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BioAllergenix is an allergy elimination system that utilizes computer and laser technology to identify allergies, and then eliminate them. The BioAllergenix system, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, can detect about 96,0000 substances that are potential allergens for patients. The system does this through its digital library, where the vibrational frequencies of actual allergens are stored in digitized form. With BioAllergenix, patients undergo an allergy test without needless or blood tests, since potential allergens are introduced to the patients electronically and the patient’s physiological response is measured electronically. This results in a fast and accurate list of the substances that individuals are allergic to.
Once a patient’s allergies are identified, the BioAllergenix system uses a cold laser to eliminate them. To do this, the system takes the electronic version of a patient’s allergen, which is stored in its computerized data base, and introduces the patient to that allergen while he or she is simultaneously receiving stimulation from the cold laser. A positive association is created in which the body safely receives the energy of the allergen in combination with the beneficial energy from the cold laser, thus reprogramming the immune system to safely accept the allergen in the future.
Trauma related to sports, accidents, work-related and causes as well as few other disease processes can trigger pain of the upper extremities. In many cases it is due to abnormal stress patterns that have slowly built up over years. Abnormal stress patterns start from the spine, the shoulder blade’s attachment to the body wall and the muscles that connect the arm to the shoulder. The spine houses the nerve supply that controls the movement, and sensation of the upper extremity. Nerve supply can be reduced due to subluxations (bones out of place putting pressure on nerves), decrease in bone strength and muscle elasticity, discs losing their fluid and flexibility, arthritis, degeneration. When this happens muscles get overloaded, muscle fibers tear and/or stretch, the brain neurologically de-activates the area, other muscles try to compensate, arm movements are changed and the pattern begins to take hold. Once the nerve supply has been normalized, stress patterns have the ability to diminish. Adjustments combined with proper maintenance, an exercise program and most importantly a change in poor posture habits, will often allow for a full recovery.
Chiropractic adjustments to the spine of the neck (cervical spine) can produce a significant reduction in pain associated with tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis).
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that involves the wrist where nerves pass through the center of the wrist and into the hand. Symptoms often include pain in the hand, numbness in one or more fingers of the hand and tingling in various parts of the hand.
Patients often refer to the hand “falling asleep” while they are idle and will sometimes wake a patient from sleep due to tingling. Not all carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms come from the neck. There are times when neck problems, pinched nerves and active trigger points from the shoulder are culprits in hand pain, numbness and tingling.
At our office we utilize the services of a Physiatrist, a medical doctor who specializes in rehabilitation and diagnostic testing. With certain tests referred to as EMG, w can definitively diagnose a carpal tunnel syndrome problem from other causes. Not diagnosed properly or not treated early, a carpal tunnel syndrome problem can cause serious damage to the tendons, ligaments, nerves and muscles of the hands.
Foot pain can be the result of poor fitting shoes, the regular use of high heeled shoes, shoes that don’t offer proper support to the foot, disease, fracture, tendonitis or sprain and strains.
A proper Chiropractic examination should start with the foundation of the body, the feet. According to the specialists at Foot Levelers there are 3 arches off the foot; the longitudinal arch, transverse arch and medial arch. Foot Levelers orthotics and arch supports address these 3 arches by performing a mold in the weight bearing setting.
Looking at the foot in weight bearing helps to find the differences in these arches in comparison to each other and make corrections that create a strong and equal foundation. At our clinic we use bilateral weight bearing scales as well as radiographic analysis to sometimes evaluate the effects that arches that are too high of too low create.
People describe headaches in a myriad of different ways from a feeling of a tight band around their head to a dull ache to sever blinding pain that is only eased by lying down in a dark room. There are just about as many causes of headaches as there are symptoms of headaches. A common cause of tension headaches is spinal misalignments or “subluxations” in the upper back and neck.
Tension type headaches are the most common, affecting upwards of 75% of all headache sufferers. Most people describe a tension headache as a constant dull, achy feeling either on one side or both sides of the head, often described as a feeling of a tight band or dull ache around the head or behind the eyes. These headaches usually begin slowly and gradually and can last for minutes or days, and tend to begin in the middle or toward the end of the day. Tension headaches are often the result of stress or bad posture, which stresses the spine and muscles in the upper back and neck.
