DAY 123 - The Most Common Sign of Allergy

photo courtesy of tajai at Flickr

Itching, rash, watery eyes, and runny nose are what most of us think of as common signs of allergy; and they are. I simply believe there is something far more common; muscle contraction.

Modern healthcare recognizes muscle contraction in allergy, as seen with contraction of smooth muscles of the respiratory tract in asthma, of the digestive tract with throat constriction and constipation, and with a racing heart.

What is missed by most doctors, is that chronic contraction, also called hypertonicity, of the muscles of the spine and limbs, can also be, and is a very common feature of allergy.

Large numbers of American adults experience stiffness and/or pain associated with excessive muscular tightness. American youth, as young as toddlers, also exhibit excessive muscle tone, but are less apt to experience pain than adults. Mild to moderate manual pressure, applied during examination, to tight muscles, in children and adults, will predictably elicit a flinch reaction and verbal expression of pain.

Long term, untreated allergy has negative whole-body effects. Tissue damage can occur locally, and/or systemically as ones immune system wages war on what it considers invaders.

I predict that in the future it will be standard practice for doctors skilled in palpatory examination, to screen patients’ skeletal musculature for indications of allergy.

Until such time, you and your family don't have to wait. You can find a skilled chiropractor or other practitioner, and have an annual screening of your musculature as a part of ruling out allergic reactions, and as part of a thorough health check-up.

DAY 122 - Pigeonholed ... but not intentionally

Pigeonhole principle from Wikipedia

I’m a chiropractor, and I know my limitations; few.

Merriam-Webster defines a pigeonhole as “a neat category which usually fails to reflect actual complexities.” As a verb, pigeonholed can mean, “to assign to an often restrictive category.” And that’s my frustration, the name of my profession is a “neat category”, and boy have we assigned ourselves, and been assigned by our culture, to a “restrictive category” as back doctors.

In the beginning (1895), chiropractors focused on, and advertised as central, our adjustment of the spine, as a mode of improving health and function in all parts of the body. We provided much relief for a variety of conditions, but performed particularly, even remarkably well in the realm of back, neck, and general musculoskeletal conditions. Between the difficulty in making the case for spinal function influencing health in other organs and systems, and the often immediate relief of back and neck pain, we became known as back doctors.

Medical doctors, on the other hand, have created a clear understanding with the public that they treat anything and everything. Nice work.

For chiropractors that specialize in backs, things are good; the shoe fits.

But, for chiropractors like me, who treat everything from sinus infections to hemorrhoids, from vertigo to esophageal reflux, from colic to menstrual cramps, from high blood pressure to diabetes, and from anxiety to ADHD, there’s a mismatch. Thank goodness I also love fixing backs!

The challenge is obvious; powerful historical factors over the last 115 years have unintentionally, and impersonally pigeonholed me.

I find myself grateful for the awareness to climb out of the pigeonhole, and grateful for the strength to fly into the wind.

DAY 104 – ‘Till the End

photo courtesy of di the huntress at flickr commons

Larry was 44. He had a two year-old son, a loving wife, and leukemia.

I was his chiropractor.

Before his cancer diagnosis, I had recommended that he examine his diet, make general improvements, and consider the possibility that he might be allergic to a few foods that he was eating. I made these suggestions since foods are one of the most common causes of the muscle and joint complaints that I was treating him for.

Larry was none too keen on looking at, nor making changes in his diet.

Food is one of the single greatest causes of chronic degenerative disease, including musculoskeletal aches and pains.  As a responsible physician, I educate each and every patient about the risks of poor diet, and food allergies. Most patients are distressed at being advised that foods may be impacting their health. Not wanting to provoke them, I say, as I did to Larry, “If at any time you would rather that I not discuss the possibility of foods affecting your health, please let me know, and I will stop.”

Chemotherapy had its usual side effects; nausea, fatigue and hair loss. But, Larry appeared to be holding his own.

When the invitation to his 45th birthday party came to the office, I was honored to be included.

