Archive for February, 2009
Friday, February 20th, 2009
no one warms up properly before they exercise. Inside our tendons we have little organs called golgi tendon organs that are actually stretch receptors. When a doctor checks your reflexes, we take our little hammer and bang on this organ and it sends a signal to the spinal cord and back to the muscle and makes it contract. When you hold a muscle stretch, this organ sends a signal to our brains and in turn our brains send signals to our blood vascular system to start rerouting more blood to that muscle. The more blood in the muscle, the more flexible it will become, and the more nutrients and oxygen will be ready for the exercise. The problem with golf is that no one stretches before they swing the clubs. The golf swing causes a tremendous amount of strain on the lower back from the driving twisting motion, let alone the resistant forces that happen when you hit the ground. and this strain causes micro tears in your tendons and ligaments which leads to inflammation and scar tissue formation 6 weeks later and the begining stages of spinal degeneration. If you do this 2 times per week, the scar tissue builds up quickly and before you know you have a big problem the damage is already done. But it is fixable. I can show you how to proper warm up with some simple stretching exercises and i have a special traction table that will rehab the scar tissue in your spine and restore your normal range of motion so you once again swing pain free.
dr mike
scottsdale chiropractic
480 607 4436
Tags: chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, exercise, golf, pain free swing, scar tissue, scottsdale chiropractic, scottsdale chiropractor, spinal degeneration, sports injuries, stretching exercises
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, chiropractic, exercise, golf, pinched nerves, scar tissue, spinal degeneration, sports injuries | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
copper is a trace mineral found in shellfish, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, mushrooms, liver, avocados, beets, broccoli, oats, oranges, raisins, all green leafy veggies. is best absorbs by your intestines if you take it with cobalt, folic acid, iron and zinc. If you are deficient in copper you can experience the following symptoms: Fatigue, baldness, slow growth, osteoporosis, inability to manufacture collagen, slows nervous system development, and retardation. If you take too much and become toxic you may experience nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, a metallic taste, hemolytic anemia. The normal daily dosage is 0.5 -2 mg. if you would like to discuss nutrition fell free to call me
Dr Mike
scottsdale chiropractic
480 607 4436
Tags: chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, nutrition, scottsdale chiropractor, supplements, vitamins
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, chiropractic, nutrition, supplements, vitamins | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
In a recent worker’s compensation study done in Utah they compared the cost of medical care to chiropractic care for similar back injury claims. The study included over 3100 cases. the findings showed that the chiropractic care was significantly less (30%) in total costs than medical care. And the patients that were under chiropractic care returned to work faster then those under medical care. If you know someone missing work because of a back injury, call me today and i would be happy to have them come in for a free evaluation.
Dr Mike
480 607 4436
Tags: back injury, chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, medical doctor, pain, scottsdale chiropractor, workers compensation
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, chiropractic, drugs vs chiropractic, medication, workers compensation injury | 4 Comments »
Monday, February 16th, 2009
Put down the french fries and lets talk about fats and cholesterol. do you know what the term saturated fat means? a fat molecule is nothing more than carbons and hydrogen’s in a long chain like formation. A fat molecule is considered to be saturated when the linked chain of carbon molecules is saturated to the maximum with hydrogen’s and it’s molecular structure cannot adhere any more hydrogen’s to the carbons. These type of fats are animal fats like bacon, steak, chicken and the stored fat on our bodies. Our bodies prefer to use saturated fat for energy and our liver produces enzymes that float around our blood that react with unsaturated fats and turn them into saturated fats, so our bodies can store them or use them for energy. A unsaturated fat is missing one hydrogen ion from the chain. When one hydrogen ion is missing from the chain, it changes its ionic shape, (gets softer). These are fats like butter. A poly unsaturated fat is missing 2 or more or many hydrogen ions so its shape changes drastically. These are the fats in oils, margarine etc. When you heat a fat molecule, like with cooking, it loses hydrogen’s very quickly and it’s shape changes from say a solid to a liquid. So when we eat foods that are fried in oils that are