YOUR Body of Health Blog

What Can Chiropractic do for Ear Aches

Dr Jason Young DC — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:50:00 GMT

Recently I had a friend send me this message:

My daughter has been getting ear infections one right after another for a few months now, and I was told that taking her to a chiropractor may be able to help and or take them away? I'm hoping you can give me some sort of answers, like if this actually works or what it all entails.

I thought that this would be a great question to write a blog entry about. So first of all thanks to my friend for the question and I hope this information is helpful to you and whoever reads this.

First of all it is important to understand what the nature of the condition is. Most ear aches are either not infections or very mild self-limiting infections. Most of the time antibiotics are not necessary and the problem will resolve on its own. Unfortunately these drugs are still frequently prescribed for "preventative" measures. Often these prescriptions are made to treat concerned parent rather than to prevent an infection.

The next consideration is what could be causing the recurring ear aches. There are a few usual suspects:

1. Allergies. Children may have some sort of allergy or sensitivity which can lead to ear ache. Some common allergens for kids include: Cow's milk, egg whites, apples, corn, wheat, chicken, and more.

2. Vitamin Deficiency. Vitamin A, Zinc, Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3s & 6s). I recommend that kids take a good multivitamin. By good I mean not gummy bears pretending to be vitamins. I give my kids intraKid from Drucker Labs. It is an excellent liquid multivitamin which is easily digested and tastes great. My daughters wake up every morning and the first thing they ask for is vitamins. (Strange I know).

3. Day care. Children who attend day care are twice to four times as likely to experience ear infections.

4. Season. There are more ear infections which take place in the winter.

5. Secondary Smoke. Children in smoking households are three to four times more likely to experience ear infections than children in non-smoking households.

6. Bottle feeding. Breastfed infants are far less likely to experience an episode of ear ache than bottle fed infants.

Ear aches can commonly be caused when fluid accumulates in the eustachian tubes. These tubes drain fluid from the inner ear to the throat. These tubes are developing as a child grows and may be small or blocked preventing them from draining. This can create pressure in the ear and this area is where bacteria can grow.

So.... What can chiropractic do? Studies have shown that chiropractic is effective for short term relief from ear ache symptoms. Adjusting of the upper cervical spine has been shown to relieve ear ache symptoms in some cases. There is anecdotal evidence that adjusting the smallest joints in the body, which are in the ear, can give relief as well. Besides adjusting there are other techniques such as massage strokes which encourage drainage of the eustachian tubes. Some chiropractors will use a technique known as an Endonasal procedure where the doctor will manually open the eustachian tubes from inside the throat using his finger.

As for a long term outcome, stopping recurring ear infections the results with chiropractic are not consistent. However, there is no harm in trying chiropracitc before undergoing a more radical procedure such as ear tubes which will leave scar tissue on the ear drum even into adulthood.

Things that you can do at home to help to give some relief include:

* Warm compress on the ear.
* Warm (NOT HOT or COLD!) organic oil (any edible oil) in the ear.
* Massaging with a finger from just under the ear, downward along the back of the jaw bone.
* Motrin for pain relief.

In my opinion and experience chiropractic wellness care provides a boost to the immune system. The goal of chiropractic care is to remove all obstacles from your body caring for itself. People, including children, who receive wellness care including adjustment, nutrition and lifestyle counseling will enjoy better health.

At Body of Health Chiropractic & Wellness Center we use all of the methods listed in this article. If you would like more information or to schedule a consultation please contact us by calling (541) 753-1287. Or reach us by e-mail staff@yourbodyofhealth.com.

Muscle or Joint?

Dr Jason Young DC — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:11:00 GMT

Yesterday I was playing basketball as I usually do at lunch on Mondays. One of the players injured his hamstring while making a spin move. It was bad enough that he had to stop playing for a while and you could tell that it was very frustrating for him. I told him that he should come in to the clinic and we could see what I could do for him to get him playing sooner. Another player overheard that advice and quickly responded, "No, no, no... Its a muscle thing not a bone problem. You don't need a chiropractor."

