Healing Hands Chiropractic Gulfport BLOG

Preventing Falls in Aging Population

2010-04-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

Healing Hands Chiropractic Clinic Gulfport would like to share some information from the American Chiropractic Association:

As we age, time takes its toll on the bodily systems that keep us balanced and standing upright. For example, you may not see or hear as well, which can affect your coordination. Nerves that carry information from your brain to your muscles may fray and deteriorate, slowing your reaction time and making it more difficult to move away from oncoming pedestrians or adjust to icy patches on a sidewalk. Normal declines in muscle strength and joint flexibility can hinder your ability to stand, walk and rise from chairs.

In 2003, more than 1.8 million seniors were treated in hospital emergency rooms for fall-related injuries and of those treated, more than 421,000 were hospitalized. You needn’t let the fear of falling rule your life, however, as many falls and fall-related injuries are preventable.

Through scientific studies, researchers have identified a number of modifiable risk factors that increase the likelihood of a fall, including medication side effects, loss of limb sensation, poor eyesight, tripping hazards within the home, and lack of physical activity.

Here are some Tips:
Perform a home safety check

At least one-third of all falls involve hazards within the home. Most commonly, people trip over objects on the floor. See the Home Safety Checklist and work with a family member or health care provider to evaluate your home for potential hazards and minimize your risk of injury.

Begin a regular exercise program

Consider a general exercise program that includes activities such as walking, water workouts or tai chi—a gentle exercise that involves slow and graceful dance-like movements. Exercise reduces your risk of falls by improving your strength, balance, coordination and flexibility.

Review your medications

Your risk of falling may increase if you take certain prescription medications to treat age-related medical conditions. Many medications have side effects that can affect your brain function and lead to dizziness or lightheadedness.
Have your vision checked

Reduced vision increases risk of falls. Age-related vision diseases, including cataracts and glaucoma, can alter your depth perception, visual acuity and susceptibility to glare. These limitations hinder your ability to move safely. It is important to have regular check-ups with your ophthalmologist. Also, regularly clean your glasses to improve visibility.

Preventing osteoporosis

Osteoporosis makes bones less resistant to stress and more likely to fracture. Caused by hormonal changes, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, and a decrease in physical activity, osteoporosis is a chief cause of fractures in older adults, especially women.

Is it time for a new bed?

2010-03-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

According to the American Chiropractic Association:
* A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there are gaps between your body and your mattress (such as at the waist), you're not getting the full support that you need.
* If you do have back pain and your mattress is too soft, you might want to firm up the support of your mattress by placing a board underneath it. But do this just until the pain goes away; such firmness is not good for "routine" sleeping.
* Every few months, turn your mattress clockwise, or upside down, so that body indentations are kept to a minimum. It's also good to rotate the mattress frame every so often to reduce wear and tear.
* If you're waking up uncomfortable, it may be time for a new mattress. There is no standard life span for a mattress; it all depends on the kind of usage it gets.
* Be aware that changes in your life can signal the need for a new mattress. For example, if you've lost or gained a lot of weight, if a medical condition has changed the way you sleep, or even if you have changed partners, it could mean that it's time to find a new mattress that will accommodate those changes and help you sleep more soundly.
* If you're not in the market for a new mattress, and your current mattress is too firm, you can soften it up by putting a 1- to 2-inch-thick padding on top of it - usually available at mattress and bedding stores. If it is sagging and you can't afford it, a temporary solution can be to put a piece of plywood between the mattress and the box spring. This is only advised as an "emergency" and should NOT be a permanent fix.

Do your shoulders ever get tight?

2010-02-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

There is an epidemic of people with “shoulder” tightness today. These are usually people that work in static positions for prolonged periods. These positions are usually those of upper and lower body flexion, like at a desk, on a computer, driving, etc. These patients remain in these positions on a daily basis, not knowing that our bodies were designed to move almost constantly. These biomechanical positions lead to discomfort, neck pain, headaches, and loss of general daily productivity. Almost all of these patients will have some type of deep neck flexor weakness, and posterior neck muscle tightness. Stretching, exercises, spinal adjustments, and ergonomic education are the only treatments that can conservatively treat these ailments. At Healing Hands Chiropractic we offer all of these services.

