Dr Davis' Back & Wrist Pain Blog

Michelle Obama "Gets It" With Her Campaign Against Childhood Obesity

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I'm sure everyone has either read in the paper or seen on the news today that Michelle Obama is launching a massive campaign to fight childhood obesity. But just in case you haven't, here is a link to the cover story of today's USA Today newspaper. The article is entitled:

Michelle Obama to launch initiative fighting childhood obesity

What I like so much about this is she appears to be attacking the problem in all the right ways. Here are some bullet points from her game plan:

• Clean up school food (reduce fried & processed foods, increase whole grains and vegetables).
• Offer more healthful foods in school vending machines (granola, rice bars, no candy).
• Stop junk food advertising to kids.
• Give kids more physical activity at school (60 minutes per day minimum, overall).
• Change communities so every time a new building is erected in includes children's playgrounds and parks.
• Huge media blitz (similar to what was done to educate public on smoking).
• Pediatricians giving kids healthful eating and physical activity assessments/prescriptions at all visits.
• Community education programs for parents.

To me this just makes sense...and it is totally doable. Now...if we could only figure out what to do with our adults. If we could...and we can...we could actually solve the Health-care Crises and we would not even need  Health-care Reform. We could probably even balance our budget. A far stretch...but a good example of how treating the cause vs. the symptom always makes more sense.

Mr. Obama...your wife is on to something.

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

Why Children Need Chiropractic

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

As the father of a 4 year old daughter I know first hand how much chiropractic care can help children. I have witnessed my daughter recover from ear infections, back pain, wrist pain, knee pain, headaches, digestive problems, you name it...at warp speed, from chiropractic adjustments.

After-all, how often do kids fall down every day as they run around and play?

It's makes sense that kids would respond quick to chiropractic adjustments. Things just heal faster when you're a kid. However...what about the misalignments in the spine (subluxations) that don't heal? What if your child does not visit a chiropractor on a regular basis like they should (in my opinion)?

Well...this is a problem. It is thought that most of the problems that adults present with at a chiropractors office are from subluxations that were left undetected and uncorrected from childhood. 

Think about it...How many times did you fall learning how to walk, ride a bike, or at gymnastics?

Do you think maybe something could have been knocked out of position? Do you think it would just go back into position by itself? Actually, the body is always going to make sure all of it's parts are where they are supposed to be. But sometimes it just needs a little help...help from a chiropractor.

Hey...the beauty of it is that chiropractors do not put anything into the body. We do not remove anything from the body. Chiropractors offer the body a very gentle force (especially with children) that the body can use to help restore the subluxation. Does this hurt? NO....not usually.

Do children look forward to chiropractic adjustments? Yes...after the first few sessions. You may have to drag them down to the chiropractor at first...and they may need to watch you get a chiropractic adjustment before they get theirs...and they may even cry a little...but it doesn't hurt...and it's very safe.

Then...after your child gets used to their chiropractic adjustments...look-out...they will run to the treatment table, and they will want to get adjusted first.

Don't you think it makes sense to ensure that the spine is in it's proper alignment during the growth spurts? Heck...if something is out...and lots of times there are no symptoms...and it stays that way as your child grows...it could rear it's ugly head later on in life.

It's sure a lot easier to stay healthy than it is to get healthy.

If you have children and they have never had a chiropractic examination, maybe now is the time.

Oh, I did not even mention the damaging effects of video games, backpacks, and computers have on children's posture. Your chiropractor can help with this too.

If you live or work near the San Francisco Financial District we would love to meet your kids.

Executive Express Chiropractic is open until 9-6pm M-F, and 9-1 on Saturday. We validate parking and accept most insurance.

To schedule an appointment at Executive Express Chiropractic call 415-392-2225 or request an appointment online. We can also do a complimentary insurance benefits check for you before you schedule.   

USA TODAY Reports Children Spending 53 Hours Per Week With Digital Media (hunched over?). Parents Should Lookout for Forward Head Posture (FHP) and it's Damaging Effects on Health

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

As the father of a 4 year old daughter I am concerned about how she spends her time. And could any of these activities lead to known health problems...or even worse...health problems we don't even know about yet? That's kind of the way it works isn't it? We find out after the fact that something we have been doing day in and day out is bad for us. But a lot of it is common sense.

Anyway....according to the article in USA Today (1/20/2010, front page), children between the ages of  8-18 are spending an average of 53 hours per week engaged with digital media (mostly TV), such as computers, iPods, cell-phones, video games, etc. 

