Long Term Solutions for a BIG Problem
One of the major health problems facing our country today is the epidemic of obesity. Unfortunately, experts on obesity are turning toward an unsustainable and potentially dangerous solution to this problem. According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, citing the June issue of the medical journal Obesity, doctors are recommending a “minimally invasive weight loss surgery” to combat the obesity problem.
This is disappointing news; not only because the number of overweight children in the United States has tripled in the last 30 years.
Since obesity has hit alarming rates, physicians are scrambling for a quick fix. The solution is actually very simple: start in the early years and create a diet for your child that is full of whole foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Make sure they get physical activity everyday and diversify your meal choices. Instead of white rice or other refined grains choose quinoa, bulgur, or buckwheat. Processed foods that contain additives, like high fructose corn syrup, will only perpetuate the obesity problem in our country.
Remember that quick fix solutions do not generally result in long-term success. If you fix the problem at its source, you are more likely to create a lasting change. In this case, the diets of children in the US must be changed or an entire generation will remain at risk of diabetes, heart disease, and countless other problems.
What are your thoughts on weight loss surgery as a soulution to the obesity problem?
Be Smart When Using Dumbbells
As a chiropractor I laud that benefits of exercise to all my patients. In fact, I offer community lectures on the subject because I believe that a regular routine of both aerobic and weight-bearing exercises is important for overall health and longevity. Many of my patients use lightweight dumbbells in their workouts and that’s great. But, it’s important to use them correctly in order to avoid injury. So, I’m happy to pass along an exercise that outlines the proper use of dumbbells, offered by Karen Voight, the creator of a line of fitness DVDs, including “Sleek Essentials.”
- Grasp a 3- to 5-pound dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes facing forward. Bend your knees and sit back on your heels to avoid putting stress on your lower back. Begin with your elbows bent and tucked in to the sides of your body, palms facing forward.
- Use your abdominal muscles to support and brace your spine as you simultaneously bring your left arm in front of you and your right arm behind you.
- Pause when your dumbbells are at shoulder level and make sure your elbows do not “lock out.”
- Bend your arms and return to the start position. Repeat the exercise, this time extending your right arm to the front and your left arm to the back.
- Continue to alternate arms for a total of 16 repetitions. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat for a second set.
For more information, write Karen Voight
Social Media Marketing, Your Chiropractic Clinic, and You
Social Media is the “hottest” topic on the Internet today. If you’ve been thinking about getting on board, but don’t know where the platform is, let’s take a minute to talk about the “Who, What, When, Where, and How” of social media and you, that’s “Who.” Then you can make up your mind whether or not to add Social Media to your chiropractic marketing strategy.
Social media marketing is probably very much like, and entirely unlike, any chiropractic marketing strategy you’ve considered. In the “very much like” category, you wouldn’t try any type of marketing plan without taking the time to understand what you’re doing and what you want to get from it. What are your goals? Once you’re clear about what you want, you’ll be able to use social media to your biggest advantage.
When you are ready to begin your social media effort, but before you start, it will be crucial for you to make sure that you “own your name” on all the social media outlets, which is to say, be certain that your name or the name of your clinic is attainable so that you can use the identical same name on each and every one of the social channels you decide to use. When you’re ready, there’s a service, which is totally free, that can help you with your search. That who is knowem.com. This service will find out where your name is and/or if it’s attainable or not on a substantial number of social media sites.
When you have “captured” all of your social media accounts, the next step is to choose where you want to be active. Because you have a clinic to run and patients to see, starting with only a few social media sites is best and may end up being all you’ll need. That way you won’t get unduly busy in too many channels. How do decide which sites are best for you? Choose the social media site where the most action is, which are facebook, twitter, linkedin, and Youtube
What successful social media activity will do for you is build a true presence in your community. What you should never do “sell” on your social media sites, that means don’t sell your clinic, don’t sell services or products, don’t sell anything! The objective of social media is for you to go out and network with the community. By all means, let them become aware what you do, but do it by participating in the conversation. There is truly no difference between the way social networking works and the way you normally network offline. It is important to be clear on this point, people on social media do not want to be sold to! What might be useful to think of social media sites like a neighborhood backyard barbecue. People are standing around talking about who they are and what they do, and then someone asks you what you do. Or, perhaps you start the conversation by (just) saying, “Hi, I’m Dr. ____. The same kind of interaction applies with social media. Social media sites should be handled the same way you’d “work” offline networking opportunities to promote yourself, i.e., answer the questions and concerns that get potential patients interested in the who that’s you!
