Month: October 2019

Please stop in for a SPELL!

From the neck and back pain relief chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

 

Chiropractic care is a nonsurgical treatment option for cervical disc problems. This article will discuss what a cervical disc condition is and the chiropractic approach to treating this problem.

Many people experience neck pain. There are many causes for this, but the majority of problems come from the spine. The bones of the neck are called the cervical spine. There are seven of these bones which are called vertebrae. Between the bones of the cervical spine are discs. Discs are like pads or cushions between the cervical vertebrae. It should be said that there is no disc between the skull and the first bone and between the first and second bones.

Discs act as a shock absorber and provide flexibility. They allow the stack of bony vertebrae that make up the spine to be cushioned. They also allow gentle movement of our neck forward and back, side to side and turn right and left.

It is not uncommon for discs to undergo injury. For example, there may be too much stress on a disc due to poor posture or from a sudden trauma like whiplash from a car accident. When this occurs, one may feel an intense pain in the neck, top of the shoulder, shoulder blade and a radiating pain, numbness or tingling into the arm, forearm and hand and fingers.

Typical medical approaches for treating this problem might include prescription medications, injections, physical therapy and surgery.

A chiropractor utilizes a nonpharmaceutical, nonsurgical alternative approach to treating this problem of the cervical spine. A chiropractor will look for several things during an examination of a patient. These would include loss of muscle strength or signs of muscle wasting. Also, loss of sensation along the path of the nerve is checked. Intact reflexes are evaluated to see if the nerves are sending messages correctly (the classic reflex test is when the doctor taps your knee with a small hammer and your leg kicks up).

Many times, an examination will include visualizing the area of the neck by x-rays and MRI.

The examination phase is very important to the chiropractor to determine if a particular cervical disc problem can be helped through chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic care can involve gentle, safe, effective manipulation of misaligned vertebrae and spinal joints. Sometimes physiological therapeutics such as electrical muscle stimulation and cold packs are also applied to the affected areas.

Many times, a doctor of chiropractic will work in conjunction with a medical doctor, who might provide anti-inflammatory pain reducing medications for their patient.

A couple misconceptions may occur and should be addressed. The first is that a chiropractor can “pop a disc back in place” using a forceful manipulation. This definitely is not the case. At times there is a mild “pop” sound when gentle manipulation is used but this comes from the release of gas under pressure within a joint. A second misconception is that a few quick treatments of chiropractic care can “fix” the problem. Most the time it takes a series of treatments which build on each other to produce results.

For anyone suffering from a cervical disc problem it is certainly worthwhile to check with a chiropractor to see if a noninvasive method of chiropractic care can be utilized to help this condition.

Visit UPMC neck pain relief chiropractor. To learn more about neck pain relief chiropractic see our site.

 

I had severe back pain and I was taking Naproxen but, it wasn’t helping. My mom is a patient of Dr. Schofield’s and she recommended that I get some help from him.

He helped relieve my back pain and get me back to normal living. I like to go out with my friends and family, take care of my pets, and take short day trips. I can get around a lot better and do many things with less pain.

I have been able to do my job which is very physical.   Daily life is so much easier now.

If you are in pain, don’t wait until it is too late to get treated.  Once you get injured, it is never the same.  A “stitch in time saves nine”.  Back pain is nothing to ignore.  Dr. Schofield is an excellent Chiropractor and he helped me so much.  Go get help before it is too late!

Visit UPMC back pain relief chiropractor. See our site for best back pain relief Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic.

 

Practically everyone is aware that there is an opioid pain medication epidemic in the United States. Many people know firsthand a relative, friend or neighbor who has been affected by this problem. This article will discuss an alternative to opioid drugs for pain management of lower back pain through chiropractic care. It will also update the reader on current research with management of pain of the lower back through conservative measures.

Lower back pain affects 80% of Americans by the age of 40. In my chiropractic practice I find it is very rare for people not to have had one or more episodes of significant pain in the back in their lifetimes. Many people have episodes of back pain and some, unfortunately suffer from back pain constantly.

