Livingston County Chiropractic & Weight Loss Center December 2016 *Happy Holidays*

Back Pain a Question of Weight? If you're overweight and suffering from back pain, your doctor will probably suggest that you drop those extra pounds. Losing the weight is probably a good suggestion from an overall health perspective, but it might not be the complete answer to your back pain, at least not according to a recent study. The potential association between excess weight and back pain was examined in 152 patients attending a hospital-based spinal pain unit. Researchers determined the body mass index (BMI) of each patient after measuring weight and height. (The BMI is essentially a scale that determines "appropriate" weight range by comparing weight and height.) Results showed that BMI had no significant effect on the incidence of back pain, except perhaps in cases involving extremely obese individuals. We feel that we are extremely blessed to be able to provide our patients with both aspects. We are able to address back or neck problems and provide chiropractic treatment to our patients, while also offering them an option for weight loss. Ideal Protein Weight Loss method has proven time and time again that it is success- ful and in fact is the only weight loss method that is FDA approved. Our office believes that we have to look at the body as a whole, in order to provide the best possible treatment for our patients. Although this recent study indicates no correlation, we have found if patients lose some excess body weight, that there is a reduction in back pain as well as joint pain.

December Details– Don’t Miss Out! December 7th– Christmas on Plum Street– Vendor show starting at 5-7pm December 26th– Office closed during morning hours, will open 2:30-5:30pm for appointments January 3rd @ 6pm- Ideal Protein workshop, kick off the year to good health! RSVP only

During the entire month of December, we will be collecting winter accessory donations. We have a hat and mitten tree in our foyer where people can drop off hats, mittens, scarves & ear muffs to donate to local families in need during the cold & bitter winter months. Hey Doc, I Can Adjust My Own Neck, Why Do I Have to Come and Have You do it?

Do you find yourself sitting at your desk, “cracking” your neck or back throughout the day? The relief that one experiences when popping their spine may afford them a temporary reprieve from their daily aches and pains, but is it doing more harm than good? The need to crack one’s own neck is potentially a sign of an underlying problem. Often the need to do it is down to poor posture putting excess stress on the joints in the cervical (neck) spine. The danger of doing it yourself is you’re cracking the wrong joints. When you self manipulate it may make the same ‘popping’ noise (air being released from the joint) as a Chiropractic adjustment and it might provide some relief, due to the natural release of a pain-relieving chemical called endorphins. But it can cause damage. Your brain senses the loss of mobility and stability and lets you know by activating pain-producing nerves. These nerves inform you there is something wrong. So instinctively you react to the situation. If you respond by self “cracking” your spine, you may activate some pain-relieving nerve fibers, which may temporarily shut down your warning system. This is why you experience relief. It’s similar to taking a pain-killer for an injury, the medication is used to block pain, but doesn’t necessarily help you heal the cause of pain. When a joint is restricted, the joints above and below work harder to compensate for the lack of movement in the stiff joint. These joints are moving too much already and when you self adjust you are forcing them to move even further. Chiropractors study 4-5 years of information, especially the anatomy of the body and techniques. The techniques we perform allow us to adjust different segments of the spine to make corrections in a safe and effective way. The verdict: when you self-manipulate your own spine you are likely doing more harm than good, so leave it for the experts to find and correct the specific segments that are causing your problem.

If you love the taste of caramel fried apples, but you don’t want the extra sugar in your diet, try this delicious recipe! The secret ingredient is Chayote Squash. This squash can be found in the produce coolers at Wal-Mart. This vegetable added with the right ingredients is a great substitute for apples when you’re watching your sugar and carbohydrate in- take. Walden Farms can be found at our office and County Market has a great selection of those products as well. En- joy! Caramel Fried Apples Ingredients: 1 C. peeled and cubed chayote squash (cut into small cubes) 1 tsp. olive oil 1 T. + 1 ½ tsp. sugar free sweetener, granular 2 T. water ½ tsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. cinnamon 1 T. Walden Farms apple butter 1 T. Walden Farms maple syrup Directions: 1. Place cubed chayote in a small bowl, microwave 3 minutes on high. 2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add all ingredients. 3. Stir fry the faux apples (chayote) until the apples start to brown and soften, about 10 minutes. 4. Turn burner to low (add more water if necessary), to cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Turn off burner and cool. 5. Place the caramel fried apples in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. Servings: 1 C. veggies Find more recipes like this in the “Janeva Cookbook” which is sold in our office.