San Diego Chiropractor

Are you ready to try chiropractic care?

Jones Chiropractic is a referral-based chiropractic practice. We use this blog and our website to explain to San Diego-area residents and visitors what a chiropractor does—and what a chiropractor doesn’t do.  We also use these sites to relay plenty of information regarding maintenance of your body in order to promote general health and wellness.

At my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic we believe in empowering you to take control of your health – not just by coming to us for chiropractic care but by enlightening you regarding activities that you may be engaging in that make your condition worse.  We also (with your interest and cooperation) teach you how to heal, balance and strengthen your body with stretches, exercises and nutrition – all of which you can do at home to better maintain your health.

Are you looking for natural solutions for your headaches or back pain? Are you considering treatment methods that will help you get well and stay well while avoiding drugs or surgery?  If so, you’ve found the right place!  That is because finding a qualified chiropractor in the San Diego-area begins and ends right here!

Take the first step toward relief by calling our office today at (619) 280-0554 – countless other San Diego-area residents already have!

Our Office Hours Are As Follows

Monday & Wednesday ~9 to 1 and 3 to 6~

Tuesday  ~10 to 2~

Friday ~9 to 1 and 3 to 5~

Saturday ~10 to 1~

Thursday and Sunday ~Closed~

Please read on, and have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

Reducing sodium in our diets is a simple way to dramatically improve your health.

When I talk to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic about excess sodium in their diets I often get responses like “I never add salt to my food”.  As a side note, I often ask to check my patients’ blood pressure and hear a retort similar to “my blood pressure is perfect – I take blood pressure medication”.   The reason that I give these two examples is because they are related to each other.

Most of the sodium that we get is already in the food that we eat.  Sodium is added to foods as a preservative, it accentuates the sweetness of cakes and cookies, it helps disguise metallic or chemical aftertastes in soft drinks and it helps reduces the perceived dryness in snack foods such as crackers and pretzels.  Of course all of this sodium causes high blood pressure.

Estimates indicate that upwards of 70% of the sodium in American diets come from processed foods.  Processed foods exist because they are convenient and sometimes for safety reasons.  Below is a partial list of processed foods that are or can be harmful to your health and cause elevations in blood pressure.

• canned foods with large amounts of sodium, trans-fats or fat
• breads and pastas made with refined white flour instead of whole grains
• packaged snack foods such as chips and candies
• frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners are high in sodium
• packaged cakes, cookies and other sweets
• boxed meal mixes
• sugary breakfast cereals
• processed meats

The label below is from a processed food package.   It is important to note the amount of sodium per serving as well as the number of servings per can.  In this example, one serving contains 440mg of sodium which is already a bit high – but if you eat the entire contents of the container you will be taking in over 1600mg of sodium which is entirely too much in one meal to be compatible with normal blood pressure.

The point is this – in order to reduce your sodium intake and subsequently your blood pressure, you have to substitute processed foods for fresh, organic foods.  While the preparation of your new meals will be a little more complex than opening a can or peeling the top off of a TV dinner, the health rewards will be well worth your efforts.

When you do eat processed foods, make sure that they have less than 400 mg sodium per serving and of course don’t add table salt to any of your meals.  This sodium lowering strategy will lower your blood pressure and make you healthier.

Sincerely,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

It seems that at the start of each year we resolve to do better for ourselves – usually in the form of diet and exercise.  The problem is that our efforts are short lived because we look at these changes as only paying dividends in the long run – typically diet and exercise take time to produce visible changes but deep down the positive effects are nearly immediate.  This is the kind of information that I like passing on to my San Diego Chiropractic patients because it can help them stay the course of health improvement.

Healthy Girl

Recent studies have tracked the impact of a healthy diet on our bodies.  In the time line example below, this is how our bodies respond to a clean diet that begins with a healthy breakfast made up of lean protein such as egg whites with fresh fruit and whole grains.   This breakfast is the beginning of a diet with no fat, no sugar and no processed foods.

After 15 minutes: Our bodies recognize complete nutrition.  When we eat a breakfast as described above the stomach sends signals to the brain that indicate that you are full.  By eliminating processed foods (such as white bread and sugary cereals) and substituting healthy foods you will feel energetic and mentally alert after just one meal.  When we consume healthy, nutrient dense, bioavailable, unprocessed foods our bodies don’t crave more foods and therefore we tend to eat less.

3 hours later: Your arteries are able to expand allowing increase blood flow to the body’s muscles, tissues and organs.  This increased blood flow improves mental clarity and helps maintain your energy levels.

6 hours later: HDL cholesterol (the good one) in your blood starts scouring LDL cholesterol (the bad one) from your blood.

12 hours later: Your body begins to burn the fat it has stored for energy because you’ve eliminated sugar from your diet. When you eat sugar, your body uses the sugar for energy and holds on to its fat.

16 hours later: Your clean diet contains no stimulants to you sleep better and feel more rested when you wake up the next morning.

24 hours later: You are most likely 1 to 2 pounds lighter.  At this point your body has already begun to flush excess water and a host of toxins from your system.

3 days later: Once your body begins to lose excess weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels start to improve.  All this in just 3 days!

1 week later:  Cholesterol levels can drop significantly. Blood levels of vitamin C and vitamin E are higher. You should notice improved digestion and you should be at least 5 pounds lighter.   Cleaning processed foods from your diet and replacing those items with lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables significantly improve digestion.

2 weeks later:  2 weeks of clean eating will reduce your blood pressure by a noticeable amount.  You should have also lost up to 10 pounds at this point.

1 month later:  At this point your new diet should be easy to maintain.  You should be feeling much better and have tons of energy.  Lab tests show that at this point LDL cholesterol should be up to 30% lower.

6 weeks later: You should have lost up to 20 pounds at this point.

12 weeks later: All of your health markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels should be within normal ranges.  All of this occurs within 3 months of healthy eating.

The benefits of eating healthy go on and on.  The purpose of this post was to empower you to stay the course of health related New Years resolutions because research shows that the benefits come fast and have long term positive impacts on your health.  Consider for a moment how much faster this improvement takes place when clean eating is combined with 30 to 45 minutes per day of aerobic exercise.  Stay the course and the results can come shockingly fast.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you take prescription medications?  If so, do you take them instead of simply eating healthy and exercising?  This is a tough question to answer – often we are reluctant to simply admit that we sacrifice our very health for our indulgences and lack of self control.  Research indicates, however, that this is exactly what we are doing.

The patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic are not quite as heavily prescribed as the general public.  This is probably because the average patient with a chiropractic mindset looks to alternative, natural methods to improve health.

According to a September 2011 document released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics the percentage of Americans on prescription drugs in any given month is a whopping 47.2% – which is up from 39% when this same research was performed in 1994.  This organization also predicted that for the first time in our history that half of our population will be on some kind of prescription drug before the end of 2012.

Too Many Meds

More bad news about prescription drugs:

1)      As of 2008, 20.8% of our population is on three or more prescription drugs.

2)      As of 2008, 11% of our population is on five or more prescription drugs.

3)      As of 2008, 25.3% of children under the age of 18 are on at least one prescription drug.

4)      As of 2008, 53% of all American women are on at least one prescription drug.

5)      As of 2008, 90% of all Americans over the age of 65 are on at least one prescription drug.

6)      As of 2008, 65% of all Americans over the age of 65 are on three or more prescription drugs.

7)      As of 2008, over 36% of all Americans over the age of 65 are on five or more prescription drugs.

Is This What We Are Becoming?

The drug industry has US sales of over $300 billion dollars annually, which is more than enough to keep these trends going (after all, they are in it for the money!).

Prescription medications have their place and are often necessary in emergency medical situations, but I am afraid that they often find their way into our lives because as a nation we eat too much fat, sugar and processed foods that are of almost no nutritional value.  Add to this a general lack of interest in exercise compounded by some outright unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol consumption and you have a perfect storm for creating an unhealthy population that requires the help of prescription medications in order for their bodies to function.  It is indeed a sad state of affairs.

Here is to a healthier 2012!

Dr. Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Facts Regarding Muscle Relaxers

If you go to your medical doctor for lower back pain you will most likely get muscle relaxants – but do they work?  Studies compiled since 2004 seem to indicate that they help less than you think they would and they come with risks that you may not want to take.

Muscle Relaxers: Good or Bad?

Most of the low back pain patients that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic clinic get very little if any relief from muscle relaxers – that is why most of them ended up in my chiropractic clinic.  After all, there is a reason that chiropractors tend to be known as “back pain doctors.”

So here are some facts that were drawn from recent studies about muscle relaxants.

-          The average patient experiences somewhere between 10% and 20% reduction in their level of pain with the use of muscle relaxants.

-          Muscle relaxers have side effects that include:  blurred vision, double vision, dizziness, drowsiness, fainting, hives, depression, difficulty breathing, stomach cramping, clumsiness, nervousness, irritability, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramping, vomiting of blood, bloody stools, etc.  These side effects are similar to those found in over the counter pain medications.

-          As a country we spend $11 billion dollars per year on muscle relaxers.

-          The average cost of muscle relaxants per patient per episode of low back pain is $441.00

Chiropractic care compares quite favorably to muscle relaxants for the treatment of lower back pain.  A 2004 study compared treatment outcomes of 1.7 million insured patients seeking various types of care, including chiropractic care, for lower back pain.  This study found that when chiropractic care was used that treatment costs were reduced by 28%, incidence of hospitalization was reduced by 41%, the need for surgical intervention was decreased by 32% and special testing utilization (MRI, CAT scan, etc.) was reduced by 37%.

Chiropractic Adjustment for Low Back Pain

A 2008 study that compared chiropractic care to all forms of medical treatment, including muscle relaxers, found that after 8 weeks of care that chiropractic care was 457% more effective for relieving pain and restoring function than any type of medicine.

The problem with medication is that it works to relieve the symptom but it does not address the cause.  If the cause is addressed, which in most cases of lower back pain is a bio-mechanical problem with the joints, the symptoms will be chronic – never seeming to resolve.  Chiropractic care works to resolve bio-mechanical issues with the joints which is why it is so much more effective at resolving lower back pain than the minimal relief provided by muscle relaxers.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you text while driving?  If so you are putting yourself and others in danger.

Distracted by Text Driving

Recent studies have been released regarding texting while driving that explains why automobile accidents and the accompanying whiplash injuries are on the rise.  I see the results of texting while driving with more and more frequency in my San Diego Chiropractic Office.  It is not uncommon at all to find that my patients involved in car accidents were either rear-ended or side swiped by someone who was texting while driving.

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Driving Institute found that drivers who text while they drive are 23 times more likely to cause a car accident than those who don’t text while driving.  Another report from the National Safety Council relayed that 28% of all car accidents are caused by texting or talking on the phone (hands free or not) while driving.  A recent report from the DOT indicated that cell phones are factors in over 1.5 million accidents each year resulting in a half a million injuries and approximately 6000 deaths.

So those are the statistics, pretty grim aren’t they?  Automobile accidents most commonly cause whiplash injuries that result in neck pain, pain that radiates into your arms, middle back pain, lower back pain, headaches, etc, etc, etc.

Cell phones and texting can be invaluable as emergency communication devices but unfortunately the unsafe use of these tools will no doubt lead to a total ban while driving.

In the mean time, drive safe and watch out for text-drivers.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Most Americans have trouble with the concept of health maintenance, but it is not their fault!

At my San Diego Chiropractic Center I notice that most of my new patients also have an altered view of health maintenance as well.

Current Western Medicine can’t quite grasp health maintenance either.  To most, health maintenance means going to your MD for routine physical exams with the hope that if trouble is brewing your doctor discovers it early and can begin treatment.   This is the concept of health maintenance that the medical profession has taught us.  THIS IS NOT HEALTH MAINTENANCE!  It is sick care.

Health maintenance includes regular check-ups with your doctor but its roots lie in proactive steps that you, the patient, engage in to insure that you remain healthy.

Maintaining your health requires daily efforts that include healthy dietary choices, nutritional supplementation, exercising, stretching, getting adequate amounts of sleep, stress reduction whenever possible and other steps that help keep our bodies healthy and our minds clear.

Eating Right is Very Important

Chiropractic care, unlike Western Medical care, was developed specifically with a health maintenance protocol in mind.  While chiropractic treatment is very effective at relieving both chronic and acute forms of neck pain, pinched nerves, back pain and headaches, it truly excels as a preventative form of treatment.  The phrase “an ounce of treatment is worth a pound of cure” suitably applies to maintenance based chiropractic care.

In today’s society our bodies have taken a backseat to our other concerns.  We take our cars in for 30, 60 and 90 thousand mile service regardless of its performance – we run virus scans on our computers at regular intervals whether it is infected or not – yet when it comes to our bodies the typical person does little to maintain themselves with diet and exercise and only goes in for care when they are experiencing symptoms.

Exercise Your Ails Away

If you expect to live a long happy life, health has to be a big part of that.  For more information on general health concerns please visit my website by Clicking Here.

Sincerely,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Over the last few weeks I had a wonderful experience with Acupuncture treatment and I thought I would share my experience with you.

Recently I have been tormented with a condition called tinnitus or more commonly known as ringing in the ears.  This tinnitus had been pestering me for nearly six months and is progressively worsening.   Since I am nearly 50 years old I also have my share of unresolved aches and pains that I carry with me as well – since I was going in for care I thought I may as well have her take a look at some of these as well.

Acupuncture

On a recommendation from my assistant I scheduled an appointment with an Acupuncturist here in San Diego, CA – Kimberly Hoover, L.Ac.   The funny thing about this referral is that I have known Kim and been referring patients to her for almost 20 years.  The only reason that I had not been to her for care before is because I am kind of chicken of needles (more on this later).

.

Anyway, my visit to Acu-Care was truly a remarkable experience.  Kim had me fill out a brief health questionnaire, reviewed my answers with me and then explained a little bit about the history and theory of Acupuncture.  Even though I had been referring patient to her for years she made sure that I understood what she was going to do and why before she moved on to treatment. She then evaluated me and she began treatment.

At the time that I am writing this I have had two Acupuncture sessions.  After the first session – which lasted about an hour – my tinnitus was at least 90% improved.  I also noted dramatic improvement in other areas that she worked on.  The best part of all of this is that there was no pain what so ever associated with the treatment – in fact it was all very relaxing, I believe that I even fell asleep during a portion of my sessions.

Like I indicated earlier, going for Acupuncture has been a wonderful experience and I will keep you posted on how it goes from here.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

We always hear and read articles on the importance of core strength in the prevention of back pain.

When I discuss core strength with the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic it becomes obvious that most don’t really know what core strength is or how to get it.

Most patients think that core strength comes from tightening the abs by doing sit-ups or crunches.  While there is nothing wrong with doing these exercises, they only marginally help with core strength.

Core strength comes from working the muscles that help hold your spine upright.  Working the muscles that help hold your spine upright will help improve your posture as well as help provide stability when you are lifting, carrying, changing body positions and performing tasks that will challenge your ability to maintain healthy posture.

Sit-ups and crunches only work the muscles that round your back forward – flexing our spines into a “C” shape.  A good set of core strengthening exercises should actually work the muscles of the back, the hips, the legs and the obliques – all of which help you hold your spine in an upright position.   It is the conditioning of all of these muscles that builds the core strength that you often read about on the internet or in health magazines.

The bottom line on building core strength is that you should spend less time working your abs and more time performing plank and spinal stabilization exercises. Performing plank exercises for 5 minutes per day, with good form, will help improve your core strength and help prevent injuries to your back.

Below are examples of both basic plank and side plank.  While they seem simple, they are very effective.  Your goal should be to hold these positions for up to 2 minutes at a time (you may have start with shorter times and work your way up).  Be patient – building core strength is a marathon not a sprint.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Basic Low Plank

Side Plank

Age and its impact on our individual health is so interesting . .  . and confusing.

The other day I had a new patient in my San Diego chiropractic clinic who was complaining of neck pain and middle back pain.  He was in his forties, markedly over weight and looked like he was in his sixties.  His history was void of any serious or chronic injuries / pain that would explain his lack of conditioning and he spent the majority of his working career in an office.  It was at that point that I found myself falling into the default thinking that most of us always do of advancing age equaling loss of conditioning and subsequently your health.

While it can’t be denied that age leads to arthritic changes in the joints, breakdown of the collagen that keeps our skin tight and hormonal changes that affect men and women in various ways, it seems that many of the health issues that the patient that I described in the previous paragraph are simply due to improper care and maintenance – being a poor observer of his own body regarding how his diet and lifestyle have been impacting his health.

As we age we learn more and more about the important things in our lives that lead to us getting better at them.  Our lines of work would be a good example of this.  Why don’t we do the same with our health and the maintenance of our bodies?  Doesn’t it seem logical that we would apply the lessons that we learn early on regarding health to ourselves and actually experience improved health and conditioning as we age?

If we look at the care of our bodies as we do our jobs or hobbies for instance we should get much better at taking care of ourselves as we advance in years.  We should recognize that sodium filled foods make us feel fat and bloated and thus eliminate them from our diets.  We should note that after exercise we feel accomplished and invigorated inspiring us to be more active.

It all seems so simple yet most of us don’t do it.  In my younger years I don’t ever recall my friends and I anticipating the day that we would become overweight, de-conditioned, un-motivated and of ill health.  However, now that I have pushed into my late forties, many of my friends and acquaintances that are in my age group are there – and most of them chalk it up to their age, not their lifestyles or their disregard for basic principles of health maintenance.

The answers to long lasting health are so obvious yet we ignore them and pay the price as we age.

Just a little food for thought.

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

What is Adrenal Insufficiency?

Our adrenal glands are responsible for the “fight or flight” response that occurs when we are under stress.  These days it seems that we are under constant stress which in turn stimulates tremendous demand on our adrenals.  I see the effects of adrenal stress in the patients of my San Diego chiropractic clinic all the time.   Between living expenses increasing, jobs becoming more difficult to come by, family pressure and health issues it is no wonder that so many of us suffer the vague symptoms of adrenal exhaustion.

Typical adrenal insufficiency symptoms include:

1)      Fatigue

2)      Poor Circulation

3)      Low Blood Pressure

4)      Depression and Apathy

5)      Allergies

6)      Joint Pain

7)      Decreased Stamina

8)      Weakness

9)      Low Body Temperature

10)  Increased Need for Sleep Without Feeling Rested

So what can you do?

A big part of decreasing adrenal stress includes identifying and controlling the factors that create stress in your life.  Some types of stress can’t be eliminated but they can be managed.  Finding balance in your life will help mitigate your stress.  Finding time for relaxing activities, taking a mid afternoon nap and going to bed early enough to allow for 7 hours of sleep are healthy ways to balance your stress.  In addition to decreasing your actual stress, you can make dietary changes (less caffeine & less sugar for example) as well as taking targeted nutritional supplements to help relieve stress from your body and support your adrenal glands.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

How healthy are your food choices?

I talk to patients in my San Diego Chiropractic Office everyday who rain accolades on their healthy diet choices. Sometimes patients who are either obese or border line obese tell me all about their healthy diet choices while they are sucking down a venti Pumpkin Spiced Latte that contains 61 grams of sugar, 20 grams of saturated fat and 510 calories.  The problem is that many people don’t read labels or consider nutritional content so they simply are unaware of what they are consuming and how it affects them.

My prior blog post covered specific foods to avoid in order to benefit your joint health.  This post will provide a list of foods that have a positive impact on your joints and your health in general.

There are specific foods that promote joint health, weight loss and your general health – you simply have to choose them over the sugar filled, high caloric and fat saturated choices that seem to be so accessible.  Below is a list of foods that will make you healthier and happier with less joint pain.

1)  Shrimp: Shrimp shells contain high levels of glucosamine which helps combat inflammation of the joints. Lobster and crab are also good sources of glucosamine.

2) Salmon: Salmon is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids that have tremendous benefits for joint health.  Salmon also helps with weight control and heart health.  The fat composition of salmon also has a great ratio of omega 3s to omega 6s and its health-supportive balance of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats has also been shown.

3) Almonds: Almonds contain the same omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon. They also are a good source of vitamin E and manganese. Manganese helps your body utilize glucosamine in your body to better promote joint health.

4) Pineapples: Pineapples contain an element called bromelain, which has been shown to have remarkable healing properties.  Bromelain has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can be superior to that of some drugs.

5) Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  Extra virgin olive oil more antioxidant benefits compared to regular olive oil. Antioxidants help extract free radicals in your body that contribute to inflammation and joint pain.

6) Red Peppers: Red peppers are rich in vitamins A, C, and K.  The antioxidants in peppers help prevent cell damage, cancer, diseases related to aging, and they reduce inflammatory processes that found in arthritis and asthma. Peppers are also high in fiber and can help in weight loss.

7) Avocados:  Avocados provide powerful antioxidants and can help fight arthritis and subsequently reduce joint pain.

8)  Turmeric:  Turmeric is a spice known for its anti-inflammatory properties and helps fight arthritis.

9) Ginger:  Ginger helps block the effects of prostaglandins that cause inflammation.  As little as a half teaspoon in a cup of tea can reduce arthritis pain.

In addition to this list there are many other foods that will help you lose weight and prevent joint pain.  This list represents a good start for a proactive dietary approach toward better joint health.

Have a great day.

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Bad food choices do more than make you fat and clog arteries – they can cause inflammation of your joints as well.

In my San Diego Chiropractic clinic I try to instill the importance of a healthy diet to my patients all the time.  The obvious case for eating healthy is that a poor diet typically causes weight gain which increases the stress on your joints eventually leading to irritation, inflammation, pain and swelling.  The stress from carrying extra weight also makes injuries such as sprain / strains more likely.

There are still more reasons for eating a healthier diet – as it turns out, there are many foods that directly aggravate joint problems by contributing to the inflammatory process.  Some of these foods that you should avoid are listed below.  Avoiding these foods will have a beneficial effects on your joints.

1)      Red Meat – Red meat can cause or contribute to the development of a host of arthritic processes including rheumatoid arthritis and gout.  If the meat is not organic and steroid free it can also contribute to a variety of health problems.

2)      Dairy Products – Many adults are either lactose intolerant or have other allergic reactions to dairy products.  Allergic responses trigger the release of histamines which cause inflammation.  The products of inflammation put pressure on the surrounding muscles and ligaments causing pain.

3)      Saturated Fat – Consumption of saturated fat is a main source of weight gain and it has inflammatory properties.  Saturated fat can both cause weight gain which stresses the joints and produce inflammation. Butter, cheese, fatty meats, and more all contain high levels saturated fat.  Saturated fats are of course also linked to high cholesterol and increased risk of heart disease.

4)      Caffeine – Caffeine is a stimulant that increases overall metabolic activity. As far as a direct link to contributing to joint pain or any specific type of arthritic process, there are no definitive studies.  However, there is considerable anecdotal evidence that suggests that caffeine can aggravate joint pain.  As a nation, we consume an abundance of caffeine, it is found in chocolate, coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks.  If you are suffering from joint pain, it would be a worthwhile experiment to cut out the caffeine for a few weeks to see if it is affecting you.

