Ventura Spinal Care Center » chiropractic

Ventura Chiropractor Announces National Chiropractic Health Month Puts Emphasis On Obesity Prevention!

Dr. Steven Alff — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:29:40 +0000

After blogging for most of the year about the benefits of exercise and the national need for obesity prevention, as your Ventura Chiropractor I am pleased and gratified to inform you that this month obesity prevention is being “officially emphasized” by that National Chiropractic Association. Since 2004, October has been National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM), a nationwide campaign sponsored by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). Why are both the ACA and NCHM calling attention to obesity prevention, and not the more “traditional” focus on back pain, for instance? Well, the fact is that the ACA recognizes chiropractic professionals as preventive care providers with expertise in optimizing health, as well as treating musculoskeletal problems that result from accident, injury, or the aging process. This year’s theme, “Why Weight? Get Healthy,” highlights doctor-of-chiropractic approved prevention and treatment options for patients dealing with obesity. And, if you don’t already know from reading my past blogs, obesity affects more than 60 percent of adults in the United States (according to the Center for Disease Control).Dr. Rick McMichael, president of the ACA said, “This is an important opportunity to educate the public on the general health benefits of chiropractic care, which include so much more than simply the expert hands-on care that DCs are so well known for.”

As I have been writing about (and hopefully you have been reading about), obesity frequently has detrimental effects on the musculoskeletal system. Excess weight causes back and neck strain, and can contribute to osteoarthritis, which often keeps obese people from physical activity. This official emphasis on preventative healthcare provides important recognition and confirmation that in addition to pain relief and prevention, doctors of chiropractic are trained nutrition specialists, as well, and can offer natural ways for patients to combat obesity.

Dr. Gerard Clum, president of Life Chiropractic College West and also a spokes person for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, stresses that there are many strategies that are used to address obesity concerns. The most important and the most well established are basic changes in lifestyle related to food, physical activity and personal motivation. “Doctors of chiropractic represent an under-utilized resource for addressing this critical health and societal concern,” says Clum. “The hands-on nature of chiropractic care lends itself to opportunities for advice, counseling and encouragement to address this important health risk.”

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on the many benefits associated with chiropractic care) is joining the ACA in this year’s obesity prevention campaign by offering the following healthy living tips:

- Follow a balanced diet – emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans

- Eat less harmful food – reduce intake of sugar, soda, fats and processed foods

- Drink plenty of water – try for several glasses a day

- exercise regularly – aim for 20 – 30 minutes, three to four times a week

- Stay positive – the right attitude will lead to greater success

Source:
Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, Chiropractor, health, National Chiropractic Association, National Chiropractic Health Month, obesity prevention, Where:Ventura-CA

Ventura Chiropractor Advises Seniors: Get Tested for Balance, Grip Strength, and Walking Speed

Dr. Steven Alff — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:13:37 +0000

“Getting old takes courage,” right? If you are already a senior, you probably agree! The older we get, the more health risks, and even death risks, we incur. As a Ventura chiropractor I know from treating hundreds of patients through the years, that the aging process stresses the musculoskeletal system. Joints degenerate often due to poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive movement. In addition, the nervous system often becomes impaired causing balance problems. Falls are a major cause of injury and death among seniors. The good news is that there are screening tests available that can assess the physicl abilities of those who are middle-aged and above to help identify individuals who are at increased risk of accident, injury, and death, so that interventions such as strength training and balance issues can be made.

The tests involve simple physical activities that people perform on a regular basis. Grip strength, walking speed, rising from a chair, and balancing on one leg can reveal a person’s capacity to perform everyday tasks safely. To bring the point home, so to speak, in order to help people understand the importance of strength and balance, researchers at the University College London analyzed 33 studies that examined physical capabilities in people of any age and recorded subsequent deaths among the participants. Overall, those who had poorer results on physical function tests had a consistently higher risk of death.

What did the tests reveal specifically? Here are some of the test results:

In 14 studies that included a total of 53,476 people, the death rate was 1.67 times higher for people with the weakest grip strength than for those with the strongest grip.

Five studies that included a total of 14,692 people found that the death rate was 2.87 times higher for the slowest walkers than for the fastest walkers.

Five studies that included a total of 28,036 people found that the death rate was nearly twice as high for people who were slowest to rise from a chair than for those who were quickest at this task.

It is important to not that while most of the studies included older people, the association between grip strength and death risk was also found in younger adults. The study was published online Sept. 10 in the BMJ.

So, the good news is that such screenings are available. But, even better news is that your chiropractor can not only also assess your abilities in these areas, but can recommend individualized strength exercises and reassess your abilities. And, in addition, chiropractic care has been shown to be relieve balance problems such as vertigo and those relating to improper alignment and nervous system interference. So, if you’d like an evaluation of your risk potential, as well as help with lowering that risk, see your chiropractor in Ventura today!

