Thanks, Orkin Man!

I have to admit, these Orkin pesticide commercials are really funny. Yes, that’s right, I said pesticide! Here at Chiropractic Advantage in Rancho Cucamonga, I advise my patients to discontinue the use of as many household chemicals as possible, as soon as possible. In our culture, we are conditioned to believe that small insects are more harmful than the toxic chemicals that we use to attempt to eradicate them....

Yahaira’s 100% Natural Pregnancy

I am so excited! My “nephew” Gerald’s wife Yahaira is expecting soon. I am so proud of Yahaira for the homework she’s doing to make sure she has a natural childbirth and a healthier baby. She’s been getting adjusted while pregnant. (Yes, pregnant women can definitely get adjusted. I use a pregnancy cushion so they can still lie face down until about month 6 or 7. After that I...

Carmageddon–Bikes beat Plane 1:34 to 2:54

Carmageddon was fun, don’t you think? Especially for those of us out in the Inland Empire, who got to watch things unfold on the news without really having to change our routines at all. You may have heard about the race between a Jet Blue plane and a group of guys on bikes who call themselves @wolfpackhustle. As the Jet Blue plane landed in Burbank to load passengers for...

Otoscope $24.00, Avoiding Antibiotics, Priceless

Your small child comes down with an earache. He’s hurting, he’s crying! What do you do? I was in this position more than once, as a young mother. “The eardrum will bust, your child will go deaf!” is what the M.D.’s told me. Should I fill the prescription for antibiotics, I wondered? Well, I didn’t. Much to the shock of my friends and relatives, my babies never had prescription...

Spinal Manipulation vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger

I am not anything like Conan the Barbarian, in spite of having some martial arts training. For years, the medical community has promulgated the idea that chiropractic spinal manipulation causes strokes. I’ve met many people who have “heard stories” about chiropractors causing strokes. When questioned further, the stories sound more like urban legend (or Fox New, take your pick) than fact. It’s not uncommon for prospective patients discuss their...

Back Surgery? No Thanks, Doctor!

Say you hurt your back at work, and they sent you for an x-ray and an MRI, and they told you that you needed surgery? Would you agree to the surgery, just to get back to work sooner? Would you reason that, once you had the surgery, you could get by with less pain medication than before? Unfortunately, a study of 1,450 injured workers in Ohio tells a different...

Vegan Cookbooks are Hot Reading

If you’ve read my blog article “Why There’s No Magazines in my Office” you may wonder, what can you do if you’re stuck in my waiting room besides watch the clock and read Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Nuts, Seeds, and Berries?  I know some chiropractors have big aquariums.  That’s nice.  We have a coffee and tea bar, and lots and lots of books you can grab and read or borrow. ...

Children on Prescription Drugs

Some childhood illnesses, such as earache and gastrointestinal distress, respond well to chiropractic care. Claudia Anrig is a Fresno chiropractor who specializes in pediatric chiropractic.  Kudos to her for pulling together the following information about children on prescription drugs.  She cites a Wall Street Journal article from December 2010, which reported about one in four children, and 30 percent of adolescents are taking medication for a chronic condition in...

Amelia’s Recycling Project

Happy birthday to Amelia, a regular patient of mine who has been coming in since 1992. She’s now seventy. You could say I have gotten to know her (and her husband, daughters, and grandkids, too) pretty well. She likes to sew. She’s been making the cutest heating pads out of fabric scraps, which she fills with rice and star anise. We sell them here in our office, so we...

Twinkies are Forever

I give credit to Hostess Twinkies for being the first to open my eyes to a healthier lifestyle.  There was a time, as a child, when I would eagerly accept Twinkies, although I preferred the pink Snowball things.   Once, I stashed a package of Twinkies in my fishing tackle box in anticipation of a happy day of fishing with my father.  Time went by.  I grew into a teen...