The link between a healthy diet and chiropractic care is clear.  Cleaning up your diet will make you healthier, probably happier and may help resolve some or most of your joint pain.  As a chiropractor who works with joint pain daily, I am familiar with the joint pain cycle that leads to inactivity, joint pain / stiffness and weight gain.  It is a vicious cycle that requires dietary changes that include both eating healthy foods and eliminating the intake of unhealthy foods.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

So sixty days ago my assistant and I started the Insanity program from BeachBody.

Aside from a few little blips along the way and the occasional embarrassment of doing the routines in the front office of my San Diego chiropractic center, I think it delivered on what it promised.  In the end I improved substantially on all the Fit Tests that are performed at two week intervals, my blood pressure is much lower than it was in the beginning and I lost about 10 pounds.

The workouts remained challenging through the entire program but I never found them tedious.  Since this program does involve explosive movements and body weight exercises it did create a few physical problems for us.  I strained my shoulder in the second to last week of the program and had to modify / avoid / substitute some of the more stressful shoulder exercises with ones that I could do without further injuring myself.  This was no big deal – regardless of the changes I made I still managed to sweat what seemed like buckets during each workout – which was the goal I believe.

The question now is what is next now that Insanity is over?  The answer is simple – I had borrowed the Insanity I used this first time through so I will be purchasing it (used on Amazon for about 75% of the new cost) and going through the program again with some modifications.

Would I recommend Insanity to my patients?  Sure, but unless they were already in good shape and didn’t have any chronic neck pain, shoulder pain or back pain issues I would recommend modifications for some of the more stressful or high impact exercises that are performed in the Insanity program.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

The secret to long lasting health and fitness is diet and exercise.  This is a fact.

In my San Diego Chiropractic center I try to make it a point to discuss the importance of proper diet and exercise with anyone who will listen (and rarely those who won’t!).  A few years back I was introduced to Standard Process nutritional supplements and immediately began to experience the benefits of this company’s outstanding products.  My assistant and I completed the Standard Process 21 day Purification Program with excellent results and we still employ much of that program in our daily nutrition plan.

As a result of the purification program I saw my blood pressure drop from borderline hypertensive at 139 / 89 to a more reasonable 128 / 85.  Body weight has not really been an issue for me but I did lose about 20 pounds initially on this program and ended up putting about 10 pounds of that back on.

What I was missing from my health plan was consistent aerobic exercise.  Running had gone by the wayside for years due to ankle and knee pain so my exercise plan included walking and some weight lifting.

I had been looking for some kind of structured exercise program but had discounted all of the ones that advertise on TV because of the stigma attached to items sold on TV infomercials.  Then, by chance, Insanity – The 60 Day Challenge came into my possession from a friend.  My assistant and I started it the same day and we were determined to get through it.

We are now 44 days into the 60 day Insanity program and going strong.  I have never taken any kind of an aerobics class so this has been challenging.  The Insanity program combines aerobics with plyometrics exercises that involve explosive muscular contractions intended to help you move you body in a quick and powerful way.  It also burns gobs of calories.

At this point of the Insanity program I have not lost more than 5 pounds but my blood pressure has dropped into the 118 / 75 range and my 32 inch waist pants now require a belt to prevent me from adopting a gangster look.  I must say that from an exercise standpoint, this type of exercise is what I have been missing.  This program is not for everyone however, it involves high impact jumping movements and definitely places stress on your cardiovascular system.  You can modify the exercises as needed but you should still be cautious about jumping into Insanity.

Anyway, being a chiropractor, I am convinced that chiropractic treatment is important in maintaining your health but diet and exercise are vitally important for your daily health maintenance.  Even if the extremes of the Standard Process Purification Program and the Insanity program are not your speed, you should try hard to incorporate some diet and exercise into your daily routine – you will be much healthier for it!

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Scoliosis can be a serious problem for some people.

In my San Diego Chiropractic center I have seen many patients with scoliosis over the years.  While many of these patients come to me for treatment of back pain, neck pain and other symptoms, most of them come for treatment that is geared toward keeping their spines’ full range of motion and to help prevent their condition from worsening.

There are two basic types of scoliosis – functional scoliosis and structural scoliosis.  Functional scoliosis is caused by conditions such as a shorter leg on one side (a short leg of up to 1/4 inch is normal for 80% of us by the way).  The mechanics in play here is simple.  The short leg causes a tilt in your pelvis which acts as the foundation for your spine.  When the pelvis is not level, the spine curves in order to help keep your body upright over its normal center of gravity.

Structural scoliosis is not as easily treated as is functional scoliosis.  Structural scoliosis is caused by conditions such as hemi-vertebra, spinal fractures and a host of developmental abnormalities.  Even though total correction of a structural scoliosis may not be possible, there are still worthwhile benefits for treatment of this condition.

Functional scoliosis is not only treatable but often reversible.  Chiropractic care helps correct scoliosis by keeping the joints of the spine freely mobile and aligned.  Treatment also includes performing specific stretches and exercises.

For more information on scoliosis click here.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

A herniated disc can be life changing – but often it isn’t.

Receiving a diagnosis of a herniated disc can be frightening.  The pain from a herniated disc can be intense and feel as though it will never improve.  I treat patients with herniated discs in my San Diego chiropractic clinic each day and I can assure you that most of them do get better – their symptoms improve and their ability to function returns.

Herniated discs have the potential to become chronic sources of pain.  When a disc herniates and compresses a nerve it typically causes pain that travels.  When a cervical herniated disc compresses a nerve it causes neck pain, weakness or other symptoms that can travel down one or both of your arms or down between your shoulder blades.  Herniated discs in the lower back often cause lower back pain, as well as pain, weakness or other symptoms in one or both legs (aka sciatica).

Herniated disc treatment with chiropractic care is typically safe, effective and often preferred over the more invasive and aggressive procedures performed by orthopedic surgeons.  For many patients, symptoms from herniated discs come and go.  I see patients in my San Diego Chiropractic center that recover from symptoms of a herniated disc and never experience a problem with it again.  In other herniated disc cases, the patient has subsequent bouts of pain or other symptoms every few years and for others it can be every few months.

The bottom line, however, is that many herniated discs are successfully treated / managed without surgery.  Surgery becomes necessary when either the pain is intolerable and / or you lose bowel or bladder control as a result of the herniated disc.

For more information on the treatment of herniated discs with chiropractic care click here.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Why do you want to lose weight?  If so, is it for your health, for your appearance, to set a good example for your kids, to win a bet?  There are many reasons why people want weight loss and for everyone the motivation is a little different.  The good news is that if you lose weight in a safe manner the end result for all will be better health.

As a San Diego Chiropractor I see patients each day who are either losing weight or need some weight loss.  Obesity causes back pain, knee pain, ankle pain and many other more serious life threatening problems like heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.

There are some easy to follow equations for weight loss and once in a while there is even a decent weight loss program.  The problem is that there is no safe way to fast weight loss and you won’t find long term results with any kind of weight loss pill.  To further compound the problems with weight loss is that everyone is an expert (most of them you will notice are over weight!) and they all have weight loss tips.

Weight loss can be as simple as burning more calories than you take in.  Working on a calorie deficit while reducing or eliminating items like soda pop (even diet soda), candy, dessert type foods and fatty foods like gravy, butter, sour cream and deep fried foods will also help your effort tremendously.  For many obese individuals this calorie deficit plan will make weight loss possible.  Most of this is common sense but it can be very difficult to implement without proper motivation.

In my San Diego chiropractic office I want my patients to lose weight because I know that it is healthy for them.  Weight lose will help them avoid the issues that carrying extra weight will bring to their lives in the future.  Our goal regarding weight loss is to help guide patients who want to lose weight (you have to want to lose weight more than I want you to lose weight in order for it to work!) lose it in a healthy manner by setting realistic goals that are based on healthy living.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

What is a pinched nerve? If you have had a pinched nerve you know the answer.

My San Diego chiropractic clinic stays busy treating patient’s suffering from pinched nerves.  A pinched nerve is a painful condition that usually involves compression of a nerve by a misaligned joint, swollen or spasmed muscles and sometimes herniated discs.

Pinched nerve symptoms almost always involves pain local to the origin of the nerve (usually near the spine) and pain that travels down the arm, leg (sciatica) or around the rib cage.  The pain that travels with a pinched nerve is known as radiating pain.

Common areas for pinched nerve that I see here in my office are as follows:

1)      Pinched nerve in neck

2)      Pinched nerve in back

3)      Pincher nerve in shoulder

Pinched nerve treatment always revolves around relieving pressure from the nerve.  Chiropractic care is especially effective in treating pinched nerves because most pinched nerves are caused by irritated and inflamed joints putting pressure on the nerve.  Since chiropractic treatment focuses on the health of the joints it is very effective at relieving joint pressure.

In addition to chiropractic care, patients are encouraged to avoid any activities that aggravate the pain and to apply ice packs to the area where the nerve is being pinched – not where the pain is traveling.  This is known as treating the source not the symptom and it is the only way to cure a pinched nerve.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Lower back pain is a serious problem for many people.

We treat patients with low back pain in my San Diego chiropractic office on a regular basis.  Successful lower back pain treatment requires a coordinated effort between me and my patients.

There are many contributing factors to the onset of lower back pain.  Bad posture, driving a car, poor lifting habits, falls, car accidents, weekend warrior activities and bad beds are the most common contributors for low back pain that I am able to identify in my patients.

Lower back pain can be very serious – if left untreated it can result in stiff joints, chronic relentless low back pain and in some cases disability that prevents work and or recreational activities.  Lower back pain can lead to difficulties with your employer and create problems with your home life.  Over my years in practice I have seen many relationships end as a result of lifestyle changes related to chronic low back pain.

Treatment for lower back pain can be tricky.  Usually care at my office includes chiropractic adjustments, various in office therapies, stretching and specific exercises for lower back pain.  As a patient you also have to become aware of the activities that you engage in that aggravate your condition – and then have the will power to stop doing them.  In most cases lower back pain relief will not occur without this combined effort.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you suffer with Migraines?

Migraine headaches are common among patients in my San Diego Chiropractic office.  It seems to me as though they have become more common over the last 20 years.  Since stress is a common trigger for a migraine headache I am not surprised that migraines have become more common.

Migraine headaches are usually chronic and can cause severe pulsing or throbbing head pain that can last for hours or sometimes for days.  Migraines are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting photophobia (sensitivity to light) and sensitivity to noise.  In many cases, migraine symptoms can be so severe that they force you to do nothing but lie down in a dark, quiet place.  The frequency and duration of migraines varies from person to person.

Many times migraine headaches are preceded by symptoms that are known as auras.  Auras are often visual disturbances such as blind spots and flashes of light.  In other cases auras can be numbness and tingling feelings in your arms, face or legs.

The causes of migraine headaches are not fully understood but there are common “triggers” that have been identified and separately treated or dealt with in order to help control the onset or intensity of the headache.  Common triggers for migraines include:

1)      Stress

2)      Hormonal fluctuations in women

3)      Foods such as beer, wine, chocolate, msg, certain cheeses, artificial sweeteners (aspartame) and too much caffeine.

4)      Perfumes, loud noises, a variety of unpleasant odors and secondhand smoke

5)      Extreme physical activity

6)      Some medications

Identifying triggers can be of invaluable help in your effort to control migraines.

Chiropractic care can help your efforts to control your migraine headaches if stress is one of the “triggers” for you.  When we sit at a desk all day enduring the pressures of work, home and hard telling what else our muscles tighten irritating the spinal joints of our necks and backs.  This irritation causes neck pain, back pain and more spasm which can trigger migraine headaches.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554symptoms

causes

Pain in a leg that is from a pinched nerve is called sciatica.

We treat lots of patients in my San Diego chiropractic office who have sciatica symptoms.  Sciatica symptoms can vary.  Sciatica sometimes starts as lower back pain or hip pain and can radiate down the leg causing knee pain, ankle pain and foot pain.  In other cases of sciatica there is no back pain but plenty of pain in the leg or buttocks.  Still in other cases of sciatica there are only symptoms in the thigh or lower leg.  Sciatica can present itself as pain, achiness, throbbing and or weakness in the leg.

Sciatica treatment also varies depending on the cause of the pinched nerve.  Treatment for sciatica that is due to a herniated disc is different from sciatica that is due to spasm of a muscle or inflammation of a joint in the lower back.

Chiropractic care for sciatica is focused on relieving the pressure that is on the sciatic nerve.  In my San Diego chiropractic clinic we use a combination of chiropractic adjustments, electrical muscle stimulation (sounds bad but is actually soothing), ultrasound and specific stretches and exercises to treat the symptoms of sciatica and strengthen the lower back.  This combination of therapy has proven itself to be very effective.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Running is great exercise but it can bring the pain!

Since I practice chiropractic care in San Diego I have seen my share of patients with running injuries.  Leg pain, knee pain, shin splints, plantar fascitis, ankle pain and low back pain are all common among runners.  Running is like many other types of exercise – if it is “your thing”, we tend to over do it leading to irritation, inflammation, pain and spasm.

My intention is not to paint a negative picture of running as an exercise in fact; it is an excellent conditioning exercise for our cardiovascular systems.  I just want to point out that if we run too much (over 15 miles per week) that the benefits of running can be out weighed by the negatives.  Since running creates impact on the weight bearing joints, many studies have suggested that more than 15 miles of running per week damages the joints more than it benefits your cardiovascular health.

If running is an important part of your exercise program, try to break up your running days with other cardiovascular exercises.  I like to suggest that my patients add swimming, circuit training (plyometrics) and bike riding to their exercise routine in order to reduce the chances of running related injuries.

If you do start to notice any pain during or after running it is best if you have your complaints evaluated right away.  Usually these injuries are from repetitive stress and can very quickly become difficult to overcome – even if I can get you to stop running during your treatment cycle!

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Have you been putting off that first visit to the chiropractor?  Are you unsure of what to expect?  Not sure if chiropractic can help with your neck pain and shoulder pain?

On your first visit to my San Diego chiropractic clinic our goals are simple – respect your privacy, figure out the cause of your neck pain (there are many neck pain causes) and, if appropriate, provide neck pain treatment to help you regain your health.  Your first visit to our office is similar to your first visit to a medical doctor, dentist or any other medical professional.

Before any treatment begins we will take your health history and perform an examination of the affected / related areas in order to make sure that we know what your problem is and how we can best fix it.  Many complaints involving the neck stem from mechanical problems that can be fixed with chiropractic treatment.  In some cases the problem requires more tests such as x-rays, MRI, CT scans or evaluation by an orthopedist or a neurologist and our exam and consult will alert us to the need for additional diagnostic procedures.  If your problem requires any of these services we will make the appropriate referral.

Neck pain causes include whiplash, bad posture, stress and sports injuries just to name a few.

Neck pain can be one of those chronic conditions that we just learn to live with.  Most of the time neck pain can be easily handled with chiropractic treatment.  Sometimes we become so accustomed to chronic pain that we don’t realize how good we can feel when it is gone.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you have bad posture?  Worse yet, have you been told that you have bad posture?

Bad posture is damaging in a number of different ways.  On the outside it makes us look dumpy (is dumpy a real word?), lazy, un-motivated and lacking in confidence.  Bad posture projects a poor view of us to all who see us and it is one of those things that others judge us by all the time.

We treat people for bad posture on a regular basis in my San Diego Chiropractic office.  Unfortunately bad posture does more than make you look bad – bad posture causes muscular imbalances that lead to muscle tension, muscle spasms, neck pain, headaches, back pain, pinched nerves, impaired breathing and even digestive disorders.  Did I mention that it also makes you look bad!

Fixing bad posture requires a multifaceted effort.  From a treatment standpoint, chiropractic treatment helps insure that all of the joints in your neck and back have full range of motion so that you can actually straighten up into a healthy posture.  Aside from chiropractic manipulations, postural awareness is vital – in other words, you have to try hard to not slouch.  Furthermore and of equal importance, you have to do specific stretches and exercises to restore balance to your neck, shoulders and upper back so that good posture for you becomes normal posture for you.

Next time you are in front of a mirror or see your reflection in a window take a close look at what you see.  Are you standing up right? Is one shoulder higher / lower than the other?  Is your chin up?  Shoulders back?  If not, you need help – not just for your appearance but for your health!

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you have a bad back that is caused by a bad disc?  If so, you probably know that traditional medical options are limited to pain killers, physical therapy (usually exercise that you do at home), steroid injections (the same kind they give for child birth) and surgery.  Have you ever considered using chiropractic care for your back pain?

We treat patients with bad discs in my San Diego chiropractic office every day with great success.  Some of these disc patients come in simply to simply to keep their backs pain free and others have acute low back pain due to recent disc injuries or old disc injuries that have been re-aggravated.

Our bodies have a tremendous ability to heal themselves and to cope with situations that it has not had to deal with before (also known as compensation – which can be good or bad).  Chiropractic treatment enhances your body’s ability to heal itself by helping restore full joint motion and removing the pain and pressure of pinched nerves.

Chiropractic care is very conservative and effective for disc injuries while surgery has potentially severe side effects and in most cases is not successful.

In evaluating your disc injury we will:

1)      Take a complete history of your injury

2)      You will receive an examination that will focus on your particular problem

3)      If needed, you may be referred for x-rays or perhaps MRI

4)      Based on our findings, you may be advised to undergo a series of chiropractic treatments.

5)      Most of our patients are given at home stretches, exercises, nutritional suggestions and ice / heat advice in order to help speed their healing process.

If you are new to chiropractic and have a bad disc we can help find a solution for your back pain.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you struggle with your weight?

Are you finding it difficult to get into shape?

You might be surprised to find that chiropractic treatment can help you lose weight and get into better shape.  In my San Diego Chiropractic Office we work with patients everyday who use our care specifically to help them lose weight and get into better shape.

I don’t want to miss-lead you – there is no chiropractic treatment that will stimulate your system to lose weight and tone muscle.  There are many people, however, that don’t exercise because of various aches and pains that can often be helped with chiropractic treatment.

People get out of shape and gain weight for a variety of reasons.  In some cases it is acute neck pain, headaches or back pain that prevents healthy exercise habits.  In other cases specific injuries from the past that have not healed correctly can cause lingering joint pain and stiffness resulting in limited activity or even no exercise at all.

In many cases chiropractic care and appropriate nutritional support can eliminate joint pain, improve a problem joints’ range of motion and relieve the stress of daily living.  Exercise is much easier when it isn’t accompanied by nagging pain or stiffness.   With less joint pain, exercise becomes much easier allowing you to attain your weight and or fitness goals.

Yours in Good Health!

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Your San Diego Chiropractor

Are you looking for a chiropractor who practices the Palmer Method?

In my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic I practice the Palmer Method – mostly because it was what I was taught in college.  I like the Palmer Method because it blends a variety of treatment techniques and focuses on the patient’s needs.

Chiropractic care is very personal and patients often form tight bonds with their chiropractors.  Since chiropractic care is a manual therapy, the chiropractor plays a pivotal role in the way that you, the patient, respond to care.  Even though classes of chiropractic students all learn the same basic adjustments, the ability for those future doctors to utilize those adjustments depends on their height, weight, coordination and their own personal philosophy regarding treatment.  Because of these variables, almost every chiropractor that you visit over the course of a lifetime will deliver their own unique treatment.

I have patients that come from as far east as New Mexico and from as far North as Oregon because they feel that they do so well with the type of care that I provide.  Most other doctors experience the same with their patient base – when a patient does well with care they will drive past many other chiropractic offices just to get to their chiropractor’s office.

The Palmer Method is sought out by many chiropractic patients.  That being said, if you find a chiropractor that practices the Palmer Method but you don’t do as well with care as you think you should, don’t give up on chiropractic care, look for a new chiropractor whose style is a better match for your needs.

Have a Great Day!

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

So I was walking home from my San Diego Chiropractic clinic the other day when I found a box for the OTC pain reliever – Aleve Gel Caps.

While I talk to my patients all the time about the risks of using OTC pain killers I was shocked by what I read on this box.  My patients often take these kinds of pain killers without considering the potential health hazards.  The following is copied directly off Aleve’s packaging.

“This drug may rarely cause serious (possibly fatal) liver disease. Get medical help right away if you have any symptoms of liver damage, including: dark urine, persistent nausea/vomiting/loss of appetite, stomach/abdominal pain, yellowing eyes/skin.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (including naproxen) may rarely increase the risk for a heart attack or stroke. The risk may be increased if you have heart disease or increased risk for heart disease (due to conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes), or with longer use. This drug should not be taken right before or after heart bypass surgery (CABG).

This drug may infrequently cause serious (rarely fatal) bleeding from the stomach or intestines. This effect can occur without warning at any time while taking this drug. Older adults may be at higher risk for this effect.

Stop taking naproxen and get medical help right away if you notice any of these rare but serious side effects: black/tarry stools, persistent stomach/abdominal pain, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, chest/jaw/left arm pain, shortness of breath, unusual sweating, confusion, weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, sudden vision changes.”

I find this list of possible side effects unbelievable.  When I get new patients in my clinic one of the primary concerns that they have regarding my care is the potential to become “addicted” to chiropractic treatment – which NEVER happens!  Yet these same people often indicate on there intake forms that they use medications such as Aleve to manage their pain.

The point is this – read labels and make wise choices with your health care.  In general, the less medications that you take the better!

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

We use food for many reasons other than for simple nutrition to fuel our bodies.  People tend to eat to satisfy cravings that are generated by stress, boredom, depression, frustration, anger, etc.  I see these behaviors on a regular basis in my San Diego Chiropractic Office.  Not only is this type of eating bad for you on its face, but this kind of eating rarely involves consumption of healthy foods such as lettuce, tomatoes, lean chicken or fish and purified water!  Typically this kind of eating involves cookies, cake, chocolate, candy and a host of fattening foods.

There is a physiological reason behind our desire to eat unhealthy, fattening foods that drives our poor decision making.  Although these physiological reasons are many and complex, the bottom line is that eating sweets triggers the release of insulin which stimulates neurotransmitters and hormones that make us feel better.  This sugar induced “feel good” is only a short term solution that has us quickly reaching for more sugar.

Since we know that emotional stress triggers the desire to consume foods that make us feel better these situations should be easy to identify and control – right?  Unfortunately, emotional eating usually doesn’t just start – it is typically a learned behavior that is carried from childhood making it extremely difficult to control.  The best bet here is to simply not have sweets in the house at all.   If that doesn’t work for you, try these other tricks.

1. Choose chicken, tuna, or eggs to cut your carbohydrate cravings. These foods contain tryptophan which increase serotonin and lifts your spirits making it easier to resist cravings for sugary carbohydrates.
2. Practice deep breathing to help reduce stress.  Put one hand on your belly and one on your chest – inhale deeply to a count of five, feeling your belly expand.  Next, exhale slowly to a count of seven, drawing your belly in toward your spine. Breathing like this moves nitric oxide to your lungs, widening your blood vessels and sending extra oxygen and blood to your brain. This exercise is calming and can help you resist comfort foods.
3. Getting enough sleep can curb sugar cravings.  When your body doesn’t get at least 7 hours of sleep every night to rejuvenate its supplies of serotonin and dopamine, it tries to compensate for the shortage by making you crave sugary foods.
4. Be wary of “trigger foods” that increase sugar cravings.  Hot, spicy foods and sweets can make you crave sweets.  Spicy foods in particular make us crave chocolate.  Lose the spicy stuff and you will lose some of your cravings.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

We all know that America has a weight problem.