Smoking related to Back Pain?

2009-10-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

As if smoking wasn't bad enough, a new study strengthens the link between smoking and lower back pain, and also sheds light on the causes of degenerative lumbar spine problems.

The study on smoking and low back pain, which prospectively examined 1,337 physicians who graduated from Johns Hopkins University between 1948 and 1964, followed some participants for more than 50 years. Researchers discovered that smoking history, hypertension and coronary artery disease—all of which are risk factors for atherosclerosis, or occlusion of the arteries—were significantly associated with the development of low back pain.

The study results, which were reported at the 2001 annual meeting of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons in San Francisco, lend support to the theory that the mechanism of injury in low back pain is damage to the vascular structures of the discs and joints.

The data may still be a little fuzzy, but the message is clear. As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, smokers who suffer from back pain have every reason to kick the habit. Giving up cigarettes probably won't immediately banish back pain, but it just might help. Of course, quitting smoking will also dramatically lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, and a host of other diseases. Back pain or no, that's a great comfort.

exerpts from articles by Donald J. Frisco, MD, and Chris Woolston
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

see abstract here

How Chiropractic care can be used for cotreatment for Mesothelioma

2009-10-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

How Chiropractic Care Can Be Used to co-treat Mesothelioma patients with pain

The American Chiropractic Association states that chiropractic doctors “have a deep respect for the human body's ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. These doctors devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure and function of the spine, its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health. A doctor of chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.”

Cancer patients have incorporated chiropractic care in their course of treatment to help control pain and alleviate headaches, tension and stress. Patients interested in alternative treatment, who strongly believe in the body’s ability to heal itself, may find chiropractic care particularly appealing. Alleviating severe headaches and movement pains during cancer treatment may make the treatment process more comfortable for cancer patients, including those battling mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is caused mostly by exposure to a naturally occurring mineral called asbestos. This type of cancer is often diagnosed in advanced stages as symptoms can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after exposure to become noticeable. This often limits most mesothelioma treatment options.

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics published two studies that examined the cases of patients fighting cancer. A 57-year-old man diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer experienced considerable pain relief and was able to lessen the amount of medication needed following chiropractic care. He also reported an increase in his quality of life after visiting a chiropractor.

A 54-year-old man diagnosed with lung cancer (a cancer often related to asbestos exposure) underwent surgery to combat his cancer and began seeing a chiropractor a year later because he was unable to effectively relieve the pain through conventional means. The man experienced pain relief immediately after beginning chiropractic care and ceased using all of his pain medications after two visits to his chiropractor. The Journal noted, “These clinical examples offer two specific instances of how chiropractic may improve the quality of a cancer patient’s life.”

Blog post written by Adam Heidingsfelder and:
Richard Moyle
National Awareness Coordinator
Mesothelioma Center
Asbestos.com

Headaches, can chiropractic help?

2009-09-30T13:29:00.001-07:00

See our website for more info http://www.healinghandsms.com/

Headaches. Everyone gets them from time to time, but sometimes they can be so strong as to be utterly debilitating and they may not go away. Medications can address the symptoms but not the cause of these headaches, and simply dull the pain temporarily.

Chiropractors can help.

Many of the more severe headache symptoms are slow to respond to chemical treatment, which when made more intense to address the headache, can have long lasting and often negative effects to the body when used over time. This is why many people with chronic head pain look to the more natural (and very often the more effective alternative) solution of chiropractic care.

There Are Different Kinds of Headaches

In order to better treat any problem it is first important to understand what causes it. There are many different kinds of headaches, some which can be treated by chiropractic better than others. Headaches are most commonly caused by

-changes by vascular constriction

-tension in the muscles

-sinus congestion

These headaches can refer or radiate pain all over your head and they can feel like they’re centered in many different locations, but it is most important to realize that chiropractic seems to work best in the types of headaches that are based around muscle tension and changes to vascular flow. Sinus headaches have also had success, but they are likely to have a more complicated cause.

