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Lifetime Care Study Reveals

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In a new pilot study performed by the Life University Research Department, Dr. Eric Plasker and The Family Practice, the data suggests very promising results relating to quality of life and length of time under chiropractic care.

Eleven clinics and more than 100 patients ranging from one to three years under care to more than 20 years under chiropractic care, show two trends worth noting.

The first trend is that people under chiropractic care during their first three years showed a definite improvement in their overall health even beyond their initial complaint. In patients under care from three years to more than 20 years, the second trend takes the form of a leveling off effect – indicating that there was no decline in health with age.

This is an important finding as many advocates for lifetime chiropractic care have described how chiropractic care as a part of their lifestyle contributes to their quality of life and activity level as they age.

Staying healthy is more important than ever as we are learning that we have a greater longevity potential than our parents and grandparents.

In fact, 100-year-old people are the world’s fastest growing group and we are the first generation in history that is getting the advanced notice that whether we like it or not, we will probably live longer than we ever thought.

According to the New England Centenarian Study, “Health span equals lifespan…Instead of the aging myth that the older you get, the sicker you get, it is much more the case of, the older you get, the healthier you’ve been”. Staying healthy is more important than ever to ensure your quality of life as you age so that your health span matches your lifespan.

Too many people are crisis oriented when it comes to their health. As the study suggests, if you want to be healthy, make the critical transition from Crisis Care to Lifestyle Care and make the health of your spine and nervous system a priority.

The pilot study results are preliminary and require confirmation in a larger study that we are planning now. We will keep you informed as to when the results of Phase Two are completed and ready for circulation. Between now and then, make this transition with your family and make Lifestyle Care your top priority.

1. Hitt R, Young-Xu Y, Perls T. Centenarians: The older you get, the healthier you’ve been. Lancet, 1999;354 (9179):652.

Healthier Pregnancy, Healthier Life

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New longevity research declares that babies born today could routinely live to 100-120 years and beyond. Parents need to know how their lifestyle will affect their baby today, tomorrow and for a lifetime.

It’s wise for pregnant moms to reduce and avoid stress.
Stress affects longevity by shortening telomeres, the caps on chromosomes. They are considered the timekeepers of the cell and telomere shortening can happen at any age. When umbilical cord blood is drawn from newborns, the babies whose mothers experienced more stress during pregnancy showed shorter telomeres than those moms who experienced easier or less stressful pregnancies.(1)

If conditions during pregnancy were not ideal, then embracing a healthy lifestyle now with good nutrition, exercise and a balanced spine and nervous system are vital for mom and child, to preserve and optimize their longevity potential while also reducing the risk of degenerative diseases.

The science of epigenetics empowers us with the knowledge that we have greater control over our own and our baby’s destiny than we may have thought. Depending on the research you read, between five to 30 percent of disease development is determined by your genetics while 70 percent or more being related to your lifestyle choices, how we take care of ourselves today. This is a game changer for making the extra effort to create the healthiest pregnancy, delivery and environment for mom and baby. A vitalistic, less stressful pre and post-natal phase can set the stage for health.

The old saying “you are what you eat” is especially true during pregnancy and quality prenatal supplementation plus eating nutritious whole food is important. Include protein sources rich in omega 3 fatty acids and free from hormones and antibiotics. Eliminate exposure to toxins, pesticides and estrogen mimickers commonly found in plastics, sunscreens, cleaning agents and insecticides. Pesticide exposure can be reduced swiftly by switching to organic foods.

Regular exercise like walking, swimming and stretching prepares the body well for labor. Building strength will prepare mom for the endurance needed during delivery and the weeks following birth.

The structure of the mom’s pelvis can determine her ability to carry and deliver her baby in a healthier way. Lifestyle chiropractic care can align her pelvis and contribute to a delivery with less stress on her and her baby. If mom’s pelvis and/or sacrum are misaligned, abnormal tension can occur in her nerve system leading to unnecessary complications such as breach or transverse presentation, back pain, sciatica or severe ‘back labor’.

Women receiving chiropractic adjustments report shorter labor times and better delivery experiences. Offering the gift of a chiropractic checkup to an expectant mother can be the highlight gift at every baby shower. Proper spinal alignment before, during and after pregnancy sets the stage for mom and baby to live their ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.

1. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Feb;208(2):134.e1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2012.11.033. Epub 2012 Nov 27.

Contributed by Drs. David and Lorraine Melendez, A 100 Year Lifestyle Affiliate in Cardiff by the Sea, CA

The Nerve of Spring

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Spring is just around the corner. Do you have the nerve for it?

The sunshine and warmer weather can be strong motivators for people to go out and play. They bring the benefits of natural Vitamin D, fresh air, longer days and the potential to do more. It can also offer changes to your fitness routine as you become more active and do what you dreamed of when the cold kept you indoors.

