A Fine Piece of Art


Michelangelo's David was sculpted out of an "undesirable" block of marble rejected by all of his contemporaries. The artist said that when he looked at a blank slab of stone, Read more

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

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Normal aging, or better aging?

July 11, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Athletes, Balanced living, Bone Health, Chiropractic, Posture, Spine, Stress, Wellness 2 Comments

I was researching arthritis and found a simple explanation on an orthopedic surgeon’s website. It’s caused by normal wear and tear, apparently. They were referring specifically to osteoarthritis, which is the abnormal bone growth and spurring that causes motion restriction and nerve damage. As a chiropractor, I’ve seen a lot of X-rays. When there’s evidence of spinal osteoarthritis, it’s almost always in one of two places: the base of the neck (spinal segments C5-7) and base of the low back (L4-S1). These two spots are predictably where people  have surgeries and fusions, which are rather pricey and time-consuming. Now why is it that there are dozens of healthy spinal segments and only a handful of degenerated segments? They are all the same age. Isn’t gravity pretty much a constant force on us, unless we spend a lot of time on roller coasters? But osteoarthritis predictably affects the same parts of the spine.

Both of these people (they are facing to the right) are 50 years old. All you need to know is that green is healthy, and red is very unhealthy.

If you knew how to prevent osteoarthritis, would that help you age better? Note that you don’t want to age “normally” anymore, you want to age as best as you can! Check this out: your low back and the base of your neck are vulnerable points in the spine. An accumulation of physical and emotional stresses causes these body parts to malfunction and wear out more quickly. For example, car accidents, hockey, and football make people susceptible to osteoarthritis and accelerated aging. But there is a solution to this problem. If you choose regular chiropractic care to keep your spine and nervous system healthy, you can decrease the likelihood that you will age with “normal wear and tear.” So avoid being diagnosed with a chronic, degenerative condition like:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Degenerative joint disease
  • Stenosis
  • Sciatica, radiculopathy, myelopathy, and all the other terms for “my body is literally getting on my own nerves”

 

If you ignore your body, it will predictably decline faster than necessary. If you take care of your body better than you do your car (yes, better!), your body will predictably age slower than everyone around you. Don’t be normal, be better than average!

 


One Skipped Dessert

March 14, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Bone Health, Chiropractic, Healing, Immune System, Research, Spine, Wellness Leave a comment  

What do these things have in common?

  • 30 sit-ups
  • A chiropractic adjustment
  • One skipped dessert

They are… all positive choices? Yes! Part of a healthy lifestyle? Yup! Instant fixes that will give you six-pack abs and the results you want? Nope.

Clients sometimes ask me, how much longer do I have to keep getting adjusted? My answer is, as long as you want to be your best. When are you “done” with eating nutritious foods? Done with exercising? Done with brushing your teeth, getting haircuts, washing your clothes, and taking showers? Okay, if you decide to do that, you won’t need to tell anyone, we’ll all figure it out from 50 feet away.

When a client gets their nerve system checked using Torque Release Technique (TRT), my job as the clinician is to have a conversation with that client’s nervous system. Is there nerve interference that is sapping their potential for fully expressing life and healing? Or, since they are taking good care of themselves, do they have a nerve system functioning with no sign of distortion, and are they “clear” at that point in time?

TRT uses objective measures of detecting nerve system interference (subluxation), so we can determine a client’s ideal frequency. Most people need to be checked and adjusted once per week to counteract the effects of accumulated physical, chemical, and mental stresses. When clients get off schedule, they often report feeling less “with-it,” getting sick more often, and generally feeling out of balance. Try eating healthy for 2 months, then eat edible-foodlike-substances-thru-a-car-window, and you’ll know what I mean!

Research from Clinical Biomechanics journal informs us that once-a-month chiropractic care is not an ideal “maintenance” schedule. Videman and colleagues noted that after two weeks of joint immobilization, irreversible degenerative changes occurred. These changes included breakdown of cartilage, hardening of bone, and formation of bone spur. Put those things together, and you have common conditions called osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease. That’s called accelerated aging, which is not normal and I recommend my clients do everything possible to avoid.

Most people would agree: your life is too important to have a random, scattershot approach. So keep making choices that serve you best. When your body works better, your life works better!


Aging Well in 2012

January 4, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Bone Health, Chiropractic, Posture, Spine, Stress, Wellness 4 Comments

As we watch our parents and grandparents age poorly and move into nursing homes, we want something better for ourselves in old age. We want to age well. Which 50-year-old would you choose to be?

Healthy neck X-ray of a 50-year-old (the person is facing to the right): no evidence of osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease, and no interference to the function of the brainstem or spinal cord.

Diseased neck X-ray of a 50-year-old: advanced osteoarthritis (bone spurs) and advanced degenerative disc disease, with pressure on the brainstem causing malfunction of body systems.

If people wore their spines on their faces, everyone would be taking good care of their spine and nervous system, guaranteed! It is not our intent to frighten people, but to help them understand that they have choices in their quality of life as they age. The choices you make today will affect your life 10, 20, and even 30 years from now. The same is true regarding the choices you make for your children. Make a positive choice by adding a chiropractor to your health care team!

Aging is a requirement. Deterioration is optional.

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