Archive for August, 2009
Oxnard Chiropractor: Breakthrough Treatment is Now Available for Fibromyalgia
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard chiropractor is happy to announce breakthrough treatment for fibromyalgia. You don’t need anyone to tell you about the wearing symptoms of fibromyalgia if you are someone who suffers from the pain caused by it. The painful symptoms can be extensive, occurring above and below the waist, and include both sides of the body. The deep aching that accompanies the condition often radiates, shoots, burns, and even gnaws at your body.
As if the acute pain and suffering from fibromyalgia weren’t enough, a surprising ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also have developed chronic fatigue syndrome, and you might be one of them. It is this “double whammy” that can result in your not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also anxiety, headaches, numbness and tingling, dizziness, sleep disturbance, swollen feeling in tissues, stiffness, sensitivity to noise and stress, and cognitive impairment.
If you are someone who experiences the distressing symptoms of one, or both, of these two pernicious conditions, you may find it impossible 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 found to be highly beneficial in reversing trauma-induced injuries by reducing irritation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can trigger pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.
You may be curious, at this point, about what “trauma-induced injuries” have to do with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. You may find the answer surprising
While the exact cause of these syndromes is not known, recent 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: although the pain and fatigue caused by spinal injuries can begin immediately, often it can take months or even 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 shown to be extraordinarily beneficial in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. If you’ve been experiencing the pain and discomfort caused by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, see your Chiropractor in Oxnard, Dr. Bolt, to see if chiropractic treatment can help to eliminate your suffering.
Oxnard Chiropractor Advises: Restore Your Core To Relieve Back Pain
Posted by: | CommentsOxnard Chiropractor, Dr. Donald Bolt, offers good (and a bit poetic) advice on back pain relief: Restore your core and feel back pain no more? It’s true. Most healthcare and fitness professionals know that in order to permanently cure back pain problems, exercise is essential. Regrettably, not many of us do any of the necessary exercises because we tend to come up with too many excuses about not having enough time or not enjoying it. When we have a bad episode of back pain, on the other hand, it’s a not-so-gentle reminder that doing core exercises is crucial. With back pain, the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” was never more apropos. You need to work on your core and strengthen your back before “no back pain” turns into mild back pain that becomes extreme back pain. A knowledgeable chiropractor will be able to provide for you core exercises that are appropriate for you.
The core of your body is one of the most essential parts for you to exercise habitually. Core exercises not only strengthen express regions so that your back doesn’t hurt as often, but core-specific exercises also help to give your entire body balance and strength. To strengthen your core, there are more than a few different exercises that you can do. Some of the more popular ones include different forms of yoga, stretching exercises, and Pilates. Staying with core exercises over the long-term is essential because it would be useless to exercise for temporarily and then give up. It is very important that your spine is in proper alignment prior to beginning your core exercise program, so visit a chiropractor for an analysis and any required adjustments and, as a plus, a proficient chiropractor will be able to guide you in choosing not only the exercises that are best suited for your body, but an exercise program that will help to keep you motivated.
The main purpose of working the core of your body is that the core isn’t just “in the front.” In addition to your abdominal muscles, your core is composed of muscles that wrap around to your back and help to support it. Have you ever seen people that lift heavy boxes for a living? They wear what is called a “weight belt.” To provide your back with the support and strength it needs, the muscles in a healthy core in combination make a naturally effective weight belt.
You will begin to feel an assortment of different benefits that happen fairly fast once you build up the core of your body. One of the most distinct benefits is that your back won’t be hurting on a regular basis. Moreover, the additional balance and strength are going to assist in improving your ability to more easily perform many of the everyday chores that you need to do. But, always remember “straighten, then strengthen.” That is to say, see a chiropractor to be certain that your spine is aligned. Once you’ve done that, whichever core exercises you choose to do will only do healthy things for your back.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to get your spine checked out before starting any exercise regimen. Call Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, and get started on relieving your back pain once and for all!
Your Chiropractor in Oxnard Can Help You to Stop Suffering From Hip Pain Now!
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, wants to help you stop suffering from hip pain as soon as possible. He’s well aware that your hip pain most likely wakes you up in the night and makes it impossible for you to get a good night’s sleep. He also knows that when you get up in the morning, or when you get out of your car, you’re probably stiff and find it initially difficult to move your legs, and that when you do finally move, you experience pain in one or both hips whenever you twist or rotate them or when you cross your legs. How does Dr. Bolt know all this? He’s relieved the hip pain of hundreds of patients with these complaints. If all of the symptoms just mentioned sound familiar to you, it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to generating hip pain, can in the course of time produce degenerative joint disease in your hips if not treated.
Even though hip pain and related problems commonly point to age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis (OA) isn’t always the perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original source of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the end result of injury to your hips at a previous time.
Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Also, if you change jobs, alter the way you sit, take on a new sport or activity, or start driving for long periods of a regular basis, your gait may alter to compensate for these new changes.
