I specialize in balancing the spine and body.  That’s my job.  Drop by our office… you relax, and I’ll do the work.  But what about your life?  Is it balanced?  Are you putting forth the effort to have a balanced life?  What are you doing to help establish or maintain a healthy and balanced life?

I received this email from the ACA (American Chiropractic Association) this week.  Please invest 5 minutes and let your voice be heard in regard to this important healthcare issue.

Dear Chiropractic Supporter:

The new health care reform law enacted by Congress (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) requires health insurance plans to adhere to a broad new set of consumer protections.  However, some health insurance plans will be allowed to “escape” having to provide these new consumer-friendly protections because they will be granted what is called “grandfathered” status under recently released regulations.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) supports the adoption of regulations that would restrict the use of this “loophole” and extend the important consumer protections to as many patients as possible.

As a citizen you are allowed to submit formal comments to the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on this important issue — AND WE URGE YOU TO DO SO IMMEDIATELY…

DOING SO IS SIMPLE AND EASY.  HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO…

1. ACA has prepared a template for your own comments.   Click here to use this template.  Read ACA’s comments here.
2. Save your document in either a Word of pdf format.
3. We urge you to submit comments to HHS electronically using the “Attach a file” option under the box in Step 2 of the HHS comments website.  You may also mail your comments to the address on the template.  All comments mailed and sent electronically must be received by HHS by Monday, August 16th.  Therefore, if your comments are mailed, please make sure they are sent no later than Wednesday, August 11th.

By speaking up now, you will be helping to counter the efforts of those powerful and well –financed insurance plans that wish to avoid adopting the full range of consumer protections included as part of the new law.

You can copy and paste the following section into the comment box (Section 2) and simply add the date and your name at the end:

[INSERT DATE]

Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight

Department of Health and Human Services

Attention: OCIIO–9991–IFC

P.O. Box 8016

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850

Re:  Interim Final Rule for Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Coverage Relating to Status as a Grandfathered Health Plan Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

As a consumer and chiropractic patient I wish to take this opportunity to formally comment on the interim final rule regarding health plans and “grandfather” status (Document ID IRS-2010-0010-0001).

I believe the consumer protections included as part of the new health care law are vitally important and should be extended to as many people as possible.  Accordingly, every effort should be made to increase the number of individuals covered by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) via the above regulations.  The triggers or conditions that would extend these protections to consumers under currently existing “grandfathered” plans should not be weakened or reduced in any way.  I specifically support the position and detailed comments offered by the American Chiropractic Association with respect to the implementation of these regulations.

[INSERT NAME]

Thanks so much for your support!

The Spectrum Wellness healthcare team needs to recharge our “batteries”!  So… our office will be closed for vacation from Saturday, August 14th through Sunday August 22nd.  We will resume normal office hours at 9:00 am on Monday, August 23rd.  Please plan your care schedule accordingly.

We are looking forward to a relaxing and fun-filled vacation… but are also looking forward to returning with more energy and mental clarity to serve you better.

I recently attended a continuing education seminar, where I learned some very important information on the toxic effect of mercury on the human body.  Mercury toxicity is more common that you may think.  You may be surprised to find that mercury is used in:

• Thimerosal – a preservative used in the flu vaccine (and possibly other vaccines)
• CFLs – compact fluorescent light bulbs (mercury is released if broken)
• HFCS – high fructose corn syrup (mercury is used in the manufacturing process of HFCS)

Check out the following links and come to your own conclusions…

Mercury’s Effect on the Nervous System

Here is a link to an incredible video from the University of Calgary showing how a very small amount of mercury causes neurologic damage.  NOTE: the amount of mercury shown in this study to cause nerve damage was diluted to:

• 10 -7 moles of mercury = .0000001 mole of mercury
• The amount of mercury allowed in flu vaccines = .1246 moles (25 mcg) of mercury.  Thimerosal is a preservative used in the flu vaccine which is around 50% mercury by weight.

http://commons.ucalgary.ca/mercury/

Thimerosal

http://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvaccines/safetyavailability/…

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/components-Allergens.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/index.html