In this entry I'll be taking advantage of an opportunity to say, "I beg your pardon" and to educate everybody about just what it is that chiropractors do. My hope is that by reading and understanding these things you will understand the broad scope of problems that chiropractors deal with as well as a bit more about your body.

First of all, Chiropractors have been pigeon-holed as "Back Doctors". This is for obvious reasons. Our main method of treatment: Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation, or adjusting, primarily involves working on a person's back. Also, spinal manipulation is the most researched treatment for low back pain and has been consistently found to be the most effective when you consider the low probability of adverse side effects. But chiropractors are not simply, "Back Doctors". We are first and foremost "Nervous System Doctors". The adjustment is focused at removing irritation and inhibition from the nervous system. We take advantage of neurological reflexes by mechanically manipulating the spine. Since most of your central nervous system resides in your spine, this is a major focus of chiropractic care.

Second we are experts in treating conditions of the musculoskeletal system. Musculoskeletal means Muscles + Bones. Consider my friend's hamstring injury. Those hamstring muscles attach bones in the femur and tibia (leg bones) to the pelvis.

Muscles which attach to bones do exactly two things: 1) They stabilize a joint to keep it from moving 2) They move a joint through its range of motion. You never have a problem that is purely a muscle problem or a joint problem. It is impossible to isolate them from each other since each needs the other to function. This is not to say that a hamstring problem has to involved joint damage but it will affect the function of hip extension/flexion and knee extension/flexion. Besides adjusting the spine, chiropractors also adjust extremities including the knee, ankle, wrist, etc. Chiropractors typically incorporate a variety of muscle and soft tissue techniques both traditional and cutting edge. For example, in my clinic I use ultrasound, electro-stim,Graston technique, Kinesio Taping (seen extensively in the last summer olympics), assisted stretching and muscle energy techniques, and strength training/rehab.

Next time you have any type of muscuskeletal injury give your chiropractor a try. You might be surprised to find that your back AND your muscles feel great. If you would like a consultation about chiropractic care for you and your family please call Body of Health at (541) 753-1287 or e-mail us at staff@yourbodyofhealth.com.

Reducing Your Cost for Chiropractic Care

Dr Jason Young DC — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:38:00 GMT

Health care is a hot topic these days and the crux of the issue is cost. Health insurance prices are rising about 10-20% annually while covered services are being continually reduce. That's right... you're paying more for less. The government is trying to "fix" the problem by creating a new health care option. Yes, the same government that brought us Medicare (for those of you who have never dealt with Medicare count your blessings). Instead of waiting for somebody else to fix the problem we are taking some action.

We are reducing our prices.

Effective immediately, Chiropractic services at Body of Health will be reduced to a flat rate of $45 when you pay at the time of service. Previously it was $54 for an adjustment and anything additional (electrostim, taping, ultrasound, etc.) would cost extra for each service. If you pay up front then you don't have to worry about any of those extra charges. New patient examinations (formerly $95) will only be $70 when you pay at the time of service. We used to tell people that a new patient visit would cost between $150-$200. Now we tell you it is exactly $115 if you pay on that day regardless of what we have to do to get you better. Follow-up visits? $45 each. If you are a college student or active duty military the fee is only $40, even on a first visit, when you pay at the time of service.

What if you have insurance? We are still happy to bill your insurance company. In most cases your co-pay or co-insurance is less than $45. If it is higher than that then you will probably just want to use our Time of Service flat rate of $45 rather than billing your insurance.

What if you need to make payments or can't pay at the time of service? In order to qualify for the discount payment must be made on the day services are performed. Unfortunately state law makes it illegal to make any exceptions. However, if you need to make payments but you still want to pay at the discounted price we accept CareCredit which allows you to spread out the $45 payment over 3 months at 0% interest. You really aren't going to find a better deal than that.

What are the exceptions? There are a few exceptions to the discount. They are for chiropractic services only meaning that massage therapy is not included in this time of service discount. However, our therapists still offer some of the lowest rates in town at $1/min and $40 for an hour massage for college students. Another exception is that the discount is for services only and does not include any supplements, devices, or other merchandise. In addition we will no long offer pre-paid care plans. All existing pre-paid plans will be honored.