For more information on seniors and exercise, go to: The U.S. National Institute on Aging

Technorati Tags: balance, chiropractic, grip strength, senior safety, walking speed, Where:Ventura-CA

Your Ventura Chiropractor Suggests That Staying Physically Active Should be a “No Brainer”

Dr. Steven Alff — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:15:57 +0000

If you read my Ventura chiropractic website blogs, then you already know I adhere to the philosophy that “Motion is Life.” Our body is designed to move, move, move; to walk, run, play, and dance! My “job” as a Ventura Chiropractor is not only to get you out of pain, but to help you to keep your musculoskeletal system healthy and well-adjusted so that such movement is energizing and freeing rather than painful. Because I believe so strongly that lifelong movement is essential to our overall health as human beings, I’m always happy to offer new incentives to my patients and blog readers to get moving. A new study offers another good reason for everyone, but especially women, to get active and stay active. The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that women who are physically active at any point over the course of their life, whether it is in their teen years, 30s, 40s, or 50+, maintain a lower risk of cognitive impairment later in life as compared to those women who are inactive.

Let’s face it, life these days has become a spectator sport for many people. Kids sit in front of the television or their computers — and so do adults! Business often demands it and, after a long day of sitting at the computer at the office, “relaxation” or “family time” frequently comes in the form of vegging in front of the TV. There is growing evidence to suggest that people (and in the case of this particularly study, women) who are physically active in mid-life and beyond have a lower chance of dementia, as well as the “more minor” forms of cognitive impairment in old age. However, until now there has been less clarity regarding the importance of physical activity for women early in life and at different stages of life. The researchers at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Canada compared the physical activity and cognition of 9,344 women at different ages (teenage, age 30, age 50, and late-life) to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages on later cognitive abilities.

“Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive, but also that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment,” said Laura Middleton, PhD, who lead the research. And, in addition, she and her research team found that women who were physically inactive as teenagers, but became physically active at age 30 or age 50 had significantly reduced their odds of cognitive impairment as well compared to those who remained physically inactive. “Low physical activity levels in today’s youth may mean increased dementia rates in the future,” Middleton added.

What’s good for the body is always good for the brain. So be smart and stay that way by being physically active. “Motion is Life,” so get moving!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, Chiropractor, cognitive impairment, dementia, exercise, movement, physical activity, Where:Ventura-CA

Ventura Chiropractor: Harmful Flame-Retardant Chemicals Are a Hot Topic, Especially For Pregnant Women

Dr. Steven Alff — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:39:20 +0000

As a Ventura chiropractor I treat many pregnant women not only for common low back pain associated with pregnancy, but for other pregnancy symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, and swelling due to water retention or joint stress. A healthy pregnancy is crucial for both mother and baby. And although regular chiropractic care during pregnancy is very important, there are many other influences that can affect a woman’s health during her pregnancy. Some of these influences are well-known, but others are not. In fact, I just ran across a new study released in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives that discusses the effects of high levels of common flame-retardant chemicals on the thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women. It is the first large study to investigate levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their effects on the highly sensitive thyroid hormone in pregnant women. “Normal maternal thyroid hormone levels are essential for normal fetal growth and brain development,” stated Jonathan Chevrier, one of the study’s authors and a researcher in epidemiology and in environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley, “so our findings could have significant public health implications.”

Where are PBDEs found? Just about everywhere, such as in carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. PBDEs can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells. Is it any wonder then that PBDEs can be found in the blood of most American residents? And, if you live in California the situation is even more criticaul because of the state’s rigorous flammability laws. Concentrations of the chemicals in blood and breast milk have increased dramatically in the last three decades.

Though it is not currently known just how the chemicals interfere with thyroid function, researchers believe that PBDEs could bind to thyroid receptors and alter how the hormone is released. The bottom line, however, is that these chemicals are dangerous, especially for pregnant women. “Our results suggest that exposure to PBDE flame retardants may have unanticipated human health risks,” said Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at UC Berkeley.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, Chiropractor, heartburn, joint swelling, low back pain, nausea, pregnancy, Where:Ventura-CA

Drugs…Just in Case?

Dr. Steven Alff — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:42:19 +0000

As a chiropractor who believes in the human body's ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the "treatment" of a number of conditions that don't get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: "Try chiropractic first!" But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers "less severity" at best when it comes to a migraine headache.

The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had "avoided" a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.

I have treated many patients who told me how much they'd "feared" the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear of migraines can be. And, yet, the only "solution" this study offered?

This study is "important," said Dr. Hu, because the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people's anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. "Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times," he and his colleagues concluded.

My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!

SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, Chiropractor, headaches, migraines, Where:Ventura-CA

“Will I Have to See My Ventura Chiropractor ‘Forever’?”

