Dr Davis' Back & Wrist Pain Blog

Can AB1478 Save Lives and the California Economy at the same time?

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

There is currently a bill in commitee at the California assembly that has the potential to save lives and stop the state of California from going into bankruptcy at the same time.

AB1478 simply requires that physicians treating heart disease and diabetes (non-emergency) provide their patients with the option of pursuing intensive dietary and lifestyle modifications/therapies as opposed to mostly dangerous, costly, and ineffective drug therapies which only suppress symptoms and lead to other health problems. These two dreaded diseases are epidemic.

Here is an excerpt on The Diabetes Epidemic from the McDougall Newsletter. Dr. John McDougall, who I consider the nations leader on nutrition based therapy has helped author AB1478:

The Diabetes Epidemic

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2007 a total of 23.5 million, or 10.7 percent, of all people aged 20 years or older in the US have diabetes at a cost of $174 billion.^1a  The vast majority of this diabetes is type-2 diabetes, caused by over-nutrition from the rich Western diet, and the associated weight gain. Eighty-four percent of diabetics are on medications (insulin and/or oral).^1a Born in the year 2000, a male child’s lifetime risk of developing type-2 diabetes is nearly 33%, and a female’s risk will be 39% when following the Western diet.² The escalating incidence of type-2 diabetes clearly indicates that current efforts at prevention and treatment are failing. The reason for this failure is the almost exclusive emphasis on drug therapies, and the lack of efforts to address the dietary and lifestyle causes and treatments of type-2 diabetes.

When you consider that California spends $20 Billion on Diabetes treatment alone, and another $28.5 Billion on Obesity treatments, a side effect of Diabetes...that's a total of $48.5 Billion Dollars per year...that is for the most part wasted when these diseases can be reversed with diet and nutrition...and that's a scientific fact. The cost savings of wastefully trying to treat these diseases with drugs would go a long way towards balancing our budget.

Please read this open letter to Governor Schwarzenegger on AB1478 from James Henderson, Esq. who co-authored AB1478 with Dr. John McDougall, MD.

I think we are reaching an inflection point here...I mean after-all 70% of America is overweight or obese. We are literally getting ready to blow...yet we don't address the cause.

Diet is the medicine of the future...and the future is NOW!

Dr. Eben Davis is a San Francisco Chiropractorand has been a follower of Dr. John McDougall for 20 years.He lectures extensively on the benefits of plant based nutrition and lifestyle therapy. He can be reached at ebendavis@yahoo.com.  

    

Headaches and Children

San Francisco Chiropractor and former headache sufferer comments:

According to the American Headache Society (AHS) between 4% and 10% of children have migraine headaches. And...many adults that suffer with headaches started having them when they were children.  Check out this very informative article by the AHS entitled:

Headaches in Children

The article really explains the different types of headaches well and talks about what to look for...as sometimes headaches are not that easy to detect in children.

Where this article falls short...and I know from first hand experience...is it does not even mention chiropractic (chiropractic and headaches) as an alternative treatment or pinched nerves as a cause of headaches...even though this is common knowledge.

So while the headache itself can be a major problem...so can the wild goose chase that many headache sufferers have to go on when it comes to headache treatment.

Here is a short version of my headache story...I began to suffer progressively worse migraines when I was about 25 years old. I was out on disability for over 3 months. I had brain scans, MRIs, x-rays, and tried every medication known to man. I was bed ridden. At one point I had to have my stomach pumped because of an allergic reaction to Percodan...it was a nightmare.

Nobody had any idea what was wrong with me or what to do about it...that is until I saw a chiropractor. The chiropractor diagnosed me with Vertebral Subluxation and pinched nerves in the upper part of my neck. After some ups and downs I was better in a few months...never to have migraine headaches again...at least not like that anyway.

Here's the deal...my problems (Subluxations) started when I was young and developed silently...just like most spinal problems that adults present with...including headaches. 

My recommendation is to have your children checked for proper spinal alignment 2x per year by a chiropractor...ongoing...just like trips to the dentist. And if your child develops headaches...please do them a favor and take them to the chiropractor...it's just the smart thing to do.

Dr. Eben Davis and his San Francisco Chiropractic clinic are located at the Embarcadero Center in the SF Financial District.  For a complimentary headache assessment call 415-392-2225.

Attention San Francisco Embarcadero Center Tennants: Dr. Eben Davis is giving a Brown Bag Seminar called "Natural Solutions For Headaches" on 6/25/09 from 12-1. Call Boston Properties to register at 415-772-0735. Complimentary lunch will be served. 

 

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?