We all see it everyday when we go to the grocery store, the mall and the beach.  I see the consequences of excess body weight in my San Diego Chiropractic office as well.  Excessive body weight strains the muscles and ligaments that move and support our joints.  Excessive body weight also compresses weight bearing joints like ankles, knees, hips and spinal joints.  This extra stress irritates the joints leading to inflammation, pain, muscle spasm, scar tissue and eventually arthritis.  These processes cause knee pain, hip pain, low back pain and many other conditions.

This weight gain is fostered by our busy lifestyles that have created an “easy way out” for many of us regarding eating out at fast food restaurants followed by going home and crashing on the couch.  Instead of planning meals for the day or the week, we run out at lunch time and “grab something quick to eat” that often doesn’t even come close to supporting a healthy lifestyle.  These quick, low quality meals combined with sedentary work duties (read computer work) and exercise-free lifestyles are a sure fire way to gain unwanted weight and lose your health.  This kind of weight gain is an insidious, slow process that is explained away with comments such as “my metabolism is slower now that I am older”.   Next thing you know we are moving into larger jeans sizes and XXL shirts.

Weight and diet are difficult to manage.  Even with my experience in the health care field I find my own cravings and occasional poor planning difficult to get under control.  In order for us to live healthy, long, active lives however, eating healthy and exercising is mandatory.  Over the years I have had many patients make comments to me like “you are so lucky to be slim” or “you are so lucky – you can eat anything you want”.  The truth is that I can’t eat whatever I want – in fact nobody can.  In my attempts to live a healthy life and set an example for my patients I have to watch what I eat everyday and every meal.  I also have to get plenty of exercise.

The point is this, while there are some people who are blessed with great genetics, most everyone else has to work at being healthy.  With all the temptations we have these days, health doesn’t just happen you have to work at it.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

I had a patient talking to me about all of her joint pains the other day.  Had you been in the room with your eyes closed you probably would have thought that I was talking to a senior citizen about her health.  Nope, my patient just recently turned 31 years old.

It seems to me that over the last several years the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center who have chronic complaints regarding more than one joint are becoming more numerous and younger!  This isn’t good since our average lifespan continually stretches with modern medicine.

The longer I practice the more my focus is on wellness care for my patients.  Wellness care includes many facets of maintaining our health.  Last year I attended a seminar on wellness that included a variety of health professionals.  One of the speakers made a profound statement regarding the delivery of care to our patients.  He said “if you only provide care when your patients are in pain, you are simply making them more comfortable as their health deteriorates.”   The current thought on wellness care is much deeper than simply living pain free – it includes an aggressive approach to health maintenance that involves diet, exercise, stretching, stress reduction, eliminating toxins from our diets and nutritional support when needed.

Healthy living is easier for us that live in San Diego.  We don’t have the same weather issues that those in other parts of the country have.  Our city also tends to rank fairly high in the yearly “Fittest Cities in America” list that makes it way onto my Yahoo homepage at least once a year.  We need to try to take advantage of our great weather and health conscious attitudes that living in San Diego provides to make strides in our own wellness goals.

I know that “living in the now” is a trendy thing these days but I would encourage you to not do it at the expense of your health in the future.  There are plenty of resources on the internet to help guide you with your wellness plan.  At my office we have a complete approach that includes diet, nutrition, stretching, exercise and chiropractic care.

For more information please call us for a wellness consultation.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Is there a link between back pain and excessive weight?  The easy answer is “Yes.”

This is the time of year that some of us start to lose the enthusiasm for the health and fitness goals that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year.  I explain to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center that every extra pound of weight that they carry is extra stress on the spine and potentially a source of back pain.

There is a simple process that takes place in weight bearing joints that can eventually cause pain.  Stress (sometimes injury or in this example, excess weight) overloads the joint causing irritation of the joint surfaces.  Irritation causes inflammation and inflammation causes both pain and muscle spasm.  With time, months or years, the continued stress and inflammation lead to wear and tear of the joint causing arthritis and chronic pain or disability.

Many of my patients come to my office with the idea that a short course of chiropractic care will “fix” their problems.  Usually a “fix” of a chronic back pain issue involves chiropractic care as well as exercise, stretching and dietary changes.

Exercise not only helps shed excess weight but it also helps strengthen the muscles that provide support for the joints – support is necessary to help keep pain in check and under control.

In the same way that exercise helps control back pain in several different ways, diet has similar effects.  Limiting your diet to healthy choices will help you lose weight.  Eliminating unhealthy foods that contain processed foods, artificial sweeteners, refined sugars and other harmful additives will help control inflammation and pain.

Whether you are dieting and exercising in order to follow through with your new years resolution or as a lifestyle change to improve your overall health in the long run, chances are that if you have back pain losing weight will help reduce your pain.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Statistics indicate that every seven years you will be involved in an automobile accident. Before you panic you should know that in my San Diego based Chiropractic Clinic we provide treatment for those patients involved in auto accidents on a regular basis. I have treated patients in their 60′s, 70′s and 80′s who have never been in a car accident and I have treated people who are in their 20′s and 30′s who have been in half a dozen. Some people just have enough accidents to statistically cover all of us!

The most common injury resulting from car accidents is whiplash. Whiplash is a non-medical term that describes an injury that involves straining, spraining and sometimes tearing of the muscles and ligaments that move and support our joints, especially the joints of our spines.

Whiplash is most often associated with rear-end type auto accidents in which the heads and necks of those in the car being hit are suddenly snapped violently backward and forward by the force of the impact.

Whiplash can occur at almost any speed, even in low force auto accident at speeds as low or less than 5mph. Whiplash can also be related to other incidents or mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion.

Common outcomes of auto accident injuries include serious and chronic neck pain, as well as back pain, headaches, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea, numbness and dizziness. More serious injuries such as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents resulting in concussion.

If you were injured in an auto accident it is important to get evaluated by a chiropractor who is trained to deal with injuries related to auto accidents.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Your health is dependent, among other things, on your ability to manage your diet.

Over the last few years I have been starting to pay careful attention to foods and drinks that I consider “trigger foods”.  Traditionally, “trigger foods” are foods that we tend to over consume – typically these foods are sweet and / or salty foods.  Examples of these trigger foods would be ice cream or salted peanuts or potato chips.  Of course, I talk to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center whenever I have the chance regarding these triggers.

The “trigger foods” that I am talking about are foods that we consume that make us crave other foods – even though we may not be hungry.  For instance, I have become aware that eating spicy foods make me crave sweets such as chocolate, soda or ice cream.  Of course sugar begets sugar so once I have caved in to my craving it seems as though I can’t get enough of the sweet stuff.  This reaction is not only felt by me.  There is a complex relationship between our nervous system, the brain and endorphin release that drives this craving for sweets, especially chocolate.

The side effects of consuming excessive amounts of sweets as we do with trigger foods are numerous and include anxiety, weight gain, angry outbursts, migraine headaches, abdominal pain, joint pain, mental agitation and depression.  As a chiropractor, these symptoms and their causes are all important to me as I diagnose and treat my patients.

My point is this; we all know when we overeat and when we eat something that makes us feel sick, lethargic or bloated.  Often times the foods that make us feel poorly are “trigger foods”.  By identifying and paying attention to our individual trigger foods and avoiding them we can live healthier lives while losing some unwanted pounds.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Of all the symptoms that people suffer as a result of a whiplash injury, neck pain is the most common. Over the last 20 years, my San Diego Chiropractic Center has successfully provided treatment for hundreds of patients who have been injured in automobile accidents. Most of those patients indicate that their worst injury as a result of the accident involves their necks.

Whiplash accidents have a magnified effect on our necks because the muscles that support our necks are relatively week compared to the weight of our heads that they have to support. When we are in a rear-end type of accident that is known for producing neck injuries, the impact produces a wave of energy that travels up our spines and snaps our heads and necks sort of like when you crack a whip.  The result is neck pain.

The muscles that move and support the neck and head simply become overwhelmed by the “whipping” motion of the spine and they end up getting stretched, strained, torn and sometimes even their attachment points are torn from the bone. Sounds painful doesn’t it? I have been unfortunate enough to experience this type of injury on a few occasions and I can confirm that it can be quite painful.

I have explained in blog posts in the past that joint injuries, like whiplash, follow a predictable path. In cases of whiplash, the joint is irritated / injured by the accident. The joint then becomes inflamed and the muscles around the injured joint spasm in order to limit movement of the injured joint. The inflammation causes pain and the muscle spasm causes stiffness and tightness. If the inflammation lasts for a long enough period of time, like more than 7 to 10 days, scar tissue and adhesions begin to form which further limit joint motion and also become a source of pain.

It is because of this process that a seemingly simple car accident injury can cause a lifetime of pain if it is not treated properly and in a timely manner.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Provided you are overweight, weight loss is an admirable goal, right?  Maybe not, shouldn’t the goal be to get healthy?

Most of the patients in my San Diego Chiropractic practice who want to lose weight do it for reasons rooted in vanity.  They want to be able to look good in certain cloths or shape up for a certain function or just keep up with a friend or co-worker who simply may have better genes (read metabolic rate) or a healthier lifestyle.

Last year I completed, without cheating mind you, the Standard Process 21 Day Purification Program.  The results I experienced with this program were shocking.  As a result of this purification, I felt better, slept better, had more energy, my blood pressure decreased dramatically, my thoughts were clearer as was my focus and I lost some weight.

When I told my patients about my results very few asked for more specifics about the improvements in my blood pressure or in what ways I felt better.  Most wanted to know how much weight I had lost.  When I began the program I weighed about 190 pounds – pretty lean for being 6’1”.  After the program I weighed 174 pounds.  Obviously I didn’t do this program in order to lose weight.  The weight loss came secondary to eating cleaner and eliminating sodium, food colorings and preservatives from my diet as well as controlling my cravings.  These efforts made me a healthier person who also happened to lose a little weight in the process

My point is this.  If we put our focus on health and stop putting junk in our systems we will lose any extra weight that we may be carrying.  It’s a double win!

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Chiropractic care is currently the best available treatment for whiplash injuries. Whiplash refers to the “whipping” back and forth of the head and neck. This whipping motion strains muscles, sprains ligaments and damages joint surfaces. Sometimes whiplash forces are strong enough to pinch nerves, herniated discs and occasionally break bones.
Whiplash treatment should not be taken lightly. Statistically 25% of all people who suffer painful symptoms related to whiplash never make a full recovery. That means that 25% of car accident victims, including those who seek care will continue to deal with pain in the future.

Chiropractic care for whiplash revolves around healing the muscles and ligaments with a variety of therapies and restoring full, free and painless range of motion with chiropractic adjustments. Under the care of a chiropractor, once you are pain free you will work on specific stretches and exercises to help support your spine to insure your best chances at complete recovery.

Chiropractic care for whiplash is a proactive treatment. Its success depends on you (the patient) maintaining recommended treatment schedules and following at home instructions regarding icing, rest, exercise and various other activities.

Whiplash is considered a sprain / strain type of an injury and as such should resolve in about 8 to 16 weeks with proper care.

Yours’ In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

For More on Whiplash Click Here

Bad Habits You Need to Kick Now!

I am not one for New Years resolutions.  In my opinion they set you up for failure.  That being said, the start of a new year seems like a natural breaking point when we can reflect on what we have been doing with our lives and try to make some improvements.  During this time of year I use this philosophy to discuss some important health issues with the patient’s of my San Diego chiropractic center.

Most of my patients already have a good understanding of the rights and wrongs regarding their health choices.  Chiropractic patients tend to be a bit more in tune with their bodies than those who don’t seek alternative methods of health care – this often guides them in making better choices regarding their health.

However, as much as I enjoy seeing my patients participate in healthy activities such as walking, sports and of course healthy eating, I do have a handful of patients that will stop right outside my office to finish a cigarette or bring a full course meal from Burger King into my waiting room and ask for just a moment before their treatment so they can chew down the last of their fat burger and slurp down the final drops of their diet soda.

My natural thoughts in these situations are “Where did I go wrong with these folks?”  These are not the habits of healthy people or of those who are trying to get healthy.

For these patients and readers of my blog, I will take this opportunity to suggest three New Years resolutions that will all, without question, benefit your health in 2011.

1)      Stop smoking now!  Cold turkey works for some but it is a shock to your system.  There are many good stop smoking programs available that are worth trying.  The point is, try to stop smoking whether you try it on your own or try every stop smoking program on the market.

2)      Clean up your diet!  Most dietary failures are the result of poor planning.  Without healthy planned meals, especially for lunches during the workday, we are much more likely to resort to fast food or unhealthy meals once hunger is knocking on the door.  Your focus should be on adding more fruits, vegetables and lean protein to your diet while cutting out foods high in sodium (over 300mg per serving), preservatives and artificial additives.  If you don’t already use nutritional supplements, consider starting this year. For those of you who smoke or are quitting smoking, there is evidence that yellow and orange skinned vegetables contain an enzyme that helps break down the toxic particles that are left in our bodies as a result of smoking.

3)      Get more exercise!  This is a no brainer.  Almost everyone I speak to regarding exercise (myself included) feels like they have more energy, better focus, better self esteem and better sleep when they exercise versus periods when they don’t exercise.   For those of you who are quitting smoking, exercise will also help to clean your system of the toxins left from smoking.

This is my “must do” health improvement list for 2011.  Have  a healthy, happy New Years!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

I don’t need treatment – it will be OK – my neck is just a little stiff.  Maybe a minor whiplash, I am sure it will go away on its own.

This thought process is typical following seemingly minor car accidents.  Just a few months ago a patient came to my San Diego Chiropractic Office with just a “slight stiffness” in her neck that started after another driver backed into her car at the Wal Mart parking lot on Murphy Canyon Road.  Her own description of the accident included the word “whiplash” but she still discounted the extent of her injuries. 

Even though she initially complained of neck stiffness when she first came in, while taking her history I found that the accident happened over a year ago and that her symptoms were getting worse.  As it turned out, in addition to stiffness, she was experiencing neck pain in the mornings – every morning as a matter of fact.  She was also getting headaches on stressful days at work.  Prior to the accident, she never had headaches.  She said that the headaches made her less tolerant of her kids and occasionally were causing her to use her sick time at work.  This patient’s symptoms are typical of untreated whiplash injuries.

My examination found lots of muscle spasm in her neck and shoulders and minor misalignments of some joints in her neck and upper back – aside from that, her exam was normal.   These findings are consistent with what we see in old, untreated whiplash injuries. 

This patient made 90% improvement within 6 weeks of the beginning of her care.  Now she truly does have just a little stiffness in her neck.  Unfortunately, since she waited so long to get care, I doubt that she will ever make full recovery.  If left untreated, it is not uncommon for whiplash injuries to cause symptoms that never fully resolve. 

Yours’ in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Auto Accident Treatment Specialist

You will be injured in a car accident during the course of your life.  At least this is what the statistics say.  The average person will be involved in 7 auto accidents during the course of their lives and over 25% of those people will have symptoms related to their injuries that will never resolve.

The following statistics may sound like scare tactics but I see patients in my San Diego Chiropractic center on a daily basis who are being treated for injuries related to auto accidents.  Sometimes these accidents happened last week and sometimes they happened 20 years ago and continue cause neck pain, back pain, headaches and a variety of other symptoms.  The question is, what can you do to prevent long lasting symptoms related to auto injuries?

The first thing to do to prevent injury from car accidents is to avoid the accident all together.  The National Safety council suggests that the best way to avoid car accidents is to drive defensively.  Too many accidents occur because we put too much faith in others driving abilities.  Drivers tend to “hang out” in other drivers blind spots while they talk on the phone, eat their lunch, scold their kids and perform a host of other distracting activities.  The bottom line is that focusing more on driving and our situational awareness will go a long way toward helping us avoid auto accidents.

If you are involved in an accident – get your injuries evaluated and treated as soon as possible.  The quicker you begin care the better your chances of making a full complete recovery.  Chiropractic care is a great form of treatment for whiplash injuries because it not only addresses the sprain of the joints but also the strain of the muscles.  Chiropractic care helps re-organize scar tissue giving you the best chance of making a complete recovery.

Take Care,

Dr. Steve Jones

Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Auto Accident Injuries

Why do all the reckless drivers hit the road when it is raining?

It seems to me that I see more people driving carelessly when it rains than at any other time.

Since I am a practicing chiropractor in San Diego and I see people all the time who have been hurt in car accidents, I am probably a little more sensitive to the consequences of reckless driving than those in other professions my be.  As a result of whiplash injuries, I see my patients struggle with pain, the hassle of dealing with missed work days, the frustration of dealing with insurance companies and so on.  

Neck pain, back pain and headaches are common results of auto accident injuries.  Statistics show that approximately 25% of all auto accident victims never make a full recovery.  That could mean a lifetime of neck pain, low back pain, headaches, etc.

The best defense for accident prevention in wet weather is cautious, defensive driving.  The following paragraphs were found on the National Safety Council website and specifically target safe wet weather driving techniques.

“Losing control of your car on wet pavement is a frightening experience. You can prevent skids by driving slowly and carefully, especially on curves. Steer and brake with a light touch. When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.

If you do find yourself in a skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas, and carefully steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. For cars without anti-lock brakes, avoid using your brakes. This procedure, known as “steering into the skid,” will bring the back end of your car in line with the front. If your car has ABS, brake firmly as you steer into the skid.

To avoid hydroplaning, keep your tires properly inflated, maintain good tread on your tires and replace them when necessary, slow down when roads are wet, and stay away from puddles. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.

If you find yourself hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly. This could throw your car into a skid. Ease your foot off the gas until the car slows and you can feel the road again. If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions. If your car has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally; the car’s computer will mimic a pumping action, when necessary.

A defensive driver adjusts his or her speed to the wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures. Reprinted with permission from the National Safety Council”

If you do happen to get into a fender bender, get treatment ASAP.  From a statistical standpoint, the best way to avoid becoming one of the 25% of auto injury patients that never fully recover from their injuries is to undergo an examination with a licensed chiropractor and follow up with any recommended treatment as soon as possible.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

more on whiplash here

Are you low on energy?  especially in the afternoons?  Fatigue is always worse if you have neck pain or back pain at the same time.

Recently, I have been dragging about in the afternoon and I really needed to evaluate what I was doing that was creating such low energy.  Until recently, I thought I had myself sorted out pretty well as far as the right combination of diet, exercise and sleep – as it turns out, I didn’t have to look very far to find a few obvious reasons for my fatigue.  Fatigue and its link to our lifestyles is an important issue for me since I speak to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic about it all the time.

When I really examined my own lifestyle habits as of late, it didn’t take long for me to uncover a few reasons for my recent fatigue.  First of all, I have been staying up a little later than usual catching up on my work and getting up a little earlier to do the same.  This extra work has cost me a few hours sleep several times per week.  In addition to lost sleep, I have also skipped a few workouts and have been drinking some decaf coffee for a little boost.  Finally, the shorter mornings have cramped my eating habits so sometimes my wholesome breakfast becomes a banana or an orange – no protein.

What I described in the above paragraph is not consistent with health and wellness.   Lack of sleep will make you tired – drinking coffee will give you a boost while stressing your adrenal glands which in the long run becomes a negative as far as energy levels go – and finally, skipping workouts results in a big energy drain as well.

The fix for this is simple.  Get more sleep, don’t trade exercise for coffee and eat a healthier breakfast.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

San Diego Chiropractic

Sit Up Straight!!! We have all heard this command from a parent, grandparent, teacher or some other concerned person.

I remember hearing this command from adults when I was a kid and I simply thought of it as harassment.  As it turns out, there are some good reasons to work on better posture.

I identify poor posture as a culprit in the health issues of approximately half of the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center.  The following list identifies four reasons for you to work on your posture.

1)      It looks bad.  Poor posture is unattractive making us appear to be tired, dis-interested and lacking in confidence.

2)      It causes fatigue.  Poor posture is due to muscular imbalance and weakness.  For example, when our heads are jutted forward the muscles in our necks and upper backs have to work much harder.  This extra work creates a stretch weakness that results in fatigue, muscle tension headaches, neck pain, back pain, etc.

3)      It causes pain.  The pain from poor posture can be significant and even result in disability.  Overworked, weakened muscles cause a build up of lactic acid resulting in muscular pain.  Chronic postural stress can also cause joint pain and pinched nerves.

4)      It makes you prone to injury.  Chronic postural stress causes sprain/strain injuries that can make ordinary house chores much more likely to result in injuries.

I have practiced chiropractic care for nearly 20 years now and I can say that I am a realist.  I have had patients cancel appointments in favor of manicures, tanning sessions and teeth whitening procedures.  I understand that while poor posture can have serious health consequences, these consequences may not be what motivates you to correct your posture.  If not for the negative health effects, work on your posture for the sake of vanity.  Good posture will make you more attractive and healthier!

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

I ask all of the new patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center this question.  I would estimate that about 75% of them answer “yes” to this question although at least half of this “yes” group really have not had Chiropractic Care.

Let me explain, I am not calling my patients liars but many of them are misinformed regarding their past experiences with chiropractic treatment.  Chiropractic treatment is much more complex than “my back is ‘out’, can you pop it back ‘in” scenario that only involves a treatment or two. 

Many of my patients have had back or neck problems in the past and went to see a chiropractor for an adjustment and are under the impression that they have had chiropractic treatment and that it only took one visit.  In reality, chiropractic care is a process that improves your health and wellness through the cumulative effects of a series of treatments combined with specific exercises, stretches and nutritional support.

Let me explain further – joints don’t just “pop out”.  The joints in our spine are surrounded by some of the strongest ligaments and muscles in our bodies.  In order for a joint to “pop out” the muscles have to be week, the ligaments stretched and typically you have been exposing yourself to some kind of ongoing postural stress or some stressful activity that your spine is not coping with adequately. 

Pain is the final manifestation of this process and by no means is an indicator of spinal health.  Unfortunately, pain is relieved quickly with care (sometimes just a visit or two) while the underlying problem continues to fester and worsen for years before it produces pain again leaving the patient with a false sense of security regarding the status of their condition.

When I see a new patient who has had the same problem in the past that they thought was corrected with prior chiropractic care (one or two treatments), the current episode of pain is usually much worse than it was in the past because the patient only received treatment to relieve the pain – not the necessary care to treat the underlying problem.

Hence, a treatment or two with a chiropractor to relieve your pain is very different from being under chiropractic treatment that addresses all aspects of your condition including pain relief, treatment for the underlying reasons for your pain and supportive therapy to insure that your condition doesn’t continue to silently worsen.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Chiropractic care is often thought of as treatment just for the back. While chiropractic care is extremely effective for neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc., chiropractors are also concerned with the overall health of our patients.

