Get Rid Of Nagging Neck Pain Posted by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC on June 30, 2015

Do You Have a Pain in Your Neck?

Neck pain can affect many aspects of your daily life. It can be painful, limiting, and even debilitating. Knowing the common causes and treatments of neck pain can help improve the life of someone with neck pain and inspire others to be aware of the wear and tear your neck can go through.

How Is Neck Pain Caused?

Injury, age, and daily wear can affect your neck. When the cervical spine goes through sudden force, the vertebrae can become misaligned. This is referred to as a subluxation. This can be caused by anything from a minor slip to a car accident. Another common neck injury in a car accident is whiplash. In this scenario, the cervical spine is forced forward and then pulled back in a fast motion. The whipping motion strains the spine and the supporting tissues of the neck and head.

As we age, degenerative disorders can develop that affect the spine. Osteoarthritis causes deterioration of the cartilage. When cartilage deteriorates, the bones respond by developing bone spurs, boney projections that irritate surrounding tissue. Spinal stenosis is another condition that can cause neck pain. Spinal stenosis causes nerve passageways in the vertebrae to narrow, trapping nerve roots. Another condition, degenerative disc disease reduces the height and elasticity of intervertebral discs. This can cause the discs to bulge or herniate, causing pain amongst themselves and their surrounding areas.

Daily life and personal habits can also cause neck pain. Poor posture leads to the build-up of scar tissue around the spine and associated muscles, which cause the neck to stay that position. Obesity and weak abdominal muscles also contribute to the neck being pushed forward in an unnatural position. Stress can cause muscles in the neck to contract, causing pain and tightness. Diet and nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to neck pain. 

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Neck Pain

When you first see the chiropractor at TLC Holistic Wellness, Dr. Linda Solomon DC, CCWFN, she will ask questions about your neck and the pain you are feeling. Physical and neurological exams will be performed, and if needed, a CT scan, an MRI, or an EMG may be ordered. For misaligned joints in the neck, Dr. Solomon can perform gentle, effective neck adjustments. 

These adjustments are performed by hand using quick, precise movements to shift the neck back into line. This will decrease the pressure that the misalignment is causing and provide pain relief to the area. In addition to adjustments, Dr. Solomon may want to implement massage, mobilization, or exercises, or look at your diet and nutrition. Treatment type and duration will depend on what is causing your neck pain and the severity of the case.

If you have a stiff, swollen, or painful neck, schedule an appointment to see Dr. Linda Solomon, DC, CCWFN. With your inifial visit at no charge, you have nothing to lose but your pain in your neck.  Do not let neck pain keep you from living your life. Call TLC Holistic Wellness at (734) 664 - 0339 to schedule a no charge consultation time to see if you can become pain free today. 

Vist our website www.TLCHolisticWellness.com to learn more about the variety of services that we offer including gentle chiropractic, massage therapy, customized nutritional and weight loss programs, balancing hormones naturally, and live cell analysis. 

Our Key to Health posted on June 25, 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer

                               The Key to Health                                                                           By Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC

The Key to Health is a healthy functioning Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract. How well it performs determines our overall health. The GI tract is a hollow tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the end of the colon.

It is in the GI "hollow tube" tract where food is digested and broken down into appropriate sized molecules. The molecules are then transported across the digestive tract membrane into the blood where they are delivered to the rest of the body. From the blood these molecules go into the cells and are used for body growth, tissue repair, and energy production.

A healthy functioning GI tract also has a very important role in prevention. The GI tract acts as a protective tissue barrier keeping toxic unhealthy materials, microbes, and debris from entering into the circulation. A healthy GI tract can effectively and routinely attack these unhealthy materials, compact them, and eliminate them from the body.

Signs of a malfunctioning GI tract could include bloating, acid reflux, belching/gas, and indigestion after eating fats, oils, and/or protein. Other symptoms include light colored stools, pain on the upper right side of the abdomen, gall stone formation, constipation, dry skin, skin rashes, and pain in the neck and upper back or between the shoulder blades.

Digestive difficulties develop when there are insufficient digestive enzymes in the GI tract to cause the proper breakdown of foods eaten. When food is not properly digested it can ferment, putrefy, become rancid, and injure the lining of the GI tract. When the cell lining of the GI tract becomes injured, the protective barrier becomes more permeable to unwanted materials.

