Portland and Vancouver Chiropractic Wellness Center
Helps Patients Reduce Diabetes Risk

Did you know that, every year, more people die from Type 2 Diabetes than from breast cancer and AIDS combined? That’s a pretty shocking figure. Even more surprising is that more than 79 million Americans are at risk for developing this deadly disease.

The good news is that basic lifestyle changes can greatly reduce the risk for diabetes. Even individuals who are diagnosed as ‘pre-diabetic’ can reduce or prevent diabetes by making lifestyle changes. It’s never too late to get healthy!

Cut Your Diabetes Risk with Tips from our Vancouver Chiropractor

At Back & Neck Care Chiropractic, Acupuncture & Sports Massage, our chiropractor and wellness team are committed to helping every patient enhance his or her overall wellness. Our services go beyond neck and back pain relief and include nutritional counseling and lifestyle advice. This November, in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, we are helping patients reduce their diabetes risk. Here’s how to get started:

Eat the rainbow. Aim to eat five different fruits and vegetables every day for a wide variety of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins.

Break a sweat. Get active for 30 minutes each day, whether it’s a walk through the neighborhood or a yoga class with friends.

Cut the sugar. Reduce your intake of products that contain refined sugars, corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Instead, choose a natural sweetener, like a dollop of honey or agave nectar.

Keep your goals realistic and specific. If you are overweight or used to snacking on junk food, making a sweeping lifestyle change all at once can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on small, actionable goals. Keep track of your success and build off each step.

Know your risk factors. Do you have a family history of diabetes? Are you overweight or smoke? Understanding your risk factors can help motivate you to stay active and make healthy food choices.

Our Vancouver chiropractor understands that making a big lifestyle change can be a challenge. We recognize that each patient is a whole person, and our lifestyle advice and counseling can help patients make the shift to a better, healthier self.

Do you know if you are at risk for Type 2 Diabetes? Do you need advice on how to make the change to a healthy diet or regular exercise? Post your questions below!

 

In this video, Dr. Terry Schroeder, head coach for the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo team and some of his athletes discuss the vital role that chiropractic plays in sport and life. Now the head coach of the team, Dr. Schroeder competed for the US in 4 Olympics himself. He also happens to be a chiropractor.

Elite athletes know that any small difference in preparation, fitness, function or flexibility can make the difference between a Gold and a Silver medal – or no medal at all. In the video, Dr. Schroeder shares how every member of the men’s team now includes chiropractic adjustments in their regime. Although some were reluctant at first, after seeing the results teammates were getting, they all eventually came around.  After all elite athletes are always looking for ‘an edge’.

In the sport of water polo, necks and shoulders take a constant beating from defenders. The shoulders in particular are prone to overuse injuries and hyper-extension. Shoulder injuries will sideline a player completely making it nearly impossible to train in the pool. As athletes of all level know, missing practice while recovering from an injury is vital time lost. Prevention and proactive care is the better route.

In the video you’ll hear Dr. Terry Schroeder’s personal story of how he was first introduced to chiropractic and also see him adjusting players on a portable adjusting table right on the pool deck.

We hope that be sharing examples of Olympic athletes using chiropractic care we can help spread the word among collegiate, high school and recreational athletes. Whatever your sport, we can help you achieve peak performance and prevent injuries.

 

The holiday season presents plenty of opportunity for weight gain, from cookie exchanges to extra treats in the break room at your office. To avoid weight gain during the holiday season, you'll have to be extra diligent about what and when you eat. If you need further assistance keeping your weight under control, make an appointment to discuss diet and wellness at Back & Neck Chiropractic, Acupuncture & Sports Massage in Vancouver, Washington, just across the river from Portland, Oregon.

Our Chiropractor Advises to Eat Regularly

Although you may be presented with a number of buffets and all-you-can eat situations during the holiday season, your best bet for maintaining your weight is to eat as you normally would. Don't skip breakfast or lunch, thinking that will help you reduce your calorie intake. If you are hungry come party time, you will be more likely to overeat than if you have a healthy, light meal beforehand.

Keep Healthy Foods in Mind Says Chiropractor

Load up your plate with fresh vegetables and fruit during the holiday season. Aim to eat at least 4 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, including at parties. If a buffet is offered, fill at least half your plate with vegetables instead of foods that are higher in fat and calories. Pick up the smaller sized plate from the buffet table to limit the amount you can eat.