The gathering was festive; his friends, many. OK, so I’m a doctor, but the food was hardly appropriate for an ill man. Some of the gifts from loving friends, included candy, cookies and other sweets.

A few days after the party, Larry was in my office for a treatment. I had been going round and round with myself; his food choices were a clear risk to his recovery and his life, but I knew that he wasn’t going to be happy with me if I brought it up. What I came to was that my fear was no excuse; I had to tell him my professional opinion.

My words and tone were chosen carefully. He acknowledged my advice. There was some tension, but the visit ended without incident.

Walking into a treatment room a week later, Larry, already seated, said, “Dr. Young, sit down.” My sensitive gut churned. “Sit down.”, with that tone, had to mean, “you are in trouble.”

“I come to see you because you are the best chiropractor I have ever found, but if you mention food one more time, you will never see me again!”

“Larry, thank you for telling me. This is exactly what I have asked; tell me what you want. I care about you much more than I care about what you eat.”

... Turned out, Larry wasn’t holding his own. As the weeks clicked by, he became sicker and weaker. One day his wife, Rachel, called and asked if I could come to the house to treat him; he just didn’t have the strength to get out.

Arriving, I made space in his bedroom for my portable chiropractic table. He was weak, but glad to see me. I helped him onto the table and kept him warm with a blanket. This was not the time for spinal adjustment; I lightly massaged his back and neck, and held his hand.

Back in bed, I tucked him in as he closed his eyes ... for the last time.

Larry had let me know what he needed; making it possible for us to work together ‘till the end.

DAY 62 - A Bloody Nose is Better than a Punch in the Face

First, let me say that there is an extremely important moral to this story, so read ‘till the end even if nose bleeds are not currently a pressing issue for you.

(photo from Seesaw by TOYMONSTER LIMITED)

Allow me to clarify; a blow to the nose, with subsequent bleeding is no picnic. But what I would like to talk about is nose bleeding, technically called epistaxis, which occurs usually with little or no physical disturbance.

Nose bleeds occur in children and adults. Note/Clue: they usually occur exclusively on one side; one nostril.

Most current medical explanations of the cause of nose bleeds tend to be vague at best, and often not rational.

Many patients are told that their nose bleeds occur because the blood vessels in the nose are delicate and near the surface. This explanation doesn't hold water because it addresses neither the often erratic occurrence of the bleeding, nor the customary one-sided bleeding. Individuals can go long periods of time with the same delicate vessels, but no bleeding, and then can, without trauma, begin to have episodes of bleeding. And why would there be delicate vessels on just one side?

Patients are also told that the bleeding is due to dryness. If nasal passages are dry, then wouldn’t they be dry on both sides? Again, why the one-sided bleeding?

Chiropractors have reported, since 1895, that epistaxis often responds to manipulation of the vertebrae of the neck and upper back; in some cases, immediately. I have treated a number of individuals with nose bleeds in the past and have found the results impressive. Children respond particularly dramatically, compared to adults.

The reason that spinal adjustment can be a successful treatment is that nerves that come from the spine can effect blood vessels in the face and head. Given that the spine is the central axis of the body, and given that dysfunction in the spine consistently results in predominantly one-sided symptoms such as arm pain, leg pain, headache, numbness, and tingling, it is reasonable that the effects to blood vessels could also be affected by the spine and be predominantly one-sided.

I often explain to patients that our body is like a teeter-totter; the spine is the fulcrum, or tipping point; each side of the body, including arms and legs, represent the board. With a teeter-totter, if the fulcrum gets stuck, both sides of the teeter-totter will be affected; one may be higher, the other lower. Now, imagine your spinal joints, your fulcrum, gets stuck, from trauma, food allergy, stress, illness, or a lack of stretching; some aspect of your body’s function on one side may be left high in the air, and the other near the ground. If a joint in your neck became stuck, you could have bleeding on one side of your nose, and no bleeding on the other.

Moral: If you were not punched in the face, and your nose is bleeding, give thought to the powerfully influential teeter-totter of your body and spine, and see an excellent doctor of chiropractic.

