Warriors vs.Cavaliers and the "S" Word

With the high stakes showdown tonight between Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, the level of performance asked from athletes and focus from their coaches and staff has never been higher. For Golden State however, their head coach will not be front and center on the job, due to ongoing complications from a back surgery he received back in 2015. Since then he has dealt with leaking cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is clear fluid that support and creates a delicate cushion for your brain and spinal cord that helps to protect these vital structures. The CSF bath balances and helps ward off infection but if this membrane is punctured, during an accident or surgery then the CSF is no longer contained. This can lead to many serious health complications such as debilitating headaches, nausea, neck, back pain and stiffness and equilibrium balance problems. These leaks can affect your senses: amplifying and changing everything with your hearing, sight, smell and tastes functions. Kerr has been experiencing complications from this type of a leak ever since 2015. with a follow up surgery to help correct the CSF problem but with little to no relief since. Kerr told the Washington Post, "I can tell you if you are listening out there, stay away from back surgery.  I can say that from the bottom of my heart. Rehab, rehab, rehab. Don't let anyone get in there."

For you and your family though, there is a silver lining take away from this story. There are many less invasive but effective treatments that can prevent what we will call the "S" word, aka surgery.  If you or someone you know are considering or have been advised that surgery is the next answer, especially in the case of back surgery there are other options to be explored. Our practice, Crossroads Chiropractic offers spinal decompression to our patients that is indicated for disc herniations, swelling and inflammation which many times results in sciatica and debiliting back pain. The decompression unit creates a pressure gradient that helps take mechanical and gravity forces off the disc and restores normal intervertebral space between the discs, allowing inflammation to subside and the disc to be re-position in its natural alignment.

We also have a Multi-Radiance Laser for our patients that is the same laser used by the Royals and Sporting KC here in Kansas City for soft tissue inflammation and repair.  The laser works to eradicate inflammation and then heals at the cellular level, regenerating healthy cells in a joint, muscle or tendon structure. Both are extremely effective physiotherapy options to try in the case of ongoing pain and before the "S" word is considered! Other options our office has are ultrasound, rehabilitative exercises, massage and acupuncture as a means to address ongoing pain beyond chiropractic!  Yoga and physical therapy should be considered as well as means of healing before surgery.

Call our office at 816.471.7330 and we will consult with you to find the best treatment and physiotherapy course of care. The hope of this post is to inform you in letting you know that there are many other options to be as optimized, healthy and vital as you can possibly be and be back on your feet in no time!  We would love to assist you in your health, healing and wellness journey and in the meantime, shout out to your favorite team and enjoy tonight's Finals game!

Maintenance and Prevention

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" ~Benjamin Franklin

Chiropractic maintenance care is not only designed to maintain the current health of your spine and body, but prevent future aches and pains from creeping up on you.  In our office we recommend monthly maintenance care as a bare minimum.  Some people need more frequent adjustments, and some people get away with a little longer time in between.  With this type of care, many of our patients report no pain every time we see them.  "No, pain?  Then why are they coming in". PREVENTION [of pain].

All too many times, patients come in after several months (or sometimes even years), and I hear the same story:  "I was feeling really good until just the last few days/weeks/months".  Well, guess what was happening all the days/weeks/months since your last visit?  LIFE.  Life adds up, it's all the little things we do that can cause the spine to move out of alignment and lead to pain.  Here are a few things that really add up and take their toll on the body:

Sitting at a computer all day
Sleeping on your sides or stomach
Exercising
Wearing High Heels
Riding on an airplane
Taking a long road trip
Camping
Sleeping in a different bed
Cleaning the house
Holding/lifting a baby 50 times a day
and the list goes on......

At Crossroads Chiropractic, we believe it is your prerogative if you want to dictate how frequent your adjustments are.  BUT, keep in mind that if you come in every few months and need a handful of visits to get rid of the pain,  you'd probably be much better off coming in on a regular basis.  This can not only save the hassle and discomfort of being in pain, but can save time and money because you likely will need less care.

