After an extremely trying day, one of the first thoughts you may have is how great it will feel to get under the covers for some shut eye.  Can the type of mattress you have really be impacting the health of your back?  Studies are saying YES!

In a published review from Medscape General Medicine, they found that up to 50% of people with back pain also suffer from sleep disturbances.  They also concluded that poor sleep can be used to predict delayed healing after an injury.  Furthermore, sleep is one of the key components to healing, regardless if an injury or illness.

The Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found significant improvements in subjects pain levels, sleep quality and stress-related symptoms when they replaced their mattresses.  We all know how stress can affect not only our quantity of sleep, but the quality as well.  What the study goes on to say is that the reverse is also true.  A lack of sleep will actually cause your...

Most of us know that incorporating nuts into our diet is important.  If you are like me you don’t necessarily know which nut is going to help with what, so you just eat a mixture and hope for the best.  After a lot of reading I’ve found that most researchers are putting walnuts on top!

Walnuts are part of the tree nut family which also includes hazelnuts, macadamia nuts (my favorite!), cashews, pine nuts, pistachios and Brazil nuts.  If you find you are having trouble getting your plant based omega-3 fats, grab a quarter cup of walnuts!  In that serving alone you will get 100 percent of the daily recommended amount.

Here are a few of the MANY benefits of walnuts for you to snack on:

1. Heart Health : Walnuts contain l-arginine (an amino acid) and omega-3’s which both offer numerous vascular benefits.  Due to anti-inflammatory properties, walnuts can actually reduce the formation of blood clots.  Walnuts will raise ALA...

Many people including the patients we see don’t want to bring up their “regularity” or lack there of.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that over 4 million people in the united states experience frequent constipation.  That number alone results in 2.5 million doctor visits a year! Studies are showing that patients are frustrated with conventional treatments that are not effective or long lasting enough.

It is time that we take a bigger look into natural alternatives to things that ail us.  Chiropractic care has been used by chronic constipation sufferers to help promote regularity for years!  Your chiropractor not only uses adjustments of the spine along with dietary recommendations to improve this condition quickly.

Constipation occurs when your colon absorbs too much water or the muscle contractions become slow and sluggish.  What leads to either case most often is a poor diet.  Most american diets are lacking...

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2014, more than 2 in 3 American adults were overweight, and 1 in 13 were obese. (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
We can contribute those statistics to our overwhelming addiction to sugar. What does your daily consumption look like? You may be surprised to find how much sugar is hidden in the things you consume almost daily. That grande vanilla latte – 34 grams of sugar – that’s over 2 Tablespoons. Add a blueberry scone to the order and you’re passing 50 grams of sugar and it’s not even 9am!
Obviously there’s a considerable amount of sugar in things like doughnuts and candy bars – but most of us are consuming sugar hiding in our processed foods and condiments. Did you know ketchup has about 3g of sugar in each Tablespoon?

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a...

Over the years we’ve seen numerous women throughout and following their pregnancy.  Many of these women bring their newborns in for treatment as well.  As we check in with mom we always check in to see how their babies are doing.  Are they sleeping enough?  Are their cries satisfied with changing or being fed? Are they pooping enough or too much?

As simple as these questions are, there are many times the answers are no to more than one of the above questions.  When a baby is struggling, the first question has to lead to diet of baby and mom.  If our patient is breast feeding, then we need to address her diet to find out where the babies distress is coming from.  

There are many foods that infants prove to be sensitive to causing symptoms such as colic, sleeping difficulties, diarrhea, constipation, digestive distress and gas.  Every patient is different, but the first foods to remove from the diet include:

• Beans
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• ...

We all know that the foods/drinks we consume contribute to the body shape we carry around. Did you know that even “healthy” foods can be inflammatory? Depending on the health of your gut you could be consuming organic, grass fed, wild caught, prairie raised eggs, fish, meat and fruits/vegetables that don’t agree with you so they cause inflammation in your body and thus you hold onto extra weight.

The eight most inflammatory foods include: Soy, Wheat, Dairy, Sugar (Alcohol), Peanuts, Eggs, Corn, Artificial Sweeteners.  Minimizing or completely eliminating the foods above will help you to drop a few extra pounds of inflammation. 

Not sure or want concrete evidence that your body doesn’t react well to those inflammatory foods? You have two options - complete an elimination diet or run a food sensitivity testing panel. Both will help you decide which specific diet modifications are right for you.

Studies show that upwards of 75% of Americans are...

Did you know that there are 11 deaths reported with the use of 5-hour Energy and at least 5 deaths reported for the use of Monster Energy Drinks?  It is important to note that the details surrounding these deaths are not all cited, so there is great possibility of adverse reactions of energy drinks with medications and/or alcohol.  

Energy drinks do not provide energy, such as the type we get from carbohydrates for example.  They provide caffeine, a stimulant to your nervous system.  The goal of an energy drink is to boost your mental alertness, appearing as an energy boost.

Consumerlabs.com privately tested the caffeine levels in some popular energy drinks.  

• 8-Ounce Cup Of Coffee: 95 milligrams

• Monster Energy M-3 Super, 5-Ounces: 206 milligrams

• 5-Hour Energy, 2-Ounces: 206 milligrams

One of the problems with energy drinks is the quick uptake of such high levels of caffeine.  Most people may have more than one cup of coffee a day, but they drink...

Every patient that has come into our office has heard about some form of arthritis. Whether that is osteoarthritis, arthritis, or the infamous rheumatoid arthritis. But when asked if they knew the difference between them, there is always a slight pause followed by silence. This blog is going to go more in depth about rheumatoid arthritis and explaining what the signs and symptoms are as well as treatment options.

Before getting into signs and symptoms let us discuss some basic information about the body.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system – which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses – mistakenly attacks the joints. This creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium) to thicken, resulting in swelling and pain in and around the joints. The synovium makes a fluid that lubricates joints and helps them move smoothly and prevents...

Contrary to popular belief, you can sustain a whiplash injury from more than just being rear ended!  Whiplash is an acceleration/deceleration injury…meaning, it’s a rapid forward and backward (or side to side) movement of the head and neck.  Although most common to occur during a car accident, whiplash is known to occur in other situations, especially sports such as football, gymnastics and boxing.

Whiplash is deceiving because after your vehicle is rear ended, you may feel pain quickly or you may not develop symptoms for several hours, weeks or even MONTHS!  This type of injury can occur at speeds as low as 5mph!  Whiplash is so dangerous because it can affect not only muscles, but ligaments, tendons, discs, joints, nerves AND your brain.

After an accident most people opt to visit their primary care or the ER.  It is important to note that the ER and primary docs are looking for fractures after a car accident.  Your...

What causes heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occur when your body can’t keep itself cool. As the air temperature rises, your body stays cool when your sweat evaporates. On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased moisture in the air. When sweating isn’t enough to cool your body, your body temperature rises, and you may become ill.

What is heat exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot. It can be caused by physical exercise or hot weather. You may experience:

• Heavy sweating
• Feeling weak and/or confused
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Fast heartbeat
• Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration

What should I do if I think I have heat exhaustion?

If you think you have heat exhaustion, get out of the heat quickly. Rest in a building that has air-conditioning. If you can’t get inside, find a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Do NOT drink...