical fitness and the evaluation and treatment of injuries encountered in sports. Following the completion of these hours, the doctor must then take and successfully pass a comprehensive written examination.

This training will aid the doctor in the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries by enhancing his diagnostic skills and patient care. The CCSP accreditation exists to provide a uniform standard of education that assures teams and athletes that the doctor has met a minimum level of competency in chiropractic sports medicine. Dr. Peloquin joins over 5200 others internationally who hold this designation.

Fort Dr. Peloquin's current involvement please check the American Chiropractic Sports Practitioner database or read more about his involvement with sports at Hands of Gold Sports

HANDS OF GOLD VOTED 2014 BEST IN BORO

 

Hands of Gold Chiropractic Voted Best In Brooklyn

Bay Ridge Brooklyn chiropractor, Dr. Jason Peloquin and staff at the Hands of Gold Chiropractic have won "Best Chiropractor in the Boro" by The Home Reporter, The Brooklyn Spectator and The Sunset News.  This makes their second 1st place award in the last three years.


The contest ran from late March to early August. During this time, voters logged into The Home Reporter's website and casted their nomination for the Best of the Boro contest. After the nomination period had ended, all of the users were given the chance to vote on their favorite picks during the second round.

Dr. Peloquin was very excited about the good news and exclaimed, "It is a true testament to what we are trying to accomplish for our community. Individual personalized attention, quality care and long lasting results!"

Hands of Gold Chiropractic offers a wide array of alternative therapies. Patients seeking treatment at their Bay Ridge location are able to consult or be treated by a licenced acupuncturist and massage therapist. Nutritional counseling as well as non-surgical spinal decompression are also offered.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and his office, Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please feel free to log onto his website http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/ or you can catch up on their latest blog and health related topics by liking their Facebook page Hands of Gold On Facebook Link.

REPAIRING AN INURED ROTATOR CUFF

 

As we get older, rotator cuff injuries become more common, a result of the natural aging process. A similar mechanism operates in the discs separating the vertebras in your lower back. These cartilaginous structures lose water over time, becoming less flexible and more brittle as the decades roll by. In the case of the shoulder, the rotator cuff tendon is pulleyed to and fro as the arm swings forward and back and up and down. As the years pass, this constant motion may cause fraying in the rotator cuff tendon and inflammation in the muscles that comprise the rotator cuff. Eventually, partial or full thickness tears may develop in one or more of these musculotendinous units, causing pain and some loss of function. Importantly, conservative care may be all that’s needed to reduce pain and restore needed motion.

The shoulder joint is beautifully designed and a marvel of engineering. Its construction makes possible a full 360-degree arc of motion in both the sagittal and frontal planes. In other words, you can swing your arm in a complete circle from front-to-back and to-the-side-and-up-and-around. In the third, horizontal, plane, 180 degrees of motion is available. The overall combination of movements in three-dimensional space makes the shoulder joint the most freely movable joint in your body. However, as with all freedoms we enjoy in this life, there is a price. The shoulder joint’s great mobility is countered by its very limited stability.

The shoulder’s lack of stability needn’t concern us in our average day-to-day tasks. Protection to the joint is built-in by way of the rotator cuff muscles, which form a strong hood that envelops the intersection of the arm bone and shoulder blade. Falling on an outstretched arm may result in a dislocated shoulder, so we need to have some care in this regard.

If you’re a young athlete and have suffered a rotator cuff tear, surgery may be an appropriate option. But for the vast majority of people, especially for those over age 40, most rotator cuff injuries are chronic rather than acute and can be treated with rest and rehabilitative exercise. Again, if you’re a 60-year-old skier who has torn his or her rotator cuff in a downhill accident, surgery could be indicated. For the rest of us, rehabilitative exercise is the key.