San Jose Chiropractor Talks About Care Alternatives for Those Suffering From Arthritis
There are a number of treatment options from which you can choose when it comes to your back pain and pain in other parts of your body because of arthritic changes, including going to see a San Jose chiropractor. However, a large number of people who are suffering from painful arthritis and back pain still think that they must go to a medical doctor in order to find a cure for their condition. However, you might be surprised to know that only a small number medical doctors are adept in helping individuals eliminate, or naturally decrease the problem of back pain due to arthritis. Medical doctors are trained to treat symptoms through medication, instead of finding and treating the reason for the pain you are feeling. And, while certain medications may soothe the symptoms of arthritis, there is plenty more that you can do not simply for pain relief, but to actually slow down arthritic changes in your body.
One of the things that you can do to gain relief from your arthritis and back pain is to go to see a San Jose chiropractor. Chiropractors are doctors who concentrate exclusively on therapies relating to the muscular and skeletal system, and arthritis is a joint affliction. Chiropractic care has assisted many people in slowing the process of arthritis by helping their joints to move. Movement is vital for joint health. A good chiropractor is extraordinarily competent in treating back pain, even when it is caused by arthritis
If you have never gone to a chiropractor before, you might be a bit concerned about what is going to occur once you are in the office. It might help to give a quick overview about what you can expect. You will be asked about your medical history, which will probably include a family history of arthritis. The chiropractor will ask about your current lifestyle and may offer explicit alterations that will be advantages in decreasing the inflammation caused by arthritis. And, finally, you will receive a thorough examination. After the examination is complete, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic care can help your back pain, as well as relieve your painful arthritic symptoms. At the end of your visit!Then you will be told about the particular treatment you will need.
A chiropractic adjustment relieves pain gently and naturally, and it is a painless process. And, the most wonderful aspect of going to a chiropractor for your back pain and arthritis is that you can feel certain that the cause of your pain is being addressed, and that the relief you experience is not covering up the symptom of pain, but genuinely taking care of the origin of your condition.
You Say Tomato and I Say…Sunscreen
Aah, summertime. Time to head for the beach or a nice sunny park. So, bring out the picnic basket and blanket, the toys and swimsuits, and the sunscreen and tomatoes. Tomatoes!? Yep, that’s what I said. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant, which not only increases collagen in the skin and adds up to fewer lines and furrows, but actually helps to protect the skin again sunburn. According to Prevention Magazine, a recent study found that volunteers that consumed five tablespoons of tomato paste daily for three months had 25 percent more protection against sunburn.
Posted via email from orever.posterous.com/you-say-tomato-and-i-saysunscreen”>chiropracticforever’s posterous
Chiropractic Internet Marketing Strategy: Do it Yourself or Outsource?
Here’s an interesting question for you to consider: Do you want to keep your chiropractic internet marketing in-house or do you want to hire a professional? There are pros and cons to both, and the answer lies in your particular situation. Let’s check out the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Advantages of in-house chiropractic internet marketing
- There is a lower monthly cost involved in using someone already employed by you.
- The staff knows your practice intimately. Your staff has a good understanding of your clinic’s particular services and, therefore, is able to describe your specialties easier than those who don’t know the specifics of your particular practice.
- You can communicate anytime. Being in-house it is easier to set up times to have meetings or just to chat about situations on the fly.
Disadvantages of in-house chiropractic website marketing
- The staff may not be fully aware of what SEO (search engine optimization) is, let alone how to accomplish it. In that case, a lot of education and training will be needed to make sure SEO gets done right.
- The staff may be overworked. Sometimes the time it takes to do SEO can be underestimated. It is an ongoing process that can actually be a full-time job. If a marketing manager has been told to do SEO as well as his or her full time job, obviously that person will be overworked and feel overwhelmed.
- Attention needs to be paid to detail. This goes together with Point #2. If the staff is overworked, they have no time to check out search engine news and keep up-to-date on how the search engines have changed the game each week and what needs to be done to implement those changes to keep your clinic internet presence up in the rankings.
Advantages of using an outside professional
- Chiropractic marketing companies are specialists in the field. They have experience in working on numerous clinics and their websites and optimizing them for SEO. They know, first hand, what works effectively and what doesn’t.
- There is a dedicated team at the company who will be working on your site and can give it the attention it requires.
- The company has a specific plan and won’t be just jumping around, going from short term tactic to short term tactic with no organized strategy and no clear way to reach your desired goals. In other words, they have an “integrated” internet marketing strategy.
Disadvantages of a chiropractic internet marketing company
- Let’s face it, it can get expensive, but costs vary widely from company to company. Some companies out there are charging $600-$700 a month for their services. It is definitely worth your while to shop around and research before you buy.
- There is usually a commitment. Most chiropractic internet marketing companies will want you to sign up for at least six months to a year.
- Account management can be a problem. With high turnover rates at many companies, especially the big ones, there may be a chance that you’ll get handed from account manager to account manager just when you were building a relationship of trust. You may have to start over again, maybe even have to redesign and reiterate your strategy with the new manager.
