What We Can Learn From “American Gigolo” – Inversion Tables (Conclusion)

Inversion tables are designed with a flat surface which serves as the bed. The victim person lies down on their back, their lower-body is secured in some manner, and then the bed pivots at the center point, allowing the person to smoothly and easily achieve an upside-down position. I recall that one or two designs over the years did secure the person by a strap or harness which surrounded the pelvis. All the others I have seen merely strap the ankles to the bottom of the bed; no better than the Anti-Gravity Boots that they are supposedly replacing.

I have seen two inversion machines designed by chiropractors (one is still available) that solve this problem with a specially designed pelvic-support piece in place of a bed. The person sits on it, gets properly braced, and then climb their hands down the frame, pulling themselves into an inverted position – no traction is experienced at the ankles or knees, and only minimally at the hip sockets.

The same amount of weight tractions each of the discs and spinal joints whether the person is suspended by the ankles, knees, or the ilia (hip/pelvic bones) above the hip sockets. This being true, an inversion unit which eliminates traction of the ankles, knees, and hips is the only logical choice. Look for one similar to the illustration above, or one that only secures around the hips. New products are being introduced all the time and you will probably be able to find several satisfactory selections. Men – get your own inversion unit and start looking like Richard Gere today!

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

What We Can Learn From “American Gigolo” – Inversion Tables (Intro)

Periodically patients will ask me about inversion tables. The concept is that traction of the spine utilizing only the body’s own weight is a safe and efficient system. If implemented properly, this is correct; improperly – disastrous.

At the risk of giving away my age again, you may remember a little film which launched Richard Gere into stardom called “American Gigolo”. While I have never seen the whole movie, anyone with cable could hardly miss seeing pieces of it while channel-surfing during the 500 times it was aired in a month. The scenes running behind the opening credits showed an extremely buff Gere, clad only in underwear resembling a Speedo, utilizing a new product called “Anti-Gravity Boots” while doing his weight training – women drooled, and men shriveled up and turned green with envy.

“Anti-Gravity Boots” are specially designed cuffs which buckle tightly around the ankles, and which have a large hook on the front. A strong rod is wedged tightly into a door frame, near the top, and then the person does a pull-up, flips himself upside down, clips the ankle hooks over the rod, and then hangs upside down from his feet. Gere upped the ante by then using a pair of dumbbells and going through a workout.

Some time after this film was consigned to the dusty shelves of obscurity, there was a sharp rise in the number of ankle, knee, and hip problems wending their way to orthopedic surgeons. These joints are perfectly designed to support large amounts of weight in a standing position. They are easily damaged when weight is hanging from them.

Enter inversion tables. Manufacturers realized that only a small percentage of the population was capable of hanging themselves upside down in a doorway and wanted to create a product to allow the majority to enjoy the same experience. Tune in to my next post for a discussion of inversion tables, what to look for and what to avoid, and alternatives.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

No Pain, No Gain? Chiropractic Adjustments Don't Have to Hurt to be Effective

Another in the “Drive Your Chiropractor Nuts!” series.

I had a patient who lives in a retirement community come in one day and relate an experience she had had. I thought she was joking at first, but she convinced me that it was true.

Most of these communities have a club house with a common room filled with tables and chairs for holding meetings. She was sitting at one of the tables reading, or waiting for someone, and couldn’t help overhearing the conversation at the next table. A group of six or seven people were arguing over which of their chiropractors was the meanest. “My chiropractor hurts me so bad I have to crawl out of his office!” She said it sounded like they were comparing war wounds. I asked her if she had weighed in on the topic and she said, “They didn’t need my help!”

Over the years people have gotten chiropractic treatments and muscle building confused. The only way that a person can build up muscle bulk is to mildly injure the muscles through over-exercising. This obviously is going to cause discomfort for the body-builder – thus the phrase “No Pain, No Gain.”

