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Are you sidelined by your tension headaches? Are you ineffective at work, or worse, forced to stay home from work? Do they keep you from enjoying your family and social life? Tension headaches are common and most people have experienced more than one in their life. If you are someone who has had tension headaches, then you know that the pain generally feels like an intense, but dull ache in your head. A feeling of tightness or pressure along the forehead or on the sides of the back of the head often accompanies such pain. On occasion, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and every now and then you might lose your appetite or feel nauseous.

Though the severity of pain varies from one person to another, and can vary in intensity from one headache to another in the same person, most tension headaches are usually defined as mild to moderate intense. Would you describe your tension headaches as occurring frequently? Headaches are considered cronic if they occur fifteen or more days days a month for a minimum of three months.

The good news is that if tension headaches are interfering with your life occasionally or chronically, chiropractic treatment can help. For over twenty years Dr. Helwig has been helping the Oak Lawn Community to get out of pain, whether an individual is suffering from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, and headaches. That right! Chiropractors don’t just treat back pain. They address the entire musculoskeletal system!

So, if tension headaches have been holding you back from living the life you want, call Dr. Helwig, your Chiropractor in Oak Lawn, Illinois today. Don’t put up with headache pain another day!

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As a chiropractor and healthcare provider, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the vital issue of excess weight and how it negatively affects every part of the human body. I explain the health challenges to my overweight patients and hammer away on the subject in my blogs because in addition to the cardio-vascular diseases caused by obesity, much of the back pain, hip pain, and knee pain that people experience is influenced by the undue stress excess weight puts on the joints of the body. And, though it may not surprise you, an expert panel in a report out just today said that people in this country must slash their calories and increase physical activity because the obesity epidemic is “the single greatest threat to public health in this century.” 

We all know that dieting isn’t easy, but the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans gave this clear-cut advice: “People in this country need to cut the calories they consume from added sugars and solid fats (butter, marbled meats) and start eating a more nutrient-rich, plant-based diet.”

The report called for many changes in the food environment. To read more, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-06-15-

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Wichita Chiropractor

I am aware from more than twenty years experience as a Chiropractor in Wichita helping people suffering from the pain of sciatica that the problem can be extremely incapacitating. Those who suffer from sciatica are unfortunately all too familiar with the type of deep pain that often radiates through the lower part of their body, accompanies their waking hours each day and interferes with almost all of their daily activities.

Could your low back pain be caused by sciatica? If your pain travels from your low back, through your buttock(s), down the large sciatic nerve in the back of one or both legs, and possibly penetrates into one or both knees, you are probably suffering from sciatica. Moreover, sitting, as well as movement, can be painful. Commonly lying down will decrease, or occasionally even temporarily eliminate the pain. Even so, you should be aware that sciatica cannot be corrected without proper care.

Radiculopathy

A radiculopathy is a medical term that describes a condition where a disc has protruded from its normal position in the spine and is causing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) that forms part of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. This type of pressure can produce excruciating pain.

Increased pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encompassing the spine, can happen during and after prolonged sitting, specifically in an awkward position. Usually, a particular event or injury doesn’t cause sciatica, but rather sciatica is likely to evolve over time as a result of ordinary wear and tear on the vertebrae of the lower spine. Eventually the lower spine can lose its normal functioning capabilities during common stresses.

Ultimately, the intervertebral disc undergoes small fissures or cracks that then let the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. If the disc pushes on sensitive tissues, it causes the pain that is commonly known as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, sciatica is likely to develop. The good news is that most disc conditions, including sciatica, can be totally alleviated with chiropractic adjustments and management that frequently includes postural exercises.

Periformis Syndrome

Another cause of sciatic pain is periformis syndrome. Periformis syndrome happens when the periformis muscle, which is superficial to the sciatic nerve, goes into spasm and irritates the nerve. In addition to chiropractic adjustments, this particular sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor can recommend.

It is vital for you to see your chiropractor for treatment if you are experiencing sciatic pain. If you are in the Wichita area, as your Chiropractor in Wichita, I look forward to helping you to get out of pain and get your life back!

