By Dr. Steven Alff

As a Chiropractor I know how important it is for all of us to maintain good balance, especially as we age. Good balance helps us to walk without stumbling, get up from a sitting position without swaying, and to climb stairs without missing a step. In other words, good balance is extremely important to our health and well-being. And, even though many adults aged 65 and older report episodes of dizziness, “wooziness, and other balance-related challenges, getting older, in and of itself, doesn’t have to mean a fall is inevitable or that being younger includes an exemption. In fact, a new research study found that remaining physically fit and sticking to a regular exercise routine lowered the risk of taking a tumble both the old and young, especially if you’re a male.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, falls for both men and women of any age can be serious. The overall statistics on the number of falls sustained each year in the U.S., not only for people 65 years and older but for younger individuals as well, may surprise you. Nearly 19,000 people die each year from falls and almost 8 million seek treatment in emergency rooms. And, as mentioned, although falls are the leading cause of injuries among people age 65 and older, the study revealed that young people fall down just as frequently as seniors!

Let’s face it, even though reaching old age can be a very “risky” business in many ways if we don’t take care of ourselves along the way, as far as falling goes younger people are more likely to intentionally engage in risky activities than seniors, such as standing on ladders and ledges, running, and playing sports — activities that can often lead to a serious tumble.

But, no matter what a person’s age may be, the more physically fit we remain reduces our fall potential, especially if you are a male. The study included individuals between 20 and 87 years of age. Of the 10,615 participants in the study, done be researchers, lead by Kristin Mertz, M.D., at the epidemiology department at the University of Pittsburgh, 20 percent reported falling in the past year. Of those who fell, 15 percent fell while walking. Surprisingly, the study found that women were 2.8 times as likely to fall while walking as men, but that the fitness levels of the participants only seemed to make a difference in men falling while it did not appear to have the same effect for women. The study found men with low fitness levels were 2.2 times more likely to fall while walking than were highly fit men.

“We were surprised to find that fitness and physical activity seemed to have a stronger relationship with walking-related falls in men compared with women,” Mertz said. As a chiropractor, I am surprised with that finding as well.

And, as your Ventura Chiropractor, I would like to add the following commentary: Whether you are young or older, male or female, maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, routine exercise, and regular chiropractic adjustments can benefit the entire body and help to maintain your fitness level and balance acuity as you age.

Look for research study results in the only July issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Source: Health Behavior News Service

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Joshua Eldridge, DC, CCSP, a 2002 graduate of National University and Health Sciences, is a sergeant in the U.S. Army. He’s a Military Integrator/Maintainer with the 321st Military Intelligence Battalion, in fact, who will be securing data and communications conduits in and around the military compounds at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.

Dr. Eldridge spent his first tour of duty in Iraq (2004-2005) working with the troop medical clinic in Baghdad. In that role, he was one of the first chiropractors to treat soldiers in combat situations.
“Chiropractic is a much-needed addition to the military and I hope that I am able to add to the freedom of others by treating soldiers.”

For more on this entrepreneurial doctor, click on dynamichiropractic. You’ll be able to find out how to follow Dr. Eldridge’s overseas tour online.

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Well, it looks like medical doctors are having the same issues of being business-challenged. I just read an article about physicians who are going to business school to get their MBA. Apparently, nationwide more doctors are finding it both useful and necessary to add business fundamentals to their core of medical know-how, according to health care organizations and observers.

The effort encompasses more than just learning tools for helping doctors run their offices; it is about reclaiming their voice in a sector that has become dominated by non-medical professionals, such as managed care firms, professional administrators and accountants. “Physicians nowadays need to appreciate and understand business concepts and thinking,” said Dr. James Anderson, a Cornerstone Health Care pediatrician and member of the practice’s board who is working toward a business degree. “The way we train in medicine and the way we approach problems in medicine is different than in the business world.”

The conviction that physicians can no longer be blind to the ways of business is at the center of Dr. Bill Applegate’s efforts to retool the curriculum at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Applegate, dean of the medical school, said he intends to take “a slice” of Wake’s Babcock Graduate School of Management content and implement it for the medical campus’ doctors in training. He figures it may take another two years for it to happen.

Until it becomes a staple of medical school studies, gaining business acumen is largely a voluntary effort for doctors. And by no means are most doctors adding to their already super-crowded schedules with business homework.

I believe that it is time for chiropractors, and other health care providers, to take back the business of their professions from those who are not doctors and are truly “in it” for the money. We can still maintain the “heart of a doctor,” but we also must develop the mind of a business professional.

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Does it seem to you that no matter where we turn these days, there are news stories and advertisements, alike, touting the stupendous studies on innumerable exotic supplements, not to mention the cutting-edge health proclamations of coffee and red wine that, in one way or another, promise to reduce or eliminate all causes of mortality? It would almost seem, in fact, that a quest for immortality has replaced our search for longevity!

First of all, let me begin by saying that I’m not against taking supplements. Actually, I take them myself on a regular basis. Secondly, the idea that drinking red wine could possibly be healthy for my heart is a very attractive thought. And, I’d genuinely like to accept that drinking coffee truly could be an “easy fix” for preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

However, before taking ill-considered action, and haphazardly adding more coffee to your morning habit, another glass of red wine to your evening meal, or an extra expenditure of your hard-earned cash on exotic herbs that promise to make you live forever, let’s rationally consider a couple of things.

For instance, let us think about the fact that we, humans, are dynamic, biological beings, free to enthusiastically interact with life. We have not been detained in a cage, and none of us has been “propagated” to artificially develop the age-related debilitation and disease that lab animals are bred to do, conditions that are then “reversed” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic herb.

