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Getting the Winning Edge!

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In our ultra-competitive world of college prep, job insecurity, sales targets, promotions, placement tests, parenting, sport performance, etc., seeking an edge to succeed under pressure is desired by many.

Professional and Olympic athletes are always striving for the edge to win. Many would expect elite athletes to utilize the latest science on performance nutrition, exercise physiology and mental training, and they do. But few are aware of how these top performing athletes use the power of a balanced spine and nervous system to their advantage.

The 2015 British Open golf champion, Zach Johnson along with 2015 Masters Tournament and U.S. Open winner Jordan Spieth, credit chiropractic care with giving them the winning edge. Other well-known champion athletes including Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers as well as 6-time Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt “The fastest man in the world”, all give credit to chiropractic care for helping them get and stay in winning form.

In high level sports, the winning edge goes way beyond genetics, which is exciting news for those of us who may not have won the genetic lottery.

The science of Epigenetics recognizes that our DNA is not necessarily our destiny. At most, only 30 percent of our health, longevity and performance is determined by our genetics. More than 70 percent of our destiny is determined by our lifestyle and choices. How we live and take care of our bodies matters more than our genes.

If you have chronic pain, sickness or ill health, this will be an impediment to performance which may keep you from enjoying life and achieving your goals.

Top performers adapt well to stress. How about you? Your ability to handle stress is also dependent on how well your nervous system is functioning. The role of your nervous system is to run all your cells, organs and tissues while it adapts you to your environment. The healthier your body and mind communicate via your nervous system, the better you are able to adapt and perform under stress.

If you want the winning edge, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Simply adopt the health habits and lifestyle choices of peak performers. Utilizing chiropractic care with your entire family can help give you the winning edge as you live out your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.

Contributed by Drs. David and Lorraine Melendez

Concussion Movie and Reality

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The Concussion movie starring Will Smith and Alec Baldwin is raising awareness and important concerns for many victims of this misunderstood condition. If you are, or know, an athlete or accident victim who has experienced a brain injury through concussion, then you know the impact it can have on health and quality of life. Headaches, neck pain, memory loss and depression are just a few of the many symptoms that can occur and the severity can range from mild to severe.

Chiropractic care should be an important part of the care that you receive as quickly as possible after a concussion injury occurs. Topics in Integrative Healthcare recently released a report regarding SRC (sports-related concussion) and the benefits of chiropractic care for the injury. “A short course of cervical manipulation (adjustments) and upper thoracic manipulation was suggested and applied. The patient noted significant symptomatic relief after the second treatment and virtually complete resolution of symptoms after five visits performed over two weeks.” Unfortunately, there are a high number of young athletes that do not seek care who experience longer periods of impairment and delay in their return to play.

There are many chiropractic techniques to help accelerate healing of a concussion injury. These techniques analyze how the brain is communicating with the body over the nervous system and make corrections to get the brain and body functioning better.

An examination of the neck is extremely important for patients who suffer from concussions. If you have received a trauma that is hard enough to injure your head and brain, it’s likely to also have caused injury to the neck. Overlooking the neck as a component of healing is a big mistake which can delay healing and lead to chronic problems and deterioration in both the spine and nervous system. These spinal subluxations, when present, cause miscommunication in the nervous system which can make the symptoms worse and prevent healing. Depending on the extent and severity of the injury, results vary for each person. Regardless, it is important to include chiropractic evaluation and adjustment protocols to ensure the possibility of optimal healing and return to normal function.

Each year, 1.6-3.8 million sports-related brain injuries occur, 136,000 of them in young athletes during high school sports (1). Traditional methods alone can limit the possibilities of healing and delay return to normal function.

If you or a loved one has had a concussion, schedule a time to get your spine and nervous system checked. If you have not, schedule a time to get checked anyway to ensure that your spine and nervous system are healthy. You will optimize its function of today while you also strengthen yourself in case of an emergency down the road. See you at your appointment.

1. Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Wald MM. The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview. J Head Trauma Rehabil 2006; 21:375-8.

Acute and Chronic Injuries

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Acute injuries can occur from slips, falls, household chores, accidents, sports, trauma, car wrecks and work injuries to name a few. In extreme or life threatening cases, the injury could require the attention of paramedics or an emergency room physician and you should take this action step immediately.

However, many acute injuries such as strains, bruises, and whiplash can heal quickly with chiropractic care which helps the body to heal itself. Getting the nerve system healthy is an important first step towards beginning and optimizing the healing process. If the acute injury has a nerve and spinal component, and this component is not addressed, acute injuries can become chronic and affect your health for a lifetime.

Chronic injuries are those that cause discomfort and dis-ease over a long time causing deterioration in the spine and nervous system. This type of injury can lead to serious long-term health problems.

Chronic conditions may have been caused by an acute problem earlier on in life. You may have dismissed the original injury as no big deal. The pain has dissipated or been masked so the cause of the problem is now ignored. We frequently see people in our practice who have deterioration of their spine and nervous system who may not be bothered by the pain any longer, but instead, they have conditions related to organs and systems that are beginning to malfunction. Over time and left uncorrected, these conditions can worsen.

Age is not the only factor in the seriousness of the chronic injury. Infants and children are just as likely to experience troublesome conditions as a 35 year old professional football player. It is not uncommon to see a child who had a traumatic birth develop asthma, allergies or headaches later on in life. Childhood falls while learning to walk or playing on the playground can come back to cause more serious conditions during or after a growth spurt.

You may be reading this after trying several medications and seeing more than one type of doctor for an acute or chronic condition. The Chiropractic care we provide may be just the thing your body needs to help you make a comeback to pre-injury health status or beyond.

Don’t let an acute injury become chronic, and don’t let a chronic injury limit your quality of life. A healthy spine and nervous system is vital to healing no matter what the condition or length of time you have had it. Schedule your appointment regardless of how you feel today, before your condition becomes more chronic than it is right now.

Calming Digestive Stress

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Digestive stress is a frequent visitor in many households during the holidays. Diets change, as do sleep and work habits. People will blame these lifestyle changes for the digestive stress they are experiencing, and while this can be partially true, there often is an underlying cause in the spine and nervous system.
How can this be? Simple…

The nervous system controls your digestion and every other function of your body. A vertebral subluxation or a spinal injury that interferes with the normal function of your nervous system in the area that is responsible for healthy digestion can cause many types of digestive stress.

A case study in 2003, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, revealed that a 32-year-old female patient had her chronic condition of colitis relieved when subluxation was detected. Another case study from the same source reported that of 17 Crohn’s disease patients who received spinal adjustments, 12 showed long-term and stable remission. The findings concluded that vertebral subluxation is a common and characteristic finding in patients with Crohn’s disease and allergies.

In another published case study, a young woman had been afflicted with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, symptoms once or twice a week for five years. After one adjustment, she noticed an easing of symptoms and within a short time all of her digestive problems disappeared. When the report was published two years later, she was still symptom free.

Many people deal with stress through deep breathing, meditation, exercise and healthy food choices. These are all very good things to do as part of your lifestyle to counter-balance stress, but if your nervous system is pre-stressed from subluxations, the slightest deviation from the “perfect” stress management plan can send you into a frustrating, uncomfortable, or painful digestive tailspin.

Research shows that it only takes the weight of a dime to reduce nerve transmission. Additional research has found that nerve compression can exist without pain and can cause deterioration within two weeks. In this pre-stressed condition, your body becomes more vulnerable to outside stresses while other people who are subluxation free may be much more resistant to stress.

Crisis care is one way to deal with stress by only receiving chiropractic care when you are hurt. A better option is to make the critical transition to Lifestyle Care, keeping your nerve system healthy all the time. This will help you to stress less, live more, and enjoy the quality of life you deserve for 80, 90, 100 years and beyond.

