Types of Chiropractic Care For Various Health Needs

What is Involved in Chiropractic Care?

There are a wide variety of chiropractic care suited for all types of ailments or medical condition. It can be used to address general health care or treat specific types of condition. Therefore, chiropractic care also has its own share of specialized branches just like any areas of medical profession. In cases wherein misalignment (termed as subluxations in chiropractic industry) is detected, chiropractors perform mild adjustments to provide relief for patients on the area where the misalignment was found.

In terms of the treatment approaches, there are three main ones that chiropractors focus on.

Stage #1: Relief Chiropractic

This type of chiropractic care is done on patients who suffer from any form of pain or discomfort, regardless of cause. The purpose of this treatment is to provide immediate relief from any undesirable sensation. The length of treatment period largely vary according to the extent of the damage acquired by the patient and how it can be corrected.

Stage #2: Corrective Chiropractic

This is a more advanced type of chiropractic care. It is performed on patients who suffered from spinal problems over a long period of time and have developed into a more complicated condition that have been neglected of proper treatment. For corrective chiropractic care, the process usually extends on a long term treatment. The length in itself is determined by the extent of the damage and how the patient responds to the treatment given.

Stage #3: Maintenance Chiropractic

As the name implies, this type of chiropractic care is intended to sustain any form of treatment already administered to a patient with spine problems. In some cases, chiropractic treatment are continued even after the initial treatments have proven successful. The idea behind this type of chiropractic care is to prevent the possibility of the condition's recurrence, especially in the case of your spine.

Importance of Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine that helps one achieve overall health. It focuses on an internal healing system that addresses any spinal problems that cause interference on the activities of your nerves and cells. This explains the growing popularity of chiropractic care for its focus on attaining the normal functions of the body.

As for your different health needs, there are different types of chiropractic care available. Hence, initial consultation with a chiropractor is necessary to evaluate the extent of the damage and what specific chiropractic treatment to correct them. By restoring your body's normal functions, you are enabling your body to naturally heal.

Also, it helps prevent further damage caused by the presence of such dysfunction in your health system. As soon as you start feeling any abnormalities in your body, seek the help of a nearby chiropractor to prevent the worsening of your condition and improve overall health.

Yours in health,
Dr. Stacey Burke and Dr. Eric Brukwinski 
Doctors of Chiropractic
West Coast Family Chiropractic,
22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025, AUSTRALIA 
(08) 9402 8845

Do Cortisone Shots Actually Make Things Worse?

Posted By Dr. Mercola

The steroid cortisone has long been considered a safe, reliable means to treat the pain and inflammation associated with sports injuries. Cortisone shots are one of the preferred treatments for overuse injuries of tendons.

But a major new review article, after examining the results of nearly four dozen randomized trials, found that people who received cortisone shots had a much lower rate of full recovery and a 63 percent higher risk of relapse.

 The New York Times reports:

“In other words, in some way, the cortisone shots impede full recovery, and compared with those adopting a wait-and-see policy, those getting the shots ‘are worse off.’ Those people receiving multiple injections may be at particularly high risk for continuing damage."

Sources:New York Times October 27, 2010

Yours in health,
Dr. Stacey Burke and Dr. Eric Brukwinski 
Doctors of Chiropractic
West Coast Family Chiropractic,
22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025, AUSTRALIA 
(08) 9402 8845

What is Wellness?

Wellness is all the rage now. There are wellness coaches, wellness experts, wellness practitioners and the list continues to grow. Optimal health allopathically speaking has always been viewed as freedom from disease, so basically if you weren't sick you were considered healthy. This perspective has slowly started to change. Most people would agree that absence of disease, sickness or symptoms is a component of wellness, but does not indicate whether you indeed actually "well" or healthy.

