The old way of looking at the human body and the function of the musculo-skeletal system was simply to check muscle strength and joint range of motion, one level at a time, and then compare those findings to average. This model lacked concern for the relationship between any joint in the body and the joints above and below it, for example, the knee as it relates to the ankle and the hip. The newer "Joint-by-Joint" approach considers stability and motion together in a more holistic model. Whole body movement patterns are checked to find... Read More

Most people these days have a desk job, which used to mean sitting behind a desk all day. Fortunately that no longer has to bethe case. Some people with desk jobs now have the option of alternating with a standing position. This is made possible with a sit-to-stand workstation. Although sitting has been demonized for the past decade it does have some advantages, mainly, with the proper chair you can support your spine in a fully neutral and relaxed position. The disadvantage of sitting is that it is sedentary. Being sedentary for... Read More

Having some pain now and again is almost unavoidable. Pain is not necessarily unnatural or abnormal. In the correct measure pain is simply a form of communication, like thats too hot! or you ate too much or and when was the last time you used those muscles? Pain that is proportional to the stimulus that triggers it, both in intensity and duration, is actually a healthy response. For this type of muscle/joint-related pain some people like to take over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The major classes of OTC drugs are acetaminophen (such as... Read More

I recently endured a major health challenge in the form of a brutal viral respiratory infection that lasted more than ten weeks. Just when it seemed like it would never end I turned the corner the very day I started taking a new supplement. What the medical physicians, acupuncturist, body workers, over-the-counter medications, expensive vitamins, exotic teas, a special diet, and extra rest could not do to boost my immune system was apparently done by a plant extract called Andrographis Paniculata . According to the Centers for... Read More

Carbohydrates that contain a fair amount of fiber and nutrients are known as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Carbohydrates with little or no fiber and nutrients are what we call candy, cookies, cakes, muffins, chips, pies, crackers, pastries, pancakes, waffles, donuts, croissants, shakes, sodas, etc. Your body breaks down all carbohydrates into sugars (simple and complex) to be used immediately as energy, if needed, or to be stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles, and as lipids (fat) around your waist. While a large banana... Read More

The word enthesopathy may be unfamiliar to you, but many of the conditions included under that family of disorders are probably very familiar: tennis elbow rotator cuff syndrome plantar fasciitis shin splints high hamstring pull Achilles tendinitis frozen shoulder runners knee DeQuervains tenosynovitis Simply put, an enthesopathy is a disorder of the muscular or tendinous attachment to bone. Regular muscle overuse / strain injuries tend to heal faster than enthesopathies because muscle tissue has a good blood... Read More

I f you are spending the extra money on organic vs. conventional foods you probably want to know if organic is healthier than non-organic. The answer, it seems, depends on how you define the word healthier. If your definition of healthier means more nutritious, as in more vitamins and minerals, the answer is no, organic is not healthier. If your definition of healthier means less pesticide and antibiotic-resistant germ exposure, the answer is yes, organic is healthier. These are the findings of recent research by Stanford University... Read More

Most of the health problems seen at my office are musculoskeletal strains and sprains as well as nerve entrapments stemming from muscle and joint injuries and postural stress. However, because we work here on a holistic basis, we have to think systemically, and nothing is more important to your entire system than your diet. You are what you eat. Diet heavily affects your hormones and hormones drive systemic inflammation. If you are systemically inflamed, you will not recover well from musculoskeletal injuries. Also, diet affects weight,... Read More

When I was pre-school age in Los Angeles, my mother would exercise in the living room while watching a local broadcast hosted by an upstart fitness guru Jack LaLanne. Jack was born in San Francisco and moved to Los Angeles, the opposite of my relocation, but one commonality we had is that he was also a chiropractor. My involvement in exercise got a boost in eighth grade weight lifting club and has not stopped since. There have been a many exercise trends and fads over the years driven mostly by hype and marketing, but also by changes... Read More

A must-read article was recently published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Annals of Family Medicine . Two researchers studied primary care physicians and their patients over a two-year period, with an emphasis on the management of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This is important because the huge yearly increases in health costs are often blamed on care for the most common chronic diseases and their complications. B ig pharmaceutical companies that make drugs for hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes influenced the... Read More