How is chiropractic different from regular (orthodox) medicine?

questions-and-answers-about-chiropracticQuestion: How is chiropractic different from regular (orthodox) medicine?

Answer: Chiropractic and medicine have different philosophies about life and health.

Perhaps the best way to explain the difference is by looking at how chiropractic (and other vitalistic/natural healing arts) approaches symptoms as opposed to how medicine views symptoms.

Chiropractors view the body as intelligent, and symptoms are mechanisms the body uses to re-balance and return to homeostasis. Chiropractors respect symptoms and do not work to suppress them.

The medical approach, on the other hand, sees the body as a passive “machine,” and symptoms as bad, with no purpose other than to cause damage. Therefore, MDs prescribe drugs to fight, suppress or counteract symptoms. While people on drugs may feel better (while the drugs last), constant symptom suppression drives disease deeper into the body leading to chronic (permanent) illness.

Chiropractors promote natural healing by helping your body use its symptoms to cleanse and detoxify. Chiropractors respect the wisdom of the body when it comes to symptoms.

Your Hips and Chiropractic: A Natural Alignment

They’re your hips!hips-and-chiropractic

You need them for a good golf swing, dancing, a healthy pregnancy and to support your spine (and head). They anchor your legs so you can walk and you sit on them too.

Your hips are really two large bones (each made up of three fused bones) that are attached to your sacrum – the base of your spine. They are strapped to your sacrum with lots of ligaments. Around your hips are lots of tendons that attach to many muscles.

What happens if your hips are out of alignment?

If your spine is out of alignment (it’s subluxated), your hips may “do the twist” causing one leg to appear shorter than the other.

One leg isn’t really shorter than the other. It just seems that way because your legs attach to your hips. If one hip is a little higher than the other, then one leg appears longer and one appears shorter. This is most obvious when you lie down. That’s why chiropractors sometimes have patients lie down (usually face down) to measure their leg length difference. This is one sign your body structure is off-balance.

Why do my hips hurt?

Apart from causing problems with your tailor, uneven hips can cause unnatural wear and tear on your spine, arthritis and/or lumbar (lower back) disc bulging, any of which can lead to leg and sciatica pain. If your pubic bones (the front of your hips) are not aligned it may cause sacroiliac pain and pain during pregnancy and childbirth.

Unhappy hips also can cause fatigue and exhaustion because you will be out of alignment with gravity.

Signs of Hip Problems

Signs of hip problems include:

  • a bad golf swing
  • difficulty standing or sitting for long periods
  • leg problems
  • knee pain
  • foot problems such as bunions
  • shoulder problems – your hips and shoulders work together – if one is moving improperly the motion of the other will be affected.

Chiropractic care and your hips

A chiropractic checkup will help ensure a balanced and healthy spine, hip, pelvis and femur (thigh bone) relationship. This ensure that you have a more stable, balanced pedestal from which to work, play, carry children (especially if you are pregnant), and be pain-free and have more energy.

A healthy spine-hip relationship is especially important during childhood – that’s why infants, babies and children of all ages should get a chiropractic checkup. It can help ensure a healthier body for life.

If you are experiencing any discomfort or pain in you hips please schedule an appointment with us. We’d love to help you. Call 517 627 4547.


 

Research Source: De Jong MR, der Elst MV, Hartholt KA. Drug-related falls in older patients: implicated drugs, consequences, and possible prevention strategies. Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2013;4(4):141-146.

Latest News from Charmaine: October Newsletter: Self-Care

Latest newsGreetings all,

Happy Fall..altho’ Mother Nature seems somewhat confused herself as to what is going on in her world.

As Fall settles in, we really need to be aware of our own self-care.  If the media is to be believed, this is Flu and cold season.

Well…. BAD NEWS.

There is actually no such a thing as a Flu/cold season except in the minds of Big Pharma.

 

What there really is, is…

  • A lack of adequate hydration because we don’t feel thirsty.
  • A lack of exercise for many reasons related to a lack of priority….Exercise is vital and it needs to be prioritized and not be the first thing to go when the schedule gets funky. If it means an early start to your day than there are no excuses needed later on.
  • A lack of fresh air….bundle up and get out for a walk– it will do you good…remember sitting is the new smoking!!
  • A lack of adequate rest.
  • A lack of fresh fruit and veggies in the diet.   I make 3-5 salads in a bottle/tupperware container on Sunday evening (ask me if you want details) for the week, especially to eat them after my lunch-time training session…No excuses and I save myself the temptation of eating something I will only regret.  Remember living raw food does not come thru’ a drive thru window!

