Welcome to our office from the "Spine Gang."

Do you remember how electrical currents and 'unseen waves' were laughed at? The knowledge about man is still in its infancy. - Albert Einstein

Q. Which day has more collect calls than any other day of the year?.
A. Father's Day

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Office News
• Keep your babies and children healthy with chiropractic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Chiropractic questions and answers
• Words of Wisdom
• Chiropractic and spinal research
• Does Aspartame/NutraSweet cause brain cancer?
• Sunlight
• Hug your horse?
• Humor
• A Little History
• References

Office News

CHRISTMAS IN JULY has arrived once again at our office! Remember to refer your friends and family while our $25.00 Consultation/Exam/1st Adjustment special is running throughout the entire month of July. New patients taking advantage of this special are asked to bring in a donation to help La Mesita Homeless Shelter in addition to the fee. If you would like to donate an item or two to La Mesita as well, you can bring them into the office anytime. We are looking specifically to replish their shelves with children's toys, shoes/socks, jackets and school supplies. Other donations are welcome, including cash/checks payable to La Mesita. Thank you for your generosity each year!

DON'T FORGET YOUR ANTIOXIDANTS!

Just a friendly reminder to take an antioxidant formula throughout the swimming season. The harsh chemicals from our pools are hard on our bodies. Drinking lots of water helps to flush toxins out and keeps our cells, organs and muscles hydrated. Take good care of yourself this summer!

PATIENT SUCCESS STORIES

Male patient reports having his best volleyball season yet. Can't believe how little he is sore after the game.

Daily Excedrin taker reports its been over a week since taking the pills since starting chiropractic care.

Post-Menopausal Patient reports hot flashes are gone after starting care and some nutritional support.

Patient reports sleeping better and foot pain is gone.

73 year old patient reports legs and lower back pain better after just 3 adjustments.

Female patient reports arm/shoulder/finger pain gone since start of care.

Female patient reports hemorroids are gone after coccyx adjustment, and stay away with regular care.

Patient finding more energy and less pain after 2 visits. Realized this after not being adjusted for a month when problems returned.

Patient suffering with migraines every few weeks has only had one in the last 6 months under regular care.

These results are not an accident..When interference to the central nervous system is removed through chiropractic adjustments, our bodies are freed up to perform as they were designed to. If you hear of anyone suffering with problems like these above, or you hear of someone who wants their body to perform at its peak, refer them to chiropractic!.Life is better without subluxations!

Keep your babies and children healthy with chiropractic
You do so many things to ensure your baby's health: during pregnancy you eat right; you avoid cigarettes, alcohol and all drugs (even aspirin, cold, flu and other over-the-counter medications can damage your unborn child). You get your spine adjusted and educate yourself so you may have a natural, drug-free birth. After the baby arrives you breast-feed knowing that is the superior form of nutrition; in short, you do everything you can to make sure your baby is healthy.

But have you had your child's spine checked? An unhealthy spine can affect your child's health for his/her entire life. Your doctor of chiropractic is specially trained to check your child's spine for areas of distortion causing nerve damage - the vertebral subluxation complex (subluxations). Bringing in your family for care helps ensure that their bodies function at their best!

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
CTS often affects people involved in occupations requiring repetitive use of the hands and wrists (i.e. office and skilled labor jobs). Anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed for CTS, however they are ineffective in some patients and may cause adverse side effects.

CTS sufferers should explore chiropractic. The relationship between spinal health and carpal tunnel has been documented by researchers who find spinal nerve irritation in patients who had carpal tunnel or ulnar neuropathy and who found that nerve compression in the neck can block the flow of nutrients to the nerves in the wrist, making it more susceptible to injury (this is called the double crush syndrome). (1,2).
Not surprisingly, when 1,000 people with carpal tunnel syndrome were examined a large number were found to have neck degeneration. (3)
Because of chiropractic's success with CTS anyone with this condition should see a chiropractor. An adjustment may make the difference between a pain-free wrist or surgery! (4)

Chiropractic questions and answers

Question: Is chiropractic care addictive?
Answer: No, it isn't. But if it were (just a little) there'd be a lot less sick people running (or lying) around and we chiropractors wouldn't get patients who last saw a chiropractor "a few years ago when my spine went out."
It is possible to get used to feeling more balanced, less stressed and more energetic as a result of periodic chiropractic care. And you may become more sensitive to your body and know when you've "lost" your adjustment..
Question: Can I visit a chiropractor only once?
Answer: Of course. Once is better than never. People have gotten wonderful results from just one visit. But for most people the pain or symptoms they experience is just the "tip of the iceberg." It's best to ask your chiropractor what your spinal care needs are.
Question: What will happen if I stop going?
Answer: Stress will continue to build up as before. The only difference is that it won't be reduced through chiropractic care. In a way chiropractic is like a safety valve, releasing pressure from your system. If the pressure stays high and is not relieved the body and overall health will suffer.

