Whiplash - Getting Well Naturally

Whiplash - Getting Well Naturally
You're driving to work and stop for a red light. You're minding your own business and - bam! - your car rocks forward and backward, slammed in the rear by another car driven by some guy yakking on his cell phone. Or for reasons known only to yourself you decide it's a good idea to go bungee jumping. Significant physical forces blast through your body as you helplessly bounce back and forth, dangling in the air like a gaffed flying fish. If you're lucky you'll get better in a few days.


Developing Your Core
Core muscle strength helps reduce the impact of a whiplash injury. Your core muscle layer is the deepest layer of muscles in your body. Core muscles include very small muscles that connect two vertebras, thin sheets of muscle that connect groups of vertebras, the four muscle groups that comprise the abdominal muscles, and various small muscles that stabilize the pelvic floor.

Core muscles are trained during your regular strength-training routines. These muscles provide stabilization when you work any of the major large muscle groups. Pilates routines, yoga, and aerobic exercise such as biking, swimming, and running also help train the core. Additionally, specific core training exercises help maximize core muscle strength. All that's required to do a great specific core workout is an exercise mat.

When core muscles are toned and strengthened, their ability to withstand unusual physical forces is significantly increased. A whiplash injury will momentarily deform core spinal musculature, but the muscles will be able to better tolerate the physical stress and the degree of injury, if any, will be reduced.

You're driving to work and stop for a red light. You're minding your own business and - bam! - your car rocks forward and backward, slammed in the rear by another car driven by some guy yakking on his cell phone. Or you're a passenger in a New York City taxi. The driver's cruising down Fifth Avenue when a teenager suddenly dashes into the intersection, running across the street against the light. The cabbie slams on the brakes and your head rocks forcefully backward and forward.

Or for reasons known only to yourself you decide it's a good idea to go bungee jumping. You dive into space, the cord extends, and finally the cord is fully played out. Significant physical forces blast through your body as you helplessly bounce back and forth, dangling in the air like a gaffed flying fish.
The result of each of these demonstrations of Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion? Later that day, or possibly within several days, you begin to experience neck pain. You might also have shoulder pain, headache, nausea, dizziness, and pain or numbness traveling down one or both arms. You have whiplash - a traumatic injury to the muscles, ligaments, and spinal joints of your neck and upper back.1,2

If you're lucky you'll get better in a few days. If the injuries are moderate or severe the various complaints will linger and may even get worse. As with any injury or illness, if you're not getting better right away you need to see your doctor. As you've suffered an injury to your head and neck, it may be a good idea to see your doctor as soon as you can, in any case, even if you think the injury is mild.

Your chiropractor is an excellent choice for examination and evaluation of injuries due to whiplash. She will be able to determine the nature and extent of the damage to muscle, ligament, and bone. Taking an x-ray series is a very important part of the evaluation of whiplash, as even seemingly modest forces can result in fracture of one or more vertebras in your neck. Evaluation of nerve function, including both spinal nerves and cranial nerves, is critically important. Pain and/or numbness radiating into one or both arms suggests injury to a cervical nerve root and needs to be thoroughly assessed.

If no fractures have been identified, chiropractic treatment can begin immediately. Over time, chiropractic treatment helps reduce inflammation of injured muscles and ligaments. Over time, chiropractic treatment helps restore normal ranges of motion to your neck and upper back. With this natural form of healing you begin to make incremental, steady progress, recovering the ability to participate in all your daily activities with reduced levels of pain and discomfort.

Chiropractic treatment provides optimal therapy for whiplash injuries, allowing your body to recover and return to normal by utilizing its own restorative powers.3
1Kasch H, et al: Clinical assessment of prognostic factors for long-term pain and handicap after whiplash injury: a 1-year prospective study. Eur J Neurol 15(11):1222-1230, 2008
2Chen HB, et al: Biomechanics of whiplash injury. Chin J Traumatol 12(5):305-314, 2009
3Michaleff ZA, et al: A randomised clinical trial of a comprehensive exercise program for chronic whiplash: trial protocol. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 10:149, 2009 (12/2/09)
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Allergies Got Your Stuffed Up?
Doc Rick says, "If allergies get you stuffed up this time of year, then you will definitely be interested in the offer I have for you. Click on the link and read what you will choose to take advantage of."