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:59:19 +0000

As a Ventura Chiropractor, one of the most common questions I hear asked by those considering chiropractic care is: “If I start going to a chiropractor, will I have to always go?” I often wonder why this particular question doesn’t come up for someone who goes to a general medical practitioner. Think about it: How strange would it be if someone asked, “If I go to Dr. Smith for a general checkup and he gives me a prescription for a temporary condition I might have, will I have to see him ‘forever’?” The answer is “Of course not.” You don’t have to see Dr. Smith again, but you probably will for your yearly or bi-annual checkup and, naturally, in between if you’re not feeling well.

The same is true when you go to see a chiropractor. Most of the time, individuals go to see a chiropractor because they’re in pain (not feeling well). After the chiropractor has treated them and gotten them out of pain (a ‘prescription,’ so to speak, for a temporary condition), the chiropractor will probably suggest maintenance care (a general checkup even when you’re feeling okay). The only difference is that a chiropractor will likely suggest that you come in monthly. Why? Because chiropractors are all about preventative care whenever possible. Maintenance care is like a “tune up” that not only helps your body to maintain the “crisis” treatment you received when you were in pain and keeps you healthier and stronger so that you can avoid future injuries, but during your maintenance visit your chiropractor can make sure that you don’t have a “temporary condition” that needs to be corrected before it becomes “crisis” treatment.

Cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of regular exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related influences can produce pain, often excruciating pain, in your back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, etc. Getting “checked out” and “readjusted” on a regular basis keeps small conditions from becoming big problems.

So, to the question “If I start doing to a chiropractor, will I need to go “forever”? The answer is “No, but you may want to, for your health‘s sake!”

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, Chiropractor, Where:Ventura-CA

Your Ventura Chiropractor Discusses Some Things For You to Consider When Choosing Chiropractic Care

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:18:40 +0000

Dr. Steven Alff, your Ventura Chiropractor, wants you to know that there are a variety of chiropractic treatment plans that can be effectual when treating your musculoskeletal system, from eliminating a particular problem to responding to your general health issues. After thoroughly examining you, Dr. Alff will inform you as to which treatment plan would be most effective for you. As your Chiropractor in Ventura, he will want to provide you with a range of treatment strategies from which you can select in accordance with your immediate concerns as well as your long term health and fitness goals.

It could be practical for you to have some concept, ahead of time, about the versatile chiropractic treatment plans Dr. Alff will likely propose.

Relief Care is the specific chiropractic option made available to individuals who are in the throes of pain and distress, no matter what the source of the condition. The purpose of this type of treatment is to offer prompt pain relief. The length of the treatment time period can be difficult to pinpoint as it depends exclusively on the extent of the problem or disability experienced by the individual and how quickly it can be remedied.

Corrective Care typically is a “more advanced” method of chiropractic treatment. This is for those who have endured spinal issues over an extended time period, which is to say, for those who have a chronic problem that has evolved into a more problematic situation owing to their putting off proper care. Remedial treatment in most cases stretches over a longer period of time. How long care is necessary is determined by the magnitude of the progressive affect and how rapidly the individual responds to the treatment.

Maintenance Care, as the name suggests, is intended to maintain or sustain any kind of procedure previously administered to a patient. Many times, chiropractic care is extended solely after the initial treatments have been estimated to be successful. The goal of this kind of chiropractic care is to minimize the possibility of the original affliction coming back and to discourage degenerative changes in the future.

wellness Care is extended to those people that are not feeling severe discomfort, but are looking to enrich their overall health. Periodic chiropractic treatment improves the flow of blood and oxygen inside the body, enhances muscle flexibility, helps prevent work and play injury, and boosts an individual’s entire sense of well-being.

It doesn’t matter if you are presently suffering from pain or you want to increase your overall health, chiropractic care can help. Call Dr. Alff, your Ventura Chiropractor, today!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractic treatment, Chiropractor, Where:Ventura-CA

Ventura Chiropractor: Chiropractic Treatment Can Frequently Relieve Vertigo

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:14:50 +0000

What is vertigo? Vertigo is a medical term used to denote the dizzy feeling that someone suffers within a fixed environment. It is a sense that the outer world is tilting or spinning. The disturbance can be sudden and short-lived or chronic. Whether acute or chronic, however, the origin of the vertigo should be uncovered and the necessary treatment undertaken.

There are a number of causes for the symptoms of Vertigo. An inner ear condition, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can frequently occur as the aftermath of a sustained head trauma or severe cold. Sometimes this type of vertigo can be the result of the aging process. The cause, however, frequently is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo may appear to be an unusually long term, but it delineates perfectly this non-progressive affliction that is caused by, as its name implies, a quick change in head position. Such episodes are generally unexpected and unpredictable.