That all being said, we're always happy to see your face whenever you choose to see us, and are honored you've chosen Crossroads Chiropractic & Wellness Center to help you on your health journey.

~Dr. Taylor

Get your "Poker Face" ready, Kansas City! Big Brothers Big Sisters is having a Poker Tournament!!

Spots are filling up fast and you will NOT want to miss your chance to win some of the 

amazing prizes that will be up for grabs:

- Kansas City Royals Suite for Six

- Charlie Hustle Prize Package

- CrossroadsKC at Grinder's Concert Packages

- Posh KC Blow Dry Bar Package

- Sporting Kansas City Neon Bar Sign

- More To Come!!

Saturday, June 13th

Doors at 3:00

Poker at 4:00

RSVP:

www.bbbskc.org/poker

Tournament Spots | $50

Spectator Tickets | $25

All proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City

 Register here: www.bbbskc.org/poker

Yard work got you down?

Spring is in the air, and a gorgeous yard is on your mind!  Keep in mind that doing several hours of yard work is like a slow extended workout.  You should stretch before and after, and remember to take short breaks every hour.  If you are feeling pain that feels more serious than just sore muscles, give us a call to get in for an adjustment!

A Surprising & Simple Tip That Will Improve Your Posture Immediately

BY JONATHAN FITZGORDON | APRIL 11, 2014 4:18 AM EDT

Hyperextension is the ability to move a joint past its normal range of motion. Among many postural imbalances that people tend to enjoy, hyperextension of the knees might have the most far-reaching consequences.

My own predilection for hyperextension led me down a painful path, resulting in three surgeries to repair the meniscus — the cartilage between the thigh and shin that is meant to act as a shock absorber. It wasn’t until I learned to use my legs correctly that I stopped getting injured and suffering from back pain.

In the human body, the bones hold us up and the muscles move us. To take that one step further, the nerves tell the muscles to move the bones. If we don’t have good skeletal alignment, the nerves can’t flow freely and the muscles can’t receive the impulses to move the bones as well as they might.

Not everybody has the ability to hyperextend their joints, and some can do this in some joints and not others. Ligaments connect bones to other bones, and ligaments are meant to be extremely taught to prevent hyperextension. But for numerous reasons, many people have loose ligaments, which leads to less than stable joints.

If you can hyperextend your knees, the ability to do this will never go away. You simply have to stop doing it, which is easier said than done. If you are like me and hyperextended your knees for almost 40 years before trying to stop, actually straightening the leg might feel like you're bending it.

It took a good while for my brain to catch up to the fact that a leg with a hyperextended knee wasn’t straight. Now, about 10 years later, I tell my clients that where I used to hyperextend 90% of the time and have a straight leg 10%, I've switched that ratio and now employ my legs straight 90% of the time and hyperextend 10%.

I credit my current lack of back pain and injury to stopping this unfortunate locking of the knee backward. And since I began teaching other people to stop, their back pain has diminished, as well as neck and shoulder pain. Stopping hyperextension of the knees has also led to relief from chronic headaches for a number of my clients.

SOURCE: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13330/a-surprising-simple-tip-that-will-improve-your-posture-immediately.html

Need Stress Relief?

Stress has become a fact of life, and for some, the daily norm. Although occasional stress can help improve our focus and performance, living with chronic stress can backfire by causing anxiety, depression, and serious health problems.

Understanding who we are, knowing our major struggles, putting them in perspective, and taking action can help us deal with stress. The following strategies can also improve stress tolerance and help lessen the effects of stress on our health.

Think Positively

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into positive,” said Hans Selye, author of the groundbreaking work around stress theory. When optimism is hard to muster, cognitive-behavioral therapy, which trains people to recognize negative thinking patterns and replace them with more constructive ones, can also help reduce the risk of chronic stress and depression.

Get Out and Enjoy Nature

While modern civilization has made our lives more convenient, it has deprived us of an essential source of stress relief—connection with nature. Studies show that interacting with nature can help lessen the effects of stress on the nervous system, reduce attention deficits, decrease aggression, and enhance spiritual well-being.

