If you didn't see my letter to the editor of the Ventura County Star in May of this year, on national healthcare reform, go to: http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/letters/archives/2009/05/healthcare-refo.html
It is not just our President's top national priority, it is critical to the health of our citizens and our country!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Do You Have a Short Leg?
For many decades, many doctors of chiropractic (DCs) have “measured” the leg lengths of their patients. It is important to understand that “measuring” in almost all of these cases actually meant a visual inspection (looking at) of the heels of a patient lying prone (face down). If one heel appeared to extend farther than the other, then the patient was said to have a “short leg”.
In most cases, a DC, finding a “short leg”, would adjust the spine of the patient, immediately recheck the leg length and find that the legs were even. How could that be?
The distinction that is not often made in chiropractic or orthopedic practice is between an anatomical short leg (ASL) and a physiological short leg (PSL).
An ASL can occur from polio. It can occur from trauma that results in leg fracture and shorting of bone. An anatomical leg length discrepancy is a true difference in length and can be measured using x-ray.
A PSL is not truly short, but rather one side is drawn up in relation to the other by muscular contraction or shortening of connective tissues. When a patient with a “short leg” is adjusted, thereby evening the leg length, what the DC has done is to balance the muscles that support the legs, or to release connective tissue restrictions. A PSL is extremely common.
When a PSL is resolved by chiropractic treatment, the resolution is almost always temporary. There are many factors that result in muscle imbalance and connective tissue asymmetry in the lower extremities, and these must be dealt with to attempt to maintain an even physiologic leg length.
It is valuable to understand that a PSL is just a sign of muscle and/or connective tissue imbalance. It is not the problem.
Rather than checking for a PSL, a thoughtful DC could check for muscle and connective tissue imbalance; the real causes of the PSL. That same thoughtful DC could treat the patient for the imbalance, and then instruct the patient about the causes and self-care measures for resolving the imbalance.
In most cases, a DC, finding a “short leg”, would adjust the spine of the patient, immediately recheck the leg length and find that the legs were even. How could that be?
The distinction that is not often made in chiropractic or orthopedic practice is between an anatomical short leg (ASL) and a physiological short leg (PSL).
An ASL can occur from polio. It can occur from trauma that results in leg fracture and shorting of bone. An anatomical leg length discrepancy is a true difference in length and can be measured using x-ray.
A PSL is not truly short, but rather one side is drawn up in relation to the other by muscular contraction or shortening of connective tissues. When a patient with a “short leg” is adjusted, thereby evening the leg length, what the DC has done is to balance the muscles that support the legs, or to release connective tissue restrictions. A PSL is extremely common.
When a PSL is resolved by chiropractic treatment, the resolution is almost always temporary. There are many factors that result in muscle imbalance and connective tissue asymmetry in the lower extremities, and these must be dealt with to attempt to maintain an even physiologic leg length.
It is valuable to understand that a PSL is just a sign of muscle and/or connective tissue imbalance. It is not the problem.
Rather than checking for a PSL, a thoughtful DC could check for muscle and connective tissue imbalance; the real causes of the PSL. That same thoughtful DC could treat the patient for the imbalance, and then instruct the patient about the causes and self-care measures for resolving the imbalance.
Resveratrol Day 15 w/ Change
Hello Friends!
No clear signs of affect from taking the resveratrol. Time for a change. Today I began doubling the dose. I am now taking 500 mg per day. We shall see; or not see.
Nothing like being alive, seeking answers, doing experiments!!!
No clear signs of affect from taking the resveratrol. Time for a change. Today I began doubling the dose. I am now taking 500 mg per day. We shall see; or not see.
Nothing like being alive, seeking answers, doing experiments!!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Resveratrol Day 2
I took my second dose of resveratrol today at 12:30 AM. At this time I am not aware of any affects.
It is worth noting what this experiment will tell us, and what it won't. If I end up feeling nothing after 30 days on resveratrol, we will only know that I did not feel anything after 30 days on this dose. That, of course, will not mean that it had no effect; just that I was unable to feel the effect. If I have a sense of altered sensation or function during the 30 days, what will be known is that I have had a sense of altered sensation or function; nothing more.
If I happen to feel more energy, or other valuable functional improvement, you can bet that I will go off the resveratrol for a month, and then try another month on it again. If the improved function reappears, it will be more suggestive that the resveratrol is having an effect.
Isn't it fun to be a scientist?
It is worth noting what this experiment will tell us, and what it won't. If I end up feeling nothing after 30 days on resveratrol, we will only know that I did not feel anything after 30 days on this dose. That, of course, will not mean that it had no effect; just that I was unable to feel the effect. If I have a sense of altered sensation or function during the 30 days, what will be known is that I have had a sense of altered sensation or function; nothing more.
If I happen to feel more energy, or other valuable functional improvement, you can bet that I will go off the resveratrol for a month, and then try another month on it again. If the improved function reappears, it will be more suggestive that the resveratrol is having an effect.
Isn't it fun to be a scientist?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Resveratrol w/o the Wine
My 60 year-old friend, Bill, told me last Sunday that he had been taking resveratrol for 3 weeks and was feeling a lot more energy; feeling younger. He offered to buy me a one month sample of the product that he was taking so that I could try it out.
