Monday, September 27, 2010

The most under-appreciated and most vital parts of our body

No Respect!

Headaches and neck pain image.
Headaches and neck pain image.
Give your cervical spine the respect it deserves!


The cervical spine - that is, the upper seven of our vertebrae - must surely rank among the most under-appreciated and most vital parts of our body. Its 37 joints endlessly allow the head and neck to move on the torso, all the while obeying constant commands from the special senses and reflex mechanisms.

Look at it this way: the cervical spine faithfully holds up our 9 to 16 lb. heads between 14 to 16 hours a day. This is hardly easy. First of all, the head is far from evenly balanced on top of our spine. In fact, it's tilted heavily forward; without the cervical muscles, it would topple over onto our chest.

Secondly, the head's weight can become unbearable over time. (If you'd like to get a clearer picture, try this experiment: hold a bowling ball with your elbow on a table for as long as you can. Few people can keep this up longer than an hour.)

That means the cervical spine is a vital part of nearly all our everyday activities, including speaking, gesturing, sitting, standing, lying down, breathing and many more. Most of what our head does, it does thanks to the cervical spine.

That's why so many of the injuries to this area are so serious, often resulting in paralysis or death. For example, hitting your head on the bottom of the pool or a sports injury can compress the cervical spine against the shoulder and cause grave injury. Even everyday headaches often involve the cervical spine.

And that's why you'll be glad to know that chiropractors have led the way in appreciating the cervical spine's uniqueness - even from the rest of the spine - and caring for it accordingly.

Headache Pain Relief
Dr  Douglas Yost
651-484-0151

Magnificent Magnesium

Magnificent Magnesium

Diet and nutrition image
Diet and nutrition image
The proper ratio of magnesium to calcium is required for proper assimilation of both minerals.


With all the attention the media has given to osteoporosis and the importance of getting enough calcium, they've overlooked its relationship to magnesium. The body keeps these two minerals in balance. When you increase one without the other, your body simply disposes of the excess.

Experts at the Cornell Medical Center observe that 60-70 percent of American women are magnesium deficient. However, they warn that it is important that calcium/magnesium levels don't get too high. Elevated levels can lead to uncomfortable gastrointestinal issues. Whole-grain breads, fortified cereals, leafy vegetables, kale, broccoli, tofu, soybeans, low-fat cheese, milk and yogurt are good choices when trying to achieve a proper balance.

In addition to maintaining healthy teeth and bones, calcium has a number of other functions. One of them, is the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contraction and relaxation, which are all functions that directly relate to the effectiveness of your chiropractic care.

Shoreview Back Pain Specialist
Dr Douglas Yost
651-484-0151

Avoid Holiday Stress. It's not too early to plan ahead!

Avoid Holiday Stress

stress management image.
stress management image.
Plan ahead so the pressure of the holidays doesn't make you blow your top!

It's not too early to plan ahead if you want stress-free holidays this year! For many people, holidays aren't relaxing at all and mean lots of extra things to do which creates lots of extra S-T-R-E-S-S! Here are some suggestions to help you manage stress around the end-of-the-year celebrations and relax so that you, and those around you, can enjoy festivities:
  1. Set realistic expectations: Don't expect that this will be the year that everyone comes together and gets along if it hasn't happened in the past 10 years! We tend to imagine the holiday we long for, and forget that may be an unachievable dream.
  2. Accept your limitations: You cannot be all things to all people so stop trying. Know when to say "no."
  3. Take extra special care of yourself: Maintain balance in your eating, sleeping, drinking, and exercise habits. Do something you like, just for you!
  4. Find some time to help others: Volunteer in a nursing home, food pantry or hospital and bring some holiday cheer to someone less fortunate. Brighten someone's day when they least expect it with a "random act of kindness."
  5. Create healthy traditions for your family: Read a new book, go caroling, see a new holiday movie, anything that involves spending quality time with your loved ones.
  6. Focus on the spiritual, rather than material: Remember the reason why we celebrate the holidays in the first place and focus less on all the glitz and the trappings.
  7. Stay out of family arguments: Or better yet, try to be the peacemaker and listen without being judgmental. Practice effective communication—listening.
  8. Watch frivolous spending: Don't try to outdo other family members with expensive gifts that you will have to pay for later. Better yet – make a gift that comes from your heart!
  9. Remember you cannot change other people: You are the only person you can change. If you don't like what someone is doing, create space between you and that person.
  10. Have fun: It can be affirming to be surrounded by family. Enjoy it.
Dr Douglas Yost
651-484-0151

Monday, September 20, 2010

Pinched Nerve? Probably Not!

Pinched Nerve? Probably Not!

Backaches and sciatica image.
Backaches and sciatica image.

A pinched nerve is actually rare - but chiropractic can still help!