Choose foods that are naturally lower in calories. A piece of fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth, but is much lower in calories than a piece of fudge or a slice of pie. Water has zero calories, significantly less than a glass of soda or wine. Choose zero-calorie sparkling or seltzer water for a more festive beverage.

Nutritious and healthful eating, even during the holiday season, is a key part of pain management and overall wellness. For chiropractic and overall care, talk to our Vancouver chiropractor for more tips and advice.

How do you plan on keeping the weight off this holiday season?

 

Back pain relief is just one component of chiropractic care, but it is often a patient’s first introduction. Back pain is horribly debilitating affecting all aspects of work and personal life. If you are suffering from back pain, you are not alone. Here are a few facts about back pain that may (or may not) surprise you.

• Back pain is the number one disability for those under age 45.
• In the United States of America alone, there is an expected 31 million people with lower back pain at any given time.
• Back pain runs second, after only the common cold, as the top reason for visiting a healthcare provider in the United States.
• Experts place the likelihood of any person to experience some type of back problem in their lifetime at about 80%. That’s four out of every five people!
• Over 50 billion dollars are spent per year in the pursuit of clearing up cases of back pain.
• Around 30 to 40 percent of all workplace absences are due to back pain.
• Approximately one quarter of U.S. adults reported having low back pain lasting at least one whole day in the past three months, and 7.6 percent reported at least one episode of severe acute low back pain within a one-year period.
• One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.
• Approximately 2 percent of the U.S. work force is compensated for back injuries each year
• Lower back pain accounts for two thirds of all back pain-related cases.
• More than two-thirds of back strains are caused by lifting and other exertions like pulling and pushing.
• Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.

The key to proper treatment of back pain is to understand the cause. Remember, pain is always a sign that something else is wrong and if continually ignored may lead to more serious harm. Chiropractors are experts in assessing the root cause of your back pain and putting you on the right course to recovery.

Carpel Tunnel and Pain Management

Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a painful hand, wrist and arm medical condition that often becomes progressively worse over time. The condition develops from a pinched nerve located in the wrist, and it is caused by underlying health conditions, pregnancy, wrist anatomy or hand/wrist use patterns. The carpal tunnel is a palm side wrist passage way that protects the main nerve and tendons that allow your fingers to bend. When this nerve becomes compressed, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome appear.

The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, numbness and eventually a sense of weakness as the condition progresses. The numbness occurs on the thumb and all fingers excluding the little finger. The numbness, tingling and pain are more apparent when performing certain activities like driving a car. The symptoms are worse upon wakening in the middle of the night or upon waking in the morning. The pain can eventually extend up the wrist, arm and shoulder.

Vancouver Chiropractic Care for Carpal Tunnel

If you have persistent carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, particularly if they interrupt your sleep or interfere with daily activities, it's important to receive medical care as soon as possible. Left untreated, carpal tunnel can lead to nerve and muscle damage. For this reason, it is essential to receive treatment from Dr. Michael Pettet, DC, our Vancouver chiropractor, as early as possible. Chiropractic treatment and manipulation have been reported as an effective means to treat carpal tunnel. Our chiropractor is experienced in diagnosing issues in the nervous and skeletal system, and uses manipulation of the elbow, wrist and upper spine to treat CTS pain and numbness. Ultrasound therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture are other tools in our chiropractor's toolbox for managing CTS symptoms.

To determine the extent of your condition, our chiropractor will perform an electromyography study or take an X-ray. While some family physicians recommend cortico-steroid injections or medications, they don't treat the underlying carpal tunnel syndrome problem; instead, they only temporarily relieve swelling and pain. Surgery should only be considered as a last resort because it may lead to ligament scarring, weakness and a return of symptoms. Call us today for more information.

What activities trigger your carpal tunnel symptoms the most?

 

Everyone has heard about the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining good health. Similarly, everyone knows that they should be getting exercise - or at the very least adding more activity into their days. Getting a good night's sleep is essential - without it, you'll find that your immune system starts to slack off a bit and you put yourself at a greater risk for catching a cold or coming down with the flu.