Four or five primary strength training exercises are involved in shoulder or rotator cuff rehabilitation. The three basic shoulder exercises are (1) seated overhead press, which trains all the shoulder girdle muscles simultaneously; (2) standing side [lateral] raise; and (3) seated or standing bent-over raise. The lateral raise specifically trains the middle deltoid muscle and the bent-over raise specifically trains the posterior deltoid muscle. Specific rotator cuff strength training exercises include internal rotation and external rotation on a flat bench using very light dumbbells. More painful injuries with greater loss of mobility may require (1) Codman pendulum exercises and (2) finger-walking (up a wall) to the front and to the side.

The goals of rotator cuff rehabilitation, as for any mechanical injury, include decreased inflammation, decreased pain, return to more full active range of motion, return to more full muscular strength, and restoration of function.

Chiropractors and Exercise Are Better than Drugs

According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of  Health, patients with neck pain who used a chiropractor and/or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free in 12 weeks compared to those who took medication.

Due to chiropractors comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain. In addition, researchers have also found that chiropractic adjustments affect our bodies on a deep cellular level.

For a summary of the new study or to access the new study please follow the link provided here:
Chiropractors are better than Drugs

For more information on chiropractic therapy including what conditions they treat and how they differ from other health professions, please feel free to browse our website:
The Bay Ridge Chiropractor

The Flu Shot, What They Arent Telling You

As the Byrds sang to us in the 60’s, “to everything there is a season.” Well, apparently it is the flu season once again. The signs urging everyone to get their flu shot are popping up like dandelions in the Spring and all the drug and grocery stores offer them now. It’s becoming so prevalent that I’m surprised that gas stations aren’t offering free flu shots with a fill-up, as 173 million doses of the shot will be given this year.
What they are not telling you is that the flu shot is not a safe medical procedure, nor is it an effective one. The following are the top 7 reasons not to get a flu shot:
1) There is a total lack of evidence that young children benefit from the shots. A systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children ages 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.
2) Medical journals have published thousands of articles revealing that injecting vaccines can lead to serious health problems including harmful immunological responses and a host of other infections. This further increases the body’s susceptibility to the diseases that the vaccine was supposed to protect against.
3) Ever notice how people who get the flu shot develop runny noses, flu symptoms, bronchitis, or even pneumonia within days or weeks of receiving the drug? This is because they are being injected with several strains of a flu virus, as well as toxic chemicals, which overwhelm the body’s immune system, thus suppressing it, and making them more susceptible to the illness the vaccine is supposed to protect against.
4) The flu vaccine, as well as just about all the childhood vaccines, contains mercury – a heavy metal known to be hazardous to human health. The amount of mercury contained in a multi-dose flu shot is much higher than the maximum allowable daily exposure limit. Mercury toxicity can cause memory loss, depression, ADD, digestive imbalances, respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, and other serious health ailments.
5) Besides mercury, there are other ingredients present that can cause serious neurological disorders. These include detergents, antibiotics, formaldehyde, MSG (a flavor enhancer), gelatin, chicken embryos, polyethylene glycol, and sodium phosphate. These ingredients can cause anything from allergic reactions to cancer.
6) Research shows that over-use of the flu vaccine and drugs like Tamiflu and Relanza can actually alter flu viruses and cause them to mutate into a more deadly strain.
7) The flu viruses mutate every year so trying to guess what strain will be spreading has proven to be a crap shoot and not very effective. Moreover getting multi-shots is dangerous since different strains of viruses and harmful ingredients are introduced into your body.
Flu shots are indeed more dangerous than we are led to believe, and it’s best to rely on natural ways to protect yourself against the flu. Here are some easy steps to remain healthy:

• Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D every day – 4000 to 10,000 IU’s daily is ideal.
• Get plenty of exercise – A half-hour to 40 minutes a day keeps your blood flowing, helps to detox your system, and keeps your internal environment alkaline.
• Get plenty of sleep – 8 hours is the best amount of time.
• Eat healthy, organic foods – not fast foods, prepared foods, GMO’s or any foods that are laden with toxins that weaken you.
• Wash your hands with soap and water! Avoid the waterless hand sanitizers since they also weaken the immune system.
• Stay hydrated with clean, fresh, filtered water.
• Golden seal and Echinacea supplements work to boost your immune system.

