Children Complaining About Back Pain at Earlier Ages

Many parents are reporting that children are starting to have back pain at younger ages. This may be due to several factors. The children of today are leading different lives than most of us did when we were children. They spend much more time in sedentary positions than they do participating in activities.

One of the most overlooked sources of back pain in children is sleeping habits. Many kids simply do not get enough rest. They usually require 8-10 hours per night. This amount of time is important for the body's systems to restore themselves. Sleeping position is very important. Lying on your stomach places stress on the low back and neck. The best positions to sleep in are on your side or on your back. As a charlotte chiropractor, I have seen the effects of sleep deprivation on both children and adults.

One item that can cause low back pain in children is school book bags. The bags are becoming increasingly heavy. As school curriculums expand, the books have become heavier. Often as a security measure, the time between classes is kept at a minimum. This results in children not having enough time to get any books stored in their lockers.

One great solution is to see if they have downloadable versions of books. Some schools are switching to this method. If your child is using a book bag, make sure that they use both straps. The bag should be up high and tight to the body to reduce back strain. The proper weigh of a child's book bag should be no more than 10 % of their body weight.

The best backpacks have shoulder and waist straps, but it can be difficult to get kids to wear them at times. There are also bags that roll. If you purchase one of these, make sure that they switch arms from time to time. This prevents overstretching of the chest muscles. Chiropractors can perform a postural exam to show the effects of a book bag or backpack.

Video games and computers are a frequent cause of low back pain in kids. Most video games are played while sitting on the floor with no back support. This position is held for very long periods of time in many cases. Parents need to limit the amount of time spent playing video games as well as computer use.

An often overlooked area of injury to kids is sports. Since children are very resilient, many of their injuries are overlooked. The pain usually goes away rapidly, but an injury may still remain. Parents should not be embarrassed about seeking healthcare for any possible injury. Take extra care when overlooking any sports injuries or falls. Better safe than sorry!

Having a postural exam performed on children can be very helpful. Many postural problems can be detected and corrected if found early. Prevention is always the preferable treatment. Following some of the tips in this article can help with back pain in later years.

Car Accident Facts

Orange County, CA

Car accidents are common in Orange County due to the numbers of vehicles clogging our streets, highways and freeways. Face it, Orange County is a place on the move. Everyone must get around by car. If you've been unlucky enough to have suffered a car crash in Orange County, there are some basic facts you must know.

Fact #1: You can be injured even if your car wasn't.

Several scientific studies over a period of years, have proven the human threshold of injury in a rear impact car crash is a mere 2.5 mph.Other studies have shown that most injuries were suffered in slow speed collisions of approximately 10-12 mph. Vehicle crash engineers and medical researches found that modern cars can be crashed bumper to bumper numerous times at up to 20 mph and show no visible signs of damage. Therefore your Orange County car crash could leave no bumper damage but your neck was subjected to 4 times the force needed to injure you.

Fact #2: Auto insurance companies use sophisticated computer programs to decide what a claim is worth and what types of treatment they are wiling to pay for. The insurance adjusters know how to game the system to make your claim worth less, therefore you need to know how to thwart their attempts to minimize your claim.

Fact #3: You must seek medical help right away.

Even if you are not sure if you are injured or not. Even if you only feel mild soreness or stiffness. You must report to a car accident doctor specialist within the first 72 hours. If you seek care afterward, your case may be jeopardized and your rights to proper care and a fair car accident settlement may be diminished. The insurance computers "like" treatment in the first 72 hours and score your claim higher while they discount claims for cases that seek care after 72 hours.

Fact #4: While it may be true that any medical doctor, chiropractor or therapist can treat a car accident injury, it is best to seek the help of a specialist in the area.

Yes, car accident injuries are a specialized field. There are many factors a true auto accident expert must know to accurately diagnose your problem and provide the best treatment possible all within the parameters of insurance computer programs. Your car accident injury expert will also be able to assist you in answering calls and letters from insurance companies and lawyers and refer you to other specialists when necessary.

Fact #5: Many car crash victims are unsure of what doctor to see or how they will pay the bills.

A true car accident expert will explain to you how the process works and how to arrange for treatment with no money out of your pocket. Even if you have no health insurance or automobile medical overage, as long as the other party is at fault and they art insured, you will be able to access the care you need without worry of paying up front. True car accident specialists know that you've already suffered enough, you don't need the insult of having to take out a loan or use up your credit for treatment in an accident that is not your fault.

Fact #6: The average mild to moderate car accident neck injury can take 3 to 6 months to heal.