Tension headaches, or stress headaches, can last from 30 minutes to several days. In some cases, chronic tension headaches may persist for many months. Although the pain can at times be severe, tension headaches are usually not associated with other symptoms, such as nausea, throbbing or vomiting.
The most common cause of tension headaches is subluxations in the upper back and neck usually in combination with active trigger points or knots in the related muscles. When vertebrae in the upper neck lose their normal motion or position, a small muscle goes into spasm. The problem is that this small muscle has a tendon which slips between the upper neck and the base of the skull and attaches to a thin pain-sensitive tissue called the dura mater that covers the brain. Although the brain itself has no feeling, the dura mater is very pain-sensitive. Consequently, when this small muscle goes into spasm and its tendon tugs at the dura mater, a headache occurs.
Causes of tension type headaches very often are associated with referred pain from trigger points in the base of the skull, entire neck and upper back. Trigger points or “knots” as they are commonly referred to, are common in people who suffer a whiplash injury, work at computers of desks most of the day or suffer from high levels of stress that forces their necks to pull down into the shoulders.
Many of those who suffer from migraines experience visual symptoms called an “aura” just prior to an attack that is often described as seeing flashing lights. Chiropractic treatment when the aura initially occurs often helps prevent a migraine.
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down each leg to your foot. The sciatic nerve controls many of the muscles in your lower legs. The term sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve. But sciatica isn’t a condition in and of itself, but rather a symptom of another problem involving the nerve.
Sciatica is a sign that you have an underlying problem putting pressure one of the several nerves in your lower back. A common cause of this nerve compression is a bulging or herniated lumbar disc. Piriformis syndrome is another common cause of sciatica. The piriformis is a muscle that lies directly over the sciatic nerve. If this muscle becomes tight or if you have a spasm in this muscle, it puts pressure directly on the sciatic nerve. Many muscles of the buttocks also refer pain into the leg when they are contracted due to trigger points.
Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica. Sciatica may be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the affected leg. Sometimes it may feel like a jolt or electric shock or a dull constant ache. Sciatic pain often starts gradually and intensifies over time.
The vast majority of the time, sciatic pain can be relieved through chiropractic adjustments, stretches, and deep tissue massage of the gluteal muscles. Specific exercises are necessary for the complete remission of sciatic and often accompany proper Chiropractic treatment.
Lower back or “lumbar” pain and dysfunction arise if the low back and/or pelvis are out of alignment and have weak supporting muscles. In many cases, something as simple as bending to brush your teeth, pick up a pencil or even a sneeze can cause your back to go into spasm and result in mild to severe pain. Underlying conditions also play a large role in why something as simple as bending and lifting can cause you to drop to the floor.
The lower back supports most of your body’s weight and can withstand tremendous forces without injury. According to research eighty percent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by colds and flu’s. In fact, it is estimated that low back pain affects more than half of the adult population each year and is worsening due to problems like lack of exercise, stress, obesity and repetitive stress due to sitting, lifting and other work-related stressors.
The common belief has been that back pain would heal on its own. We have learned, however, that this is not true. Recent studies showed that when back pain is not treated, it might go away temporarily, but will most likely return. It is important to take low back pain seriously and seek professional chiropractic care. This is especially true with pain that recurs repeatedly over several years.
Low back pain may be acute (short-term), lasting less than one month, or chronic (long-term, continuous, ongoing), lasting longer than three months. While getting acute back pain more than once is common, continuous long-term pain is not, as is usually a sign of an underlying problem.
There are many different conditions that can result in low back pain, including: sprained ligaments, strained muscles, ruptured discs, muscles that go into spasm and inflamed joints. While sports injuries or accidents can lead to injury and pain, the most common cause of low back pain is the body being out of alignment for a prolonged period on time that allow bad postural habits to form. When you body is not able to move properly, muscles tighten and go into spasm, bone move into wrong places and arthritis can begin, and sometimes nerves are irritated and compressed due to the poor postural habits.
