Archive for Chiropractor
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!
Why Choose Chiropractic Treatment? Your Ventura Chiropractor Has the Answer!
Posted by: | CommentsDo you know that chiropractic therapy has been rising in popularity for years and that it is continuing to grow annually as the selected healthcare option for many men and women? Your Ventura Chiropractor knows that people are making a choice on chiropractic care thanks to the many benefits that such treatment provides. No other healthcare practice is less invasive to the body and, at the same time, can promote the body’s innate potential to heal itself instead of masking symptoms with drugs.
Let’s face it, wherever there’s a musculoskeletal system, just as in the human body, there’s the likelihood of musculoskeletal dysfunction such as lower back pain and neck pain, pain in the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee joints, and ankle and foot pain. No one is immune from misalignment of the spine and joint inflammation, even though numerous health issues are often the outcome of sports injuries, accidents, and the aging process. Irrespective of the origin, any type of movement on a traumatized spot of the body can not only lead to more pain or suffering, but plenty of down time and inactivity. And, of course, particular musculoskeletal problems, if left untreated, can result in permanent disability.
It has been said of chiropractic care that its “pros surpass” merely eliminating a specific condition. Actually, a patient who comes in to see a chiropractor for back pain, for example, not only gains from pain relief, but also from improved circulation, a lowering or elimination of lactic acid, easier travel of oxygen and nutrients within the body, much more flexibility, less general pain and soreness, better recuperation time, a more tranquil experience, and the reduction of future injury! Is it any wonder why chiropractic care has become the treatment of choice for so many people?
Besides delivering experienced musculoskeletal treatment, chiropractors also provide education and counseling as it pertains to improving your total health and wellness. Chiropractors understand that in order for you to get healthy and stay that way, it is important for you to choose a simple health-oriented lifestyle, especially drinking lots of water to keep the body hydrated, following a nutritious diet program, and establishing a regular stretching and exercise routine.
Chiropractic treatment isn’t going to quite work “miracles, ” however it comes very close in quite a few areas that will possibly surprise you. For instance, chiropractic care can help pregnant women give birth more easily. It can sharpen the developmental capabilities of babies, like enhanced motor skills, and often prevent scoliosis. Chiropractic adjustments for kids can help decrease asthma discomforts, ear infections, even bed-wetting. Besides the positive factors just mentioned, consistent chiropractic management can help adults to feel more vital and dynamic, which consequently increases productivity. And, then finally, for maturing baby boomers and the senior population, not only can chiropractic care help to reduce age-related challenges and assist in keeping an individual more lively in later years, it can also lessen the balance problems that commonly bring about critical injury from falls.
If you’re currently visiting a chiropractor, that’s great! You have no doubt already experienced any number of the health benefits mentioned above. In that case, why not enlighten your friends and members of your family about chiropractic? Don’t let someone you care about fall victim to the kind of misinformation pertaining to chiropractic care that will keep them from living their day more completely. Tell a friend or family member to give Dr. Alff, your chiropractor in Ventura, a call. They will be happy they did because he can help!
Ventura Chiropractor: Chiropractic Treatment Can Frequently Relieve Vertigo
Posted by: | CommentsWhat 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!
Ventura Chiropractor: Don't Let Excess Weight Put Your Joints on Overload
Posted by: | CommentsIt 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!
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!
Knee X-ray
Research done by Tufts University School of Medicine has found that individuals that are at least 65 years of age or older who suffer from knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, enhanced their physical capability and encountered less pain. Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that produces an erosion of joint cartilage. Chiropractors provide therapy for quite a few individuals suffering from OA in a number of areas of the body, including the joints of the knee. Second only to spinal problems, knee pain and disability is one of the most commonplace conditions of the musculoskeletal system. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are a surprising 4.3 million people in this country over 60 years of ag diagnosed with knee OA, and the CDC predicts that by age 85, half of the people in America may incur symptoms of OA. The consequences of knee osteoarthritis are pain, mobility limitations, dysfunction and disability, and a reduced quality of life.
