Monday, June 29, 2009

How Can I Get My Spouse To Come In?

How Can I Get My Spouse To Come In?
It's a question we hear all the time. If you’ve experienced great results from care in our office, it’s only natural to want someone you love to benefit too. Here are some approaches you may find helpful.
Ask questions. Rather than judge their unwillingness to try chiropractic, become curious. Since our behaviors are the result of our beliefs (conscious and unconscious), try to find out what belief(s) are standing in the way. Often it’s some unfounded fear or misconception. Find out what the real issue is.
Supply information. One of the best ways to defuse irrational fears that people have is by sharing information. By now you know that our office is committed to patient education. Let us know how we can help. What could we do to equip you with the information you need to make a difference?
Offer an invitation. I’d like to think our office is especially open and welcoming to skeptics, doubters and cynics. We stand ready to field phone calls—even anonymous ones. Or bring your loved one with you to take an office tour on your next visit.
Give it time. Change takes time. Whether it’s making changes to the spine or changing someone’s beliefs. Be patient. Trust that your friend or family member will choose chiropractic if and when the time is right. Each of us gets but one body. Some say if properly looked after our bodies could function nicely for over 100 years.
Every bodily function, controlled by our nervous system, is the key idea behind chiropractic. And since we experience our lives through our nervous systems, the decision to use chiropractic has huge implications. When you tell others, you’re changing the world. Congratulations!

Shoreview, MN Low Back Specialist Dr. Douglas Yost

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Free Headaches Report From Advanced Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic Shoreview, MN


Like a strange noise from your washing machine or the approaching siren from a fire engine, headaches are a warning sign created by your body.

Do Headaches Have a Purpose?
If you suffer from frequent headaches, you want them to go away. But, not so fast! Why do we get headaches? Why are we equipped to experience this unpleasant feeling? And what's the best way to reduce or eliminate them?

Identify Limits
Pain of any kind is a way our body tells us that we’ve reached a boundary. When our finger exceeds the limits of the joint, we experience pain.

Provide a Warning
Pain is a signal our body uses to alert us that something isn’t working right. Physical pain, social pain, financial pain and even psychological pain is a warning that something needs to change.

Avoid Injury
Ultimately, pain is a form of self-protection. Without experiencing pain, we might do more serious, irreversible damage to ourselves.
Understandably, we want pain to disappear. A convenient way is to ingest a drug that covers-up pain or fools the body so it doesn’t feel the pain. In the short term, this quiets the pain. But as you might expect, this strategy can make the original, underlying problem worsen and make it more difficult (and expensive) to correct later when this method no longer works. Because eventually it takes increasing doses to produce the same effect.

Today’s Drug Culture
While convenient, drugs that numb your nervous system have unwanted effects, such as kidney failure or liver damage. Worse, they do little to correct the actual cause of your headache.

Hidden Cause
While there can be many causes of headaches, a common one we see is when the spinal bones of the upper neck no longer support the head properly. This can do two things:
1.Disrupt the nerve supply to your head
2.Change the blood supply to your head
Either one, or a combination of both, can cause a headache.

Types of Headaches

Migraine Headaches usually show up on one side of the head. Nausea, vomiting and visual disturbances are commonly associated. Blood sugar changes, emotional disturbances, stress and fatigue can set them in motion.

Tension Headaches are the most common type of headache. Acute Tension Headaches are usually short and can be relieved with rest or numbed with over-the-counter medications. Chronic Tension Headaches rarely respond to drug solutions.

Hormonal Headaches are usually set in motion by changes in blood chemistry. This could result from eating certain types of foods, unusual levels of stress or monthly menstrual cycles.

Cluster Headaches are cited as the most painful. They usually occur more commonly among men.

Sinus Headaches are relatively rare and are accompanied by nasal drainage, runny nose and fever. Pain is often experienced on the face, forehead, behind the eyes and sinuses.

It’s been our experience that many types of headaches resolve with chiropractic care. This surprises many who overlook the relationship between the spine, the nervous system and blood supply to the head.