On the other hand, many chiropractic adjustments are completely painless, particularly those administered in another manner than by manual means. Even more of the patients experience only a brief instant of discomfort during the movement of the vertebrae. While it is difficult to pull it down to this level in a patient who is experiencing excruciating pain and muscle spasms, I still question whether it was necessary for two different women to ask me if I had graduated from the “de Sade School of Chiropractic.”

I can guarantee that any competent chiropractor is delighted when he can provide a treatment for someone who then says, “that’s feeling better already!” Different therapies including hot packs, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and massage are provided in many chiropractic offices, prior to the treatment, with the intent of decreasing the level of discomfort experienced by their patients. In our office we make available an intersegmental traction table, and advise our patients that icing the painful area prior to coming for care, increase the likelihood of a pleasant adjustment experience.

If you have never been to a chiropractor before, don’t let the unlikely possibility of an uncomfortable experience keep you from receiving the help you need. Many people go through much worse in other venues hoping to feel better. Chiropractic is the natural way to address the cause of your problems and get rid of the pain as quickly as your body is able.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Give Your Body a Chance! Rest and Walking Help Adjustments Hold

Chiropractic care is the natural way for you to be healthy with less pain, and is probably the best single approach available. Other treatment protocols augment what your chiropractor does for you, including cryotherapy, physical therapy, ‘cold’ laser, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc. But did you know that there are things you can do to make your adjustment more effective and long-lasting? They are so simple that most people won’t even give them a try.

The first is to walk for ten minutes prior to making any unusual moves, doing any lifting, or even climbing into your car to drive home. That’s right, immediately after your chiropractic adjustment everything is extra mobile and is trying to settle into the correct position. It has been my observation that as much as 50% of what I do for a patient is lost with a two-minute drive home.  This is usually because of the car seat – which I will address in a future posting. But other movements which our body normally can do with no problem can cause issues for a short period following the treatment.

Second is to rest for 15-30 minutes after the adjustment. In the 1930’s – 40’s a chiropractor would usually have a room set aside in which the light was kept dim, and in which there were a number of cots. After their treatment, the patients would be directed to this room and instructed to lie and rest for a while. During this era the results from chiropractic care seemed to be especially dramatic, and this is probably one of the reasons why. The cost of office space has skyrocketed, privacy issues have blossomed, and patients today barely have the three to ten minutes necessary for a treatment, let alone time to actually REST afterward, so you’re unlikely to see this useful practice anywhere today.

However, if you want the most out of your time and money in our office – walk around after your adjustment, and then get home and rest for a while – give your body a chance!

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Chiropractic Care Can Help Children and Babies So Much!

I’ve got another miracle story for you. One of my patients brought her first child, a four-month old boy, to see me on Monday.  She said that he was bending sideways in the back and the neck, which was quite apparent to anyone who looked at him, but didn’t seem to be in any particular pain and had no other obvious symptoms. Her mother and grandmother are both patients, as well, and they said, “Take him to Dr. Ray.”

When I laid him on my lap to examine and treat him, he began quite enthusiastically to let us know that he didn’t like being there.  His mother apologized and said that he hates to lie on his stomach, and that he was teething, which made him more grumpy. I found several areas to work on in his back, and one in his neck, while he continued to complain. I explained that if she still felt like something wasn’t right after two or three days, to call and bring him back again.

On Wednesday, they returned and the mother reported that he was doing much better. She explained that he had reached the point where he would not even look at or play with toys on his right side, but since the treatment he was interested in both sides again. Also since the adjustment, she was delighted to tell me, he had had no teething pains. I explained that parents often are surprised by that type of response to chiropractic care. His chiropractic adjustment was much quieter on this occasion – he smiled the whole time, and didn’t squirm nearly as much.

This is what the baby's mother posted on our Facebook page (Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor) on 9/12/12:  "Thanks for helping out my baby boy! His head had always been tilting to one side, but is now able to hold it up straight - AND his teething isn't bothering him as much! Thanks so much!"