DAY 51 - My Left Knee

Not nearly as popular as the Academy Award winning 1989 film, My Left Foot, Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, the saga of my left knee is the story of a doctor’s struggle to get off his rear-end and take care of himself. It is also a story of redemption and a great detox fast.

I was 54 in November of 2005 when my left knee began to hurt. At times it ached. At times it felt fine. Most of the time it was mildly to moderately painful to walk. I often walked with a limp.

As any chiropractor would know, it was reasonable to assume that my low back was a significant, or THE cause, of my knee pain. Nerves that come from the low back, supply all the muscles of the hips, buttocks, and legs. If these nerves are compromised by associated causes and effects of a stiffening of the joints of the low back, the function of the muscles that support and control the knees can also be compromised, resulting in knee pain.

Given my history since childhood of low back pain that developed into serious degenerative disc disease, and given my poor track record for doing daily stretching exercises, my low back was most probably the cause of my knee pain.

That same November of 2005 I knew that I needed to clean up my act and start stretching 30-60 minutes per day to restore mobility to my low back, regain the function of my knee, and end the pain. And I meant to.

On April 28, 2006 I entered this honest self-appraisal in my health journal:

“And now ..... my own frailty. I have been doing a poor job of caring for myself over the last 3 years. Doing an hour's worth of yoga helped. But I have not done my yoga regularly. Today marks 2 days straight that I have done an hour of yoga each day. I have let my stretching go so long, that now it is both painful and exhausting. But, at least, what is happening makes sense. My current goal is to see if I can do an hour of yoga each day until the knee pain is completely gone for a week. Then I can stop until the pain comes back. :)  I would like to get back to being able to put my palms on the floor when standing, and head to the floor between my legs when seated.”

The years rolled by, and on December 12, 2008 I posted the following:

“The left knee pain continues in a non-debilitating way – but clearly limiting. And I still haven’t changed my life to fix it.”

Without making excuses, it is worth noting that I wasn’t watching soap operas or professional sports when I could have been stretching. I was leading a very full life that included many personal, family, community and global health enhancing activities. Daily I talked with myself about the choices that I was making, and the risks that I was taking. Sometimes I just had to put an election or an issue like nuclear weapons or global warming before my bodily ills. At other times I was just too exhausted to make the time and get myself on the floor for an hour of stretching.

Nonetheless, March 17, 2010 rolled around, and this is what I had to say:

“My left knee continues to be a problem – I limp nearly daily – I am very limited in my ability to walk any distance. My low back has been stiff for the last 5-6 years and I have done little to change it.”

Here comes the redemption part. I started writing this book, Turning 60 Consciously ... With Something to Say, on my 59^th birthday on October 5, 2010. I’m spending 2-4 hours per day writing, and let me tell you, I am more conscious. Though I am not doing a great job, the consciousness seems to be having an affect and I am doing better with my stretching; 3-4 days a week of 30-60 minutes. And guess what, my knee is doing much better!!! The last 2 evenings I have gone on a 45 minute walk, and had very little pain, and just the slightest limp!!!

The question now, as it is for each of us, is can I stay on the wagon.

I promised you a gem of a detox fast:

On January 25, 2006,  3 months into my knee problem I began a 3-day UltraClear-only (a hypoallergenic meal replacement for improved metabolic detoxification) detox diet/fast (not a true fast, but a fast from regular food). I don’t recall if I had knee pain on day one of my UltraClear diet, but on days 2 and 3, I had no knee pain. On the morning of January 28 I began to eat regular food. For breakfast I had a bowl of homemade applesauce with cinnamon (no sweetening); a banana; a bowl of brown rice with avocado, salt, and flax oil. During the first half of the day I experienced a tiny amount of knee pain. For lunch I had a bowl of plain brown rice. When I stood up from eating my rice, I had mild-moderate pain in my left knee.

Food allergies and intolerances can cause pain anywhere in the body; commonly in the knees. Removal of suspected foods from the diet can often result in symptom lessening and functional improvement. Using UltraClear as a food/meal replacement can be an excellent way of continuing nutrient intake while avoiding possible allergic reactions.

