Sacramento Chiropractor: Get Fit to Deter Golf Injuries
Injuries are not unusual with any kind of sport. It is beneficial to find out what injury is inclined to happen in a favorite sport and then to do what it takes to avoid it. Sadly, sports injuries can’t always be avoided. Therefore, it’s beneficial to be physically fit to make getting injured less predictable, or less traumatic. Before starting a sport, such as golf, the most critical thing you can do is to be certain that you have the proper fitness level. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, keeping your joints mobile and your muscles limber, warming and stretching your body before activity, using proper form and good postures during activity, and allowing yourself an appropriate amount of cool down and relaxation time, you may very well keep your body safe from injury.
It isn’t only amateur golfers who suffer from injuries. It has been conjectured that almost one-third of pro golfers playing in the same time frame are playing with injury. The good news is that general good health and fitness can lessen the number of injuries that you may acquire and might actually preclude them totally.
Effective body strength in the muscle zones most employed when golfing is vital. However, before you make an effort to build muscle strength, it’s essential to make certain your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A successful golf swing relies on your spine’s capacity to adequately rotate effectually. Back injuries are the most common type of injuries sustained by golfers. Your Sacramento chiropractor will take care that your spine is in healthy alignment and that there is good movement of the vertebrae. Chiropractic treatment can make a big difference in helping you to avoid back injury.
Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Being prepared for your round of golf is paramount to a safe, injury-free day on the green. Golf stretching and flexibility routines will warm up your muscles and make injury them less likely. Flexibility in all areas of the body can be developed fairly quickly through full body range of motion (ROM) exercises. Furthermore, elastic band conditioning can provide distinct golf range of motion advantages and can advance needed power in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Sports professionals, such as your chiropractor, are including elastic band training in their golf conditioning programs because the bands offer dynamic resistance that general weight lifting does not supply.
Quite a few golfers suffer from “Golfer’s Elbow” besides back injuries. There is a minute difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow despite the fact that they are almost the same. Tennis elbow impinges the outside of the upper arm whereas golfer’s elbow affects the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can result from a single violent action, such as (in golf) thrusting down on the mat at the driving range or thrusting down on a hard fairway surface. Repetitive stress from smaller shocks, however, is generally the protagonist. Moreover, it can occur for those who suddenly start playing too much golf. For example, if players that ordinarily play golf once or twice a month elect to play in a tournament, they are likely at risk for developing the injury.
Golf makes distinctive requirements on the body. The game is generally longer than the majority of other sports and that can cause fatigue. Whenever the body is fatigued, poor posture and impeded coordination normally follow. Together, these two components can create an assortment of injuries. Additionally, the shoulder muscles are liable to injury as a result of the constant swinging of the golf clubs. Just as it is crucial for you to stretch and warm up prior to starting your golf game, be sure that you rest your body suitable between games.
An unexpected injury on occasion associated with golf is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. But, because it an affliction that occurs as the result of repetitive stress, a numerous amount of games of golf played over several months repetitively may cause this injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a an extremely damaging injury causing disability and sometimes requiring surgery. However, if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, diagnoses it at an early stage, chiropractic management and, sometimes, the use of a brace will help the condition.
The majority of golfers appear to think that injuries are simply an inescapable part of a golfer’s life. Nonetheless, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, specific exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and sustaining a a good fitness level, and prudent rest and recuperation after your game is over, can make injuries much less a part of your golfing experience.
Dr. Yong Kim is a Sacramento chiropractor with over thirteen years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. His office is located at 1707 Professional Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825. He has special training in the area of sports injuries. Dr Kim is himself an avid health enthusiast. For more information go to his website at http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yong_J_Kim
Feeling old and blue? Green tea may help
(Reuters Health) Elderly men and women who sip on several cups of green tea a day may be less likely to have the blues, hint findings of a study from Japan.
Dr. Kaijun Niu, at Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering in Sendai, and colleagues found men and women aged 70 and older who drank four or more, versus one or fewer, cups of green tea daily were 44 percent less likely to have symptoms of depression.