Here is an excerpt from the article entitled: "USA Today: Kids' digital day: Almost 8 hours" based on research done by The Kaiser Research Foundation:

Kids these days spend so much time with electronic media — cellphones, iPods, video games and computers — that it might as well be a full-time job: more than 53 hours a week, a study finds.

Compared with peers a decade ago, young people spend 79 more minutes of free time each day listening to music, watching TV and movies, playing video games and hanging out online. Nearly twice as many now say they do at least two of these at the same time.

The findings, out today in a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 2,002 people ages 8 to 18, show that young people spend seven hours and 38 minutes using media in a typical day — up from six hours and 19 minutes a decade earlier.

About the only thing that seems to be fading: ink. Though daily book readership has held steady at about 47% since 1999, the percentage of young people who say they read a magazine every day has plummeted from 55% to 35%. It's worse for newspapers, down from 42% to 23%.

All sorts of potential problems come to mind...including the potential connection between cell phones and cancer. The most obvious potential problem...and one that I have been dealing with for years in my San Francisco Chiropractic clinics is Forward Head Posture (FHP) and Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI).

In fact, a reporter from the New York Times contacted me last week because he was in the process of putting together a feature story on the relationship between modern technology and RSI in children. He wanted to know if research existed that could validate what doctors and medical personal are reporting as far as an increased incidence of RSI/CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome), and FHP in children. I told him I was not aware of any formal research and put him in touch with some of the chiropractic researchers that I know that may be able to help. My research is done at my clinic and by observing people.

Heck...all you have to do is look at kids posture these days to see that Forward Head Posture (FHP) is a big problem. After-all, the body will adapt to it's external environment. If the external environment is being hunched over all day (especially during the growth spurts), then FHP will develop...it's that simple.

It's the repetition of FHP movements combined with poor ergonomic postures that cause the body to adapt. FHP can lead to all sorts of health problems including headaches, neck pain, back pain, allergies, and arthritis...to name a few. And the thing is...it's easily preventable with exercises, chiropractic care, and ergonomic instruction. Well...maybe not so easy because we are dealing with kids. But it is preventable and correctable and your chiropractor can help. 

In fact, at Executive Express Chiropractic, January 2010 is Posture Awareness Month. You can bring in your kids for Free and we will check them for FHP, scoliosis, CTS, and RSI. Most of the problems adults present with most likely could have been prevented if they would have had chiropractic care when they were younger (in my opinion). And kids are easy to treat. They respond quick, don't need a lot of treatment, it's safe, and they look forward to the treatment (after they get used to it anyway).

So sure, we need to be concerned about electromagnetic fields from all these electronic devices...and the fact that none of these activities typically involve exercise...and the things we don't even know about yet. But we know about how these activities effect posture...and it happens quick...so the time to have your kids checked is NOW.

To schedule a complimentary posture exam for yourself or your kids at Executive Express Chiropractic...call 415-392-2225. Or check out our Posture Awareness Month promo page to schedule online.

 

    

Obese Children Suffer Spinal Disc Herniations & Early Degeneration

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

Executive Express Chiropractic has been helping adults and children with back and neck pain in downtown San Francisco for 18 years now ( formerly Front Street Chiropractic).  

I just read a story on ABC News' website entitled:

Heavy Kids May Suffer Back Pain, Spinal Disc Woes

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Back pain and degenerative disc disease are yet another problem associated with obesity in children, along with type 2 diabetes," Dr. Judah G. Burns, of The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City reported here at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA 2009).

"Disc herniation and spinal disease are generally thought of as a problem of older people, but we're seeing it in obese youngsters, too. This is the first study to show an association between increased body mass index and disc abnormalities in children," Burns noted.

My Take: Well, I don't think we need research to realize that obese children will have higher incidence of back pain. And back pain may be the least of their problems. This is why it is so important to tackle this obesity problem from the inside out. We need to penetrate schools and educate teachers and parents (as well as doctors and legislators) on the benefits of plant based nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. We also need to ramp up the media campaigns. There is too much money being spent on trying to pass laws (Health Care Bill) that only address the symptom (sickness) and not the problem (crappy diet & lifestyle choices). When will we get it?

But for now, it's up to parents to educate themselves on what they can do to save their children from early death and a life of misery. Understand...the answer is not a pretty colored pill or a magic surgery. The answer is "what's on the plate in front of you now". If you really care you can go to resources like www.drmcdougall.com and get all the information you need to help yourself and your children get started on a path to heath.

This is the kind of thing you can handle yourself if you put in the time. It's worth it...isn't it? 

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropractic in the San Francisco Financial District. 