When the spine is aligned correctly the nervous system functions optimally, and the body recovers and maintains health. Children are no different than adults, except that they respond much quicker to my ministrations. Your children deserve to grow up healthy and happy. If they have any condition which concerns you, whether you have been to the pediatrician or not, take them to a chiropractor and see if the natural approach is right for them.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Neck Stretches Improve Your Response to Chiropractic Care

A little more practical information today – the proper way to stretch your neck (no rope necessary).

Somewhere along the way we got the impression that rolling the head on the neck in a circular motion is an appropriate way to stretch the neck muscles. WRONG! This is an excellent way to cause aggravation to the various joint surfaces, which are arranged such that rolling the head causes them to catch and drag, risking spasms of the neck muscles and long-term joint damage such as osteoarthritis.

A safer way to accomplish the same stretching is what I call the “Eight-Angle Stretch”. Begin by dropping the chin down to the chest.  Next, tilt the head backwards. Third and fourth, tilt sideways, bringing the ears down toward the shoulders. Now for the angles: fifth and sixth, tilt the head forward left and then backward right. Lastly, seventh and eighth, tilt the head forward right and then backward left.

Tilt your head slowly and deliberately in each of these directions just beyond the point of discomfort, hold it for a count of five, and then bring it slowly and deliberately back to the neutral position. Once or twice per day is sufficient for the needs of most people, but, if done properly, poses no particular problem from more frequent application.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Too Sweet For Your Own Good

Allow me to continue the saga of Dr. Ansari in my Nutrition class at Palmer College of Chiropractic. One day we came into class, and somehow the discussion turned to Aspartame. In 1981, Aspartame was a relatively unknown product – diet soft drinks were about the only thing that contained it. Most people were still leery about no-calorie sweeteners because of the Saccharin debacle. Today Aspartame is known by several labels, including NutraSweet® and Equal®.

Dr. Ansari informed us that in the body, Aspartame was broken down into amino acids which, in large quantities, caused de-myelinization of the nerves. Nerves transmit an impulse at a set, measurable rate of speed. Myelin forms around the nerves and acts as an insulator which allows the impulse to travel at a higher rate of speed – more myelin, faster signal.

The benefit of this is that different nerves carry information and instructions at different rates of speed, creating coordination. When the myelin deteriorates there is a loss of coordination, not only of the skeletal muscles, but of all bodily functions. One of the conditions this generates is called Multiple Sclerosis or MS.

We were all naturally concerned, and asked if we should quit drinking diet drinks.  He laughed, and said that one or two sodas every day or so was perfectly safe.  The only problem came, he said, if every meal contained mostly Aspartame instead of sugar, and there was no danger of that happening.

I realize that our federal government issued a statement in 1987 saying that there was absolutely no risk is consuming Aspartame, but have you looked at the ingredients list on the foods you buy nowadays? You would be hard-pressed to find any prepared foods that don’t contain Aspartame or other artificial sweeteners, and government and other entities have been wrong before. Is drinking all the soda you want and eating extra calories because you aren’t drinking them, worth the risk of a condition like MS?

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Calcium is Calcium, Right?

When I started at Palmer Chiropractic College in 1981, one of the classes in my second quarter was Nutrition.  Dr. Ansari was from India, educated in England, and very knowledgeable about a variety of topics.  One of the things he talked about was calcium absorption.

The calcium ion (Ca++) is necessary for nerves to carry an impulse and for muscles to relax after contraction.  While it exists as an ion in the bloodstream, it can only be ingested into the body bonded to another ion as a molecule or chemical compound.  The most common forms are as calcium carbonate (known as bone calcium, or oyster shell calcium, or coral calcium, or limestone), calcium citrate (found in citrus juice), and calcium lactate (milk calcium).

Dr. Ansari taught that Vitamin D was essential for calcium, in any form, to be absorbed from the intestines.  Beyond that, we learned that different types of calcium bonds were more easily broken, and therefore more preferentially collected by the body.  He said that only about one percent of the calcium carbonate was absorbed, twenty percent of calcium citrate, and that as much as fifty percent of calcium lactate could be absorbed in the gut.