Chiropractic treatment for low back pain is very effective. Most commonly, it’s a matter of adjusting the lower lumbar vertebrae and pelvis to re-establish normal motion and position of your bones and joints. Additional muscle work may need to be done, but that depends of your specific care history and examination. Chiropractic for the low back has been repeatedly shown to be the most effective treatment for low back pain. In fact, major studies have shown that chiropractic care is more effective, cheaper and has better long-term outcomes than any other treatment. All other treatments, such as muscle relaxants, pain killers and bed rest, only serve to decrease the symptoms of the problem and do not correct the problem itself. This makes sense because chiropractic care is the only method of treatment that serves to re-establish normal vertebral motion and position in the spine.
Problems in the neck can contribute to headaches, muscle spasms in the shoulders and upper back, ringing in the ears, otitis media (inflammation in the middle ear, often mistaken for an ear infection in children), temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), restricted range of motion, tennis elbow and chronic tightness in the neck and upper back.
Most neck and upper back pain is caused by a combination of factors, including injury, poor posture, chiropractic subluxations, stress, and in some instances, disc problems.
Most people do not realize how much they move their neck during the day until they are unable to do so. The degree of flexibility of the neck, coupled with the fact that it has the least amount of muscular stabilization and it has to support and move your 10-12 pound head, means that the neck is very susceptible to injury.
The spinal cord runs through a space in the vertebrae to send nerve impulses to every part of the body. Between each pair of cervical vertebrae, the spinal cord sends off large bundles of nerves that run down and control the arms and to some degree, the upper back.
This means that if your arm is hurting, it may actually be a problem in the neck! Symptoms in the arms can include numbness, tingling, cold, aching, and “pins and needles”.
These symptoms can be confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition in the hands that is often found in people who work at computer keyboards or perform other repetitive motion tasks for extended periods.
At our office we perform testing to rule out other sources of neck and arm pain including vascular issues. We utilize manual diagnostic orthopedic, neurological and vascular tests that indicate if your problem is outside the scope of Chiropractic and refer you to specialists when necessary. We work with many MD and non-MD specialists to help you with your problem.
Most neck and upper back pain is caused by a combination of factors, including injury, poor posture, chiropractic subluxations, stress, and in some instances, disc problems.
When nerves become ‘pinched’, injury, spasm, and inflammation of the surrounding muscles causes the nerve to become compressed, resulting in pain. This begins a cycle.
The term “pinched nerve” is commonly used to describe the pain associated with a variety of conditions from subluxations, to tunnel syndromes to disc problems.
Most of the time a pinched nerve is an irritated or inflamed nerve but the nerve itself is not actually pinched. Many times when spinal joint move out of its normal alignment, joints, ligaments and muscles stop functioning properly causing irritation to the area local nerve roots, thus a “pinched nerve”. The condition described is called a “subluxation”. This is the specialty of the doctor of chiropractic.
There are instances when nerves do become ‘pinched’, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica and thoracic outlet syndrome. In these cases the nerves become compressed or “pinched”, resulting in pain, spasm or inflammation of the surrounding muscles and connective tissue results causing a cycle of dysfunction.
The plantar fascia is a relatively inflexible, strong, fibrous band on the bottom of the foot that supports the arch of your foot. Beginning at the heel bone, the plantar fascia extends the length of your foot to connect with your toes at the ball of the foot. When you walk, your weight is distributed across your feet. Any imbalances in the mechanics of your foot and distribution of weight can potentially cause pain.
Repetitive movements such as walking or running stretch the plantar fascia. Because it is not very flexible, this can cause stretching and small tears in the fascia, which will eventually lead to inflammation and pain. Other factors such as high arches, fallen arches, or a change in the walking surface contribute to the stress placed on the plantar fascia and heel.