DAY 35 – I Want to be President Obama’s Chiropractor

That’s right, I want to be the President’s chiropractor. In fact I want to treat the First Lady, Sasha, and Malia too.

As a first step, I offer to come to Washington, DC, put myself up near the White House at my own expense for one month, and be on 24-hour call for the members of the First Family.

What a crazy idea …

It is a bit unusual…, I admit. But, my desire and passion to serve our First Family come from feelings, common to most, of wanting to give thanks, and the idea is actually quite rational. So, let me explain the factors that have lead me to the desire to be the President’s chiropractor.

First off, everybody needs a chiropractor. Those who have teeth need a dentist. Those who have a spine, need a chiropractor.

Never in my life have I been so inspired by a President of the United States.

Our President is a remarkable man, but it is beyond belief that the work that he does, the responsibilities entailed, and the schedule that he keeps, do not result in muscular tension and a general tightening of his body. I can provide treatment for our President to help him feel his best, function optimally, and maintain his vitality through the enormously challenging times ahead.

I have no idea just how busy the President is each day, but my guess is that he is lucky if he can find time to take a deep breath. So how can he have time to see his chiropractor? Does he take time for chiropractic care when his neck is “just” tight? Or, does he take Advil to get by? Is he unable to find time to see his chiropractor until he is really hurt? With me on 24-hour call, and just minutes from the White House, treatment and restorative therapy would be available immediately and at his convenience.

The President has asked that we all, each of us, find ways to serve our Country. This offer is one way in which I, as a citizen of the United States, can serve. ( http://www.serve.gov )

In October of 2009 I traveled to the White House to make my offer as directly as possible. See the event as it occurred: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu6oZe4wheQ

As I publish this blog post, the First Family is probably unaware of my proposal. My hope is that the First Lady will learn of my offer. If she and Barack are gender-role stereotypical, she is probably the one looking out for the family’s health; and in this case, the Nation’s health. She'll know what to do.

DAY 14 – Looking for a Cure for Your Anxiety?

First off, more often than not, what is considered a “cure” is that which makes symptoms go away. In American culture, the “cure” infrequently comes with any understanding or information about the “cause”. That means we fix things without knowing what’s broken. A bit like magic. And it sells.

For those of you who are either apprehensive of, or frankly dislike the approach of covering symptoms  with that kind of “cure”, and waiting for the inevitable resurfacing of the problem/illness, let’s take a look at common causes of anxiety and some effective approaches to really fixing it.

Interestingly, the American diet is deficient in the mineral, magnesium, and can be a cause of anxiety. Whole grains and green leafy vegetables are common sources of magnesium, but are uncommon parts of the American diet. Magnesium calms and relaxes the body. Muscle tightness, spasming and twitching can be signs of magnesium deficiency. While deficiency can be corrected in some cases by increasing dietary sources of magnesium, or taking epsom salts baths, many individuals need to take magnesium supplements. In my 27 years of practice experience, I have found magnesium glycinate to be the most effective oral form. Simple, safe, rational, and often effective.

Two other deficiencies that lead to anxiety are that of aerobic exercise and stretching. The lack of either can result in anxiety. Of the two, the greatest lack in America is that of stretching. A few of us walk for aerobic exercise, but real stretching is rare. When quizzed, the occasional few who claim to stretch, report that they stretch for 5 minutes, or “throughout the day”; these are not real stretching. As a part of the treatment of anxiety, 30 minutes of walking and 30 minutes of serious stretching (yoga-like) per day are called for.

Most people who experience anxiety, fear, or worry (and that’s most of us), feel it in our gut, or sometimes in our chest. This is a clue. Everyone with anxiety needs a thorough evaluation of their digestive tract, with particular attention to associated conditions such as constipation, loose stools, intestinal gas, indigestion, reflux, or irritable bowel. Evaluation must include a skilled palpatory examination of the abdomen to rule out focal or generalized tenderness. Food allergies are an extremely common cause of gut irritation, and are therefore a common cause of anxiety.

