Category Archives for Chiropractic Care
Cervical Spine Images
“Normal And Reversed Curve Cervical Spine Images”
WHY MAINTAINING A NORMAL AND HEALTHY CURVE IN THE NECK IS SO IMPORTANT
Science tells us that the state of your nerve system determines whether you have high or low resistance to disease.
If you are suffering from disease, the state of your nerve system will play decisive role in whether or not, or how rapidly you will recover.
By keeping your spinal column and nerve system free from stress, your health is optimized.
GOOD POSTURE AND A HEALTHY SPINE = HEALTH, LONGEVITY AND INDEPENDENCE
An increase in the mid-back curve (humping) or a decrease or reversal in the neck curve decreases life expectancy. Older men and women with hyperkyphosis (humping of the middle back) or hypolordosis (straightening or reversing of the neck curve) die earlier. ref. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society -2004 ref. Men and Women: A Prospective Study Deborah M. Kado,MD,MS, et al
The neck must have a symmetrical curve to allow for proper health, longevity and function.
Any variation from normal places stress on the nerve system and decreases health potential. Ninety percent of the nerve system is for function NOT pain … which means that you can have a problem and not feel it.
Nerve Pressure is one of the things that have been proven to change the expression of your genes.
BAD genes can be activated with nerve pressure and GOOD genes get turned off with nerve pressure.
This is not good for any aspect of your health!
This is why people who consistently use strategies to improve their spinal function are healthier than those who do not.
Review the Chart of Effects of Spinal Misalignments found on this website that shows the typical symptoms a person would manifest with spinal problems in specific regions.
THE STATE OF YOUR NERVE SYSTEM EQUATES TO THE STATE OF YOUR HEALTH.
SICKNESS and DISEASE CAN BE MINIMIZED BY MAXIMIZING NERVE SYSTEM FUNCTION
CERVICAL / NECK ASSESSMENT IS CRUCIAL AND DONE VIA XRAY – IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A PROBLEM.
TO FIND OUT IF YOU and YOUR CHILDREN HAVE THE PROPER NECK CURVES, CALL OUR OFFICE AT 905 335 5433 AND WE WILL HELP YOU FIND OUT.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Chiropractic Care For Trade Professionals
“Important Information For All Mechanics, Carpenters, Plumbers, Electricians, and HVAC Technicians From Our Burlington Chiropractic Clinic”
This is what you need to know to ensure that you have good physical health after you retire from your job with no degree of disability.
I have been practicing chiropractic for over 25 years now and I have helped several patients who have worked in the trades.
The reason being is that people who work in these trades are subject to a lot of spinal nerve stress due to the constant physical demands on their neck, back and spine not to mention the wear and tear placed upon the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees.
Because many of these trades people are self-employed, they think they are too busy to spend the time necessary to take care of their physical health and when things do break down ( and they eventually will ), their choice of treatment is usually a powder, pill, prescription, lotion or potion.
This is where you need to take a real hard look at how you are treating your health issues.
This decision can truly make the difference between a long and rewarding career or not.
The problem is that things with the human body do not break down because you are not taking enough powders, pills, prescriptions, lotions or potions.
And these things do nothing to fix the problem.
They just mask the symptoms and just because you may not feel the pain or symptoms anymore does not mean the problem has been corrected.
What is important for you to understand is the difference between what chiropractors do and all those other docs who chase symptoms.
I like to use this example to make the point.
Let’s say you are driving your car and the oil light comes on in your dashboard.
You basically have 3 choices.
One, you can just ignore the problem and hope that it will go off on its own.
Two, you can disconnect the wire to the oil light so that it goes off thinking that no light means no problem.
Three, you can take your car to the mechanic to have it assessed to find out why the oil light went on in the first place.
Many, many people when they get an ache or pain or any other symptom for that matter just ignore and hope that it will go away.
Obviously, this is danger.
Understand that symptoms are your body’s way of communicating with you to alert you that there is a problem.
Why would anyone want to ignore these?
And yes, most symptoms are uncomfortable.
This is how they get your attention!
Now here is where your decision making will determine whether you are going to be healthy and vital or not.
You have accepted the fact that you have symptoms and that there is a problem.
So, what are you going to do about it?
Well, if you chose to mask the them with powders, pills, prescriptions, lotion or potions then you have essentially disconnected your oil light.
The problem is still there, but disconnecting the oil light is no different than artificially masking your symptoms with drugs, medications and certain forms of therapy.