Now that we've done our part and made chiropractic care more affordable it's your turn. Make an appointment today and see the difference that Chiropractic care can make for you and your family. The key to good health is maintenance. Don't wait until you get sick to pay attention to your health, as is the custom with our current Sick (not health) care system. Call us at (541) 753-1287. And remember YOUR Health Matters!

What Don't Know About Auto Injuries May Hurt You!

Dr Jason Young DC — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:20:00 GMT

Would it surprise you to find out that every day over 6,400 Americans are injured in auto accidents? About 30% of these injuries are severe, resulting in some type of long term or permanent disability. Many people do not even realize that they have been injured initially but later develop problems such as pain, headaches, or even difficulty concentrating. The consequences of auto accidents can impact your quality of life for years to come even if the collision was low speed, happened in a parking lot, didn't involve any damage to vehicles, or didn't require an ambulance. Fortunately, if you have been injured in an auto accident it is easy to get effective help that will allow you to make a full recovery if possible.

If you have to have an auto injury, Oregon is a good place to have one. Oregon auto insurance help protect drivers and passengers who have been hurt in a crash. State law requires auto insurance for all drivers and vehicles. This means that your likelihood of being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver is very low here. There is a minimum of $25,000 of coverage that each driver must carry. A portion of that coverage, referred to as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), is meant specifically to cover medical costs from injuries sustained in a crash. The minimum PIP coverage in Oregon is $10,000. Oregon is a "No-Fault" state. This means that if you have been injured in a car accident then your insurance company will pay for your medical treatment regardless of who was at fault for the collision.

Based on these facts there is no reason that you should not be checked for injuries following an accident. Emergency Room doctors are only concerned with treating injuries that may be life threatening and not with long term rehabilitation after an injury. If you go to an ER doctor they may send you home with a prescription and tell you to get some rest. If you do have an auto injury, extensive research has shown that pain killers and rest are not effective for long term recovery. A Chiropractor on the other hand is an excellent choice for your post-accident evaluation and treatment. Chiropractors are experts in Neuromusculoskeletal (that's nerves, muscles, and joints) injuries and rehabilitation. You never need a referral to see a chiropractor after a car accident. Regardless of whether the injury is minor or major a chiropractor can help you to make the fullest possible recovery.

It is not uncommon for people to suffer from chronic pain and disability from car accidents that they forgot they even had. Don't be one of these people. If you or somebody you know has an auto injury seek the help of a chiropractor right away.

Dr. Jason Young is the chiropractor and owner of Body of Health Chiropractic & Wellness Center at 985 NW 23rd St. in Corvallis. Dr. Young and his trained staff of Licensed Massage Therapists are experts in treating Neuromusculoskeletal injuries and have helped dozens of people after auto injuries. Dr. Young is currently accepting new patients. Call (541) 753-1287 for an appointment. For more articles by Dr.Young read our blog at: Blog.yourbodyofhealth.com

**This is a copy of an article written by Dr. Young for the High Points Section of the Newspaper: Best of Times

Fail but Don't Quit!

Dr Jason Young DC — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Today I was in the doing some personal training with a client. We were in the middle of an exercise that was particularly challenging for him. Part way through the set he was struggling and rather than collapse he shook his head and said he couldn't finish and then stopped. This was a great opportunity for me to teach him one of the great principles of exercising: You can fail but you can't quit. Actually the point of resistance training is to final the limit and work there. Did you know that unless you are exercising at about 80% of your maximum that you will make almost no gains in your strength and ability? When you reach the point where you collapse or it is physically impossible for you to do another rep then you have reached the holy grail of resistance training: FAILURE!

Examine that principle: You can fail but you can't quit. Let me tell you what it means to me and I would like to hear your thoughts too. Quitting is a choice. When you quit you choose to lose. Maybe its your marriage, your health, your kids, or any challenging task. You look at the weight and decide that it is too heavy for your brain to lift. You look at your body and decide it's to far gone to fix. You look at your spouse and decide that the spark will never be there again. You look at your kids and decide that they will never listen. All of these are choices based on presumptions. These presumptions and choices are powerful because your brain is powerful. You may have heard that "You can do whatever you put your mind to." Of course this is not true all of the time but the spirit of this mantra is powerful. People with this attitude actually acomplish MOST of what they put their mind to.

