Health - Advanced Chiropractic of South Carolina

Aug 23 2019

Cure Hot Flashes With a Needle?

Acupuncture is a Traditional Chinese Medicine that has a history that is over 2000 years old. And it has been shown, in all forms of acupuncture, to help relieve the misery of hot flashes.

Acupuncture places very fine needles into “meridians” of the body, identified by whatever illness or malady the patient suffers. Because the western world can’t accept anything with a study, acupuncture was evaluated by researchers and confirms acupuncture’s many great benefits for a variety of health conditions. Some private insurance plans have started to cover acupuncture as a treatment modality.

Over 80% of American women suffer from hot flashes when they go through menopause. The symptom of hot flashes can start up to three years before a woman becomes menopausal, and can last for up to fifteen years after she is post-menopausal. While the severity of hot flashes varies from woman to woman, they are the most despised aspect of menopause reported. Some women have over 20 hot flashes a day and those who suffer through them at night develop chronic insomnia.

The study that evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture for hot flashes consisted of 12 controlled trials on over 850 women who naturally entered menopause between 40 and 60 years of age. All forms of acupuncture reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes. And the effects lasted for several months.

This is fabulous news for women who are looking for an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

A few other non-medication methods of reducing hot flashes are to relieve your stress levels. This, in turn, can help to normalize your changing hormone levels.

Wear looser clothing, particularly around the waist and groin area. Some manufacturers even market loose clothing for menopause.

Then take a good look at the food you eat. Spicy foods are notorious for raising our internal temperature. And meat and dairy have been shown to increase hot flashes, both in number and severity. Eating foods high in vitamin E, like leafy greens, nuts, and certain tropical fruits has been shown to be helpful.

Black Cohosh is often a suggested supplement often used in Europe for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Some studies suggest it works as well as estrogen supplementation.

In short, if you’re suffering from menopausal hot flashes and don’t want to take hormone replacement therapy, you have some choices.

Sewing Needle

Aug 23 2019

Coaxing Your Family to Eat Healthy

I’ll admit that there are days when I don’t focus as carefully on every bite my family eats. But I do know that I want them to make healthier choices overall. I find my job actually starts when I fill both the pantry and refrigerator.

The challenge becomes even bigger when my family resists the changes that I begin to incorporate. “Aw, Mom! Are you on a diet again? Why do we have to do it too?” It occurred to me that was a signal that my eating habits were generally poor rather than good.

When my children were very young I made everything from scratch. I baked bread twice a week, canned produce from our garden and from the fruit trees of nearby friends. Then school started, time became a problem and I caved. One day I bought a box of the blue macaroni and cheese and I couldn’t believe how much they raved over it.

Eventually I began to realize that food companies are more interested in tempting our children to eat their products rather than promoting healthy eating. So, it became my job to tempt them back.

I have seen how tough life can be when we don’t consistently make healthy choices. My kids don’t understand that a lifetime of poor food choices leads to a life of sickness, obesity, heart disease, and cardiac issues. They don’t understand how important it is to fuel their bodies with optimal fuel. It’s your job to help them understand that.

So, rather than insisting that they eat what I eat, I make the food I prefer to eat look, smell, and taste wonderful. If they would like a taste, I let them have a taste. And I explain to them how much better I feel when I make better food choices.

Persuasion works so much better when you lead by example, not by preaching or commanding.

I also allow my kids to see me have a treat every once in a while, demonstrating that moderation is a choice.

As they begin to become more interested in some of my food choices, I ask them to share with me what their favorite meals are. Then we talk about ways to make them a little healthier so that I can eat them too. In this way, it is more of a give and take.

Now when we shop for groceries, we have conversations about the food we buy. We determine if it is a treat for one or two people or if it will be able to feed our whole family. I was very pleased to find that my children had a lot of empathy for my decision and they began to show immense support for my decision to get healthier.

I never make them feel that I judge their food choices any more than I want them judging mine. But I have noticed that overall, we’re all making better food choices. It’s all about communication and being willing to make the change a process.

Woman Eating Apple by Petr Kratochvil

Aug 23 2019

Depression is Good?

Over the last twenty years the prescription rate and use of antidepressants has increased to the point where one American in ten is taking antidepressants. When you look at the group of women in their 40s and 50s, the percentage rises to one in four.

Many speculate that the worsening economy has added to those suffering from stress and anxiety. We’re encouraged by television ads to “talk to our doctor” about taking one anti-depressant or another. Insurance plans usually cover most medications. What they don’t cover is counseling, which is more likely what people need.

A recent study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics found that over two-thirds of the patients who had been given the diagnosis of depression in the previous year did not meet the criteria.

This doesn’t surprise me. I accompanied my teenage daughter to the doctor when she was having trouble sleeping and felt exhausted all the time. We suspected that she was having either chronic sinus issues or had developed an allergy to our new home as we had recently moved to the area. The doctor barely listened to her responses and kept bringing her back to how she was feeling.

My daughter, generally cheerful and happy, finally asked the doctor, “What do you want to know?”

Her doctor answered, “I think you’re depressed. I’m going to start you an an anti-depressant.”

We respectfully refused the diagnosis, sought out another doctor who confirmed that my daughter was, indeed, suffering from a sinus infection likely brought on by chronic postnasal drip from an allergy. A short course of a nasal steroid turned everything around and within a week, my daughter was sleeping better because she could finally breathe at night.

I thought this was an isolated incident, but as I spoke with more people, I was shocked to discover that most young people in their teens and twenties are taking antidepressants.