Words of wisdom

Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances. - Unknown

The very fact that you know about someone who is in trouble means that in some way you are able to help. Otherwise, why would this knowledge have entered your world? - Lubavitcher Rebbe

Chiropractic and spinal research

Remember, all people can benefit from chiropractic care no matter what condition they may have. If you have any specific questions please feel free to contact us.
Chronic spinal pain. 77 patients received needle acupuncture, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or chiropractic care. Patients receiving chiropractic care demonstrated a 50% reduction for low back pain, 46% reduction for upper back pain and 33% reduction for neck pain. Acupuncture and NSAIDS achieved no significant improvement. (5).
Parkinson's Disease, Meniere's Syndrome, Trigeminal Neuralgia and Bell's Palsy. The author found the same spinal subluxation of C-1 or atlas in 16 Meniere's Syndrome, two Parkinson's Disease, two Trigeminal Neuralgia and two Bell's Palsy patients. The author writes: "When the atlas returns to [normal position], the spinal cord relaxes.All 22 patients improved dramatically after one or two adjustments." (6).
Back pain during pregnancy and labor. In this study of 170 pregnancies with reported back pain, 84% of patients receiving spinal care reported relief of back pain during pregnancy. There was significantly less likelihood of back labor when spinal care was administered during pregnancy. (7)

Does Aspartame/NutraSweet cause brain cancer?

Aspartame (NutraSweet, etc.) accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. These reactions include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, joint pain, seizures and death.
Shortly after Aspartame was released human brain tumors rose 10% and previously benign tumors turned virulent. It is little wonder that many health-conscious people believe avoiding NutraSweet improves their quality of life..
For great information see The Aspartame/NutraSweet Fiasco by James S. Turner, Esq. at http://csf.colorado.edu/envtecsoc/2002/msg00440.html
For great info on this subject also see The Artificially Sweetened Times at http://www.vaclib.org/news/astimes.htm
Aspartame/Nutrasweet are found in thousands of foods and substances..
http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/dangers.htm

Sunlight

Increasing evidence reveals that there is a chronic Vitamin D deficiency in many people that could easily be corrected by sunlight exposure on bare skin, no sunscreen. Just don't get burned! Articles are now describing the benefits of sunlight and its protection against cancer and other diseases.

Sun exposure decreases risk of MS

Children and adolescents who had high sun exposure had a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life. Researchers concluded that insufficient exposure to ultraviolet radiation or vitamin D might therefore increase the risk of MS. Other studies have had similar results, indicating that ultraviolet radiation may be beneficial against multiple sclerosis. (8)

Sunlight and melanoma

There is evidence that a moderate amount of unblocked sunlight is actually beneficial to most people, reducing the risk of many diseases - including, paradoxically, melanoma itself. For example, in often-cited research on US Navy personnel in San Diego, researchers from the University of California School of Medicine found that more melanoma occurred among desk workers than among sailors who worked outdoors. (9)

Hug your horse?

Actually this is a picture of animal chiropractor Dan Kamen, DC giving an adjustment to one of his larger patients..
All pets, large and small, benefit from a chiropractic checkup.

Humor
My grandfather always said, "Don't watch your money; watch your health." So one day while I was watching my health, someone stole all my money. It was my grandfather.
- Jackie Mason

From Henny Youngman, King of the One-Liners

My wife and I went back to the hotel where we spent our wedding night. Only this time, I stayed in the bathroom and cried.

My wife was at the beauty shop for two hours. That was only for the estimate.

A doctor has a stethoscope up to a man's chest. The man asks, "Doc, how do I stand?"
The doctor says, "That's what puzzles me!"

The other day I broke 70. That's a lot of clubs.

I have a lovely room and bath in a hotel. It's a little inconvenient, they're in two separate buildings!

There was a girl knocking on my hotel room door all night! Finally, I let her out.

My hotel room is so small, the mice are hunchbacked.

I just got back from a pleasure trip. I took my mother-in-law to the airport.

I wish my brother would learn a trade, so I would know what kind of work he's out of.

A Little History

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts, so in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts, and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's."

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

See you next month - and if you haven't visited the office for a spinal checkup in a while, please come by - we miss you! You'll have a healthier and happier Summer.

References
1. Upton, ARM & McComas, A.J. The double crush in nerve entrapment syndromes. Lancet. 1973(2):329.
2. Czaplak S. Impaired axoplasmic transport and the double crush syndrome: food for chiropractic thought. Clinical Chiropractic. Jan 1993;8-9.
3. Hurst LC, Weissburg D & Carroll RE. The relationship of the double crush syndrome (an analysis of 1,000 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome). J Hand Surg. 1985;10B ;202.
4. Davis PT, Hulbert JR, Kassak KM et al. Comparative efficacy of conservative medical and chiropractic treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized clinical trial. JMPT. 1998;21(5):317-326.
5. Giles LG, Muller R. Chronic spinal pain syndromes: a clinical pilot trial comparing acupuncture, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and spinal manipulation. JMPT. July/August 1999;22(6):376-381.
6. Burcon MT. Parkinson's Disease, Meniere's Syndrome, Trigeminal Neuralgia and Bell's Palsy: one cause, one correction. Dynamic Chiropractic, May 19, 2003:34, 41-44, 48.
7. Diakow PRP, Gadsby TA, Gadsby JB et al. Back pain during pregnancy and labor. JMPT. 1991;14(2).
8. British Medical Journal August 9, 2003;327:316
9. www.CancerDecisions.com Newsletter #135 05/30/04