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By William L. Hill, D.C.
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The following articles are brought to you as a community service by Hill Chiropractic. |
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START THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT
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Happy New Year! It’s time to set resolutions to improve your daily activities and health. What better way to start on your goals than seeing a chiropractor to get in proper spinal alignment. The headaches, leg pains and backaches you had last year can most likely be improved or eliminated by the professional hands-on care of a Doctor of Chiropractic.
If you have not seen a chiropractor, visit a couple in your area. Read their literature and ask questions. You want to go to a doctor who makes you comfortable. Ask friends and neighbors to suggest chiropractors to call. This will make you feel more at ease.
Chiropractors have many years of education before joining a practice or starting their own. They also continue to attend educational seminars and training sessions. Chiropractors are known for a high degree of success treating back, neck, shoulder and leg pains, as well as whiplash problems. Begin the New Year on the right track and call a chiropractor today.
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IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP
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Sleep is critical to good health and to the proper functioning of the body. It’s the mind and body’s way of recharging fro the next day’s activities. Some people who have trouble sleeping take medication. Some of them end up with unpleasant after effects in the morning. Since doctors of chiropractic do not prescribe medicine, their approach to sleep problems is to encourage a lifestyle that promotes good sleep. Here are some tips that the experts recommend:
• Regular exercise helps by burning energy during the day. Exercise at night may actually stimulate to the point that it hinders sleep.
• Don’t eat just before going to bed. Eat dinner early. The process of digesting food can interfere with sleep.
• Try to go to bed at night and get up in the morning at the same time each day. A regular pattern will help with sleep.
• Choose a good mattress and pillows. The mattress should provide good support but not be rigid. Special orthopedic pillows are available and you may benefit from one if you routinely wake up with shoulder, neck or upper back discomfort.
If these steps don’t help, talk with your chiropractor. You may have a misalignment or other condition that the chiropractor can treat.
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DIAGNOSING A DISC INJURY
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Injury to a disc – 23 of them cushion the bones of the spine – can cause symptoms ranging from pain to tingling, numbness and weakness. If the problem is in the neck, the symptoms may be felt in the shoulders, arms and hands. If the problem is in the lower spine, the symptoms may more likely be felt in the buttocks, legs, feet and toes. Any of these symptoms should send you for a chiropractic exam.
In trying to diagnose the problem, your chiropractor will test the reflexes, sensation and strength in the arms and/or legs. The chiropractor may also try to stimulate or replicate the pain by testing specific discs. Use of magnetic resonance imaging, commonly referred to as an MRI, is a common diagnostic tool. No one of these tools may be definitive in establishing the cause of the problem. It takes the training of a chiropractor to determine from the gathered information the root of the problem.
The good news is that once the diagnosis is made, most disc injuries will resolve or at least improve with conservative treatment that may be a simple as the application of ice, advice on posture and movement, or spinal adjustment.
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