The Bookends of Fitness

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At the start of a brand new year, “fitness” is the buzzword. Every year millions of people begin exercise programs with the goal of getting themselves back into shape. The 100 Year Lifestyle model incorporates an acronym into the buzzword: FitNESS. It stands for Neurology, Nutrition, Endurance, Strength and Structure.

To ensure that your fitness experience is a positive one and that you reach your short and long term goals, you must consider the bookends of fitNESS.

Neurology comes first for a reason. Muscles are attached to bones and controlled by nerves. Your nervous system controls and coordinates all of your conscious and unconscious functions including your muscles, organs and systems. You must have a healthy nervous system for your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe and your balance to be stable. This is why many of the top athletes in the world utilize chiropractic care as the central part of their fitness program.

Nutrition comes next. It is true, you are what you eat. Consuming a diet filled with organic fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and very low in sugar, white flour, white rice and pasta, should be your lifestyle and not just as a weight-loss crash. This will sustain you not just while getting into shape but as you stay in shape. It’s making your new shape your lifestyle.

Endurance develops through cardiovascular exercise which includes walking, running, bike riding, and ellipticals that will increase your heart rate and strengthen your cardiovascular system. Start slow and steady, be consistent and as time goes on increase the frequency, intensity and duration of your endurance training.

Strength gives you confidence and is necessary if you want to be independent as you age. Whether you use weights or you do strength training through yoga, Pilates or other types of plyometric training, it is important to keep yourself strong as a part of a lifestyle.

Structure is the other bookend when it comes to your 100 Year Lifestyle fitNESS plan. Having a healthy, straight, strong spine is vital to your quality-of-life and fitness in the short and long-term. This is another reason why chiropractors have become the central figure in the healthcare team for millions of people including the U.S. Olympic Team.

Through research and statistics it’s true that you will probably live longer than you ever thought. If you want to get there in style with health and vitality, you must make your lifestyle fitness a priority. Any time of year is the right time to shift to a lifestyle of fitNESS and enjoy the journey on your way to a sensational century.

Vegas vs. Vagus

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It’s fun to say, “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” but when it comes to your “vagus nerve”, just the opposite is true. What happens in your vagus nerve affects your entire body.

The vagus nerve is one of the most widespread nerves in your body. It provides the parasympathetic nerve supply to your cardiovascular system, your digestive system and can even affect your immunity. Recent research even revealed that the activity of your vagus nerve can predict cancer survival regardless of the stage. (1)

The vagus nerve originates in the brain stem and supplies every organ. This nerve supply is absolutely necessary for your body to function properly. Unfortunately the spine can be injured in the upper neck area and alter the function of the vagus nerve. This in turn, alters the function of your organs, systems and cells.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one metric used to monitor and measure activity of the vagus nerve. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, HRV / Vagal Nerve Activity was changed for the better in patients as a result of chiropractic care. (2)

Chiropractic examinations include the evaluation of the upper cervical spine and the function of the vagus nerve. Palpation, range of motion and even computer testing can determine the level of injury and dysfunction of the vagus nerve as it passes by the spinal column. These evaluations should be an ongoing part of your health care plan.

Injuries to this area of the spine can be caused by the birth process, childhood falls, head injuries (concussions), whiplash injuries, poor sleeping habits and even poor posture caused from smartphone usage. Injuries to the vagus nerve can be asymptomatic for decades leading to severe health conditions down the road or they can be the cause of headaches, poor digestion, asthma, allergies or focus issues as well as many other common health related problems.

If you have not had a chiropractic check up to determine the health of your upper neck and vagus nerve, there is no better time like the present. Don’t wait for a crisis to force you to act. Your health should be your top priority and so should a healthy vagus nerve.

1. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2014 Apr-Jun;28(2):195-201.

2. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2006 May;29(4):267-74.