Now, if you are constantly telling yourself that you "can't" or you "quit" or you'll "never" these presumptions are just as powerful. Of course sometimes you will or you actually can but MOST of the time you can't or won't because you in a word: Quit. So what about this idea of failure being ok? Can you have an attitude that says that you are going to keep going until the wheels fall off? Can you say that you will keep going until your body, not you mind, stops you? Can you find the limit? I think that with an attitude like this, one that says, "I'm not afraid to find the limit" you will find that MOST of the time you will actually won't be working to failure at all because that kind of effort is where you will find your success.

So what do you think?
1) Are there areas of your life where you just Quit rather than working till you can't any more?

2) What do you think your life would be like if you started saying Yes to all of the things that you've told yourself you can't do?

3) Can you identify just one thing that you will commit to work to failure (Ultimately Success)?

I want to hear from you!

Pfizer Exposes Just One of the Double Standards in American Medicine

Dr Jason Young DC — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:56:00 GMT

You may have heard recently that drug researcher and manufacturer Pfizer was smacked with a $2.3 Billion-with-a-B fine for civil and criminal actions. First of all OUCH! This is an enormous fine. But don't worry because billions of dollars is a drop in the bucket for a pharmaceutical firm. So don't cry any crocodile tears for Pfizer. What was the fine for? Off-label marketing. What this means is that the drug company was promoting the use of their drugs for treatments that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here is an example: Maybe Drug X can treat a certain disease effectively but the FDA has not approved it for the treatment of that condition. Doctors can still prescribe this drug for that disease if doing so would not violate the standards of ethical care. However, drug companies may not promote the drug for this use. They can only advertise to the public or doctors that it can be used for the FDA approved purposes.

So Pfizer broke the rule and they advertised these drugs for purposes other than what was approved. 75% of these purposes had no scientific evidence supporting them however MDs commonly make these types of prescriptions. The reason that the MDs make the prescriptions is that they have found in theory and practice that the off-label utilization of these drugs is effective in some instances. They aren't willing to wait to give people what they feel would be good for them while multiple randomized trials play catch-up to clinical experience.

Here lies the double standard alluded to in the title of this blog entry. One of the common knocks about Chiropractic and similar therapies (I choose not to call these "Alternative") is that some things we do are "Unscientific" or based on "Anecdotal" evidence. While this is true in some cases the same applies to the practice of medicine. Your MD renders treatments which are not based in hard scientific evidence all of the time but we call that "Experimental" whereas with Chiropractic the same practice is called "Quackery". Here is the truth... Doctors everywhere, regardless of the discipline, do their best to take care of you, our patients. We want you to be healthy, live a long time, enjoy your life, etc. We do the best that we can and sometimes we just take a different approach. I'm not anti-medicine. I saw my MD just yesterday for a physical. I just can't abide the perception that what I do is somehow unethical, dishonest, snake-oil style treatments aimed at duping my patients into making me rich (which I'm not). Really I'm just like the doctor who is very comfortable making daily off-label prescriptions because they want to help their patient be healthy.

Oh and by the way... Spinal manipulation is THE most researched treatment for back pain and has been proven in the arena of science to be the most safe and effective available treatment for this and other conditions. Just thought you should know.

Water Week Stories!

Dr Jason Young DC — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:05:00 GMT

Here are a couple of stories from Water Week participants. These people are entered in the drawing for the Theracane Massager and the Brita Water Pitcher. Send in your story for your chance to win!

Well, water week wasn't too exciting for me, because here in AZ we drink water a LOT. It's what i usually drink so nothing changed. But I thought I would share my thoughts on drinking mostly water lifestyle...one great piece of advice I got years ago and still live by is, everytime someone offers you a drink of water say yes! whether you are thirsty or not. Or if they offer you a drink say yes, and ask for water.

Here is something I made up when I was working on reducing sugar intake for weight loss. When I had opportunity to have a sweet drink, I would ask myself this question, "Do I want to chew my sugar, or drink it?" I love sweet treats! I would rather drink water (drinks are gone so fast) and then take my time enjoying chewing a sweet treat. So that keeps me drinking water. Both drinking and eating sugar is too much, I think. So I share that with people trying to quit soda pop.