Pain of the lower back is ubiquitous. Because of its prevalence it affects most people with their everyday activities of working, caring for their family, taking care of their house and yard, and being able to exercise and enjoy themselves recreationally.

In an effort to help people with their back discomfort it became common for medical practitioners to give opioid pain medications. We all know that however well-meaning this was it unfortunate consequences. Opioids are highly addictive and have led to overdoses, deaths, dependencies and have wrecked social havoc.

Since opioid pharmaceuticals are not the answer for back pain sufferers, what is? Fortunately, chiropractic care which has been available in the United States for over hundred 25 years shows great promise.

Chiropractors are doctors specializing in care of the human spine. A Doctor of Chiropractic is specially trained in diagnosing the cause of lower back pain and has specific training to correct the cause of discomfort of the back. Chiropractors utilize treatment called manipulation of the spine to correct misaligned or improperly moving spinal vertebrae to correct the cause of the pain.

The Cleveland Clinic highlights spinal manipulation as a first-line treatment for lower back pain.

Consumer Reports surveyed 3500 people with lower back pain and 90% of people tried spinal manipulation found it helpful.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a review of systematic research that chiropractic manipulation for back pain is effective and is of low risk.

The attorneys general of 37 states wrote a letter to the major health insurance companies urging alternative therapies like chiropractic care to be utilized instead of opioid medications. They asked the insurance companies to consider making chiropractic care available at a lower cost to patients to combat chronic pain.

With research and data like this it would be much easier, quicker and have a reduced social cost if alternative care such as chiropractic manipulation was used for acute and chronic pain conditions such as lower back pain.

To learn more about chiropractic lower back pain relief visit our site. Visit UPMC back pain relief chiropractor.

 

Having been self-employed for the last 33 years I have not actually had a boss for a while. But in prior years I had many bosses and employers. While there were certainly some who were less than desirable, most of them were great people. I look back at them as mentors and people who helped me gain maturity. I not only look at employers, but even people like my high school sports coaches. They helped me learn discipline, persistence and teamwork.

So today, National Bosses Day, I want to extend best wishes to those who employ, coach and provide opportunities for all the rest of us. Many thanks!!

Happy National Bosses Day from the chiropractic pain relief office of Dr. James Schofield

In my 35 years of chiropractic practice I have seen thousands of patients looking for pain relief. I have found that although they have pain in one area of the body, the actual cause of the discomfort is coming from somewhere else. This article will discuss three cases of patients looking for relief of pain. The actual source of the pain was located elsewhere. Many times, relief of pain comes from an associated area.

Our first case study involved a patient who was having tension headaches. Kevin came to me noting that he was having frequent daily headaches. His headaches started in the back of his head and as the pain worsened, he would feel it in his temples and into his forehead. The headaches had come out of nowhere two months earlier. They made it difficult for him to be involved with his wife and three young children and to make a living at a busy job as a bartender. He had visited his medical doctor, had a brain MRI which was negative and tried medications, but his headaches persisted.

When I saw him, I found through an examination of his upper neck and x-rays of that area, he had misalignments of his upper vertebrae. These were causing pinching and irritating  the nerves and joints in that area which was the cause of his associated headaches. Once these misalignments were corrected through chiropractic care his headaches were completely eliminated, and he was able to resume his busy life as a husband, father and bartender. He was very happy to have relief of his pain.

Our second case study was Karen, who was having shoulder problems. She initially told me she was having limited movement and pain of her left shoulder. She found it hard to put on her bra and lifting a heavy object like a gallon container of milk was almost impossible. She watched her infant granddaughter during the day and was barely able to hold and carry her. Karen’s problem had been going on for about six months and was worsening. When I examined Karen, she had definite problems with the shoulder such as tendinitis, bursitis and ligament sprain. However, she also had misalignments of the vertebrae of her lower neck and upper back which was the cause of her associated shoulder pain. Chiropractic care for her spinal misalignments as well as care of the shoulder joint itself brought her back to having full movement of her shoulder, normal strength and pain relief.