We all know what we should be doing, but let's be honest: very few of us eat a balanced diet all of the time. Many of us make the choice to take the elevator rather than the stairs and we try to find a parking place that's as close as possible to our destination rather than taking the opportunity to walk a little further. We also tend to let stress, work, social gatherings and more interfere with the amount of sleep that we're able to get each night.

When we don't go the extra mile to take care of ourselves, and when our immune systems start to falter because of it, we may not feel it right away. Soon, sluggishness starts creeping in. This sluggishness not only slows us down, it also ages us prematurely.

Fortunately, there's something that we can do to counteract some of these effects. We can maintain our vigor and reduce the risk of disease simply by adding antioxidants to our diet.

What are antioxidants? The simplest answer is that antioxidants are plant-derived compounds that help prevent and repair cellular damage. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium, lycopene and resveratrol are all examples of antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables. By making an effort to add antioxidants to our diet, we can slow the cellular damage that leads to disease.

Antioxidants are, in effect, sponges that soak up the free radicals in our systems. Excess free radicals are generated by the less healthy foods that we eat, alcohol that we drink, smoke that we're exposed, and stress that we endure.

Free radicals damage our DNA and other cellular structures at the molecular level. Antioxidants roam around the body inactivating the free radicals and also assisting in damage repair. Damage that isn’t repaired can cause a cell to die, malfunction or replicate uncontrollably (such as in a tumor).

You can fight back against free radicals by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Note that free radicals are a natural by-product of metabolism and cannot be eliminated completely. The key is to keep them in check with an adequate supply of dietary antioxidants. Look for brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Without getting too scientific about it, the different colors (blue, purple, red, orange) in fruits are vegetables often come from the different antioxidants they contain. To get a broad range of antioxidants, eat a rainbow of different plants.

Chiropractic care is standard for many pro golfers and increasingly for many Senior Golfers as well. Professional golfer Lori West attributes the reason she’s playing today to chiropractic. Nearly two decades ago, she began visiting a chiropractor for pain in her shoulders and neck. According to West, the care has infinitely improved her golf game.

The problem is that the golf swing, in and of itself, isn’t conducive to having a healthy back. To have a good swing you create tension in your spine. (This enables you to get good distance). The tension comes from the hips stopping and the shoulders continuing to rotate. Basically, you make a coil. You’re uncoiling when you start your downswing. Since that’s an awkward movement for your back, many golfers end up with lower back problems.

Here’s some chiropractic advice.

• Before your game, do some basic stretches. Stretch out hamstrings and groin area.

• Put a club across your shoulders and lean left and right.

• Get in a position of where you would be in a swing and bend left and right.

• Grab a club behind your back and raise it up, stretching your shoulder muscles.

• Grab the club backwards – so if you normally swing right-handed, you’d grab it like you’d be swinging left-handed- and take 10 practice swings that way. You’re stretching different muscles and it will help you loosen up considerably.

• Do neck stretches. Stiff neck muscles inhibit the rest of the body from turning freely.

Anything that helps your flexibility eventually helps with your game. As you get older, your swing naturally shortens since the muscles aren’t as supple. During the winter, work on stretching the muscles of the arms, shoulders and back. Flexibility is very important for older golfers.

Also, you have to have good balance if you want to hit the golf ball consistently. A healthy spine is paramount to proper balance and posture. Improve your balance and you’ll improve your consistency. In needed, orthotic stabilizers for your shoes can help improve balance so your swing is better.

Chiropractors care for your body as a whole, not just the back. So if your golf game is feeling out of sync, chiropractic may be just the very adjustment that your body and game needs!

Metabolism refers to the rate at which your body burns calories. Your metabolic rate is your personal “calories-per-hour” number. Your metabolism is lowest while you sleep and highest during and right after vigorous exercise. Here are a few tips for raising your metabolism:

 

1. Don’t skip breakfast

The morning meal jump starts your metabolism and helps to prevent bingeing later in the day.  A cup of coffee does not count – the caffeine and added sugar may give you a bit of energy and suppress your appetite for a little while, but generally backfires causing severe hunger and overeating later in the day.  Breakfast should include complex carbohydrates like whole grain (granola or oatmeal), along with some protein and fat (low-fat yogurt or milk) to keep your energy levels even and hunger in check.