People with this condition sometimes describe the feeling as a hot, sharp sensation in the heel. You usually notice the pain first thing in the morning when you stand. After walking for a period of time, the pain usually lessens or even disappears. However, sharp pain in the center of the heel may return after resting for a period of time and then resuming activity.
A variety of causes exist for plantar fasciitis. Some of the most common causes include:
With pregnancy and all the structural changes it undergoes during those nine months, one of the best health steps you can take is see a doctor of chiropractic. Chiropractors can provide guidance, resources, symptom relief and health optimizing care.
During pregnancy the center of gravity shifts forward to the front of her pelvis. This additional weight in front causes stress to the joints of the pelvis, low back and nervous system. A pregnant body needs a flexible and balanced spine, hips and pelvis. As the baby grows in size, the added weight causes the curvature of the lower back to increase, placing extra stress on the fragile joints on the back of the spine. Any pre-existing problems tend to be worsened as the spine and pelvis becomes overburdened, often leading to pain and difficulty in performing normal daily activities.
Chiropractic care is a safe and natural approach to supporting your body through the rigors of pregnancy and childbirth, prevent problems from occurring and reduce current discomfort. Women do not need to have a problem to receive chiropractic care but we often receive referrals from Gynecologists and Obstetricians who recommend Chiropractic care for their patients because of it’s effectiveness without the use of drugs.
More than half of all expectant mothers develop low-back pain at some point during their pregnancies. In fact, most women have found that chiropractic care helped them avoid the use of pain medications during their pregnancy, and studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments help to reduce time in labor.
According to a report published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in June of 2005, 36.6 percent of pregnant women in the study opted to seek care from a doctor of chiropractic.
Vertebral discs are the spinal column’s shock absorbers. These discs cushion the vertebral bones and allow the spine to twist and bend. They are delicate structures that often are a causative factor in lower back pain and sometimes are an isolated cause of leg pain, numbness and other sensations throughout the arms and legs. Discs have a potential to age gracefully, degenerate or become traumatized resulting in problems. Proper care of disc involves proper care of the spinal column including Chiropractic adjustments.
Each vertebral disc is composed of two main parts, a soft inner nucleus and a tough, fibrous outer wall. A disc’s outer wall can be weakened by the normal wear of aging or by traumatic injury, allowing the nucleus to bulge or break completely through the wall.
Symptoms of a herniated disc vary depending on the location and severity of the herniation. A herniation in the cervical spine can cause problems in the neck, shoulders, arms and hands. A herniated disc in the lumbar spine can result in burning, tingling and/or numbing sensation that radiates from the lower back down to one or both feet.
A chiropractor evaluates the patient to learn about the person’s history and concerns. The chiropractor may examine the patient’s posture, skeletal structure and movement to look for abnormalities that may require correction. Once the underlying source of the problem has been identified, the chiropractor can tailor a comprehensive care plan based on the patient’s needs. The chiropractor may also perform x-rays or order additional testing to get a clear view of the spine including the discs.
Chiropractic care can be a safe and effective method for managing some herniated discs. Spinal adjustments, traction, decompression therapy, therapeutics stretches and strengthening exercises may be beneficial. Other care option may include cold or hot therapy, electrical stimulation and lumbar bracing. In severe cases, surgery or anti-inflammatory medication may be required. Some disc herniations require more invasive procedures like injections and surgery. Our examination and testing will rule out those patients and get them to the best provider suited to deal with these cases. Neurologist, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and even physical therapists are providers that we work with on a regular basis.
Foot, knee and hip pain is a common occurrence about adults. In fact, by age 20, 80% of humans have developed some type of problem, and by age 40, nearly everyone has some kind of foot condition. Your feet are the foundation of your entire body and they are under an enormous amount of pressure everyday; a slight imbalance can cause a great deal of discomfort and pain.
The term “Shin Splints” refers to a painful condition in the shin, involving inflammation of the tendons that occurs either in the front or inside section of the shin bone. In many cases shin splints are the result of an overuse injury, which means that the body has been pushed too far for too long. Another common culprit that is possible is tiny stress fractures in the leg bone (tibia), which occur as the soft tissues pull away from the shin as a result of overuse.