It is helpful to discuss the function of the inner ear in order to understand what produces the frequently immobilizing symptoms of this type of vertigo. The brain senses movement and maintains balance through the medium of the fluid contained in the inner ear. The inner ear also contains small calcium carbonate crystals, known as otoconia. These crystals will float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the sensitive nerve endings in the inner ear, they cause the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.

Fortunately, chiropractors using a technique known as the Epley maneuver, can eliminate the symptoms of BPPV quickly and effectively. Using this technique, your Ventura chiropractor slowly turns the head of a BPPV sufferer into several different positions, allowing gravity to move the calcium carbonate crystals into an area of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will cause no further dizziness.

Your Ventura chiropractor has assisted hundreds of individuals for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo using the Epley Maneuver technique and the majority of patients are no longer dizzy after with just one treatment. Make an appointment with your chiropractor today!

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Ventura Chiropractor: Don't Let Excess Weight Put Your Joints on Overload

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:23:05 +0000

It is no secret that carrying around excess body weight, especially as we age, can cause a number of health problems from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back and joint pain. Surplus poundage puts extra stress on organs, like the heart, and on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62%) of American adults are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a gigantic number and a huge problem (no joke).

Excess weight, in the form of body fat, overburdens the structure of the human body. It was not designed for the added. The musculoskeletal system can literally be put on overload with only an additional 20 or 30 pounds. For example, in an effort to compensate (counterbalance) for weight in the belly, the pelvis tilts forward. This causes joints in the low back to compress. Joint compression inhibits nerve function and produces painful inflammation. Most individuals who are overweight suffer from low back pain caused by a pinched sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that impinge nerves due to weight-bearing stresses. Misaligned vertebra can not only produce new arthritic changes in the spine, but can continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place over the years.

You may be wondering how chiropractic can help. First of all, to be clear, a healthy body weight is requisite in order for the musculoskeletal system to perform the way it is meant to. That said, in addition, chiropractic treatment relieves nerve impedence in the spine and helps to restore motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, like in the low back, hips, and knees. A spine in alignment and joints that have good mobility make exercise and physical activity a lot easier. Exercise will not only help in weight reduction, but it can actually decelerate degenerative changes as a person ages.

It is always a good plan to make an appointment with a healthcare professional, like your chiropractor, to discuss diet and exercise. Chiropractors not only help people get pain relief from back challenges and joint inflammation due to arthritis, but in addition they offer highly knowledgeable advice on the type of lifestyle changes that can aid a person in staying healthier and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility due to aging don’t have to be inevitable. The human body was meant to move, to walk, even to dance, without pain, for a lifetime.

So, if you’ve been throwing your weight around and all you’ve been getting in return is back and joint pain, your chiropractor can help relieve your suffering. Make an appointment today!

Technorati Tags: arthritis, chiropractic, Chiropractor, excess weight, weight loss

Your Ventura Chiropractor: Chiropractic Adjustments Can Take the Pain Out of Growing Older

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:28:14 +0000

If you’re over 40 you know that as we age our body feels and acts differently than it used to when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem fair that as our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive,” our body seems to become less “cooperative.” We’re stiff in the morning; certain activities during the day make us sore at night; and, if we’re not truly careful, even something as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped object, can send our back or some other muscle group into spasm. The good news is that there are specialized techniques accessible that is not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can aid us in avoiding some of those problems completely.

Take arthritis for instance. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine doesn’t take care of this age-related affliction. What is the basis for such a limited approach? It is because most medical professionals treat the symptoms of arthritis. Chiropractic care, on the contrary, not only is beneficial in relieving the pain of arthritis, without drugs and their side effects, but it finds the origin of the condition and eliminates it. Chiropractors, like your Ventura Chiropractor, have been helping people suffering from pain caused by arthritis, and other age-related challenges, for over a hundred years.

Repetitive stresses, years of incorrect gait and improper posture, and lack of beneficial movement cause wear of various joints over time and create the arthritic changes the body goes through as you get older. Chiropractic adjustments restore motion back into your joints and relieve any vertebral misalignments that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also reduce your resistance and immunity? It’s true, and this might be one of the reasons why it may seem to you that as you age you experience more health problems and that it frequently takes longer for you to feel better again. Studies have shown that older individuals who are under chiropractic care stay healthier. To put it another way, as you get older, chiropractic treatment is good for what ails you!

Chiropractors are experts when it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, from the small, growing frame of an infant to the full-grown body of a mature adult. Your chiropractor is experienced in working with the aging process of the body and has singular observational and diagnostic skills that help in locating spinal misalignments and joint degeneration. In fact, a chiropractic examination can frequently reveal certain age-related changes before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. Furthermore, your Ventura Chiropractor can assess your posture and check your gait to determine if there are any faulty patterns that might cause more arthritic changes in the future.

So, if you have been feeling your age lately, and you’d like to feel a whole lot better, see your Ventura Chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: aging, arthritis, chiropractic, Chiropractor