As your energy and activity level rises, your nervous system will be tested in many new ways. Gardening, walking, running, bike riding, organized sports and pick-up games become part of your routine, and all of these activities will be more enjoyable if your spine and nervous system are healthy.

If you started a new fitness routine recently or have become more active, don’t wait for a crisis to get your spine and nervous system checked. A chiropractic checkup can help you heal quickly if you are injured. Why not be proactive and prevent a hiccup to your momentum before an injury occurs?

If you’ve had allergies, you may find their relief or disappearance a positive side effect of your care. Researchers have discovered molecular connections between the nerve system and immune system which explains why so many people with allergies respond to their care.

A healthy nervous system is essential for you to be able to adapt to your environment. Dr. Robert Zieve states, “We live in a toxic world. The great majority of chemicals we now take in daily were not on the planet 30 years ago. These toxins become neurotoxins, damaging the nervous system.”

You can control exposure to many toxins by making healthier nutritional choices and avoiding the environmental toxicity found in fertilizers, insect repellant and commonly used household cleaning supplies. Keeping your nervous system and your family’s healthy with regular chiropractic check-ups can make a difference in your body’s ability to resist and adapt to these toxins, pollen and irritants.

If you’re an athlete who’s upping your mileage, research has shown that nerve compression can exist without pain and your bones and joints can begin to deteriorate on a microscopic level within a few weeks. This can slow your reaction time and lead to unnecessary injuries.

For children and adults, nerve compression can mimic symptoms of many other conditions and even affect the function of your organs and systems.

Now that warmer weather is arriving, it’s time for you to blossom. Don’t sidetrack your desire to enjoy this beautiful time of year. With Lifestyle Chiropractic Care, you’ll have the nerve to enjoy every season as fully as you want!

Spring Sports Injuries

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Spring is here. The issues surrounding head injuries, including concussions, have never been a part of mainstream conversation more than right now. As we begin the Spring sports season, concussions and neck injuries are being reported in the pros and young athletes. Pee-wee and primary age athletic organizations have released new rules limiting contact during practices. Youth Soccer has changed their criteria for heading.

Every athlete and parent is concerned about head injuries. As our kids become faster, stronger and start sports earlier, their chances of sustaining chronic head and neck injuries, and the likely result of long-term brain injury, is dramatically rising.

The hidden tragedy is that every head injury has the potential to also damage the neck. Since the primary focus at the time of a head injury is the head, the neck is often overlooked. There are distinct signs of neck injury that can be found during an examination at the time of injury, as well as days, weeks, months and even years later. Due to the focus and pressure rising on concussions, the rapid forward-backward motion commonly known as whiplash has been swept under the rug, downplayed and often ignored. And yet, the vast majority of head injuries also have the mechanism to cause whiplash injuries.

Whiplash and concussion have serious long-term effects, including depression, memory loss, fatigue, mood swings, headaches and chronic instability. Head and neck injuries also damage sensitive nerves in the region as they exit the spine.

Damage to ligaments can mean continual nerve irritation and interference if proper care is not given. The effects from these injuries can last decades whether or not the person is experiencing pain.

The potential for long-term effects has caused many to run away from activities they love and use to remain physically active. Rather than leave athletics, the Lifestyle Care Continuum of The 100 Year Lifestyle can help you correct and protect spine and nervous system subluxations that can affect the health of muscles, ligaments and vital organs.

Crisis Care provides relief and stability to injured areas of the spine. It is essential that these injuries are given appropriate time to stabilize, as head and neck injuries have a high rate of lingering symptoms.

The Critical Transition phase of care is essential to help minimize the long-term effects of these injuries. Major research centers still only recommend care for a couple of months following an injury, one of the probable causes for continued nerve damage. For people who have sustained previous injuries and those looking to avoid them, the spine and nerve protection afforded by Chiropractic Lifestyle Care contributes to optimum function and support, which can minimize the risk of future injuries.

If you or a loved one has ever sustained even a mild head or neck injury, consider your long term health and get your spine and nervous system checked. The damage done by the injury may not surface for years to come, but your ability to protect your long-term health and well-being begins now.

References:
1.http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/

2.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/sports/pop-warner-football-limits-contact-in-practices.html

3.http://www.aans.org/Patientpercentsign20Information/Conditionspercentsign20andpercentsign20Treatments/Sports-Relatedpercentsign20Headpercentsign20Injury.aspx

4.http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/01/28/concussions-effects–may-linger-for-decades

5.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=197667

6.http://windcitypt.com/files/2011/07/Sterling_predictors_of_outcomes_post_WAD.pdf

How Stress is Affecting You

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April is National Stress Awareness Month. Have you ever wondered why stress affects everyone differently? How is stress affecting you?

