Dr Davis' Back & Wrist Pain Blog

Is Our Drinking Water Safe?

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

I just got through reading one of the most comprehensive (and scary) articles about the harmful effects of drinking water that I have ever seen. The blog article is from the great www.webMD.com website, and is entitled:

Pharmaceutical-Flavored Water?

Here is an excerpt from the article:

How do the drugs get in our water?

The drugs we take are not completely metabolized into harmless compounds, but pass out of our bodies in urine and feces. And even the drugs we don't take end up in the water supply: more than half of us flush unused and expired meds down the toilet.

Plus, we're not the only ones using drugs. Cattle are given steroids to bulk up, and pets are being medicated for everything from arthritis, cancer, and heart disease to diabetes, allergies, dementia and that Western lifestyle affliction, obesity, to the tune of $5.2 billion over the past five years. The most recent data shows Americans increased their spending on animal meds nearly 10% in 2006. (Animal Health Institute: http://www.ahi.org/index.asp)

This artcicle goes on to discuss the pros and cons of various filtration systems...it's an excellent read.

If You Have Chronic Severe Low Back Pain...There IS Hope!

San Francisco Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Doctor Comments:

Do you suffer from chronic low back pain?  If so, you may be a candidate for spinal decompression therapy with the DRX9000. Nonsurgical spinal decompression can often times help...when nothing else will.

At my Spinal Decompression Center in San Francisco, we get the most satisfaction from helping patients that have tried everything else...including chiropractic.

Conditions such as disc herniations, bulging discs, degenerated discs, spinal stenosis, and facet syndromes...have all been known to respond favorably to lumbar decompression therapy with the DRX9000.

The treatment protocol is 20 sessions over a 5-6 week period. The DRX sessions are 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of muscle stimulation, then 10 minutes of ice. The entire visit takes about an hour.

For the most part, the treatments are painless. Although, it is possible to experience minor discomfort from the treatment...especially in the beginning...simply because we are working on an injured spinal disc that is most likely causing lots of spasms and inflammation.  You wear a back support in between  visits to support the spine, and there are some home care instructions that are fairly simple to adhere to.

Lumbar Disc Herniations Can Be Hard To Treat

San Francisco Chiropractor and Spinal Decompression Doctor Comments:

You don't have to be curled up on the floor with back and leg pain to have a herniated disc in your low back. In fact, you can have a lumbar disc herniation and have NO symptoms at all. There are plenty of people that go to the grave with badly degenerated lumbar spines, bulging discs, and herniations...and never even knew it.

However, there are tens of thousands of people that have herniated lumbar discs and know it...they just don't know what to do about it.

Here's the deal...most of the time, conventional therapies such as chiropractic or physical therapy will help patients who have been diagnosed with a herniated disc in the low back. Even conservative medical care will help some people. It's the patients that don't respond to anything that become "chronic low back pain" victims.

Frequently,  the low back pain is severe and debilitating, making even trivial daily tasks a major ordeal. Patients often feel they have nowhere else to turn but to pain medications, cortisone, or even surgery.

Well...there is new hope for disc herniation sufferers. Over the past several years a treatment known as nonsurgical spinal decompression has become very popular...even in the medical community.

The reason for this is because lumbar decompression therapy is able to help many of the chronic low back pain patients when nothing else will. It wont help every single one of them...but so what, nothing will.

There are several companies that make spinal decompression equipment...the machines I use are the DRX9000 lumbar decompression system, and the DRX9000c cervical decompreesion system.

In fact, the manufacturers of these machines always seem to be fighting over who invented the technology in the first place and this and that. Who cares??? What matters is the machines work.

FYI: I chose the DRX9000 and the DRX9000c because of patient comfort and design. Patients like the fact that they can lie on their back in a comfortable position on a big leather couch like platform and undergo decompression treatment...while watching a DVD or listening to music. But I'm sure they all work just fine.

However, there is an art to setting patients up on the DRX9000 or any of the spinal decompression machines, so experience plays a big part in the process. Obviously, the more treatments a provider has done, the better for the patient.

Anyway, if you would like to find out if you are a candidate for spinal decompression with the DRX9000 at our San Francisco Decompression Center... simply call 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation. Or, if you live outside the Bay Area, go to www.axiomworldwide.com, they have a doctor finder.