A critical thing to understand is that anxiety about an event or circumstance can cause gut discomfort or dysfunction, and the reverse is true; gut discomfort or dysfunction can cause anxiety.

My final warning on the gut-anxiety connection is that an absence of gut symptoms does not mean that anxiety is not arising from the gut. The internal organs of our chest, abdomen and pelvis are profoundly insensitive to irritation or damage that occurs gradually. Remember that it is common for large tumors to develop in the abdomen with no early signs. So, don’t trust symptoms. If you experience anxiety, have your digestive tract evaluated by a knowledgeable health care provider.

Note: Q: What kind of health care provider should one see for digestive tract evaluation of anxiety?
         A: A provider that understands the connection between the gut and anxiety. Don’t assume that a gastroenterologist would necessarily be the best. A chiropractor, an MD, a naturopath, or an acupuncturist can be excellent guides if they understand the connection.

DAY 8 - A Great Doctor Has Died – Michael Pedigo, DC

As I have done in person, in the past, I wish now to publicly express my gratitude to a great doctor of chiropractic, Michael Pedigo, who stood up against powerful injustice, and benefited the world.

In the fall of 1980 as I struggled to understand why the chiropractic profession was heralded by chiropractic patients throughout the world, but badmouthed by most medical doctors in the US, the real battle was raging. I had recently begun receiving effective chiropractic treatment for my low back pain and wondered why Consumer Reports and others were publishing such critical reviews of the profession.

Dr. Michael Pedigo, a chiropractor in California, a courageous man of honesty, directness and profound perseverance, died this last Sunday on October 10, 2010.

In 1980, while I tried to sort out my back pain of 19 years, and understand how the chiropractic profession could be called both the savior and Satin, Dr. Pedigo, one of 5 plaintiffs, was already 4 years into a legal battle to save the chiropractic profession from intended lethal-attack by a competing health care profession.

The following are parts of an article written by Dr. Pedigo, and entitled “Wilk vs. AMA: Was It Worth the Fight?”, which was published on July 13, 1998.

“In this article, I will address why five doctors of chiropractic filed the antitrust lawsuit in 1976 (Wilk vs. AMA [American Medical Association]) and highlight some of the victories we won. The reason was really simple: The AMA had created a written goal to "contain and eliminate" a competitor, the chiropractic profession. They created elaborate plans to accomplish this, and then they worked very hard to implement the plans.

In the early 1960s, the AMA had become concerned about the growing cooperation between MDs and DCs [Doctor of Chiropractic]. That was not helpful to their "contain and eliminate" goal, so they changed their canon of ethics to make it unethical for any MD to associate with a DC in any way, shape or form. It was unethical for an MD to refer a patient to (or even accept a referral from) a DC.

Can you imagine it being unethical to accept a referral? Yet it was. During the trial, one of the AMA's expert witnesses testified that he would rather see a patient die before accepting a referral from a chiropractor! It's unbelievable but true, and recorded in the court records for all time. MDs were not allowed to teach or address students at chiropractic colleges or chiropractors at gatherings of DCs, nor were DCs allowed to address medical students or gatherings of MDs. It was a complete and total illegal boycott of our profession.

A second part of their plan was to destroy the credibility of our profession in all segments of society and to destroy the self-esteem of the chiropractor. They did this in many ways, one of which was to go around the country telling MDs and medical students that chiropractors were like "killers and rabid dogs." They always referred to us as unscientific cultists and quacks. Society in general listened to their brainwashing lies, because in those days the AMA was considered "God" when it came to health matters. When the media and legislators wanted information about our profession, they asked the AMA rather than the ACA [American Chiropractic Association] or ICA [International Chiropractors Association]. Because the AMA was held in such high esteem by society, what they said in those days was taken at face value. Rarely did anyone question the accuracy of their statements. During the discover[y] process in this case, we were able to determine that just about every anti-chiropractic statement in the media and organizations, such as senior citizens groups and unions, could be traced back to the AMA getting "second parties" to spread their propaganda. My patients refused to tell their MD that they were seeing a DC. Those that did were told to stop coming because I might "kill them." It wasn't until years later, after filing the lawsuit, that I learned why MDs were saying such things. The AMA was telling them that we were "killers and rabid dogs"!