Can Kids Eat Anything They Want And Not Gain Weight?

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I went to an Oriental buffet they other day in Denver because we were out of town and I figured they would have plenty of rice, potatoes, fruits and vegetables to choose from...along with the other garbage that most people go there for.

I was shocked at what I saw. It seemed like there was an abnormally high concentration of obese families. I saw a couple of 12 year old kids that looked like they were already 100 lbs. overweight. Pretty sad. And the parents were facilitating this death spiral by passing along their eating habits. 

So I decided to pay attention and see what foods they were choosing and how much they were eating. I could not believe my eyes. It was is if they had one day left on planet earth and they were going to make sure they enjoyed one of life's pleasures, food...to it's fullest...literally.

I'm not kidding...this one kid must have consumed 10,000 calories. He piled on the fried foods, meats, sauces, deserts...then went back for more...over and over. And his parents who looked like what this poor kid was morphing into, sat there and grazed. They all looked like heart attacks waiting to happen. And they were not alone...it was ugly. 

So, no kids can't eat whatever they want...they become what they eat...just like adults. And the eating habits they develop come right from their parents. 

What I described above in my opinion is a form of child abuse. 

Hey, eating junk every once in a while is OK as long as your children know it's a treat. Feeding your child a junk food feast at every meal is a death sentence. 

Anyway, it was all I could do to stop myself from saying something to the parents...what are they thinking?

Good (and bad) nutrition and eating habits start young, and as a parent it is your responsibility to make sure that you are steering your children in the direction of health not illness.

There is enough information available for free from sources like www.drmcdougall.com that you can educate yourself about healthy eating. And this whole idea that it costs more to eat right...I don't believe it. If you do it right it costs less. It's more time, work, and effort for sure...so you have to spend some time on it...but it's worth it.  Isn't it?

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

Children: Spills, Falls, and Chiropractic

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

As the father of a 4 year old daughter that spends a lot of time dancing and playing sports like most kids...it's easy to see why adults have so many back problems...all the spills and falls we took when we were kids. 

The thing is...kids grow like weeds, and if the spine gets knocked out of alignment from activities like dancing, ballet, gymnastics, soccer, whatever...the spine continues to grow...out of alignment. As the old saying goes..."As the twig is bent...so grows the tree". Misalignments of the spine, what chiropractors call "Vertebral Subluxations" can lead to all kinds of problems later in life. Conditions such as scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and osteoarthritis can often times be traced back to childhood.

The good news is...you don't have to let Vertebral Subluxations go undetected and uncorrected. A visit to the chiropractor right after an incident or every few months for a routine check-up, can go a long way towards extending the useful life of the spine.

Kids respond great to chiropractic treatments. The treatments are gentle and safe...and kids look forward to them. Hey...it just makes sense.

So what should you do? Get yourself and your family checked all at once. Find out who needs what and go from there. You only have one spine. Take care of it and it will take care of you.

To find out if you are a candidate for care at Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco or to schedule a check-up for your kids...call 415-392-2225.  

Headaches and Children

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I started having headaches when I was very young. Along with the headaches I would get a very stiff neck. I remember going to my family doctor and she had no answers at all. Finally, my mother took me to a chiropractor named Dr. Frank and he fixed me up in 2 visits. I think I went back once or twice but the headaches pretty much disappeared for many years.

Headaches are fairly common in children and are usually associated with head colds, sinus infections and earaches. Or spills and falls. But often times headaches in children have no known cause (insidious onset) and they can become very uncomfortable. What happens is a bone in the neck becomes misaligned...what chiropractors call a vertebral subluxation, and over time this can cause nerve pressure, stiff muscles, and head pain. 

The pain may even go away on it's own...but if the subluxation remains undetected and uncorrected, it can cause problems down the road such as arthritis and degenerative disc disease (DDD). In fact, some experts (such as myself) believe that childhood subluxations are a primary cause of spine problems in adults.

Solution: What I would recommend is having your child checked by a chiropractor 2x per year with or without symptoms. Of course if your child has headaches, neck pain, back pain, or any other kind of musculoskeletal pain, you should bring them in to be checked. Kids are really easy to work on and they respond great. Even ear infections and allergies in kids respond to chiropractic adjustments.

So there you go...chiropractic can help with headaches in children...and much much more. I know from first hand experience and as the father of a 4 year old daughter that chiropractic just makes sense.

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco. To schedule an appointment call 415-393-2225 or request an appointment online.  

Should Your Child Get Swine Flu Vaccine?

Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 06 2009 | 120,779 views

This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself. This article on Lew Rockwell discusses how:

1. The swine flu is simply another flu. It is not unusually deadly.

2. This is the first time both seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines will be administered. Both seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines will require two inoculations. This is because single inoculations have failed to produce sufficient antibodies. This is an admission that prior flu vaccines were virtually useless. Can you trust them this time?

3. Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene. Why would you sign a consent form for your children to be injected with mercury, which is even more brain-toxic than lead?

4. This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. The vaccines that have been tested are not the same vaccines your children will be given.

5. Over-vaccination is a common practice now in America. American children are subjected to 29 vaccines by the age of two. Meanwhile, veterinarians have backed off of repeat vaccination in dogs because of observed side effects.

6. Modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated.

7. Researchers are warning that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza can apply genetic pressure on flu viruses and then they are more likely to mutate into a more deadly strain.

8. Most seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus strains tested from the United States and other countries are now resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Tamiflu has become a nearly worthless drug against seasonal flu.

9. Public health officials are irresponsible in their omission of any ways to strengthen immunity against the flu. No options outside of problematic vaccines and anti-flu drugs are offered, despite the fact there is strong evidence that vitamins C and D activate the immune system and the trace mineral selenium prevents the worst form of the disease.

For even more reasons, please review the full article on LewRockwell.com.

 

How Vertebral Subluxations Cause The Body To Lose It's Beat

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

The nervous system controls every function in the body. the nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. The nervous system is the only organ in the body to be completely encased by bone (the skull and spine)..that's how vital to life it is.

In fact, the nervous system is the first organ to develop in vertebrates. The nervous system then builds the rest of the body and controls and regulates all of it's functions for the rest of your life.

Your health is directly proportional to the nervous systems ability to communicate with all the cells, tissues, glands, and organs of your body, and paradoxically...the same spine that protects your nervous system when it's in alignment...will offend and irritate it when it's out of alignment. Chiropractors call this condition a vertebral subluxation...and it's what we treat.

I like this explanation of how cells communicate with each other from one of my favorite health experts,  Dr. Dean Black. This excerpt is from his book Health at the Crossroads, pg. 47:

                                                            Losing the Beat

Cells get both chemical and electrical information from their surroundings, since the body communicates with both. Cells create electrical fields, for example. Two cells that sit within each other's fields create an electrical network. Changes in one cell's electrical field will effect what goes on in the other cell and vice versa. Since nerves also create electrical fields, a cell may also be influenced from farther away, by the brain or other parts of the nervous system. Electrical patterns may be precise and clear, or they may be distorted and disturbed (FROM SUBLUXATIONS), as anyone who listens to the radio can testify. As a cell's electrical context disorganizes, so do it's genetic processes (WHICH CAN LEAD TO SICKNESS AND DIS-EASE). 

And the thing is...this can happen without any symptoms, just like other disease processes. This is why it makes sense to be checked at a very young age and throughout life for vertebral subluxations...whether you have symptoms or not. 

I don't know about you...but I want to be clicking on all cylinders...and I want my family living subluxation free as well...which is why we all get adjusted frequently.

So anyway, sure chiropractors treat back pain, neck pain, TMJ, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and on and on...but we also help keep your communication lines open so you can express life to it's fullest...and that's what it's all about.

To make an appointment with Executive Express Chiropractic at the San Francisco Embarcadero Center...call 415-392-2225 or request an appointment online. 

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Friendship Infuences Childrens Eating Behavior: Study

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

I just read an interesting article on www.sciencedaily.com  about a childhood obesity study that was recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that demonstrates that friends may act as "permission givers" when it comes to poor food choices.

The article is entitled: Friendship Influences Eating Behavior, Especially When Friends Are Overweight.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"These findings indicate that both overweight and normal weight participants eating with a friend ate significantly more than did participants eating in the presence of an unfamiliar peer," Salvy said. "These results are consistent with research in adults, which showed that eating among friends and family is distinctly different than eating among strangers.

"Given the impact of friends on eating behavior, it appears that if we hope to change the growing obesity epidemic among children, friends and family need to be involved," said Salvy. "If the environment in which children live doesn't change -- if family meals remain high calorie and overeating is the norm -- any progress children may make in their eating behavior won't last."

Salvy currently is investigating the influence of a parent versus a friend on children's and adolescents' eating behavior (To Me this is this most important).

Anyway...it's great to see the childhood obesity issue in the spotlight because of the Health Reform debate. I follow it very closely (I have a 4 year old daughter) and I will keep these pages updated as new information comes in.

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