I also seldom buy fruit juice. For one, it's expensive. I ask myself, "would I rather my kids eat a piece of fruit or chug the fiberless juice?" I buy the fruit and skip the juice. Most juice is not 100% and if it is, the sugar is so high that I must serve it with food. With diabetes in my family I teach my kids to never eat or drink sugary treats on an empty stomach. Have a protein first and then some sugar is okay.

On my trip here in GA, one of the first things we did after we rented the car go buy a case of waters for the car. It's an AZ habit I developed and I do it everywhere I go. If you always have waters in the car, you never face temptations when you are out and about. You'll drink all day and you'll save money and you will tend to drink it if is there. Also you will tend to eat out less if you always have waters on you and a snack in your purse (Fiber One bars are my favorite. I always have one on me. Ask my kids, when they ask for fast food, I just whip that out! They don't love that about me, yet.)

Hope it helps somebody out there! Long live water! or rather... Water! and live long!

G.M. Mesa, AZ

Here is another one:

Water week was an excellent way for me to lose weight yet retain the same energy and utmost enthusiasm for the activities that I participate in. I actually ate a little more than usual this week, but still lost three pounds. Furthermore, while running my daily 3 miles, I averaged about twenty seconds faster per mile this week compared to my previous weeks. Water week also encouraged me to consume my daily vegetables and fruit rather than to drink the typical fruit juice or v8. All in all, water week helped provide a benefit to my life at a negative cost. I saved about $10 from extra drinks that I buy typically buy throughout the week and now I feel more comfortable to rely solely on water as my main beverage.

M.S Corvallis, OR

Water Week Complete!

Dr Jason Young DC — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

CONGRATS! To all of you who participated in Water Week. Some of you were able to go a full week. Others recommited and restarted (even a couple of times). Regardless of your results we want to hear how you did. If you submit your story (it doesn't have to be long) in writing you can enter our drawing for a Theracane Massager. We have also added another drawing prize: a Brita Water Filter Pitcher. Submit your story in one of the following ways:

Email: staff@yourbodyofhealth.com (SUBJECT: Water Week)

Mail:

Body of Health

985 NW 23rd St

Corvallis, OR 97330

All entries must be submitted by: July 31st, 2009 to be included in the drawing. Please include your phone number and mailing address with your entry so that we may notify the winner of their prize. Your contact information will never be shared with anyone else.

NOW...

My experience with water week was really good. First of all I lost 5 lbs without changing anything else about my diet or exercise. I felt great and had a lot of energy. I also noticed that my own children almost NEVER drank water. It was always Juice, Milk, Smoothies, Etc. This was a great opportunity to teach them to fall in love with water. We are now making those other drinks the exception rather than the rule around our house. We saved money too since water is free or inexpensive. When we ate out this week I estimated that we reduced the overall cost of our meals by about 15% by drinking water instead of ordering other drinks.

When you submit your story I want to hear what was hard, what was easy, and what you are going to do with your experience you had this week for the future.

Again Congrats! and Thank You for Participating!

-Dr Young.

Here is the fine print:

By submitting your story you agree that Body of Health,LLC may use your story in this and future publications, web pages and other promotional materials produced, used by and representing Body of Health, LLC. By submitting your story you also acknowledge that you understand the circulation of the materials could be worldwide and that there will be no compensation to you for this use. Only your initials will be used to identigy you in your story. If you do not wish to have your story used as described above you must indicate this in writing at the time your story is submitted.

Water Week DAY #3

Dr Jason Young DC — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Congrats for making it this far. Get through today and you are just about half way there. At this point some of you may have slipped up and forgotten about your goal or had a moment of weakness. If that is the case you can still do it. Just start again. Don't give up!