The last case study in our discussion is of Patti, who was having pain of her right hip. She had constant pain of the hip and it was difficult for her to lie on her right side to sleep. She also found it difficult to use her right leg to apply pressure to the brake and gas pedals while driving. Her problem had gradually been worsening for over a year. Upon examination we discovered that she had misaligned an associated area of the pelvis called the sacroiliac joint. The sacroiliac joint and the hip are closely associated. Through chiropractic care we were able to realign the sacroiliac joint in the pelvis which brought pain relief to Patty. She was able to sleep and drive her vehicle normally.

Many patients have painful areas of the body that are associated and related to other areas that are the actual cause of the pain. Chiropractic care can help discover these related and associated painful areas and bring about pain relief.

Visit UPMC pain relief chiropractor. To learn more about chiropractic pain relief see our site.

May you be sealed for a good year!

From the James Schofield DC pain relief office.

Although we are having an extended summer here in Western Pennsylvania, we know the cooler, cloudier days of fall, and yes winter, will soon be upon us. During the summer we tend to get some sunlight exposure to our skin. This produces vitamin D which is important for our health. This article will discuss vitamin D, its benefits and how the human body obtains and utilizes vitamin D.

When you drink milk or orange juice you may notice the label on the beverage container states the product is “fortified with vitamin D.” The reason for this is mainly because of a condition called Rickets. For many years we didn’t know the wide-ranging benefits of vitamin D. It was found that vitamin D is important for the strength of our bones. Children deficient in vitamin D developed a condition called Rickets. Vitamin D helps calcium be absorbed and deposited into bones. This makes the bones stronger. If children did not have enough vitamin D their bones were a weak and they developed Rickets. One can search the Internet for pictures of individuals with Rickets and see they’ve acquired severe bowing of the legs because of this disease. As a result, many decades ago, milk was fortified with vitamin D and Rickets was virtually eliminated in the United States.

Besides helping us develop strong bones, vitamin D is also important for other aspects of our health. This vitamin helps our immune systems, especially during the winter months. Studies show that individuals deficient in vitamin D tend to develop the flu more easily. Vitamin D also helps to decrease generalized inflammation in the body. Generalized inflammation causes lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular problems, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis and more. We can see that it is important to have sufficient levels of vitamin D.

When we discuss vitamin D, is important to note that a specific form, vitamin D3, is the most beneficial type to obtain. During the summer months, when we have direct sunlight exposure to our skin, we produce vitamin D3. In the mid-Atlantic area of the United States 15 to 20 minutes of exposure to sunlight will produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D3. People who live in the South need less time exposure. As a rule, light-skinned people will need less exposure time than dark skinned people. Also, people living at altitudes do not have to be out in the sun as long as people living near sea level to get their vitamin D3.

As mentioned earlier, those of us living in northern climes will not have the fortune to have enough sunlight exposure to produce vitamin D3 as the colder months come upon us. However, we will be able to take the vitamin D3 supplements and increase dietary foods that contain the vitamin. By acquiring our supplements at a good health store or Internet source we can maintain proper levels of this nutrient. Adults should aim to take a supplement that has at least 5000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day.

Additionally, we can eat foods that are rich in vitamin D3. These would include salmon, cod, herring and sardines and beef liver. These foods, by themselves, will not supply enough vitamin D3 to maintain sufficient levels, so supplementation is recommended.

If you are not sure that your vitamin D3 levels are where they should be you can have a simple blood test to check. Blood testing labs can readily determine if there is insufficiency.

With summer ending be sure to switch to dietary forms of vitamin D3 to help to ensure the best possible health during the upcoming colder months.

To learn more about Pittsburgh chiropractic pain relief see our site. Visit UPMC Pittsburgh chiropractic pain relief.