 

2. Eat more often

Get into the habit of eating every three to four hours or at least four times a day.  Eating frequently stabilizes blood sugar. When blood sugar drops too low you want to eat…a lot.  By keeping your blood sugar stable you can control your appetite and keep you metabolic rate high.  When you go many hours without eating your body will compensate by slowing down your metabolism to conserve energy.

 

3. Eat protein at every meal

Protein takes more energy and time to digest, and will leave you feeling full longer than eating carbohydrates alone.  Research shows that eating more protein can help you lose weight without cutting calories.  Try these protein possibilities: turkey on whole wheat; hummus and pita; vegetarian chili; fruit and nuts; or protein snack bars that contain 12 or more grams of protein.

 

4. Hold off on snacking

Many of us grab a snack for quick energy when we are feeling tired,  but do not confuse true hunger with fatigue.  If you are feeling tired go for a 15-20 minute brisk walk.  This will raise your heart rate and give you a boost of energy.  Follow it up with a large glass of cool water.  If you are truly hungry have a protein- and complex carbohydrate-rich snack like whole wheat crackers and peanut butter or cheese.

 

5. Consume enough for your body’s needs

Eating too little slows your body’s metabolism the same way eating too infrequently does.  If you want to lose weight, do not slash your calories too drastically.  Instead, cut out some of the extras in your diet – things like soda, juice, packaged goods or candy.  Processed foods tend to be high in fat and calories and low in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

In conclusion it is important to understand that your metabolic rate is controlled by many factors. You can exert a fair amount of control over many of these factors. This article has emphasized how your diet affects your metabolism, but clearly movement is the other major factor.

To Contact Us:

Back and Neck Care

11600 SE Mill Plain Blvd.3J

Vancouver, WA

Phone: 360-253-6674

http://www.pettetchiro.com 

To Make An Appointment:

http://pettetchiro.com/custom_content/c_167929_request_an_appointment.html

 

Relieving Aches and Pain with Acupuncture at Our Chiropractic Clinic

The practice of acupuncture has been around for over 3,000 years. This ancient technique was developed as part of the traditional medicine of China, Japan and other Eastern countries. Eastern medicine uses a holistic approach, meaning that successful healing is accomplished through the treatment of all of the body's parts. Practitioners believe that illness and pain occurs in response to an obstruction in the natural flow of the body’s energy, or qi. These treatments are designed to remove these energy barriers. During a treatment, small-gauge needles are placed just beneath the body’s surface to stimulate physiological responses and improve the symptoms associated with a condition or illness.

In addition to providing chiropractic treatment and massage therapy, at Back and Neck Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Sports Massage in Vancouver, WA we have a new acupuncturist on staff who can provide treatment for pain management and symptom relief. Patients who suffer from back pain, neck pain, headaches, migraines or have injuries from an auto accident or sport may benefit from a session with our acupuncturist.

The Healing Power of Acupuncture

Clinical studies have shown acupuncture to be very effective in treating many medical conditions. Treatments are best known for the ability to control pain, and they can reduce or eliminate the need to take pain relievers. Therapy sessions may also benefit people who suffer from neurological or musculoskeletal disorders. It can help restore function in patients who have ailments like tennis elbow, sciatica and osteoarthritis. As a result of treatments, you may be better able to recover from injuries, feel happier and have improved circulation.

Our Vancouver chiropractor, Dr. Pettet, is always happy to discuss the benefits acupuncture has when used alone and alongside your chiropractic treatment. We welcome any comments you may have for our chiropractor about this type of therapy at Back and Neck Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Sports Massage.

What questions come to mind when you think about acupuncture at our clinic?

Here at the Back & Neck Chiropractic, Acupuncture & Sports Massage Clinic in Vancouver, WA we are pleased to provide our patients with chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and more. We are proud to offer much more than just the most basic of health, wellness care, and pain management: We use a combination of treatments to care for our patients, and to provide the highest levels of effective pain management. Massage is one of the most effective ways to handle back pain, muscle spasms, sports injuries, and many other illnesses or injuries, and the benefits for the patient can be tremendous. Massage can increase flexibility, improve circulation, reduce swelling, and can stimulate the release of the body's own natural painkillers, endorphins.