You may be wondering why so many people develop OA. Excessive stress over the years is a major determinant in the majority of musculoskeletal problems that develop as we age. Therefore, as people get older they are more likely to develop OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect mechanics of the knee, improper gait, compensatory foot mechanics as a consequence of foot pain, and overload of the knee joint all create excessive stress on the knees. Over time arthritic changes in the knee joint develop. In addition to chiropractic therapies, chiropractors enthusiastically endorse natural, drug-free practices, such as Tai Chi (Chuan), that can decrease knee pain. A traditional style of Chinese martial arts,Tai Chi features slow, rhythmic movements that produce peace of mind, as well as increased balance, an augmentation of strength, and more flexibility.
In otherwise good health, the 40 men and women with confirmed OA that were picked for the Tufts study were on an average 65 years of age and overweight. Patients were randomly selected to take part in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi incorporates many of the current exercise recommendations for OA, such as range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout. As an added benefit, researchers observed that the “mental aspect” of Tai Chi promoted a sense of well-being, life contentment, and impressions of health that assisted the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Significantly, the group practicing Tai Chi exhibited a considerable decrease in knee pain compared with those in the control group.
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
"Missing the Mark" But Still Winning in the Long Run?
Posted by: | Comments“Nearly” isn’t exactly a word we associate with achievement. In point of fact, very few things in life, it seems, count much at all if you don’t “hit the nail right on the head.” Luckily for some, this may not be absolutely true when it comes to an extended lifespan. As a chiropractor in Ventura, who has many older patients and is fully dedicated to encouraging exercise at every age, I was very interested in the following study.
Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” in a recent study of nearly 4,400 healthy Americans, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels doubled the risk of dying over the nine years of the study as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (In other words, those 20 percent who were “closest to” the lowest fitness levels.) This is the time-honored “bad news/good news” outcome. It is undoubtedly bad news if you are a confirmed spectator in life. However, it is undoubtedly good news for those who haven’t totally embraced a sedentary lifestyle but are not, by any stretch of the imagination, very active. Apparently, those men and women who stay just moderately fit as they age may have greater longevity than those who are entirely out-of-shape, the study suggests.
The study included 4,384 middle-aged and senior adults whose fitness levels were determined during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. For nearly nine years thereafter, the researchers followed the study groups progress. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were considered in the study. This, in and of itself, underscores the significants of physical fitness itself. In an email to Reuters health, lead researcher, Dr. Sandra Mandic of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, noted: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”
Nearly two-thirds of the participants at the least-fit level were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise, which is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) five or more days a week. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”
After dividing the participants into five groups based on fitness levels, the researchers found that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. But, 25 percent of the least-fit men and women had died during the same period. Only 6 percent of the most-fit group (i.e., the ones who “hit the nail right on the head” had died during the follow-up period.
The five fitness-level groups presented little difference, overall, in their reported exercise routines during most of their adult lives, but notably, they differed in activity levels only in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”
In this particular study, regardless of weight and other health problems such as those mentioned above, fitness is undeniably linked to longevity. As such, exercise is crucial to the extension of our lifespan. And, naturally, just think of the health benefits we could all derive if we sought to achieve the higher levels of fitness.
SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and exercise, August 2009.
If You Suffer From Tension Headaches or Migraines, Your Ventura Chiropractor Can Help
Posted by: | CommentsYour Chiropractor in Ventura knows that if you suffer from tension headaches or migraines, you are painfully aware of their disabling effects on your life. From his years of experience he knows the difference between the origins and symptoms of both tension headaches and migraines and, most importantly, he knows what to do to help you. Here’s what you should know:
Tension headaches: We all know that life can be a pain, on occasion, and result in a tension headache. Many people have suffered from more than one. If you’ve had a tension headache, then you probably experience it as a dull, aching head pain that is frequently accompanied by a feeling of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Sometimes, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and occasionally you may lose your appetite.