super heated over and over again they become super poly unsaturated. Foods like potato chips, french fries, donuts. The reason this is so bad for us.. is because the inside of an arterial wall is lined with hydrogen ions, and areas in our body where blood is under little or no pressure and is considered static (doesn’t move much) like around the heart and the neck, the poly unsaturated fat molecules and the liver enzymes have time to react with, or steal the hydrogen ions off the artery walls to change unsaturated fats back into saturated fats. When enough hydrogen’s are missing from the arterial walls, our immune system begins to recognize this as damage (holes) in the artery. Our immune system fills in the holes left behind with blood platelets and cholesterol sticks to the platelets forming a layer of plaque. When this process happens over and over again, the plaque builds up and restricts the opening and the blood flow. So i ask you, who is to blame, cholesterol or poly unsaturated fats. Plaque is not caused from excess cholesterol, like TV adds want you to think. Actually Cholesterol is made in the liver from 3 saturated fat chains put together and our bodies use it to make our hormones. So even if you never ate any more cholesterol ever again, your liver would just make it’s own. cholesterol medications are designed to slow down cholesterol production in the liver but the side effect is that it causes damage to the liver, that is why you have to have blood tests every 6 months to see if your liver enzymes are elevated. Elevated liver enzymes in the blood mean liver damage and now you’ll have to stop taking cholesterol medication and hope that your liver heals itself. Do you know that ina recent study over the past 5 years that there is no decrease in the rate of heart attacks. So what good is the medication. Besides liver damage there is a whole list of other side effects that these medications due to the rest of your body. so put down the french fries and go for a walk once and awhile.
Dr Mike
480 607 4436
Tags: blood pressure, chiropractic, cholesterol, Dr. michael halsam, heart disease, liver dysfunction, medical doctor, saturated fat, trans fat
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, blood pressure, chiropractic, cholesterol, drugs vs chiropractic, heart disease, medication, metabolism, nutrition, supplements, trans fats, vitamins | 2 Comments »
Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Chromium is a trace mineral found in the following natural resources: brewer’s yeast, broccoli, ham, grape juice, brown rice, cheese, whole grains, dried beans, calves liver, chicken, corn, corn oil, daily products, eggs, potatoes, mushrooms,wine, and beer. Chromium deficiency symptoms are rare but include: alterations in the metablosim of fats, carbs, proteins, and amino acids. The are no side effects from chromium. The daily recommended dose of chromium is 200-600 mcg and of course the best way to take it is in a liquid. Ours is only $25 bucks for a months supply.
Dr. Michael Halsam
your friendly scottsdale chiropractor
480 607 4436
Tags: chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, nutrition, scottsdale chiropractor, supplements, vitamins
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, chiropractic, medication, nutrition, supplements, vitamins | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Did you know that ear infections are mostly due to allergies. The problem is a blocked Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube is small tube that that runs from the back of the throat to the inner ear and is supposed to equalize air pressure on the ear drum. It also acts as a drain for the inner ear mucus. Atmospheric pressure pushes on the outside of the drum through the ear canal and when we open our mouths the air pressure is supposed totravel up the tube and fill the inner ear and balance it out. If the tube gets clogged for some reason (extra mucus production from allergies for example) the air passage gets blocked, the inner ear fills with mucus and the ear drum begins to bulge out and become inflammed. Doctors looked in the ear saw a red ear drum and said “infection”. Yes sometimes infections are related, especially if you are sick with a cold. if antibiotics don’t get rid of it (20% success rate) the doctor will cut a large hole in the ear drum and put a tube in it to drain the mucus out the ear canal instead of down the throat. Problem is once you cut something, it will heal over with scar tissue, and on a tympanic membrane this will effect the vibrations of the drum and potentially cause hearing loss. In children the tube is S shaped until they reach 7 years old and then it starts to straighten out. So kids under 7 are of course more susceptible. If you do get an ear infection and have tried antibiotics with no results, try giving your kid lots and lots of water to dilute the mucus and cut all dairy out of their diet. Dairy products proliferate mucus production in all of our air passage ways (sinuses). And of course some vitamins will help too. Also a gentle massage behind the ear helps loosen the mucus in the tube.