The bottom line is if you keep your body healthy, then you don’t have to worry about getting the flu. Relying on the toxic waste dump injected into your body in the guise of good medicine is certainly not a wise choice.

IT Band Stretches, Treatment and Prevention

Lateral band walks

 

What Are The Symptoms of ITBand syndrome?

Hip or knee pain, or both. Specifically, pain on the outer side of the knee where the bone bumps out above the joint, or on the outer side of the hip. The pain usually starts after 10 minutes of running. Walking usually causes no pain.

What’s Going On In There?

The iliotibial band (ITB) is a thick tendon that runs the length of and connects the tensor fascia lata muscle—which starts on the outer side of the hip—to the outer side of the tibia, the major bone in the lower leg.

Here’s how the pain happens: A small, fluid-filled sac called a bursa sits between the tendon and the outside of the femur near the knee. You also have a bursa at the hip joint. When the ITB is tight, it increases the tension on the outer sides of the hip and knee. The ITB then pinches these two sites and the bursa (one or both) swells. Over time, the bursa becomes enlarged—big enough to cause pain every time you begin to run (which is why pain usually starts within 10 minutes of activity).

 

 

Fix it

• Roll it: A 6-by-36-inch foam roller is the best tool for stretching the ITB. Lie on your side with the roller under your leg and roll it from your hip to your knee (see right), using your body weight to knead the area. The pressure will help loosen the tendon and the fascia, almost like a self-massage. Do this at least once a day for several minutes, and make it a permanent part of your exercise activity.

• Beef up your glutes and hips. Weak butt and hip muscles contribute to ITB impingement syndrome. Make sure your lower-body work includes squats, especially single-leg squats, as well as multidirectional lunges (for more ideas, see exercises and stretches below).

 

Prevent It

Build up your glutes to reinforce the body’s largest and potentially most powerful muscle group. The stretches and exercises here all help build up your glutes and hip flexors, and can be added to any workout.

Lying Glute Stretch
Lie face-up on the floor with your knees and hips bent. Cross your right leg over your left so that your right ankle sits across your left thigh. Grab your right knee with both hands and pull it toward the middle of your chest until you feel a comfortable stretch in your glutes. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side. Repeat twice for a total of three sets—and several times a day if you’re really tight.
Lateral Band WalksPlace both legs between a mini-band and position the band just above your knees. Take small steps to your right for 20 feet. Then sidestep back to your left for 20 feet. That’s one set.
Hip Raise
Lie face-up on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your arms out to your sides at 45-degree angles, your palms facing up. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Squeeze your glutes as you raise your hips. Make sure you’re pushing with your heels. To make it easier, you can position your feet so that your toes rise off the floor. Pause for five seconds in the up position, then lower your body back to the starting position.
Brooklyn Chiropractor, Dr. Jason J. Pleoquin at The Hands of Gold Chiroractic can help you overcome a ITB injury using a combination of massage, stretching, vibration therapy, graston technique, Cold Laser Therapy and Active Release Technique,
For more information on Dr. Peloquin, please feel free to visit his website www.HandsofGoldChiropractic.com

7 Reasons To Forget A Flu Shot

Here we are again, another cold and flu season upon us.  The signs urging everyone to get their flu shot are popping up like dandelions in the Spring and all the drug and grocery stores offer them now. It’s becoming so prevalent that I’m surprised that gas stations aren’t offering free flu shots with a fill-up, as 173 million doses of the shot will be given this year. 
 
What they are not telling you is that the flu shot is not a safe medical procedure, nor is it an effective one. The following are the top 7 reasons not to get a flu shot:
1) There is a total lack of evidence that young children benefit from the shots. A systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children ages 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.

2) Medical journals have published thousands of articles revealing that injecting vaccines can lead to serious health problems including harmful immunological responses and a host of other infections. This further increases the body’s susceptibility to the diseases that the vaccine was supposed to protect against.

