Browsed by
Tag: healthcare

Choosing the Right Lumbar Support

Choosing the Right Lumbar Support

red-chairs-200-300Lumbar back support products are designed to help prevent neck and back pain, which can lead to pain in other parts of the body as well. Many of these products are pillows or cushions that offer additional support when you are seated for long periods of time.

The lumbar region of the spine is usually referred to as the lower back. It is the area just above your tailbone and below the thoracic (middle back) region. The lumbar area includes your spine and all the muscles, ligaments and tendons surrounding your spine. If your ligaments are pulled or torn, you will experience a lumbar sprain or strain, which can lead to muscle spasms and significant pain in your lower back.

What can cause lumbar sprains and strains? Poor posture, poor lifting technique, obesity, and other health-related factors can contribute. In fact, sitting for long periods without lumbar support can itself aggravate lumbar pain. Finally, one of the greatest contributors to back pain is using the wrong type of chair for your body. Surfaces that are too hard or too soft do not encourage proper posture and do not provide adequate support for your back.

Usually all that is required to relieve lower back pain is sufficient rest, but most of us are unable to rest for long enough to overcome lumbar problems. So preventing these problems with a good lumbar support is essential, especially if you spend significant amounts of time sitting down.
The first step to choosing the right lumbar support is to ensure that it fits perfectly in the chair you spend the most time in. An even better option is to choose an ergonomically designed chair that includes a built-in lumbar support, or an individual lumbar support that is specifically designed to be used with your chair. “One size fits all” lumbar support products rarely provide any benefits and should be avoided.

Make sure you test the product in the store before you buy it. If you can, sit with the lumbar support for at least 15 minutes to see if it feels good or aggravates back pain. The best lumbar supports are adjustable, so you can fit it to the chair’s height. Ergonomic chairs with lumbar supports included usually allow you to adjust the height and width of the support. Adjustable separate supports are particularly useful if you use more than one chair throughout the day.

Good health is a combination of many factors including your nutrition, preventative care, appropriate corrective care and the small choices you make every day in the course of living. If you have questions about this article, your general or spinal health, please ask. We are here to help!

Look Who Else Uses Chiropractic: Professional Baseball

Look Who Else Uses Chiropractic: Professional Baseball

baseball-collage-200-300Since the 1920s, when the New York Yankees traveled with a chiropractor to their games, many professional baseball players have been taking advantage of the edge that playing pain-free gives them. Many baseball players from the major leagues have attested to the fact that chiropractic care has been instrumental in helping them perform at their best.

Barry Bonds, who retired from baseball after a successful 21-year career, and who still holds the all-time Major League Baseball record for home runs, said before his retirement, “I go to my chiropractor on a regular basis, because I want to prolong my career as long as possible. I see him about once a week, in between my training (sessions). By getting an adjustment once a week from him, I feel I can sustain my career a lot longer.” Bonds noted, “I think it should be mandatory for athletes to see a chiropractor.”

Former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees third baseman Wade Boggs said in a 1997 interview, “Last year I found my Chiropractor and I have been seeing him ever since. I have been pain-free and feeling terrific. I swear by it. Now, it is just maintenance and keeping in line so the nerves don’t touch.” Of his chiropractic treatment to relieve the severe back pain that he had suffered from for nearly 10 years, Boggs said, “I don’t feel that stiffness in the entire midsection anymore. I haven’t winced since I started this… The muscle relaxants weren’t working, the prednisone wasn’t working, nothing was working anymore. My legs were like jelly.” After his experience, Boggs became something of a self-described “torch-bearer” for chiropractic.

Former major league player Jose Canseco said of chiropractic, “I’ve found that it’s a great stress reliever to get adjusted. It takes away a lot of the tightness in the muscles.” He noted that chiropractic is useful for baseball players because “When you’re out there and you’re not feeling the pain, you’re obviously going to be a better player.”

Johnny Damon is another staunch supporter of chiropractic. While playing for the New York Yankees in 2007, Damon advised that they hire a team chiropractor. He knew first-hand of the benefits of regular chiropractic care. Damon was one of only three major league players who had gone for at least 10 years in the majors without being put on the disabled list.

Jason Motte, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals said of their team chiropractor, Dr. Ralph Filson, “I had issues with my shoulder and arm for a long time. I started seeing Dr. Filson this year. Since then, I have not had any arm problems. The whole team appreciates him and the work he did throughout the season. I know while being under Dr. Filson’s care, I was able to feel 100% while on the mound.”
Team chiropractors are becoming increasingly common in Major League Baseball, and these athletes’ testimonials strongly suggest that it’s a good move for any team to make if they want to keep their players healthy and performing at their best.

