Fibromyalgia Miracle Cures-Or Mirages?

I am frequently on the web looking at information on fibromyalgia and I am often disgusted with the so-called “miracle cures”.  Anyone that puts out a web-site saying they have the answer for fibromyalgia, and all you have to do is take this one thing, is flat out wrong.

They are either totally ignorant of the problems associated with fibromyalgia, or they are out to make a buck from desperate people.

There is no known cure for fibromyalgia.  That’s because there are multitudes of reasons why a person can have wide-spread pain and fatigue.  Here’s just a partial list:

1. Chronic whiplash injury
2. Multiple herniated discs
3. Thyroid disorders
4. Adult Tethered Cord Syndrome
5. Metabolic disorders
6. High Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acid ratios
7. Dysbiosis
8. Gluten Intolerance
9. Latent Viral Infection
10. Low vitamin D levels
11. Failed Back Surgery
12. Heavy Metal Toxicity

And the list can go on and on.  The problem is, most medical doctors don’t treat these conditions.  In order to correct these problems, you need the help of someone trained to get your body to work right.  Not cover up symptoms with drugs.  You need someone to help you walk through the “maze”,  find out what the problems are, and find you a way out.

There is no “one thing” that cures everyone, but there are treatments that can help. For more information on fibromyalgia log on to: www.stopyourfibronow.com.

Back Pain and Barefoot Running

I was running on the treadmill at the YMCA the other day, and I couldn’t help but be distracted by the “slam, slam, slam” noise of the guy running two machines down.

By contrast, I hardly made any noise at all.  I run in Vibram Five Finger Shoes which simulate barefoot running.  The guy down the way was running in shoes.  We were both running at the same pace, but he was just pounding away.

All that pounding has to go somewhere.  It goes into the joints of the feet, knees, hips and back.  The common thinking is that the cushions in the shoes absorb the shock.  And it does to a certain extent.  The problem is this:  Because the shoes provide cushioning, your foot can’t feel the ground.  So you end up having to pound at the ground in order for your foot to feel what is going on, and maintain your balance.

In a barefoot situation, you run lighter.  Your feet feel what is going on and you don’t pound.  You land lightly and push the pavement (or treadmill in my case), behind you.  It is a very gentile movement and your muscles absorb any shock.

The first thing I noticed when I started to run barefoot, is that my form totally changed.  I stood taller and I didn’t bounce.  The effect lasted after I ran.  My posture was taller and easier to maintain.

I now wear, flat thin soled, flexible shoes everywhere I go.  I feel better and stand taller than I ever have.

For more information on back pain, foot pain and other health topics, check out all the reports and blogs on www.painfree-greatposture.com.

TMJ Syndrome-The Hidden Cause

About 10 million people inAmericasuffer from Temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome.  TMJ syndrome is basically a problem with the joint between your jaw and your skull.  This joint is very sensitive and when is gets irritated or inflamed, you not only get jaw pain, but you also get headaches, neck pain, back pain, ringing in the ears and other symptoms.

The jaw pain can get severe.  Patients who have it have been known to commit suicide.  It can get that bad!

The common ways of treating TMJ involve bite splints, physical therapy and medication.  Bite splints correct misalignments of the teeth that can cause the jaw to go out of alignment when you bite down.  Physical therapy can help relax muscles in the head and neck.  Medication can help control the pain, muscle spasm and sleeplessness.

But does it help ?  Many times it doesn’t.  It is not uncommon for a TMJ patient to undergo a course of treatment costing $5000 or more, (insurance rarely pays) and get no relief.

Here’s one of the reasons why.  The position of the jaw is inter-related to the position of the head and neck.  When the head and neck are too far forward of the shoulders, the muscles pull the jaw into a bad position.  When you bite down, the TMJ joint will not position itself properly and it will be impinged.  The impingement causes the joint to be inflamed and spasms of the facial muscles will result.  That’s when the headaches and neck pain start.  Take a look at the drawing below, taken from the famous orthopedist Rene Caillet’s text book called Head and Face Pain.

To truly get relief from TMJ syndrome, the forward head posture needs to be corrected.  It can be corrected in a short period of time, without exercises, traction or crazy gadgets, giving you the relief you are looking for.  If you suffer from TMJ syndrome, you may qualify for a special type of posture correction treatment that will help your problem.  For a FREE, no obligation, TMJ Syndrome Recovery Potential Evaluation with TMJ posture correction expert,  Dr. Paul Kramer, call 262-251-8306 and speak with Karen or Pat.  You can get set up for the evaluation and discover if your condition can be helped.

How Does Chiropractic Help Headaches?

There are six randomized controlled scientific studies showing chiropractic care is beneficial for headache sufferers.  But, the average person may not understand exactly how it works.