Dr mike
480 607 4436
Tags: antibiotics, chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, ear infections, immune system, nutrition, supplements, vitamins
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, children, chiropractic, drugs vs chiropractic, ear infections, immune system, kids, nutrition, supplements, vitamins | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
Calcium is a mineral found in the following natural resources: milk, yogurt, kale, cheeses, collard greens, salmon, sardines with bones, mustard greens, broccoli, figs, orange juice, carob, oats, prunes, asparagus, sesame seeds, soybeans, tofu, watercress, and whey. It will absorbs better through your intestine when combined with magnesium, boron, essential fatty acids, lysine, manganese, phosphorous, vitamins A,C,D,F, cobalt, folic acid, iron, and zinc. Calcium deficiency symptoms include muscle spasms, rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis. The only side effect that can come from taking to high of a dose of calcium is kidney stones. The daily recommended dose of calcium is 1,000-1,500 mg and of course the best way to take it is in a liquid. Ours is only $25 bucks for a months supply. Calcium also acts as a nervous system suppressant and muscle relaxer so take it before bed and it will help you wind down and sleep better.
Dr. Michael Halsam
your friendly scottsdale chiropractor
480 607 4436
Tags: calcium, chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, kidney stones, muscle relaxer, nutrition, osteoporosis, scottsdale chiropractor, sleep, supplements, vitamins
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, chiropractic, muscle relaxer, nutrition, osteoporosis, sleep, spinal degeneration, supplements, vitamins | 4 Comments »
Monday, February 9th, 2009
Did you know that osteoporosis is a disease that effects mostly women after menopause. And that their bones can become so brittle that they can actually collapse in on themselves from just the slightest pressure or strain. The main cause of osteoporosis is due to menopause. When a woman goes through menopause they lose their normal levels of sex hormones. Estrogen and progesterone besides controlling a womans’ reproductive cycle, they are also responsible for taking calcium from the blood and putting it back into the bones. When the levels of these hormones drop off there is no catalyst left in the body to restore the bones normal calcium levels. Cortisone, another hormone in our bodies, which is produced in the adrenal gland does not decrease with age. It’s primary function in our bodies is to reduce inflammation which happens to us every day, all day, from normal activities and from traumas. Besides reducing inflammation, cortisone also removes calcium from the bones, and puts it into the bloodstream. See the blood likes to have a specific number of all of the electrolytes in it, in order to maintain our daily homeostasis. And the correct amounts of these electrolytes in the blood are regulated by the kidneys. If your blood is low on calcium, cortisone will take some from the bones and put it in the blood and the kidney will excrete any excess through the urine. So everyday post menopausal women will lose a little more calcium from their bones until they eventually get too weak. When women swallow more calcium in their diets, it helps to slow or delay this process. And in the past few years women have begun using hormone replacement therapy along with excess dietary calcium to prevent and or reverse osteoporosis. If you would like more information check out our website,
Dr Mike
www.arizona-chiropractic.com
480 607 4436
Tags: calcium, chiropractic, cortisone, Dr. michael halsam, estrogen, menopause, nutrition, osteoporosis, spinal degeneration, supplements
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, chiropractic, nutrition, osteoporosis, supplements, vitamins | 3 Comments »
Sunday, February 8th, 2009
