Children, ADHD, and Sensory Disorders


It is any parent’s greatest wish to see their children happy and healthy. There is nothing more joyful than seeing a carefree, innocent smile light up your child’s face. Read more

Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Disorders


Your gastrointestinal system is an incredible design. It contains endocrine (hormonal) and immune system cells. It cooperates with beneficial bacteria to break down food and protect against harmful pathogens. Read more

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Neuropathies and carpal tunnel syndrome

September 7, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Bone Health, Chiropractic, Medicine, Spine, Wellness 1

Numbness. Tingling. Weakness. Pain. No one wants any of these symptoms. If you have a combination of these symptoms and your doctor determines your suffering is nerve-related, you receive this diagnosis: neuropathy. When neuropathies occur in the hands, they are often diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. Neuropathies can be caused by metabolic problems like diabetes or underactive thyroid. Another common cause is nerve pressure resulting from trauma. Neuropathy symptoms often occur in the arms and hands after a car accident. People who use their hands at work are at higher risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome: hairdressers, carpenters, and people who type away at their keyboards all day long.

Medical treatment of neuropathies involves drugs, such as anticonvulsants and antidepressants to manage the numbness and tingling. But what drug can restore strength to a weakened body part? This particular symptom does not respond well to drug treatment. A surgeon can cut part of your wrist to relieve the pressure on the nerve that supplies the hand, but this may not provide permanent or complete relief.

If you want to avoid brain-altering drugs and expensive surgeries, you need to investigate another avenue: alignment. As the name “carpal tunnel syndrome” suggests, you have a tunnel in your wrist. This is an arch made of bones that allows the nerves, tendons, and blood vessels to travel to the hand, like a train travels through a tunnel. If the bones of the arch are slightly displaced, they can interfere with normal nerve function and cause numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain.

What health care specialist is best suited to evaluate the alignment of your wrists? Only a licensed doctor of chiropractic has the training and skills to diagnose interference to normal nerve function. More importantly, chiropractors can remove this interference. In some cases, the relief can be immediate, complete, and long-lasting. A thorough doctor of chiropractic will investigate whether carpal tunnel symptoms are coming directly from the wrist, indirectly through the nerves at the base of the neck, or somewhere in between.

 

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.

 


Helping preemies recover from a rough start

August 24, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Asthma, Babies, Children, Chiropractic, Digestive Health, Research, Wellness Leave a comment  

A case report authored by Kelly A. Miller credits chiropractic care with the successful management of a pre-term infant who had suffered severe lung ailments, gastrointestinal complications and developmental delays, both physical and mental.

More than 50,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States each year. Of those who survive, many suffer from lung ailments and respiratory distress, with some facing a life-long battle.

These alarming numbers have our office pointing to the case report published recently in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.  The report suggests that chiropractic care may alleviate some associated effects of premature births.

In this particular study, an infant born at 24 weeks gestation underwent surgery and spent four months in a neonatal intensive care unit. After her discharge from the hospital, she continued to receive antibiotics as well as ventilation and oxygen therapy. Three months after her discharge, she was diagnosed by a chiropractor with spinal subluxations. The infant weighed only 12 pounds; she was listless, constipated and congested. She was put on a regimen of regular chiropractic evaluations and adjustments, starting with twice daily for two weeks, that were decreased gradually to once every two weeks. During the course of chiropractic care, according to the case report, the baby increased her range of motion and started breathing on her own as her lung function improved; she was less congested and colicky and became noticeably more verbal and alert to her surroundings.

Four months later, the infant was virtually symptom-free and in no need of further medical attention. In her physical and cognitive development she was now one month ahead of her age.

This case study is promising, but more studies of this kind are needed.  Nevertheless, this report gives hope to many parents of premature babies with underdeveloped lungs.  Even full-term infants as young as a few months can benefit tremendously from regular chiropractic care.