San Francisco Carpal Tunnel Doctor Comments:

We have been helping carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) victims for 18 years in downtown San Francisco...for 17 years at Front Street Chiropractic (aka Carpal Tunnel Injury Center), and for about 7 months at our new clinic, Executive Express Chiropracticat the Embarcadero Center. 

I used to give a carpal tunnel seminar every week at our clinics...and there was usually a waiting list. CTS was a hot topic for a while...and it still is...even though it's not very well understood. What I mean by that is doctors and patients both tend to use CTS as a blanket term for hand pain...when in fact, only a small percentage of patients with hand pain have CTS.

So what exactly is carpal tunnel syndrome and what causes it?

I like this overview of carpal tunnel syndrome from www.mayoclinic.com. What I don't like are the treatment choices (wait...they now at least mention chiropractic...they never used to).

Anyway, if you jump to the "causes" section of the Mayo Clinic article you will see the following simple explanation:

The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve. The median nerve is a mixed nerve, meaning it has a sensory function and also provides nerve signals to move your muscles (motor function). The median nerve provides sensation to your thumb, index finger, middle finger and the middle-finger side of the ring finger.

Pressure on the nerve can stem from anything that reduces the space for it in the carpal tunnel.

The Mayo Clinic article goes into great detail about the signs and symptoms of CTS as well as risk factors. But the thing is...most patients that present with hand pain just have general pain vs. classic CTS signs & symptoms. 

In my experience, symptoms such as arm pain, hand pain, and numbness/tingling...even weakness, are usually caused by nerve pressure in the neck...as the nerves that control the upper extremities originate there.

I have written several blog posts about this in the past...here is one of the more recent:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Could the problem really be in your neck? 

Helping patients with neck, arm, and hand pain has always been a specialty for us at our downtown SF Chiropractic Centers. And since so many people that work in the Financial District grind it out every day sitting at a desk working on a computer...it's been a good thing for both of us.

So...the moral of the story is this...Just because you may have some hand pain, numbness or tingling...does not necessarily mean you have CTS. In fact...chances are you don't. Your best bet is to find a doctor that treats CTS and related disorders on a routine basis and let them check you.

If you need help finding a doctor in your area send me an email at ebendavis@yahoo.com. If you live or work in San Francisco you can visit us at Executive Express Chiropractic. To make an appointment call 415-393-2225 or request an appointment online. 

Does what you eat effect your genes?

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I have been writing and speaking about the "contextual healing" principles I learned from Dr. Dean Black for many years now.

Here is an excerpt from the great book Health at the Crossroads by Dr. Dean Black (pg 39):

We Reflect the Quality of our Context

When we speak of "conditions," we refer to what we might call our "context", or our surroundings. Context becomes important because we, like all living things, are "open systems," meaning that we receive things from our context and transform them..In scientific terms, the things we receive from our context (food, water, air, etc.) are "fluxes." We can't live without them. As Nobel prize-winner Ilya Prigogine put it, open systems, whether cities or cells, "cannot be separated from the fluxes that they incessantly transform," or they will die. These fluxes from our context are so important, in fact, that our nature depends on their nature. As their quality changes, so does the quality of our life. Fluxes flow in; life flows out.

ME: So...if we reflect the quality of our context, does a newborn reflect the quality of her mothers context?  According to Dean Black's work the answer is YES.

In fact, there is a new science called Epigenetics which explains how genes can be modified by our environment and how this impacts sickness and disease.

The feature story of next months "In Good Hands" newsletter published by the brilliant Dr. Ben Altadonna is entitled: You Are What Your Mother Ate!  

This is a great article and discusses how a fetus can alter it's genes to change to the environment they are being born into-and poses the question...Can a person alter their genes to adapt to their environment after they are born...and can chiropractic help alter the internal environment for the better?

Look for this story in next months "In Good Hands" patient newsletter and I will be writing more about this topic on this blog.

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropracticin downtown San Francisco. To schedule an appointment call 415-392-2225 or request an appointment online.

Active Release Techniques (ART) works wonders for Sports Injuries-Repetitive Motion Injuries too

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

Dr. Adam Jacobs of Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown SF knows what it's like to have a sports injury, but still need to compete. "As a collegiate basketball player it was always one thing or another," says Dr. Jacobs. "But the game must go on."

This is when Dr. Jacobs was introduced to Active Release Techniques (ART). "The difference between regular deep tissue work and ART is night and day...ART would keep me on the court...regular massage was often a waste of time."

So it only made sense that when Dr. Jacobs decided he was going to be a doctor of chiropractic, that he would also become certified in Active Release Techniques. Chiropractic and ART are a winning combination.