Nutritional concerns play a very important role in our general health. One of the common supplements that our patients take is fish oil.

We always stress the importance of fish oil for the heart and the digestive tract, but you probably haven’t heard that people who eat the most fish have the fewest eye problems.

The impact of fish oil on vision was a topic at this week’s meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. They reviewed evidense that showed that fish oil consumption extended to two very serious eye problems.

The first of these problems helped by fish oil is age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the disruption of the center of the retina where the fine nerve complex at the back of the eye essential for all fine visual tasks rests. Macular degereration is the leading cause of age-related blindness.

Fish oil protects the eyes from age-related macular degeneration because of a component of fish oil called docosahexaenoic acid also known as DHA. DHA is one of the omega-3 fatty acids linked to other health benefits. DHA helps vision by building up in the eye near light-sensing nerve cells.

“National Eye Institute researcher John Paul SanGiovanni, ScD, and colleagues analyzed dietary data from 4,513 60- to 80-year-old participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Those who ate fish more than twice a week were half as likely to get macular degeneration as those who ate no fish at all. More than one weekly portion of broiled/baked fish or tuna lowered the risk by a third.

“The risk for [age-related macular degeneration] was significantly decreased for the highest versus the lowest quintiles of total [omega-3 fatty acids] intake,” SanGiovanni and colleagues write in their abstract.”

In another study, fish oil was found to protect the eyes from dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome is a condition in which a person’s eyes don’t make enough tears. Dry eyes can lead to scarring of the cornea and vision loss.

A study of 32,470 female health professionals found that women whose diets had the most omega-3 fatty acids were far less likely to have dry eye syndrome.

Women who ate two to four servings of tuna a week had an 18% lower risk of dry eye syndrome than those who ate less tuna. Eating five or six four-ounce servings of tuna every week lowered this risk by 66%.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Does Excess Fat Lead to Back Pain?

I talk to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic about health, wellness and weight on a daily basis.  While many people don’t want to hear about how their health habits, in regards to chiropractic care, carrying too much weight negatively affects their joints and it is my responsibility to present them with the facts (I don’t harp on them by the way!).

The joints of your spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet are all weight bearing joints.  These joints support the weight of your body.  The more you weigh, the more weight bearing stress is directed into these joints.  With time, weight bearing stress wears the joints down resulting in a condition known as osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is a “wear and tear” type of arthritis that causes inflammation, scar tissue formation and muscle spasms.  Inflammation is often responsible for the neck pain, back pain and other joint pains that we experience.

We know that weight gain causes joint pain and that joint pain can make exercise difficult however, a recent study out of England also suggested that as we gain weight we tend to lose our desire to exercise at an emotional level as well.  You can see how as we gain weight the deck becomes stacked against us as far as our ability to regain a healthy weight.  Further more, our diets lack the proper nutritient composition to support our stressed joints which further complicates weight gain issues.

I am well aware that talking to patients about their weight issues is only effective if I can catch them during a period of time when weight loss is important to them.  That being said, I also know that none of us look forward to experiencing the downsides of growing older complicated by the negative effects of weight gain.  The bottom line is this; weight gain is bad for all of your joints and can cause pain and disability as we grow older.  Do yourself a favor and keep your weight in check – it will make you and your joints happy!

Have a Nice Day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Do you have numbness in your hands or feet?

I see patients in my San Diego chiropractic clinic everyday that complain of numbness or tingling sensations in their hands and / or feet.  Many times these sensations are caused by either pinched nerves secondary to neck pain or back pain.  Sometimes numbness and tingling is caused by herniated discs in the neck or back.  This post will focus on peripheral neuropathy as a cause of numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

Peripheral neuropathy is caused by damage to the nerve as a result of trauma, infections, metabolic conditions and exposure to toxins.  Diabetes is by far the most common cause of diabetes and commonly results in sensations described as glove like or stocking like.

Peripheral neuropathy usually starts in the longest nerves – those which reach your toes and fingers are the ones to be affected first.  The onset is usually a gradual progression of numbness and tingling in the feet or hands that can spread into the legs and arms.  People with neuropathy describe the sensations as burning, sharp, electrical, numbing and tingling.  Sometimes these patients experience a loss of coordination, weakness and even paralysis.

In addition to diabetes being a cause of neuropathy, common contributors of this condition include vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, infections, exposure to toxins and auto immune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Treating neuropathy can include exercise, stretching, healthy eating and if you are a smoker – kicking the habit.  Chiropractic care is also effective in treating neuropathy by using adjustments and providing proper nutritional support.  Medications are also available for treating neuropathy but they often produce undesirable side effects.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

What would you like to drink with your breakfast this morning, coffee or orange juice?

As a chiropractor I am always trying to arm the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic with information and strategies that will help them not only manage joint pain but prevent future occurrences.

Just recently I read an study that concluded that a compound called beta-cryptoxanthin found in orange juice can reduce the risk of autoimmune arthritic conditions known as polyarthritis.

Researchers involved in the study speculated that adding one glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice per day can provide enough beta-cryptoxanthin to protect against the arthritic condition.

Oranges and orange juice are also excellent sources of Vitamin C, another important nutrient that supports joint health.  Although the researchers suspect that beta-cryptoxanthin may do the best job of protecting our joints there are other carotenoids that may also help protect against joint pain.

Your Joint-Friendly Shopping List

Use this joint-friendly grocery list to make shopping a breeze. The list is based on research that shows potential joint benefits from eating certain foods or nutrients. These foods or nutrients could potentially reduce joint-damaging inflammation or promote cartilage health.

Hey Doc, I know that I need the care but who is going to pay my bills?

In my San Diego Chiropractic office, I hear this question from most of my patients who have been involved in car accidents.  Aside from the pressing issues of neck pain, back pain, pinched nerves and headaches that are common after a car accident, payment of medical bills is one of the more common concerns of my patients. The reason that this question is so common is because there are so many avenues through which your medical costs can be covered.

Most people have a medical payments provision on their auto insurance.  Your medical payments will cover all or the great majority of your medical expenses up to the stated limit on your policy.

If the person that hit you is uninsured, you may be able to cover your medical costs with the uninsured motorist provision of your auto insurance – if you opted to have this type of coverage on your policy.

Some people don’t carry medical payments on their insurance policy (you really should because it is inexpensive).  If this is the case in your situation, you can pursue the responsible parties insurance via what is commonly known as a third party claim.  Often you can settle a third party claim on your own but some prefer to use a lawyer.

If you choose to hire a lawyer, your medical expenses will be covered under an attorney’s lien.  We accept liens as do many other doctors’ offices.  When your medical care is covered under a lien, your doctor will be paid out of the settlement after your attorney settles your claim.

I hope that this basic explanation of insurance benefits related to care for car accident injuries is helpful.  There are other scenarios but the ones that I mentioned above are the most common.

Your’s In Good Health,

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Sometimes I tell the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center that they have an inflamed joint and they look at me like I am nuts.  People tend to think of inflammation as swelling and redness that they can see.  Inflammation, however occurs throughout our bodies and is responsible for many health issues.

The inflammatory process that affects joints follows a predictable course.  Initially, the joint is irritated by being over stressed or traumatized in a fall or some other accident, next, the irritation inflames the joint causing pain and muscle spasms.  The pain and muscle spasm related to inflammation cause back pain, neck pain, sciatica and a host of other aches and pains.

What we don’t expect are some of the other illnesses that are now being discovered as being related to inflammation.   Inflammation is difficult to understand for many people.  We tend to think of inflammation as a superficial process that either involves redness around a cut or visible swelling that deforms a contour of the body.  In fact, our bodies deal with low-level inflammation on a daily basis.

Recent studies link inflammation to hay fever, heart disease, depression and diabetes – and that is a short list.  Many researches link our diets – apparently there are foods that can trigger inflammatory responses and foods that work as anti-inflammatories.

Foods that can contribute to inflammation include all the usual suspects – junk food, soda, meats that are high in fat, trans fats, saturated fats, dairy products, pastries, cereals and candy.  Nightshades such as potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant can also trigger inflammatory responses in some people causing pain as well as other long term health consequences.

Foods that help reduce inflammation include olive oil, grape seed oil, lean poultry, fish, seafood, nuts, legumes, seeds, whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.  You should quench your thirst with fresh drinking water, green tea and fresh fruit and vegetable juices.  If you are eating enough fruits and vegetables, almost 20% of your daily water needs will come from them alone!

In the end, controlling inflammation through diet is a common theme and requires a simple formula.  If you want to be healthy you need to eat healthy.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Do you have pain?

Most of the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center come to me for pain relief.  The question is; what is pain?  The answer to this question can be complex but pain is always the end result of some sort of long standing dysfunction that has resulted in inflammation and eventually pain.

Using the analogy of an ice burg; pain relative to the dysfunction that caused it is analogous to the “tip of the ice burg.”  We all know that 95% of an ice burg lies underwater and the tip that we can see represents the smallest portion of its mass.  The same is true with processes that cause us to experience pain.  Our bodies have many coping mechanisms that help mask or compensate for pain – by the time the underlying process actually causes pain it is usually quite advanced.

Because pain represents a small portion of the dysfunctional process, the meaning of pain relief can be confusing.  Since pain is the final manifestation of a particular dysfunction, the simple relief of the pain should not be confused with “a fix” of the original problem.  Sometimes patients that don’t understand what pain represents make the mistake of stopping care as soon as the pain resolves.  Failure to correct the cause of the pain leads to chronic conditions that become very difficult to effectively treat.

A simple example of pain as a result of a primary dysfunction is low back pain that is secondary to a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint.  I see many patients with restricted sacroiliac joint motion – primarily this joint dysfunction comes from long hours of sitting.  Patients with restricted sacroiliac joint motion are prone to suffering with lower back pain.  Treatment for this condition involves chiropractic adjustments on the locked sacroiliac joint.  Many patients get pain relief with adjustments even though on subsequent evaluations the joint motion has not been restored to normal.  I would guess that about half of my patients continue with their care after pain relief in order to restore normal function to the problematic joint while the other half discontinues care as soon as they feel better.  My personal experience (20 years worth!) tells me that those who discontinue care with pain relief are much more likely to develop chronic pain in the future because they didn’t treat long enough to correct the underlying problem.

The point is this – pain is not good measure of your health.  People have cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other life threatening disorders and don’t experience pain or other symptoms until the process has significantly advanced.  Back pain, neck pain and headaches act the same way.  Regardless of the type of care you receive, follow through with treatment until your doctor releases you.  Cutting your care short will only serve to make you more comfortable while your joints degenerate.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

A down turn, the economy affects everything that we do regarding our finances – even decisions regarding health.  Down turns in the economy can cause us to experience both the physical and emotional manifestations of stress.

That being said, there are businesses that are more resistant to economic down turns than others.

The bar in the complex where my San Diego Chiropractic Center is located seems to be handling the current economic stress with ease.  The struggling economy may have even made them busier!

My office has maintained itself during this economic down turn because during times of stress my patients tend to place a higher value on their health.  I find it peculiar that during stressful times that some people will spend their hard earned money on unhealthy items such as alcohol and cigaretts while others spend their money on improving their health with chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, yoga and gym memberships.

When the economy goes south and we can’t treat ourselves (financially) to the things that normally make us feel satisfied, many of us re-focus on our health or other types of self improvement.

Stress has many negative physiological effects on our bodies so it is imparative that during stressful periods that we take better care of ourselves.  Cortisol is the “stress hormone” that is released when we are stressed.  The release of cortisol not only stresses our adrenal glands but it also tends to make us gain weight which causes more health and happiness issues.  Yes, stress can even make you fat!  Stress also magnifies old injuries by creating muscle spasm that can aggravate or cause neck pain, back pain and headaches.

Our bodies like balance.  Balance helps our bodies negate the effects of stress.  Pro-active steps towards maintaining health can help us attain balance which helps control the physical and emotional expressions of stress.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

After 18 years in practice I finally had a self proclaimed zombie stagger into my office the other day.

We have all seen zombie movies depicting the living dead stumbling around with awkward walk postures and body positions.  Yesterday, a patient came into my San Diego chiropractic office who jokingly asked if I had any experience with treating zombies.  This man had injured his back and walked with a staggering gait and had not slept in two days yet maintained enough of a sense of humor so as to compare himself to a zombie.

Since I have been a zombie movie fan for many years I replied ‘of course we treat zombies!  I only ask that during your visit that you try not to take a bite of my staff, another patient or myself.’  No Biting immediately became my newly adopted rule for zombies entering my office for care.

I examined this patient and found that he had a completely locked up sacroiliac joint that was causing his pain and his staggering zombie-like gait.

A little therapy and a few good low back adjustments later and this patient was on his way back towards joining the ranks of the living – at least he walked up to front desk looking like a more comfortable zombie.

I definitely enjoyed this patient’s creative self diagnosed zombie-ism but I don’t think that his diagnosis would be accepted as a new diagnosis in the medical coding book.  In the mean time I will always welcome zombies to my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Over the past few years we have seen the ideas of health, wellness and life extension used with increasing regularity.  Even Kaiser has rebranded itself as a center for health, wellness and life extension. 

The question is; What do health, wellness and life extension have to do with chiropractic care?

In the early years of its development as a health care instrument, the founders of chiropractic identified the link between chiropractic adjustments and a healthy nervous system.  Chiropractic researchers noted that when patients came in for care for conditions like neck pain and back pain that as they received care, other symptoms that they suffered with also improved.  Conditions like asthma, constipation, headaches and a host of other complaints would improve as these patients proceeded with their chiropractic care.

Athletes would see improvements in overall performance in their abilities and workers noticed quicker recovery times and fewer injuries as a result of chiropractic care.  Chiropractors all over the country found that patients who had first sought care for a specific ache or pain wanted to continue treatment even after their original symptoms had resolved.  Ongoing chiropractic care simply made patients feel better physically then they ever had before.  It was then that the benefits of chiropractic care for health maintenance purposes became the larger focus of chiropractic treatment. 

The connection between chiropractic care, health, wellness and life extension is an easy path to follow.  The function of all of our body processes is dependant on a healthy nervous system.  Chiropractic care directly acts to help your nervous system function at its best.  When your nervous system is healthy, all of your systems are more efficient resulting in better health, a higher level of wellness and life extension.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Do you remember the last time you bought margarine?

If you are like many of the patients that I have spoken to in my San Diego Chiropractic Center, you have probably bought margarine instead of butter because of the health benefits – right?  Or maybe you bought it because it is easier to spread than butter.

Margarine is heavily processed – so much so that it is hard to even consider it a food product.  I have made a big deal over avoiding processed foods in many of my blog posts in the past.  In this post I will give some details about how margarine is made so you can better understand what the “processed” in the phrase “processed food” means.

Margarine begins as vegetable oil – a liquid at room temperature, obviously not what we buy at the store.  This oil is boiled at high temperature until it becomes a congealed, lumpy mass of a grey colored material.  This grey, lumpy mass is then hydrogenated where it picks up nickel oxide – which is not removed from the final product.  Hydrogenation occurs under tremendous pressure and temperature and results in the formation of “trans” fatty acids.  Of course we now know that trans fats interfere with your body’s ability to clear cholesterol from your blood.

After hydrogenation, the oil is then homogenized with soap-like emulsifiers and then infused with starch to produce a denser consistency.  At this point the product is bleached in order to remove any remaining color.  At this stage the margarine has no flavor and no color. 

Obviously, nobody would buy margarine if it has no color or flavor so a sulfur based coal tar dye is added to give the product its nice yellow color and strong flavorings are added that make it taste like something that it is not.  Preservatives are then added in order to prevent the margarine from becoming rancid.  This is the final product that goes to market and is sold to us consumers as a healthy alternative to butter.

There are many processed foods that are fully hydrogenated and cause liver, heart and circulatory diseases.  Margarine just happens to be one of many alternatives to natural foods – in this case, butter – that is sold under the guise that it is a healthier alternative. 

I just recently heard a short interview with fitness guru Jack LaLanne who is now 96 years old.  He ended his interview with these words “if it tastes good spit it out and if man made it don’t eat it!”  Based on what we know about how processed foods are made, it would be difficult to find a better perspective regarding what we eat.

Have a Great Day!

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Is Whiplash Haunting You?

Well, it happened again.  This past Monday I had a new patient in my San Diego Chiropractic clinic that was complaining of neck pain with radiating pain in his right arm. 

This patient had been in a car accident in which he was whiplashed nearly 20 years earlier and he stated that his neck pain began as a result of that accident.  Like many of my patients, he never received care for his neck injury because he always thought it would go away even though as the years passed he felt that his episodes of pain were increasing in both frequency and intensity.

This past weekend he woke up with his typical stiff neck but this time it was accompanied by a dull aching pain that radiated down his arm and into his right hand.

Since radiating pain can be caused by anything from muscle spasms to herniated discs I sent him for x-rays so I could see why his arm was achy.  As I expected from an old, untreated whiplash injury, this patient had his share of spinal arthritis including a few large bone spurs and thinning discs.  These x-ray findings were consistent with his current symptoms and his whiplash history.

Unfortunately for this patient any kind of treatment whether medical, acupuncture or in this case, chiropractic care will only be to help control his symptoms – there will be no “cure” for him.  Treatment for whiplash needs to begin within days or weeks of the injury to give the best chances of avoiding this patient’s situation.

Statistics tells us that even with early treatment that approximately 25% of whiplash victims who receive care will develop chronic pain due to their injuries.  Some studies show that up to 75% of patients who don’t receive early care or any care at all will likely suffer from ongoing pain related to the long term effects of their injuries.

This patient would be in much better shape had he received treatment for his injuries 20 years ago versus waiting until now, unfortunately his wait and see approach has resulted in chronic pain that will require ongoing attention.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Do you suffer from the silent killer – hypertension?

Several years ago a few studies emerged that suggested that chiropractic manipulation had a blood pressure lowering affect on those folks who suffer with chronic hypertension.  For chiropractors this was no new revelation.  For the general public, however, who sees chiropractic care simply as a fix for neck pain, back pain and headaches, this report was news to them.  Many of my patients greeted the reported affects of chiropractic care on lowering blood pressure with skepticism.

I believe that skepticism is healthy since there are so many scams in healthcare.  That being said, you also have to keep an open mind regarding potential new cures for common human conditions.  Had one of my colleagues told me a story of lowering blood pressure with chiropractic manipulations I would have believed him because I understand the interaction between chiropractic adjustments, the spine, the nervous system and the many functions of our bodies.  However, when I recently read a study in the Journal of Human Hypertension that documented blood pressure reductions of -17/10 mm HG in a group of patients who were receiving chiropractic adjustments of the upper neck I gained additional validation for what I already knew.

The purpose of this blog post is not to promote that I can help patients with chronic hypertension – although I can.  The purpose of this post was simply to advance the idea that chiropractic care is effective at treating a vast number of conditions, not just the typical cases of neck pain, back pain and headaches.  The conservative nature of chiropractic care makes it a safe and effective therapy for many of the conditions that ail us.

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

Remember the old diagnosis of “Nintendo Thumb”?  Well now we have “Text Neck”.

Saying that technology leads to neck pain and back pain may be over-reaching a bit, but there is a definite link between our obsessions with hand held electronics and spinal health.

Most of the cases of neck pain that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic office are due to postural stress. The postural stress that causes most of the cases of neck pain in my office is caused by regular, frequent texting, computer use, DS play, cellular phones, iPhones (and similar devices), e-book readers (such as the Kindle), iPods, etc.  Kids, young adults and even mature adults admit to spending hours each day retrieving and inputting information into these hand held devices.

The end result of the postural stress caused by hand held electronic devices is known as Forward Head Posture or FHP.  Forward Head Posture causes a variety of symptoms that can range from mild annoyances to significant levels of disability.  We can often feel the results of FHP, such as neck pain, upper back pain or stiffness, after returning to a neutral position after just a few minutes of looking downward at a keyboard or a smart phone.  With time, these symptoms can expand to include headaches, neck strain, pinched nerves and a host of other painful syndromes involving the upper extremities.

The bad news about FHP is that in a few years it will be much more prevalent than it is today.  A recent study by Kaiser found that kids aged from 8 to 18 spend an average of nearly 8 hours per day either playing DS type games, texting or using smart phones in some other way.  Chances are that this statistic will worsen.

FHP is a type of repetitive stress syndrome.  Over my years in practice I have seen my patients lose their careers because of injuries due to repetitive stress.  While the world is changing its communication habits it is vital for our health that we manage the time that we spend with hand held electronic devices.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

At my San Diego Chiropractic office I often find that patients that are both new and returning to chiropractic care have misconceptions regarding the differences between medical care and chiropractic treatment.

Most of my patients initially come to my office with neck pain, back pain or headaches.  Regardless of the complaint, I often check many chiropractic subluxation indicators in order to find the cause of the complaint.  This method is typical for the kind of care you would get from a holistic practioner.

One of the most substantial differences between chiropractic treatment and medical treatment is the way in which we look at you, the patient.  Chiropractic care is holistic in its approach to you.  A holistic approach sees you as a whole person whose parts are interdependent on each other.  Medical care takes an allopathic approach meaning that your care tends to be focused on the specific area that has become problematic.

If we use tension headaches as an example to expose the differences between the two types of care the differences between allopathic and holistic treatment become clear.

As a chiropractor the first thing that I do when a patient comes to me complaining of muscle tension headaches is look for the source of the muscle tension.  Sometimes the muscle tension lies in the thin band of muscle that crosses the bottom of the skull while other times the muscle tension comes from the neck or shoulders / upper back.  The point here is that different sources of pain drive a need for different types of care.  After the source of the muscle tension is found, treatment is delivered to the source of the problem.

If you present to your MD with the same muscle tension headache, you will probably be prescribed some kind of medication to dull the pain but not to address the cause of your headache.  This kind of care is allopathic – focusing only on the pain of the headache – not the cause of the headache.

But that’s where the similarity ends because each discipline looks at health and healing in very different ways.

Chiropractors and medical doctors have two very different philosophies, yet each has its place. If you have broken bones or you’re bleeding by the side of the road, you need the lifesaving measures of emergency medical treatment.

On the other hand, if you have chronic aches and pains or if your interest lies in wellness and health maintenance, you definitely want the “focus on health” approach that is the objective of chiropractic care.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

The word “health” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. 

In my San Diego Chiropractic practice sometimes my patients associate health with ridding themselves of back pain, neck pain, headaches or perhaps making a recovery from injuries suffered in a car accident.

At my chiropractic clinic we try to encourage our patients to take a broader view of health than simply being pain free.  Health is about your body expressing its full function and operating at the optimum levels that it is capable of.  It has been my experience that chiropractic care can help you function better, but optimal health will not be expressed without paying close attention to your diet and nutritional needs. 