Your genes are not your destiny! Changing your health future

August 17, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Chiropractic, Healing, Research, Stress, Wellness Leave a comment  

Gotta love this! Dr. Dean Ornish, MD, led a research study in 2008 that showed the body’s power to restore itself when treated well. The participants made healthy lifestyle changes that changed which genes became activated. Hundreds of individual genes were either switched on or off, depending on the body’s own intelligence. It is the activation, not the mere presence, of genes that determines our health status. As an analogy, I have about 50 programs on my computer, but only 8 of them are running right now.

In 2005, researchers Campbell, Kent, and colleagues discovered something else truly amazing: Chiropractic works like an anti-oxidant! The study measured serum thiol, a marker for DNA repair activity, in the blood of volunteers. People were grouped into three categories: active disease or acute injury, short-term chiropractic care, and long-term chiropractic care.

The results were astounding: people under long-term chiropractic care showed the strongest DNA repair activity. In other words, their bodies were most capable of countering oxidative stress and reducing inflammation. People who were sick or injured showed the weakest DNA repair activity. The bottom line is, if you can easily fix your own DNA, you will age slower and have a higher quality of life.

The greatest benefits were seen in the people under wellness-based chiropractic care for more than two years. The best thing is, everyone in the study was over 40 years old. This shows that it’s never too late to change your health and take control of your life. Are you ready to age well?

www.vitallifechiropractic.com


Back to school? Backpack safety tips!

August 10, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Bone Health, Children, Posture, Spine, Stress, Wellness 2 Comments

Soon children, teens, and young adults will be returning to school with their backpacks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission, there are about 20,000 visits to emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and clinics as a result of backpack-related injuries. The preventable injuries from backpacks range from neck, back, and shoulder strains to bruises and even fractures. The physical stress of a backpack can affect your child’s nervous system and overall well-being.

The most common signs that a backpack is too heavy include: 

  1.  Frequently changing position while carrying the backpack.
  2. Leaning forward to walk.
  3. Struggling to put on the backpack.
  4. Pain in any area before, during and after wearing a backpack.
  5. Tingling or numbness especially in the arms or hands.
  6.  Red marks on the skin from the straps.

 3 Things You Need to Do:

Pack Right. The maximum weight of the loaded backpack should not exceed 10% of body weight.

Tip: If the backpack forces the body to lean forward, it’s overloaded.

Lift Right. Face the pack, bend at the knees, use both hands, lift with the legs, apply one shoulder strap and then the other.

Tip: Don’t sling the backpack onto one shoulder.

Wear Right. Use both shoulder straps – snug, but not too tight.

Tip: Select a backpack with a chest strap and/or waist strap – and use it!

www.vitallifechiropractic.com


Does the government decide for you?

August 3, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Chiropractic, Wellness Leave a comment  
  • What do you think of these goals for health care?
  • Prevent disease
  • Promote health
  • Prolong and enhance quality of life
  • Maintain or prevent deterioration of a chronic condition

Sounds fantastic, right? Isn’t that why you started making healthy changes in the first place?

The thing is, Medicare explicitly denies coverage of chiropractic care for these important goals. Health insurance companies have followed the government’s lead and restricted coverage to acute musculoskeletal conditions. Once you’re “feeling good,” with less back and neck pain, your coverage ends. The truth is, health insurance is only good for several visits of relief care, not for the release care that people are most excited about! Release care often results in:

  • Longer attention span (kids and adults!)
  • More powerful mental focus
  • Increased physical endurance
  • Sleeping more soundly
  • Fewer colds and infections
  • Easier, more regular digestion
  • Increased sense of well-being

You are the ONLY one who has to live in your body and control your life’s choices. Don’t let a faceless institution dictate your quality of life!


Blood pressure and chiropractic care?

July 27, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Chiropractic, Healing, Research, Spine, Uncategorized, Wellness Leave a comment  

Researchers at the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center are reporting stunning reductions in the blood pressure of patients afflicted with hypertension following simple and painless chiropractic care.

In the study – published in the March 2, 2007, issue of The Journal of Human Hypertension and featured on WebMD – 50 patients with hypertension were divided into two groups of 25 each.  One group of 25 received a specific light force chiropractic adjustment (administered by a chiropractor) to the atlas vertebra (uppermost bone in the neck).  This vertebra holds up the head and only relies on soft tissue to maintain alignment.  Misalignment, also known as subluxation, usually goes undiagnosed and causes no pain or discomfort. The other group of 25 received a similar procedure but with no adjustment being given. Researchers called this procedure the “sham adjustment.” Since the type of adjustment given was very light force, the patients involved in this study did not know if they were receiving the real or sham adjustments.