Wellness is a mindset and a perspective not only associated with health but also with a certain lifestyle. A lifestyle that may include certain nutritional parameters to minimise chemicals or processed and refined foods for example. Maybe it also address maintaining a certain body weight, includes strength training and aerobic or anaerobic exercise regimes. A wellness model may also address controlling other recreational substances like cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drug use. Meditation, breathing exercises and yoga are some others to also name just a few that could also be included. All of these are an example of variables that can be included when discussing wellness, and are controllable by the individual who is including them in their wellness model.

Some other commonly used wellness approaches include dental checkups, eye exams and chiropractic adjustments. These are just three examples of proactive wellness professions that focus on optimal function and not just waiting for a problem to arise before providing crisis care. Can you imagine if your dentist said "wait until you're in a lot of pain to come and see me?" I am sure you would have a nice cavity by the time you were in pain! Or how about your chiropractor saying the same thing, "Wait until your back blows out before you come and see me." Not a good approach to maintaining your wellbeing!

Statistics indicate that individuals, who exercise, avoid high fat processed foods and are proactive with regards to their health, have fewer absences from their jobs, and access medical services less frequently than others who don't. One article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that, in one study, the "wellness" approach resulted in a 17 percent decline in total medical visits and a 35 percent decline in medical visits for minor illness. The subjects involved participated in a year-long self-care education program.

Lifestyle factors are largely found to be the most important determinants in an individual's pattern of general health and wellbeing. Expanding our awareness and continue our education may help an individual to make better decisions with regard to their daily lives and health and lifestyle objectives. The choices we make will influence many aspects of our daily lives, from our energy levels, our moods, how we feel etc. Leaving those decisions up to someone else to give us a tablet or perform a procedure may be too late. The secret is in learning to develop habits and make decisions that provide consistent "self care." The traditional medical model focuses on treating symptoms and curing sickness. The wellness concept encourages us to take responsibility for our decisions and lifestyles for our optimal wellbeing.

Being proactive and focusing on prevention may help a person achieve optimal levels of physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. We could then say wellness is an active ongoing process, whereby we continue to learn, become more aware and improve our decision making toward a more optimal wellbeing experience. Adopting habits and behavioural routines that promote improved health and quality of life. 
A person's quality of life may be individually defined, wellness is an approach to optimal wellbeing that focuses on the whole person.

What is wellness? Keeping it simple we could define wellness as an integration of body, mind and spirit, and understanding that we each may have the ability to impact our individual state of health and wellbeing more than any other person, place or thing, and then act on that awareness to improve many aspects of our lives.

Yours in health,
Dr. Stacey Burke and Dr. Eric Brukwinski 
Doctors of Chiropractic
West Coast Family Chiropractic,
22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025, AUSTRALIA 
(08) 9402 8845

Caution Over Back Surgery

New studies show some procedures used to relieve back pain for spinal compression fractures may offer no benefit, Dr. Jennifer Ashton tells Harry Smith.

Yours in health,
Dr. Stacey Burke and Dr. Eric Brukwinski 
Doctors of Chiropractic
West Coast Family Chiropractic,
22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025, AUSTRALIA 
(08) 9402 8845

What Does A Chiropractor Do?