One dietary change that you can do right away to help support your health is to get more fiber into your diet.  Fiber is an extremely important part of a healthy diet and can help you regain and maintain your health.  Because of the fast-food lifestyles that we have come to accept as normal, most Americans aren’t getting enough fiber.  On average, Americans consume only 5 to 10 grams of fiber a day…15 to 20 grams less than the 25 grams recommended by the FDA.  

You may ask, why is fiber so important?

1. Fiber helps stabilize energy and sugar levels. Fiber slows digestion and therefore helps slow the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream.  Soluble fiber, specifically, delays the absorption of sugars and starch by dragging partly digested food through the intestine.  Delaying the absorption of ingested sugars keeps your blood sugar, insulin and energy levels more stable throughout the day.
2. Fiber is filling. Fiber is a bulky and stays in the stomach longer, providing a greater sense of fullness between meals.  For instance, a slice of 100 percent whole grain bread (loaded with fiber) is more filling than two slices of white bread (very little fiber).  Foods high in fiber also need to be chewed thoroughly so it slows down the eating process.  Eating slower helps prevent overeating.
3. Fiber facilitates weight loss and maintenance. Fiber helps move fat through our digestive system faster so that absorption is significantly reduced.
4. Fiber can reduce risk of disease. Soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels.  This, in turn, reduces the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease.
5. Fiber helps maintain regularity. Fiber increases the movement of food through the digestive system.  As a result, fiber promotes regularity and helps avoid or eliminate constipation, abdominal pain and “sluggish bowel” syndrome.

Dietary fiber can be found in fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and whole grains.   At my office we always stress the importance of a healthy diet – adequate fiber intake is an important component that is needed in our daily diets.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

The kids were obnoxious as they often are, but they were right.

I was at Costco the other day looking at pants when I found myself standing near a few guys in their late teens / early twenties who were also looking at pants.  I remember when I was in my twenties thinking that guys my age (45) were old as dirt and I occasionally enjoyed saying things for shock value in order to stir up the “older” folks.  That is exactly what the one younger guy did when he said “none of these sizes will fit me – it is a short fat world isn’t it?” with enough volume for me to easily hear this comment.  Quietly, I agreed with him.

As I stood there looking at pant sizes, I realized that they did not have any in my size either.  Had my waist measurement exceeded my length, Costco would have had plenty of pants to choose from.  I find it difficult to find pants at most stores that I shop at because waist sizes run so large compared to lengths  –  it is really sad that as a society we have reached this point.

Being a San Diego chiropractor, I am always concerned with the health of my patients.  In addition to neck pain, back pain, headaches and other pain related issues, my patient’s weight and fitness are equally important.  Every extra pound that we carry increases the stress on our joints.  As joint stress increases, the chances of irritation, inflammation, joint pain and eventually arthritis increase as well.

Not to imply that weight control is only important for our joints but it is one more reason to either lose the extra weight or at least keep it in check.

I attended a seminar recently and learned that large deposits of fat can actually work like an endocrine organ that predominantly produces estrogen.  This is true in men as well.  Excess estrogen in men is associated with increased risks of heart attack, stroke, and prostate disease.

I always bring up the topic of weight loss with my patients that would benefit from losing a few pounds – but I never ride them.  Losing excess weight is necessary in order to live a healthy lifestyle, but you have to want that in order to obtain it.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Neck pain is common after a car accident.  The treatment that you receive following that accident can have an impact on your spinal health for the rest of your life.

Whiplash does nasty things to your joints and the muscles and ligaments that support them.  Sometimes these processes are painful immediately and other times they don’t become symptomatic until years later.  The key to relieving pain now and / or avoiding future episodes of pain or disability is to get treatment for your whiplash as soon as possible.

Tremendous amounts of force are placed on the muscles and ligaments when we are involved in whiplash accidents – these forces far exceed normal movements that we purposefully engage in.  The force of a whiplash accident tears muscles and ligaments resulting in swelling, pain, spasms and scar tissue formation.  Scar tissue can not only become a source of pain but it can severely restrict your range of motion as you age.

We all know those older (and sometimes younger) people who have to turn their entire bodies in order to look behind them.  Those people have limited range of motion of the joints in their necks.  With rare exception, this limited range of motion is caused by scar tissue formation and arthritis that has accumulated from old injuries.

Chiropractic treatment helps with many different conditions and is even beneficial as a health maintenance type of treatment.  That being said, chiropractic care is the perfect therapy for most injuries that are related to whiplash.  Chiropractic care helps control the pain associated with torn muscles and ligaments and it is also very effective with breaking down excessive scar tissue that restricts normal range of motion.

We have successfully treated hundreds if not thousands of patients who suffer from either current whiplash injuries or the later effects of those injuries in my San Diego chiropractic office.  Chiropractic treatment combined with a structured stretching / exercise program and proper nutritional support can be the difference between chronic long lasting pain and a healthy pain free spine.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

In the past I have written blog posts specifically about the dangers of soda consumption – especially diet soda.  Diet soda contains aspartame which brings a host of symptoms related to ill health.  In fact, diet soda is so unhealthy do to the artificial sweeteners that over the years I have advised the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic that if they are going to drink soda that they are better off drinking regular soda – not the diet varieties.

Please know that I don’t recommend drinking soda to any of my chiropractic patients simply because it is not good for you.  I explain to my patients that caffeine, nicotine and sugar all make you more pain sensitive.  For my patients I hope that my stance on these three consumables translates into the notion that these unhealthy items will magnify the back pain, neck pain hip pain, etc that they are experiencing.  After all pain is a great motivator – at least for awhile.   

A recent study done at Emory University has made me second guess my thoughts on regular soda being better for you than diet soda.  This study found that those who consume large amounts of added sugars such as cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, glucose and fructose had lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels and higher LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and higher triglyceride levels than in those who don’t indulge in sweetened, processed foods as a regular part of their diets.  This combination of low HDL and high LDL and triglycerides are linked to heart disease.

Most of us had already known about the association of weight gain and diabetes risk with consuming foods and drinks high in added sugar but this has been the first study that was able to link sugar intake to higher cholesterol levels in humans.  In the United States, 16% of our daily total calories are from added sugar and soda is responsible for one third of the average Americans daily sugar intake.

Improving your health takes just a little discipline – eliminate soda and other drinks with added sugar, pay attention to sugar grams on the labels of packaged foods and try to avoid foods with double digit sugar grams and finally, limit sweet splurges to just a few per week.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Most insurance companies try to dispute payments made for medical care that was related to car accidents with little to no damage to the cars.  Most of the time the responsible insurance company ends up paying for your injuries but it can be a struggle.

I recently had a new patient in my San Diego Chiropractic office that had been injured in a car accident.  She had a severe headache, neck pain that prevented full motion in her neck, middle back pain and low back pain.  She also had shooting, stabbing pain in her right arm.  Prior to the accident she didn’t have any of these symptoms.

As this patient sat on my exam table, sobbing because of her pain, I noticed on her intake form that she was a claims adjuster for a large auto insurance company.   After our consultation and exam were completed and I made my treatment recommendations she said something that I will never forget.  She said “I can’t believe how much pain I am in – especially since there is no damage to my car.  I feel so bad that I have been denying claims like these for years – I had no idea that anyone could be hurt by such a minor accident!”  And this lady was an insurance adjuster!

After several weeks of care that produced slow improvement, I sent her out for an MRI of her neck.  The MRI results revealed that she had two herniated discs in her neck that were largely responsible for her neck pain and the right arm pain.

This lady was only 24 years old and was in good shape physically.  Before this accident, she had no prior car accidents or significant falls or other injuries.  Regarding this accident, her car was undamaged – in fact she said the impact felt like a light tap on her bumper that surprised her more than it jolted her body. 

The chiropractic care that we were delivering changed a little bit with more of our treatment emphasis going towards therapies then chiropractic adjustments.  Over the course of the next few months her symptoms went away but she would still occasionally bring up how bad she felt about fighting all those claims that were just like hers.   

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Do your joints hurt?  Have you stopped or restricted certain activities because of joint pain?

As a practicing chiropractor in San Diego, I treat people for joint pain everyday – sometimes even on Sunday.  A growing part of my treatment recommendations is nutritional support.

Most cases of neck pain and back pain can be greatly improved just with chiropractic adjustments.  However, some cases of ongoing, lingering pain – especially in weight bearing joints – such as ankles, knees, hips and spinal joints also require nutritional support and specific exercises in order to provide relief.

As with most things in life, personal experience with your own advice always gives you better perspective.  Those of you who have been reading my blog posts over the last few years are aware that I had stopped running a few years ago because of ongoing ankle pain.  My pain would make bearing the weight of my body nearly impossible after just a short run – less than a mile and would necessitate hours of icing in order to get me walking again.

Recently, I started taking my own advice on nutritional support for joints.  On the advice of my representative from Standard Process, I began taking a supplement called Glucosamine Synergy.  I also started drinking Joint Juice that I get from the local Costco. 

What a difference!  I am not going to make running my sole aerobic exercise but I have been able to run a few times weekly for two or three miles with no ankle pain at all.

The bottom line is that we often underestimate the value of nutritional support.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

If you have low back pain you need to see a chiropractor, right? The chiropractor has always been known as the fix for lower back pain. While this is true, there are risk factors for back pain that can’t be eliminated with treatment. Thankfully, however, these factors can be compensated for with chiropractic maintenance, the right exercises, adequate stretching and proper diet.

The following is a list of risk factors for back pain that will not change but can be controlled with chiropractic. Those with multiple risk factors will have a better chance of suffering from ongoing episodes of back pain.

• Being middle-aged (risk drops after age 65).
• Being male.
• Having a family history of back pain.
• Having had a previous back injury.
• Being pregnant.
• Having had compression fractures of the spine.
• Having had previous back surgery.
• Having spine problems since birth

The following is a list of risk factors for back pain that you can change. Those with multiple risk factors will have a better chance of suffering from ongoing episodes of back pain.

• Lack of regular exercise.
• Postural stress.
• Smokers are more likely to have low back pain.
• Being overweight.
• Being under stress.
• Depression.
• Drug use.

I always try to make the patients of my San Diego chiropractic clinic aware of these risk factors. Episodes of back pain, neck pain and ongoing headaches are always much easier to control when we control risk factors.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Chiropractic care will help you stay healthy. But, as I try to tell the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center all the time, it takes more than maintenance chiropractic care to keep you healthy.

A large part of our health is dependent upon what we eat – this seems like an obvious statement but the way we live our lives you would think that the link between diet and health is a closely guarded secret.

When we don’t plan, or are short on time we often turn to processed or packaged foods. Our busy lives and poor planning have turned processed and packaged foods into a large part of our diets and the food industry.

Most of us would recognize that the frozen cardboard crusted sausage and cheese pizza would not be a healthy food choice, but many packaged foods that seem like healthy choices are full of preservatives, fillers, artificial colors and other additives that are unhealthy.

Years ago, a health expert by the name of Susan Powter used to advise that we eat packaged foods only when absolutely necessary and that those foods should have very few ingredients and should only contain ingredients that you recognize as food. This is excellent advice. If you don’t recognize an ingredient or can’t pronounce it, you should avoid it.

If you have no choice with a meal and have to eat processed food (food that is canned, pre-packaged, frozen, etc.) try to avoid the following ingredients:
1) Artificial colors
2) Artificial flavoring
3) Artificial sweeteners
4) Benzoate preservatives
5) Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
6) High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
7) Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Olestra
9) Shortening, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils

Chiropractic care will help you with back pain, neck pain headaches and your general health but in order to get a complete handle on your health you will also need to exercise, stretch and clean up your diet. Avoiding the additives on the list above will help you in your pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

What in world is a Flexitarian?

I have heard of vegetarians, vegans and there was even a movie reference to a fruititarian – which turns out to be a real diet! I also know of people, usually guys, who are opposed to eating any kind of “rabbit food” as a normal part of their diet.

I am a practicing chiropractor in health conscious San Diego. I see many patients who are practicing vegetarians, ovo-lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian or vegans but recently I came across the phrase “flexitarian” and wondered what it was. If you didn’t know better, you might think that a “flexitarian” is some sort of a contortionist. But it is not.

As it turns out, a “flexitarian” is simply an undisciplined vegetarian. As I understand it, a “flexitarian” eats animal protein on days that they want to and they skip the meat on other days. For the most part, more days are spent on the vegetarian side than on the meat-eater side.

Personally, I think this is a pretty good way to approach your diet – if you do it right. I have seen many strict vegetarians, mostly women, come through my practice over the years – most of them look sickly. Typically this sickly look is due to vitamin, mineral and protein deficiencies that are inherent in a vegetarian diet.

Diets that are lacking in animal proteins require high caloric intakes in order to supply adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals and protein. It is difficult to consume enough of the right fruits and vegetables on a daily basis to meet your nutritional needs. A “flexitarian” diet allows for meat consumption making recommended nutritional intake levels much easier to attain.

That being said, a “flexitarian” diet is not the solution for all vegetarians. Some vegetarians that I know can’t stomach the taste or texture of meat and others simply don’t agree with the killing of animals for food.

Whatever your diet choices are, make sure you do adequate research regarding the potential pitfalls with your choices and plan your meals to include the proper nutrients.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

I started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego almost 20 years ago. Over that time span I have observed the obvious regarding fitness in my aging patient base. What I have observed is that those who care about their health do better. Seems like a silly observation doesn’t it?

Silly as it may be, the obvious benefits of taking steps toward health maintenance eludes many of us as we age. As a society we have traditionally placed a large focus on how our spending habits will affect us in retirement. Yet we do all this financial planning while leading sedentary lifestyles and eating fatty foods that are of little nutritional value setting ourselves up for ill health during the “golden years”.

I see two groups of different types of people in my office. One of these groups is comprised of people who only seek chiropractic care during emergency situations. This group also tends to be overweight and lead sedentary lifestyles. This group tends to have more serious health issues that are beyond the scope of chiropractic care. They have disease linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. This group of people are those who are more likely to come into my office complaining of pain related to non-specific injuries such as sleeping awkwardly or turning their head too quickly. In general, this group puts less effort into maintaining their health and as they age their lack of interest in their health becomes apparent.

The other group of patients that I see seeks chiropractic care from my office for specific injuries but also for health maintenance. They see the value of a strong flexible spine. They also exercise, stretch and make healthy food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles. From what I have seen over the last 20 years is that this group of people ages more gracefully, remains active longer and have less physical complaints when compared to the other group. This group does not suffer from the effects of back pain, neck pain and other spinal ailments with the frequency or severity as the other group.

The bottom line is that health doesn’t just happen – you need to be proactive in your efforts to maintain a healthy body. The sooner you begin your efforts to support your health the better, but it is never too late to become health conscious. I think that the most important years during which we can make the most gains with our health are between the ages of 35 and 55. If you put the effort in during these years you will stand a much better chance of living a life with less physical problems in your later years.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Up until a few years ago, I had been an avid runner. I had run consistently since high school. During some periods of my life I ran for time, at other times I would run for distance. As I grew older (I am 45 now) I started noticing a few things about myself and other runners that I would see on my routes.

First of all, I noticed that my conditioning didn’t really change as my runs changed. For example, I would go through periods where I would run 3 miles in a session and I would go through times where I would run 5 or 6 miles in a session. I never really noticed any change in my body fat during periods in which the frequency and distance of my runs would increase.

Secondly, I am a creature of habit. I would run the same routes at the same times and see the same people also running for their health and fitness. People who were running farther than me and faster than me often appeared to be in worse shape than I was in – at least in the way they looked.

I have stated this in blog posts before that I am not particularly vain about the way I look, however, if I am going to put the effort in I like to see the benefits of my labor. As it turns out, when we run too much, with too little recovery time, we can experience a variety of joint pains such as back pain, knee pain, ankle pain, etc and what has been termed the “Cortisol Effect”.

The Cortisol Effect is negative hormonal response to stress. In addition to causing achy joints, it can also cause body fat to be deposited around your midsection. These effects of cortisol are completely antagonistic to the reasons why we run. I have never met a runner who runs with the intention of creating joint pain and a propensity for depositing fat around their midsections.

In order to get more out of running as an exercise, you should rotate running with other exercise routines such as yoga, bike riding swimming, etc. Rotating different types of exercise will keep your body from adapting and help prevent injuries from repetition.

Finally, change the intensity levels of your runs – wind sprints give incredible conditioning, burn lots of calories and will give you explosive power that you won’t get from running a 10K.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

When we are younger (20 to 30 or so), our bodies have a fantastic ability to restore itself. I am not just talking about joints; this statement reflects the whole of our bodies.

Many of the older (over 40) patients in my San Diego chiropractic clinic deal with the sins of their past on a daily basis. All of the running, jumping, falls and various sports injuries combined with little or no remediating therapy takes its toll on us as we age.

These activities first become noticeable as little aches and pains that are easy to ignore or mask with pain killers. At some point, we simply start to eliminate the activities that cause discomfort. Everyday my patients indicate that knee pain, ankle pain or back pain have caused them to avoid activities like tennis, running, basketball and a whole list of other sports or leisure activities.

As we start to eliminate activities that cause discomfort we begin to suffer from lost range of motion, atrophy of various muscle groups and generalized deconditioning.

Maintaining joint health takes effort. Poor exercise techniques can cause joint stress and body balancing issues that cause joint pain. Poor nutrition can cause weight gain and an acidic pH balance which leads to joint stress secondary to the weight gain as well as inflammatory issues due to the acidic pH in the body. Finally, ignoring signs of pain and avoiding treatment will only help the painful joint condition to progress.

The good news is that you can help yourself. Help starts with seeing a chiropractor who can adjust the joints to break down scar tissue that has formed from past injuries. Breaking down the scar tissue will improve your range of motion and help relieve joint pain. You will also need nutritional support specifically for the joints. The right supplements can help reduce inflammation and repair damaged joint surfaces. Proper nutrition is a must. Foods and drinks loaded with preservatives, sugar, artificial sweeteners and coloring agents work against joint health. Eating a diet that mostly consists of fresh fruits, vegetables and fresh organic protein sources such as deep sea fish and free range chicken will aid in weight loss and reduce inflammation mediators that are found in “unhealthy” foods. Finally, a proper exercise program will help you find balance for your body which will reduce stress and prevent future injury.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

At my San Diego Chiropractic clinic we stress the basics of good health. Diet, exercise and stress reduction go a long ways towards not only helping you feel better today but also toward helping prevent diseases such as gallbladder disease.

Recently a powerful congressman, John Murtha, underwent a surgical procedure to remove his gallbladder and ended up dying from complications due to massive infection. While this is a common procedure that is performed with only rare complications, Murtha’s death should serve as a warning that “routine” medical procedures can have life changing or even life ending complications.

Eating a healthy with a good balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates combined with frequent exercise and effective stress reduction can help you avoid many different illnesses and diseases like the gallbladder issue that took Murtha’s life.

Eating a healthy diet can even help with common complaints of neck pain, lower back pain and headaches. Many people consume caffeine, sugar and nicotine unaware that all of these “foods” make you more pain sensitive.

Just as important to our health maintenance is exercise. Exercise keeps the muscles strong and flexible which helps them support your spine and other joints. Joints that are supported by strong, flexible muscles are less likely to suffer from painful joint conditions involving specific injuries or general wear and tear.

Finally, keeping a handle on stress can also help reduce your chances of developing neck pain and back pain. Stress often expresses itself as muscle tension. All of those tight muscles are attached to bones and joints. Muscles that are chronically tight will cause pain in the joints that they work upon.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

One of the more frequent questions that the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic practice have asked me over the years is “What is the best bed to get?”

As with most things in life, what is good for me may not be so good for you and visa-versa. As a general rule, the firmer the sleeping surfaces the better. That being said, a mattress should be comfortable. Remember however that comfort can be a fleeting thing – we can feel comfortable as we fall asleep but awake with back pain, stiff necks, sore shoulders or hip pain. A comfortable mattress should allow you get a full nights sleep and awake feeling pain free and rested. Some stores offer a comfort exchange plan that will allow you to exchange the mattress after a month or two if it is not a good fit for you.

A mattress should also offer the right amount of support for your lower back, shoulders and hips. The mattress should have enough give for your hips and shoulders so that when you are lying on your side your spinal column remains straight.

Another thing to consider is the cost of a new bed. This is an issue that I have with my patients that drives me absolutely crazy! If we get the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night, that equates to one third of the hours of each day that we spend in our beds. I have patients and friends who are so cheap when it comes to buying a new mattress while at the same time they spend $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 or more on cars that they drive for less than an hour each day.

Over the years, I have had patients buy mattresses from all the major brands. The Tempurpedic mattress or one made of memory foam are always popular as are the air support beds like the Select Comfort.

The bed that my patients have had the most satisfaction with is the Select Comfort. The idea of being able to change the firmness of the sleeping surface is a nice feature. I like to recommend this mattress because it can change as your comfort needs change.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Did you know that in addition to putting your brain to sleep that watching television actually has considerable negative physical side effects? Watching TV is linked to weight gain, back pain, neck pain and headaches. Some recent studies even link too much TV watching to an early death!

I have always known that spending time watching TV was bad for me so years ago I made some decisions about how I was spending my time at home. Typically, I would come home from work and plop myself on the couch and watch TV. It doesn’t take a genius to know that there are several things wrong with this picture. More importantly, I KNOW BETTER THAN THIS!

Sitting in front of the TV is OK for planned entertainment – but not what I was doing. I was turning on the TV without knowing what I wanted to watch – I would “flip” until I found something I liked and then I would “veg” until I would fall asleep or get tired enough to go to bed.

I moved back in 2005 and decided that I would not subscribe to cable or any other TV service. I figured that while I was watching TV I was watching other people do active things and advance their careers. While watching TV I also get peppered with commercials designed to coax me out of my hard earned money. After being parked on the couch I would feel lethargic and sometimes my back or shoulders would get stiff or sore depending on how I was positioned. No good for my career or my health (mental or physical).

I see people in my San Diego chiropractic clinic all the time who are in pain because they spend too much time watching TV. Watching TV deconditions the muscles that move and support the spine. We also tend to eat more when we watch TV which obviously leads to weight gain. Weight gain combined with weakened back muscles is a perfect recipe for sprain / strain injuries that are the root of back pain and neck pain.

Do yourself a favor this year and watch less TV. Watching less TV is better for both your mind and body.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Have you ever had low back Pain?

If so, you are part of a large group of people. Statistics tell us that about 80% of us will suffer with low back pain over the course of our lives.

Low back pain is a common complaint for the patients that I treat in my San Diego Chiropractic clinic. Chiropractors have the reputation of being the “back doctors”. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a patient tell me about a friend with either elbow pain or knee pain or shoulder pain who wouldn’t come into my office for care because they think that all chiropractors treat is back pain.

A recent episode of back pain that I experienced just renewed my level empathy for my patients with low back pain. Not that I had lost my empathy for my patients, but a little personal experience always helps with my focus.

Despite the reputation of being back doctors, chiropractors are trained to deal with all of the joints whether they are part of the spine or not.

