When is the Hamster Wheel a Good Thing?

I get patients who ask, “is massage good for me?” Well, read this: new research results released by Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a researcher at McMaster University in Canada, indicate that massage is indeed good for you. Specifically, it boosts the production of a protein that builds mitochondria in the muscle tissue. Mitochondria are small energy factories in your cells, and it has long been assumed that they diminish in...

Norco and Mrs. Jones

Lately, more of my nice patients, like Mrs. Jones*, come in and tell me they got prescribed Norco by their M.D.’s. Mrs. Jones has it in her handbag right now. She’s going to take a dose later on at the office. She might share one with a coworker who looks like she needs it. Mrs. Jones doesn’t know what she’s getting involved with, and I am mad at her...

Sharon Martinez, Chiropractor vs. Prilosec for Stomach Pain

$13,900,000,000.00. That’s 13.9 billion dollars spent in the U.S. on prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors, or PPI’s, yearly, according to a 2010 Archives of Internal Medicine report. Drugs like Prilosec give temporary relief from heartburn, indigestion, or, if you like medical terminology, “gastro-esophageal reflux disorder.” People in the U.S. are the top consumers of prescription drugs, using 40.6% of the global market supply of these drugs. In comparison, Canadians...

Periodic Cleansing With Herbs

We try to lead a healthier lifestyle, but there’s no way to avoid accumulating some toxins in our everyday lives. Many of us use chemicals on the job, or work near factories that emit fumes. Your neighbor might spray his weeds with poison. A popular hair treatment has been recently found to contain questionable amounts of formaldehyde (more on that here). It may be that you’ve been on drugs...

Recent Research turns out to be Prunes

There’s something called the California Dried Plum Board–who knew? And, they are out to help the USDA prove that eating prunes can improve bone density in postmenopausal women. Prefer to peruse the prune research paper personally? Here it is: Comparative effects of dried plum and dried apple on bone in postmenopausal women Shirin Hooshmand,Sheau C. Chai,Raz L. Saadat,Mark E. Payton,Kenneth Brummel-Smith and Bahram H. Arjmandi British Journal of Nutrition,...

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....

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...

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...

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...

On the Front Lines of Research–Chiropractic and the Military

Could the government save money and improve our nation’s safety by making chiropractic care available to soldiers? My opinion: yes, SIR! A $7.4 million-dollar research project has just been awarded jointly to the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, the RAND Corporation and the Samueli Institute. The four-year study will focus on the effects of chiropractic care on the military readiness of active-duty military personnel. While chiropractic care is currently...