By now you know that chiropractic is primarily concerned with the integrity of your nervous system. Like an electrician, we're interested in how well the "circuits" of your nervous system are performing. Since the moving bones of your spine and the discs that separate and connect them are often involved, we focus here.

Two types of nerve tissue involvement are found.

The most common is referred to as a facilitative lesion. That's a technical way of saying an irritated nerve. Think of it as an intermittent short circuit. It's irritating! Here, spinal bones and adjacent soft tissues rub, chafe, stretch, twist or irritate delicate nerve tissue, affecting how nerve communications are transmitted either to or from the brain. These changes produce a variety of responses in organs and tissues distant from the spine.
The least common, believe it or not, is the pinched nerve. Also called a "compressive lesion," this is the classic, hard bone on a soft nerve model. While easy to understand, as a practical matter, it's relatively rare. Numbness and tingling are often present, but not always.

In either case, the chiropractic approach is to help normalize the relationships between the bones, discs and nerves. With restored positional and functional integrity, symptoms usually subside and health can return.
When patients say they have a pinched nerve, we know what they mean. The good news is, regardless of what you call it, we have an unusually high success rate without relying on drugs or surgery.

Back Pain Specialist Shoreview, MN

The Best Free Workout

The Best Free Workout

Exercise and fitness image
Exercise and fitness image
If you don't do any other exercise, at least stretch!

It may be the most important, the most beneficial exercise there is. It also happens to be the cheapest and the simplest, requiring exactly no equipment, nada floor space and zero in the way of special clothes.
It’s stretching.

You may have known that stretching increases flexibility, allows for easier movement and better balance. But did you know it relieves low-back pain, reduces muscle soreness, promotes relaxation, improves posture, agility and athletic performance? It also reduces tension, improves circulation, reduces anxiety, stress, and fatigue, improves mental alertness, decreases the risk of injury, makes your work easier, tunes your mind into your body and just makes you feel better!

Stretching conditions the muscles for exertion and exercise, making every muscle movement more efficient. Sound interesting? Ask for a list of stretches that can help your particular spinal pattern and then apply these simple rules:
  • Always warm up your muscles for at least five minutes prior to stretching. Good warm-ups include jogging in place, slow biking and jumping jacks.
  • When you start, never bounce or bob. Not only is this less effective than simply "holding" the stretch, but it can also be very dangerous and lead to injuries.
  • Always perform each stretching exercise in a slow, controlled manner.
  • Exhale as you begin the stretch and then relax and breathe normally throughout the stretch.
  • Hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
  • Stretches should feel slightly uncomfortable, to "feel the stretch" in the muscles, not the joints. There should be no acute pain.
  • Always complete each stretch for both sides of your body or limb in the same way. 
Douglas Yost
651-484-0151

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Spinal Link to Asthma?

Spinal Link to Asthma

Australian research shows chiropractic care beneficial for those with asthma. A report funded by the Australian Spinal Research Foundation suggests a link between chiropractic and the reduction of asthma symptoms.
According to Macquarie University researcher Dr. Ray Hayek, the study involved hundreds of people with asthma symptoms.
"When an asthma sufferer is under the anxiety of a looming asthma attack, the levels of the hormone cortisol increase. This acute increase in cortisol through a number of mechanisms can bring on an asthma attack," says Dr. Hayek. "Levels of the stress hormone cortisol steadily decreased during the trial, and levels of immunological markers (immunoglobulin A) steadily rose."
Apparently, reducing stress to the nervous system with chiropractic care reduces the likelihood of asthma attacks. More proof that chiropractic care, because of its focus on the nervous system, may be helpful for a wide variety of health complaints. 

Shoreview Chiropractor
Dr Douglas Yost
651-484-0151

Do You Break the Rules?

Do You Break the Rules?

Turns out, the quality of our health is the result of a set of very simple rules. Play by the rules and you have the best chance for optimum health.

The rules are simple. You probably already know them.

Break the rules and you'll pay for it. Not always immediately, but eventually. Here are 10 of the most obvious ones:
1.You shall breathe. If you stop breathing, breathe in a shallow manner or inhale pollutants, there will be price to be paid.
2.You shall ingest nutrition. Quality food is needed to fuel, grow and repair your body.
3.You shall expel wastes. If you expel wastes too quickly or too slowly, you'll suffer.
4.You shall hydrate. Drink enough so you never feel thirsty.
5.You shall move. A sedentary lifestyle causes stagnation, poor circulation and hampers the function of the lymphatic system.
6.You shall rest. Your body needs time to renew and repair.
7.You shall adapt to your environment. The nervous system orchestrates every cell and tissue.
8.You shall love. Love your neighbor as yourself.
9.You shall forgive. Forgive others and forgive yourself.
10.You shall die. Many try to break this one, but it's natural. It's part of the plan.

Valuing your health and following the rules permits you to live a purposeful life!

Back Pain Specialist Shoreview, MN