Now that you’ve taken a moment to look at the pros and cons of both keeping your internet marketing in-house or hiring a professional, the solution to SEO and your internet marketing strategy will depend on the size of your practice, the time and staffing you can devote to it, and your overall long-term goals.
Now, of course, we are a chiropractic internet marketing company that specializes in helping chiropractors with their internet presence. So, I will admit that I am a bit biased on the side of your hiring an expert to do it right. If you are thinking of hiring a company to develop and implement your internet marketing strategy, it is tremendously important for you to hire one that specializes in chiropractic clinics. Why? Because we understand the chiropractic profession intimately. Therefore, in the long run it will save you both time and money not having to explain what chiropractic is about to some general SEO company. There are several of us out there.
If you are going to go with an outside company, be sure to read the fine print. Look at the bottom of their page for a disclaimer. If they have one, read about their “typical” results. You don’t want to be fooled by outrageous claims even though such hype can be enticing. Remember, your internet marketing strategy is just one stream of new patient leads. Even though chiropractic internet marketing is fast becoming a great source for new patient leads, and even though internet marketing gets more important with every passing day, and even though it is a crucial area in which to generate new patient leads, it is still not the only source of marketing you will need to succeed in your practice.
Whether you choose to keep your internet marketing in-house or to hire a professional, you want to be sure that the time and money you spend on SEO gets you where you want to go. A member of your staff that does your internet marketing for “free,” while squeezing those efforts in-between other tasks, may “cost” you in the long run. A professional whose sole focus is internet marketing, won’t lose sight of your goals. Internet marketing is essential to your practice, so choose your chiropractic internet path wisely.
Ventura Chiropractor Reveals How Chiropractic Care Could Help You To Get Relief From Your Allergy Symptoms
Your Ventura Chiropractor knows that allergies can make our everyday life a misery. Unwelcome symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash can result from a simple walk in the garden, a play date with Kitty, a shellfish stew, or even something as small as a nut.
To make the situation worse, for some individuals, and perhaps you’re one of them allergic reactions can go from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as the air passageway begins to close and breathing becomes labored. This progression of symptoms can commonly cause a state of panic.
In fact, if you have allergies, it may seem that, from time-to-time, your environment is an intensely hostile place and that the world around you is, literally, out to get you!
You may wonder why it is that other individuals seem so unaffected by the environment, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to it. It’s a good question. The answer is because some people, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that actually “freaks out” when you come into contact with common substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.
Have you been wondering if your Ventura Chiropractor can help your allergies? The answer may surprise you. A lot of individuals have noticed that they experience ease from their allergy symptoms after chiropractic treatment, even though chiropractic care doesn’t actually treat allergies.
This relief occurs because chiropractic adjustments affect the whole nervous system, including the autoimmune system. When there’s an impedance in the nervous system, along with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose responsibility it is to help you to adapt and respond appropriately to your environment, can become under-active or overactive. In the case of your allergies, the impairment is the latter (it becomes overactive).
Because chiropractic adjustments reduce or eliminate disturbances in the nervous system and bring back balance and harmony to the body, the manipulations bring that same homeostasis to the auto-immune system as well. A strong immune system reacts appropriately to so-called allergens in the environment.
So, as explained above, your chiropractor doesn’t directly treat allergies. You could say, instead, that a decrease in your allergies is simply the by-product of a healthy nervous system. If you’d like to get back into harmony with your environment as soon as possible, make an appointment with Ventura Chiropractor today.
Corona Chiropractor Explains How Chiropractic Management Can Eliminate Hip Pain
Where hip pain relief is concerned, your chiropractor in Corona offers valuable non-invasive, drug-free treatment. Hopefully, it goes without saying that surgery should be a last resort whenever possible. So, before you decide on hip surgery, think about the following questions: Is it out of the question for you to get a good night’s sleep because your hip pain wakes you up in the night? When you get up in the morning, and/or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it difficult at first to move your legs? Do you feel pain in one or both hips when you cross your legs or rotate or twist your hips? If so, you may have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to causing your hip pain, can eventually lead to degenerative joint disease in your hips if not treated. The good news is that chiropractic treatment can help whether or not degenerative changes have already begun!
It may be true that you’re getting older and your hip joints just aren’t what they used to be. But, did you know that your hip pain and related problems, which normally signal age-related degenerative conditions, may not actually be generated by osteoarthritis? That’s right. In many cases, as opposed to being the root cause of your pain, osteoarthritis of the hip joint is more often than not the outgrowth of a past injury (or injuries) to your hips.
Frequently, hip problems have to do with asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion, like walking for instance. If you “pronate” when you walk, with your toes pointing away from your body (like a duck), it is inevitable that you will feel pain in your hips due to the asymmetrical stress on your hip joints as your body attempts to compensate. Fortunately, you can make changes in your gait pattern at any age, and your chiropractor in Corona can help you to do it.