CFLs

http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls_mercury

HFCS

http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2

http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=105026

What you can do:

• Avoid using the flu vaccine and other vaccines using mercury as a preservative.  The potential benefits don’t outweigh the proven risks.  Consider that drug companies can state that their vaccines contain no mercury if the mercury content is below an “acceptable” level.  Do your research before blindly using their vaccine!
• Avoid eating foods containing HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  Mercury toxicity is only one  of the health damaging effects of HFCS.  It has also been linked with diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular problems.
• Use CFLs with caution.  These energy saving light bulbs can be a real headache if they break in an inconvenient place.  Print up (and learn) the clean-up procedure from the EPA and be ready for an emergency cleanup if an accidental bulb break occurs.
• Consider natural detoxification.  We recommend specific nutritional products, ionizing foot baths, body massage, and fasting.  Contact our office for more details.

On July 17th and 18th I had the privilege of attending an amazing seminar in Philadelphia, PA.  It was called “The Y-Files”… because the instructor wanted us to be able to ask “Why?” and then figure out the answers to many common ailments that plague humanity.  The course was led by Dr. John Donofrio, a chiropractor with extensive study in neurology.  The seminar was more of a workshop that allowed a good amount of interaction with the instructor.

Some of the topics we covered were:

• Brain Hemisphericity
• Vitamins/Supplementation/Natural Remedies
• The Causes of Leaky Gut Syndrome and Antibiotics
• Risk Factors For Disease
• The Cardiovascular System, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure
• Children’s Health, ADHD, Autism
• Vaccines
• Diabetes
• Alzheimer’s
• Pharmaceutical Deception
• Nanotechnology Chemicals
• Parkinson’s
• Infections
• Diet and Exercise
• Laser Techniques

The information covered by Dr. Donofrio really stretched me as a chiropractor.  He explained the “big picture” concept of the subluxation – expanding the concept to include imbalances in the brain.  I was able to learn quite a bit and continue to study more on the topics he covered.

Don’t be surprised if when I see you on your next visit, I may perform a new 1-minute test to check for brain imbalance, which will help me focus my care and help with your improvement.  I may also recommend a new nutritional protocol to support the care we are providing.  If you are interested in more, feel free to ask the next time you’re in for a visit!

Mid back pain is a fairly common complaint.  Causes of mid back pain can range from joint fixations to fractures or even from indigestion to internal organ disease.  However, the most common cause of mid back pain involves an alteration of the normal biomechanics of the spine and surrounding joints.  Sources of biomechanical problems include:

• Vertebral subluxation
• Rib subluxation
• Disc bulge or herniation
• Myofascial pain and trigger points
• Postural distortions
• Abnormal muscular tension

The spinal area of the mid back is called the thoracic spine.  It comprises 24 interlocked and movable bones called vertebrae.  The attachment of the 12 ribs is a unique feature of the thoracic spine.

In my experience, rib pain is frequently caused by a subluxation(s) of the costovertebral joint (the place at your back where the rib connects to the vertebrae).  To get an accurate diagnosis, I would first take a detailed history of your condition.  Sometimes patients with rib subluxations complain of painful breathing.  Others only have pain when they move their torso or neck to extremes.  Some have an obvious physical cause,while others have a mysterious onset.

Then I would need to fully evaluate your mid back and rib areas by performing various tests including but not limited to:

• Examining your posture.
• Checking your range of motion.
• Using my hands to feel for asymmetries in position, movement, and muscle tone (this is called Palpation).
• Orthopedic and neurologic testing.

Rib subluxations are easily treated by using a special adjusting technique.  All rib adjustments just take a few seconds to complete, and are generally painless.  In many cases, patient describe the adjustment as a “relief”, like when a large stone is moved off of your foot.

Muscle work typically ranges from around 10-60 minute sessions.  In many cases, our patients experience an  immediate reduction of pain and symptoms after their treatment.

If you are suffering from mid back pain and you’re looking for a natural way of treating the problem, give us a call.  We would be happy to provide you a thorough examination to allow for a clear diagnosis as to the cause of your pain.