The process that affects the joints in the low back is the same process that affects other joints in the body. They are irritated by a fall or some other injury. The irritation causes inflammation and the inflammation causes pain, swelling and scar tissue formation. The scar tissue limits the joints range of motion and can become a source of pain itself.

Treatment can be a simple as a few joint adjustments and a few sessions of therapy.

The next time you have a joint that aches, try chiropractic treatment. Most joint problems that cause lower back pain respond well to chiropractic care.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Years ago I had a patient who sustained a serious low back injury in what seemed to be a simple, low impact rear-end accident. My patient was stopped at a red light and was hit from behind by a car that was maybe going 10 mph. The impact wasn’t severe enough to require any repairs to either vehicle.

Regardless of the lack of damage to my patients’ vehicle, he knew immediately that there was something wrong with his lower back and his right leg. He told me that when his car was hit, he felt the metal framework of his seat apply a significant amount of force through his lower back. As he got out of his vehicle, he felt weakness and a little pain in his right leg.

I have patients that I treat for certain conditions that are later aggravated by car accidents but this case wasn’t one of those. This patient had no prior history of low back pain or sciatic pain – this current pain was all new.

After four weeks of chiropractic care for his injuries, both the patient and I were frustrated by his lack of progress. I sent him for an MRI of his low back which clearly showed 2 herniated discs in his low back – no doubt these were from his accident.

This patients’ options for care at this point were to go to an orthopedic surgeon or continue with chiropractic care at my office. He elected to continue with chiropractic care with the understanding that if his condition either failed to improve or worsened that he would consider an orthopedic consult.

In this case, this patient made significant improvement with chiropractic care and made a complete recovery. The odd things about this case was how little damage was done to the car by the accident and the fact that the patient experienced no neck pain while suffering significant low back injuries.

The bottom line is that even light impact accidents can create enough force to create a significant injury.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Have you ever felt the neck pain associated with a whiplash accident?

By far the most common injury that our patients suffer when hit by another car from behind is neck pain. Neck pain as a result of a car accident is usually caused by muscles and ligaments being stretched and torn from the force of the accident. I treat many people injured in car accidents in my San Diego Chiropractic office because chiropractic care is perfect for the types of injuries found in car accidents.

When you are in your vehicle and hit from behind, the first thing that happens is that your neck straightens and your head is whipped backward. As your head whips backward, the muscles in the front of your neck are stretched to their limit and sometimes beyond. The stretch placed on these muscles pulls and tears some of the muscle fibers causing a painful, strained or bruised feeling.

After your head is whipped backward, the muscles that were stretched in the front of your neck experience a forceful, reflexive contraction that whips your head forward and stretches or tears the muscles in the back of your neck which also causes a painful strained feeling in the neck.

Your neck is more likely to be injured in a car accident than other parts of your back because it has the smallest muscles, it has the least protection from the vehicle and it has to balance and control the weight of your head. All these factors lead to easy injury on the neck in a rear end type motor vehicle.

Chiropractic care is ideal for treatment injuries like whiplash. Chiropractic care reduces your pain, improves your mobility and helps you heal faster.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

I had a patient ask me the other day if I could cure arthritis. My answer was “Yes and No”.

Arthritis, regardless of the type, typically results in permanent damage to the joint. There are many types of arthritis, some are the autoimmune type like rheumatoid or psoriatic.

With these types of arthritis, your immune system actually attacks the joints causing erosion of the joint surfaces as well as inflammation, pain and in severe cases disfigurement of the joint.

Other types of arthritis include the more typical wear and tear type. Usually these types of arthritis fall under the category of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease, DJD, OA and spondylosis. Other factors affecting the onset of osteoarthritis include genetics, metabolic and developmental issues – all of which can cause a loss of the joints cartilage which provides the cushioning for the joint.

Symptoms of arthritis, regardless of the types include joint pain, tenderness, creaking noises, stiffness, locking of the joint and swelling as a result of inflammation.

So now I am back at the original question. Can I cure arthritis with chiropractic care?

The “no” part of the answer is that chiropractic care cannot reverse joint damage or “cure” a patient from autoimmune types of arthritis or reverse the effects of osteoarthritis.

The yes part of that answer follows the logic of chiropractic care. Chiropractic adjustments break down scar tissue and adhesions that restrict joint motion and are a source of pain. Scar tissue and adhesions are common with arthritis and do restrict motion and cause pain. Chiropractic care helps reduce the pain of arthritis and restore a portion of the lost range of motion that accompanies arthritis by controlling the formation of scar tissue.

In summary, chiropractic care can help control the pain of arthritis and help restore joint motion.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Are you one of those people who knows when it is going to rain because your joints hurt? Are your joints sensitive to cold weather? If so, you are not alone.

Joint pain from either cold or rainy weather is typically due to pre-arthritis or arthritis of the joints. The reason that joints ache when the weather shifts is debatable. Many experts feel as though scar tissue is at the source of this pain.

As it turns out, scar tissue is believed to be very sensitive to the changes in barometric pressure that come with rain as well as extreme changes in temperature.

Once one of our joints has been injured in a fall, motor vehicle accident, work injury, etc., the process of joint degeneration begins. The initial injury causes irritation of the joint. The irritation leads to inflammation which later cause scar tissue formation. Scar tissue not only limits joint motion but can be a source of pain itself. This is why some long lasting chronic joint problems are associated with both pain and stiffness.

Chiropractic care helps control joint pain by stretching and breaking down the scar tissue that is limiting joint motion and causing pain.

Through chiropractic manipulations, scar tissue that is responsible for neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, etc, can be reorganized and less of a burden to normal joint motion. Like anything mechanical in this world, if the parts (in this case the parts of the joint) are moving like they are supposed to with minimal restrictions, they will last longer and provide more years of reliable use.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

If you suffer with neck pain, I feel your pain. Ever since I was a kid I have struggled with neck pain and stiffness.

After becoming a chiropractor and seeing x-rays of my neck, I have to conclude that had I received regular chiropractic care early on I would not have the issues that I have today.

My first set of chiropractic x-rays from 1991 showed mild arthritis in the joints of my neck. I was only 27 years old – and I had arthritis in my neck! Arthritis is usually thought of as an old persons condition. In reality, arthritis is more time related than age related.

In my case, a car accident in my teens led to chronic neck pain and stiffness. I did get some chiropractic care to relieve my pain but I quit treatment way to soon and didn’t make chiropractic care a priority in my budget until many years later. By that time, the damage had been done. The arthritis had started and I was well on my way to chronic neck pain.

Chiropractic care following car accidents helps restore normal movements of the joints in your back. It also helps reduce muscle spasms and break down scar tissue which can also be a source of pain and muscle spasm.

Since scar tissue build up and abnormal joint motion leads to arthritis, and chiropractic care helps break down scar tissue and improve joint motion, I can only conclude that had I received the chiropractic care that I needed that I would not be dealing with as many neck problems as I currently have.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Have you been involved in a whiplash accident? Do you have neck pain and headaches?

We treat patients who have been in whiplash accidents on a daily basis. One of the more common complaints that our whiplash patients have is headaches. In fact, I would say that headaches are the most common complaint that car accident victims have next to neck pain.

Usually headaches from car accidents are caused by damage to the neck muscles and the muscle tension from the accident. In my practice, almost everyone that I see with headache issues from a car accident also has neck pain. That is not to say that everyone with neck pain has headaches although at least 50% of them do.

Car accidents generate a lot of force through the neck and upper back. Under circumstances like those found during car accidents, the weight of your head is simply too much for the smaller muscles in the neck and at the base of the skull. When those muscles get stretched and torn, the other surrounding muscles tighten up as a protective mechanism. It is those tight muscles that trigger the muscle tension headaches that are so common after car accidents.

Chiropractic care safely and effectively helps you recover from both neck pain and headaches. Chiropractic manipulations ease muscle tension, improve your range of motion and reduce your pain. This care combined with at home therapies including ice packs, light stretching, light exercise and rest can help you regain your health.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Do you believe the concept of junk in equals junk out concerning your health?

I have seen and heard some strange things regarding health and habits out of my patients of my San Diego Chiropractic practice over the years.

One of the stories that I like to tell regarding a friend of mine involved her smoking habits. This girl would not smoke in her car because she didn’t want to ruin the interior! What is worse yet is that she had a condition called Raynaud’s Syndrome which is a narrowing of the blood vessels that feed the fingers. This condition is found in smokers, it is painful and can lead to the lose of your fingers. All this, yet she smoked, but not in her car because she was concerned about The Car’s interior!

Smoking affects your chiropractic care because it restricts blood flow which makes you more pain sensitive and makes healing a slower process. Smoking can produce or prolong painful sensations for many conditions ranging from neck pain and back pain to sciatica and headaches.

Two other very common items that we consume that have a negative impact on our bodies is caffeine and sugar. Both caffeine and sugar increase our metabolic rate which make us more pain sensitive.

I have the nicotine, sugar and caffeine talk with all of my patients yet at some point during treatment, a fairly large percentage of them will come to my office with either a soda pop or a cup of coffee – once in awhile a few will smoke the last of a cigarette right outside our front door. All these indulgences are completely counterproductive to the goals of their treatment.

A final mention for this blog post is the prevalence and effect of wheat allergies. Wheat allergies not only cause dietary distress but they also can cause muscle aches and joint pain. Identifying a wheat allergy can go along way toward restoring your health.

Regarding dietary supplements, there are many support joint and muscle health, reduce inflammation and speed healing. I recommend these to the patients in my San Diego chiropractic practice on a regular basis.

If we treat our bodies with respect by limiting the intake of harmful substances while supplementing a few critical nutrients we can take some long strides towards supporting a healthier lifestyle.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Do you know what to expect on your first visit?

I see new patients every week in my San Diego Chiropractic office that seem to have no idea what to expect from their chiropractic care.

Most new patients are aware that the benefits of chiropractic care come from a treatment plan consisting of a combination of office visits and at home support with icing, stretching, exercising and good nutrition.

Some patients who are new to chiropractic care have the understanding that they have back pain because something is “OUT” and by having the chiropractor “crack it” back into place will fix all that ails them. While it would be nice if physical problems would repair this easily, it just is not the case. Usually pain involving a joint is the end result of years of stress and strain during which time muscle tension changes, scar tissue forms to support the joints and the actual movement of the joint has been altered. These things take time and patience to fully correct.

It is a fact that in some cases all or a significant amount of pain can be relieved with a single chiropractic adjustment, however, most of the time a treatment plan is necessary in order to truly correct the underlying problem that was responsible for the pain.

Neck pain, back pain, headaches and many other pains respond well to chiropractic care but as a patient you must keep reasonable expectations with your care. Following treatment recommendations including office visits and at home recommendations will give you your best chance not only to relieve your pain but to experience a higher level of health than you have had in past years.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

People are often confused by office work related injuries. Patients of my San Diego based Chiropractic Clinic often think of sedentary office work as safe and heavy manual labor as potentially hazardous.

While it is a fact that I see patients with neck pain or back pain that is related to heavy manual labor, it is also a fact that at least 80% of my patients who complain of neck pain, back pain, etc., were injured doing sedentary office work.

How does this happen?

Work in an office environment tends to be sedentary and repetitive. This type of work results in both mental and physical fatigue. Many office tasks involve scenarios that call for static positions of joints that are adjacent to joints that are required to endure repetitive movements. A good example of this would be keyboarding where the wrist is held in a relatively fixed position while your fingers peck away at the keys. This situation sets the stage for injury.

Our bodies were designed to move joints through full range compound movements. These kinds of movements encourage lubrication of joints and adequate blood flow. Without a good blood supply and joint lubrication, our bodies break down resulting in neck pain, back pain and a host of other issues involving the joints.

The question is, ‘If you work in a sedentary office environment, how do you prevent injury?’

The following guidelines will help you minimize fatigue and injury.

1) Maintain good posture

2) Limit repetitive reaching outside of your normal work space

3) Alternate work activities when possible

4) Take frequent rest, stretch and exercise breaks.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

More on Ergonomics

People are often confused by office work related injuries. Patients of my San Diego based Chiropractic Clinic often think of sedentary office work as safe and heavy manual labor as potentially hazardous.

While it is a fact that I see patients with neck pain or back pain that is related to heavy manual labor, it is also a fact that at least 80% of my patients who complain of neck pain, back pain, etc. were injured doing sedentary office work.

How does this happen?

Work in an office environment tends to be sedentary and repetitive. This type of work results in both mental and physical fatigue. Many office tasks involve scenarios that call for static positions of joints that are adjacent to joints that are required to endure repetitive movements. A good example of this would be keyboarding where the wrist is held in a relatively fixed position while your fingers peck away at the keys. This situation sets the stage for injury.

Our bodies were designed to move joints through full range compound movements. These kinds of movements encourage lubrication of joints and adequate blood flow. Without a good blood supply and joint lubrication, our bodies break down resulting in neck pain, back pain and a host of other issues involving the joints.

The question is, ‘If you work in a sedentary office environment, how do you prevent injury?’

The following guidelines will help you minimize fatigue and injury.

1) Maintain good posture

2) Limit repetitive reaching outside of your normal work space

3) Alternate work activities when possible

4) Take frequent rest, stretch and exercise breaks.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

I tell the patients in my San Diego chiropractic practice that health doesn’t just happen. We have to work at it over the course of a lifetime in order to obtain it and then maintain it. Plenty of our success has to do with attitude and follow through.

Let me explain. I know plenty of men and women who would love to have lean bodies and live long and healthy lives. Some of these people pursue these goals with purpose while others simple do their best and accept the results that their efforts bring.

In contrast, I have never met someone who wants to become unfit, obese, sickened with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and / or have trouble taking a short walk due to their unhealthy lifestyles. Despite the lack of desire to intentionally lose our health, I see people like this everyday.

The frightening thing is that most of us will end up out of shape and sick when we are older.

How does this happen? I believe that it happens because we don’t work on maintaining our health and over the course of months or years we lose our conditioning and with it our health. We assume that one fattening meal won’t affect us. The truth is that one fattening meal won’t hurt us at all, but one fattening meal per day (or more) combined with a lack of exercise will have negative consequences for the way we look and feel.

At my office we encourage health maintenance through the use of chiropractic care, exercise, stretching and sound nutrition. Over my 20 years in practice I have seen my patients advance through different age groups. There is a significant difference between those who attend to their health and those who don’t. Those patients who pursue health live active pain-free lives while those who only seek care when they have a health issue tend to suffer with poor health in general.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Back pain, neck pain and headaches are typical symptoms that people experience after a car accident. When we are involved in car accidents muscles get strained, ligaments get sprained and inflammation starts to settle in around the injured joints.

As it turns out, inflammation plays a big role in our health following a motor vehicle accident. Inflammation causes the muscles to tighten or spasm in an effort to protect the joint. Inflammation also causes us to feel pain. If the inflammation lasts for more than a few days it will cause scar tissue to form around the joints which also causes pain and decreased range of motion.

Since chiropractic care is so effective in treating the injuries associated with car accidents, I see many of these patients in my San Diego Chiropractic Center. Many of these patients had never been to a chiropractor prior to the care that they will receive because of their accident.

Chiropractic care for auto injuries should involve three separate phases of care.

The first phase of care should be directed toward to relieving pain. Ice packs, electrical stimulation, ultrasound and spinal manipulations all help to reduce pain and tension.

The second phase of care is directed toward improving the range of motion of the injured joints. It is important to “remodel” as much as the scar tissue as possible to help you maintain your full range of motion in the future.

The third phase of care is directed towards building strength and flexibility in and around the injured joints. Strong, flexible muscles that work to move joints that have full range of motion will help you maintain your spinal health in the future.

We would be happy to consult with you regarding care for your auto accident injuries.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Most of the whiplash patients that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic complain of the same basic group of symptoms. Whiplash usually refers to neck pain that results from a sudden “whipping” of the neck and head that follows such things as motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, accidental falls and other injuries.

If you have ever been in a car accident and experienced pain in your neck, you have most likely had suffered a whiplash. Whiplash, also commonly referred to as a soft tissue injury, is an injury that involves the joints, muscles and ligaments of the neck and back.

The typical whiplash injury that we see in my chiropractic office is from a rear-end type of an accident. When you get hit from behind, your head is thrown backward which stretches the muscles and ligaments in the front of your neck. The second phase of this type of accident involves your head being thrown forward which can stretch the muscles and ligaments in the back of your neck. In severe cases of whiplash the damage can include the joints, discs and nerve roots.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Most people experience neck pain or stiffness either right after the accident / injury or within the next few days. Other common symptoms of whiplash include:
·

Neck stiffness
·

Muscle spasms
·

Headaches
·

Difficulty with swallowing and hoarseness
·

Abnormal sensations such as burning numbness or tingling
·

Pain between the shoulders
·

Back pain

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Nutrition is vital to the health and function of our bodies. Many of my San Diego Chiropractic patients don’t fully understand the need for sound nutrition or why we stress the importance of nutrition. Poor nutrition can cause or contribute to fatigue, anxiety, aches and pains.

What is at the root of our poor nutrition?

1) High carbohydrate, low protein diets.
2) Poor quality synthetic vitamins taken as supplements.
3) Poor food quality. Soil mineral depletion and demineralization combined with excessive use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides as well as over-processed food that have been enriched with synthetics and preservatives has led to foods that are far less nutritious than in the past.

Proper nutrition begins with cleaning poor quality, over processed foods out of your diet and replacing them with organically grown fresh vegetables and fruits. You also have to select high quality animal proteins or whey protein supplements since many animal proteins contain synthetic steroids and other injected hormones to promote rapid growth.

Finally, a good nutrition program requires high quality whole food supplements. Since even organically grown foods are lacking in vitamin and mineral content, a modern nutrition plan should be fortified with whole food supplements.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
San Diego Chiropractor

The other day I was talking to one of my patients about the negative effects of stress on our bodies and the impact of a hormone called cortisol. She had seen that commercial for that weight loss product that they plug on TV that links belly fat to excessive levels of cortisol.

I explained to her that cortisol is a hormone that is produce by the adrenal glands when we are stressed. Cortisol is a good hormone that is secreted for specific situations in order to help your body respond to stress. The problems that we run into with cortisol are due to prolonged exposure to this hormone. Long-term high levels of cortisol are found in many people today because of the pressures of work, family and other stresses.

Long term cortisol exposure can produce the following negative effects on your body:
·

sluggish immune system
·

high blood pressure
·

insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes
·

fatigue
·

headaches
·

increase in belly fat

Cortisol has been shown to increase belly fat. It is that connection that we are concerned with in this post. Belly fat has been linked to many serious diseases including:
·

heart disease
·

gall bladder disease
·

certain cancers
·

osteoarthritis
·

diabetes
·

asthma

Belly fat is loaded with cortisol receptors, in fact it has four times more cortisol receptors than other type of body fat. When we get stressed, we secret cortisol which causes our bodies to store fat. Since belly fat has a high percentage of cortisol receptors, it is mobilized for fat storage.

Putting an end to this cycle involves a lifestyle change. At my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic we encourage stress reduction through exercise and stretching (yoga), nutritional support and chiropractic care to relax muscles, restore full range of motion of your joints and restore your health. Reducing stress will reduce your cortisol levels leading to less belly fat and a healthier lifestyle.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

What does Lipitor have to do with health? I was listening to the radio the other day and there was a commercial for Lipitor playing. At the end of this commercial it said “see our ad in Health magazine”. I have a copy of health magazine at my office so I decided to take a look.

I was shocked by how many drug advertisements besides Lipitor that were in Health magazine. I flipped through some other magazines that I have that are health oriented and they too are filled with advertisements for one drug or another. Is controlling high blood pressure or lowering cholesterol or controlling depression with medication the key to health? Maybe in a few isolated cases it is. Most of the “conditions” that we suffer with as a society are brought on by poor diets, unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking and lack of consistent exercise.

Unfortunately, many of us eat fast food on a regular basis, we don’t exercise, don’t get enough rest and then wonder how we have lost our good health. I often ask the patients in my San Diego chiropractic practice how their blood pressure is and I am always surprised when they respond with something like “it is fine, I checked it this morning and it was 120 /80 – I take high blood pressure medication”. The drug companies have done a good job at making us think that if we control the signs of disease (such as blood pressure or cholesterol) or the symptoms that we feel with drugs that they manufacture then we are healthy.

I would never suggest that anyone discontinue their medications or ignore their doctors advice but I would suggest that if you are on medication that you explore remedies for your ailment that utilize diet, exercise and nutritional supplements.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

“Move it or lose it sister” That old saying brings a lot of wisdom with it. Movement makes us look and feel young. I explain this to my patients in my San Diego chiropractic practice all the time.

While muscles are designed to move our joints through their full range of motion, if they are not used for this purpose on a regular basis they will shorten and restrict us from full range of motion. Once this process begins, it can be very difficult to reverse, especially as we age.

Untreated injuries can also lead to restrictions in joint motion. When our joints are injured in falls, automobile accidents, poor lifting habits, etc, a degenerative process starts in the joint that leads to irritation, inflammation, pain, spasm and scar tissue formation. Eventually, enough scar tissue forms so that joint motion is altered or restricted which can lead to arthritis.

In my chiropractic practice, your health is our top priority. Our intention is to restore your health to its peak. To accomplish this, we employ a balanced approach that includes chiropractic care, the appropriate nutritional support and stretches with exercises. I have found that when this regiment of care is followed that complete recovery is possible in most cases.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Being a San Diego based chiropractor, I talk to my patients all the time about the ill effects of bad posture. Poor posture can lie at the root cause of headache problems, neck pain, back pain, etc.

Oddly enough, whenever I think about my posture I find that I need to correct something. I will either find my upper back slumped forward, my head extended out in front of my body, my lower back rounded forward or my shoulders rolled forward.

Posture is difficult to maintain. I would guess that probably half of my patients end up in my office because of some injury, old or new, that is further aggravated by postural stress. Eliminate postural stress and many cases of neck pain and back pain would be eliminated as well.

One of the problems that we encounter with posture is that our awareness of our posture declines as we focus on other duties. Posture is especially difficult to maintain when we are seated in front of our computers. Our natural response toward any type of work that we perform is to lean into it. Getting close to our work helps us focus. Unfortunately, getting close to our work in this way instigates poor posture and the resulting stress can cause a number of different aches and pains.

Poor posture has become habit among most of us. The only way to improve your posture is to become aware of your bad posture and practice maintaining good posture. Sounds simple but it takes self awareness and plenty of dedication.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Recently I have had an awakening regarding the importance of a healthy diet. I have always exercised and always watched my diet. That being said I would occasionally give in to cravings and didn’t always watch the sodium and preservative content of the foods I was consuming.

Until about two years ago I used to run three or four times a week and lift weights three times a week all while being “pretty good” with my diet. Despite all of this exercise, my body didn’t make any substantial changes. Sure, exercise kept my cardiovascular system in good shape and I was toned – to a point – but my abs continued hide under a thin layer of “stuff”.