It is well documented that high levels of stress can contribute to heart disease, cancer, headaches, ulcers, backaches and nearly every condition known to mankind. How can stress cause so many unique problems in different people especially since the stress reaction is the same for everyone?

Stress is a nerve system reaction that causes your heart to beat faster, your muscles to be tense, your stomach to tighten, and your hair follicles to stand up, all as a way to prepare your body for an emergency. When you interpret a situation as stressful, whether it truly is or not, your brain triggers this reaction by sending a signal over your spinal cord and nerve system to every cell of your body. In prehistoric times, this would have been the perfect reaction to escape from a hungry dinosaur, but in today’s stress filled world and no Tyrannosaurus Rex, this chronic reaction can cause pain, sickness and disease.

Where your body breaks down from stress may depend on whether or not you have a condition in your spine known as vertebral subluxation. A vertebral subluxation is a spinal injury that interferes with the normal function of your nerve system which can affect your health on every level. If you have this condition in your spine, your body is already pre-stressed.

Many people deal with stress through meditation, exercise and healthy food choices. These are all very good things to do as part of your lifestyle, but if your nerve system is pre-stressed, the slightest deviation from the perfect stress management plan can send you into a frustrating, uncomfortable, or painful tailspin. Removing this pre-stress causing subluxation can improve your resistance to daily stressors dramatically.

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. The location of the subluxation can determine what types of symptoms, if any, you experience. For example, someone with nerve interference in the upper part of the neck might feel headaches, have allergies, or a stiff neck. Because the nerve fibers that come out of the upper neck also go to the entire body, pressure here can literally cause or mimic nearly every symptom or disease you can name.

Interference to the nerves in the lower back may cause a backache, leg problems and also affect ovary, prostate, bladder or bowel function. Interference in the middle of your back may affect your heart and lungs or cause tension, stomach problems, and digestive disturbances.

Like most serious conditions, vertebral subluxations can cause stress for decades without any symptoms. The birth process, childhood falls, sports injuries and poor lifestyle habits are just a few causes of subluxations. Rather than getting to the cause and removing this underlying problem, many people attempt to chase their symptoms away with drugs, or another type of quick fix, and then wonder why their condition returns. Removing the cause and optimizing the function of your nerve system is a better immediate and long-term plan.

Regardless of your symptoms, a chiropractic examination can locate pre-stressed areas in your spine that may be affecting your health on every level. Don’t wait for a crisis.

Lifetime Effects of Birth Trauma

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Birth Trauma May Occur Frequently
Traumatic Birth Syndromes are more common than you might think. A German medical researcher discovered that over 80% of the infants that he examined shortly after birth were suffering from injuries to the cervical spine, the neck, causing all types of health problems.

Believe it or not, there are 44 countries with a better infant mortality rate than the United States according to the 2012 CIA Factbook.

Dr. Abraham Towbin, from Harvard Medical School and the Department of Pathology found that ‘the birth process, even under optimal conditions, is potentially a traumatic, crippling event for the fetus.’

“Spinal cord and brain stem injuries occur often during the process of birth but frequently escape diagnosis.” Dr. Towbin continues, “In severe instances death may occur during delivery or, in cases where respiratory function is depressed, a short period after birth. Infants who survive the initial effects may be left with severe nervous system defects.”

Symptomatic vs. Asymptomatic
What about the babies that don’t show immediate signs and symptoms? What if the signs and symptoms don’t appear until later on in life? What is the effect on that infant’s potential to express itself completely and wholly as a human being? What kind of symptoms and diseases could it cause later on in life?

The neck is an area of the body that cannot afford to have an injury remain uncorrected. Since injuries here can affect the brain stem, all the vital functions of the body are inhibited. This can occur whether there are symptoms present or not.

Neck Injuries Can Affect the Entire Body
Do you remember what happened to Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman in the movies? He was riding his horse and fell on his head, breaking a bone in his upper neck.

In interviews after his injury, it was clear that he was unable to breathe without the use of a ventilator machine. He also was unable to control his elimination system. Many of his other bodily functions were altered. “How could this be?” you might ask, “He didn’t hurt his lungs, his bowel, or his bladder. He hurt his neck.”

This is precisely the point. When the neck is injured, the entire body is affected. When there is an injury to the spine, the organs and systems supplied by those nerves become dysfunctional. These injuries, which are very often vertebral subluxations, can alter the course of a person’s life if not immediately corrected.

A healthy spine and nervous system will ensure your baby’s development during every stage of their life. Don’t wait for a crisis. Make an appointment to have a spinal examination performed by a chiropractor who is trained to find and correct these injuries whether they are symptomatic or not.