3) Ever notice how people who get the flu shot develop runny noses, flu symptoms, bronchitis, or even pneumonia within days or weeks of receiving the drug? This is because they are being injected with several strains of a flu virus, as well as toxic chemicals, which overwhelm the body’s immune system, thus suppressing it, and making them more susceptible to the illness the vaccine is supposed to protect against.

4) The flu vaccine, as well as just about all the childhood vaccines, contains mercury – a heavy metal known to be hazardous to human health. The amount of mercury contained in a multi-dose flu shot is much higher than the maximum allowable daily exposure limit. Mercury toxicity can cause memory loss, depression, ADD, digestive imbalances, respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, and other serious health ailments.

5) Besides mercury, there are other ingredients present that can cause serious neurological disorders. These include detergents, antibiotics, formaldehyde, MSG (a flavor enhancer), gelatin, chicken embryos, polyethylene glycol, and sodium phosphate. These ingredients can cause anything from allergic reactions to cancer.

6) Research shows that over-use of the flu vaccine and drugs like Tamiflu and Relanza can actually alter flu viruses and cause them to mutate into a more deadly strain.

7) The flu viruses mutate every year so trying to guess what strain will be spreading has proven to be a crap shoot and not very effective. Moreover getting multi-shots is dangerous since different strains of viruses and harmful ingredients are introduced into your body.

Flu shots are indeed more dangerous than we are led to believe, and it’s best to rely on natural ways to protect yourself against the flu. Here are some easy steps to remain healthy:

• Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D every day – 4000 to 10,000 IU’s daily is ideal.
• Get plenty of exercise – A half-hour to 40 minutes a day keeps your blood flowing, helps to detox your system, and keeps your internal environment alkaline.
• Get plenty of sleep – 8 hours is the best amount of time.
• Eat healthy, organic foods – not fast foods, prepared foods, GMO’s or any foods that are laden with toxins that weaken you.
• Wash your hands with soap and water! Avoid the waterless hand sanitizers since they also weaken the immune system.
• Stay hydrated with clean, fresh, filtered water.
• Golden seal and Echinacea supplements work to boost your immune system.

The bottom line is if you keep your body healthy, then you don’t have to worry about getting the flu. Relying on the toxins injected into your body and calling this good sound science is certainly not a wise choice.

For more information on Dr. Jason Peloquin and his practice Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please feel free to visit his website The Bay Ridge Chiropractor

Whats The Problem With Stress?

We live in stressful times. The economy is tough, global conflicts rage, severe weather events are affecting people in every corner of the globe, and our numerous technological devices don't seem to be making things any easier. Of course, this is nothing new. Every generation thinks theirs is the best of times and the worst of times. But the result is that people everywhere have high levels of stress.
Sometimes stress is a good thing. Mechanical stress, such as exercise, causes your muscles and bones to become stronger and your nerve system to become smarter. Taking on a new assignment at work or taking a challenging class in school may be stressful, but the effort involved in achieving a successful result will cause you to grow and develop in ways that you might not have imagined. After all, the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

But chronic, ongoing physical and mental stress, the kind that affects us every day, is not good for us. Chronic stress causes real psychological and physical problems. People undergoing chronic stress may develop anxiety, which if not managed effectively may lead to depression. Chronic stress may lead to a variety of disorders and diseases, including arthritis, inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease, gastrointestinal problems such as peptic ulcer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks and stroke.  As we are all subject to numerous stresses every day, both personal and work-related, it's very important for us to develop strategies that will be successful in helping us manage ongoing stresses.

The most important method for managing stress is to attempt to focus your point-of-view, your frame of reference, on the present moment. Our minds are constantly in motion, constantly at work creating new thoughts and new scenarios regarding some potentially stressful situation, or rehashing old conversations, old conflicts, and old problems. The result is that we're almost never at peace. When we try to sit down and relax for a bit, it's never too long before our minds start bringing up the exact things we'd like to be able to forget or ignore, at least for a little while. Most of us can't flip a metaphorical switch and shut off our incessant stream of mostly negative self-talk. But we can learn to remind ourselves to return to the present, to come back to this moment, the one that's happening now.