There are three main ways that chiropractic helps headaches.  First, chiropractic treatments relax muscles.  Muscle tension is one of the main causes of headaches.  Tense muscles in the neck and upper back can refer pain up into the head as shown in the pictures below.  You may notice the areas of pain depicted in the drawings, correspond to your painful areas.  Relaxing these muscles, can help relieve your pain.

The second way chiropractic helps headaches is by relieving pinched nerves.  If a nerve in the upper part of the neck gets pinched, you can get pain that runs up into your head via a nerve called the greater occipital nerve.  You can see the area it affects in the drawing below.  Taking the pressure off the nerves, by re-aligning the bones of the neck, will relieve the pain.

The third way chiropractic helps is by improving your posture.  By improving your posture, the muscles of the neck do not have to contract as hard to hold up your head.  It also makes it less likely that a nerve will get pinched.  Improving your posture, will give you lasting relief of symptoms.

If you are suffering from headaches, you can get relief.  For more information check out other articles on www.painfree-greatposture.com.  Or, call Karen or Pat at 262-251-8306 and set up a Free No Obligation Headache Solution Evaluation with local headache treatment expert, Dr. Paul Kramer.   He will discuss your situation with you and perform a non-invasive surface EMG test to see if you might be a candidate for treatment.  This test will pin-point the areas where you are having trouble and give Dr. Kramer information he needs to determine if he can help.  The test is painless and free.  Just call 262-251-8306.

Gluten-Free Is Easy-To-Be Workshop PART 2

Update your dietary lifestyle with the latest information on gluten-free cooking!  Learn more about fast, easy & delicious ingredient substitutions, the latest expert opinion and tips for either transitioning or continuing this popular and healthful lifestyle.

• Do you continue to experience symptoms of gluten sensitivity while following the recommended gluten-free guidelines?

• Have you been challenged with weight management after transitioning to a gluten-free dietary lifestyle?

• Are you running out of ideas for preparing desirable gluten-free foods?

• Are you suffering the “crash & burn” syndrome from fluctuating blood sugar levels?

• Are you confused when foods identified as “gluten-free’ seem to trigger the symptoms that you are trying to avoid?

PLEASE JOIN US on Saturday, February 4 from 9:30am to 11:00am at PAIN-FREE GREAT POSTURE  N88 W16953 Main St, Meno. Falls

Local gluten-free cooking expert and “Organic Cooking Coach” KC Thorson
of K.C.’s Kafe© will provide late-breaking news, ideas and recipes that can help to make a difference and improve your quality of gluten-free life!

KC will also (you get to sample!) an easy-to-prepare recipe that will surprise you with its flavor and simplicity, from her “Fast & Easy Gourmet Collection”.

RSVP TO (262) 251-8306 by Friday, February 3, 2012   $15.00 pp

Neck Pain-Its More Than You Think!

Chiropractic treatment for neck pain is very effective.  There have been eight well designed, controlled, scientific studies that have demonstrated chiropractic to be highly effective in eliminating neck pain.  It is also incredibly safe.  Safer than taking aspirin or Tylenol.

But neck pain is more than just a problem in your neck.  The neck itself must be treated.  But, other parts of your spine have to be treated as well.

One of the largest contributors to neck pain is poor posture.  If the head is aligned too far in front of the shoulders, the muscles of the neck have to pull hard to keep the head upright.  The constant fatigue, causes neck pain.

Simply treating the neck with chiropractic or other therapies will not solve the whole problem.  You will need to have your posture treated as well.  Just like this neck pain sufferer below.

These pictures were taken minutes apart, before and after treatment.  The patient is standing totally relaxed in both pictures.  After treatment, she was not struggling to hold her head up, she felt quite a bit of relief from pain, and she was able to turn her head to back up her car without restriction.

To see if you could get relief from your neck pain, call Karen or Pat at: 262-251-8306 and set up a FREE consultation with neck pain expert Dr. Paul Kramer.  He will go over your problem with you, do a surface EMG study to see how hard your neck muscles are contracting, and tell you if he thinks he can help you.  All at no charge and no obligation for treatment.  Call 262-251-8306 right now.

Chiropractic-Fast Relief For Back Pain

Chiropractors have been treating back pain for over 100 years.  The profession has been growing and helping millions of patients.

If you are looking for a chiropractor, you should know that they aren’t all alike.  Chiropractors vary in their technique depending on where they went to school, what they studied, the conditions they like to treat, or their own physical characteristics.  Some use their hands to align spines, some use instruments.

The bottom line is this:  Chiropractic should give you relief from your back pain.  If you aren’t feeling better, you might not be seeing the right chiropractor.