Also I have been contacted by a number of you who have told me that you have had a headache since Monday. In most cases this is a result of reducing your caffeine intake. I assure you that this is not dangerous at all. And today should be the last day that you have a headache so hang in there. It is called a "rebound" headache. Caffeine is an effective vasoconstrictor. That means that it reduces the size of your blood vessels. Reducing the size of these blood vessels can increase your blood pressure and cause damage to your cardiovascular system. When people use substances such as caffeine which cause vasoconstriction your body reduces the amount of natural vasoconstriction that happens. When you take the caffeine away then your blood vessels do the opposite of vasoconstriction: vasodilation. The headache is caused because the vasodilation is so extreme that it stretches these blood vessels and that causes pain. Within 3 days your body should be making enough serotonin to counteract this effect.

So hang in there! You body is sending help!

Check out this video clip from CNN about Caffeine Withdrawals:

Water Week Day #2

Dr Jason Young DC — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:30:00 GMT

How did you do on Day #1? It was a little bit tougher than I thought it would be. I guess that means that even I tend to over do it on the juices and other stuff. I do know that I felt pretty good the whole day though. I had plenty of energy and was not hungry very much throughout the day. Most importantly I noticed that I tended to make better food choices. Awesome.

One of the challenges is to make sure that you are getting enough every day for your body to function at its best. Here is another fun video for you... I assure you that there are better ways to hydrate yourself.

Water Week DAY #1

Dr Jason Young DC — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:24:00 GMT

Welcome to Day #1!

Remember that today is the first day of water week. Hopefully you didn't pick up that morning coffee yet or drink some OJ with your breakfast. If you did, its ok... Just begin again.

Here is a reminder of the formula: Take your body weight and divide that number by 2. This is the number of ounces of water you should be drinking every day. For example: if you are 200 lbs and you divide that by 2 the you get 100 oz of water. I know that sounds like a lot but lets put it in perspective.... That would be enough water to fill 2 big gulp cups. or five 20 oz cups of coffee.

Now for a little fun... Enjoy this great video that is kind of about water.

WATER WEEK!

Dr Jason Young DC — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:55:00 GMT

Water Week is a challenge for you to drink only Water for 7 straight days. That's right.... nothing but H2O. Water Week will begin on Monday July 13th (12:00 AM) and last until Sunday July 19 (11:59 PM). Here are the rules:No JuiceNo SodaNo CoffeeNo TeaNo AlcoholNo MilkNo GatoradeEtc.Just pure H2O. During the challenge you will discover all of the wonderful benefits that drink water will bring into your life. Included are:Weight LossDecreased HeadachesDecreased Blood SugarDecreased HungerImproved hydrationDetoxificationImproved energyOverall improved healthHow much water should you drink? Take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. You should drink that many ounces per day. (ie 180 lbs /2 = 90 oz of water).Participants can be entered to win a great prize from Body of Health. Once you have completed the challenge write us a letter, or e-mail about your experience with the Water Week Challenge. All of those who write in will be entered to win a Theracane Massager. ($40 value) It is one of the greatest tools for getting rid of Trigger points and working out sore muscles.

Submit your story to:

staff@yourbodyofhealth.com

or mail it to:

Water Week

Body of Health

985 NW 23rd St

Corvallis, OR 97330

To be eligible for the drawing entries must be received by Friday July 31st.

Pounds for Profit Challenge

Dr Jason Young DC — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:44:55 GMT

Some of you may know that we are involved with a local giving program called Points for Profit. In fact, last year we were voted the Points for Profit Business of the Year. If you aren't familiar with the program, nonprofit organizations in the Linn/Benton area compete for points by shopping at local businesses who are in the program. At the end of the year the groups with the most points earn a cash prize.

Part of our contribution to this program has been to try to improve the health of people involved. So we started the Pounds for Profit
challenge where groups can earn points as their members meet weight loss and fitness goals. Tonight we had the pleasure of awarding the grand prize to one of my favorite charities: Sunshine Kids. This group puts on camps for kids with cancer. For more information on this organization visit: http://www.sunshinekids.org/.

Relay for Life Report

Dr Jason Young DC — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:18:00 GMT

On Friday June 26th we had a great time treating at the Relay for Life event in Lebanon, OR. We were out there for about 5 hours doing massage and chiropractic for the people who walked the track at Lebanon High School. We treated a lot of low back pain, neck pain and even some headaches. Thanks to those of you who helped out in this great cause. Also thanks to the folks who provided testimonials about chiropractic care at the event. Thanks to Wendie for turning us on to this event! Here are some pictures and a testimonial from the event.