Often the word chiropractor brings many thoughts to mind. In the early days of the profession many medical doctors labelled chiropractors "quacks" and charlatans. Chiropractic has often been associated with back and neck pain but a lot of the controversy that previously surrounded the profession grew out of chiropractors claims of many other improved health conditions such as asthma, ear infections, and a multiple of other medical conditions. People who are under chiropractic care either swear by it, or think that they are being coerced to come in for repeated care.
Chiropractic philosophy evolved around the principle that proper maintenance of the spine through chiropractic adjusting could improve, and support the nervous system keeping a person healthy. A Doctor of Chiropractic as they are also known, treats many musculo-skeletal problems as well. There are over 200 chiropractic techniques and 31 Chiropractic Colleges within the United States (18), Canada (2), Australasia (6), and Europe(5). Most chiropractors practice with the approach of relieving any interference or spinal mis-alignments that interfere with normal functioning of the spinal column and nerves associated with those structures. Many chiropractors use traditional manual adjusting procedures and some use both manual and mechanical multi-thrust instrument adjusting.
The spinal cord is housed within the spinal vertebral column. Many chiropractors understand that conditions or maladies may be affected through these nerves, and their nervous system pathways, affecting the organs and tissues. When there is a disturbance within this bony mechanism, this mechanical distress may disrupt the normal balance and harmony within our bodies, creating disturbances in our nervous system either through pain or symptoms, or in other ways which are not as obvious to us, until the dis-ease accumulates in a greater degree.
The evidence supports chiropractic improving back and neck pain and other musculo-skeletal problems through chiropractic adjustment. Continuing research into other areas of health benefits is still needed to fully understand the effects of chiropractic adjustments on the rest of the nervous system and a person's overall health.
Your initial visit to a chiropractor will most likely include a thorough medical history and consultation. Afterwards they will probably conduct a very thorough physical examination depending on the reasons you have presented with. Most commonly, orthopaedic and neurological tests will be conducted and other exams may also be necessary like x-rays or other imaging. From this information a chiropractor would then be able to determine if you are indeed a candidate for chiropractic care, or if referral to another health care specialist may be necessary. If you are a chiropractic candidate, an appropriate treatment plan can be formulated based on your needs and objectives for care. Depending on the nature and severity of a person's problem the number of adjustments can vary from person to person, as well as their personal medical history and the type of chiropractic technique utilised for  treatment.
Most chiropractors work in conjunction with other allied health professionals and are very effective in the "team approach" of getting a person back to being in optimal state of wellness. A lot of the previous problems that existed between the different health professions has become less and less as educational standards and technology have allowed the different professions to improve their standards of care and practice more evidence based approaches, for the benefit of the patient.
This article is meant as a guide as a general overview and anyone experiencing a problem should consult with their doctor immediately for a complete and thorough assessment. For other interesting articles and health updates check out Latest Health News


Dr. Stacey Burke graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1996 with a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree. He also holds an International Chiropractic Sports Science Diploma (I.C.S.S.D.). He is the co-founder of West Coast Family Chiropractic in Hillarys, Perth Western Australia.
Dr. Burke has had a passion for health, Chiropractic and nutrition from an early age. Always involved in sport he has completed the gruelling Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships on two separate occassions, and is a six-time Ironman Triathlon finisher. He has also competed in several marathons including the Boston Marathon. Ice hockey still remains close to his heart and he still likes to play "oldtimers" hockey as often as he can. He regularly cycles and loves the West Australian people and lifestyle. His goal is to help people restore and maintain their health, and the health of their families and community through natural chiropractic methods, community outreach, and education.

Juicing is the Key to Radiant Health

by: Alex Howard, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Juicing is the vital key to giving you a radiant, energetic life and truly optimal health. There are valuable and sensitive micronutrients that are damaged when you heat foods. Cooking and processing food destroys these micronutrients by altering their shape and chemical composition. However, it is important not to see juice as a meal replacement - it is not. You still need to eat whole vegetables and some fruit for fiber, but this should not deter you from juicing.

*Most of us have compromised intestines as a result of less than optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body`s ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to "pre-digest" them for you so you will receive most of the nutrition.
*You need to eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight per day. Vegetable juicing allows you to accomplish this, as you can eat more vegetables than you would normally. Reaching this goal through eating whole vegetables and salad alone is hard!

About a pint per day is ideally recommended. Always have the juice 20 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after a meal to allow digestion. A pint all at once makes less work cleaning up the juicer of course, but if a pint all at once is too much, it is fine to spread it out to more than one glass per day- it just takes slightly more effort!

Juicing is a time-consuming process, so you`ll probably be thinking to yourself, "I wonder if I can juice first thing and then drink it later?" This isn`t a great idea. Vegetable juice is very perishable so it`s best to drink all of your juice immediately. However, if you`re careful you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. To store your juice:

1. Put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimum amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will "oxidize" and damage the juice.
2. Wrap the jar with aluminum foil to block out all light. Light damages the juice.
3. Store it in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes prior to drinking, as vegetable juice should be consumed at room temperature.