I always suspected that the flaws in my diet, regardless of how insignificant that they seemed were what was holding me back from making the changes that I desired. Mind you, I am not a superficial person but I was aware that the same dietary faults that were preventing me from seeing my abs were also contributing to the stuffed, tired and bloated feeling that I was experiencing after most of my meals. I guess that when I see a fit person with defined abs I assume that they feel good versus feeling the way I did.

Aside from these personal revelations, Sandra Blackie, fitness guru and friend of my office once told me that the way we appear physically is about 75% diet and 25% exercise. Over the last few months I have made the effort to implement this idea.

I began a purification diet that involved Standard Process Supplements combined with a complete cleaning of my diet. I eliminated all foods that contained preservatives, dairy (which I knew for years made me ill), processed sugars and starches. What a dramatic change! I have leaned out considerably, I don’t get sick after meals anymore and I have more energy to do my exercise.

I look at all those years of running and lifting weights and think how most of that effort was wasted by my poor diet. I guess I learned that I should listen to authority figures regarding my conditioning much like I expect my chiropractic patients to listen to my recommendations regarding my treatment for their neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Turning forty-five has been a wake up call for this chiropractor. While I don’t think that I have let my health slide, I spend most of my energy trying to relieve my patients neck pain, back pain and headaches. With the hours of my day spent on others health care, I was not exactly setting the example that I wanted my patients to see.

A few months ago I changed my life with healthy eating and whole food supplements. I also began looking for more information on direct results that arise from bad diet choices. I found the following article on Yahoo’s health page and found it interesting.

If you think that the only consequence of eating fatty foods is weight gain in the long run, read on – you will be surprised!

Fatty foods have an almost immediate negative effect on short-term memory and exercise performance, British researchers say.

The study included rats that were fed a low-fat diet and trained to complete a challenging maze and to run on a treadmill. Half the rats were then switched to a high-fat diet. In subsequent maze and treadmill tests, the rats on the high-fat diet had poorer memory and muscle performance than the rats that kept eating a low-fat diet, The New York Times reported.

“We expected to see changes, but maybe not so dramatic and not in such a short space of time,” study lead author Andrew Murray, a lecturer in physiology at Cambridge University, told the Times. “It was really striking how quickly these effects happened.”

The findings appear in The Faseb Journal, published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.                                                                                                             
Murray and his colleagues found that high-fat diets had similar effects in humans, but those findings haven’t yet been published.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Nutrition is vital to the health and function of our bodies. Many of my San Diego Chiropractic patients don’t fully understand the need for sound nutrition or why we stress the importance of nutrition. Poor nutrition can cause or contribute to fatigue, anxiety, aches and pains.

What is at the root of our poor nutrition?

1) High carbohydrate, low protein diets.

2) Poor quality synthetic vitamins taken as supplements.

3) Poor food quality. Soil mineral depletion and demineralization combined with excessive use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides as well as over-processed food that have been enriched with synthetics and preservatives has led to foods that are far less nutritious than in the past.

Proper nutrition begins with cleaning poor quality, over processed foods out of your diet and replacing them with organically grown fresh vegetables and fruits. You also have to select high quality animal proteins or whey protein supplements since many animal proteins contain synthetic steroids and other injected hormones to promote rapid growth.

Finally, a good nutrition program requires high quality whole food supplements. Since even organically grown foods are lacking in vitamin and mineral content, a modern nutrition plan should be fortified with whole food supplements.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

In my last post regarding ergonomics, I reviewed five of the ten principles of ergonomics.
In this post I will review the rest of the ten principles of ergonomics. Remember that it is easy to think of ergonomic principles only being applied to your work duties but it is just as important to apply them to your at home and recreational activities as well.

Ergonomics should be taken into consideration when driving or working on cars, while playing musical instruments, during your workouts / exercise, walking the dog, etc.

So, picking up where I left off…

Principle 6 – Design workstations to allow for change of posture if at all possible. Sit / stand work stations with a higher seating surface allows you to significantly reduce postural stress by giving you the option to change positions and keep movement.

Principle 7 – Work stations should be spacious. Work should not be confined by cramped environments. The area should be large enough to allow for adequate room to complete the task yet contained enough to allow easy access to tools or other items necessary to complete the task.

Principle 8 – Make sure that your work is located at the proper height. You should be able to reach your work without overextending your arms and without straining your back or neck. In general, work should be done at elbow height. Heavy work should be done lower than elbow height and very light delicate work can be done at a level higher than elbow height to allow for better visual reference.

Principle 9 – Try to avoid fatigue – especially static loads. Static load on a muscle group is a continuous contraction over a long period of time. When static loads are combined with awkward postures or excessive force injuries are sure to follow.

Principle 10 – Minimize contact stress / pressure. Contact stress such as leaning on an elbow or having to apply sustained pressure on a lever, switch or tool can inhibit blood flow and interfere with nerve function.

These are the ten basic principles of ergonomics. Look for violations of these principles in your work / home and you will be serving yourself well!  Identifying and eliminating a few ergonomic stressors can help you prevent or decrease neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain and so on.  It is definitely worth your effort.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

Most of my posts regarding ergonomics have strictly focused on issues surrounding computer use. After reviewing my prior posts on this topic, it was clear to me that while the majority of the patients that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic suffer with neck pain, back pain, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of poor ergonomics related to computer use, I was not covering the basics of ergonomics that can be utilized in all types of work.

My next few posts will expand beyond the ergonomics of computer use to include some of the more basic principles of ergonomics. Remember that these principles are most effective when applied both on the job as well as in other areas of your life.

Principle 1 – Keep your most frequently handled objects within easy reach. Over-reaching makes work difficult and less efficient

Principle 2 – Reduce repetition whenever possible. Continuous repetition can have a significant negative impact on the body. Repetition combined with over-reaching or awkward movements accelerates wear and tear on the joints and inflames muscles, tendons and ligaments

Principle 3 – Try to create a comfortable work environment. This includes comfortable temperatures, proper lighting, comfortable seating and use of shock absorbing floor mats.

Principle 4 – Maintain good posture – always. Poor posture / postural stress is responsible for most of the injuries that I see in my office. Remember that good posture includes more than the spine. You need to be aware of stresses that are placed on all the joints of your body – especially wrists, shoulders, elbows and knees.

Principle 5 – Limit or reduce excessive force. Excessive force, especially combined with postural stress overloads muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments setting the stage for injury and potential disability.

In my next post I will cover more of the basic principals of ergonomics. Remember to try to apply these concepts. I treat people in my San Diego Chiropractic clinic on a regular basis who suffer neck pain, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and headaches as a result of poor ergonomics. Following ergonomic concepts is a perfect example of implementing the idea behind the saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

Pain Relief Blog

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Poor posture is the root cause behind most of the cases of neck pain, back pain and headaches that I see patients for in my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic. Slumping over your computer for hours on end stresses all of the joints in your spine, therefore middle back pain and lower back pain are also common results of poor posture. Good posture is just as important to your overall health picture as proper diet, sufficient exercise, regular stretching routines and 8 hours of sleep per night. From a superficial aspect, poor posture is one of the negatives that we often first notice about the way others look, the head forward posture and crumpled mid-waist region are never attractive.

Posture is a key component of good health. Poor posture presents with typical features, head forward position, slumped shoulders / upper back, flattened out lower back and inwardly rotated shoulders. Good posture saves our muscular energy reducing stress and fatigue. The ill effects of poor posture are numerous as are the causes of poor posture. Trauma, depression, failed physical education, poor ergonomic set-ups and a multitude of other scenarios set the stage for postural stress. In my office, most of my patients that I treat for posture related issues sit at a desk hunching over a computer on a daily basis. While a few isolated exposures to posturally stressful positions probably won’t hurt you, repeated daily exposures can and usually do cause problems. Below is a more comprehensive list of the potential causes of poor posture.

1. Accidents, injuries and falls

2. Poor sleep support (mattress)

3. Excessive weight

4. Visual or emotional difficulties

5. Foot problems or improper shoes

6. Weak muscles, muscle imbalance

7. Careless sitting, standing, sleeping habits

8. Negative self image

9. Occupational stress

10. Poorly designed work space

Poor posture can start a progression of symptoms. To begin with, slumped over postures allow one muscle group to rest while overworking the opposing muscle group. For instance, when poor posture causes our head is translated forward, the muscles in the front of the neck relax while the muscles that run down your neck and into the upper back are overly contracted. This imbalance creates a stretch weakness of the neck muscles causes tightness, spasms, neck pain, upper back pain and headaches. The end result for your muscles is over worked, weak, painful muscles.

As time progresses, joint stiffness and pain begin putting you at risk for arthritis. Joints subjected to stress follow a predictable course. Postural stress causes irritation of the joints, Irritated joints become inflammed, inflammation causes pain, stiffness and scar tissue formation leading to arthritis. Chiropractic care will mobilize the stiff joints breaking down scar tissue and eliminating pain.

While poor posture and the postural stress that accompanies it often causes discomfort, poor posture remains one of those conditions that most people identify quickly in others but not so easily in themselves. Those who are aware of their poor posture often consider correcting it impossible.

Correcting poor posture is possible but requires a multifaceted approach. Simply becoming aware of poor posture and correcting yourself when you have drifted into a posturally stressful position is not enough, although it is necessary to help break bad habits. Poor posture creates muscular imbalances throughout the body that require targeted stretches and exercises in order to reverse the structural changes that have occurred secondary to prolonged postural stress. This is yet another condition that is treated much easier in younger people or those who have not been subjected to poor posture for prolonged periods of time. That being said, almost everyone that I know spent at least 16 years looking down at their books for several hours each day while in school!

The bottom line is that most everyone can avoid the problems caused by bad posture and you can make improvements at any age.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

Pain Relief Blog

www.JonesPainRelief.com

In our San Diego Chiropractic clinic we provide treatment for patients with neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc. on a daily basis. On a superficial level, you could easily assume that we only care for the spine. This assumption would not be accurate. We provide treatment for many conditions, not only with traditional chiropractic care but also with nutritional recommendations, exercise, stretches, natural remedies and ergonomic recommendations. With that in mind, I came across this article regarding natural remedies for bug bites that is worth passing on.

It’s the summer season, bringing with it a bounty of banquets and outdoor gatherings-and itchy discomfort from the elements. When the bugs bite, the sun burns, or the poison ivy comes creeping, simply use these all-natural remedies for sweet relief from nature’s sting.

Take the Itch Out of Bug Bites
Summer’s unwelcome guests include: fleas, mosquitoes, gnats, fire ants, wasps, bees, and ticks. It’s humans versus bugs and, unfortunately, most of the time we lose. Though the bug bite itself is usually not painful, the body’s inflammatory reaction may cause pain, itching, redness, and swelling.

Try these all-natural remedies for a quick anti-itch fix:

o First things first: Remove stinger, if any, and clean the area with water. If it’s a tick, you must safely remove the tick with a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, grasp as close to your skin as possible, and pull straight out without twisting. It’s not a bad idea to keep the tick in a jar of rubbing alcohol; if you feel ill, this may help your doctor identify the illness and treat more effectively. Wash the bite with soap and water. An ice pack can provide temporary relief of pain and swelling. If you begin to feel achy, nauseous, fatigued, or otherwise ill seek a doctor’s care.

o Apply honey to a bug bite to bring relief and prevent infections. Honey has long been known for its antibiotic properties; in fact, honey-soaked gauze bandages were once used to heal burns and wounds.

o Be as cool as a cucumber. Place cucumber skins on top of the bites to soothe the itching irritation. You can also cut round slices from a fresh eggplant and place on top of the bite to draw out toxins and appease irritation.

o Apply tea tree oil to bites every 2 to 3 hours to relieve itching and aid healing. Tea tree oil possesses antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial actions and has been recognized by recent studies as playing a supportive role in skin care.

o For flea bites, soaking in a warm bath of Epsom salts and baking soda can ease itching.

In some cases, a serious allergic reaction called anaphylactic shock occurs, which can involve breathing difficulties and requires immediate medical attention.

I hope you find the ways to take the sting out of summer! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

I hope that you find Dr. Mao’s natural remedies for bug bites helpful.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

Pain Relief Blog

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Those of you who have read my recent blog post, “The Chiropractor Finally Gets Healthy” know that I recently experienced a significant improvement in my health as a result of a radical diet change that was part of the Standard Process Purification Diet. Through the course of this diet, I discovered the negative impact of the processed foods and sugars on my health.

As a doctor who is concerned for my patients health needs beyond the common complaints of neck pain, back pain and headaches, I always encourage them to do better for themselves where diet is concerned. With that theme in mind, I stumbled across this great list of all the bad things that processed sugars do to you. The list is composed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., who is a nutritional consultant, researcher, lecturer, and author of Lick the Sugar Habit, Healthy Bones, and Balanced Body Secret.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.

2. Sugar upsets the minerals in the body.

3. Sugar causes hyperactivity in children.

4. Sugar produces a significant rise in triglycerides.

5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection.

6. Sugar can cause kidney damage.

7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.

8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.

9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate and rectum.

10. Sugar increases fasting levels of glucose and insulin.

11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.

12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

13. Sugar weakens eyesight.

14. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters called serotonin.

15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

16. Sugar can produce an over-acid stomach.

17. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.

18. Sugar can lead to anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children.

19. Sugar can cause aging.

20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.

21. Sugar causes tooth decay.

22. Sugar contributes to obesity.

23. Sugar can cause acidity in the stomach.

24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

25. Sugar can cause arthritis.

26. Sugar can cause asthma.

27. Sugar can cause Candida albicans (yeast infections.)

28. Sugar can cause gallstones.

29. Sugar can cause heart disease.

30. Sugar can cause appendicitis

31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.

32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.

33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.

34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.

35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.

36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.

38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

39. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.

40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.

41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.

42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.

43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.

44. Sugar can cause migraine headaches.

45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.

46. Sugar causes food allergies.

47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.

48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.

49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

I have always considered myself a fairly healthy person. That being said, I do have some health concerns. To begin with, since I am a chiropractor I will declare that I have my bouts with neck pain, back pain and the occasional headache but for the most part I am pain free. Since college I have suffered from a mild case of office hypertension – meaning that my blood pressure was borderline high but I attribute that to the anxiety I get from taking my blood pressure. Another thing worth mentioning is that some days I would get a little spacey from mild hypoglycemia, but this would only happen on days where my diet suffered from poor planning. Overall, for my age (44) my health compared favorably to most of those in my age group. On a superficial level it all looked pretty good.

One day here about two weeks ago my assistant Linda told me that she had a representative from Standard Process coming to the office to discuss nutritional products. At the time of this appointment, I really had no expectations of where this would go. I figured that since I exercised and ate right (for the most part) that we would be discussing products for my patients.

By the time the appointment with the Standard Process representative ended both Linda and I had committed to doing a 21 day purification program. It was at this point where I really started looking at my diet. What I found was that vegetables and fruits were a good part of my diet but so were bean rice and cheese burritos, occasional cheeseburgers, potato chips, an occasional soda pop and lots of coffee. All of this stuff would have to go under the guidelines of the purification program.

Basically, the purification program involves taking whole food supplements to stimulate the kidneys, liver and intestines to eliminate toxins, supplementing whey protein for animal protein sources and eliminating all caffeine, dairy and processed foods.

Today is the thirteenth day of our purification program. I am embarrassed to say that even as a doctor with extensive schooling in nutrition that I have been taken back by the dramatic positive changes in my health as a result of this purification program. To begin with, what I thought was office hypertension is gone. Since the third day of this program my blood pressure reading has ranged from a low of 115/74 to a high of 121/80. This reading is accompanied by a calmness that I have rarely if ever felt as an adult. In addition to lower blood pressure, my digestion is significantly better – no more bloating, my blood sugar has been stable and my sleep is much improved.

I attribute these improvements in my health to three simple changes that seem so elementary. Stop putting junk in, eat a clean healthy diet and get the toxins stored in our bodies out.

I have been asked what I plan to do after the 21 day program is over. At this point, I can’t imagine not continuing with a healthy diet and taking whole food supplements. The taste of that BRC burrito or that morning cup of coffee will not be missed in the least.

The chiropractor finally got healthy!

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

In my San Diego chiropractic office, I try to encourage health betterment beyond the obvious chiropractic treatment that we provide for neck pain, back pain and headaches that represent the bulk of my patients’ concerns.

As that old medical saying goes; “Simply not being sick does not equate to being well.”

I always explain to my patients that in the absence of some catastrophic injury, most cases of neck pain and back pain begin as a slight irritation that we are totally unaware of. With time and additional stresses, these slight irritations can become magnified to the point where they become symptomatic.

Our diets effect on our bodies act the same way. A few poor meal choices won’t destroy your health by themselves, but frequent poor meal choices over longer periods of time can have a significant negative impact on your health. You only have to look at a McDonalds or Burger King drive-through to see the long lines of people making poor food choices. These people who make frequent poor food choices (fast foods in this example) probably won’t suffer anything more than a little indigestion as a result of each meal. However, the accumulation of the effects of all of these poor food choices will do damage down the road.

Unfortunately, this all becomes more apparent as we age. We pay for our poor eating habits as we age for a couple of reasons. First of all, poor eating choices become habitual. Like any bad habit, changing poor eating habits is difficult. Secondly, with normal aging, our metabolism slows making our poor eating habits more detrimental than they were when we were younger and more active.

Regaining your health takes work on several fronts. Some of these things you can accomplish yourself and other things you need help with.

Patients that come to my chiropractic office for treatment for their neck pain or back pain often find this task one of the easy parts of getting healthy. In order to get help with pain, all the patients have to do is come to the office for their treatment.

The difficult part of restoring health is dealing with the bad habits that result in unhealthy diets, smoking, drinking and the like. Overcoming bad habits takes an exceptionally motivated person. Focus and you can overcome them and have a healthier body to show for it.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

When was the last time that you felt pain?

I treat people with back pain, neck pain and various other pains on a daily basis.

Pain is a very complex sensation. The body’s interpretation of pain involves both nerve and chemical processes that are relayed to the brain for interpretation. In my San Diego Chiropractic office, I hear my patients complain of neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain etc. Some of these patients suffer from acute pain while others who are less fortunate complain of chronic long lasting pain.

A study completed recently in Chicago revealed some very interesting things about brain activity in people suffering with chronic pain.

Brain scans taken of people in chronic pain show a constant activity in areas of the brain that are at rest in those who don’t suffer with chronic pain. Researchers said that this finding could help explain why chronic pain patients have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other disorders.

Apparently they found that chronic pain seems to alter the way people process information that is unrelated to pain. They found that enduring long periods of pain affects brain function even with tasks that demand minimal attention.

Studies have shown that in healthy people, certain regions of the brain take over during a resting state, something known as a default mode network. “It takes care of your brain when your brain is at rest,” Dr. Chialvo said.

When a person performs a task, this default mode network quiets down, but not in people with chronic pain.
Instead of quieting down, a front region of the cortex of the brain associated with emotion is constantly active. This constant activity disrupts the brains’ normal equilibrium.
To study this specific brain activity, Dr. Chialvo did a type of brain scan on 15 people with chronic back pain and on 15 healthy people.

In this study, volunteers were given a simple attention task — tracking a moving bar on a computer screen – in order to observe the brain shifting out of default mode to handle the task.

Both groups performed the task well but when they measured areas of the brain that were activated, the differences emerged.
“Where we were surprised is the difference in how much brain they used to do the task compared with the healthy group. It was 50 times larger,” Chialvo said.

They said disruptions in this brain activity could explain why pain patients have problems with attention, sleep disturbances and even depression.

So there you have it. If you feel a little off or if someone you work with or care about has trouble focusing or staying on task because of pain, your observations are correct. Give yourself and others a break.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Chiropractic care is often thought of as treatment just for the back. While chiropractic care is extremely effective for neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc., chiropractors are also concerned with the overall health of our patients.

Nutritional concerns play a very important role in our general health. One of the common suppliments that our patients take is fish oil.

We always stress the importance of fish oil for the heart and the digestive tract, but you probably haven’t heard that people who eat the most fish have the fewest eye problems.

The impact of fish oil on vision was a topic at this week’s meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. They reviewed evidense that showed that fish oil consumption extended to two very serious eye problems.

The first of these problems helped by fish oil is age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the disruption of the center of the retina where the fine nerve complex at the back of the eye essential for all fine visual tasks rests. Macular degereration is the leading cause of age-related blindness.

Fish oil protects the eyes from age-related macular degeneration because of a component of fish oil called docosahexaenoic acid also known as DHA. DHA is one of the omega-3 fatty acids linked to other health benefits. DHA helps vision by building up in the eye near light-sensing nerve cells.

“National Eye Institute researcher John Paul SanGiovanni, ScD, and colleagues analyzed dietary data from 4,513 60- to 80-year-old participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Those who ate fish more than twice a week were half as likely to get macular degeneration as those who ate no fish at all. More than one weekly portion of broiled/baked fish or tuna lowered the risk by a third.

“The risk for [age-related macular degeneration] was significantly decreased for the highest versus the lowest quintiles of total [omega-3 fatty acids] intake,” SanGiovanni and colleagues write in their abstract.”

In another study, fish oil was found to protect the eyes from dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome is a condition in which a person’s eyes don’t make enough tears. Dry eyes can lead to scarring of the cornea and vision loss.

A study of 32,470 female health professionals found that women whose diets had the most omega-3 fatty acids were far less likely to have dry eye syndrome.

Women who ate two to four servings of tuna a week had an 18% lower risk of dry eye syndrome than those who ate less tuna. Eating five or six four-ounce servings of tuna every week lowered this risk by 66%.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

From a postural standpoint, one of the worst things that we can do to our bodies is slouch while we sit.  Sitting seems like such an innocent, non-injurious activity.  This is far from the case. 

I have been practicing chiropractic in San Diego for the last 15 years and what I have seen in practice regarding back injuries would be surprising to most people in non-medical careers.  The average person that I speak with regarding back pain and injuries is of the mind set that low back pain is the result of jobs that require heavy lifting or contact sports, golfing or car accidents. 

In reality, it is the constant stress and strain of postural stress that is the biggest burden on our spines.  The postural stress of sitting for hours on end in a task chair in front of a computer can become overwhelming.  When our bodies are exposed to a specific stress over a long period of time, the effects that the stress places on our bodies has a cumulative effect.  Over the course of months or years that cumulative stress expresses itself as pain, stiffness, pinched nerves or more serious symptoms. 

When I am explaining the ongoing cumulative effects of postural stress to my chiropractic patients I like to use the classic example of the Chinese water torture.  Those first couple hundred drops of water on the forehead aren’t bothersome – but a few hundred drops more will make you truly miserable.  The same process happens to your low back as the minutes, hours, days, months and years pass with you sitting in a computer chair.

There is a chart floating around that I have come across in several texts that relates your bodies posture with the amount of stress that each particular posture generates on the discs in the lower back.  As the chart demonstrates, the level of stress increases as the subject transitions from a prone position to a standing position to seated position to a slumped forward seated position.  The chart shows the pressure in the discs to equal 100% of your body weight while standing, approximately 125% of your bodies weight while sitting and over 140% of your body weight when sitting in a forward slumped position.

