Category — Philosophy

Glucosamine (glucosamine sulfate), chondroitin (chondroitin sulfate), and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are widely used natural supplements used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (bone and joint).  They have been shown to be most helpful for knee pain, but reports have shown that they can help with all types of osteoarthritis. They are commonly used, especially in veterinary medicine, but their overall acceptance varies.

When patients ask me if they think a supplement can help them get rid of some pain, I tell them that for the best long-term outcomes, embracing a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise is the most critical. Healthy living is the key.  Let me tell you my story…

Starting in the year 1999, I personally had serious back and neck problems that stemmed from past injuries and degenerative spinal conditions. I had serious pain, loss of motion, and muscular weakness.  It became so bad, I could barely exercise or practice chiropractic.  As the pain became chronic, I had mild depression and discovered that life became very hard.  I didn’t want to just cover up the pain, so I refused to take medications.

I received good care that included various natural therapies and chiropractic care.  Both helped, but my problems really became minimal only when I adopted a lifestyle of healthy eating and regular exercise. I started focusing on core strengthening exercises and I began to eat a whole-food plant-based diet.  Within 30 days, my pain diminished.  Through my lifestyle changes, I was finally able to gain control over my back/neck pains.  I thank God that he has designed our bodies with the ability to heal… from the inside.  This is much better than just pain relief through medications.

I don’t believe there are any real shortcuts to true health… such as glucosamine, chondroitin, or MSM supplements.   Today in my practice, in addition to chiropractic care, I offer patients coaching on exercise, nutrition, and healthy living.  Spectrum Wellness is a holistic and integrative approach to wellness.

In short… I do recommend a superfood supplement, called Intramax, that does contain glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM.  Although supplementation can be of some help, any supplement should only be an addition to a foundation of healthy living.

Don’t believe what they tell you.  There is no pill that can replace a lifestyle of healthy living.  True health can’t be found in a bottle.  Here’s the truth… you can achieve superior health through a commitment to healthy living!

I just finished making some updates to the home page.  I reorganized the left and right side bars a bit.  The “Get To Know Us” section now has some indents.  Hopefully, it’ll be  easier to use.  I added a new FAQ section on the left sidebar, under the “What to Expect” section.

The new FAQ section answers some popular questions such as:

• Do you take insurance?
• How do chiropractic and other natural therapies work?
  
• Once I start, do I have to go forever?
  
• Do I have a “pinched” nerve?
  
• Won’t my body “re-balance”, correct, and get better on its own?
  
• Do I have to tip the massage therapist?
  

Check it out.  Also, please let me know if you have any other pressing questions that need answering.  I’ll do my best to answer it… may even added it to the FAQ section.

From now through February 21st, we are offering massage gift certificates at an amazing discount of 30% off our normal price!

That’s only $42 to give the gift of a relaxing 1-hour massage!  What a great Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one.

Valentine Bonus:

• Spend $75 and you will receive a FREE 30-minute massage for yourself!
• Spend $100 and receive a FREE 60-minute massage for yourself!

Call our office today at 215-938-8500, to take advantage of this offer.  Gift certificates can be emailed (PDF format), mailed via USPS (same day), or picked up at the office.

This month we are offering one-hour Hot Stone Massages for only $40.00! This is an incredible saving of $30.00 off our normal price! 

All massages are conducted by one of our professional Certified Massage Therapists in a private and comfortable treatment room. 

You can choose from these optional massage upgrades to make your massage extra special: 

• Paraffin Hand or Foot Treatment (only $10 more) 
• Peppermint Foot Massage (only $5 more) 
• Facial Cream Massage (only $5 more) 

Call 215-938-8500 to schedule today! 

Our team of female therapists specialize in multiple massage techniques. They are highly skilled in swedish, deep tissue, hot-stone, trigger point, prenatal, and more. It’s your choice. And whatever you choose, we promise to treat you with the highest level of skill, respect and care. Just relax and enjoy! 

This special will be offered only for a limited time. We are looking forward to seeing you… call us today!

I firmly believe that momentum is one of the most important wellness strategies.  You can use the concept of momentum to your advantage to help you achieve superior health.

Momentum is defined as”the driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events”.  

You can see the effects of momentum on the small scale… for a football running back to have a chance at breaking through opposing tacklers, he needs to be moving and driving forward with his legs.  His speed and ability to continually press forward are critical if he wants to gain yards.

On a larger scale… a  team of players, a town, a city, or a country may experience momentum from a long standing chain of events or actions.  Our country is now experiencing some “negative” financial momentum caused by events that the experts say dates back to the 70’s.

But in regards to personal health and fitness, you can exploit the principle of momentum for good purposes.  It’s a fairly simple process, but it requires your due diligence.