Stay safe…see you on the table, under the barbells, on the yoga mat or around town!

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

 

The new fave recipe in the Lanjopoulos household (here and Norway!)

vegetarian bolognese sauceServes 4 

Prep Time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup boiling-hot water
  • 1 ten ounce packet of dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 medium carrots, shredded
  • 2 celery ribs, minced
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced/grated
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 3/4 lb dried noodles of choice
  • 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving (optional)
  • Optional…I add a cup of cooked lentils
  • Also optional   8ozs finely chopped baby bella mushrooms

Directions:

      1. Soak mushrooms in boiling-hot water 15 minutes.
      2. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chopped vegetables and garlic (including baby bellas if using), rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, about 12 minutes.
      3. Lift mushrooms out of soaking liquid, squeeze excess liquid back into bowl (reserve liquid), and rinse mushrooms well to remove any grit.  Filter the soaking water through a coffee filter to remove any residue. Set aside.  Finely chop mushrooms, then add to vegetables in skillet along with tomato paste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until wine is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Stir in lentils if using.
      4. While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water in a heatproof measuring cup, then drain pasta in a colander.

 

Quinoa and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

quinoa stuffed portobello mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 4-6 Portobello mushrooms
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Black Pepper

Ingredients for the stuffing:

  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 2 cups chopped spinach (frozen and defrosted spinach works nicely)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  •  1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
  3. While mushrooms are cooking, prepare the stuffing.
  4. Sauté the diced onions in a bit of olive oil (or Pam) until translucent. Add the spinach, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the cooked quinoa. Stir to combine everything equally.
  5. Once mushrooms have finished roasting, remove from oven. Distribute the spinach mixture among them. Return to oven and bake at 375 for an additional 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Tip: for a different presentation, cook the mushrooms fully, then dice and toss with the spinach/quinoa mixture for a delicious warm quinoa salad.

Enjoy!

Interesting Facts to Keep Life in Perspective

World Perspectivepersepctive-things-to-ponder

If we could shrink the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.
There would be:

  • 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere, 8 Africans
  • 52 would be female, 48 would be male
  • 70 would be non-white, 30 would be white
  • 70 would be non-Christian, 30 would be Christian
  • 6 would possess 59% of the entire world’s wealth and all 6 would be from the USA
  • 80 would live in substandard housing
  • 70 would be unable to read
  • 50 would suffer from malnutrition
  • 1 would be near death, 1 would be near birth
  • 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
  • Only 1 would own a computer!!!!

When one considers our world from such a small compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.

The following are also some things to ponder…

  • Someone once said: What goes around comes around. Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching. Sing like nobody’s listening. Live like it’s Heaven on Earth.
  • Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
  • To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart.
  • Anger is only one letter short of danger.
  • Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.
  • He who loses money, loses much; He, who loses a friend, loses much more; He, who loses faith, loses all.
  • Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art.

How Important is your Health Really?

Do You Really Want To Be Healthy?

There is an old saying, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there.” health-happy-family

A similar statement could be made concerning health. In almost any survey taken asking people what they wanted most out of life, good health is one of the top three things on the list.

The only two things that ever top it are usually happiness and good family relationships. Yet how many of us allow other less important things to keep us from attaining maximum health?

Like happiness, health does not come by luck. It is true that hereditary factors are important to good health but most people can be healthy in spite of hereditary weakness. Conversely, hereditary strengths will not overcome a failure to take care of yourself.

A Desire to be Healthy

Most people who come into a chiropractic office indicate a desire to be healthy. Unfortunately, thealth-sitting-backhey often do not realize that it will take some effort on their part.

The average person’s experience with medicine has led them to believe that they will be made healthy by what the doctor does to them or what he gives them. They can just sit back, do nothing or at most, remember to take their medication every four hours.

While this approach may be “relatively effective” in the treatment of disease, it has virtually nothing to do with health. For the most part, disease treatment is a passive activity. Health maintenance, or health restoration, is largely an active endeavor. Therein lies the problem.

Sitting back and doing nothing will not promote or maintain health.

Hoping or wishing for it will not make it happen. It must be actively pursued. A choice must be made. Good, nutritious, health-promoting food is available, but then so is junk food. You must make the decision as to what kind you are going to eat and then make the extra effort to get it. Exercise is not a passive activity. You cannot get it by just watching PX90 videos.

Chiropractic is not a passive activity either.