OK, lets end the debate about target heart rate and fat burning. The main difference between someone who is in shape and someone who is a couch potato, is not their muscles, it is the amount of red blood cells they have. Red blood cells fill with oxygen in the lungs everytime you breath and the heart pushes them through out your body to all of your cells. Professional athletes will often cheat this system with a process called blood doping. They will remove a liter of their blood one month before their big event. Their bodies replace the missing blood, and the night before the contest they add the other blood back in, giving them 6 liters instead of 5 liters of red blood cells. Why would they do this? Muscle cells burn sugar, fat and oxygen to make energy, this process is called aerobic metabolism. The more oxygen you can get to the muscles means more energy available for performance (strength and endurance). We used to think that if we want to burn more fat, we should exercise at a level where this process is at a maximum of fat burning = ” target heart rate” Makes sense right. Well, when a person does cardio exercise at their target heart rate, and they stay in the “aerobic zone” for more than 20 minutes, they start burning extra fat, as well as sugar, and oxygen, but only while they are doing the exercise. In a recent study on metabolism, they took 100 obese people and had them ride the bicycle for 60 minutes a day, 6 times per week, at their target heart rate for a period of 6 months. The next 100 people rode the bikes for 30 minutes, 3 times per week, for 6 months, but they were instructed to ride at a steady pace for 3 minutes then sprint as fast as they could for 1 minute and then back down to a steady pace for 3 minutes again and repeat for 30 minutes (basically a hill program). At the end of 6 months, the people who really worked out 75% less often, actually lost 9 times as much fat and weight as the other group. How is this possible? let me explain. I like to use the example of a sprinter, have you ever seen a fat one? They only run 100 yards. Yet they are lean, ripped, and muscular. why? When you do an aerobic activity in the target heart rate zone you are only burning extra fat while you work out. The people who were doing the hill program were pushing their bodies into what is called “oxygen debt”. Where the muscles can no longer efficiently work aerobically(with oxygen) and are forced to work an-aerobically (without oxygen). When the muscles are working harder then the lungs and heart can keep up with, you reach oxygen debt, and the muscles are forced to burn sugar only to make energy. (an-aerobic metabolism). The problem… they can’t do this for very long and eventually you have to stop the exercises altogether. But if you repeatedly do this type of exercise, you body responds by producing more and more red blood cells, so when you try and drive it again into oxygen debt it gets harder and harder.. the benefit is… with all of these extra red blood cells floating around in your blood, every time you breath normally, (15 times per minute), there is now a lot more oxygen in your body’ s blood and in your muscle cells and in turn you burn more calories during your normal daily activities and even more while you work out (= increased metabolism). Give it a try you will be amazed at the results. (caution, when you increase your metabolism like this you tend to be extra hungry so watch the calories you eat) If you would like more information check us out on the web
Dr Mike
480 607 4436
Tags: aerobic, an-aerobic, cardio, Dr. michael halsam, exercise, fat burning, metabolism, oxygen, oxygen debt, scottsdale chiropractor
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, cardio, chiropractic, exercise, metabolism | 5 Comments »
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
Did you know that the Journal of American Medical Association (February 18 2004)reported that researchers pored over the medical records of thousands of american women and found that those who took antibiotic drugs most often had twice the risk of developing breast cancer. The JAMA study concluded that the “use of antibiotic’s is associated with increase risk of incident and fatal breast cancer”. If you chronically take antibiotics whenever you get sick you will never increase your own naturally immunity. Every day our bodies produce cancer cells or mutated cells from exposure to toxins in our food, air, work environment, poor cell replication, etc. And our immune system (white blood cells) recognizes these cells as abnormal and destroys them before they can cause harm. If you have weak or underdeveloped immune system this process can be over whelming and the cancer cells will replicate further. If you would like to learn how to build up your immunity check back in for more daily tips.
Dr Mike
480 607 4436
Tags: antibiotics, breast cancer, chiropractic, Dr. michael halsam, drugs, immune system, immunity, JAMA
Posted in Chiropractic tip of the day, antibiotics, breast cancer, cancer, chiropractic, drugs vs chiropractic, immune system, immunity, medication, supplements, white blood cells | 3 Comments »