Step 1: Now that you`re ready for the benefits of vegetable juice, you need to know what to juice.
Start out with these vegetables, as they are the easiest to digest:
- 5 sticks of celery (good source of sodium, antioxidants)
- Fennel (can help stomach cramps and indigestion, is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, can improve liver regeneration and is useful for upper respiratory catarrh, bronchitis and coughs
- A cucumber (good source of potassium, antioxidants)
- 1-2 carrots (anti-oxidants)
- 1 apple (anti-oxidants, anti-cancer cardio-protective)
- Raw ginger to taste (anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, immune stimulant, anti-inflammatory)

These aren`t as beneficial as the more nutritionally intense dark green vegetables. The carrot and apple are optional - if you can, leave them out, but if you need to sweeten the juice, use these - but always ensure the juice is MOSTLY vegetable-based. Once you get used to these vegetables, you can start adding the more nutritionally valuable, but less palatable, vegetables into your juice.

Vegetables to avoid in excess include carrots and beetroot. If you are healthy, you can add about one carrot or beetroot per pint of juice. The deep, intense colors of these foods provide additional benefits for many that are just not available in the green vegetables listed above.

Please remember that vegetable juice and fruit juices are two completely different substances in terms of nutrition. Excessive fruit in juices should be avoided. Although vegetable juice is processed, it doesn`t raise insulin levels like fruit juice. The only exceptions are carrot and beetroot juice (and most vegetables that grow underground), which function similarly to fruit juice in excess.

Step 2: When you have acclimatized yourself to juicing, you can start adding these vegetables:
- Red leaf lettuce
- Green leaf lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
- Endive
- Raw beetroot
- Spinach

Step 3: After you are used to these, then go to the next step:
- Cabbage
- Chinese Cabbage
- Bok Choy

Step 4: When you are ready, move on to adding herbs to your juicing. Herbs also make wonderful combinations, and there are two that work exceptionally well:
- Parsley
- Coriander
You need to be cautious with coriander, as many cannot tolerate it well. If you are new to juicing, hold off. These are more challenging vegetables to consume, but they are highly beneficial.

Step 5: The last step: Only use one or two of these leaves, as they are very bitter:
- Kale
- Collard Greens
- Dandelion Greens
- Mustard Greens (bitter)

www.healingdaily.com/juicing-for-he...
www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/juici...
www.living-foods.com/articles/benef...

About the author

Alex Howard is author of "WHY ME? My Journey from M.E. to Health and Happiness" and founder of The Optimum Health Clinic, an award winning clinic specialising in M.E./C.F.S./Fibromyalgia based in Harley Street Clinic, London, UK. The clinic has treated over 5,000 patients with M.E./Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia in over twenty-five countries around the world, and is currently running a two year clinical trial in conjunction with two top universities. A free information pack, including a 75 documentary about the clinic and its work, can be ordered from www.FreedomFromME.co.uk

Yours in health,
Dr. Stacey Burke and Dr. Eric Brukwinski 
Doctors of Chiropractic
West Coast Family Chiropractic,
22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025, AUSTRALIA 
(08) 9402 8845

Ask The Perth Chiropractor What are muscle cramps?

Perth chiropractor Dr. Eric Brukwinski of West Coast Family Chiropractic http://www.westcoastfamilychiropracti... answers the question "What are muscle cramps?"
A muscle cramp is an involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax. When we use the muscles that can be controlled voluntarily, such as those of our arms and legs, they alternately contract and relax as we move our limbs. Muscles that support our head, neck, and trunk contract similarly in a synchronized fashion to maintain our posture. A muscle (or even a few fibers of a muscle) that involuntarily (without consciously willing it) contracts is in a "spasm." If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. Muscle cramps cause a visible or palpable hardening of the involved muscle.