In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation problems, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. The point is, anything that produces an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.
As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, Dr. Bolt may prescribe orthotics and will offer suitable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t go away on its own. Hip pain means that something needs remedying. Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, can help you to get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!
Your Oxnard Chiropractor Offers Important "Pillow Talk"
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, is wondering if your pillow might be contributing to your neck pain. If your neck pain is making your days miserable, chiropractic treatment can brighten your days, and bring tranquility to your nights, by eliminating your neck pain at its source. Once you are out of pain, Dr. Bolt will likely provide exercises to help you to strengthen your neck, as well.
However, in addition to the neck pain relief you’ll receive by your Oxnard Chiropractor by day, there is something important you can do for your neck at night. Neck pain is commonly exacerbated by sleeping on an inappropriate pillow. That’s why it’s so important to use a good pillow, one that is designed to support your neck. Some pillows are just too hard, while others far too soft, and others are just plain too flat. If you sleep on a pillow that has inadequate neck support, you will probably wake up with neck pain, and possibly back pain and shoulder pain as well.
Cervical pillows are specially designed to take care of neck and shoulder problems and offer support to the natural lordosis (curve) of the neck. An orthopedic pillow supports the head, aligns the neck vertebrae in a neutral position, supports the head, and allows better shoulder rotation.
Even a good pillow, however, needs to be renewed periodically due to the breakdown in materials. Although some brands of pillows cost more, they frequently last longer. A good quality orthopedic pillow, whether it’s down feathered, a foam-type, or poly-filled, will offer you needed comfort and support.
A good, cervical pillow should form itself to support your neck and head in the healthiest position whether you sleep on your back or side. Support on both your side and back positions is extremely important, and you will want to consider your own personal sleeping habits when choosing a pillow. If you are in the habit of sleeping on your back, then you will need to select a pillow that has been especially designed to provide neck and upper back support. If you are a side sleeper, then you will want a bit higher pillow that will supply enough room for your shoulder position. When you are sleeping on a proper orthopedic, it should provide enough support to inhibit your head from going sideways, or rolling and tilting unnaturally.
The most effective way to find an orthopedic pillow that is appropriate for you is to consult with a health care professional, Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard.
Your Oxnard Chiropractor Won't Let You Play With Shoulder Pain
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, knows that your shoulders work hard for you. They are expected to execute a large number of movements during your day. Whether you’re working or playing, this variety of complex motion helps you to do what you need to do. But, you have been overburdening your shoulders if you are currently suffering from shoulder pain. In other words, you might be engaging in repetitive activities like lifting and other arm movements, especially those done overhead, like throwing a baseball, swinging a golf club or tennis racket, or just placing objects on high shelves. Nerve inflammation, joint stress, and wear and tear of the tissues surrounding the shoulder joints can happen as the result of these types of repetitive activities. Actually, if your shoulder is healthy, these repetitive movements shouldn’t produce pain. But, if you are suffering from pain in your shoulder, it is an indication that there’s a dysfunction that needs to be addressed.
Shoulder muscles can become tight, and even weak, if the nerves are inflamed, and movement is painful and limited. This commonly happens in the ligaments and a group of muscles (and their tendon attachments) referred to as the rotator cuff. These muscles and tendons attach your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade and also help to lock the ball of your upper arm stably in its shoulder socket. It is the arrangement of this elegant combination that affords the opportunity for the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body.
The severity of this shoulder impingement syndrome can extend from a slight “catching” pain with activity (particularly raising your arm overhead), to an almost total loss of ability to use the shoulder. Do not, under any circumstance either ignore your shoulder pain or keep doing an activity while in pain. It is essential for you to get help for your shoulder pain as quickly as you can because the problem will only go from bad to worse. Unhappily, if left untreated, some shoulder problems, such as Rotator Cuff Syndrome, often end up requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation.
Your Chiropractor in Oxnard, Dr. Bolt, is an authority when it comes to muscular-skeletal conditions, and he’s very knowledgeable about what to do to relieve your suffering. And because chiropractic care focuses on the reason for your shoulder pain, it is treated at its source. Dr. Bolt will help to restore natural mobility to your shoulder joints, and he will talk to you about rehabilitation exercises that will not only support you in getting rid of your current shoulder problem, but will help to prevent shoulder problems in the future.
Your Chiropractor in Oxnard Offers A Surprising Solution to Your Allergy Symptoms
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Donald Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, knows that everyday life can be miserable if you suffer from allergies. A walk in the garden, a play date with Fluffy, a shellfish stew, or even something as small as a nut can generate such unwelcome symptoms as itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash. To make the situation worse, for some of us allergic reactions can progress from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as our air passageway begins to close and we have a problem breathing. If you have allergies, it may seem to you, from time-to-time, that your environment is an antagonistic place and that the world around you is, truly, 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 great question. The answer is that some people, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that actually “freaks out” when they are confronted with common substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.