In the long run, nothing good will come from this approach.
Also, have you ever considered the side- effects drugs and medications will have on your stomach, liver, kidneys and your joints?
Read your labels.
Do some research on the internet.
You will be shocked!
So here are the most common problems I see in people who work in the trades and they can all be helped by chiropractic without using potentially dangerous drugs and medications: headaches, neck pain and stiffness, cracking or grinding noises in the neck, upper back pain and stiffness, fatigue in the shoulders and arms especially when working over the head, numbness and tingling in the arms hands or fingers, swelling of the wrists, hands and fingers, shoulder pain and stiffness, grinding or clicking in the shoulder joints, stiffness of the wrists, hands and fingers especially in the mornings, spinal pain between the shoulder blades, chest pains, difficulty breathing, lower back pain and stiffness either after work or in the mornings, tiredness and weakness in the lower back, ‘the back that always goes out ‘ syndrome, hip pain, knee pain, weakness and tiredness in the legs, clicking or grinding of the knee joint, fluid on the knee, groin pain, leg cramps, swelling in the lower ankles and feet, and difficulty getting up after crouching for extended periods.
The following example will help you to understand the impact spinal nerve stress and/or joint dysfunction will have upon your potential to work and generate revenue.
Let’s say you are a carpenter and you start to have weakness in your right arm [ you are right handed ] due to a pinched nerve in your neck which is occupational from all the over-use and abuse.
And then you start to develop some swelling in your right shoulder.
The shoulder joint is slightly misaligned and irritated which is again is due to all the over-use and abuse.
You decide to go to the family doc and are prescribed pain-killers and anti-inflammatory drugs.
You take these, feel a little better and keep working even though the real problem is still there.
But what you are not told is that you are continuing to damage your neck and shoulder while using them under the influence of the drugs and medications.
Even though this may not be apparent to you in the beginning, you start to swing your hammer with a little less strength.
It takes 3 swings to drive a nail instead of 1 or 2.
This is creating more stress on your neck and shoulder, and is costing you time as well.
A 2 hour job then starts to take 2 ½ hours.
Then, due to the weakness in your shoulder and arm you are not driving the nails in with precision.
The quality of your work then begins to suffer.
What will be the impact upon your business and income if this persists over the course of days, weeks, months or years?
Would this have the effect of increasing your productivity, referrals and income or not?
Moreover, what is going to happen to the problem in your neck and shoulder if you simply ignore them or continue to treat with drugs and medications?
Are they going to get worse or better?
What impact will this have upon the longevity of your career?
How many years will you be healthy enough to generate income?
You need to be answer these questions for yourself but be truthful and logical.
And it does not matter what trade you are in , the effects of spinal nerve stress and/or joint dysfunction will have a similar impact upon you whatever you do.
So by maintaining good spinal health and good healthy joints [ this is what chiropractors do ], the benefits to you will be less pain and discomfort, better strength, better stamina, less down time due to injuries, quicker healing time if you are injured, a steady work and income-generating capacity, overall better health and less or no degrees of disability when you retire.
If this makes sense and sounds good to you, and you would like to know more on how we can help your specific condition or prevent those conditions form happening in the first place, you can search this site or call 905 335 5433 to schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.
We are open on Monday, Wednesday , Thursday and most Saturday mornings.
Remember that we are always here to help in any way that we can so please give us a call right away. We can usually get you in the very same day.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
Chiropractic Disconnection
“As A Burlington Chiropractor, I Believe Many People Suffer From What I Call A Chiropractic Disconnection … Here’s What I Mean By This”
This is a concept that many patients & sadly enough ( in my opinion ) that some chiropractors too have a hard time grasping.
And it all stems from the ‘quick fix’ mentality that has evolved its way into our society over the last 200 yrs that under the guidance of the medical profession & all the drug companies.
This has led us down a pathway where people are not taking responsibility for their own health.
Not only this, but the gift of the human experience that has been bestowed upon their spirit & the magnificent human body that accompanies this experience has been dismissed by many and taken for granted.
People continually ignore their health & continually pollute their bodies with legal drugs, illegal drugs, smoke, alcohol, fast foods, processed foods etc. & then all they do is complain when things start to break down & their health starts failing them.