There are three main types of headaches typically found in a chiropractic office:

-migraine headaches

-tension headaches

-cervicogenic headaches

The last type of headache mentioned sounds a bit scary, but it just simply means a headache that is caused by referred pain that originates within the bone, muscles, or nerves of the neck.

Tension Headaches

If we become stressed, scared, or angry, your body will respond with increased muscle tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. This reaction is called the fight or flight response, and it is the normal response to stress. If we are stressed often (as most of us are) and we can neither run or fight, the muscle tension becomes a habit.

This can lead to some imbalances in the way we hold our body, which in turn leads to more muscle tension and pain. Chiropractic treatment can relax these muscles and realign the spine’s structure to put and end to the vicious cycle of pain. Those seeking chiropractic care for tension headaches can often see a marked improvement in just a few treatments as the nerves become less irritated and the muscles begin to relax.

Migraine Headaches and chiropractors

Migraines are brought about by changes in vascular flow, triggered by a variety of factors such as different smells, foods, weather, hormonal changes, and stress. These often very painful headaches do not always start off as pain. They can begin with nausea or the person may experience a halo effect called a visual aura.

Recent studies have shown chiropractors treatment may play a significant role in reducing the number of migraines a person has. By careful manipulation of the neck and spine, chiropractic adjustments may be able to reduce nerve irritation in the spine, thus preventing radiating or referred pain, and improve vascular flow.

Treatment Types

Chiropractic care centers around manipulation of the spine and neck to improve blood flow and posture. To reduce the headaches, the chiropractor will perform spinal adjustments using his hands, but may also include massage, trigger point therapy, or other types of complementary treatments to address the problem. The doctor of chiropractic will probably also include some home care recommendations such as stretching exercises and posture education to help keep things balanced between visits. this is an exert from the chiropractic blog

visit Healing Hands Chiropractic Clinic

Healing Hands Chiropractic in Gulfport MS now offering CORE muscle rehab

2009-09-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Check out http://www.healinghandsms.com/ for more information. I (Dr. Heidingsfelder) have a new system for assessing weak core musculature. This weak core musculature causes the spine to loose stability leading to pain. Think you're strong? I have just assessed several body builders that could not pass the first screening technique. How can my muscles be making me have pain when I haven't injured them? When we sit, we turn off our core muscles, and pelvic floor muscles. These muscles stabilize our spine. Over the years the brain re-allocates its efforts elsewhere. It is like not playing a sport that you were once good at and returning to the sport...your body would be "rusty" and you would need to retrain the appropriate muscles to return to your potential. The problem is... we were never designed to sit for long periods of time. Our bodies were created to move, our muscles were made to contract then relax, not stay in a state of partial contraction like sitting. These muscles loose their "innervation" (input) from the brain and become weak, leading to a reaction of other muscles to take up their slack. Our bodies' way of compensation. This all happens long before pain begins. I have put together specific tests, or body positions that will target each muscle specifically in order to diagnose which specific muscles are weak, and which ones are taking up the slack and becoming overworked or even spastic. Pain is usually the last thing to come, and usually the first thing to go once treated, leaving the underlying problem unchanged.

Why hasn't my chiropractor checked my CORE?
All doctors, chiropractors or other, practice slightly different. Others are trained slightly different. These techniques are very progressive, and your chiropractor may not have been educated about them in school. Although the research is undeniable, most chiropractors focus on the structure of the spine.
Stop by for a screening of your CORE. We are in Downtown Gulfport MS
see our google listing

Starting up the practice

2009-03-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

We are about to open the doors! Come on in and see what we've done with the place... We have decided to call it Healing Hands Chiropractic , our website is www.healinghandsms.com . our number is 228-864-9200. Dr. Heidingsfelder is dedicated to bringing you the best, most complete care available using the latest techniques research can produce. Little Evan is sure having fun!

2008-04-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

HI, WELCOME TO MY BLOG! Now what is a blog?