Can a chiropractor really help with your allergy symptoms? You bet! And, you may be surprised how chiropractic treatment helps. Even though chiropractors don’t treat allergies, per se, quite a few people notice that they experience relief from their allergy symptoms after getting chiropractic adjustments. This relief occurs because chiropractic manipulation affects the complete nervous system, including the autoimmune system. Still wondering about those allergies? When there’s an impedance in the nervous system, in conjunction with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose task it is to assist you in adapting and responding appropriately to your environment, can become under-active or overactive. The problem is the latter when it comes to your allergies. Since chiropractic manipulations decrease or remove disturbances in the nervous system and bring the body back into balance and harmony, the adjustments bring that same balance and harmony to the autoimmune system as well. A strong immune system responds appropriately to commonly named allergens in the environment.
So, as explained above, Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, doesn’t directly treat allergies. You could say that relief from your allergies comes about as part of your well-adjusted and healthy nervous system. If you’d like to get back into harmony with your surroundings as soon as possible, make an appointment with Dr. Bolt today.
Oxnard Chiropractor Explains How Chiropractic Care Can Correct Your Balance Problems
Posted by: | CommentsSanta Barbara Chiropractor: 10 Most Frequent Questions
Your Oxnard Chiropractor offers the following explanation on how chiropractic care can correct your balance problems: Controlling and keeping body position while staying still or in motion is the essential function of good balance. Good balance helps a person to walk without wobbling, arise from a sitting position without tottering, and to climb stairs without slipping.
Nearly 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, disclose having difficulties with balance. Good balance is vital in assisting an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. A large majority older individuals, however, suffer from dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance.
The experience by many that they, themselves, or the things around them are spinning is known as “vertigo.” About 40 percent of people nationwide will experience dizziness that is consequential enough to go seek out a health professional. And, among older adults, falls are the prevailing cause of extreme injury and deaths.
Balance and Inner Ear Conditions
Three types of balance disorders that are most familiar are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, although there are quite a few other kinds of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most prevalent. Its symptoms include a brief, intense feeling of vertigo with a change in head position, when rolling over to the left or right in bed or when getting out of bed, or when looking up for an object on a high shelf. This affliction is more likely to occur in people 60 and older, but it can also happen in younger adults.
The causes for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are multifarious. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can produce the problem. While it can be associated with other disease processes, often a simple Epleys procedure can eliminate the condition. Your Oxnard Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.
Labyrinthitis is an infection or inflammation of the inner ear that creates dizziness and loss of balance. It affects people|individuals of any age and the cause is currently undiscovered.
Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that creates vertigo, irregular hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.
Even though those over 65 years are more likely to encounter balance disorders, age is not the only reason these problems occur. Care for balance disorders varies based upon the cause. Sometimes, there’s a simple answer to balance challenges, such as simple exercises for vestibular rehab. A chiropractor is well-trained in analyzing and treating a number of balance disorders. Call a health care professional, such as your Oxnard Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.
Although some balance disorders are caused by challenges in the inner ear, other disorders may be associated with another region of the body, like the brain or the heart. Head injury, stroke, certain medicines, circulation challenges, upper respiratory infections and other viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease are all factors that, along with aging and ear infection, may cause balance disorders.
Balance disorders created by high blood pressure can usually be managed by less sodium intake,sustaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To help in making the symptoms of dizziness less acute, frequently eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.
Balance disorders are significant. It is the primary cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is essential to have a suspected balance disorder accessed and treated as soon as possible.
If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:
• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Does the room seem to spin around you?
• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?
• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?
• Do you feel as if you are falling?
• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?
Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your Chiropractor in Oxnard today.
Your Oxnard Chiropractor, Dr. Donald Bolt, offers the following important pediatric chiropractic information: At times, it can feel draining attempting to keep up with a five-year-old. If you have an active child of this age, or if you’ve ever been around one for any length of time, you may have found yourself longing for the kid to just stop moving for a little while. But, new research is affirming the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, according to a new University of Iowa study, instead of making an effort to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds ought be aided in being as active as possible. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Even if kids don’t stay as active later in childhood, being active at age five helps them to avoid excess fat as they get older. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.
The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. Rather than counting on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise, the kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days.
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven, even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity. The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.
Although further research is necessary to learn what happens to the active kids’ bodies that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it could be that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something happened metabolically that offered some protection even as they became less active.
However, as exciting as this study is, weight moderation is not the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have discovered in my own practice that active kids don’t have as many ordinary childhood health problems, like catching colds and the flu. chiropractic care is, without a doubt, exceptionally beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that happens during activities, especially those that necessitate “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.
Too many children these days are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, lack of exercise is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than to participate in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous activity will not only benefit your child now, but will help to build a healthier future. You can bank on it!