If you know you need to lose weight, don’t try a new diet.  Diets, by their very nature, can’t work long term.  They are meant to be only used for a short time and then stopped.  After stopping their diets, most people gain more than the original weight back and are worse off than when they started. Instead, use the strategy of momentum and adopt a healthier way of eating… a new lifestyle.  This consistent change in behavior will continue.  

If you know you need to be more active, do some exercise every day.  You can begin with as little as just 15 minutes per day!   As you exercise regularly, you’ll begin experiencing all the physical and mental benefits.  This will encourage consistent behavior… a new lifestyle.  Soon, your body will begin really look forward to the routine. You’ll soon be feeling better and you’ll eventually begin enjoying exercising. 

Remember that there will be obstacles to your health and fitness.  There always are!  Expect them and be prepared.  One of the best ways to prepare is to gain momentum.  

I’ve read that a habit develops after 40 days of consistent behavior.  I believe it.  So be diligent to continue your healthy habits.  Press on in 2009 and build moMENTUM!

As we finish off 2008, we’d like to thank all of our clients for their continued patronage.  We feel honored that you have entrusted us with your health and well-being. We really enjoy what we do and being a part of your lives.  We are looking forward to a great new year.

Some of the things we are looking to do this year…

• Improve this web site
• Adding exercises and pics to this site
• Adding exercise videos to this site
• Adding pics to the recipes

Wishing you and yours a healthy and happy new year!

Warmest regards,

Dr. Ken and the Spectrum Wellness Team

Last weekend I had the privilege of training with one of the top chiropractors in the country, Dr. Mark Charrette. I had to fly out of the Philly airport on Friday, and everything was going as planned until I boarded the plane.

Our flight out of Philadelphia was delayed by an hour as there was a security “issue” on the runway. While our plane was waiting for around 30 minutes, I glanced out the window and saw a police officer unload a police dog and jog toward the terminal. Soon after, two police officers entered our plane and slowly walked down the aisle as they scanned each face and compared it to a picture they carried. They left the plane without incident.

I wasn’t happy for the delay, but was thankful for the top-notch security in place. Our flight was given the okay and we took off. From that point onward, the flight was uneventful and we landed safely at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

It was strange traveling alone, without Laura and our four children. But the next day I was soon surrounded by so many skilled doctors and kept so busy, that the time passed rather quickly.

The focus of our training was on whole-body adjusting – a holistic approach to patient care. Some of the time was spent reviewing anatomy, biomechanics, and neurology. But most of the time was spent practicing the whole-body adjusting techniques.

We reviewed the protocols for:

• the foot and ankle
• the knee
• the hip
• the jaw
• the hand and wrist
• the elbow
• the shoulder
• the ribs

As you may know, I’ve been doing whole-body adjusting for several years now. Even so, I was able to “fine tune” my techniques and really become more confident in the whole-body holistic approach to patient care. As many of you have experienced at Spectrum Wellness, we take an integrative approach to care. You may have experienced massage therapy, nutritional counseling, exercise rehab, and other natural therapies in your care plan.

Because of my additional training we are now better able to handle many different body conditions not typically handled in a natural way. We can help various conditions including:

• neck pain and headaches
• shoulder and rotator cuff injuries
• chronic back pain and instability
• chronic knee pain
• plantar fasciitis
• TMJ dysfunction and pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• tennis elbow
• leg length inequality and pelvic dysfunction
• postural abnormalities

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call any time. I set aside time each week for phone interviews, and would be happy to speak with you to discuss your condition and go over some of your options.

I had some free time on Sunday and had lunch in the hotel lounge, and was able to sample a variety of “Tex Mex” food. I was greeted by many friendly people, including several Dallas Cowboy fans wearing ten-gallon hats.

I was very thankful that the return flight went perfectly.  I was even blessed when our plane flew by Citizens Park at around 9:55 PM, and I got a bird’s-eye glimpse of game 3 of the World Series.  The Phillies ended up beating the Rays 5-4 that night.

I arrived home tired, both mentally and physically.  Overall, I had an enjoyable and very productive time. I can’t wait to see you in our center soon!

Staying active and fit matters, especially as you age. Regular physical activity can help you prevent disease and injury in your “golden years”. In grade school you learned how important exercise is. Now to refresh you on why it’s so important…

Physical activity boosts the metabolism and keeps excess weight off. Regular exercise enhances the immune system, improves mood, helps prevent depression, and promotes cardiovascular health. Exercise has been shown to delay or prevent osteoporosis, and even certain types of cancer. Exercise done regularly also helps balance and control blood lipids, diabetes, and obesity.

On the other hand, a lifestyle of inactivity can be very dangerous. When you combine years of poor eating and inactivity, not only do you miss out on the benefits mentioned above, but you compromise and weaken your cardiovascular system.