Take This Simple Test
Many headaches, neck problems and shoulder pain result from restricted neck motion—something we help people with every day. Here’s a simple test you conduct at home to see if you may be a good candidate for chiropractic care in our office:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Assessment

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Step 1 With the test subject comfortably seated and their eyes closed, have them tilt their head up and down several times, coming to a neutral resting position.


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Step 2 With their eyes still closed and without moving their shoulders, have them rotate their head fully to the left and hold for a few seconds.


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Step 3 With their eyes still closed and without moving their shoulders, have them rotate their head fully to the right and hold for a few seconds.


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Assessment:
Was the subject able to rotate their head less in one direction? Was motion restricted or was pain associated with turning in either direction? Did the subject hear any “popping” or grinding sounds? If so, these are significant findings. Call Advanced Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic to schedule a more thorough examination.

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Needless Suffering
We offer this information as a public service to residents in the Shoreview-area. We meet many who have been told to live with their headaches, or, that it’s "all in their head." Many depend upon powerful, sometimes dangerous drugs to tame the pain.

That’s no way to live.
“While we can’t guarantee results,” observes Dr. Douglas Yost, “we have a high success rate with those who have headaches. Give us a call. I’d like to discuss your situation with you and see how we could help.”

Act Now
We hope the information contained in this report and the findings from our simple diagnostic test will inspire you to act now! Contact our office to make an appointment with Dr. Douglas Yost.

More Questions?
Feel free to email me or telephone our office with other questions you may have.

Tried Chiropractic Before?
Perhaps you tried chiropractic care in the past without the results you expected. If this is your experience, click here to review some additional information that may assist you to make a fully informed decision.
Thanks for taking time to review this free report. If we can assist you in any way, please contact our office or click here to subscribe to Advanced Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic's free electronic newsletter.

Shoreview, MN Headache Specialist Dr. Douglas Yost

10 Tips To Aid Or Enhance Your Memory



Memory Aids and Enhancements


A key to help your brain function well is to keep on using it – learn new things, play complex games and try doing things with your non-dominant hand.

Anyone who has reached a ripe old age, whatever that is, knows that some funny things start to happen to your memory as you grow older. Like maybe you see someone you’ve known for years and, embarrassingly, you can’t remember their first name. Or, you’ve misplaced your keys for the umpteenth time this week and, once again, you’re tearing the house apart to find them. Or, you’re talking to someone and, mid-sentence, you forget where you were even going with that thought!
It happens. It happens to you and to many others as they age. Is there anything you can do to slow the “sands of time” so that you don’t lose your mind and your memory along with it? Your brain is basically a “use it or lose it” muscle. So… short of placing a computer memory chip in your brain, here are some ways to exercise it to keep it in tip-top shape.
• Breaking your normal routine to force your brain to use different pathways, for example, try eating with the lights off or with your opposite hand.
• Take a course at a local community college or night school in a subject that you want to know more about; really apply yourself to learning the material.
• Learn a new game that involves some strategy, like chess or backgammon.
• Do a daily crossword, Sudoku or word jumble to challenge your memory.
• Learn a new skill, like cooking, knitting or photography.
• Try different, non-familiar routes to get to a place you go to often.
• Read, read, read… newspapers, books and magazines… for relaxation and to stimulate those brain cells.
• Work on a project that requires organization and planning, such as identifying photos and putting them in albums or planting a backyard garden.
• Remain involved with others – socialization brings about meaningful interaction while isolation may cause depression and further memory loss.
Ginkgo biloba is a top-selling herbal supplement that increases blood flow to the brain. Used as a dietary supplement, it is sold without a prescription in pharmacies and health food stores. Many people use Ginkgo to improve memory and to treat Alzheimer's disease. It is widely used in Europe to treat Alzheimer's disease and dementia, based upon a body of evidence that demonstrates its ability to improve thinking, learning and memory.

Minneapolis, MN Low Back Specialist Dr. Douglas Yost

Snap, Crackle, Pop: Synovial Fluid! What Is The Popping Sound When You Get An Adjustment?