Many cases are cited to last for up to one year or more. Moderate to severe cases may take up to two years to stabilize. Studies have shown that upwards of 40% of car accident neck injuries become permanent. If an insurance adjuster, doctor or lawyer ever tells you, you should get better in a short time, ignore them. Medical science is clear on this issue. It can take many months to years for your injury to resolve. Insurance adjusters tell you this to minimize your claim and they have no scientific or medical basis for it. It's merely monetary. Your own doctor or lawyer may tell you this because they are not true experts and have no clue about the true science. They will actually be working against you as they don't believe your complaints.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Your Ligaments

The sacroiliac (SI) joints in the lower back can suffer a condition known as SI joint dysfunction. While there are a few causes of this condition, they usually involve damage to the ligaments surrounding the joint.

SI joint dysfunction is characterized by hyper- or hypomobility of the joint. Hypermobility is more common. The SI joint is stabilized by an intricate network of strong ligaments and the deep muscles of the core group. The joints are located where the ilia, or large pelvic bones, meet the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine above the tailbone, on each side of the body. It is common for only one joint to be affected, and pelvic height discrepancy is usually involved.

The SI joint can become unstable when the ligaments that support it are either too stiff or too lax, with laxity being the most common. Ligaments can be torn or strained in a number of ways: falling, lifting improperly, prolonged poor posture, or a botched chiropractic session, since improper twisting can tear ligaments.

When a ligament that supports an SI joint is torn, it no longer holds the joint in its proper position. It is meant to move very little, between only 1 and 3 degrees. Any increase in movement creates pelvic and spinal instability, since the SI joint connects the spine to the lower body. If the joint is unable to transfer forces to the lower body and absorb shock from the upper body, the pain associated with SI joint dysfunction results.

SI joint pain is often centered on the injured joint itself in the lower back slightly off the mid-line. The pain can radiate throughout the buttock and into the thigh, and sometimes wraps around the hip and affects the groin.

While hypomobile SI joints benefit from mobilizing techniques like chiropractic manipulation, hypermobile joints need to be stabilized. The general treatment plan for a torn ligament is to refrain from straining it further by ceasing activities that stress it.

Resting the SI joint is extremely difficult; it is used in nearly every motion of the body, since it is connected to the spine and pelvis. The time it takes ligaments to heal - sometimes months - is also a concern, because bed rest that lasts beyond 2 days is detrimental to health. Muscles in the area need to be conditioned to help support the joint and inflammation must be reduced, all without aggravating the damaged ligament.

This is a difficult balance to strike, and the reason why SI joint dysfunction is notoriously difficult to treat. It is not impossible, however. During the beginning phase of treating a torn SI ligament, ice is recommended to decrease painful inflammation in the affected area. When a body part is injured, the brain responds by sending a cascade of fluids with materials to the site to both facilitate healing and prevent the perceived threat from spreading to the rest of the body. While the idea is to block off the unhealthy from the healthy, the inflammatory response is often counterproductive when it comes to injured body parts. The blockade formed prevents fresh blood and nutrients from getting to the area, creates painful swelling and can cause damage to surrounding tissues. Ice constricts blood vessels, limiting the amount of inflammatory materials that enter the area.

The second phase of treatment involves both limiting mobility by stabilizing ligaments and strengthening muscles that support its natural position. An SI joint belt, such as the one found at http://www.activeortho.com/si_belt_for_sacroiliac_pain.html, compresses the joint to limit mobility and provide support. This belt can greatly assist the first and second phases of treatment.

Once the ligament is healed, it is a good idea to condition the deep core muscles in the stomach, pelvis, lower back and buttocks to ensure that the joint continues to be properly supported. A physical therapist should be consulted to guide you through exercises that will not overstress your ligaments.

If these conservative treatments fail, it is possible that ligament-stiffening injections or fusion surgery will be recommended. These procedures are rare and best avoided, since the first is a temporary fix and the second may cause more harm than good.

For more information on SI joint dysfunction and a self-evaluation survey, see http://www.sidysfunction.com/generalinfo.php.

Posture Exercises, Massage and Chiropractic Adjustments As an Anti-aging Tool!

As we get older are joints and muscles become stiffer. For many people their bodies have experienced multiple cycles of injury, pain and inflammation, some degree of compensation in the area of injury, and then adaptation of the surrounding muscles, joints and ligaments. Once the inflammation subsides and the pain is gone, either by rest or medications, they feel they are healed. Unfortunately, these injuries often result in misaligned joints that do not move as well and muscle adhesions resulting in decreased flexibility. The body will adaptively move to avoid pain during the episode. Depending on the duration of pain and the amount of structures involved a certain degree of compensation occurs. All of this results in your body altering the way it moves and carries itself.

