How do you know if you have an unhealthy spine?

Symptoms such as headache, neck or back pain, numbness, tingling or other health problems can often be caused by spinal misalignments (called “subluxations”).

These misalignments can be caused by ordinary movements or by intense trauma to the spine (such as a car accident or other injury).  Because these misaligned vertebrae can affect the function of the spinal cord and nervous system, it is vital that the spine be checked for misalignments.

Some of the obvious symptoms of spinal misalignments include:

• Your heels wear out unevenly
• You have headaches, back aches, neck pain, stiffness or soreness in muscles or joints
• Your foot flares out when walking
• You are often fatigued, have poor circulation, low resistance to disease or infection
• You can’t turn your head or hips equally to either side
• You feel stiff getting out of bed each morning
• Your posture is not correct

Many spinal misalignments however give NO warning signs, like a cavity before it becomes painful.  Even though you can’t feel them, they can adversely affect your health.  For this reason I recommend to my patients in Livermore to bring in their family members including their children to get checked before the warning signs set in and the problem has gotten out of control. For more information on getting your spine checked contact us.

Children get their back and backpacks checked in Livermore, CA

With the new school year on it’s way, many of my patients have brought their child in complaining of bad posture and back complaints.  It is important to realize that backpacks are a huge contributor to children’s spinal problems and postural issues that lead to chronic neck and back pain in their adulthood. 

There are three main areas to be concerned about when it comes to a safe backpack:  Choosing the right backpack, wearing the backpack and finally the weight of the backpack.

1. Choosing the correct backpack- Often times, kids want a one shoulder or across the body style of bag which might be hip but it is not as safe as a two strap  back pack to carry their heavy items.  When selecting the bag, make sure they try it on and the straps fit properly so that the bag is snug to the body.  It is also important to choose a bag that has wide padded straps so that the straps don’t put pressure on the shoulders and possibly risk your child from having their nerves to their arms affected.  It is also important that the bag isn’t too large.  When your child wears their backpack, the bottom of the bag should sag to their buttocks and below. This can cause tension in the muscles of the neck and back and create spinal injuries.
2. Wearing the backpack correctly-Often times kids wear their backpack on one shoulder which is a quick way to create mis-aligned vertebrae and subluxations.  Over time chronic back, shoulder and neck pain can become a problem from this habit.  Both straps should be worn on both shoulders and the straps should fit snug.  It is also important that your child learn to lift their bag up properly to avoid back muscle strain. As with lifting a heavy box by bending at the knees, it is also a good idea to teach your child to lift their bag by bending their knees and using the muscles of their legs instead of their back.  It is a good idea to look for a bag that has a waist band and padding in the back so that the bag will fit more comfortably and take off pressure from the back.
3. Weight of the backpack-This is a huge deal as so many children now have to lug all their books back and forth from school without any locker use.  The rule of weight is that the weight of the backpack should not exceed 15% of your child’s body weight.  So check out the math, if your child weighs 80 pounds, their backpack should only be 8-10 pounds in weight.  Not very heavy!  That is why it is a good idea to make sure that they only carry necessary items in their bag and to purchase paperback books if possible.  If the bag has compartments which I recommend, it is best to use all the compartments and keep the heaviest books closes to the back as it offers more core and back support.

Lastly, remember if your child is complaining of neck pain or you notice their posture slouching have them checked by your chiropractor to make sure they are not injuring their spines.

This month of September at Haque Chiropractic we will be check children’s posture and their backpacks complimentary. Call us at (925) 960-1960 to make an appointment today!

Why suffer with foot pain when there are natural solutions available?

Plantar fasciitis is a diagnosis often given to patients who have pain in their feet and a thickening of the tendons on the bottom of their feet.  It is a general diagnosis  but the treatment protocol from M.D.s are to rest, ice, take anti-inflammatory drugs, possibly cortisone injections and physical therapy.  Sometimes this protocol will work for a period of time but most often, I see patients who have had this condition for years without significant improvement. At the end of it, their condition is at a cost to their quality of life.  Many don’t run any more, exercise or walk for long periods because of their condition that they become accustomed to. 

The good news: other treatment options do exist that are in many cases MORE EFFECTIVE! And yes, without drugs and without surgery!  The feet are indubitably the foundation to our bodies. The 26 bones that make up each foot can mis-align, pull on tendons and ligaments and cause irritation and pain.  An effective treatment option in my office with my patients is the following:

When a patient comes in complaining of pain in their feet, ankles, knees hips and/or lower back pain, we examine the arches of their feet. There are three arches that make up the feet and when they are all present that tells us that the foot is moving properly allowing the joints above (ankle, knees hips, etc.) to also move correctly.  When an arch is lost or too pronounced, the biomechanics of the body will shift as the ligaments, muscles and tendons will move differently and since everything all connects together it will cause improper motion of joints and things can/will misalign and cause pain and irritation.

