Condition Spotlight: Hypertension

It is estimated by the Center of Disease Control that Hypertension cost the United States $47.5 billion yearly in health care services. The CDC also estimates that one third of Americans have high blood pressure and another one third of Americans have pre-hypertension.  So if you do the math the majority of Americans have or will have hypertension.  The most common method of controlling hypertension is via chemical means or medication. It is estimated that 7 in 10 U.S. adults that have hypertension use medication to treat the condition.  Medications are especially usefully for emergency situations where immediate care is necessary. However, a recent study done by the Cochrane Collaboration Hypertension group, indicate that long term use of medication failed to show long term benefits for patients.

This makes sense IF your hypertension is caused by an obstruction to your autonomic nervous system.  A medication can temporarily affect blood pressure but it cannot undo a physical obstruction to the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system does many things in your body particularly the functions that happen “automatically” including your blood pressure.  For some people that have hypertension, the problem isn’t hypertension itself but a poorly functioning autonomic nervous system.
At Precision Chiropractic, we focus on the relationship between your spine and nervous system, and how its effects how you live, work, and play. We look for abnormal shifts in the spine that can cause obstruction to your nervous system, once we find those abnormal shifts; we correct and stabilize those shifts so that our patients can have a sustainable long term solution to their health conditions including hypertension. If you are interested in finding out if your hypertension might be a secondary condition to an abnormal shift in your spine give us a call at 904.310.0064 or visit our website at www.precisionchirofl.com

The number one stress on your body is not traffic, family or your job. Most people don’t recognize this stress because it is constant, beginning with our first breath outside the womb. Without this stress our bodies would be weak, our bones brittle. You probably have guessed that the stress that I am talking about is gravity. Astronauts that return from space have a seven to ten day recovery period because of their time in zero gravity. In just that short amount of time without gravity, astronauts lose calcium from their bones and mass from their muscles and equilibrium. All of this to say, without stress our bodies would be weak. Stress is not our enemy and in most cases stress even makes us stronger. Let’s use running as an example. The physical stress from running forces the heart to work harder. Your body, through a process called anastomosis, responds by creating more blood vessels around the heart so that it can be supplied with more oxygen. Without the stress from the cardiovascular workout there would be no need for a more complex network of blood vessels around the heart. So which heart is healthier? Is it the one with more oxygen supply or the one with fewer blood vessels? When our body is functioning properly it can meet the demands placed upon it. It would make sense then to focus on not stress itself but our body’s ability to adapt to stress.

What can we do to help our body adapt to stress?

1. Get a good night’s rest. ( Allows your body to recharge)

2. Eat nutritious foods. (Gives your body needed building blocks to recover from stress)

3. Drink lots of water. (It is the key component in many of our bodily functions)

4. Make sure your nervous system is functioning properly.

At Precision Chiropractic, we focus on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. When there is an abnormal shift in the spine it can cause an obstruction to the nervous system. For your body to adapt to stress properly, the nervous system must be able to organize the body to respond properly to the demands put upon it.

By keeping the nervous system healthy, you don’t need to be stressed about stress.

What is the Stabilization Area? 

Precision Chiropractic has many unique features but the one our patients love the most is the stabilization area. In our office, our goal is not to adjust you to health. That is not possible, nor is it sustainable. Our goal is to strengthen and stabilize abnormal shifts in your spine so that your body can hold the adjustment and, as a result, allow your body to heal itself. This is where the stabilization room comes into play. After receiving a specific correction, patients in our office rest for 45-60 minutes in our stabilization area. There are five full size beds, as well as five lounge chairs where patients can relax. Resting allows the body to immediately begin stabilizing the spine in its proper position. Instead of jumping back into the routine of day-to-day life and the many stresses associated with that (i.e. work, children, traffic), the time spent in the stabilization area allows your body to focus on healing in a calming and comfortable environment.

As a result of this unique feature we notice that our patients need fewer adjustments, heal more quickly, and have lasting results. Unlike conventional chiropractic, our strategy for our patients is to provide a sustainable long term solution to their ailments.

Breaking the Chronic Pain Cycle of Fibromyalgia

Chronic pain takes many shapes and forms, but we know that it has a huge social and economic burden. The Institute of Medicine reports that roughly 116 million, or 30% of the population suffer from pain lasting a year or longer. Although chronic pain isn’t a life threatening issue, it’s certainly a problem that has a dramatic effect on the quality of someone’s life. After taking care of hundreds of people with conditions like fibromyalgia, I know that these people experience quite a toll both physically and emotionally.

Perhaps the worst part about fibromyalgia is that there is no known cause or cure. It’s basically invisible to any blood tests or MRI studies, and most of the drugs available are for pain control. People with fibromyalgia may often be depressed, have anxiety, and have a sense of isolation because they don’t feel that their friends and family understand their struggle. This often compounded by the fact that their doctors have told them that the pain is psychosomatic, or just in their minds because no tests can reveal an underlying disease process.

In recent years, fibromyalgia has become one of the most published topics in medical journals. As a result, we are starting to develop an understanding of the disease on a deeper level to know that it’s certainly NOT just in the patient’s mind. Research is pointing to problems within the central nervous system and tiny blood vessels in the skin as likely causes of the deep body-wide pain. But what does this mean in terms of treatment?