Since only half of the MDs were AMA members, they needed a hook to force non-AMA members to abide by their boycott of our profession. They got the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH), which the AMA controlled, to adopt the same ethical restraint of associating with DCs they adopted. This was a very powerful hook. MDs that did not follow that rule could lose their hospital privileges. An MD without hospital privileges would be in a world of hurt. That was one of the strong tools they used to enforce their boycott against our profession.

The following is a brief summary statement of how broad and far-reaching the AMA's actions were:

"Evidence at the trial showed that the defendants took active steps, often covert, to undermine chiropractic educational institutions, conceal evidence of the usefulness of chiropractic care, undercut insurance programs for patients of chiropractors, subvert government inquiries into the efficacy of chiropractic, engage in a massive disinformation campaign to discredit and destabilize the chiropractic profession, and engaged in numerous other activities to maintain a medical physician monopoly over health care in this country."

On August 27, 1987, the judge issued a 101-page opinion finding the AMA guilty of long-term wrongdoing and illegally attempting to eliminate the chiropractic profession. In September of 1987, the judge issued a permanent injunction against the AMA and all of its members from ever trying to destroy our profession through such an illegal boycott again.

On February 7, 1990, the Court of Appeals found the AMA guilty. On November 26, 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the trial court and the Court of Appeals' finding. In January of 1992, the final settlement took place between the AMA and the plaintiffs to complete all terms of the court order, thus ending one of the longest antitrust legal battles in the history of this country. Was it worth it? Without a doubt!"

To read the rest, go to: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=37334

DAY 2 – Do You Have a Health Plan?

And he answered, “Sure!”

“So, what’s your health plan?” I asked.

“Well, it just changed, but it’s either Blue Cross or Kaiser.”

“No”, I chuckled, “I mean what is your plan for being healthy.”

Every man, woman and child WOULD BE FORTUNATE to have medical insurance to protect them from the often hefty, if not bank-breaking, costs of  treatment of a major disease or injury. But every man, woman and child NEEDS a real health plan; a personalized plan for how to be healthy.

Some things in life can be done on the fly; by the seat of your pants. Health doesn’t work like that. If we desire a great outcome, like excellent health, we best have a plan. If we’re going to stack the deck against developing life-threatening or life-altering conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes or dementia, we need a plan.

Now, a real health plan should, of course, be a written plan. It’s a little too sketchy to just have a plan in mind. I’m going to bet that you don’t have one. I’ll bet your children don’t either. Consider the risk that you and your family live with when you have no plan.

Keep in mind; we Americans are not the picture of health. In 2004 33% of Americans were overweight and 34% of Americans were obese. That’s two thirds of all Americans. That excess fat is a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and more. We need only scratch the surface to see that most Americans either aren’t connected to the importance of being healthy, or they don’t know how to get there.

Everyone would agree that exercising daily, having a healthy body composition (balance of fat to non-fat tissue), eating 5 servings of veggies a day, and consuming minimal empty carbs (sugars and refined starches), would be obvious parts of a real health plan. I don’t need to tell you that these are not happening.

What can you do right now about the danger of not having a health plan? Start by getting a 3-ring notebook. In it list the important factors that you think create health. Make notation of the factors that you want to be a part of your health routine. Create sections in your notebook with the following headings; health history, test results, vitamins, medications, pains-problems-diseases, exercise, healthcare practitioners, stresses, etc... Now you’re on the road.

Imagine the delighted shock on the face of your acupuncturist, medical doctor, chiropractor, or therapist when you arrive at your next appointment with your real health plan in hand! Now the two of you can get down to the business of working together to support the health that you want.

And here’s the greatest news! While medical insurance is outrageously expensive, a real health plan is something that everyone can afford.

To repeat myself, you can’t afford to not have a plan for your health!