Once the actual shift of the bone, loss of arch or exact cause of the pain is determined after an evaluation, we will focus on re-aligning the bones of the foot correctly, support the feet with custom-made orthotics (if necessary) reset the tendons and work out the scar tissue that has developed in the ligaments that has in some cases caused significant loss of motion of the foot and extreme pain. The results are that the patient will regain proper movement of their feet and joints above and resume a happy motion-filled life again!

Know someone who has been suffering with foot/ankle pain? Have them contact us for evaluation and possible treatment at our office.

Vacation for your health in Livermore

I am on my way home from Cancun right now as I write this blog and feel absolutely refreshed.  It got me thinking about how important it is to take vacations with the hectic lives us Americans live.  I realize that it is difficult to think about leaving your busy lifestyle and how scary it is to think to stop from your every day rat race, but after spending seven days without email, television, calls to the office and my laptop, I am more recharged than ever. 

When I first opened my chiropractic office in Livermore, I had a patient who was a very successful in his business who told me that it was absolutely essential to schedule time off to BE successful. He had me promise that I wouldn’t wait until most of my life passed by before I began taking time off and that I would do it regularly so that I could be a great doctor for my patients. His advice always stuck with me and after having my office for seven years now, I completely understand his point. Taking time off is good for more than stress relief; it is the time that allows your body to recover from all the abuse we give it.  Rest allows the brain to grow and many times people discover their most brilliant ideas when they take some well deserved time off. Getting extra sleep allows the body to perform better physically which in turns allows what you are doing for your health to show up.

So if you are feeling stressed out, take some time off, even if it isn’t an elaborate vacation, take a long weekend without your email and phone, take a work day off and stay in bed without getting on email, do something out of your ordinary hectic life and get some time to recover your body mind and soul, I guarantee it will do you some good.

4 weeks to better health

As a health nut and Chiropractor in Livermore, I am always striving to keep myself as healthy as possible not just for myself but also for my patients.  With exercise, personal training, vitamin and supplements I am also trying to keep up with the latest ways to keep my body functioning as optimally as I can. That is why when Stacey Vigil, came to me telling me about the 28 days to health program, I was intrigued.  She informed me how people were getting healthy by cleansing over a four week period and eliminating the most inflammatory foods which include soy, dairy and gluten.  After learning a bit more about the program and how many people had significant results that lasted as a part of their lifestyle, I was open to having her bring her program to my office so that I my patients would have the opportunity to get healthier. 

I knew that in order for me to be able to whole-heartedly recommend this program, I needed to experience it first-hand so that is why I just completed my four week cleanse.  My results?  I can genuinely say that this program was amazing.  Not only was it simple and not a starvation method of cleansing (which I’ve done before too) but  four weeks allowed me to follow through with some of the core principles into my daily eating habits and choices even afterwards.  My body fat percentage has decreased, the last few pounds I have been trying to get rid of disappeared and my internal organs feel clean. I didn’t realize how I had adapted to feeling bloated and uncomfortable until I went through the 28 days to health program. 

I am now able to enthusiastically and with first hand glowing experience tell my patients and others about this program. Who this is good for? Well I think everyone but especially for those who are looking to feel better, get rid of digestive issues, lose weigh that has been difficult to lose, have better skin and want to live healthier.

For more information on this program contact us or go to www.newunutrition.com

Neck pain relief from painting in Livermore, CA

This week, I had a patient come into my chiropractic office in Livermore  with severe pain in her neck, shoulders that was shooting into her right arm.  When I asked her what happened, she told me that she had been painting her home and noticed that she was feeling “stiff” but was trying to “fight through it” so she could get her room painted.  Luckily shortly after beginning her care, she has had enormous relief and is back to sleeping at night and moving around and using her right hand. I had suggested that instead of “killing herself” trying to paint her own home and causing injuries to herself, she should hire a good reputable painter to do the job.  Yes, it might save some money to do the job yourself, but when you factor in the cost of the possible injury and then the cost to try and take care of it, as well as what your time is worth, it would actually be more cost effective to have someone else who is trained to do so do it for you.

After speaking to a business associate of mine, Sharon Evans from Fresh Coat Painters, I told her about my patient who came in hurting after painting (which by the way she didn’t get to finish because of her pain) and she told me how so many people who are not trained appropriately try to pain their own homes and not only because of lack of training are they not happy but they don’t have the equipment that helps professionals to get the job done quickly, correctly and without injuries.

For more information on neck pain relief or fresh coat painters contact us.

Did you know that the body requires a specific number of hours of sleep each night to function properly?