The best way to do this is to ask yourself, "is this [what I'm thinking about] happening right now?" If you can see that what's happening now is that you're sitting in a chair reading the newspaper, you have a good chance of being able to let go of what your mind is talking to you about. Say to yourself, "I'm right here, right now, and none of that other stuff is actually happening right now." This will help you create some distance from your self-talk, and the self-talk may even recede into the background for a while. The feeling of calm you might then experience is one you can build on. The more you practice returning to the moment, the more power you gain in being able to manage the stress in your life.

 

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and how he can help alleviate your stress, please visit his website at www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com or visit his Facebook page for new health related topics and cool promotions - Hands of Gold on Facebook.

PED'S AND DEER ANTLER VELVET

Although not new in asian culture, the newest performance enhancement drug is deer antler spray.  IGF-1 (insulin growth factor) From Deer Antler Velvet has been used for 10,000 years by Orientals to improve energy levels and strengthen the organs of endurance; specifically improving lung function, muscle development, stamina, kidney function, and blood components.

For over 2,000 years Chinese physicians have used velvet antler to treat over 55 different disorders including general pain, weakness, chronic joint degeneration, sexual impotency, and infertility. Scientific research over the lost 40 years has demonstrated velvet deer antler, if harvested at the correct time of year and processed to concentrate the various biological active ingredients, can produce enormous health, endurance, and strength benefits.

 Recent research substantiates that velvet deer antler contains a variety of complex elements including:


■Eight known growth factors including IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), IGF-2 (insulin-like growth factor 2), TGF beta (transforming growth factor beta), erythropoietin (red blood cell growth stimulant), neurotrophin (nerve growth factor), bone morphogenic protein, epidermal growth factor, luteinizing hormone stimulant (increases testosterone), and fibroblast growth factor 8

■anti-inflammatory prostaglandins – an anti-inflammatory protein (newly discovered)

■nerve protective fatty acids (sphingomyelin and phospholipids)

■prohormones and sterols

■amino acids

■cartilage components

■glucosamine – cartilage growth, maintenance and repair stimulant (polymeric N-acetyl-D-glucosamine – proven wound-healing stimulant)

■chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) – shown to improve circulation, reduce the bloods’ clotting tendancies, decrease the risk of stroke, and improve cardiovascular health)

■collagen type I

For the Athlete or  Bodybuilder, The effects of IGF-1 include:

1. An increase in proliferation and growth of muscle cells

2. An increased uptake of amino acids into the muscle cells

3. An increase in the uptake of blood sugar (glucose) into muscle cells

4. Improved utilization of fat for energy with a decrease utilization of carbohydrates

5. Reduction of catabolism (muscle breakdown) following workouts

Problems exist in determining purity, efficacy, and potency. IGF-1 dosages vary between 10 and 50 micrograms taken on a daily basis if taken orally. However, understand that when it is ingested and has to go through the gastrointestinal tract only a fraction of that taken is actually absorbed. This absorption rate may vary from individual to individual depending upon the degree of efficiency of the digestive process. For this reason, a novel, new mechanism of absorption has been applied to the standardized cold processed deer antler extract. By combining the extract which contains a minimum of 2,500 nanograms per gram of IGF-1 with the lipospray sublingual delivery system there is an assurance of receiving and absorbing IGF-1 at a consistent level.

What is "Natural Flavor"?

Why do we need natural flavor if the product is already natural?

It’s at the end of many ingredient lists in processed food: “natural flavor.” But what substances fall under this benign label? What natural sources are they extracted from? If you shop in the center aisles of the grocery store, chances are those natural flavor ingredients came from an unexpected source and spent some time being swished around in a beaker.


Food science defines natural by what it is not: the FDA “has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.”