There are many elite athletes that swear ART soft tissue methods are the missing link. Athletes such as Olympic Gold Medalist Donovan Bailey, who credits ART with helping him to win the Gold Medal.

There are also plenty of normal folks with sports injuries and repetitive stress injuries (RSI)  that credit Active Release Techniques with their speedy recoveries. Check out this article from the ART website entitled:

New treatment relieves pain of repetitive strain. Elite Athletes have been using it for more than a decade

So...whether you are a weekend warrior, a pro athlete, or you just sit at the desk a lot on a computer like most of us...Active Release Techniques (ART) just might be for you.

We incorporate ART into all our treatment protocols at Executive Express Chiropractic at the SF Embarcadero Center. So if you are looking for a San Francisco Chiropractor that is certified in ART and really knows sports injuries and RSI...give us a call at 415-392-2225 or request an appointment online.    

  

What's the difference between Vegan and Vegetarian?

San Francisco Vegan Chiropractor Comments:

Just to be clear...I have been a vegan for over 20 years. The program that makes the most sense to me is the McDougall Plan, which is vegan. However...it's not an all or none program...the more you do...the more you gain. I try and stay on the program as much as I can...say 80-90% of the time.

I am also fond of the Dean Ornish Diet which is vegan/vegetarian...it just depends what specific regimen you are following. They are both great.

Anyway, the main difference between vegan and vegetarian is that vegans do not consume any animal products, including dairy...vegetarians do.  Both do not eat any animal flesh. There are even a few sub-categories of vegetarians so it gets a little tricky. Here is the basic breakdown of the vegan/vegetarian categories:

Vegan: Vegan is the strictest category. Vegans do not consume any animal products by animal by-products. I like to say..."If it comes from something that has a face on it...don't eat it".

Vegetarians: Vegetarian is a general term to describe someone that does not eat meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. This category includes the various sub-categories of vegetarians and is not as strict as Vegan.

Semi-Vegetarian: This category describes someone who eats dairy products, chicken and fish...but does not consume other animal flesh.

Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian: These are vegetarians that do not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood...but consume milk and eggs. This is the largest group of vegetarians.

Ovo-Vegetarians: These are people that would be vegans if they did not consume eggs.

Lacto-Vegetarians: These are people that would be vegans if they did not consume milk.

People have many reasons for choosing vegan/vegetarian lifestyles. There are health reasons. It's commonly known that animal protein is a primary cause of inflammation, sickness, and disease.

There are animal rights and animal cruelty issues. Check out John Robbins book Diet for a New America.

There are global warming issues as a primary cause of greenhouse gases is livestock production...even more than cars (Livestock, a major threat to environment). 

There are allergies such as lactose intolerance and seafood allergies. 

Personally, I am concerned about all of the above. And...I just like the way I look and feel better when I eat right. There are so many other things to worry about, why make your food choices your #1 enemy...which is what most people do.

But just like anything in life...you can pretty much do what you want...but at the end of the day you have to pay the price for your actions.

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco.  

Dr. Eben Davis Recommends "The Dean Ornish Diet"

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I have been a fan of Dr. Dean Ornish, MD for many years now. His new book Eat More, Weigh Less is a must read.

Dr. Ornish is mostly known for his work reversing heart disease with plant based nutrition, exercise, meditation, and lifestyle modifications. All of his work is well documented. Dr. Ornish maintains an online presence at www.webmd.com, which is where I found this excellent article entitled:

What is the Dean Ornish Diet?

It is my belief, that if the average person was going to change one thing and one thing only in regards to their lifestyle...the most "bang for the buck" would be to adopt a plant based diet. Check it out and tell me what you think by commenting below.

Dr.Eben Davis is a vegan chiropractor practicing in downtown San Francisco. To schedule an appointment at Executive Express Chiropractic call 415-393-2225 or request an appointment online.     

What Causes Spinal Degeneration? Ask Your San Francisco Chiropractor

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

We have helped thousands of patients with spinal degeneration (osteoarthritis) and degenerative disc disease (DDD) since 1992 at our San Francisco Chiropractic Clinics.

Some of the first words out of a patients mouth right after they take a look at their spinal x-rays as compared to normal are... "How did that happen?"

I remember when I first saw my x-rays 27 years ago...I asked the same thing...it's a great question. There are as many answers to this question as there are experts...so here's mine:

I think spinal degeneration and spinal disc degeneration are the result of two primary causes.

1. The first being abnormal spinal alignment (vertebral subluxations) which typically starts when we are very young...even during the birth process. All the spills and falls we take learning to walk, ride a bike, sports, etc. When the spine is out of position the joints and discs wear abnormally...just like a tire when the front end of your car is out of alignment.