Snap, Crackle, Pop: Synovial Fluid!

The popping sound you may hear when you receive a chiropractic adjustment is simply the sound of gas being released in a joint.

Sometimes when we adjust you, there may be a “popping” sound, and when you don’t hear it, you may think that you didn’t get a very “good” adjustment. On the other hand, there are those who associate that “popping” sound with the idea that a bone is cracking or breaking, so they are afraid to be adjusted. We need to clear some things up here!

You may be wondering what really causes the “popping” sound you might hear when you are being adjusted. Actually it’s similar to what happens when you open a carbonated beverage or a bottle of champagne and hear the “pop” that it makes – it’s just the release of gas and pressure.

Some of the spinal joint surfaces are encapsulated within a sac of thick, lubricating fluid that has the consistency of an egg white. Besides reducing friction, this fluid cushions the joints and permits the turning and bending that we depend on and take for granted. Plus, the movement of this fluid helps provide nutrition to soft tissues and expel waste products.

Within this fluid are gases – nitrogen and carbon dioxide. When a chiropractor performs an adjustment, and the joint opens, the “popping” sound is actually a release of these gases (pressure) from the fluid.

After the adjustment opens up the affected joint, the fluid helps to return proper range of motion to the joint by lubricating it again.

You can also hear a similar type of “popping” sound if you crack your knuckles – not that we advocate that! What follows an adjustment is usually described as “relief,” you simply feel better because range of motion and easier movement has been restored.

Roseville, MN Chiropractor Dr. Douglas Yost

Can Computers Affect Your Health?

HEADACHES AND NECK PAIN

Computer Vision Syndrome is a real condition, caused by working at a computer for hours on end and resulting in eye strain, blurry vision, dry eyes and even dizziness.
You sit all day in front of a computer because your job requires it. Maybe you’re a programmer, an accountant, a paralegal, a bookkeeper or a writer – and many jobs these days require eight hours plus working at computers. Could your job be making you sick and you don’t even know it?
Let’s start with computer posture. Notice how you sit at your computer. Are you always looking down? Is the computer screen directly in front of your eyes? Does your neck get sore? Is your back affected? Poor posture and keeping your head in the same position for hours on end can cause headaches, muscle tension in your neck and shoulders, pain that radiates down your arms, muscle spasms and lower back pain. Of course we know that chiropractic adjustments can help ease any of these conditions and it would serve you well to maintain a regular schedule with us!
You may also experience eye strain, blurred vision, and dizziness as a result of prolonged computer usage. In fact, there’s even a name for this particular set of symptoms – it’s called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)!
Customized glasses are available that are designed to reduce eyestrain, blurriness and headaches in those who suffer from CVS. You may wonder why you need specialized glasses, particularly if you already have prescribed lenses.
If you are nearsighted, your glasses probably are designed to help you with tasks such as driving or television viewing – when you most likely to have a problem seeing things at a distance. If you are farsighted, your glasses are most likely designed to help you with close work, such as reading and sewing.
But computer screens are generally not close enough or far away enough to make either of these types of glasses efficient at reducing eye-related problems. Computer screens fall into what is called “intermediate vision,” and even “progressive lenses,” which have a very small area for intermediate vision, are not as effective as lenses made specifically for computer vision! Research studies have confirmed that customized computer eyeglasses can reduce eyestrain and increase worker productivity, while a prescription that is only slightly “off” can noticeably reduce productivity.
Without specialized glasses that help to correct the symptoms of CVS, you will tend to tilt your head forward or try to look through the part of your glasses that gives you the best vision. Either way, this posture can cause pain in your neck, shoulders or back.
Our advice? See a qualified eye doctor to talk about CVS corrective lenses (there are several types) and see us for relief of the pain in your neck, shoulders and back! We can recommend some additional actions you can take to reduce pain and muscle tension that often accompanies prolonged computer usage!

St. Paul, MN Low Back Specialist Dr. Douglas Yost