This non-definition gives food companies plenty of room to tout “All Natural” on their packages even with ingredients that have been hydrolised, distilled and emulsified to taste completely different. Both natural and artificial flavors are chemicals – the distinction is whether they are completely synthetic or first derived from a natural source.

Former food marketer Bruce Bradley notes some notorious sources of natural flavors in his blog series All Natural . . . Really? One of the most cringe-worthy is shellac, the resinous secretion of female lac bugs used to glaze donuts and make shiny candy shells. Another natural flavor you wouldn’t find yourself consuming in nature is cystine, a dough conditioner derived from human hair and duck feathers. Maltodextrin derived from genetically-modified corn is also considered natural.

On a recent visit to multi-national flavor company Givaudan, 60 Minutes highlighted the use of beavers’ anal gland secretions in the manufacture of vanilla and raspberry flavors.  Please watch the video 60 minutes interview

For the discerning shopper, "natural" is little more than marketing hype. Organic foods are not always an exception since flavors constitute less than 5% of the total ingredients, and organic standards follow a 95% rule. Last year, the Organic Trade Association formed an Industry Task Force to review flavor categories and see if some flavors could be organically produced, which might be a step towards clarifying the flavor classification system.

In the mean time, food companies can enjoy using the umbrella term “natural flavors” to cover a whole range of proprietary chemical translations that make their product memorable, irresistible and, some say, addictive.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and the Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please visit our website at www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com

Interval Training and Cardiovascular Health

Interval training is an important part of aerobic exercise. If you're a walker or a runner, run intervals once a week. Walking and running build endurance by strengthening your cardiovascular system. Doing interval training once a week enhances your endurance by dramatically increasing the amount of blood your hear pumps every time it beats. (This is known as your cardiac stroke volume.) Interval training also increases the amount of oxygen you can take in on each breath. (This is known as your respiratory vital capacity.) The result is that you have noticeably increased speed and increased reserves when you need a prolonged burst of energy.

The same principles apply for any type of aerobic activity. . The interval system is easy to apply. For example, if you're a swimmer, you can do interval training with laps. If you ride a bike, you can do intervals with timed sprints.

There many books and magazine articles available to help you add interval training to your aerobics program. If you're doing aerobics exercise three times per week, you could use one of those sessions for interval training. Interval training is very powerful and the most important thing is to build up gradually.

To begin, you need to have a good base, meaning you do aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes. Using running as an example, you might be running 10-minute miles in at a fast "race pace". Ten minutes per mile is 2.5 minutes per quarter-mile. On your interval day, warm up by lightly jogging 1 mile. Then run four quarter-miles at a pace a bit faster than your race pace. In this example, you could run four quarter-miles at 2:25 or 2:20 per quarter. Then finish by lightly jogging for another mile.

Over time, your interval pace gets faster. You could do intervals with half-miles, three-quarters of a mile, or even a mile, if your weekly mileage supports such an interval distance. Most of us will see remarkable benefits by doing quarter-mile or occasional half-mile intervals.

One obvious result is that your resting pulse drops like a stone, because your heart is being trained to pump more blood each time it contracts. In this way, you save wear and tear on your heart. Owing to your heart's stroke volume, your heart beats less during the course of the day to provide the amount of blood you need flowing to your tissues.3 The takeaway is that your heart will last longer because you're doing intense vigorous exercise. That's a pretty remarkable result.

The bottom line is that interval training makes you stronger and faster. Your heart and lungs get a terrific workout with each interval training session. There's a big payoff for this once-a-week activity.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and his other specialists at Hands of Gold Chiropractic please visit his website at:
http://www.handsofgoldchiropractic.com/ or like his facebook page at:

Hands of Gold Chiropractic on Facebook

Chiropractic Myths and Facts

As successful as chiropractic has become, there are a lot of myths circulating among the general public. Times have definitely changed for the better, but the fact is that many people still do not understand what chiropractors do. Let's talk about a few of the more common myths about chiropractic.


Myth #1 - Chiropractors are not real doctors.