Read some DRX9000 Success Stories.   

Spinal Decompression News From San Francisco

San Francisco Bay Area Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Doctor Comments:

We have been using the DRX9000 lumbar decompression system at our Financial District Decompression Center for 3 years now. Our DRX9000c cervical decompression system has been in operation 2 years.

Well...So Far So Good! Nonsurgical spinal decompression has now been fully integrated into our treatment protocols for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Conditions such as disc bulges, degenerative disc disease, facet syndrome, and spinal stenosis also respond favorably to decompression therapy with the DRX systems.

Sure, spinal decompression treatment does not help everyone...but nothing does.

However, Decompression therapy with the DRX9000 or the DRX9000c does deliver the one of the most scientifically advanced and targeted nonsurgical, drugless treatment methods available in the marketplace. I have seen patients that have tried everything under the sun with no results, respond to spinal decompression.

The bottom line is this...If you suffer with cervical or lumbar disc herniations and have not responded to conventional therapies, you owe it to yourself to find out if you are a candidate for the DRX9000 or DRX9000c...not everyone is (you must qualify medically).

There is a doctor finder at www.axiomworldwide.com. OR, if you live in the SF Bay Area and would like to find out if you are a candidate for the DRX9000 or DRX9000c...simply call our Bay Area Herniated Disc Center 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation.

Read some: DRX9000 Testimonials

Yoga In Conjunction With Chiropractic For Back Pain Just Makes Sense!

San Francisco Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

I am often asked, "Is Yoga Good For Back Pain?"  My response is always the same...Maybe, Maybe Not...it just depends on the circumstances.

Sure, the major premise of Yoga is that the spine is the center of life...there is an outer reality and an inner one...and the nervous system is the doorway between them. The spine houses and protects the nervous system. So you want to keep the spine healthy and limber throughout your lifetime to keep the energy flowing.

In actuality, Yoga philosophy is very similar to Chiropractic philosophy...which is why the two healing arts work so well together. OK, OK....should I do Yoga for my back pain or not?

Well, it depends how bad your condition is, and what kind of physical shape you are in...and where you are learning the Yoga, and what type of Yoga...Blah Blah Blah. Is it from a video, your next door neighbor, or under the tutelage of a master practitioner??? There's a big difference.

Lets do this...Read this excellent article from the great www.Spine-health.com website and decide for yourself. The article is entitled:

The Healing Benefits Of Yoga

If you think that it makes sense to try Yoga, give it a shot. If you are my patient and you would like a good referral in San Francisco, send an email to ebendavis@yahoo.com.

Otherwise, do a little homework and find somebody good to learn from. If you have any helpful advice regarding Yoga and back pain, please comment below.

If you suffer from chronic back pain and would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco Chiropractic Center...simply call 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation.    

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Can Chiropractic Help?

San Francisco Chiropractor and Carpal Tunnel Doctor Comments:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a medical condition that occurs when the Median Nerve in the wrist becomes compressed. This can happen two ways; either the carpal bones which create the carpal tunnel (carpal is Latin for wrist) lose their normal alignment and compress the median nerve, OR...

The contents of the carpal tunnel expand and compress the nerve. The contents of the carpal tunnel include the flexor tendons of the wrist, the median nerve, and some blood vessels. It's usually the tendons that expand from overuse.

When the median nerve is compressed, that's when you get the signs and symptoms of CTS, which include:

1. Pain in Wrist/Hand/Forearm

2. Numbness/Tingling/Weakness of Grip

3. Night Pain (Classic)

4. Loss of Fine Motor Skills

5. Swelling, and more...

Carpal Tunnel Sydrome is not fun. Often times CTS causes severe disability. But...other times CTS is misdiagnosed and the problem is actually something else.

Stress, Back Pain, and Chiropractic

San Francisco Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

When you are under stress your muscles tense up. Some of these muscles attach to the bones of your spine. If this stress related muscle tension occurs over and over again, it can pull the spinal vertebrae out of alignment...and maybe even cause a pinched nerve in the process.

This is one of the reasons that some people that are under a lot of stress on an ongoing basis have chronic back pain. They go hand and hand. It's also part of the reason that stress induced chronic back pain often times does not respond to chiropractic adjustments.