After 8 weeks of care, the 25 people in the group receiving the real chiropractic adjustments all showed a significant reduction in blood pressure compared to the group that received the sham adjustment. Those patients who got the real adjustment showed an average of 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average of 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number) over those who got the fake or sham adjustment.

As noted by the chiropractor who performed on the study team, at the base of the brain are two centers that control all the muscles of the body. If you pinch the base of the brain – if the atlas gets locked in a position as little as a half a millimeter out of line – it doesn’t cause any pain but it upsets these centers.

 The study leader reported that the procedure had the effect of not one, but two, blood pressure medications given in combination.  And his team reported no side effects whatsoever from the adjustment.

Chiropractic care is a maintenance program for the nervous system. If the nervous system is free of stress and operating at peak efficiency, it can lead the body to do incredible things. The human body is the greatest technology on today’s market - let’s take good care of it.

www.vitallifechiropractic.com


Ear Infections and Chiropractic Care

March 2, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Babies, Children, Chiropractic, Immune System, Spine, Wellness Leave a comment  

As a parent, would you be impressed by 70-93% effectiveness? A 1997 study of 332 children with otitis media showed remarkable results. All children were between 27 days and 5 years of age. Children were categorized into four groups, depending on the type of otitis media they presented with. Each child received 4-6 adjustments and was monitored for 6 months after initial care. Six months later, between 70-89 percent of the children had no recurrence of ear infections. This study supported a 1996 report of 93% improvement in ear infection symptoms after chiropractic care, typically a 6-visit care plan, in the same age group.

For more than 100 years, chiropractors have focused on improving the function of both body and mind by addressing the nervous system. In fact, the first chiropractic adjustment, in 1895, restored hearing to a man who had suddenly become deaf after contorting his spine while working in a cramped space.

It is important to note that chiropractic is not a “treatment” for ear infections. The intention of chiropractic care is to address the spinal and meningeal structures to reduce impediments to nerve system function. If the nerves to the inner ear and Eustachian tubes are communicating properly, these structures will drain efficiently, and fluid will not build up in the inner ear. This makes children less susceptible to having a cold develop into an ear infection. Parents also find that children under regular chiropractic care bounce back more quickly from illness. If you have ever seen an adult get a chiropractic adjustment, it is nothing like an infant adjustment. For babies, chiropractors use the pressure you would apply to test a tomato for ripeness.

According to AskDrSears.com, indications of an ear infection include 2 or more of these symptoms:

1. Cold symptoms – keep in mind that ear infections are almost always preceded by a cold. Often a clear runny nose will turn yellow or green before an ear infection sets in.
2. Fussiness during the day or night
3. Complaining of ear pain or hearing loss
4. Night-waking more frequently
5. Unwillingness to lie flat
6. Fever – usually low grade (101º – 102º); may not have a fever.
7. Sudden increase in fussiness during a cold
8. Ear drainage – if you see blood or pus draining out of the ear, then it is probably an infection with a ruptured eardrum. These almost always heal just fine.

Your child is unlikely to have an ear infection if they have no symptoms of a cold, unless they have had a diagnosed ear infection in the past without a cold. If your child is less than 12 months old, they are unable to precisely localize their ear pain. Infants cannot tell that the pain associated with teething is coming from their ears, or from their jawbones and teeth. The pain of teething comes and goes from about four months of age until the two-year molars have emerged. Infants may also tug or bat at their ears because they enjoy playing with these strange, floppy appendages. Infants interact with the world primarily on a physical level, so sticking their finger in their ear may be exploration, not a distress signal.

Does your pediatrician know about the latest research on the effectiveness of chiropractic care? The author and pediatrician Dr. Sears notes: “I firmly believe that chiropractic adjustments to the skull and neck can improve middle ear drainage and decrease ear infections.”

www.vitallifechiropractic.com


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