A chiropractic college grants a D.C. or Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. Chiropractors are licensed as health care providers in every U.S. state and dozens of countries around the world. While the competition for acceptance in chiropractic school is not as fierce as medical school, the chiropractic and medical school curricula are extremely rigorous and virtually identical. In fact, chiropractors have more hours of classroom education than their medical counterparts. As part of their education, chiropractic students also complete a residency working with real patients in a clinical setting, supervised by licensed doctors of chiropractic. Once chiropractic students graduate, they have to pass four sets of national board exams as well as state board exams in the states where they want to practice.

Just like medical doctors, chiropractors are professionals that are subject to the same type of testing procedures, licensing and monitoring by state and national peer-reviewed boards. Federal and state programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers' Compensations programs cover chiropractic care, and all federal agencies accept sick-leave certificates signed by doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractors are also commissioned as officers in the military.

The biggest difference between chiropractors and medical doctors lies not in their level of education, but in their preferred method of caring for people. Medical doctors are trained in the use of medicines (chemicals that affect your internal biochemistry) and surgery. Consequently, if you have a chemical problem, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or an infection, medical doctors can be very helpful. However, if your problem is that your spine is mis-aligned or you have soft tissue damage causing pain, there is no chemical in existence that can fix it. You need a physical solution to correct a physical problem. That is where chiropractic really shines. Chiropractors provide physical solutions -- adjustments, exercises, stretches, muscle therapy -- to help the body heal from conditions that are physical in origin, such as back pain, muscle spasms, headaches, and poor posture. Another distinction is the fact that it is completely appropriate to receive chiropractic care even if you do not have symptoms. Unlike standard medical doctors, whom you visit when you have a symptom to be treated, chiropractors offer adjustments to improve spinal alignment and overall well-being before symptoms develop.

Myth #2 - Medical doctors don't like chiropractors.

The American Medical Association's opposition to chiropractic was at its strongest in the 1940s under the leadership of Morris Fishbein. Fishbein called chiropractors "rabid dogs" and referred to them as "playful and cute, but killers" He tried to portray chiropractors as members of an unscientific cult who cared about nothing but taking their patients' money. Up to the late 1970s and early 1980s, the medical establishment purposely conspired to try to destroy the profession of chiropractic. In fact, a landmark lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Illinois in the 1980s found that the American Medical Association was guilty of conspiracy and was ordered to pay restitution to the chiropractic profession.

In the 20 years since, the opinion of most medical doctors has changed: several major studies have shown the superiority of chiropractic in helping people with a host of conditions, and medical doctors developed a better understanding as to what chiropractors actually do. Many people have returned to their medical doctors and told them about the great results they experienced at their chiropractors office. Hospitals across the country now have chiropractors on staff, and many chiropractic offices have medical doctors on staff. Chiropractors and medical doctors are now much more comfortable working together in cases where medical care is necessary as an adjunct to chiropractic care.

Myth #3 - Once you start going to a chiropractor, you have to keep going for the rest of your life.

This statement comes up frequently when the topic of chiropractic is discussed. It is only partially true. You only have to continue going to the chiropractor as long as you wish to maintain the health of your neuromusculoskeletal system. Going to a chiropractor is much like going to the dentist, exercising at a gym, or eating a healthy diet: As long as you keep it up, you continue to enjoy the benefits.

Many years ago, dentists convinced everyone that the best time to go to the dentist is before your teeth hurt, that routine dental care will help your teeth remain healthy for a long time. The same is true of chiropractic care for your spine. It is important to remember that, just like your teeth, your spine experiences normal wear and tear as you walk, drive, sit, lift, sleep, and bend. Routine chiropractic care can help you feel better, move with more freedom, and stay healthier throughout your lifetime. Although you can enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care even if you receive care for a short time, the real benefits come into play when you make chiropractic care a part of your wellness lifestyle.

For more information on Dr. Peloquin and the Hands of Gold Chiropractic, please visit our website at:
handsofgoldchiropractic.com

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.