In otherwords, our movement patterns change and now follow the path of least resistance. Over time the amount of muscle fibers recruited for movement becomes lessoned. Other muscles are used incorrectly and become shortened or lengthened. This results in pain and or weakness in those areas of the body. Our body further adapts or compensates by altering our posture to adapt to the changes in muscles and joints. In addition, the restriction in joint movement puts additional stress on the surrounding ligaments, muscles and fibrocartilage resulting in degenerative joint changes. The associated joint restriction also results in altered messages being received and sent through the nervous system, resulting in further aberrations of movement and function. The resulting cycle contributes to advanced aging of local joint and muscle tissue. The resulting cycle often inhibits easy movement and exercise. Statistically, the inability to exercise is related to earlier mortality.

In addition to alterations of movement, our posture, the way we balance our body is also disrupted. Altered neural signals from joint restriction or dysfunction make it more difficult to balance. Research demonstrates that older individuals with poor balance have a greater incidence of falls. Furthermore, research on the elderly states that falling is an increased risk for earlier mortality. In addition, forward head posture results in increased risk of falls. Rounding of the shoulders and tightening of the anterior chest muscles result in decreased ability to breath and may contribute to cardiopulmonary problems.

At this point it is easy to see how poor posture, balance and motion can contribute to advanced aging and earlier death, but how can chiropractic and posture exercise effect this process. Chiropractic works by finding and correcting joints that are misaligned and locked. Adjustments restore normal position and motion in the joint making it easier to move. In addition, the adjustment results in the normal transmission of nerve signals from the brain to the body and body to brain. This normal nerve transmission is essential for proper balance and muscle contraction, as well as for your internal organs to function properly. Restoring proper position to the joint with the adjustment allows for better alignment of all body tissues. Chiropractic often incorporates massages techniques to areas of tight muscles resulting in the breaking of adhesions and improved movement and flexibility. Once the joints are unlocked and aligned from the adjustments, and the muscles stretched and relaxed from the massage techniques, your body is ready to be retrained to move and hold itself. The application of specific postural rehabilitation exercises helps to retrain muscles to move properly and balance exercises help us better hold our body in a more aligned position. The combination of chiropractic adjustments, massage and stretching techniques and focused exercises allow for positive changes in our balance, movement and alignment. These positive changes allow us to move better as we age and better adapt to the external stresses the body faces on a daily basis. In summary, the positive changes in our body as a result of the application of chiropractic and posture exercises result in a reversal of the conditions described above that lead to premature aging and mortality. Because of this, chiropractic and posture exercises can truly be described as and anti-aging therapy.

To learn more about anti-aging posture exercises and chiropractic go to:

How a Chiropractor Could Help You to Recover From Eczema

Eczema is not contagious, so you cannot catch it from another person. It is a disease that affects the skin. If you suffer from eczema, your skin becomes very itchy, and may be red or have rashes on it.

It is difficult not to scratch your skin when you are suffering from eczema. Scratching your skin can cause your skin to redden and swell. Eczema sufferers experience a weeping of clear fluid, scaling, and crusting of their skin.

Eczema can occur at any age. People suffering from eczema usually experience their first attack in childhood. Children with eczema often outgrow this condition by the time they become adults, however, for some people eczema continues to be a problem for the rest of their lives.

Treating Eczema
There are two considerations in the treatment of eczema. One consideration is to lower the severity of an eczema attack. The other consideration is to help control the occurrence of eczema in the first place.

If your nervous system is healthy, your whole body will function well and you will be more able to fight disease. Chiropractors can help improve the function of your nervous system. Your body's immune system helps your body to fight disease and infection. Chiropractic treatment can help remove nerve interference, so your immune system works to its full capacity.

Together with chiropractic treatment, an eczema sufferer should consider all aspects of his lifestyle. It is advisable to have a food intolerance test because it is possible that the severity of an eczema attack can be lessened by the type of food you eat. Many eczema sufferers will see an improvement in their condition if they remove preservatives, additives, and processed food from their diet.

Other triggers for eczema may be chemicals or detergents. When you use cleaning liquids or solvents, always wear gloves to protect your skin. When you wash your clothes, be sure to rinse them thoroughly to help minimize the risk of any residual detergent remaining in your clothes after washing.