Calcium carbonate is the type seen most frequently, especially in grocery stores, because it is very inexpensive to grind up limestone and press it back into tablets.  Calcium citrate is now easily obtained in many places under the trade name of Citracal®.  Calcium lactate is readily available to most who are not lactose intolerant in the form of milk – those who are lactose intolerant must look in health food stores and on the internet.

One final factor to consider is that the above-listed percentages apply only to the calcium that the body actually touches.  In a 500 milligram tablet that does not dissolve (a common occurrence – many calcium tablets pass out the other end unchanged), perhaps 50-75 milligrams on the outside of the pill might actually be available to the body, of which one percent will be absorbed. Much better alternatives are chewables, powder in capsules, or liquid forms.

The recommended daily calcium intake for the average adult is 1000 mg.  This is set high enough to insure that the combination of all the calcium we put into our bodies daily, both through food and supplements, will allow the body to absorb the maximum amount that we need. More easily absorbed combinations will allow smaller intake amounts. Calcium is constantly being lost in our sweat, urine, and bowel movements, so a constant intake is critical to keeping us alive, healthy and happy.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic

Charley Horses, Muscle Cramps & Leg Pain

No, we are not going to talk about Shari Lewis today, even though her show was one of my favorites when I was a little boy (this should be enough information to guess my age). I want to share some ideas regarding muscle cramping and spasming.

Many people have experienced, at one time or another, waking up with severe leg cramps that are often referred to as “Charley Horses”. The muscles feel as though they are in spasm and, frequently, the pain can be excruciating. The only relief comes from deep tissue massage, which is difficult to perform on yourself, and is usually as painful as the spasms. I got to enjoy that marvelous experience myself around 3:30 this morning.

Muscle cramps, especially the nighttime variety, are often caused by an imbalance between the amounts of calcium and potassium ions in the bloodstream. Nerves require both of these, as well as chloride ions to carry an impulse, and muscles require all three to contract, and more calcium to relax again.

When a patient reports that they are experiencing “Charley Horses” at night, my first question is, “Are you taking a calcium supplement?” Next is, “Do you drink milk daily?”  If the answer to either is, “Yes,” I then ask about a potassium supplement.  This is the more common one which is needed, and can be purchased in most grocery stores.

If they seem to be getting plenty of calcium and potassium daily, then my next question is about the type of calcium they are taking. The next posting will give details regarding that.  Other minerals which I have heard linked to muscle cramps are sulfur and magnesium.

One final thing which I have shared with others, and which I had an opportunity to try myself this morning, is quinine.  This is a chemical used as a medicine for malaria. I have no idea what properties it possesses that would link it to muscle cramps, and I just discovered that the FDA has published a warning against using it for this purpose (I presume they refer to the full-strength prescription version).

Quinine is also dissolved in soda water and used in certain alcoholic mixed drinks, and thus can be purchased in grocery stores labeled as “Tonic Water” or “Bitters” due to its bitter taste. Further research revealed that true tonic water is only produced in a greatly diluted form by a few companies, and that most is only quinine flavoring and high fructose corn syrup.

Having disclosed that, when I experienced a severe spasm in the medial muscles of my left thigh this morning, I first tried massaging them out, and then, failing in that, drank four tablespoons of generic store brand tonic water.  I was surprised three seconds later to have the spasm and pain begin to subside, completing the process in less than ten additional seconds.  I didn’t believe it and began vigorously massaging what had been the painful area and could discover neither pain nor tight muscles.

While I’m not yet prepared to state categorically that my relief was due to the tonic water, the coincidence is amazing, especially considering that the area is usually very sore for hours after the incident – which it was not this time. I’m certainly going to try it again the next time I experience “Charley Horses”, and continue suggesting it to my patients.

Getting rid of your pain,

Dr. Steven Ray, Chiropractor

Val Vista Chiropractic