After your treatment, you should feel relief of pain, improved movement and better posture.  If you don’t, the treatment is not right for you, plain and simple.

You probably won’t get better in one treatment.  It usually takes a course of treatments for you to get long lasting relief.  But you should feel improvement after each visit.

Here are some examples of what your body should look like after it is re-aligned.  All these before and after pictures, are of people standing relaxed on the same day.  Notice how they stand straighter.  They are doing this without effort!

For more information on how we treat back pain, log on to:  www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

Is Yoga Good For Your Spine?

I am often asked if Yoga is beneficial to the spine.  Its one of those questions where I have to be the bearer of bad news.

Yoga is not good for the spine.  It causes many injuries and it is particularly injurious to the lower neck.

When I tell patients this, they are very surprised or skeptical.  Everyone says that Yoga is good for you.  Well, take a look at this article by a Yogi fromIndia.  He tells many people not to do Yoga.  He says that Yoga is meant for people with healthy joints, not as a means for unhealthy people to get healthier.  That’s how I feel as well.

Also, the light-headed feeling you get after doing the spine stretches, that some Yoga instructors say is the “chakras” opening up, isn’t that at all.  It is an effect of having the spinal cord stretched.  Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t always clear up on its own and can leave you with dizziness and balance problems.  Take a look at the article for more in depth information.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

If you are suffering from injuries that you think might be related to Yoga, the good news is, you can be helped.  Call Pat or Karen at our office today and set up a free no obligation consultation.  Call 262-251-8306.

Low Back Pain and Your Wallet

If you are one of many men who carries his wallet in his back pocket, you are most likely feeling the negative effects in your lower back.

By leaving your wallet in your back pocket, you lift one hip higher than the other.  This makes your spine off balance, negatively affecting your posture.  Many cases of back pain are caused this way.  Here are some suggestions if you suspect your wallet is giving you problems.

Try putting your wallet in your front pocket, or switch it to a front pocket before you sit down.

If you still want to put your wallet in your back pocket, thin it out.  If it is over ½ inch thick it is going to be too high.

Try putting it in the other side.  If your wallet is bothering you, try putting it on the other side.  If it feels better, it may actually be helping your spine maintain leverage.  So keep it on that side.  If it doesn’t feel better, you are going to have to take it out of your back pocket all together.

Always take your wallet out, if you are going to be sitting for a long period of time, like a car trip or a long session at the computer.

For more information on how I treat back pain, log on to: www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is really important for your health.  Lack of sleep has been shown to cause blood sugar problems, heart disease, poor work performance and increases in musculoskeletal pain.  Along with many other health problems.

When you sleep, your body repairs itself.  If you aren’t sleeping well or long enough, the body tends to get broken down.  You also have more pain when you haven’t slept enough.

Here are some keys to a good night’s sleep:

1. Get your body adjusted.  Body alignment problems can irritate your nervous system, causing it to be overstimulated.  You will feel uncomfortable or unable to wind down enough to sleep.  Getting chiropractic care relieves nervous tension and helps you to sleep.
2. Make sure your mattress and pillows are correct.  A firm mattress is necessary to support your spine along with a pillow set at the proper height.  This is a BIG key to getting comfortable and waking up without pain.  If you wake up with pain, something is wrong with how you are sleeping.  If you sleep on your back, be as flat as possible.  If you are on your side, use a higher pillow.  Stay off your stomach.
3. Don’t eat too much sugar.  Eating sugar can cause your blood sugar to drop in the middle of the night.  This is a big reason why people wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep.

The best company to get a mattress from is called Chiromatic Sleep Systems.  You can check them out at www.chiromatic.com.  The Mattress model we like is the 5842 for adults and the 5840 for kids.  They have a 15 year warranty, which is un-heard of in the industry.  Most mattress warranties are 5 years.  They have a 30 day sleep warranty, you can sleep on it for 30 days and if you don’t like it, you can send it back. They also come to your house to deliver it and they haul the old one away.

The prices are very comparable to mattresses you would get at other mattress stores.  The 5842 goes for $999.00 twin, $1299 full, $1499 queen and $1799 king.   The 5840 goes for $799 twin, $899 full, $1099 queen and $1399 king.  You can contact our office for more information on ordering.  Call 262-251-8306.

If you like taking a short nap, check out www.powernap.com.  They have a CD I use and really like.  It’s like getting 3 hours of sleep in 20 minutes.  I like it a lot and it works really well.  They also have a product called Fibronap which is helpful for fibromyalgia sufferers who need to enhance different sleep cycles.  I like the products, and they are cheap and easy to use.  All the data is on their site.

For more information on how I treat fibromyalgia and back pain log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com  or www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com