Why should you see a Chiropractor for your Eczema?
A visit to a chiropractor is a wise choice if you suffer from eczema. Chiropractors can treat a wide variety of conditions including eczema. Chiropractic treatment will help you to control the symptoms of your eczema and improve your general health.

A case study by Douglas Eldred and Peter Tuchin concluded that chiropractic care assisted their patient who suffered from eczema. The case study was run over a seven week period. The patient received chiropractic treatments once a week for the seven weeks. The results showed a marked improvement in the patient's eczema symptoms following chiropractic treatments. These findings were confirmed by a series of photographs and by a twice weekly questionnaire completed by the patient.

It is an acknowledged fact that people visit a chiropractor for treatment of their back or neck pain. Chiropractic treatment can also help you recover from many diseases including eczema. Once you experience chiropractic treatment for your eczema, you will see the benefits of visiting a chiropractor for this disease.

Hypnosis For Pain Management - Relieve Sciatic Nerves

What I have experienced was out of this world, talking about sever pain sensations that were played immediately with every tinny single movement of my body. I went back and forth for months and months between one physician to another, and no one was sensitive to my pain, in fact I remember one of my physicians at that time, and she tolled me, that I was spoiled, and that in her opinion nothing was wrong with you... but my chiropractor Dr. Janine Angelotti, DC, BS, QME... did sympathize with my desperation regarding my pain, although this type of pain was a common thing as a result of a car accident, she suggested to do an MRI... Since in my X-Ray nothing was wrong, and as a chiropractor surgeon specializing in pain management and surgery's, she did treat me with combination of manual manipulation in the form of chiropractic adjustments and deep tissue work, coupled with physiotherapy modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, orthion tables, moist heat and cryotherapy. But nothing helped, in fact my pain was getting worse and worse with every treatment, and I was becoming less and less mobile, the pain had controlled my life, and it wasn't just a pain, and it was radiating to my legs....

What I have learned is that some people suffer from this temporary problem with mild to moderate pain, while for others life comes to a complete STOP! And that's where my life was....... like many other patient I have develop chronic pain after trying months of different treatments, and I fund little to a no consistent relief from my pain, there for I was unable to return to work, or to be active, I was in bed miserable, I could not walk again without the pain, I was controlled by a Monster named Pain!.

It is very scary, because many people who suffer from pain that controls their life usually departure all their life style, if it's from work, career, family function, and instead they live surrounded with pain.

Now, let me tell you a little bit about pain as a result of injury or aging... What is Sciatica? It is a pain that the patient feels along the sciatic nerve. The Sciatic nerve runs from their lower back, down towards the back of the leg, to the bottom of the foot, the sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. Pain results when this nerve is irritated or compressed. The spinal sections it originates from include L4, L5 or S1.

Now after the MRI, It was found that my pain was caused by assumed sciatic nerve pressure from bulge, diagnosed Bulging L5 / S1 disc.

Any ways, I was suggested to do cortisone/steroids shots to relive the pain every two weeks and if that didn't help a surgery was a recommended.

But what I didn't know was how my mind functions.... something I become familiar with time...at the time I refused to get any injections, why? Because all my life I had needle phobia, the correct term for what I'm describing is Belonephobia, which is Greek for "Fear of Needles". And thanks to my phobia at the time, I am today a walking prove, pain free and yes free of Needle phobia.

Three days from the day I was recommended to do the steroid injection and the possibility of back surgery, I came home crying. (I was not able to walk; I had people help me taking me here and there) It was then when I was introduced to Alton Kamadon beloved Melchizedek Method of Healing and Ascension. By meditating and learning that I am in the control of my pain and not the opposite as it was before. Yes, I received a letter with a brochure from "The Malckizedek Method", being skeptic as I am; I said what do I have to lose? And I went to the four day workshop in Studio City, and I have healed in four days...No more bulging disc, no more pain, not even a sign in the MRI result... you can called it miracle, I call it the "Power of my mind"... and this is the good news my friend, It doesn't have to be living pain, every thing can be different and trust me, It doesn't matter how bad is your pain or what condition you may have been diagnosed with, I can assure you that you can feel better by learning how to bind the power of your mind, to "EnterYourMind".

We all know that our mind plays a very important role in pain and it's something you have to recognize and talk to when managing and healing your pain or your clients pain of any type.

As an Energy Healer and a Hypnotherapist specializing in pain management there are a lot of mind-body techniques that you can use to reduce or lessen the extent of pain you feel, followed with other positive benefits.