It is becoming common knowledge that it’s wise to limit the amount of carbohydrates we eat. However, it is difficult to determine what are bad versus good carbs and how many carbs per day should we consume. This article will give significant information about dietary carbohydrates and how to know how many carbs we can have in our diet.

With books such as The Keto Diet, Grain Brain, The Paleolithic Diet, The Mediterranean Diet and The South Beach Diet it is becoming apparent that a diet high in carbohydrates can be deleterious to our health. The old “food pyramid” that was used as a dietary suggestion consisting of very little fat, a bit more protein, and lots of carbs has been shown to have a paucity of scientific evidence and poor anecdotal evidence to convince anyone that it had much validity. In fact, many healthcare practitioners believe that it is the major reason why we have such poor health in the United States. Lifestyle pathologies such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and others can be directly linked to high dietary carbohydrates.

Newer guidelines have established standards that warn not to consume high amounts of “starchy” carbohydrates like cereal, bread, pasta and grains. These are the foods that can ruin health. Of all the grains, wheat is the most harmful. It contains high amounts of a protein called gluten. For many of us, gluten is an allergen that is categorized as causing food sensitivities. Gluten sensitivities or gluten allergies are very common in the American population. It is not surprising that we find a myriad of gluten-free food-types on the shelves of most of our grocery stores.

If one wants to utilize a safer grain, oats and rice would be the best recommendation. Rice and oats have little to no gluten. However, they are still problematic because they are starchy carbohydrates.

It should be said that vegetables and fruit are also considered carbohydrates. But they can be eliminated from this discussion of limiting carbohydrates. Fruit and veggies are a completely different type of carbohydrate than grain carbohydrates. Even so it would be best to consume a limited amount of fruit as some contain high amounts of carbohydrate called fructose. It is suggested that a person eat 3 portions of vegetables for every 1 one portion of fruit consumed.

How many starchy carbs should one consume a day? Many experts suggest approximately 100-200 grams/day. This amount is certainly reasonable, attainable and provides enough appetite satisfaction to work for most people.

What sometimes is difficult is to be able to measure or count the grams of carbohydrates in various foods. However, food labels on the packaging of our foodstuffs provides the knowledge required to determine how much we should consume. There are two features on a food label to look for. The first is the serving size. The second is the total carbohydrates. As an example, let’s say you wanted to eat a food bar. Assume that the label said a food bar was one serving and the total carbohydrate listing was 20 grams. You would know that by eating one food bar of this type 20 grams of starchy carbohydrates would have been consumed. Another example might entail eating oatmeal. Let’s say the food label notes that one serving is 1/2 cup and that one serving yields 100 grams of total carbohydrates. We would now know exactly the amount of carbs eaten. If one were to reduce the serving size to 1/4 cup 50 grams of total carbohydrates would be ingested.

By using food labels, it is very easy to determine the amount of carbohydrates/day a person takes in.

If a food label is not available it is very easy to go on to the Internet and to simply provide the browser the information of the type of carbohydrate, the serving size and asking for the amount of total carbs numerated. By using this method, it is quite simple and easy to determine the amount of carbohydrates we consume per day.

Again, 100-200 grams per day of starchy carbohydrates is a good goal to shoot for. Many of us who initially utilized this approach found that within a year we reached a desirable weight, eliminated chronic pains, had increased energy and better sleep.

This diet does not have to be excessively stringent. Most people who do not have serious metabolic diseases could certainly afford to have a “cheat day” or two each week when they could exceed the 100-200 grams of starchy carbohydrates and have some sweets.

Limiting the amount of starchy carbs, consuming reasonable amounts of protein and healthy fats and supplying our diets with plenty of organic vegetables will allow most people to obtain healthful diet. Many healthcare practitioners, dietitians and nutritionists believe that this type of diet would allow the majority of the American population to reduce lifestyle health pathologies to a point of essential national insignificance.

Visit UPMC pain relief chiropractor. To learn more about chiropractic pain relief see our site.