Several prior studies have linked green tea consumption to reduced levels of psychological distress. This led Niu and colleagues to look at associations between drinking green tea and symptoms of depression in 1,058 relatively healthy elderly individuals.
About 34 percent of the men and 39 percent of the women had symptoms of depression, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. These symptoms were severe in about 20 percent of the men and in about 24 percent of the women.
Overall, 488 participants said they drank four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed two to three cups daily and the remaining 286 reported having one or fewer cups daily.
According to the investigators, the apparent protective effect of greater green tea consumption on symptoms of depression did not fade after they factored in social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems, use of antidepressant medications, smoking, and physical activity. Read more…
San Jose Chiropractor: Growing Older Doesn’t Have to Hurt
Posted by admin in chiropractic on December 16th, 2009
Let’s face it, there’s just no getting around the fact that as we age our body feels and acts differently than it used to when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem fair that our body seems to become less “cooperative,” while our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive.” We’re stiff when we get out of bed; certain activities during the day make us sore at night; and, if we’re not truly careful, even a movement as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped pencil, can send our back or some other muscle group into spasm. But, our body doesn’t need to go from bad to worse because there are specialized techniques available that is not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can aid us in avoiding some of those problems completely.
Take arthritis for instance. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, traditional medicine fails to address this age-related affliction. What is the basis for such a limited approach? The answer is that most medical professionals treat the symptoms of arthritis. The chiropractic approach is to look for the root of the problem and treat the pain at its source. For more than a hundred years, chiropractors, like your San Jose Chiropractor, have been helping people suffering from back pain and other problems created by arthritic changes in the musculoskeletal system.
Arthritic changes happen as your body ages because, over time, wear of particular joints takes place as a consequence of repetitive stresses, and years of poor gait, improper posture, and lack of beneficial movement. Chiropractic treatment brings back motion into your joints and relieves pain, and it corrects any vertebral misalignment that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also reduce your resistance and immunity? It’s true, and this could be one of the reasons why it may seem that as you age you experience more health issues and that it often takes longer for you to feel better again. According to research done on men and women, those who received regular chiropractic care stayed healthier. In fact, you could say that, as you get older, chiropractic adjustments are good for what ails you!
When it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractors are highly knowledgeable whether it’s the small, growing frame of an infant or the full-grown body of a mature adult. Your chiropractor is well aware of the body’s aging process and has singular observational and diagnostic skills that assist in locating spinal misalignments and joint problems. A chiropractic examination can, in fact, frequently reveal some age-related conditions before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. In addition, your San Jose Chiropractor can evaluate your posture and check your gait to identify faulty patterns that could create more arthritic changes in the future.
So, if you have been feeling your age lately, and you’d like to feel a whole lot better, see your San Jose Chiropractor today!
Dr. David Hoewisch is a chiropractor in San Jose with over 25 years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. His office is located at 1221 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, CA, 95050. Dr. Hoewisch has traveled around the world and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and learned sign language at an early age. He treats many deaf patients in his clinic. For more information go to his website at http://www.mysanjosechiropractor.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Hoewisch
Likely Culprits of Back Pain and How You Can Handle Them
Many people have back pain at some point in their life and at least half of them experience recurring back pain. Sometimes, there is no one particular cause for the pain but rather a build-up of activities they might have done. Back pain is so commonplace that it is one of the top three leading reasons why people see the doctor and miss work. The good news is that most back pain clears itself up within a few weeks. If you are one of the many people that experience back pain, there are a number of causes to consider.
Referred Back Pain
Referred back pain means that you feel pain in your back but it is attached to some other underlying health condition in your body. For example, kidney infections can cause back pain as can appendicitis and bladder infections. Women with infections or disorders in the pelvic area can also experience pain in the back.
Pulled or Stressed Out Muscles
Have you ever slept in an awkward position and paid for it in pain the next day? Sleeping funny can stress out your muscles, ligaments and tendons in addition to lifting heavy objects or even turning or twisting the wrong way. When you experience sensitivity and pain in certain muscle groups, like in your back, doctors refer to it as myofascial pain. Many kids experience this type of back pain because they tote heavy backpacks and school bags. Poor posture and improper lifting techniques can also contribute.
Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions
There are a number of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions that can contribute to back pain. For example, fibromyalgia causes pain and tenderness in nerve trigger points and joints in the back and other areas of the body. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition that causes deterioration of the discs between the vertebrae.
Osteoporosis can also cause back pain. Calcium leaches out of your bones over time and puts them in danger of stress fractures and breaks. If you have osteoporosis and decide to partake in heavy lifting or other overly strenuous exercise, you can create tiny compression fractures in one or more vertebrae.
Disc Problems
A herniated disc is a common cause of back problems. Wear and tear over time can cause one or more of your discs along your spinal column to rupture (herniated). Sometimes called a slipped disc, this rupture can pinch one of the many nerves that emanate from the spinal column. The sciatic nerve is one of the most commonly affected nerves and it runs down to your leg, so not only would you feel pain in the back because of a herniated disc but also feel sharp, shooting pain down your leg as well.
Over the counter pain relievers can help as can topical herbal remedies for pain such as lavender oil, eucalyptus, chamomile, witch hazel and arnica. Some herbs consumed in tea form have anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate pain too such as chamomile, valerian, rosemary, elderberry and black cohosh. Ice packs can numb pain while heating pads can loosen tight muscles in the back.
If you can afford it, make it a point to visit a chiropractor because your spine may be out of alignment. Acupuncturists can also treat your back pain as well. What you should not do is lie around and be lazy when you have back pain because the joints and muscles may seize up. Rather, light exercise such as walking and stretching can be beneficial. With a little TLC and time, most back pain eventually resolves on its own.
Witch Hazel – A Natural Remedy for a Variety of Conditions
The herbal plant Hamamelis virginiana also know as witch hazel has long been used for a variety of health treatments because of its exceptional anti-inflammatory properties. You may remember seeing a bottle of witch hazel on your grandmother’s dresser but not known what it was. While the last 100 years or so have seen this herb being used primarily for beauty applications, there are a variety of ways it can be used.
Historical Use
Witch hazel has been used throughout history as a treatment for inflamed, swollen eyes, wounds, and irritated, bleeding or dry skin. It was also used to treat internal issues such as sore throats and gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea and colitis. Native Americans introduced witch hazel to the new settlers and eventually its properties proved useful in toiletries, particularly aftershave, styptic pencils and skin treatments.
Current Applications
This herb contains a high amount of tannin, a natural astringent, along with some other beneficial chemicals. When scientists found some compounds in witch hazel that could prove toxic when ingested in large amounts, internal applications fell out of favor. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects however, there are still many external practical applications of witch hazel for a variety of conditions.
- Controlling blemishes – The astringent properties of witch hazel can reduce the redness and inflammation of pimples. It also reduces the oil on the skin which contributes to blemishes.
- Hemorrhoid relief – When the blood vessels around the rectum and anus become swollen and inflamed, hemorrhoids may develop both internally and externally. You can mix witch hazel with aloe vera gel or even petroleum jelly and apply the mixture to external hemorrhoids to provide itching relief as well as shrink the blood vessels contributing to the problem. Mixed with glycerin, you can create a homemade enema for treating internal hemorrhoids.
- Shrink under eye bags – Dabbing a witch hazel soaked cotton ball on your puffy under eye area will help shrink the swollen tissue and reduce bagginess while tightening your skin.
- Reduce the appearance of varicose veins – Soak a washcloth or compress in witch hazel and apply directly onto the affected area. Varicose veins cause pain and tend to swell when you are on your feet too long. By propping your legs up and applying the witch hazel, you can shrink the swelling of the veins, thereby reducing their appearance and even alleviate some discomfort.
- Speed up healing time for bruises – Dabbing witch hazel onto your bruises at least three to four times a day can hasten the healing time, sometimes cutting recovery time in half.