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Chiropractic Marketing

Social Media is the “hottest” topic on the Internet today. If you’ve been thinking about getting on board, but you’re not sure where the platform is, let’s talk a little about the “Who, What, When, Where, and How” of social media and you, that’s “Who.” Then you can decide if you want to add Social Media to your chiropractic marketing strategy.

Social media marketing may be very much like, and completely unlike, any chiropractic marketing strategy you’ve considered. In the “very much like” category, you wouldn’t try any kind of marketing plan without making an effort to understand what it is and what you want to get from it. It’s important to ask yourself, “What are my goals?” Once you know what you want, it’ll be easier for you to use social media to your greatest advantage.

Before you begin your social media effort, it will be highly important for you to make certain that you “own your name” on all the social media outlets, which is to say, be certain that your name or your clinic’s name is procurable so that you can use the exact same name on every one of the social channels you want to use. When you’re ready, there’s a service, which is absolutely free, that can help you with your search. Knowem.com is the who to go to. Knowem.com will research where your name is and/or if it’s attainable or not on a sufficient number of social media sites.

The next step, once you have all your social media accounts secured, is to choose where you would like to be active. Because you have a clinic to run and patients to see, starting with only a few social media sites is best and may well be all you’ll need. That way you won’t get unduly busy in too many channels. How do decide which sites are best for you? The big ones (where most of the action is) are facebook, twitter, linkedin, and Youtube.

What your social media activity mission should be is to build a genuine presence in your community. What you should never do “sell” on your social media sites, in other words don’t sell your clinic, don’t sell services or products, don’t sell anything! The objective of social media is for you to have an addition channel through which to network with the community. Sure, inform them about what you do, but do it by becoming a participant. There is truly no difference between social networking offline and social media networking. There is no getting around it, people on social media do not want to be sold to! Social media sites are a lot like a neighborhood backyard barbecue. People are standing around having a conversation about who they are and what they do, and then a participant asks you what you do. Or, maybe you begin the conversation by (just) stating, “Hi, I’m Dr. ____. With social media marketing, the same dynamics apply. Social media sites should be handled the same way you’d “work” offline networking opportunities to promote yourself, i.e., answer the questions and concerns that get potential patients interested in the who that’s you!

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Corona Chiropractor

Where hip pain relief is concerned, your chiropractor in Corona provides valuable non-surgical, drug-free treatment. Whenever possible, surgery should be seen as a final option. Therefore, before you schedule a surgery to replace that hip, consider the following questions: Is it out of the question for you to get a good night’s sleep because your hip pain wakes you up in the night? When you get out of bed in the morning, and/or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it initially hard to get your legs moving properly? Do you feel pain whenever you rotate or twist them or when you cross your legs? If you’ve answered “yes” to any or all of these questions you probably have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that are not only causing your hip pain, but can over time lead to osteoarthritis in your hips if not treated. The good news is that chiropractic treatment can help whether or not degenerative changes have already begun!

It may be true that you’re getting older and your hip joints just aren’t what they used to be. Nonetheless, did you know that your hip pain (and related problems), which normally signal age-related degenerative conditions, may not actually be created by osteoarthritis? That’s right. In the majority of cases, instead of being the original source of your condition, osteoarthritis of the hip joint is typically the outcome of a earlier injury (or injuries) to your hips.

As a general rule, hip problems have to do with asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion, as when you are walking. If you “pronate” when you walk, with your toes pointing away from your body (like a duck), sooner or later you will experience pain in your hips from the asymmetrical tension on your hip joints as your body attempts to compensate. Fortunately, you can make changes in your gait pattern at any age, and your chiropractor in Corona can help you to do it.

Furthermore, you may have had gait changes as the result of an ankle sprain or knee strain, and since “the knee bone’s connected to the hip bone,” these biomechanical accommodations produce pain in the hip(s). Of course, if not treated, your hip joints will suffer further consequences, i.e, wear and tear that produces degenerative changes.

Other situations that can occasionally adversely affect the hip joints are starting a new job or beginning a new sport that necessitates your moving your body in atypical ways. Also, carrying a child (or grandchild) on one hip can generate hip pain. Even your sitting position or driving for prolonged periods of time on a routine basis can cause hip injury and pain.

Isn’t it good to know that not every pain is caused by “old age,” even though we may suffer from more pain as the result of the progressive nature of untreated injuries.