New research has linked the popular pesticide Round-up, which is found in all genetically modified food (GMO's) as one of the main reasons for increasing numbers of people with digestive difficulties. It seems that repeated ingestion of this pesticide injures the gut lining creating food allergies and sensitivities, digestive disturbances, inflammation and disease. 

The injured lining results in increased permeability that can then set the stage for a variety of chronic illnesses and food allergies. Various digestive difficulties develop including acid indigestion, acid reflux, leaky gut syndrome, dysbiosis, stomach burning, food allergies and sensitivities, irritable bowel, and mal-absorption syndrome creating additional nutritional deficiencies.

Get checked today to see if your GI tract is working effectively by contacting Dr. Linda Solomon, DC, CCWFN at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia, MI at (734) 664 - 0339. Dr. Solomon has over 30 years experience helping improve digestive disorders that patients initially suffered from. Mention this Blog and receive a Free No Charge Digestive Evaluation.

Healthy Weight Loss posted May 28, 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC, ND

Healthy Weight Loss

By Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, D.C., N.D.

Originally Published July 2010 in Body Mind Spirit Guide

People believe that weight loss can occur if calories or fat are reduced in the diet. Another common belief is that eating only one meal a day, starving the body, or eating only certain foods will help with weight loss.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that caloric intake alone was not sufficient to predict weight loss. The body adjusts to a lower calorie diet by lowering its demand for energy. Restricting calories only results in weight loss short term. Once the old eating habits return, the lost weight is regained. Calories are the measurement of the potential energy in food. Eating high calorie food too frequently will result in fat storage, as there is not enough time for the body to use the food for fuel. When more calories are consumed than the body can use, the body will convert the extra calories into fat.

Weight loss can occur with a balanced diet where less carbohydrate or sugar calories are consumed compared to what the body needs. The body can then break down stored fat to make energy, resulting in weight loss. A balance of the hormones related to digestion and weight is key for the breakdown of stored fat.

The three glands that make hormones relating to weight loss are the adrenal glands, the thyroid, and the pancreas. The pancreas determines whether food is converted into energy or fat. Carbohydrates and sugars are broken down during digestion into simple sugars. Insulin moves the simple sugars from the blood into muscles to use for energy.

According to Stanford University School of Medicine, the average American consumes over 120 pounds of sugar each year. The pancreas produces higher and higher amounts of insulin to handle this overload. Over time the cells of the body become resistant to insulin and stop allowing insulin to move the sugar. Insulin then builds up in the blood. This is known as insulin resistance.

The pancreas makes glucagon, another hormone, to break down stored fat into simple sugar. Glucagon is released when there is not enough simple sugar in the blood to provide energy. Only when insulin is low will glucagon be released to break down stored body fat. This is how weight loss occurs. When the body becomes insulin resistant glucagon is no longer released, preventing weight loss even with a lo w calorie intake.

The adrenal glands also respond to sugar. They secrete many hormones, including cortisol, which breaks down fat into sugar, which then activates the pancreas. The adrenal glands also produce cortisol in response to stress. Ongoing stress causes prolonged adrenal production of cortisol, which results in increased weight gain especially around the abdomen. Indicators of stressed adrenals include fatigue, digestive difficulties, cravings for sugars or carbohydrate-rich foods like breads, pasta and potatoes, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, allergies, feeling stressed or overwhelmed, and unwanted weight gain.

The thyroid gland also responds to sugar, cortisol and, insulin. This gland secretes hormones that control the rate of sugar conversion in order to keep the body temperature at 98.6 degrees. A slow thyroid results in a slower metabolism and difficulty with weight loss. Some symptoms of a slow thyroid included dry skin, fatigue, hair loss, depression, cold hands and feet, poor digestion, constipation, and difficulty thinking.

Look for hidden sugars in the foods that are eaten. Many hidden sugars are listed on labels asan “ose”. This includes dextrose, maltose, sucrose, glucose etc. Sugar increases the calorie count, causes an imbalance in the hormones, and results in unwanted weight gain. Visit www.TLCHolisticWellness.com for more information on the Many Names of Sugar.

Insulin levels can be controlled with diet by eating lean protein, complex carbohydrates, which are found in whole grains and vegetables, and by adding good fats, like flaxseed or Omega 3 oil, into the diet. A meal with low sugar intake decreases insulin and increases glucagon, resulting in a reduction in stored fat and weight loss.