Dr. Young and KaLynn Alley, Future Miss Oregon (and Miss America) at the ACS Relay for Life.

Body of Health at Relay for Life in Lebanon

Dr Jason Young DC — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:57:00 GMT

On Friday June 26th the Body of Health team will be at it again. This time we will be in Lebanon High School the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event. Relay for life participants work in teams and have a representative walking or running the track around the clock. Some events will go as long as 24 hours. Each person involved is encouraged to raise at least $100 in sponsorship for the laps walked by the team.

We are honored to be a part of this event. Some of you may know that Dr. Young lost his mother to cancer around this time last summer and we know that most of our lives have been touched in one way or another by this disease. For this reason we will be operating a bit differently than we do at most events we do. Usually we offer free chiropractic and massage. At the Relay for Life we will be helping to raise money be collecting donations for our services. Massage will be provided by Wendie Gum, LMT $1/minute and chiropractic will be as much as you can donate. 100% of the money we collect will go to this worthy cause.

You can find us at Lebanon HS Friday Afternoon/Evening and Massage will be available Saturday morning. Please stop by to see us and support this worthy cause!

Body of Health at Midsummer Night's Run

Dr Jason Young DC — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:37:00 GMT

Body of Health was at the Midsummer Night's Run event in Corvallis at Crescent Valley High School. We got to treat a lot of great people (runners, spectators, etc) and some of them have made the choice to use Body of Health as their chiropractic and massage providers. Here are some of the conditions we treated on Saturday night:

Arch pain in the foot - We used Kinesio Tape to support the arch and activate foot muscles before the race. The runner reported back that he had almost no pain in his foot during the run which is unusaul for him.
ITB tightness - The Iliotibial Band ( ITB ) is a common tight spot on runners. This is the tendon that runs down the side of the thigh to the knee. We successfully treated this using massage, low level laser therapy, adjusting the hips/pelvis, and stretches. People were amazed by the great results they got after treatment.
Neck Pain - Adjusting and massage worked well for several people who came in with neck pain and even headaches.
Low Back Pain - This is a classic. As usual we were able to get people out of low back pain using massage and chiropractic.
Shoulder Pain - There were quite a few shoulder pain cases that presented to us (not related to the race of course). We took care of these with massage, chiropractic and low level laser therapy.

Of course we dealt with other types of aches, pains, strains, and sprains. We handed out a bunch of Band Aids. We also saw people who were in to improve their performance (and it worked!).

We are very proud of the Body of Health team which ran in the 2k Race. It consisted of Mandy (our office manager (and my wife)), our kids Taylor, Rilee, and Alston, Nephews Gage and Bryce, Niece Jessica, and Grandpa & Grandma Mike & Freeda. Everybody had a really good time and did well. Freeda was the fastest in her age/gender group in the 5k and Taylor was running hard for the full 2k race at just 4 years old. Nice work team!

Video Testimonial of the Week

Dr Jason Young DC — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:25:00 GMT

Here is a testimonial from one of our happy patients. She has been treated with chiropractic and massage for back and neck pain.

Have you had a great experience at Body of Health Chiropractic and Wellness Center and would like to share it? Here are some ways you can do that:

Post a comment on this blog about your experience
E-mail your testimonial to blog@yourbodyofhealth.com
Call us or next time you are at the clinic ask if we could create your own video testimonial

We really appreciate ALL of our patients and thank you for sharing the continued joy and health you have received as we have worked together. Thanks for spreading the news!

CBS: ADHD Drugs May Present a Cardiac Risk... Chiropractic Helps!