Obesity Facts and Figures

Obesity Facts and Figures

big-belly-200-300

Obesity is fast becoming the number one health problem in the world, contributing to an increased risk of other diseases and putting a strain on national health budgets. Following are some interesting facts and figures related to obesity:

 

* About 17% of medical costs in the US are due to obesity and its related diseases, totaling an estimated $168 billion per year.
* Obesity adds about $2,800 to a person’s medical bills annually.
* An estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the US each year are caused by obesity.
* One third of US adults are obese, indicating a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
* If an 18-year-old remains obese throughout their adulthood, it will cost them $550,000.
* 80% of cases of Type 2 diabetes are related to obesity. The rate of diabetes has doubled in eight states since 1995.
* 70% of heart disease is obesity-related.
* Low-income women are more likely to become obese than high-income women. Over 33% of people earning less than $15,000 annually are obese, as opposed to a 24.6% rate of obesity in those earning $50,000 or more.
* The highest rates of obesity are found among non-Hispanic African Americans (44.1%), followed by Mexican-Americans (39.3%), Hispanics (37.9%) and non-Hispanic whites (32.6%). Asians have the lowest rate of obesity at 16.7%.
* In the last 30 years childhood obesity has tripled, from 6.5% in children aged 6 to 11 years to 19.6% today. The obesity rate in teenagers aged 12 to 19 years has increased from 5% to 18.1%.
* Of children who are overweight at age 10-15, 80% will be obese as adults.
* As a percentage of the population, the US has the highest number of obese people (33.9%), followed by Mexico (24%), the UK (23%), Slovakia (22.4) and Greece (22%).
* College graduates have an obesity rate of 20.8%, which is lower than the 29.5% rate of those who have only graduated high school.
* Obesity begins to decline after age 60. The population of those over age 69 has an obesity rate of 20.5%.
* The rate of obesity is increasing in the US. In 2007 only one state had an overall obesity rate of over 30%. In 2011, 12 states had a greater than 30% obesity rate.
* 40% of obese Americans aged 50 to 84 have osteoarthritis of the knee, caused by the wear and tear to the joints from excess weight stress. One extra pound of weight is equivalent to four pounds of stress on the knee.

Good health is a combination of many factors including your nutrition, preventative care, appropriate corrective care and the small choices you make every day in the course of living.

If you are overweight and would like to lose weight and/or learn more about how to eat for health and weight maintenance we can help! Our doctor supervised diet helps you safely lose weight while maintaining muscle mass. As a bonus, with the help of our weight loss coaches, you will learn nutritional and lifestyle skills that will serve you well for a lifetime! For more information, call our office at 406-652-3553 or go to www.healthyhabitsbillings.com.

If you have questions about this article, your general or spinal health, please ask. We are here to help!

Patient’s Satisfaction with Chiropractic Care

Patient’s Satisfaction with Chiropractic Care

satisfaction-form-200-300When it comes to making important choices about treatment options for back pain, it’s worth looking at the experiences of others who have found something that works.  In recent years, the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center has surveyed the magazine’s subscribers to do just that.  In April and May 2009, Consumer Reports released some of its findings publicly.  A summary appears below.

About the Survey Participants:

* More than 14,000 participants who had suffered from lower-back pain in the prior year but had never had back surgery.
* More than half reported that pain severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer.
* Many reported that pain interfered with sleep, sex and efforts to maintain a healthy weight.
* 88% reported that the pain recurred through the year.
* Most had tried five or six different treatments.

How Respondents Ranked the Healthcare Providers Who Had Treated Them:

Healthcare Provider Percent Who Were Highly Satisfied With Treatment and Advice*
Chiropractor       59%
Physical Therapist+ 55%
Acupuncturist    53%
Physician, Specialist 44%
Physician, Primary Care 34%

How Respondents Ranked Selected Back Pain Therapies:

Therapy Percentage Who Reported that the Therapy Helped a Lot
Chiropractic Manipulation 58%
Prescription Drugs 45%
Over-the-Counter Drugs              22%

In July 2011, Consumer Reports published an updated report describing how Americans use alternative approaches to healthcare as well as their experience with various therapies and their providers.  Chiropractic care once again was reported to be the most popular approach to back pain relief and was ranked most highly in terms of patient satisfaction.

Your Doctor of Chiropractic can help relieve back pain and restore mobility by using a drug-free, hands-on technique called “spinal manipulation” or “chiropractic adjustment”.  He or she may also use other manual therapies, such as massage, to complement this primary treatment.  In addition, many chiropractors are skilled in designing exercise and nutrition programs for their patients that will help their bodies resist injury and function properly.  By focusing on both immediate pain relief and the underlying causes of back pain, your chiropractor can help you achieve a healthier overall lifestyle.

Every body is different. If you have questions about this article or whether chiropractic is an appropriate choice for your specific situation, please ask. We are here to help!