Natural Allergy Solutions
Since this is the time of year that many of you begin to suffer with Air-borne allergies, I wanted to offer you the natural solutions for all your allergy needs. But before we get into that, it is always important to understand the mechanism of a problem, so you can address the real cause, and then prevent the problem once and for all.  And this is the real purpose for this newsletter.
Why Do I Get Allergies?
This is one of the most common questions I hear in my office.  And it has been for the past 16 years.  This is why I went to learn two different allergy techniques to help address them.  The first is called Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique, (NAET) and the second is called Total Body Modification (TBM).  NAET was the first technique I learned and was very effective, but involved a person staying away from their specific allergen for a period of 24 hours.  Many times this was too inconvenient, so I continued to research for a better solution and was introduced to TBM.  This method is quite effective and when the person's been properly prepared, I can use this technique to eliminate an allergen within about 30 seconds.  And the person can then go right back to their life-style without any avoidance period.  This has made treatment much more user-friendly for the practice member. 
To understand why you get allergies, one must first understand the mechanism for them.  Allergies result from incomplete breakdown of whole proteins, followed by the absorption of those whole proteins into the blood stream.  Under normal digestion, these whole proteins should be broken down into their basic building blocks known as amino acids, before being absorbed into the blood stream.  The amino acids are then delivered to the Liver for the assignment of repairing and rebuilding within the body. 
So what would cause a person to begin having allergies?  There exists a common condition among allergy sufferers where there is an imbalance within the digestive system as a result of, among other things, antibiotic therapy.  I mention this specifically because it is so common in this country, and it is something everyone must understand, especially if you have progressed to the point of having allergies.  What occurs within the body as a result of antibiotic therapy is a loss of healthy digestive bacteria, and the basis for an overgrowth of digestive yeast and candidia, two normal fungi that also assist in the digestive process. 
How does one know if they suffer from this imbalance?  One may notice an increase craving for sugar, along with the symptoms of intestinal gas and bloating.  This is an indication that the overgrowth of yeast and Candidia has taken place.  As a consequence, complete digestion cannot take place, and it results in incomplete protein breakdown.  When the proteins fail to fully break down, they will then cross the digestive system wall and enter into the bloodstream. This should never take place.  The Immune System, which is designed to attack foreign invaders that enter the blood stream, including whole proteins, will now attack these undigested proteins.  The Immune response then generates the release of histamine from the cells, which most have come to know as the Allergy Reaction. 
Once a person has this imbalance, and the Immune System continues to attack these undigested proteins, the Immune System will begin to have trouble rebuilding its immune cells.  This is because the cells are formed from the amino acid building blocks that the digestive system is not delivering due to the incomplete protein digestion.  As a consequence, the Immune System begins to fail, and the person finds themselves getting sick all the time.  
Another component to this complex imbalance within the body results from the ingestion of dairy and cheese.  By eating these foods in conjunction to having the overgrowth of yeast and Candidia will result in the body producing excess amounts of mucus.  If this mucus develops in the intestinal system, stagnant digestion known as constipation results.  If it effects the respiratory system, asthma, airborne allergies and sinus congestion results.  If the mucus then traps infection, it can lead to sinus infections or lung infections.  And the treatment for this would be the antibiotic therapy.  Unfortunately, if you have understood what you have read here, you will realize that the antibiotic therapy created much of this imbalance to begin with.  As a result, by continuing to repeat the process, without restoring normal balance, you will never get out of the cycle. 
What Can I Do For My Allergies? 
The most important thing you can do is work to improve the functioning of your digestive system.  Until this returns to normal, your Immune System will continue to attack the undigested proteins from your diet, and you will continue to have allergies.  While this process of improving your digestion is occurring, it would benefit you not to have certain foods within your diet.  These include, milk, cheese, vinegar, alcohol, sugar, breads, pastas and cereals.  The reason for these limits is because each of them goes to feeding the problem.  And until the elimination occurs, you will continue to have allergies.
In the mean time, there are several natural remedies designed to help assist in eliminating the symptoms of allergies.  The first of these is the TBM technique I mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter.  All you need to do is come into the office and allow me to evaluate you for some basic sensitivities/allergies, and then we can go after whatever your body is sensitive to.  To assist in the process, we have a few natural supplements and homeopathic remedies as well.  The main nutritional assistants products of Standard Process are Antronex, which is a natural antihistamine to be taken regularly during the allergy season, and Allerplex, designed to combat the effects of the allergic response as well as asthma.  We would also want to consider Cal-Amo, as most people who suffer with allergies are too alkaline.  Herbal remedies for allergies from Mediherb include Albezia Complex, or Euphrasia Complex and potentially Livco.  Each are designed to support the natural response to the allergic reaction within the body.  Last, but not least, we have two very helpful homeopathic remedies, one called Allergy Remedy, designed specifically for allergies, and the other would be ER 911, which assists the body by quieting the alarm response within the nervous system.
My Offer To You
If you suffer with allergies, or know of someone who does, ask them to call the office and speak to Dr. Huntoon about scheduling an appointment to have your allergies evaluated.  As Spring is upon us, before it gets too warm and all the buds start popping up, why not get a head start on combating these uncomfortable allergies and get some relief.  Stop into the office and consider being evaluated for the proper combination of remedies necessary to alleviate all your allergies.  But you'll want to do this before they fully kick in.  If you wait until you are experiencing symptoms of allergies, it will be much harder to get the system to stop the cycle.  So don't wait, and schedule yourself for the "This is the year I don't get allergies Test!"  Simply call the Office at (845)561-2225 and tell us you want to come in and be evaluated for eliminating all your allergies.  This $75.00 value will be available at no cost to anyone who wants to be checked for allergies through the end of April.  That's right, it's FREE!  But only for the next 4 weeks. So you'll have to hurry.  Call the Office TODAY at (845)561-2225 and ask us to schedule you for the FREE This is the year I don't get allergies Test.
To sign up for this free newsletter simply go to www.spineboy.com and click on Newsletter Sign Up next to “Main Menu.”  Then simply type your name and e-mail address and click on all of the selections and you will begin receiving my FREE Newsletters in your e-mail box every morning that they go out.