2. The second primary cause of spinal degeneration in my opinion is an unhealthy internal context from poor lifestyle choices. This also usually starts when we are very young as our parents dictate what we eat and drink...and everything else we do until we can make our own decisions. Then we have a tendency to continue on with what we were taught...which is usually not so great as evidenced by our health as a nation.

When you consider that almost 70% of the country is overweight and the childhood obesity rate is skyrocketing...it should be no surprise that spine disease is so prevalent....after-all, extra weight stresses the spinal joints and discs, forcing them to adapt to the extra load which leads to spinal degeneration.  

Abnormal spinal alignment  can happen from poor posture at your workstation, bad mattresses or pillows, sports injuries, car accidents...and as I mentioned above...what about all the spills and falls you took as a kid?  Heck...just about everything we do as a part of modern day living is hard on the spine...which is why chiropractic care is such a great tool. 

I have a 4 year old daughter and I am adjusting her all the time.

Kids respond great to chiropractic care...so do adults. I like to tell patients that while we can't do a whole lot about the spinal degeneration that has already happened...we can slow it down or freeze it and stop it from getting worse by correcting the "subluxations" and adopting a more healthy lifestyle.

And the thing is..the body thrives when you give it what it was designed to have...plant foods, exercise, rest, and proper spinal alignment. 

This is why Chiropractic is the Worlds Largest Drug-less Healing Profession...because we help you give your body what it needs.

It's up to you to do the rest, and we can help steer you in the right direction at Executive Express Chiropractic. Our team of San Francisco Chiropractors have extensive backgrounds in sports, fitness, and wellness.

The best resource I know of for plant based nutrition is www.drmcdougall.com. 

And make sure to get plenty of aerobic exercise...the latest research suggest that your heart fitness or Cardiorespiratory Fitness(CRF) is the #1 factor in determining your overall mortality.

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco. To make an appointment call 415-392-2225 or request an appointment online.  

Heart Fitness Shown To Reduce Death Rates From Any Cause

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I just read an article on www.MD-News.com  about a review of studies that show a direct correlation between Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) and mortality.

The name of the article is: Physical Fitness Cuts Heart, Death Risks

"People with a low CRF have a 70% higher risk of death from any cause compared with those with a high level of fitness."

Of course we already know aerobic conditioning is very healthy for us...but this takes it to a whole new level. According to this information doctors will be able to actually quantify a patients risk factor for illness based on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, measured by exercise stress testing. This information will then be used to prescribe specific exercise protocols (and hopefully nutritional advice) with follow-up testing.

Anyway...great stuff...check it out. 

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropractic in the San Francisco Financial District. To schedule an appointment call 415-392-2225.

 

San Francisco Chiropractor

Executive Express Chiropractic (formerly Front Street Chiropractic) is located at the downtown SF Embarcadero Center near the Ferry building. We offer walk-in, no-waiting, no hassles service.

Dr. Eben Davis is the clinic director. Dr. Davis has 18 years experience running one of the most successful chiropractic clinics in the country and writes daily on his award winning Back & Wrist Pain blog. 

Some of the conditions that Executive Express Chiropractic can help are:

• Low back pain
• Neck Pain
• Headaches
• Shoulder, arm and wrist pain
• Sports Injuries
• Whiplash
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Herniated cervical and lumbar discs

Clinic supervisor Dr. Adam Jacobs, DC is full body certified in Active Release Techniques (ART)...which is a high-tech method of isloted deep tissue massage with active participation by the patient.

 Executive Express also has a DRX9000 (lumbar decompression) and DRX9000c (cervical decompression) combo-machine which costs around $150,000. The DRX machines are used to help treat conditions such as herniated discs, bulging discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD).

This San Francisco Chiropractor clearly has an eye for flair (Executive Express Chiropractic photos) . The clinic is a remarkable combination of 100% eco-friendly building materials such as real leather scraps from shoes and furniture used for the curved leather entry wall, recycled marble chips for the countertop and shelves, and recycled resin materials (and silkworms from families in Nepal) for the dramatic privacy dividers between the chiropractic tables. 

Dr. Davis said "no expense was spared...we wanted to create a masterpiece that patients would talk about to their friends...but at the same time would be healthy for them, our staff...and our planet...even our patient processing, appointment making,  and record keeping systems are paperless.  And...our architects are the best in San Francisco...Martinkovic Milford Architects." 

To schedule an appointment at Executive Express Chiropractic...call 415-393-2225 or request an appointment online.