The Fiscal Cliff

The Fiscal Cliff

capitalAs most of us know – our country is approaching what is currently being The Fiscal Cliff.  There are many varying opinions that are being expressed about the fiscal cliff.

We believe that increasing taxes will only increase the burden on small business and on each wage-earning tax payer.  I have included below our personal plea with members of our Montana congressional delegation:

Most small businesses are organized as pass-through entities, where the business owner reports their business’s income on their individual tax returns. Allowing the current tax rates to expire will increase the taxes that small businesses pay, directly impacting the ability of small-business owners to invest money back into their businesses.

Raising taxes on small businesses, especially in the current economic environment, hurts our ability to grow and create jobs. I encourage you to give small-business owners the certainty we desperately need by extending all the current tax rates across the board and fighting to avoid the Fiscal Cliff.

I ask that you search your heart and do not cave in to politics or pressure from President Obama.

The right thing to do is to lessen the burden put on taxpayers, eliminate waste and reduce expenditures.

The easy way is to just ignore the true needs of this country and to raise taxes and continue to spend as though your pocketbook is limitless.

The right way is to do get back to running this country by looking to God for direction, utilize honesty and integrity in place of excuses, and by recognizing that hand outs do nothing – but a hand up can make all the difference.

How welfare is handled must change so that it is no longer just a hand out. No one wants anyone to go hungry or be homeless but entitlements are only creating a unrealistic culture where the lazy expect a hand out, those willing to work are expected to support the lazy and those who hard working and highly successful are demeaned because they adhere to those very principles which have  made this country great.

This country will only continue to be great when we, who inhabit it: work hard, obey God’s commandments, make our family’s moral upbringing and education a priority, each work to be a positive part of this nation’s moral fabric and strive to serve each other.

The truth is that for too long this nation has tried to remedy our problems by excessive expenditures from the nation’s pocketbook. It is now time to realize that the only way to solve the problems this nation has is to recognize that each citizen has a responsibility to make this nation collectively better. Fraud, dishonesty, and living beyond our means must be a thing of the past. Honesty, integrity, hard work, and doing right must ever be our watch cry.

I plead with you to do the right thing now.
The elections are past – but our need to communicate to Washington D.C. is not.  Please make your voice heard and let members of Congress know that responsible changes need to be made in this country – not tax increases!

PS – My apologies for the words with the built in links. I did not place them there and I cannot figure out how to get rid of them.  Jo Oblander

The Attitude of Gratitude

The Attitude of Gratitude

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, we have some thoughts on the practice of “Thanksgiving” or gratitude. We feel that taking the time to be grateful is not something to be done once a year but something we should make a part of our lives every day. Having an attitude of gratitude is a key factor in a wellness lifestyle.

Do you know someone who is always negative? How much fun is that person to have around? People with positive attitudes tend to have stronger social relationships for the simple reason that they are a joy to be around.

Having a positive attitude also helps during times of stress and change.  People with a great attitude are able to find the positive even in difficult times and situations. This helps to keep the body from being overtaxed by stress hormones. By focusing on the positive you are also more likely to find solutions to challenges you may be dealing with. Where your attention goes, energy flows.

So what are you grateful for this year? Has it been a year full of joy, abundance and smooth sailing? Has it been a year full of difficulty or has it been a mix? Are you able to appreciate when times are good and reflect on your good fortune or do you take it for granted? Are you able to appreciate the blessings in your life even when they are overshadowed by difficult times, stress, uncertainty and grief? Finally, are you able to reflect upon and learn from the difficult times to use that knowledge to create more joy and balance in your life?

These are not arbitrary questions but are key to truly enjoying what life has to offer. Dr. Wayne Dyer has said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Do you need to change your perspective to get a better view of all that is good and right with your life? This is a great time to give yourself an attitude adjustment and carry it with you every day.

Cooking With Coconut Oil

Cooking With Coconut Oil

Coconut oil should be a staple in the kitchen of any health conscious cook.

The benefits of coconut oil are far and wide.  One of the best features is that coconut oil has a high melting point. This helps it to hold up to the high temperatures of cooking where other oils become rancid. During the cooking process other oils can become toxic.

Not only does coconut oil hold up to cooking, its unique molecular structure offers nutritional benefits not found in other oils. Almost half of the fat in coconut oil is called lauric acid. Lauric acid is not found in many other places in nature. Once metabolized in the body, lauric acid is converted into monolaurin which has anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties. This makes coconut oil a great friend to your immune system.

Coconut oil is also a rich source of medium chain fatty acids. Unlike long chain fatty acids, MCFA are easily digested and metabolized in the liver to produce energy. This makes it an ideal food for endurance athletes or anyone concerned about their weight or blood sugar. Since it is a fat and not a carbohydrate, you avoid the spike in blood sugar that is often followed by a crash in energy as the body works to balance the blood sugars and insulin levels.