Sleep is something that is taken for granted until we are unable to get restful sleep.  As a child, I remember being able to sleep until the afternoon hours if my parents didn’t come into my room and yell at me to get out of bed. Now, many adults are not able to sleep-in or let alone sleep soundly at all. What I have found interesting is that many kids now a days are also not getting a good night’s rest and are suffering in their learning, growth and other daily functions.  According to the National Sleep Foundation there is also something to consider and that is the interaction between the basal need and what they call “sleep debt”.  If an individual has missed a few hours of sleep for more than a few nights then they can actually owe their body those hours of sleep.  Besides difficulty getting up in the morning or sleepiness throughout the day, sleep deprivation has been linked to several consequences such as increased appetite, difficulty concentrating, depression and even substance abuse.  Recent studies suggest that getting a few extra hours of sleep can be “paid off” for sleep debt when possible.

Instead of running to get drugs to try and knock yourself out, here are a few natural tips to get to bed and sleep:

1. Go to bed at the same time every single night

2. Make sure that there is no stimulus keeping you awake such as television, radio, reading etc.

3. Try not eating 2-3 hours before you get to bed.

4. Exercise 4-5 times per week and break a sweat so that your body is yearning to get more restful sleep. 

And if you are still having trouble, many of my patients in my office have found that in addition to exercise, getting adjusted has helped them sleep better since they feel better.  In addition, several herbal supplements are available that can be helpful.

For more information and getting better rest contact us.

Pull weeks and not your back in Livermore, CA

This week in my office had several patients who came in complaining of back pain after working outside in their garden.  Although pulling weeds and planting a garden is eco-friendly and can be a good workout, it can also be dangerous to your back if you don’t do it properly.   This week’s blog features tips on keep your back strong and feeling good while tending to a beautiful yard or garden.

It’s also a good idea to warm-up and cool-down as if you were performing a sport as it can be one!  And most importantly, if you are feeling aches and pains from gardening and the pain persists, consider visiting a doctor of chiropractic.

Scoliosis Treatment and Posture awareness for Kids in Livermore

Many times, I have patients who come to my office in Livermore complaining of chronic back pain, neck pain, headaches, hip pain, shoulder pain and the list continues. In many cases, the aches and pains are in more than one area and seem to affect one another.  Once we examine them thoroughly and take x-rays, scoliosis is the terrible diagnosis. Scoliosis is a condition of the spine that is in many cases hereditary where the spine has an abnormal curvature. 

From the side view of the spine there should be three curves-one in the neck (cervical lordosis), the mid back (thoracic kyphosis) and low back (lumbar lordosis). These curves from the side are ABSOLUTELY normal and NECESSARY.  These are the curves that we talk about when we address posture!  Now scoliosis curves are visible on x-ray when looking at the spine from either the front or back view.   When these curves develop they irritate nerves, muscles and in many cases affect organ function.

When adult patients present with scoliosis, I always tell them that getting their spines straight is not a huge possibility unless they were still growing vertically! That is why I always recommend they bring in their children to be checked for scoliosis so it may be corrected and prevent future problems in adulthood.  Most scoliosis tests done by the school nurse or by pediatricians are not sufficient.  The traditional quick test is to ask the child to bend forward at the waist and touch their toes. If the shoulder blade pops out then scoliosis is suspected. This vague test cause many cases of scoliosis to be undiagnosed until symptoms appear later on in life.

For this reason, we at Haque Chiropractic are dedicating this month of April to check children for scoliosis and postural problems.  And during the week of April 11^th through April 15^th we are doing it at no charge!

For more information on this event or to schedule an appointment for your children contact us.  And remember, and ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

It’s time to clean out your body with 28 days to health at Haque Chiropractic and Lifestyle Fitness

Every year, we hit our “max-point” of how much clutter, dust and garbage we can take which motivates us to get up and finally clean out our closets, garages etc.  Afterwards, a sense of relief comes over where there is a weight or burden that is lifted off our lives. What about your health? When is the last time you did a cleaning of your body? I’m not talking about scrubbing yourself down in the shower! I’m talking about cleaning the inside out? Often times, patients ask me about detoxing their bodies and I am always for it because of all the bad food choices we make not to mention the pesticides, hormones and chemicals that are hidden in so many foods including ones we think are healthy. So yes, it’s time to detox your body so you can not only feel and look better but so you can function better and all the other good things you are doing for you can be more effective. 

With this in mind we have partnered with 28 days to health in our facility so that people in Livermore have the opportunity to partake in this program. How it works:  4 weeks of eating clean without gluten, soy and dairy (which are the most common food allergens) and taking supplements that cleanse the bowels and the liver.  The program includes 4 classes (once per week on Wednesdays at 630pm) so that you learn how to eat better for the rest of your life and have your progress measured. Most people lose an average of 7-15lbs, feel fantastic and change their habits for the rest of their lives.

Our classes begin April 13, 2011 in our office. For more information on registering for this program contact us or www.newunutrition.com