While it is true the patient lies on the table and relaxes, it is the body that makes the adjustment. The chiropractor introduces a force to the spine and the body’s muscles actively move the bone to exactly where it belongs. Further, the benefits of chiropractic care occur after the adjustment, like exercise and eating, they are far reaching and unlike treatments, they are not designed for short-term, immediate effects. It is true you may feel good after eating a good meal or after a good work out. You may also feel good right after a chiropractic adjustment, but the real benefits are the long-term ones. When the body is working better it can actively promote health and well-being and add years to life.

The patient must make the commitment to care.

There is another aspect that makes chiropractic care an active approach. The patient must make the commitment to care. The chiropractor cannot give you a bottle of adjustments and say, “take one every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next six weeks.”

The patient must make the willful decision to come in, be regular and follow the program. The chiropractor cannot follow you around or take you by the hand.

Do you really want to be healthy?health-do-you-want-to-be-healthy

Sadly, too many people do not want to pay the price, which is time, money and effort. Happiness does not come by accident. Fame and fortune are not a matter of luck. Similarly, you cannot expect to have good health unless you do those things necessary to attain it. Every individual has to establish his or her priorities. Is watching television more important than exercising for your health? Is saving money by eating poor quality food more important to you than spending the few dollars for good food? Is doing whatever you do that interferes with regular adjustments more important than your health? Only you can answer these questions and how you decide on these and other relative questions could very well determine your health, your happiness and your life.

So do you REALLY want to be healthy?

Getting Into Maintenance Mode

Chiropractic patients are divided into two general categories: Healing and Maintenance

maintenance#1 Healing the Body

The first category includes a large number of patients who utilize chiropractic to enable their bodies to work better so that they might heal themselves of some condition or symptom. They understand that the chiropractor is not treating the condition or attempting to alleviate the symptom but that if he or she can correct the vertebral subluxation, the body will have greater capacity to heal itself.

They come in to have their subluxations corrected and find that their bodies work at a higher level, quite often high enough to get well of the physical problems they had when they arrived. Thousands of people have had their health restored because when nerve interference is removed at the vertebral level, the principle that heals and runs the billions upon billions of cells in the body is free to work a little better. Sadly though, many of these people do not fully utilize chiropractic care because they often stop once they feel better.

#2 Maintenance Mode

The second group of people realize that the same principle that enables the body to get well can also keep it well. They do not use chiropractic care as merely a way of regaining their health but as part of an overall, health maintenance and enhancement program.

They come regularly whether they feel good or not. They know that being adjusted will enable them to express more life in numerous ways, some we cannot even imagine. We do know that you can have more energy, better coordination, more flexibility, a greater ability to handle stress, and a greater benefit from the food, exercise and sleep that you get.

 All of this from regular adjustments?

Absolutely! Which of the above is not affected by your nerve system? Logically, a better nerve system, one free of interference, has to help accomplish all the above. How much benefit depends upon you, but everyone will have a better functioning body with a good nerve supply.

Not only do, these people come regularly but they also bring their families in and refer friends and relatives for chiropractic care. They know that it is far better to get someone under care while they are still healthy than to wait until they manifest the symptoms of a lack of health. They want everyone to experience some of the benefits listed above.

Getting everyone into maintenance mode

Our desire is to see primarily the second category of patients. We obviously would not turn away a patient with a medical condition who wanted his or her subluxations corrected for a greater potential for healing. Everyone needs chiropractic care, people with medical conditions of any kind need regular adjustments as much as people with no medical problems, even if they need medical care at the same time.

Who Should Go to a Chiropractor?

Is Chiropractic Care for You?everyone-needs-chiropractic-care

A very simple yet profound question.

The answer is dependent upon one’s concept of the goal of chiropractic.  If the goal of chiropractic is to get sick people well, then presumably sick people should go to a chiropractor.  If the goal is prevention of sickness, presumably all patients should be on a maintenance program.

Everyone can benefit from Chiropractic Care at some point in their lifetime. 

We would like to share the very unique goal of chiropractic as practiced in this office.

We would like to see ALL people, sick or well, young and old, getting their spines checked for vertebral subluxations on a regular basis to allow their bodies to better express all of their life potentials.  This would in turn allow each person to get more out of life.  In order to understand this concept, one must understand how vertebral subluxation affects the quality of one’s life.

Physiologically, it is known that virtually every expression of life is controlled, at least in part by body chemistry.   It is changes in body chemistry that determine our energy level, our ability to resist and recover from disease, our ability to extract nutrients from food, our moods, attitudes, sense of humor, our manual dexterity, and virtually every other expression of life.