One young woman discovered that she was pregnant. She went against her doctor’s advice, and carefully weaned herself off her antidepressants. She had the usual hormonal fluctuations of any expectant mother. The most striking distinction however was after her son was born, she said, “I haven’t felt this alive in years! I can finally feel things.”

This is a common complaint for many people taking antidepressants. Doctors persuade saying, “It will take the edge off.” But perhaps handling that “edge” handling those difficult emotions are what prepare us for the rest of our lives.

Those who meet the criteria of serious depression certainly benefit from taking antidepressants. But perhaps it might be better to give people a chance to feel before we take the edge off. Learning to deal with anxiety, stress, even grief is part of living. Not everything that is difficult to handle needs to be muted.

Various Pills by Vera Kratochvil

Aug 23 2019

Alternative Therapy – Steps for Beginners

More and more people are turning away from Western medicine and looking for alternatives to healthy living. Here are a few alternative therapies you may want to consider. Just knowing what they are and generally how they work will help you to make a decision as to whether or not they would be good for you.
Acupuncture – Considered a mainstay in Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture uses needles so fine you barely feel them to treat many illnesses and maladies. Acupuncture treats illnesses as varied as headaches, hot flashes, anxiety, digestive problems, chronic pain, and stress. Millions of Americans now use acupuncture as an alternative therapy.
Reflexology – This modality focuses on foot massage, but with very particular attention paid to specific portions of the feet depending on your symptoms. Again, the basis for this is Traditional Chinese medicine and it is believed that the feet mirror the structure of the body, both internally and externally. When certain pressure points on the feet are massaged, communication changes with the various portions of the body. The next time you notice when your feet are tired, how drained and tired your entire body feels? Try reflexology.
Tai-Chi – I first saw a Tai-Chi demonstration at a community center holiday presentation. On stage a group of middle-aged women performed their slow meditative movements, almost like a dance. Tai-Chi is a form of martial arts that is considered to be a meditation in motion. Another mind-body connector, Tai-Chi helps people new to alternative therapies to begin to understand how the connection between their body and the various breathing techniques they use help to restore balance in both the mind and body.
Qigong – A form of Chinese yoga, this is another meditative movement technique designed to balance the mind and body. It reduces stress, makes us feel better, and boosts the immune system. The practice combines movement, postures and breathing, focusing the mind.
Meditation – As a tool to deliberately train the mind, meditation becomes easier with practice. At my first class on meditation the instructor, who was considered to be a master, said that the longest most people can continuously meditate is for just a few seconds. Then a thought comes into our mind and we have to usher it out in order to return to our meditation. Most beginners to meditation are taught to simply notice their breath. No judgment. No changes. Just notice it. My first time was awful. My thoughts simply would not stop. Over time, and through the use of other meditative techniques, I’ve become more practiced at it. The good news is that meditation doesn’t require you to do anything. Your only job is to NOT do or think anything.
Yoga – More and more people are turning to yoga for relief from things like chronic pain, joint stiffness, hot flashes, headaches, chronic stress, and more. An ancient Hindu tradition. Yoga is a mind-body meditation that combines various poses with particular breathing techniques. Even western doctors are now recommending yoga for their patients with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, even diabetes to help them lower their stress response.

Meditation by Charles Rondeau

Aug 23 2019

When Is a Sore Throat Strep?

You wake up one morning and your throat is sore. Not the kind of sore that comes from sleeping with your mouth open and goes away once you rehydrate.

No, you know this kind of pain. It means you’re sick. Sore throats often accompany a cold and can be very painful. They can accompany a sinus infection, or be part of a chronic allergy issue with postnasal drainage. Usually, the sore throat will go away within a couple of days without any problem.

But when is a sore throat a bigger problem? When it is strep. Strep throat is a more serious illness because left untreated you put your heart or your kidneys at great risk of very serious damage. No one wants to go running to the doctor every time you feel a little pain in the throat, so how can you tell the difference between a sore throat and strep throat?

Even a doctor can’t tell for sure just by looking at your throat that you have strep. But other signs and symptoms will alert you to the possibility that you’re dealing with strep. Not only do you have a sore throat, but you may have very swollen lymph nodes. You may have a temperature of over 101. Stomach pain, especially in children, indicate the involvement of lymph nodes in the abdomen are involved. Backaches and overall body aches are also signs of a more serious illness.

If you even suspect you may have strep, get to the doctor for a quick screen to see if you need to take antibiotics. Strep throat requires antibiotics in order to prevent further very serious illness. Normal sore throats don’t.

A diagnosis of strep will get you a prescription for antibiotics. You will be contagious for up to 24 hours after beginning your antibiotics, so take a day off work and practice good hygiene at home to prevent the spread to other family members. And take ALL your medication. Never save any for “next time” because you may not kill the bacteria causing the strep and will need to go on an even stronger antibiotic when it returns.

If you don’t have strep, your doctor will send you home with the advice to rest until you feel better. But, alas, no magic pills. Time and rest are all it will take.

Taking care of a sore throat typically requires at-home palliative care designed to make you feel better. Once you’ve been screened for strep, it’s time to take care of yourself to feel better.

Grandma’s remedy of gargling with salt water is a good one because it can help to reduce the scratchiness and sensitivity of the throat. Mix just a teaspoon of salt with eight ounces of warm water and gargle. Do this as often as necessary to reduce your discomfort.

Use humidifiers, taking warm showers or baths also help to keep the throat from drying out. Warm soothing herbal teas with honey are also an excellent way to reduce pain from a sore throat.

Lizard Throat Sac by Tammy Sue

Connect With Us