The reason that sitting is so hard on your back from a postural standpoint is due to the anatomy of the lower back vertebra.  When we are standing, your lower back naturally has a forward sweeping curve with the concavity of that curve facing rearward.  That curve acts to efficiently divide the weight of your body between the discs that separate your vertebra and the joints that run down the back of your spine.  When you assume a seated position, that curve straightens out transferring some of your weight from the posterior joints to the discs.  Slumping forward transfers even more weight resulting in more compression of the discs and more stress on the low backs discs.

As time passes, this increase pressure causes irritation of the overloaded spinal structures eventually leading to inflammation, spasm and pain.  This is the basic process with many injuries to the body that result from ongoing exposure to some irritating or stressful activity.     

How is this postural stress negated?  Well, unfortunately, all if it can’t be.  But it can be limited by practicing good posture and the right ergonomic principals.  A brief ergonomic evaluation of your work area can give you loads of valuable information that will help minimize the effects of your work environment on your body.

Sitting is a sedentary task but like most things in life, if you don’t do it properly there will be undesirable consequences.

Work Safe!

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Lower back pain is one of the most frustrating things for patients to deal with. I have had what I consider bad lower back pain, bad neck pain and other injuries that get my full attention. Of all of these conditions, I think that lower back pain has been the worst spine complaint that I have had. Since I became a chiropractor in San Diego, I have taken informal surveys of my patients regarding the area of their backs that create the greatest level of disability when aggravated and more often than not the answer is lower back pain.

Chiropractic care for lower back pain is pretty straight forward. Usually low back pain is accompanied by muscle spasms which have to be addressed first. Most low back pain patients do very well with treatment that begins with the application of hot packs and electrical muscle stimulation. Electrical muscle stimulation sounds intimidating to some people but it is a very comfortable, relaxing form of therapy that is excellent at soothing muscle spasms.

Once the muscles have been relaxed as much as possible, the affected joints of the lower back can be adjusted. Much like the sound of electrical muscle stimulation, some people find the sound of having their joints manipulated intimidating. In fact, the overwhelming majority of even first time chiropractic patients find the joint manipulations to be comfortable and soothing to their back pain.

Chiropractic care is delivered as a series of treatments rather than a single session. That is not to say that you may not attain 100% relief with one session, but you shouldn’t count on it. The rule of thumb in regards to how much care you may need for a low back issue is that you must allow for one week of active care (2 to 3 visits per week) for each month that you have had a particular problem. This level of frequency and consistency will ensure the greatest level of recovery with chiropractic care.

More Coming Soon

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Try to be More Flexible in 2009 – Stretching and Chiropractic.
The headline of this article could be interpreted in a variety of different ways. For the purposes of this blog post it will address our physical flexibility. Flexibility is an important measure of our physical fitness. Flexibility is just as important to our overall health as is strength, endurance, aerobic capacity and body composition.

One of the big problems that I encounter with my patients in my San Diego Chiropractic office is a lack of flexibility in the joints. Strong muscles that span flexible joints is ideal for everything from mundane household chores to weekend athletic adventures. A lack of stretching catches up to us when we perform movements beyond the normal for our lifestyles or activities. In some cases, an extreme movement can be something as simple as reaching to the table behind you for your cup of coffee. Neck pain, back pain, arm pain and leg pain can all occur as a result of injuries due to inflexibility.

As a general rule, as our bodies age, our physical fitness degrades. Regarding flexibility, we tend to loose it. That is why it is very important to develop flexibility when we are younger and maintain it as we get older. Even those of us in our forties or older must try to regain some and maintain most of our flexibility even though we are not 20 something anymore.

I always tell people to think about how much strength, endurance or in this case flexibility that they have lost in the last 10 or 20 years. I know that I am not as physically fit as I was when I was 20 or even 30 years old. There is no way that I want that same trend to continue over the next 20 years. In order to prevent the atrophy of our bodies we have to maintain them through stretching and exercise.

In addition to perhaps regaining the ability to touch your toes, becoming more flexible will also help in the following ways.

1) Helps Relieve Stress: Flexible muscles are loose and relaxed muscles. Loose, flexible muscles are less likely to tighten up during stressful, tense situations.
2) Helps Improve Posture: Loose muscles help your body maintain better posture. Avoiding unnecessary postural stress will help you feel better.
3) Helps Increase Circulation: Increased circulation comes as a result of consistent stretching. Improved circulation helps bring nourishment to your muscles while removing toxic build-up of lactic acid and other waste products.
4) Helps Improve Coordination: Stretching will improve your joints range of motion providing for better balance, mobility and coordination. Improved coordination will help us with all athletic activities and help prevent falls as we age.

I always recommend stretching in the form of Yoga. Stores like Target have many instructional DVDs on Yoga.  I have always found that Rodney Yee produces better than average DVD courses on Yoga. If you are not experienced in Yoga you will need to start with a beginners course, many people look at Yoga and assume that it is easy. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Yoga is not only a great stretch but an excellent work out and you can hurt yourself if you over-do it.

Some guidelines for safe stretching include:
1) Warm up Before You Begin
2) Don’t Bounce While Stretching
3) Avoid Pain While Stretching – It Should Feel Like A Good Stretch – Not A Painful One
4) Stretch Both Sides
5) Stretch Both Before and After Exercise

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

How did I hurt my back doc?

I was asked this question by a new patient the other day. The funny thing about this question was that he was a new patient for me but he had been going to different chiropractors for nearly 40 years. Neck pain, back pain and headaches that occurred after various falls, work injuries and car accidents were what created his need for a life time of chiropractic treatment.

Certain types of injuries can cause chronic symptoms. Various physical issues that never fully return to their pre-accident state cause chronic symptoms.

For instance, whiplash type injuries leave about 25% of the patients with chronic ongoing neck pain. In these cases, the muscles that move and support the neck have been stretched and sometimes torn. When muscles tear they heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue does not move, stretch or contract like healthy muscle tissue.

Because of the different properties of scar tissue that has formed within the healthy muscle, the joint that is moved by that muscle becomes dysfunctional. As the joints movement alters, it has the potential to become irritated and inflamed. These irritated and inflamed joints then become painful, restricted in their movements and the muscles that move that joint tighten and spasm as a protective mechanism.

Chiropractic care is the perfect solution for painful joints and spasmed muscles. Through manipulation or adjustments of the affected joints, the muscle spasms are calmed and the pain is relieved. For some patients, ongoing chiropractic care helps prevent the onset of pain and stiffness that is associated with chronic injuries.

This example above is just one of the reasons that some chiropractic patients come in for treatment on a regular basis.

As for the patient above, he said he has been coming in for chiropractic for neck pain and back pain for years. He receives treatment for both health maintenance reasons as well as for control of specific symptoms that come up from time to time.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

I am often asked the question “how do you think I hurt my back?” Believe it or not, in the absence of some recent significant injury / accident, this question isn’t so easy to answer.

My chiropractic practice in San Diego helps people recover from back pain, neck pain and all types of work and auto injuries. Work and auto injuries often provide a single, identifiable explanation for pain.

Many patients simply wake up with back pain that wasn’t there when they went to bed, or they throw their backs out while reaching for a cup of coffee or picking a sock up off the floor. These scenarios are typical.

The truth is that our backs are very strong. Some of the ligaments in our backs are capable of withstanding over 700 pounds of tension. That is a lot of force.

Yet somehow we manage to injure ourselves with mundane events.

The answer to many of these injuries involves postural stress. Postural stress is dangerous to the health of our spines. It can result in lost days of work, disability and worst of all – loss of recreation and fun.

Postural stress results from poor posture, awkward bending and lifting, too much sitting, poor eyesight (makes us lean forward to see what we are doing) and many other activities of daily living.

These stresses that we endure are compensated for in other areas of our spines. However, with time and enough exposure to the stress previously mentioned, the joints in our backs become irritated and inflammed leading to muscle spasms and pain.

I like to use the analogy of stacking the straws on the camels back with injuries like this. In other words, these instances of stress are nothing by themselves but the effects of the stress is cumulative. As the stresses build, the body’s’ chance of a breakdown increases. Eventually you suffer a breakdown.

Chiropractic care can help you control the effects of postural stress. When our backs hurt, that is a clear indication that inflammation is present. Inflammation always stimulates scar tissue formation which limits your spines’ flexibility and causes pinched nerves and pain. Chiropractic adjustments breakdown the inflammation caused scar tissue and improve your spines flexibility. Improved flexibility keeps your spine healthier and much less likely to be aggravated by your activities of daily living.

If your job requires sitting for more than four hours per day, monthly chiropractic adjustments are very important in controlling the accumulating stress in your back.

There are other obvious steps that you can take toward improving the health of your spine and preventing episodes of back pain. Eating a healthy diet and exercise are very important in reducing the chances of suffering a back injury.

Being careful when lifting and carrying heavy objects and making sure that you don’t sit in one position for longer than twenty minutes is also helpful.

More Coming Soon

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Hip Pain means different things to different people. I treat many people for hip pain in my San Diego Chiropractic center.

In my first paragraph I wrote that hip pain means different things to different people. What I meant by that is that usually the patients who complain of hip pain would point to their lower backs when I ask them to point to the pain. When I ask them at that point if it is actually lower back pain that they are feeling they will usually think for a moment and then say, “Yes, I guess it is low back pain.”

When patients complain of hip pain they are usually referring to pain in the area of the sacroiliac joint. The sacroiliac joints are two large joints that are positioned just to the sides of the bottom vertebra in the back right at the level of the beltline. I believe that people refer to this as hip pain because it is typically at its worst when walking.

True hip pain found in the joint where the femur joins with the socket found in the pelvic bones. The typical patient will identify hip pain by pointing to the front of the body, below the beltline and off to either side of the midline of the body.

Sacroiliac joint pain is often brought on or aggravated by prolonged sitting, bad lifting habits and direct injuries such as those that occur with sports or auto accidents. The sacroiliac joints are the largest joints in the spine and can heal slowly after an injury.

Chiropractic care supported by ice pack applications, light stretching and avoidance of know aggravating activities (if it hurts don’t do it) will usually eliminate the pain.

Chiropractic care is also effective for true hip pain but the approach is somewhat different. Since hips are joints, chiropractic care is also quite effective in relieving hip pain as well.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

I don’t know about you, but I am a headache wimp. I hardly ever get headaches, when I do I don’t handle them very well. I get moody and I tend to “snap” at people that really mean me no harm.

In addition to my San Diego chiropractic office treating patients with neck pain and low back pain, we see many people with headaches. Headaches have many causes and there are many different types of headaches as well.

The most common types of headache that we provide treatment for are migraine and muscle tension headaches.

Muscle tension headaches typically begin in the muscles of the neck and upper back. When these muscle become tense, they pull on the muscles that cover your head. This tension results in a headache.

Muscle tension headaches can result from postural stresses such as long hours of computer work, they can develop as a result of whiplash type car accident injuries, pinched nerves or just plain old work and home stresses.

One common reason for chronic, on going tension in the muscle is miss-aligned vertebra. When the vertebra become miss-aligned due to postural stress, awkward sleeping positions, accidents, etc., the muscles around that vertebra tighten up as a protective mechanism. The tight muscles are commonly the root cause of the muscle tension headache.

Chiropractic care re-aligns the joints of the spine causing a relaxation of the surrounding muscles. When the joints in the neck are re-aligned, the muscles that move and support that particular vertebra relax and return to their normal functions.

When the muscles are relaxed, the muscle tension subsides and the headache goes away. Treatment for muscle tension headaches usually requires a series of treatments but you should notice a decrease in the frequency and the severity of your headache with subsequent treatment.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

Pain Relief Blog

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In my San Diego chiropractic office, I try to encourage health betterment beyond the obvious treatment that we provide for neck pain, back pain and headaches that represent the bulk of my patients’ concerns.

As that old saying goes; “Simply not being sick does not equate to being well.”

I always explain to my patients that in the absence of some catastrophic injury, most cases of neck pain and back pain begin as a slight irritation that we are totally unaware of. With time and additional stresses, these slight irritations can become magnified to the point where they become symptomatic.

Our diets act the same way. A few poor meal choices won’t destroy your health by themselves, but frequent poor meal choices over longer periods of time can have a significant negative impact on your health. You only have to look at a McDonalds or Burger King drive-through to see the long lines of people making poor food choices. These people who make frequent poor food choices (fast foods in this example) probably won’t suffer anything more than a little indigestion as a result of each meal. However, the accumulation of the effects of all of these poor food choices will do damage down the road.

Unfortunately, this all becomes more apparent as we age. We pay for our poor eating habits as we age for a couple of reasons. First of all, poor eating choices become habitual. Like any bad habit, changing poor eating habits is difficult. Secondly, with normal aging, our metabolism slows making our poor eating habits more detrimental than they were when we were younger and more active.

Regaining your health takes work on several fronts. Some of these things you can accomplish yourself and other things you need help with.

Patients that come to my chiropractic office for treatment for their neck pain or back pain often find this task one of the easy parts of getting healthy. In order to get help with pain, all the patients have to do is come to the office for their treatment.

The difficult part of restoring health is dealing with the bad habits that result in unhealthy diets, smoking, drinking and the like. Overcoming bad habits takes an exceptionally motivated person. Focus and you can overcome them and have a healthier body to show for it.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/?p=47

www.JonesPainRelief.com

In our Chiropractic office in San Diego California, we like to stress the importance of natural holistic healthcare. Although our office is delivering chiropractic care for neck pain, back pain and the like, we also encourage our patients to use natural remedies at home as well. There are many benefits of using cinnamon in our diets. There are also many different forms of cinnamon. I recently came across this article and thought I would share it with you.

A new report suggests that the equivalent of a spoonful of cinnamon a day can significantly lower blood sugar, cholesterol and lipid levels. This could be good news for people with diabetes.

Sixty people with type 2 diabetes were divided into six groups; three groups received daily doses of cinnamon (1, 3 or 6 grams, respectively), while the other groups received placebo capsules containing wheat flour. The cinnamon was consumed for 40 days, followed by a 20-day washout period. Blood glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels were all significantly lower in patients receiving cinnamon compared to those given a placebo.

While adding cinnamon to the diet won’t cure a person with diabetes, it may help protect diabetic patients from some of the worst complications that arise from the condition, such as blurred vision, heart disease and kidney failure.

Here are a variety of ways that cinnamon can be incorporated into a person’s diet, try adding it to your morning coffee or try eating oatmeal (which is very good for cholesterol) with a teaspoon of cinnamon, or making a tea out of boiling water and cinnamon stick.”

Reference:

Khan A, Safdar M, Muzaffar Ali Khan M, et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care December 2003;26, pp3215-3218.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/?p=47

www.JonesPainRelief.com

When was the last time that you felt pain?
 

I treat people with back pain, neck pain and various other pains on a daily basis.
 

Pain is a very complex sensation. The body’s interpretation of pain involves both nerve and chemical processes that are relayed to the brain for interpretation. In my San Diego Chiropractic office, I hear my patients complain of neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain etc. Some of these patients suffer from acute pain while others who are less fortunate complain of chronic long lasting pain.
 

A study completed recently in Chicago revealed some very interesting things about brain activity in people suffering with chronic pain.
 

Brain scans taken of people in chronic pain show a constant activity in areas of the brain that are at rest in those who don’t suffer with chronic pain. Researchers said that this finding could help explain why chronic pain patients have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other disorders.
 

Apparently they found that chronic pain seems to alter the way people process information that is unrelated to pain. They found that enduring long periods of pain affects brain function even with tasks that demand minimal attention.
 

Studies have shown that in healthy people, certain regions of the brain take over during a resting state, something known as a default mode network. “It takes care of your brain when your brain is at rest,” Dr. Chialvo said.
 

When a person performs a task, this default mode network quiets down, but not in people with chronic pain.
Instead of quieting down, a front region of the cortex of the brain associated with emotion is constantly active. This constant activity disrupts the brains’ normal equilibrium.
To study this specific brain activity, Dr. Chialvo did a type of brain scan on 15 people with chronic back pain and on 15 healthy people.
 

In this study, volunteers were given a simple attention task — tracking a moving bar on a computer screen – in order to observe the brain shifting out of default mode to handle the task.
 

Both groups performed the task well but when they measured areas of the brain that were activated, the differences emerged.
“Where we were surprised is the difference in how much brain they used to do the task compared with the healthy group. It was 50 times larger,” Chialvo said.
 

They said disruptions in this brain activity could explain why pain patients have problems with attention, sleep disturbances and even depression.
 

So there you have it. If you feel a little off or if someone you work with or care about has trouble focusing or staying on task because of pain, your observations are correct. Give yourself and others a break.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

As a chiropractor, I am always asked “Does chiropractic really work?” This is an unfair and a loaded question. Chiropractic care is a very effective form of treatment for some things and not for others.

Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, I see sports related injuries all year round. Running injuries, falls from bicycles or rollerblades, golf injuries, basketball injuries – you name it and most likely we have seen it. More often than not these injuries result in typical sprain / strains that result in neck pain, back pain, sciatica etc.

The types of injuries that I just listed are a few of many joint injuries / symptoms that chiropractic care is very effective in treating. You might say that chiropractic care was made for such injuries. The reason that I say this is because of the nature of these types of injuries.

The typical sprain / strain injury usually results when a fall or an accident forces a joint through an excessive or abnormal range of motion. This type of injury stretches the ligaments and muscles that move and support the spine. The result of this type of injury is irritation and inflammation of the joint and scar tissue formation.

Without chiropractic treatment, the scar tissue from sprain / strain injuries restricts and or alters normal joint motion which can cause pain and stiffness. Chiropractic manipulations help to restore full, normal joint motion by breaking down scar tissue that would otherwise cause stiffness and pain.

Chiropractic care is an excellent form of therapy for reducing the effects of postural stress from sitting at a computer, poor lifting habits, poor posture and a variety of other stresses that we expose ourselves to on a daily basis.

So, does chiropractic work? The only way to know is go visit one and see. Chiropractors want their treatment to work and are reluctant to take on cases that may not properly respond to their therapy. No doctor that I know wants to have unsuccessful treatment sessions during the course of their work day. A good chiropractor can look at your history, perform an examination and make a sound determination on how well you will respond to care.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Chiropractic Care in San Diego is utilized for both crisis care and for wellness care / preventive care.

Our population has a passion for fitness and exercise. Chiropractic treatment helps keep neck pain, back pain and other body aches from slowing us down.

Neck pain and back pain typically respond very well to chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic care helps restore normal joint motion which is vital to a healthy neck and back.

One of the wonderful benefits of chiropractic treatment is its ability to help active people avoid neck pain, back pain and other spinal injuries.

Getting chiropractic adjustments in a regular basis helps your spine maintain its full range of motion and flexibility. Typically, it is a loss of normal range of motion and flexibility that exposes us to injuries. Chiropractic care that is delivered prior to an aggravation, in other words “when the patient is not in pain” is a perfect example of preventative healthcare.

Chiropractic adjustments gently push the joint through its entire range of motion. When your joints are moved through their full range of motion by a trained chiropractor, tight muscles associated with that joint are stretched out and scar tissue that has formed in and around those joints is broken down.

Usually, having your spine adjusted is not a painful procedure. Most of the time, the patients in my San Diego chiropractic clinic feel a sense of pressure relief and relaxation in their backs when they are adjusted.

This feeling of pressure release and relaxation is due to a number events that occur during an adjustment.

When the spine is adjusted, there is a reflexive relaxation of tight muscles that occurs. Relaxed muscles are much more comfortable than tight, spasmed muscles.

Another event that takes place with an adjustment involves the “pain gate”. Adjustments trigger the “pain gate” in the nervous system which, as it implies, decreases our sensations of pain.

On a mechanical level, chiropractic care stretches tight muscle and ligaments and helps breakdown restrictive scar tissue. This effect improves our spines’ range of motion resulting is feeling of increased flexibility.

As a chiropractor in San Diego, I notice that a healthy percentage of my treatments revolve around spinal maintenance and improving athletic performance.

Chiropractic treatment is a vital part of maintaining your health.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Have you ever slept on your arm and had it fall asleep? Imagine if it felt like that all of the time.

A few months ago I had a young lady come to my San Diego Chiropractic office with these complaints. In addition to numbness and tingling, she had neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, wrist pain and hand pain. She also complained of weakness in her left hand, which was resulting in clumsiness and was affecting her work as an executive secretary.

These complaints are seen with regular frequency in my chiropractic office. The process is a familiar one and common with many musculoskeletal conditions that involve the nervous system. Usually, postural stresses such as leaning over a desk or computer will eventually irritate a specific joint in the spine. The irritation of the joint causes inflammation of the muscles and ligaments that move and support that joint. This inflammation will cause compression of the local nerves and blood vessels resulting in pain and muscle spasm. If the nerve compression persists, numbness, tingling and weakness of the related muscles will follow.

This patient was displaying signs and symptoms of long-term nerve root compression that involved her left arm and hand.

We treated her with chiropractic manipulations that were delivered with the specific goal of eliminating the nerve root compression. She was also treated with ice packs, hot packs, electrical muscle stimulation and ultrasound in order to address the soft tissue inflammation. In addition to in office care she was given a set of stretches and exercises for at home therapy and advised to use ice packs daily for twenty minutes per session.

It took approximately eight weeks of active care, which is three treatment visits per week, to relieve 90% of her pain and 90% of her left arm weakness. The rest of her symptoms will resolve with at home therapy and chiropractic care delivered on an as needed basis for flair-ups that will occur in the future.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Being a Chiropractor in San Diego brings special challenges. In addition to our population leading more active and physically demanding lifestyles, they also are more likely to seek out alternative health care.

Neck pain, back pain, headaches and sciatica rule the symptoms that instigate new patient and returning patient visits.

What do they all want? Chiropractic adjustments of course!

Most of my patients consider themselves to be purveyors of natural health care. However, when asked about nutrition, most of them don’t have a good handle on it. Hence the topic of this blog post.

I thought that I would do a very brief overview of vitamins.

Vitamins are essential for us to maintain a healthy body. They regulate metabolism and assist the processes that release energy from digested food. The body needs vitamins in much smaller amounts than it needs carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water. Vitamins are considered MICRONUTRIENTS.

Vitamins act as coenzymes that work with enzymes that are the foundation of all humane bodily functions. They are the catalysts or activators in all of our chemical reactions.

Vitamins exist in two categories; water soluble and oil soluble. Water soluble vitamins must be taken into the body daily. Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body and are usually utilized and excreted within 24 hours. Vitamin C and the B vitamins are examples of water soluble vitamins.

Oil soluble vitamins are stored for longer periods of time in our fatty tissues and in the liver. Examples of oil soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K.

Both types of vitamins are necessary for maintaining health and fitness.

Vitamins are a small piece of nutrition. Just as important as taking vitamins is the ability to resist the urge to eat junk.

Soda, deep fried foods, tobacco, alcohol, refined sugar and many others steal our health.

True health maintenance has to include examining our nutrition.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

http://www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1/

www.JonesPainRelief.com