If a dietary change along with exercise does not result in weight loss, correct the underlying hormonal imbalance between the adrenals, thyroid, and pancreas with a combination of diet, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, and nutrition. Take advantage of our Spring into Summer Special and get tested to determine if hormonal imbalance is causing you unwanted weight gain. Call  (734) 664 – 0339 during the month of June for this No Charge Evaluation with Dr. Linda Solomon, DC, CCWFN, natural hormone balance and weight loss specialist in Livonia. Visit www.TLCHolisticWellness.com for more health information.

Spring Clean Your Body Posted on March 24, 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

We are exposed to toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. In the U.S. alone there are 1700 new chemicals released every year. Only 45% of these chemicals have been tested for toxicity. Recent research evaluating the blood of newborn babies found industrial chemicals in their blood. These babies had not yet been exposed to the toxins in the air or water outside the womb. Testing showed their blood already contained toxins that they had absorbed from their mother. We do indeed live in a toxic world.

Without food most humans will die within a month, as long as they have water. Without water, the human body will survive only ten days. Water makes up 70% of the body, 90% of the blood, and 85% of the brain. The rule for water consumption is to drink one-half your body weight in ounces. Failure to drink sufficient water causes signs of dehydration that most people have learned to ignore.

Americans do not worry about dehydration. They think that dehydration is something that happens to travelers in the desert when they run out of water. Chronic dehydration is widespread today and does not have immediate symptoms. It affects everyone who is not drinking enough liquid.

Chronic dehydration has been masked by food or with drugs. Some symptoms and their common remedies are: Peptic Ulcer - Antacids; Craving Sweets – Sugar; Depression - Anti-depressant drugs; Allergies – Antihistamines. Dry mouth is a late sign of thirst for water on a cellular level. Saliva is produced even in chronic dehydration with a dry mouth, because it is a digestive enzyme.

If you have any of these symptoms: fatigue, constipation, digestive disorders, high or low blood pressure, gastritis or stomach trouble, respiratory trouble, acid-alkaline imbalance, excess weight and obesity, eczema, cholesterol issues, urinary infections, rheumatism, and premature aging, you may need to drink more water.

Drinking clean water is essential to good health. But which drinking water is the cleanest? You might guess bottled water, but it's not that simple. Bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap water. In fact, FDA purity requirements for city water systems are far more stringent than for bottled water companies. The plastic from the bottles can leach into the drinking water. Bottled water creates more pollution by filling our landfills with gazillions of wasted plastic bottles. Bottled water is often tap water that has been filtered once and then sold to the consumer.

Drinking more water is the first action that can be taken to cleanse the body of toxins. Detoxification is a natural process occurring on a continual basis in the body, and more water is the easiest way to help detoxify. Studies show that detoxification improves all the organs of elimination and results in increased health benefits. The best health insurance you can have is to do everything possible to cleanse your body to prevent sickness and disease. Besides increasing water consumption, there are detoxification diets and programs to help cleanse the body of accumulated toxins.

There are many different types of detoxification programs. Besides detoxification diets, there are detoxification programs that focus on specific organ systems: the skin, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, blood and lymphatic system. Even dietary changes (eating organic) and nutritional modification (decreasing intake of processed sugars) can be a mild form of detoxification.

If you are trying a detoxification program for the first time, it is best to start with a gentle cleanse. Detoxification diets can target different organ systems involved. In general, it is usually recommended that you begin with the intestines. If your bowels are not moving adequately enough to expel the toxins, there will be little benefit from detoxification.  Failure to have proper bowel elimination is a sign of dehydration. By focusing on the hydrating the bowels first to increase elimination, you will enhance detoxification.

Spring is the best time to cleanse your body. All native cultures around the world have spring rituals involving body cleansing to eliminate toxins that have been stored during the winter. The easiest cleanse to begin with is to increase your consumption of good healthy clean, hydrating water. There are many detoxification and cleansing programs available at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia to help your body become cleaner on the inside.  Call (734) 664 - 0339 for a no charge consultation with Dr. Linda Solomon, DC, CCWFN to learn what detox program would work best for you. Happy Spring Cleaning!

Disclaimer: The recommendations in this article are not to be taken as medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care practitioner to obtain your own stress and/or hormone evaluation, and for specific recommendations on your personal health issues.