“Smell the Roses” for Better Mood

Aromatherapy, or smelling essential plant oils, recognized worldwide as a complementary therapy for managing chronic pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress-related disorders, can help you unwind. Orange and lavender scents, in particular, have been shown to enhance relaxation and reduce anxiety.

Relax with a Cup of Tea

During stressful times, coffee helps us keep going. To give yourself a break, however, consider drinking tea. Research shows that drinking tea for 6 weeks helps lower post-stress cortisol and increase relaxation. Habitual tea drinking may also reduce inflammation, potentially benefiting your heart health.

Laugh It Off

Humor relieves stress and anxiety and prevents depression, helping put our troubles in perspective. Laughter can help boost the immune system, increase pain tolerance, enhance mood and creativity, and lower blood pressure, potentially improving treatment outcomes for many health problems, including cancer and HIV. Humor may also be related to happiness, which has been linked to high self-esteem, extroversion, and feeling in control.

Build a Support System

Relationships are also key to health and happiness, especially for women. Women with low social support, for example, are more likely to increase blood pressure under stress. Loneliness may also contribute to stress in both men and women, also leading to poorer outcomes after a stroke or congestive heart failure. On the other hand, active and socially involved seniors are at lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Social support also helps cancer patients to boost the immune system and maintain a higher quality of life.

Employ the Relaxing Power of Music

Music, especially classical, can also serve as a powerful stress-relief tool. Listening to Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D major while preparing a public speech helps avoid anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure, which usually accompany public speaking.

Singing and listening to music can also relieve pain and reduce anxiety and depression caused by lowback pain. Group drumming also showed positive effects on stress relief and the immune system. Music therapy can also elevate mood and positively affect the immune system in cancer patients and reduce fatigue and improve self-acceptance in people with multiple sclerosis.

To help people deal with stressful medical procedures, music can help reduce anxiety before surgery. When played during surgery, it can decrease the patient’s post-operative pain. Aiding recovery, a dose of calming music may lower anxiety, pain, and the need for painkillers.

Calm Your Mind

In recent decades, many forms of meditation have gained popularity as relaxation and pain relief tools. Focusing on our breath, looking at a candle, or practicing a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts and actions can help tune out distractions, reduce anxiety and depression, and accept our circumstances. In cancer patients, meditation-based stress reduction enhances quality of life, lowers stress symptoms, and potentially benefits the immune system.

Guided imagery, such as visualizing pictures prompted by an audiotape recording, also shows promise in stress relief and pain reduction. Based on the idea that the mind can affect the body, guided imagery can be a useful adjunct to cancer therapy, focusing patients on positive images to help heal their bodies.

Enjoy the Warmth of Human Touch

Just as the mind can affect the body, the body can influence the mind. Virginia Satir, a famous American psychotherapist, once said that people need 4 hugs a day to help prevent depression, 8 for psychological stability, and 12 for growth. While asking for hugs may not work for some, massage can help us relieve stress and reduce anxiety and depression. Massage has also been shown to reduce aggression and hostility in violent adolescents, to improve mood and behavior in students with ADHD, and to lead to better sleep and behavior in children with autism.

Massage has other therapeutic properties, as well. Regular massage may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension and may lead to less pain, depression, and anxiety and better sleep in patients with chronic low-back pain. Compared to relaxation, massage therapy also causes greater reduction in depression and anger, and more significant effects on the immune system in breast cancer patients.

Give Exercise a Shot

To get the best of both worlds, affecting the mind through the body while getting into good physical shape, try exercise. In one study, a group of lung cancer patients increased their hope due to exercise. Exercise can also reduce depression and improve wound healing in the elderly. Tai chi, which works for people of all ages, may enhance heart and lung function, improve balance and posture, and prevent falls, while reducing stress.

No matter what stress-relief methods you choose, make it a habit to use them—especially if you feel too stressed out to do it. As someone once said, the time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. For more information on what stress is and how it affects us while on the job, click here.