Such as improving you're: concentration, sleeping pattern, anxiety level, confidence, blood flow and circulation and of course being in control.

I have found techniques and exercises that are affective for your mind and body healing. Now let's discover why do we experience pain? We all know by now that pain is a warning sign that alert us to a trouble.

So what is the warning sign when I feel pain in my lower back? My body is telling me that something is not kosher, that it's not functioning correctly and that I need to talk to my part, to address it, to do X-Ray, and if it still hurt, do an MRI, so you know what part to address in the healing process. Believe me, the biggest mistake is when you ignore your pain.

Now, how to heal your pain? First let's learn the psychological factor about pain and how our emotional life style can affect the severity of our pain.

You may find out that your pain is worse when you are unhappy, hopeless, depressed, exhausted, wearing the wrong shoes, sleeping on the wrong mattress... this is why we have to be aware of your stress, beliefs and emotions, beacons this is what truly impacts the severity of your pain.

So let's start with the pain management with energy healing and hypnosis.

1. Focus on positive thoughts and affirmation to eliminate the negativity.

2. Stress reduction, self hypnosis, meditation, yoga, day dreaming, reiki, energy healing, dancing, singing, cold pads, and hypnotherapy with a professional for serious pain management.

3. Visualization of an orange sand paper rubbing against each other transferring the heat and the sensation into the painful area during hypnosis, meditation to scrub the pain a way...

4. Practice numb and cold tingling sensation to take your mind off the pain...

5. Body part therapy, when you visualize your body part and ask personal direct questions to the identified part.

6. Cleanse, delete, and fade childhood memories or resent trauma, such as abuse, losses, car accidents, injuries or illnesses.

7. Eating correctly and making sure fiber and water is part of your every day life style, since if you are constipated, the stole add pressure on to the nerves that can radiate more pain to the hurting area.

When you do that, you will each experience the negative emotional feelings associated with the traumatic pain from the past event, bring the images in front of you and start deleting it, or breathing into it, or erasing the feeling around the pain.

So all you need to do is to find a quite place, make sure you spend about 10 to 15 minutes each day to meditate, do yoga or use self hypnosis or call your Hypnotherapist who is specializes in pain management in case of medical condition related to your pain. Pain management with Energy Healing and hypnosis may take anywhere from four sessions to six sessions, then you can evaluate if you need more or done, every one is different.

Make sure you breathe in calmness and total relaxation, feeling your muscles and body becoming loose and limp in a way you have never felt before, and as you do that you will began to experience less pain...

Now, just in case you are not familiar with hypnosis, I want you to know that hypnosis is the performance of using a variety of physical and practice to help you to manifest your healing powers of the mind-body that can free you from pain or any other personal issues, do yourself good and contact your Hypnotherapist & Energy Healer..

You can contact me for your free consultation... local or long distance. Free your self from the nightmare of pain. Doreen Cohanim MM, C.Ht, HBCH

© 2008 Doreen Cohanim - All Rights Reserved.

Chiropractor College

A chiropractor college offers many different challenges for people wishing to get into that field. Many colleges have very high academic standards and expand their offerings for education. A good chiropractor college will put emphasis on strong educational preparation and clinical training in the chiropractor field. The clinical training allows the graduate to realize how successful they can be in a solo practice.

Students are offered an outstanding education at a chiropractor college, and there is high level of excellence. A good chiropractor college will mentor the student with practicing doctors, familiar with every aspect of chiropractic medicine. They will learn chiropractic care, and be enthusiastic in their practice. The curriculum continually grows and teaches the science, art and philosophy that a chiropractor needs to know. Another benefit to a good chiropractor college is that it offers two masters degree programs that help to prepare the student for professional practice as licensed acupuncturists as well. The student should leave feeling competent and confident as a practitioner with an understanding of theoretical concepts. The students will learn by doing, and will integrate theory with practice while working closely with educated and experienced practitioners.

In the end, a good chiropractor college will provide students with all the training and skills that are needed to help alleviate pain maintain wellness and establish a successful and fulfilling career. There should be high standards at a chiropractor college to help bring out the full potential of the student. The instructors will be highly involved and should offer hands-on training. There should be reputable doctors of chiropractic medicine in the program, and there should be new academic choices in acupuncture as it is often used hand in hand with chiropractic medicine. Research and internship opportunities should be available for the students. These areas should help to bring out the students highest potential, as this is one of the goals of a good chiropractor college. When the student graduates, they should be able to run a profitable practice.