Basically, our being dynamic and biological is another way of saying that we, humans, are not ” mechanistic automatons.” In other words, we aren’t all precisely alike. Due to the fact that our central integrative states are not exactly the same, internal provocation factors and external irritation influences affect us in different ways. For example, though smoking cigarettes is commonly harmful to most people, there are a few individuals who can smoke cigarettes and still achieve longevity without any related ill effects.

Scientific studies isolate certain variables in order to achieve particular outcomes. That’s scientific inquiry! But, because the results occur through such isolation, and due to the fact that they are generally done on animals, when it comes to translating such results to humans, it can be said that what may work for some of the people all of the time, won’t work for all of the people all of the time, and sometimes won’t work at all (to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln!).

You make choices each day, some that are intentional and others that may be indifferent, that will affect your physical health, now and in the future. You decide what (and how much) you’ll eat and drink, and the amount of physical activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you can “sense” what is healthy for you, by the way your body responds, sometimes, perhaps too often, you may override the feedback. Clearly, when you don’t consciously make healthy choices, you jeopardize your health and longevity.

Then you, like many others, may enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon of the latest report that announces that researchers have uncovered THE VERY THING that has the potency to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things you have been doing to your body on a routine basis! Talk about wishful thinking!

The elegantly balanced system of your body (homeostasis) is highly responsive and intricate. This delicate system becomes “off balance” when you live an unhealthy lifestyle. Eventually, the imbalances nurtured through poor health choices, result in diseases.

If supplements help you to feel more energetic and healthy, then as a chiropractor who takes them as well, I say great, take them! If it feels like the thing to do, drink that additional cup of coffee as well. And, have a little more red wine if it honestly feels beneficial. But, keep in mind that the only legitimate way for anyone to avert or reverse age-related health problems is by choosing a consistently healthy lifestyle. You won’t get healthier by chance. There is no “lucky charm” when it comes to health and longevity.

Dr. Jamie Phillips, a Ventura Chiropractor, has been in private chiropractic practice for over two decades. She is also a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic internet marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She can be reached at (805) 985-9502

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Are you suffering from painful arthritis? Do you also have a difficult time with your weight?  If you’ve answered yes to both questions, it’s conceivable that you’re having back pain not only due to arthritis, but also as the eventuality of the strain your weight is putting on your spine.  The body was not designed to carry around additional weight in the form of body fat.  Your spine, which supports your body, is being put under a tremendous of strain even if you are merely carrying a surplus 20 or 30 pounds everyday. This sort of strain can created aberrations of the vertebral column. These misaligned vertebra can generate arthritic changes in the spine and continue to aggravate the degenerative changes that are present already. Moreover, your body may compensate in other ways, like your hips moving forward or tilting to counterbalance the extra weight.  This can pinch the sciatic nerve, which is extremely painful.

A current survey by the NPD Group, a leading market research company based in Rosemont, Ill., reveals that around 62% of adults and 34% of adolescents are overweight or obese. The pervasiveness of arthritis amplifies with accumulating weight. Research suggests that cultivating a healthy weight reduces the risk of developing arthritis in the first place and may slow degenerative progression. A reduction of just 11 pounds can decrease the occurrence (incidence) of new knee osteoarthritis and would do quite a lot to reduce back pain as well.

In order for an individual to overcome their back pain, knee pain, and pain in the joints in other places in the body, a nutritious diet and appropriate exercise is definitely required.  Even though you have likely been told this for the better part of your life, it really is the only solution for you to get out of pain and get your life back.

First of all, let’s tackle the issue of dieting.  Many diets (and there are a large number from which to choose) can be temporarily helpful.  It may sound cynical, but let’s face it, if you were to lose weight permanently, the diet industry would lose a good customer!  In order for you to lose weight effectively, you must eat a healthy diet as well as to cut your calories so that you are at a slight calorie deficit.  Shedding a large amount of weight too quickly is not only unhealthy, but dangerous. A good goal is to lose about 2 pounds every week in order to have positive results.

Research has shown that exercise and physical activity not only reduces pain and augments function, but genuinely slows the process of disability. Be certain to get a minimum of one-half hour of moderate physical activity at least 3 days a week. Even at 10-minute intervals such movement is beneficial.

Besides the good your joints will undergo from exercise, chiropractic manipulation is an excellent way to get motion back in the joints of your spine and other regions of your body. A spine in alignment makes exercise and physical activity much easier and actually slows down arthritic degenerative changes. The Annals of Internal Medicine published the results of a survey of 232 people who had arthritis and were under a rheumatologist’s care.  Of those people, 63% answered the survey by indicating they were using some kind of “complementary care” as named by the study.  Of those people, 31% were using chiropractic. Possibly the most consequential statistic was that 73% of those using chiropractic found it effective.  Explaining why they’d tried the non-medical chiropractic care, the responders provided a number of reasons: 1) to reduce pain, 2) they’d been told that it helps, 3) they felt confident that it is safe, 4) it had assisted someone they knew, and 5) because their prescription medication wasn’t doing the job.

Chiropractors, also called doctors of chiropractic, have been aiding men and women suffering from back pain due to arthritis as well as other arthritic conditions for over a hundred years. Your San Diego chiropractor treats misaligned vertebra that, in addition to creating arthritic pain and degenerative changes in the spine, can weaken resistance and immunity, thereby causing new health challenges.

It is always smart to see a health care professional to talk about diet and exercise. Your chiropractor is a knowledgeable resource for information on the sort of lifestyle changes that you will require to aid you in managing your arthritis. By the same token, in addition to getting your spine in alignment through gentle adjustments, your chiropractor will analyze any faulty gait patterns or posture irregularities that may be compounding the pain you are experiencing.

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