SOURCE: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2203

What You Need To Know About Teeth Grinding + How To Stop

BY KENNETH B. MAK | MARCH 28, 2014 4:00 AM EDT

Stress affects people of all ages in all walks of life — there’s no getting around it. To cope, we all form certain habits, many of which are unconscious. Some people’s habits are fairly harmless, like nail biting or fidgeting. Many stress-coping mechanisms, however, can be very harmful to your health.

More people than you might realize end up dealing with stress while they sleep. Teeth grinding, or bruxism, is a very common side effect of stress.

The most serious problem caused by teeth grinding is the constant wearing down of tooth enamel, which is critical to your teeth’s strength. Once enamel has been worn away, it’s impossible to get back, which is why it’s so important to stop grinding in its tracks.

Loss of enamel, unfortunately, is not the only negative consequence of bruxism. A recent study linked bruxism to other sleeping disorders, such as sleep apnea, which can be both the cause and effect of several secondary health problems.

Sleep disorders like these cause people to suffer jaw soreness and exhaustion during the day. Being tired and in pain all day can significantly impact your performance at work and your daily happiness, in addition to your long-term health.

So, the question is: How do you stop grinding your teeth?

1. Understand bruxism.

Because bruxism affects people in very different ways, it’s important to do your homework and have your particular case examined by a dentist before jumping to conclusions and seeking treatment on your own.

Just because you’re tired during the day or experience frequent headaches doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re grinding your teeth — these issues could be the result of several other conditions. This’s why you should have a doctor confirm the signs as soon as you suspect there may be a problem.

Signs of teeth grinding:

• Dull, constant headache
• Sore jaw
• Audible teeth grinding at night
• Cheek cuts

2. Reduce stress.

Your body can’t fight off stress forever without suffering consequences. Try your best to set and stick to a regular sleep schedule, and relax for at least 30 minutes before you fall asleep. Go a step further and add meditation to your routine when you wake up and before you go to bed.

A healthy diet can also help remove stress, especially if your current diet is currently less than ideal. The first step is to cut out or reduce coffee and alcohol, both of which negatively affect your brain when trying to relax, fall asleep and stay sleeping.

Finally, stop chewing on things that aren’t supposed to be eaten! If you often find yourself gnawing on a pen, gum, ice or your own nails, cut these habits out. Constantly working your jaw this way will only exacerbate any existing pain.

3. Seek medical help.

If you’ve tried some of these simpler tips and find that they aren’t helping the problem, you should contact a dental expert. The last thing you want is to end up having to pay for crowns, bridges, root canals caused by years of grinding. Here are a few treatment options you can expect your dentist to recommend.

Muscle relaxants: For some, a light muscle relaxant may be prescribed to relax the set of your jaw before bed. We suggest that you try to fix the problem naturally before seeking out a prescription.

Mouth guard: Sleeping with a mouth guard may be a bit annoying, but it’s far less annoying than the consequences of grinding. Nighttime mouth guards can be bought at the drugstore, but it’s best to have one made especially for your mouth to ensure proper fit. While the guard won’t necessarily completely stop you from grinding your teeth, it’ll redistribute the force so as not to cause damage to your teeth.

Surgery: As a last resort, in very severe cases, surgery may be done to help shape your teeth and jaw to facilitate a better fit between the bottom and top teeth. This would never be considered without a significant exploration of other treatments.

Don’t expect stress to go away any time soon — modern, active adults encounter a wide variety of stress-inducing situations every single day. You can’t quit your job, cut down your commute time or solve all family disputes, but you can learn healthy coping mechanisms that lower stress’s impact on your mind and body.

If bruxism is a problem for you, the first step is to examine your daily life and try to find ways to squeeze in a bit more relaxation and fun to offset daily pressures and tensions. For some, this alone may do the trick. Otherwise, share your concerns with your dentist. Together, you’ll be able to find the best course of action for you.

The bottom line is, don’t delay. Some simple fixes now will help prevent more serious problems down the line.

SOURCE: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13133/what-you-need-to-know-about-teeth-grinding-how-to-stop.html