In addition to your adjustments, as an integral part of your chiropractic management, your Corona Chiropractor will provide special rehabilitative exercises that include gentle muscle stretching and strengthening, and will also evaluate your gait and may recommend simple pattern changes.

Your hip pain won’t go away by itself. Hip pain is a sign that there’s a condition that needs correcting. If left untreated, more than likely that you will eventually require that hip replacement surgery. So, don’t wait until it’s too late. Your chiropractor in Corona can eliminate your hip pain, get your body back into balance, and help you get to back to enjoying your life again!

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Advantages of in-house chiropractic internet marketing

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Aah, summertime. Time to head for the beach or a nice sunny park. So, bring out the picnic basket and blanket, the toys and swimsuits, and the sunscreen and tomatoes. Tomatoes!? Yep, that’s what I said. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant, which not only increases collagen in the skin and adds up to fewer lines and furrows, but actually helps to protect the skin again sunburn. According to Prevention Magazine, a recent study found that volunteers that consumed five tablespoons of tomato paste daily for three months had 25 percent more protection against sunburn.

It’s always nice to come across “natural” alternatives to chemical products, isn’t it? And, in this case, it’s a tasty choice. But, that said, it is always a good idea to cover up and protect your skin if you are going to be out in the sun for extended periods. Because, let’s face it, a juicy tomato or pasta marinara can go just so far!

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As a chiropractor, it is my professional point of view that surgery should be the last resort for conditions of the back, hips, and knees. chiropractic treatment is a conservative, non-invasive and drug-free approach to problems relating to the musculoskeletal system. That said, I am also of the persuasion that surgery for most health problems should be a last resort as well. As I’ve said before, there is no such thing as a “minor” surgery. All surgeries, no matter how small, carry big risks. But, not only is surgery risky, there is no “undoing” this permanent attempt at correcting a problem. However, until just a few years ago, I would not have imagined that weigh loss would fall under the “only have surgery as a last resort” category. But, more and more adults are having bariatric surgery or other weight-loss surgery as an attempt to remedy their obesity. Again, surgery is surgery, and this type of surgery has high risks for already “at risk” obese adults. What has been even more disturbing to me is the fact that some parents are opting for surgery for their obese children, even though the risks of bariatric surgery are not only substantial in general, but the long-term safety and effectiveness in children remain largely unknown.

Now, what I am about to pass along will probably fall into the “duh, you think” category for most of us, but in reviewing studies on the “obesity epidemic,” scientists from Britain and the United States  lifestyle changes such as better diet and more exercise should always be the first option, and treatment with drugs should be used rarely. In other words, bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery, such as operations to apply gastric bands to limit the stomach size of severely overweight people, should be a last resort.

Yes, it is true that childhood obesity can adversely affect almost every organ in the body and often has serious consequences, including high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats, insulin resistance or diabetes, fatty liver disease, and psychosocial complications, it is also true that parents need education (and perhaps intervention) and schools need to provide better food options and more daily exercise for children, and communities need to support parental efforts as well. No “toys” as a prize for buying high caloric kids meals is just the beginning. In my opinion as a healthcare provider, without education and support, even children who undergo bariatric surgery will continue to crave high caloric foods and still not get the healthy exercise they need.

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There is just no getting around it, if you want to get healthy and stay healthy, you must commit to a healthy lifestyle. Though it may not seem like it, every little thing you do each day from eating a banana to walking around the block makes a big difference in helping you to maintain your overall health and longevity potential. And, in just the same way, every little thing you don’t do makes a big difference as well.  In fact, according to a new study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the cumulative impact of smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and excess alcohol consumption can add up to increased risk of death. Or to put it another way, these four bad habits can shorten your life by as much as 12 years. Not to mention, of course, the low quality of life enjoyment you’ll experience right up until “the end” prematurely comes along! In fact, the study authors say that, when compared to a healthy lifestyle that includes none of the above (or excludes all of the above), the combined effect of all four behaviors tripled or even quadrupled the risk of death.

So, yet another wake up for you procrastinators out there. The bad habits you eliminate and the good habits you develop will tip the scales significantly in your favor. Don’t put healthy changes off one more day. A healthy lifestyle can profoundly affect your chances of living to a happy old age.

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