Usually by this point it is too late & they find themselves looking for a miracle cure & this is what the medical profession & the drug companies like to promise.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
Doctors & drugs do have their place but I think that we could minimize visits to the doctor & cut back on how many medications we take if we learn how to take good care of our ‘house’ in the first place.
In other words, becoming good stewards of our body. And how we do this is to stay connected which I will clarify a little later on.
But first, we need to understand the 2 predominant models of health care that are available for us to choose from. One is a mechanistic model & the other is the vitalistic model. The mechanistic model is the more popular one in our society today & is the one that is supported by the medical profession & the pharmaceutical companies.
The mechanistic model says that the human body is just that. A bunch of mechanical parts that sometimes can be replaced and does not recognize that the body is a self-regulating & self-healing organism. Drugs & surgery are the treatments of choice in the mechanistic model.
The vitalistic model on the other hand does recognize the body as a self-regulating & self-healing organism, & that there is a power inside the human body & its purpose is to regulate, heal & give it life. And we cannot deny that there is a power within all of us. When we cut our finger, does it eventually heal? Yes it does. But what if we cut the finger of a cadaver ( dead person)? Will the cadaver’ s finger heal?
Everyone knows that it will not. But why?
Why will a living finger heal from a cut but a dead finger will not?
Well, one is living & one is not.
The living tissue has the capacity to heal.
Now what is the difference between a living person & a cadaver?
Well, one of the criteria that need to be met when one is officially declared to be dead is that their brain no longer registers any electrical activity.
Electrical activity is equivalent to power.
You need power to run your blender, correct? Where does the power come from? An outlet in the wall. What comes out of the outlet? Electricity. Electricity is a form of power.
The Human Brain Generates The Power Or Electricity That Is Required To Run The Body
So how does this power get from the brain to the rest of your body, like the finger in our example?
Well, all of the billions of nerve fibres ( neurons ) that originate in your brain form into a cord that travels all the way down the inside of your spine and is secured at your coccyx ( tailbone ).
This is called the spinal cord.
Branching off of the spinal cord are what are called nerve roots. These come out in between the vertebrae & you have 33 pairs. Nerve roots are a smaller bundle of neurons (millions instead of billions) that divide into millions of nerves that travel to ‘every organ,tissue & cell’ in your body.
Why?
To supply every organ,tissue & cell in your body with power.
Power to do what?
The power that is required to function, regulate & heal. Understand that the nerves from the neck supply the power to your arms all the way down to your fingers. In a living person, the cut finger will heal because there is power in the arm.
But, in our cadaver there is no power so that is why there is no healing.
Now, this is so important to understand.
Power is not an ‘all or none’ thing.
When the power is turned completely off, there is death or paralysis depending upon where the spinal cord was injured.
But what if there was just an irritation or slight compression on the spinal cord or a nerve root?
What scientific research has shown us is that poor spinal posture can result in a tensile stress on the spinal cord.
This means the spinal cord will stretch ( up to 6 cm ) & the more that it stretches, the less it will be able to transmit the power.
Another study demonstrated that when a vertebra is misaligned and irritating a nerve root, the nerve root can lose up to 60% of its capacity to transmit the power.
When an organ, tissue or cell is receiving less than optimal nerve supply due to spinal cord stress (poor posture) &/or misalignment of the spinal vertebrae, it is obviously not fully connected to main power supply ( your brain ).
In other words, it is partially disconnected.
Do you think that this is good for your health & well-being or bad for your health & well-being?
When there is disconnection, that specific organ, tissue or cell will start to dysfunction.
When something starts to dysfunction in most cases there will be a symptom.
Now, What Have We Been Educated To Do When We Get Symptoms?
Powders, pills, medications, lotions & potions.
Do you really think that these will improve the connection?
Not a chance!
Just because the symptoms may be temporarily relieved, that does not mean the cause of the problem has been corrected.
And the fact is my friends, that powders,pills,prescriptions,lotions & potions will cause more disconnection.
The more disconnection you have in your body, the less vital you become.[ FYI; Oxford definition of vital means to be ‘full of life & energy.’ ] So this is what chiropractic is really all about. Making sure that your spinal cord & all 33 pairs of nerves are working optimally.
And the only way they can work optimally is when you have good posture & all the spinal vertebrae are positioned properly so they do not irritate the nerve roots.
This is what we do.
Then and only then can every organ, tissue & cell in your body receive a full supply of power & be fully connected, healthy & vital.
