You’re stopped in traffic talking to a friend about Occupy LA, when out of your rear-view mirror, you spot an Explorer preparing to redesign the back of your car. Quick, what should you do?
Lawrence Nordhoff, Jr., D.C., author and accident re-constructionist, makes the following suggestions for that split second just before you’re hit: Continue reading
Hurrah! It looks like the hospitals are finally figuring out what the rest of us have known for years. Acupuncture works! It improves the outcomes of surgeries. It reduces pain, swelling, the after-effects of anesthesia, and recovery time.
So if you have to get surgery and you don’t want to spend a bunch of your time sitting on your butt afterwards, get some acupuncture. You’ll be happy you did.
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-hospitals-alternative-medicine-20120102,0,6660665.story
If you are like most people in America trying to lose weight, you’ve tried every diet, exercise program, and supplement on the market. But the likelihood is that you are still struggling with the weight.
The question you have in your mind is, I’ve tried everything else, can acupuncture work? The answer is yes, but it is important to understand that it is not a magic bullet. You still have to make lifestyle changes, and dietary changes to lose that weight and keep it off. But once you make that decision to step forward and really dedicate yourself to being the best version of you that you know you can be, then come see us. This is the turning point, the point at which dynamic change can happen. We will work with you on building a customized plan for a new healthy lifestyle. We will help you choose exercise, and a diet that works with your life, and your tastes. Continue reading
A few days ago a patient with whiplash symptoms from a rear- end car accident asked me if a chiropractic adjustment was going to hurt her neck.
She was concerned because she is part of the 10% of the population with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome. This means that, with little effort she is able to move her joints beyond what is considered a normal range of motion.
Whiplash accidents will be more traumatic for these patients. The mobility and looseness of their joints leaves them vulnerable to more damage from sudden force. Therefore it was reasonable for this patient to worry that a chiropractic adjustment, which is often moving a joint past its restriction, would cause further injury. Continue reading
Do you have migraines? If you do, you know that they can ruin your day, or worse, several of your days at a time. Yesterday one of my patients mentioned to me that she had had a migraine earlier in the week. This actually happens to her quite regularly. Out of the blue a killer migraine will sucker punch her and she’s down for the count. She has to go home draw the blinds, and curl up in a ball of pain for the rest of the day. Continue reading
Have you recently gone to bed with a sore back and woke up with your pain even worse? You ask yourself, is this really a result of pulling weeds from the garden over the weekend?
Unfortunately, the answer is most likely yes. Of course there are probably a series of events that have led your back to this end. Pain is not a sound indicator of the cause of a health problem. Usually, as the expression goes, ‘It’s just the tip of the iceberg.’ Continue reading
Have you ever had a one hour massage, and felt like you needed more time? That’s probably because you did!
Like most people, you’ve built up years of tension and layers of stress in your muscles. And like most people you probably have one massage, and then wait until you’re sore again before you return for another. Continue reading
If you have ever gone to a chiropractor, then you may have had x-rays taken of your spine. Many chiropractors use x-rays to create a treatment plan based on what their findings are. Once the x-rays are taken the doctor will begin to mark them with several lines. These lines are then compared to lines of a perfect spine.
The x-rays are viewed for pathology of the bone, soft tissue (fractures & tumors) and they are viewed to look for defects and wear-n-tear of the cartilage. Continue reading
Prescription drugs are useful for treating many different health conditions, but we have to remember that they can also harm as much as they help. In fact, prescription drugs are the leading cause of death in America. (see LA Times Story).
Most of the dangerous reactions come from a class of medications called Narcotics, also known as pain killers. These medications can help with many types of pain but unfortunately, usually only take the edge off. When it comes to nerve irritation and pain like Sciatica these drugs accomplish little. Without achieving their desired effect of pain relief and because of habituation, dosages are increased, the patient is prescribed more powerful drugs or a cocktail of drugs are given. This increases the risk of addiction, and the risk of dangerous side effect reactions.
At Elements, our doctors of acupuncture and chiropractic believe that there is a place for narcotics, but more often than not pain relief can be achieved without the use of prescription drugs. Our goal will be to help reduce your pain by treating its source. Our mission is to help you reach your goal safely and effectively. Treating you by getting at the root of the problem, and doing it safely is what we do best.