- Soothe itchy skin conditions – Poison oak and poison ivy can cause extreme itching and even some swelling. Applying witch hazel onto the affected areas can relieve the itching and reduce swelling. The same treatment helps with heat rash, razor burn and even a baby’s diaper rash.
- Other skin treatments – If you experience sunburn, witch hazel is a natural remedy that soothes the burning, itching feeling. It can also help heal the sunburned skin area in half the time and even reduce the likelihood that you will peel. Minor cuts and bug bites also benefit from this astringent herb. It can cleanse a small break in the skin, protect against infection and even reduce swelling around the site.
Sugary Colas Tied to Gestational Diabetes
Study found drinking five or more per week prior to pregnancy increased risk by 22%
By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
(HealthDay News) — Women who drink five or more servings of sugar-sweetened cola per week before they conceive increase their risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy, a new study indicates.
“Previous studies have shown an association with other chronic metabolic problems,” said study author Dr. Liwei Chen, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, in New Orleans. “This is the first to show an increased risk among pregnant women.”
Gestational diabetes, known as glucose intolerance during pregnancy, is one of the most common complications of pregnancy. It increases the chances of lifelong diabetes for the woman and also can have permanent effects on the unborn child, Chen said. The report appears in the December issue of Diabetes Care. Read more…
Hip Condition Can Lead to Arthritis
Increasingly, younger men are experiencing aches and pains which were primarily associated with old age. Physicians at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Health Center say “young” arthritis is a mounting health concern.
Hip conditions are often attributed to anatomical abnormalities that begin early in life or result from overuse through repetitive motion, as seen in baseball. Femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI), also known as hip impingement, occurs when there is a change in the bony form of the hip joint, resulting in decreased range of motion and pain. Simply put, it is too much friction in the hip joint. It is not uncommon for doctors to misdiagnose hip impingements and dysplasias as growing pains.
But due to recent improved understanding of hip abnormalities, along with advances in diagnostic imaging techniques and minimally invasive surgery, many patients are given new hope for relieving chronic, misdiagnosed hip pain.
“This is a relatively new diagnosis or a new evolution of arthritis that we didn’t know occurred, “ said Dr. Michael Meneghini, an orthopedic surgeon at UCONN Health Center. “And we’re now recognizing arthritis years before it happens in a pre-arthritic state if you will.“
Dr. Meneghini said he’s seeing men in their early twenties come in with symptoms. “The patients will present with pain some times flexing their hip—sometimes going up and down stairs—sometimes squatting down playing with their kids. Those kinds of activities they’ll notice they’ll get pain in their groin or pain in the outside of their hip.“
Unfortunately, a young patient with persistent hip pain who is not properly diagnosed and treated may face early arthritis and eventually require a total hip replacement.
However, new options have been identified by hip specialists to slow or reverse the progression of degenerative hip disease. This results in their patients returning to their normal activities and, in some cases, reducing the need for more extensive surgeries.
“In the past few years, the understanding of hip structural abnormalities has increased, allowing specialists to better identify underlying hip conditions that previously went unrecognized and to more accurately diagnose hip problems,” said Douglas E. Padgett, M.D., chief of the Hip Service and co-director of the newly formed Center for Hip Pain and Preservation at Hospital for Special Surgery. “Health insurance companies also now readily recognize the value of hip preservation procedures and, depending on one’s coverage, reimburse their cost.
3 Different Nutritional Needs in Men and Women
Men and women have different body types and biological needs so it stands to reason that their dietary requirements for the best health possible would be different too. Women tend to have a preoccupation with their diet and losing weight so there are far more resources for them to tap in regards to nutrition but men also need resources that recognize their dietary differences and how they compare to women.
There are specific health concerns that are more bothersome for men than women and vice versa. Women are more prone to breast cancer and osteoporosis, although men can get them too. Along these lines, men may develop prostate trouble whereas women obviously wouldn’t because they do not have the same sexual organs. Gender differences often can mean differences in health and diet issues.