If we all had chiropractic care on a regular basis, there would be less sick people, less pain & suffering,fewer people on drugs, fewer people having surgery & less people living in nursing homes.
Chiropractors are not doctors of mechanism.
We are doctors of vitalism & if this is important to you, then I invite you to join our family practice.
Just call to make an appointment.
There is never any charge to talk to me & feel free to bring in your family & friends.
Vitalism is everyone’s birth right.
Stay connected my friends!
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The 2501 Guelph Line Clinic
The Many Benefits of Chiropractic Care
“Chiropractic Care Can Not Only Relieve Aches and Pains, But It Can Be Very Beneficial to Your Overall Health as Well”
Chiropractic is a primary health care profession within the holistic ( all natural ) category that holds a very unique approach to health.
The principle and practice which underlines chiropractic health care is that it is vitally essential that you have a healthy spine to have good health. This may be obvious to some as they have experienced problems with their neck or lower back or their ribs & have sought out a chiropractor for relief of symptoms. But what hundreds of thousands of patients have noticed over the past 115 yrs is that their bodies have recovered from other ailments after beginning chiropractic treatments. Also, many of these patients have noticed a definite overall improvement of their general state of healthy & well-being.
I have practiced chiropractic care here in Burlington, Ontario at the Life Chiropractic Centre since 1991. These are some of the clinical observations I have made since I started in clinic at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College where I graduated in 1986 & all through my years of private practice. Please note that clinical observations are not scientifically documented research studies. They are real, un-biased, non-manipulated observations that are documented as a result of on-going examination with the patient.
The patient expresses to the treating chiropractor what changes & benefits ( or not ) they have noticed since using chiropractic. The list will isolate those areas or conditions that have IMPROVED ( which does not account for complete resolution of symptoms or conditions for numerous patients ): headaches, sinus headaches, tension headaches, migraines, hearing, ringing in ears, vision, cognitive abilities, concentration, memory, mood, sleep, energy, difficulty swallowing, dryness of throat,difficulty breathing, blood pressure, pulse rate, angina, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, ulcerative colitis, infertility, frequency of urination, bladder infections, urinary tract infections, colds, ear infections, throat infections, sinus infections, chest infections, overall immunity, agility, athletic performance, durability, vitality, strength, endurance, muscle tone, skin tone, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, wrist pain, hand pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, rib pain, chest pain, lower back pain, leg pain, sciatica, hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, foot pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis,fibromyalgia, joint pain, whiplash, work injuries, sporting injuries, motor vehicle injuries, post-surgical recovery, birthing process, post-natal recovery, posture, scoliosis, singing voice and self-confidence.
PLEASE NOTE – these conditions have been ‘improved’ not ‘cured’, and the truth be known is that no doctor anywhere cures anybody of anything. The human body can cure itself of any condition or disease known to man & the job of any doctor, whether a Burlington chiropractor or MD is to assist the healing process. The body has the best chance to heal itself only if one specific condition is met. This condition being that your master control center, your central nervous system, is working at optimal potential.
The central nerve system runs EVERYTHING! Millions upon millions of functions take place in your body every second without your conscious awareness. And when your nerve system can work without any interference, your body can perform it’s own miracles. So how does all of this relate to chiropractic? Just think of your spine. 24 little bones called vertebrae that stack up upon one another. Between the vertebrae come out your nerves which go to every part of your body. The nerves attach to your spinal cord which is inside your spine. The spinal cord attaches to your brain which is inside your skull. The brain is the master computer, the generator of all the power that is required to run every function of your body & it sends this power to the body through the spinal cord & nerves.
What if a vertebra gets slightly misaligned due to a bad fall, accident, difficult birth, extreme emotional stress etc., etc. and interferes with the function of that nerve? What do you suppose will happen to all the body functions that are the responsibility of that nerve? Better or worse? Do symptoms arise when your body is functioning like a finely tuned swiss watch or a $5 replica you by from a vendor on the street?
And the sad, sad thing is that many people think & subscribe to the practice that toxic drugs & medications to mask symptoms is the answer to getting healthy & staying healthy. The only job of a chiropractor is to ensure that all the vertebrae in your spine line up as best as they can so your nerves can transmit all the power/information to the rest of your body as best as they can. Then and only then will your body have the best capacity to heal itself if it is not well & maintain itself in a healthy state. And the most wonderful thing is …. all without the use of toxic drugs or surgery.
Chiropractic when used properly, will truly add years to your life and life to your years.