Here is what the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University says about resveratrol.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/resveratrol/
Here is what I started taking at 11:40 AM today; one per day:
http://www.biotivia.com/bioforteresveratrol.html
I will be taking one each day and will try to blog about it each day for 30 days. We'll see how that works. :)
I believe Bill told me that he is taking what he gave me, every other day, and on the days in between, he is taking twice as much resveratrol.
I have no question about the safety of my taking this level of resveratrol, and I appreciate the opportunity to do yet another small experiment with my life and health. If we don’t experiment, we may not learn much, we may get into a rut, and we may not live as vital and engaged a life.
I will try to blog this each day for the next 30 days.
Thank you Bill!
Dr. Young
Here is what the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University says about resveratrol.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/resveratrol/
Here is what I started taking at 11:40 AM today; one per day:
http://www.biotivia.com/bioforteresveratrol.html
I will be taking one each day and will try to blog about it each day for 30 days. We'll see how that works. :)
I believe Bill told me that he is taking what he gave me, every other day, and on the days in between, he is taking twice as much resveratrol.
I have no question about the safety of my taking this level of resveratrol, and I appreciate the opportunity to do yet another small experiment with my life and health. If we don’t experiment, we may not learn much, we may get into a rut, and we may not live as vital and engaged a life.
I will try to blog this each day for the next 30 days.
Thank you Bill!
Dr. Young
Friday, May 22, 2009
OBAMA HEARTS CHIROPRACTIC
The couple in the picture with the Obamas is Dr. Steve and Jill Kraus. Dr. Krause is a doctor of chiropractic, and is an Iowa Delegate to the American Chiropractic Association. Obama visited Dr. Krause twice at his clinic in Carroll, Iowa during the campaign.
OK, I won't keep you waiting. Here is a bit of what our President wrote to the American Chiropractic Association when he was a candidate for the presidency:
"We need to knock down unreasonable barriers of access and discriminatory insurance coverage so Americans in need of quality chiropractic care can access it without difficulty. We need to expand the range of chiropractic services covered by Medicare, facilitate integration of doctors of chiropractic into the health care systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and allow commission of doctors of chiropractic as officers in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. And again, under my health care plan, many, if not all, chiropractic services would be included in the benefit package offered in the public plan."
And here is the link to the complete letter.
To support the call for chiropractic care in our national health care reform, please register - now - with http://ChiroVoice.org
OK, I won't keep you waiting. Here is a bit of what our President wrote to the American Chiropractic Association when he was a candidate for the presidency:
"We need to knock down unreasonable barriers of access and discriminatory insurance coverage so Americans in need of quality chiropractic care can access it without difficulty. We need to expand the range of chiropractic services covered by Medicare, facilitate integration of doctors of chiropractic into the health care systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and allow commission of doctors of chiropractic as officers in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. And again, under my health care plan, many, if not all, chiropractic services would be included in the benefit package offered in the public plan."
And here is the link to the complete letter.
To support the call for chiropractic care in our national health care reform, please register - now - with http://ChiroVoice.org
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Osteoporosis Cure
Well, I don't know about a cure, but I know a few things about osteoporosis and bone health.
One thing I know is that the human body needs adequate vitamin D to maintain healthy bone. Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. Most people don't get enough vitamin D from their food to have healthy blood levels. Most Americans don't spend enough time in the sun to get what they need.
Yesterday was just another great day at the office. A new 91 year-old female patient told me that she had been diagnosed with osteoporosis and had been put on medication to treat it. After a few more questions, and it was clear that this patient's medical doctor had not looked into the causes of this patient's poor bone health. The patient's vitamin D blood levels had not been checked. There are many other things to check, but vitamin D is a good start.
It is not wise to assume, even in a 91 year-old patient, that she has osteoporosis just because she is elderly. It is wise to make sure that the patient's body has what it needs to make bone, before simply prescribing a drug to slow the progression.
In case after case, the lesson is the same; try to understand what is going on with the person's health before resorting to a drug.
If your doctor doesn't bring up the idea of trying to understand your condition, I recommend that you bring it up. It is your body, and it is your health.
One thing I know is that the human body needs adequate vitamin D to maintain healthy bone. Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. Most people don't get enough vitamin D from their food to have healthy blood levels. Most Americans don't spend enough time in the sun to get what they need.
Yesterday was just another great day at the office. A new 91 year-old female patient told me that she had been diagnosed with osteoporosis and had been put on medication to treat it. After a few more questions, and it was clear that this patient's medical doctor had not looked into the causes of this patient's poor bone health. The patient's vitamin D blood levels had not been checked. There are many other things to check, but vitamin D is a good start.
It is not wise to assume, even in a 91 year-old patient, that she has osteoporosis just because she is elderly. It is wise to make sure that the patient's body has what it needs to make bone, before simply prescribing a drug to slow the progression.
In case after case, the lesson is the same; try to understand what is going on with the person's health before resorting to a drug.
If your doctor doesn't bring up the idea of trying to understand your condition, I recommend that you bring it up. It is your body, and it is your health.
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