With the increase in popularity of coconut oil in recent years you can find it in almost any grocery store. I encourage you to give it a try. For those of you who don’t like coconut, the flavor of the oil is relatively mild and is usually overpowered by the flavors of the other ingredients you are cooking with.

Bon appetite.

Got Pumpkin?

Got Pumpkin?

Autumn is here and the fall harvest is upon us.  Most of us have eaten a fall harvest product such as an apple, broccoli, cabbage, spinach or squash, but how about a pumpkin (other than pumpkin pie!).  Pumpkins are plentiful and very good for you.  They are low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. Pumpkins are also a good source of Vitamin E (AlphaTocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta-carotene performs many important functions in overall health.  Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protection against heart disease, as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

Pumpkin can be used in many unexpected ways.  Of course you can turn it into pie, but why not add it to your chili, mix it in a stew, make pumpkin pancakes, cook it on your grill, or make it into soup.  Check out www.pumpkinnook.com for some great recipes and information about pumpkins, including the history of the Jack O’Lantern.

Speaking of Jack O’ Lanterns! When you carve pumpkins this year, save the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc which is good for the prostate, as well as building the immune system. They also contain fatty acids that kill parasites. For maximum nutritional benefits, seeds should be eaten raw.  However, boiled, baked or raw pumpkin seeds contain essential fatty acids and beneficial proteins.

This year, instead of buying pumpkins only to decorate your front steps, why not try a tasty and nutritious pumpkin recipe.

The Skinny on Fats

The Skinny on Fats

Skinny Years ago fats got a bad name in nutrition. As a result, food manufacturers started taking out the fat, but in order to make the food palatable they had to enhance the flavor with sweeteners, which created a whole different set of problems. Now people are gaining a better understanding about fats and are realizing that not all fats are created equal and fats are even essential to a healthy diet.

Fats are necessary for many biological processes. Fats provide energy and are necessary for the absorption and assimilation of many vitamins. Omega-3 fatty acid is a good example of a fat known to have many health benefits such as being an anti-inflammatory.

You will find that there are a lot of terms associated with fats such as saturated, unsaturated, trans and so on. All these terms describe the chemical composition of the fat but can be confusing for the newly health conscious consumer. While these are not hard and fast rules, these suggestions will get you started towards helping you gain some understanding about this complex subject. Let’s keep it simple to start and you can use this to build on as you learn more about nutrition.

Generally speaking unsaturated fats are going to be the healthier fats. You may see the prefix Poly or Mono in front, which is fine. Unsaturated fats generally come from plant sources and tend to be a liquid at room temperature.

Saturated fats are a bit complex and not clear cut as to whether they are healthy or not. Saturated fats come from animal sources and things like coconut oil. We know that coconut oil has many health benefits but there is disagreement about the nutritional value of animal fats.

However, trans fats are considered unhealthy. trans fats have been chemically altered to make them more stable. Look for terms such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. This is a chemical process used to extend the shelf life of many products. Products such as shortening are good examples of trans fats.

As I stated earlier, this is a complex subject with many exceptions to the rules. If you would like to learn more about this topic I suggest the book Good Calories, Bad Calories. This book will help you get The Skinny on Fat.

Back to School Success

Back to School Success

Back-to-school time draws near!  Though it seems it just began, summer break will soon come to an end, which means it is time to begin planning a successful transition from summer time to school time. Here are some tips for a smooth transition.

o    Bedtime / Wakeup time:  Adjust your child’s bedtime and wakeup time by 10 to 20 minutes per week to avoid a “rude awakening” on the first day of school. Between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night minimum. Sleep well, think well, be well.
o    Breakfast: Plan a well-balanced breakfast—nothing complicated. Smoothies are great and they’re easy to make.
o    Communicate expectations:  Ask your children what they are planning for their new year, help them set goals, and continue to support them on the way to achieving their goals throughout the year.
o    Friends: Encourage your children to see how many people they can meet each day and/or new things they can learn about those people they already know at school. Encourage your children to celebrate their similarities and differences.
o     Activities:  Encourage your child to discover multiple different activities and help them experience a wide range of possible interests early. Remember, our children are the best gauge of what fits their skills and interests, not us.
o    Physical Health: Set the tone of the morning with light exercise, mind and/or body, make sure to choose a proper back pack, instruct your children on proper stretching, and recommend physical activity after school before homework.
o    Wellness Development: Have their spinal system, posture, and nervous system evaluated for pattern of stress or imbalance to ensure your child has the opportunity to create a successful year and a proper foundation of health for life.

These are the years where the patterns of life begin.  We want to work with you to make sure we help today’s children become the leaders of tomorrow. If you need help with children’s health tips and more information to support the health of your family, give us a call at 652-3553 and request information or a consultation with Dr. Oblander. Have a great school year!