If you want to receive benefits to your cardiovascular system and lungs, you must perform any moderate (or more strenuous) activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Here are some suggestions of activities and exercises that you can enjoy safely:

• brisk walking
• hiking
• stair-climbing
• gardening
• yard work
• swimming
• dancing
• tennis or racquetball
• golf

A simple tip to remember is that the 30-minutes of activity can be broken up into smaller chunks of time at different times of the day. What’s important is to get into a routine and to develop an active lifestyle. Remember, movement is one of the keys to life!

Can natural therapies such as chiropractic or massage help make headaches go away? While we can’t guarantee results, our practice can state that we have a high success rate with patients who get headaches and follow through with our recommendations.

Headaches range from mild annoying to extremely debilitating. Although fairly common, headaches should not be accepted as “normal”. There are also many varieties and causes of headaches. Regardless of the cause, when you get a headache, you want it gone as fast as possible!

Peoples’ desire for a quick fix for headaches has resulted in a huge market for medications that do little more than cover up the symptoms. These powerful drugs act to numb your nervous system and interfere with the signals of pain. Although convenient, this approach can have adverse effects on your kidneys, liver and digestive tract. Even so, they don’t get to the actual cause of your headache.

A tension headache is one of the more common varieties and is caused by excessive muscular tension in the head and neck area. Tension headaches are typically associated with dysfunction of the spinal bones in the neck. When these bones are misaligned and not moving correctly, your nervous system is adversely affected. This can in turn, adversely affect the muscles and blood supply to your head.

At Spectrum Wellness, we pride ourselves with performing thorough examinations and providing holistic and integrative care. We will do our best to find the root cause of the headache. As a chiropractor, I am highly skilled in locating areas of the spine and skeleton, where the bones aren’t moving properly. I will evaluate spinal curves and look at your posture. I will assess your supporting muscle tone. We will discuss sleep habits and daily activities that may be causing undue stress. I will be able to soundly determine if you are likely to benefit from the natural therapies we offer.

If you’re a good candidate, we will discuss an attack plan to eliminate your headaches. Your care plan may involve the following:

• adjustments of the spinal bones (vertebrae)
• adjustments of other skeletal joints (extremities)
• therapeutic massage
• dietary modification
• changing to a special “cervical pillow”
• learning new daily life habits and postures
• implementing targeted exercises in office and at home

Even though our treatment plan is multifaceted, our focus is to help normalize spine and body function, help restore proper posture, improve circulation, reduce nerve irritation, and provide muscular relaxation. Many of our patients report fewer and less severe headaches fairly quickly. And without the use of dangerous drugs or invasive procedures.

If you’re not sure if we can help your specific condition, feel free to give us a call. I would be happy to spend some time with you discussing any health concerns you may have. I am available throughout the week and provide complimentary phone interviews.

Give us a call, and discover the healing powers of natural therapy!

Blood vs. Nerves
Traditional medical treatment relies on putting drugs into the bloodstream. Chiropractic care helps restore nervous system integrity by reducing subluxations (”stuck” joints that cause nerve interference).  There is a vital difference between chiropractic and medical philosophy. These two very different approaches are summed up here:

Mechanistic Thinkers

The health care model that dominates the Western world views the human body as a machine. All you have to do is look at any so-called health publications or magazines.  Mechanistic thinkers believe that your body is  merely a sum of all of its parts.  This philosophical view is called mechanism.   Most medical doctors such as orthopedists, neurologists, internists and cardiologists fall into this category.  They treat your body as a bunch of parts that need constant attention and have a tendency to wear out.  They advocate frequent and drastic intervention to keep your body “symptom – free”.

Vitalistic Thinkers

On the other hand, there is a growing trend that is natural and holistic.  It is called Vitalism.  Vitalistic practitioners  give recognition that there is more to your body than just the sum of your parts.  The vitalistic doctor believes in a greater wisdom that involves the whole person and is necessary for healing.  The body, mind, and spirit of each patient is respected and considered in the healing process.

Whole body balance and superior health is the focus.  Pain is usually seen as a sign or indicator of a deeper problem and that something in your body is “out of balance”.  Chiropractic doctors, naturopaths, herbologists, Asian doctors, acupuncturists, and homeopaths typically follow a vitalistic approach.

Our Philosophy
We adhere to a chiropractic approach by carefully evaluating the integrity of your neuromusculoskeletal system (the mechanical parts), but at the same time respect the whole-body connection through your nervous system.  We see the whole body as interconnected.

We believe that when you take proper care of yourself, you can achieve superior health. Then you will feel great and be your best. I specialize in treating the whole person by using whole-body adjusting techniques, supportive methods (such as orthotic arch supports or nutritional counseling), and therapeutic exercises. Through the integration of chiropractic, massage, and exercise, our team of wellness practitioners can truly help you stay active and enjoy life!

Discover how our whole-body and patient-centered approach to wellness can help you achieve superior health naturally, without dangerous drugs or surgical procedures. If you’re not yet a client of ours, we would welcome the chance to speak with you about your health.

If you are already a practice member, congratulations on getting involved in a vitalistic approach to health!