This past weekend, I completed a thought-provoking 12-hour continuing education seminar.  The seminar was on Modern Diagnosis, Treatment & Documentation.  The course was taught by KSJ Murkowski, a prominent chiropractic doctor who is known for his expertise in his field.

Dr. Murkowski instructed our small class on the latest technology and protocols to be used during patient evaluation.  He also covered different modern documentation procedures.  I have already been able to apply several new chiropractic techniques and procedures that I gained from the seminar.

The seminar featured a lecture and hands-on demonstration of functional protocols, documentation information, and new research.  The practical nature of the seminar enabled me to immediately apply these new protocols to our wellness center.

We just returned from a 4-day vacation in upstate Pennsylvania.  Our family has made it a tradition to head out to a beautiful state park called Rickett’s Glen, which is about 3 1/2 hours from the Philadelphia area.  This year we met three other families there, and everyone had a great time.

The camp is located in an area called the Endless Mountain Region and is set on the top of Red Rock Mountain.  We keep coming back because Rickett’s Glen has so much to offer.  There are very nice and affordable modern cabins for rent.  For those who want to “rough it”, you can set up a tent in a traditional camp site along the mountain top lake.  Lake Jean is surrounded by tall trees and offers swimming, fishing, and boating.

The “Fall’s Trail” is the most popular trail and most difficult hike at the park.  This is what makes Rickett’s Glen so special.  It takes you through the Glen natural area and incorporates 22 different waterfalls.  It’s just beautiful!   The old forest, the clean air, the moss-covered boulders, the sounds of nature… it’s hard to take it all in.   The largest waterfall is called Ganoga (pictured above).  It’s 94 feet high and is absolutely breathtaking.

I hiked the Falls Trail with another family who had a couple young children.  We took a leisurely pace and completed the hike in three and one half hours.  I was very impressed that both of the little ones finished on their own.  When I finished, I was somewhat tired but felt mentally recharged.

It may not be the most relaxing way to spend your vacation, but is is very enriching and refreshing.  Not to mention that hiking is great exercise and burns somewhere between 300 to 500 calories per hour.

After a long hike, there’s nothing better than enjoying a good meal, relaxing around a campfire, toasting a few marshmallows, sharing stories with good friends, and waiting for the stars to come out.

If you’re looking for a great weekend trip, check out this hidden treasure in the heart of Pennsylvania.

For more information about Rickett’s Glen State Park click here.

The next time you’re visiting, please welcome the newest member of our team, Brittany Borie, a certified massage therapist.  Brittany will help manage the front desk and reception area, as well as provide relaxing massage sessions and trigger point therapy.  She says that she enjoys performing a deeper tissue massage as she feels she attains better results.

Brittany is a positive and energetic individual, and we are really excited about her joining our team.  She will be working on Monday mornings and afternoons, Tuesday afternoons, and Thursday afternoons.

Also providing top notch massage and trigger point therapy are Christine, Misha, and Ariel.  If you would like to get know our therapists better, please click here.

We have come across a new line of superfood supplements that are very exciting.  They are manufactured by a company called Life Force.  The product that caught my attention is called Body Balance.  This product was highlighted at a chiropractic seminar I attended last Autumn in Orlando, FL.

A couple of top doctors said that if they had one product to start every patient on, it would be Body Balance by Life Force.  The combination of pure organic Aloe Vera and nine sea vegetables makes for a powerful superfood.  Reducing body inflammation, regulating the thyroid gland, balancing the metabolism, and promoting healing is what makes Body Balance so special.

We are also very excited about two other Life Force products that work in harmony with each other.  OsteoProCare and FlexeoPlus.  Together they make up what is called the “Bone & Joint Pack”.  These supplements contain a holistic blend of Calcium, magnesium, vitamin D3, glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM.  They provide superior bone and joint care from the inside out.

So far the Life Force products that we will be carrying in the office are:

• Body Balance
• OsteoProCare
• FlexeoPlus

Please call if you have any questions or would like more information.  You can read more details about Body Balance, OsteoProCare, and FlexeoPlus on our Superfood page.  You can also learn all about the complete line of Life Force products at their web site: www.lifeforce.net.