Massage therapy is available at our comfortable offices, where our chiropractor and massage therapists will evaluate you and help to determine the type of massage needed. Massage types include sports massage, trigger point massage, deep tissue massage, and swedish massage.

Massage benefits can be remarkable, and our massage patients have often used massage therapy as a vital part of the injury healing process. Massage can help patients to heal more quickly, and to be more comfortable during the healing process -- in fact, it is one of the most effective non-invasive pain reduction techniques. Massage therapy can be such a powerful tool for athletes that some clients get regular massages as a way to maximize athletic performance. Massage can also include stress relief and improvement of overall well being. When patients who have suffered from stress or anxiety get massage therapy or a combination of massage and treatments like chiropractic care and acupuncture, they often find they are able to fall asleep more quickly and have a more restful sleep.

Massage has been shown to help increase overall wellness, as well as helping resolve a variety of injuries and problems. It can be especially helpful with sports injuries, which is one of our specialties here at Back & Neck Chiropractic, Acupuncture & Sports Massage Clinic. At our office, we make sure to determine the root of the problem that each patient is having, and then use massage as an effective way to help remove the problem at its source.

We would love to hear from readers. How has massage therapy helped you in your life?

Nothing is more painful then when your back is aching and getting up from  a chair or out of your car seems to be taking a little longer than usual. When your spine is not aligned properly it can play havoc on the rest of your body and what we used to take for granted now becomes a major feat.

Yes this would be a good time to call a chiropractor.

What could be more uncomfortable than going for a long drive and having this burning pain run down your hips past your butt and down your leg. It might subside when you stand up and if it does you are experiencing some classic sciatic nerve damage.

Yes this would be a good time to call a chiropractor.

Running a relay and getting the baton passed to you when out of the blue you hear a pop. You are now limping and regretting not listing to your gym teacher about proper warm up and sport massage.

Yes this would be a good time to call a chiropractor.

Everything mentioned above is what Back & Neck Chiropractic deals with every day and we can help you if you find it’s time to call a chiropractor. Spine alignment and sports massage will help greatly with the above scenarios mentioned and our office is well equipped to provide instant relief from these injuries.

If immediate pain relief is needed, we have an acupuncture specialist ready to perform the miracle that acupuncture is known for - Quick pain relief without the use of dangerous drugs. Most patients who were afraid to try this procedure commented on how mis-informed they were and were anxious to try acupuncture again when they needed a drug free pain solution.

So the next time you look at your watch and say to yourself “This would be a good time to call a chiropractor”, give us a call at the number below. You will be glad you did.

Call Today! 360-253-6674

Please leave a comment so that we may better serve you by answering your questions and concerns. Don’t forget you can subscribe to our feed and be assured never to miss a post.

A Vancouver Chiropractor comments:

Some exciting changes have been taking place at Back & Neck Care Chiropractic, Acupuncture & Sports Massage. Our chiropractic office is centrally located in Vancouver, Washington at the Mill Plain and I-205 interchange, and was established back in 1990. However, we have recently completely revamped our website and online presence to serve you (our patients) better. As part of the new changes, we have added several new informational pages to the website about our services, including pages explaining how we can help you with chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and more.

We are also excited to bring you this new chiropractic blog. We plan on using this blog to bring you relevant chiropractic and health news. For those who use an RSS reader, we have an RSS link at the top of each blog post that you can use to subscribe to our blog and get chiropractic news delivered right to you. We also have added some new interactive features to our website, such as our online Request an Appointment feature so you can request a chiropractic appointment from the convenience of your own home. New and current patients are encouraged to use this new feature.

If you haven’t been to our chiropractic office before, we commonly see patients from Vancouver, WA and nearby Portland, OR. We also see many patients from the surrounding communities including Cascade Park, Fishers Landing, Orchards, Salmon Creek, and Camas. We can help you with a variety of issues including back pain, neck pain, and sports injuries. View our chiropractic services and techniques page to learn more about the therapies available out our office. We have a special interest in helping athletes with sports injuries and maximizing athletic performance, and offer several sport-specific therapies such as sports massage therapy.

Back and Neck Care Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Sports Massage
Located in Vancouver, WA
Call Today! 360-253-6674