In addition, you may have developed gait changes as the result of an ankle sprain or knee strain, and since “the knee bone’s connected to the hip bone,” these biomechanical changes generate pain in the hip(s). Of course, if not corrected, your hip joints will suffer further consequences, namely, the wear and tear that causes degenerative changes.
Other circumstances that can frequently impact the hip joints are starting a new job or beginning a new sport that necessitates your moving your body in unfamiliar ways. Also, ferrying a child (or grandchild) on one hip can cause hip pain. Even your sitting position or driving for prolonged periods of time on a regular basis can cause hip injury and pain.
Isn’t it good to know that not every pain is caused by “old age,” though we may start to feel more pain as a consequence of the progressive capacity of untreated injuries.
Your chiropractor in Corona will treat our hip problem directly, and as part of your chiropractic management will provide individualized rehabilitative exercises that include gentle muscle stretching and strengthening, and will also evaluate your gait and may suggest simple pattern changes.
Your hip pain won’t vanish by itself. Hip pain is a signal that there’s an injury that needs treatment. If ignored, there is a good possibility that at some point you will require that hip replacement surgery. So, don’t wait until it’s too late. Your Corona Chiropractor can get you out of pain, get your body back into balance, and help you get to back to enjoying your life again!
Surgery As a Last Resort at Any Age
As a chiropractor, it is my professional point of view that surgery should be the last resort for conditions of the back, hips, and knees. Chiropractic treatment is a conservative, non-invasive and drug-free approach to problems relating to the musculoskeletal system. That said, I am also of the persuasion that surgery for most health problems should be a last resort as well. As I’ve said before, there is no such thing as a “minor” surgery. All surgeries, no matter how small, carry big risks. But, not only is surgery risky, there is no “undoing” this permanent attempt at correcting a problem. However, until just a few years ago, I would not have imagined that weigh loss would fall under the “only have surgery as a last resort” category. But, more and more adults are having bariatric surgery or other weight-loss surgery as an attempt to remedy their obesity. Again, surgery is surgery, and this type of surgery has high risks for already “at risk” obese adults. What has been even more disturbing to me is the fact that some parents are opting for surgery for their obese children, even though the risks of bariatric surgery are not only substantial in general, but the long-term safety and effectiveness in children remain largely unknown.
Now, what I am about to pass along will probably fall into the “duh, you think” category for most of us, but in reviewing studies on the “obesity epidemic,” scientists from Britain and the United States lifestyle changes such as better diet and more exercise should always be the first option, and treatment with drugs should be used rarely. In other words, bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery, such as operations to apply gastric bands to limit the stomach size of severely overweight people, should be a last resort.
Yes, it is true that childhood obesity can adversely affect almost every organ in the body and often has serious consequences, including high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats, insulin resistance or diabetes, fatty liver disease, and psychosocial complications, it is also true that parents need education (and perhaps intervention) and schools need to provide better food options and more daily exercise for children, and communities need to support parental efforts as well. No “toys” as a prize for buying high caloric kids meals is just the beginning. In my opinion as a healthcare provider, without education and support, even children who undergo bariatric surgery will continue to crave high caloric foods and still not get the healthy exercise they need.
Change is Healthy, Especially When It Comes to Your Fitness Routine
A new patient came into my chiropractic clinic the other day, and in the course of our “patient history” conversation, the 61 year old told me proudly that he’d been doing the same exercises for almost 20 years. It wasn’t difficult for me to understand why he was having current joint pain. My task was to help him to understand as well. I began by telling him that even when a person is happy with their fitness practice, it’s a good idea at any age to periodically rework some of the routines. Because the brain thrives on new stimulation, variety is beneficial both mentally and physically.
Then I got into the specifics for someone his age. I explained that as a person gets older, certain age-related issues almost imperceptibly enter into the fitness equation, and that it was important for him not to “push” himself as hard as he did 20 years ago, even though he may feel that he still can. I told him that moderation would take him a lot farther health-wise than his going at his routines no-holds-barred as he did when he was younger. I explained that it was also important for him to spend as much of his workout time building strength, flexibility, and balance as he did on general aerobic fitness because maintenance in these three areas would help his body to better deal with such age-related changes such as loss of muscle and balance problems.
I’d suspected all along that his joint pain was likely due to 20 years of repetitive stress, and I suggested to him that after chiropractic therapy had gotten him out of his current pain, it would be beneficial for him to do cross-training and add variation to his aerobic routine in order to prevent overuse problems in the future. And, I warned him to start any new activity slowly, not to overdo it, and to stretch often.
We, humans, are meant to stay active through every phase of our physical life. But, it’s important for us to respect our body at each phase, and to vary our approach to good health as our body changes.