We adjust the misaligned vertebrae (vertebral subluxation) back into alignment...but then the stress kicks in and pulls it right back out. I have seen this go on for months.

One of the best ways to take on mental stress is with techniques such as meditation and visualization (in conjunction with the adjustments). And you don't have to hike up to the top of a mountain to practice these methods either. In fact, there are many books and tapes such as Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain that teach you great stuff you can implement immediately.

I incorporate stress reduction techniques into my personal daily regimen and have done so for years. So, I guess the moral of the story is this...If you are not responding to your chiropractic adjustments, and you think it may be because of mental stress...try a little creative visualization. Chances are...you will be glad you did :)

If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco Chiropractic Center...simply call 415-392-2225 and ask for a complimentary consultation.

Travel Tips For Back Pain Sufferers

San Francisco Chiropractor and Chronic Back Pain Doctor Comments:

We treat quite a few corporate business travelers at our Financial District Chiropractic Center. We usually see them before and after a long business trip. 

There's nothing worse than flying long distances when you have low back or neck pain...it can ruin the entire trip. In fact, if your back pain is flared-up...it's probably best to cancel the trip...at least for your body. But if you must go...there are some things you can do to cushion the blow.

First of all, you should be doing a lot of icing before you leave to reduce inflammation. In addition, you should see your chiropractor, massage therapist, or acupuncturist if you have time. Also, try to travel as light as you can...and bring an elastic back brace...the kind you can buy at Walgreen's for $30.00.

If you really want to be prepared you can print out this article from the excellent www.Spine-health.com blog...entitled:

5 Tips For Flying Back Pain Free

One thing for sure...you don't want to just wing it :)

      

Eating Right: It's Really Not That Hard-Once You Know What The Good Stuff Is

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

I am shocked at what I see sometimes when I run into old friends, or visit with people I have not seen in a while. Like they say...The Proof is in the Pudding.

Chances are...if someone is overweight and out of shape, they lack proper nutrition and discipline. Or, maybe they have the discipline, but they lack the knowledge about what foods are good...and which ones are bad.

It's sure not hard to see how this can happen with all the advertising dollars that are spent by the food companies trying to brainwash us into thinking their garbage is good for us. Not to mention the fact that most Americans have a poor diet...not many role models. The people that do eat right (vegans), are often times considered weirdos. 

So... chances are, most of the people you know also make poor decisions when it comes to food. It's just the way it is. Heck, I have seen some of the same people in my gym for years now, spending hours and hours every week lifting weights, riding the bike, and doing sit-ups...but they still look 20-50 lbs. overweight.

Obviously they have some discipline...but maybe not with food. Or...maybe they just don't know what to eat. I will always give someone the benefit of the doubt because I know the really good information is not mainstream. It's not taught in school...and it requires some work to learn and put into action.

But for those that are interested...the best place I know of to start is www.drmcdougall.com.  Spend some time and learn how are bodies are designed and the best foods to support this design. Chances are...You will be glad you did.

 

The Shocking Truth About Intensive Drug Therapy And How It Can Kill You!

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

I just finished reading the feature article of Dr. John McDougall, M.D.'s February 2008 newsletter. The article is entitled:

"Intensive Therapy Means You Will Die Sooner With Good Looking Numbers"

This article is eye opening. Basically, it explains why the most common medications for diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol,  only mask the symptoms of the disease, and actually interfere with the bodies own underlying adaptations to lifestyle related chronic disease processes. Here is an excerpt from the article:

The most important reason intensive therapy kills is that drug treatments, which focus on the signs and symptoms of disease, are counterproductive to the body’s efforts to stay alive under adverse conditions. We are designed to live optimally under conditions of clean air, water, and food (a starch-based diet).  If these ideal surroundings are not met then adaptations must be made to survive.  For example, when people smoke cigarettes they cough and produce mucous in an effort to remove the toxic smoke from their lungs.  These adjustments also serve as signs of the on-going lung injury. If cough-suppressing medication, for example, codeine syrup, were used intensive to completely suppress the cough, then more of the toxic chemicals from the smoke would be retained—hurrying the person’s demise.

I recommend you read the entire story and pass this along to anyone you know taking these medications. You can email this blog post . You are also welcome to comment ...I am interested to hear what you have to say about this.