Tension headaches are usually described as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one individual to another, and from one headache to another in the same person. Tension headaches can occur infrequently or you may have them quite frequently. If your headaches happen fifteen or more days a month for at least three months, they’re viewed as chronic. If tension headaches are interrupting your life, chiropractic treatment may be the answer.
Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches are different from the common tension-related headache. According to the National Headache Foundation, migraines frequently take place on one side of the head only. The throbbing or pulsating pain is accompanied by nausea or vomiting. Auras, visual disruptions an hour before a migraine attack, and disturbances such as pulsating light, lines or dots, are experienced by one-fifth of migraine sufferers.
Are you someone who experiences the painful symptoms of migraines? If you are, you know the upsetting, debilitating effects that this sort of condition can have on your life. Sadly, you likely know by now that standard over-the-counter medications are ineffective, and prescription drugs generally have harmful side effects. Still, the pain of a migraine can incapacitate you for hours, days, even a lifetime. It’s time to finally get rid of the pain and get your life back! Chiropractic management has proved to be highly beneficial in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches.
Make an appointment with Dr. Alff, your Ventura Chiropractor, today. He can help!
Ventura Chiropractor: Breakthrough Treatment is Now Available for Fibromyalgia
Posted by: | CommentsVentura Chiropractor offers breakthrough treatment for fibromyalgia. You don’t need anyone to tell you about the difficult symptoms of fibromyalgia if you suffer from the pain produced by it. The deep aching that radiates, shoots, burns, and even gnaws within your body can be extensive, affecting areas above and below the waist, and frequently including both sides of the body.
As if the markedly painful symptoms of fibromyalgia weren’t enough, a disproportionate ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also experience chronic fatigue syndrome, perhaps you may be one of them. This “double whammy” can result in your not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also melancholy, headaches, numbness and tingling, dizziness, sleep disturbance, swollen feeling in tissues, stiffness, sensitivity to noise and stress, and cognitive impairment.
If you are suffering from one, or both, of these two pernicious conditions, you may find it difficult to take part in even the simplest activities in life, and you may even be feeling depressed and defeated. The good news is that your chiropractor can help you. Chiropractic treatment has been proven to be highly beneficial in reversing trauma-induced injuries by reducing inflammation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can cause pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.
What do “trauma-induced injuries” have to do with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? The connection may surprise you.
While the specific cause of these syndromes is unknown, current research has pinpointed traumatic neck injuries, like whiplash and concussion, for example, as risk factors for the onset of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. And, here’s the thing: even though the pain and fatigue generated by spinal injuries can be triggered immediately, often it can take quite a long time, perhaps months or years to develop. By the time fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms arise, these injuries may not be remembered.
When it comes knowledge the spine and how to take care of it, your chiropractor is an expert. Chiropractic care has been proven to be highly effective in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. See your chiropractor today to see if chiropractic treatment the pain and suffering you’ve been experiencing from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Your Ventura Chiropractor is an expert when it comes to problems of the spine and offers highly effective treatment for disc challenges, including sciatica. sciatica is an extraordinarily painful condition. If you suffer from sciatica, you are, sadly, all too acquainted with the deep pain that is constant during your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.
Sciatic pain commonly travels from your low back, through the buttock(s), and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s). Many times, the pain can even travel into your knee. Sitting, as well as motion, can generate pain. Occasionally lying down will reduce, or perhaps temporarily get rid of the pain. However, sciatica will not be remedied without suitable care.
The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a “radiculopathy”, a medical term that means simply that a disc has protruded from its usual position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure is especially painful.
Added pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encircling the spine, can occur during and after extended sitting, especially in a awkward position. In general, a precise event or definite injury doesn’t produce sciatica, instead it tends to come about over time as a by-product of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Eventually the lower spine loses its capacity to function normally during everyday stresses.
Ultimately, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then allows the soft nucleus to extend the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is often referred to as a ruptured disc. If the disc puts pressure on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.
Most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be corrected with chiropractic adjustments and therapies that frequently includes postural exercises. If you are suffering from sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek help from your chiropractor.