For most people, drugs that target the nervous system like Lyrica or Gabapentin are the first line of treatment and many have had success. However, some patients can be sensitive to drug reactions, or their bodies may develop a high tolerance for the dosages. In cases like these, many patients start to seek out alternative therapies like acupuncture, reiki, and homeopathy.
Traditional chiropractic has also been a source of relief for many people seeking help with chronic pain. However, many people with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia can feel apprehensive about seeing a Doctor of Chiropractic because manipulations can seem too rough for someone who can barely stand to be touched.

Not All Adjustments are Built the Same
In chiropractic, there are dozens of techniques and approaches to correcting the spine. Some are heavy handed and require a lot of force, but others are very gentle and rely more on precision. It’s not to say that one is better than the other, but some are just designed for specific patient populations in mind.

In my office, I attract many patients with fibromyalgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and TMJ problems that are Secondary to a Structrual problem in the neck called Atlas Subluxation Complex. Most of these people are afraid to be touched, and gravitate to a lighter approach. This type of condition requires a precision type of adjustment called an Atlas Correction. This type of adjustment is so light, that most people often wonder if I even touched them, and then they start to feel their body change. Currently, only about 1000 doctors in the country are trained in this type of care.

This approach is effective because of the spine’s influence on the central nervous system. When the top of the neck shifts abnormally and moves improperly, the nerves firing into the brainstem become distorted. In this way, the brain is like a computer that relies on spinal positioning to operate normally. When there are garbage signals going into the brain, then garbage signals come out in the form of pain. This phenomenon in fibromyalgia patients creates a condition called central sensitization. This is the reason why people with fibromyalgia can feel excruciating pain from a light touch. It’s not that there’s a physical injury, but the nervous system is getting scrambled signals and is primed to experience pain.

This is NOT designed to cure you. The cure lies in the fact that the body is capable of healing itself. When you remove interference to the body’s self-healing ability, I find that people can return to a level where life is livable again. By breaking the pain cycle through the nervous system, you can impact the way stress affects the body and the immune system. By no means is this a cure all, but it can be a great catalyst to being steered back on the path towards a normal life. I’ve seen numerous patients who’ve been able to go from disability to working or resuming exercise again in a matter of months.

One of the greatest joys of doing this type of work is giving people a glimmer of hope. So many people are convinced that they have to live in pain, or have been told that the problem they’re having is all in their head. In my office, I’ve helped hundreds of people recover from chronic pain with this gentle procedure. However, it’s not for everyone. Only people with a problem in their Atlas can receive this type of care, and that requires a detailed Upper Cervical Chiropractic Examination to identify the problem. Sometimes a little bit of hope is all a person needs to start healing again.

Written By Dr. Jon Chung
http://chiropractorwellington.com/

The human brain is made up of about 3 pounds of fat and water, filled with billions of neurons, and acts as the control system in our bodies. Maintaining a healthy brain is very important, as it is our most complex organ! There is no doubt that as we age, our brains are tagging right along with us. Memory loss generally happens over time and degenerative brain disorders are on the rise. There is good news in the compelling research that shows there are numerous ways we can protect our body’s power house. Simply adding some of these delicious foods to your diet can defend your memory from the degradation of stress and time.

Healthy fats and antioxidants are the first line of defense in safeguarding your memory.You’ve heard the fish oil buzz. Eating oily fish 3-4 times a week can greatly increase your intake of Omega-3s, which fight inflammation, and provide a hearty helping of vitamin D!

Avocado is a creamy, delicious, monosaturated fat that promotes healthy blood flow and makes any salad better.

Walnuts even look like a brain! Just an ounce of these nutrient dense nuts a day can provide a substantial amount of vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects membranes in the brain.

Your brain on blueberries is brilliant! These sweet, juicy, berries contain flavonoids and antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress.

Kale and other Cruciferous veggies are also loaded with antioxidants to save your thinker.

Most importantly, water! Proper hydration is vital, as the brain is about 75% water.

-Shelby Burnsed, Health Coach

This might seem like a strange question coming from a Chiropractor and I have to admit…. I love adjusting. But the question remains, are adjustments always good for me? I think to answer this question we have to ask another question.. Are Adjustments always necessary?

If making an adjustment is similar to turning on a light switch, what would happen if I adjust a light switch that is already in the ON position? Would it stay ON? What is the only other direction it can go? If you think that it would most likely go into the OFF position then we are on the same page.

At Precision Chiropractic, our goal is not to deliver adjustments on every visit but to make sure your light switch is in the ON position because we know when its in the ON position your body’s master communication center is working and your body is healing and functioning the way it should. You’ll find that our patients will get checked on every visit but not always get adjusted.

How do we know when the light switch is ON? We have advanced instrumentation tool that helps us detect on every visit if there is any obstruction to your nervous system.

So the answer to the questions is, YES!! adjustments are always GOOD for you WHEN they are delivered when your body needs it at the right place and the right time.

-Dr. Kevin Lin