Therefore, if anything happens to alter body chemistry it can affect every aspect of one’s life.  This is why the law does not allow people to drive after consuming too much alcohol.  The alcohol can produce blurred vision, slowed reaction time, poor coordination, and make a generally good driver a menace to society.

Of course the individual reaction to alcohol varies from person to person. Some people become sad, some become happy, some become violent, some silly, and some just fall asleep.  All however, seem to suffer from poor judgment and lack of coordination.

Medication is Not Always the Only Solution

Another example would be people who use medication to “treat” a variety of problems.  Just look in the Physician Desk Reference (PDR) to see that for every drug listed; side effects which can change you mentally, physically and emotionally.  It is easy to understand…

“Vertebral subluxations are, by definition, an interference with the innate control of the body.  You cannot have body chemistry in balance when vertebral subluxations are present”

…how altering body chemistry from the outside-in can affect everything we are and everything we can accomplish.  In short, it can negatively alter our potential in many different areas.

Imagine if more people knew about this!

What we really desire is to see hundreds of people who are concerned enough about their health to come in regularly with their families to receive adjustments to stay healthy and be the best they can be in life.  Imagine if more people knew about this and were getting checked and adjusted. Wouldn’t that be the community you’d want to live in?  We hope that it is your desire to be one of these type of people. If there is ever something about chiropractic health care that you do not understand, please ask us. It is our desire and pleasure to make you aware of all the benefits of being subluxation free.

While our potential, or performance levels, may be affected by drugs from the outside, they can also be affected by chemical changes that originate within.  Our body is an incredible natural chemical factory.  With a chemical reaction needed for virtually every aspect of life, there are countless numbers of chemical reactions occurring constantly.  It is the wisdom of the body, innate intelligence, which uses the brain, spinal cord and nerve system as its medium of expression, to control and coordinate the chemical producing organs and glands of the body. Any alteration in the production of chemicals like thyroxin, insulin, adrenaline, cortisone, testosterone, estrogen, and dozens of others (known and unknown) in the body, will produce just as drastic a change as would chemicals administered from the outside-in.

Related: Your Are the World’s Greatest Drug Store!

What are Vertebral subluxations?

Vertebral subluxations are, by definition, an interference with the innate control of the body. You cannot have body chemistry in balance when vertebral subluxations are present.  When you have an imbalance of body chemistry you are unable to fully express your potential in any number of areas.

It is not our goal to be a “sore back/neck doc”” dealing with neck aches and backaches and referring people out.  Every man, woman, and child in our community deserves to know the truth.   Chiropractic is not just for backaches, nor is it for cancer.  It is not for any particular malady.

Chiropractic is for people! All people!

Chiropractic is for people! All people!  There is not a person you will ever meet, who should not have his or her spine checked regularly.  It is the goal of this office to share chiropractic with as many people as possible, to allow their bodies to function and perform at a higher level of efficiency.  Thus enabling them to more fully express all of their potentials and abilities, and therefore, get more out of their lives.

Latest News From Charmaine: September Newsletter: Turning on Life!

Latest NewsGreetings all,

We are now in the final quarter of the year (YIKES!!) Summer and vacations are almost a distant memory and we now (mostly) slip into a routine based on school activities and classroom demands.

Children need adequate rest

As a parent or grandparent, make sure that your child is getting adequate rest, great nourishment and plenty of unstructured time (preferably away from any screen based “thingy” to allow for decompression and also to stimulate their creativity).

With the return to all the school sports, it becomes vital to make sure that your children are checked often for subluxations to ensure that they are given the best possible chance to be as good and healthy as possible.

Thank You, Sophia!

Sophia left us earlier this month, on to a new chapter in her life…along with many of your children and grandchildren entering college for the first time.

Chiropractic Care and College Students

Again Chiropractic care becomes important to them as well as they tend to burn the candle at both ends and in the middle…typical college kids and maybe their diet is not quite like at home as they now have the “freedom” to make their own choices.  Hopefully they have also learned that they really need to make time for exercise in order to stay well.  When they come home for the weekend…try and schedule an appointment for a check up!!!

Michigan Senior Olympics are done, State meet is next on the calendar (Nov 5th) and we will also be out of the office for a late summer/early fall break at the end of this month….9/22 (pm) thru’ 10/2 back in the office October 3rd.

Stay safe…see you on the table, under the barbells, on the yoga mat or around town!

Turning on Life!