3 Common Nutritional Needs
Here are 3 important nutritional needs and how they are different in men and women:
1. Iron – This mineral is vital to blood health in general and when you do not get enough through food and supplements, you can develop anemia. Anemia fosters fatigue, inhibits memory and disrupts the ability to concentrate successfully. Women are more likely to have lower iron levels in their blood. Iron supplements are sometimes necessary for women or even boosting intake of green leafy vegetables like spinach.
Hormones and menstruation are the two main reasons why some women struggle with maintaining sufficient iron levels. While men do have anemia problems, it is not as prevalent because they do not need as much iron as women do. Up until the mid-teen’s, both boys and girls have similar iron requirements – about 7 to 11 milligrams a day. From mid-teen’s to middle age, females require 15 to 18 milligrams of iron a day while males need about 8 to 11 milligrams. During pregnancy, women need almost twice the amount of iron – up to 28 milligrams for normal fetal development.
2. Fiber – Fiber is important for digestive health, serving as a natural “scrub brush” for the intestines. As fiber digests and passes through the intestines, it serves as scrubber, removing bits of undigested food as well as fat and cholesterol. Hemorrhoids are a common problem for both men and women who do not get enough fiber in their diets.
Because men are typically larger than women and more vulnerable to particular diseases, they require more fiber to stay regular. Men also need more calories than women generally so they must eat more to get the energy they need to get through the day. Typical fiber requirements are 35 to 50 grams for men and 20 to 25 grams for women, depending on physical fitness levels and age.
3. Calcium – The building block for healthy, strong bones, calcium is essential also for maintaining blood pressure. Both men and women require calcium, although women do need a bit more than men. Osteoporosis risk is quite high for women, thus the reason why they need more in their diets, both through food and supplements. When diet alone cannot provide enough calcium, women should take supplements to avoid the risk of slow healing for broken bones and for a healthy heart.
When men get too much calcium in their diet, they are prone to prostate cancer so typically supplements are not needed. Up until about age 25, both men and women need about 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day. After that, unless a woman is in menopause, pregnant or breastfeeding, women need about 1,200 milligrams a day while men only need about 1,000 milligrams daily. Pregnant and menopausal women should average 1,500 milligrams a day.
Fiber, calcium and iron are just a few of many nutrients that can greatly differ in requirements for men and women. The best thing you can do to ensure you are getting the proper level of nutrients is to have blood tests each year with your annual physical. Simple dietary changes can make a huge difference in your health.
Paying someone to make me sore? It’s worth every penny
My left calf stings a little with each step, and the muscles on the front of my shoulders refuse to let me reach behind my head.
But I love it.
I’m still sore from my workout from two days ago, a session with my personal trainer. The sessions have been a mix of weights and plyometrics training, designed to increase speed, power and agility (picture at left is a girl performing a box jump, one of the exercises I do).
He’s been careful never to push me so hard that I start to feel ill, which I respect. I’ve had trainers who operated with the philosophy that their job was to get me sick. That’s a good way to lose me as a client. I expect the workouts to make me sore, not make me pay.
I’ve been working with this new trainer once a week for about six weeks, and I’m just starting to see some results in my arms and shoulders.
Paying someone to make me sore? Absolutely. It’s worth every penny.
Homeopathy And The Law Of Healing
Homeopathy is a form of holistic healing. It believes not in treating symptoms but in treating the individual as a whole.
Homeopathy aims to deal with the actual cause of a disease and not just the outward symptoms.
Homeopathy believes in the natural law of healing. This states that healing occurs from inside to outside, from the important organs to less important organs and from the top to the bottom. Simply put, it means that unless the person is treated from the inside a disease or an ailment cannot be cured.
Just because the outward symptoms of a disease have been cured it does not mean that the disease has been cured. It is like trying to remove a weed by stripping its leaves. The leaves will simply come back.
Only when the weed is pulled out from its roots, can it be eliminated permanently. Once the roots of a disease or ailment are healed or removed, one can expect to be permanently cured.
Homeopathy does not aim at treating the ailment or the disease. It believes in trying to bring about a balance in the forces inside the body. A balanced body will heal itself faster and better.