Dr Jason Young DC — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:19:00 GMT

This is another great clip from CBS which supports the chiropractic approach to health care. The doctor in this segment discusses the cardiac risks associated with amphetamine drugs used to treat ADHD and recommends alternate therapies such as chiropractic for managing this condition. Watch and learn:

*** Note: While Bacardi endorses CBS... Body of Health does not endorse Bacardi. I have written a letter to CBS about matching endorsements that support the messages in their videos and apologize for the ad in the beginning of this video clip.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Scrubs on Chiropractic

Dr Jason Young DC — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:19:00 GMT

If you watch the popular NBC TV show, Scrubs then you have probably seen the following clip:

I think this clip is really funny and you may be surprised to find it on my Pro-Chiropractic blog. Some Doctors of Chiropractic would take deep offense at a scene like this but I think its cool to be spoofed right along with mainstream medicine. I think there is a couple of interesting things to teach from this clip.

1) People don't just take a "Chiropractic Class". To become a chiropractor it requires at least 90 semester or 135 quarter credits at a 4 year university followed by 4 years of doctorate level education at a chiropractic college. (That's at least 7 years of education and training!) The academic program for chiropractic school requires more credit hours of lecture and labs than medical school programs. I doubt our janitor would have time to hold down a day job AND go to "Chiropractic Class" at the same time.

2) REAL chiropractors would never just grab somebody and adjust them. Chiropractic procedures are only performed after a thorough initial examination including patient history, postural assessment, ranges of motion, orthopedic testing, spinal examination, and vital signs. We want to identify anything that would possibly... I don't know... make a patient fall over paralyzed! (even if we had practiced our technique on many mop heads with no complaints).

3) Chiropractic is performed with informed consent. Before an adjsutment a chiropractor should inform you of what your diagnosis is, what we would hope to accomplish by care, and the potential risks of treatment. Before being adjusted people should have the opportunity to ask any questions they have and receive an answer.

4) Chiropractic adjustments are not about making things crunch. While there is a popping noise that sometimes occurs when a patient is adjusted popping is not the ultimate goal. The purpose of the adjustment is to restore proper balance to the nervous system, the joints and muscles. It should only be performed by trained professionals or interns who are under the supervision of an attending physician. Being adjusted by a friend who knows how to "crack a back" can be dangerous and lead to greater injury. These manipulations should only be performed after a skillful assessment by a trained and licensed doctor. (This goes for adjusting yourself as well).

I hope you laughed and learned today! If you need an adjustment give us a call (541) 753-1287. (I have taken more than a few Chiropractic Classes ).

Medicine and Low Back Pain

Dr Jason Young DC — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:52:00 GMT

Some of you may have visited your General Practitioner before for back pain. If you did then it is likely that they recommended one of three interventions: 1) Drugs 2) Physical Therapy 3) Lifestyle Education. The use of drugs to treat back pain is somewhat controversial with the possibility of side effects. Most back pain is mechanical so a pharmaceutical approach will not completely resolve a mechanical issue. As for physical therapy an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association states the following about physical therapy for back pain: "Modalities...used by physical therapists... may provide short-term symptomatic relief, but there is no evidence that they alter the long-term course of acute or chronic low back pain." (JAMA. 2008;299(17):2066-2077). Lifestyle education is effective but slow to react. When you have back pain you need help right away and proper lifting mechanics and posture training is effective for prevention but once you have a problem it isn't very quick at decreasing back pain.

So what about the approach that a chiropractor would take? The treatment used most frequently used by chiropractors is spinal manipulation. The goal of this treatment is to correct the mechanical problem causing the back pain. What does the JAMA article previously cited say about spinal manipulation?

"...Spinal manipulation generally results in more rapid recovery if applied within 3 weeks of onset of acute low back pain.

...Spinal manipulation for chronic low back pain provides benefits similar to a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug;

it is more effective in the short-term than placebo and general practitioner care and in the long term vs physical therapy."

Remember, this is not from a chiropractic journal. This is published by the American Medical Association and it clearly states that spinal manipulation is an effective treatment for acute low back pain and superior to general practitioner care and physical therapy for chronic low back pain. So you may wonder why your General Practitioner never uses spinal manipulation to treat your back pain. The reason is that they receive very little training in how to perform these techniques. Physical Therapists are prohibited by the limits of their license from performing the types of manipulations described in the cited article. So both of these practitioners treat back pain the best way they know how. Genereal Practitioners who understand the prevailing research refer low back pain patients to an expert in spinal manipulation such as a chiropractor. According to their research, it seems to be the most sensible approach.