Many people describe shin splints as an aching feeling. If you have a stress fracture, the pain may be sharp and localized. Shin splints most often occur along the inside of the shin above the ankle, or along the outside of the shin below the knee. In most cases, the problem develops gradually after a few weeks or months of intense exercise, but some people can feel the pain after one especially rigorous run. A person with shin splints usually feels pain when starting a workout. The pain may fade as the exercise continues, but it often comes back with a vengeance when a person finally rests.
If you suffer from shoulder tightness or muscle strain chances are it may be related to the neck and mid back. You can find shoulder-pain relief through chiropractic and massage therapy. Spinal and shoulder joint manipulation as well as soft-tissue manipulation improves range of motion, reduces pain and improves function in people with shoulder pain.
Chiropractic spinal and shoulder adjustments can improve posture by helping to balance muscle tone and reduce pain patterns. By increasing neck and shoulder range of motion, there a significant decrease in re-injury. With more chronic types of shoulder pain or more severe cases we often employ various techniques of massage therapy and even acupuncture to assist with prompt relief.
Shoulder pain is often accompanied by pain radiating into the arm and sometimes the hand. This pain is noticed mostly at rest and can cause sleeplessness. There are too many causes to mention for this type of pain. We often find that work habits and even exercise habits to be the high on the list of causes. One thing is for sure that the longer the patient waits for treatment the longer it takes to eliminate the pain. As with all injuries and pain syndromes early intervention can save lots of time in the long run.
Joint stiffness represents changes in a joint that occur secondary to trauma (both new and old) and degenerative effects from the age of a joint. For many people “stiffness in the joints” is a very common occurrence as the body ages. Although some say this does not necessarily have to happen, you would have to be a highly trained athlete on the best anti-aging supplements to support that.
Joint stiffness is a natural occurrence with joint wear and tear. Arthritis however can advance joint stiffness and rheumatoid arthritis causes stiffness and degeneration at warp speed. Chiropractic care, joint manipulation or any form of movement of a joint helps to decrease the speed at which a joint degenerates.
When someone is involved in a motor vehicle accident and suffers neck pain, the likely cause is whiplash. Whiplash injuries need to be taken very seriously because symptoms of a whiplash injury can take days to weeks or even months to manifest. It is often an overlooked injury and one can be fooled into thinking that they are not as injured.
Whiplash injuries typically follow automobile injuries but can occur from sports related injures, skateboarding injures and even simple slips and falls. Numerous studies have shown that years after whiplash victims settle an insurance claim roughly half of them state that they still suffer with symptoms from their injuries. If you have been in a motor vehicle or any other kind of accident, don’t assume that you escaped injury if you are not currently in pain.
The term “whiplash” is used to define an injury mechanism of rapid, sudden whipping back of the neck followed by an immediate “whipping” forward of the neck that results in damage to the muscles, ligaments and tendons. One of the key points here is rapid, these movements occur so fast that the protective mechanisms of the neck are unable to protect itself and damage occurs.
Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae. It is by far the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, especially when coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities.
When the force of energy (movement) is transferred to a victim of a car accident the energy of the impact that reaches the patient is equal to 2 times the speed of impact. That means that a 5 mile per hour bump in the rear has a potential to do some real damage to the victim. This is particularly true when the force of the impact was not sufficient to result in deformation of the vehicle, resulting in all of the energy being transferred to the occupant would be approximately equal to twice the speed of impact. Vehicle deforming as a result of the collision absorbs significant impact forces, thus reducing the amount transmitted to the occupant. During rear-end automobile collisions your body goes through an extremely rapid and intense acceleration and deceleration. There are 4 phases of this acceleration/deceleration. At each phase, there is a different force acting on the body that contributes to the overall injury, and with such a sudden and forceful movement, damage to the vertebrae, nerves, discs, muscles, and ligaments of your neck and spine can be substantial.
The most common symptoms related to whiplash include:
In the more severe and chronic case of “whiplash associated disorder” symptoms can include:
