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As a chiropractor I laud that benefits of exercise to all my patients. In fact, I offer community lectures on the subject because I believe that a regular routine of both aerobic and weight-bearing exercises is important for overall health and longevity. Many of my patients use lightweight dumbbells in their workouts and that’s great. But, it’s important to use them correctly in order to avoid injury. So, I’m happy to pass along an exercise that outlines the proper use of dumbbells, offered by Karen Voight, the creator of a line of fitness DVDs, including “Sleek Essentials.”

• Grasp a 3- to 5-pound dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes facing forward. Bend your knees and sit back on your heels to avoid putting stress on your lower back. Begin with your elbows bent and tucked in to the sides of your body, palms facing forward.

• Use your abdominal muscles to support and brace your spine as you simultaneously bring your left arm in front of you and your right arm behind you.

• Pause when your dumbbells are at shoulder level and make sure your elbows do not “lock out.”

• Bend your arms and return to the start position. Repeat the exercise, this time extending your right arm to the front and your left arm to the back.

• Continue to alternate arms for a total of 16 repetitions. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat for a second set.

For more information, write Karen Voight

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Chiropractors everywhere will tell you the same thing: Conservative chiropractic treatment should always be considered prior to any back surgery. In fact, an entire chapter in a newly released textbook published by Springer Science+Business Media, Surgery For Low Back Pain, is dedicated to chiropractic treatment. The book was edited by a consummate group spine surgeons from Europe. The inclusion of chiropractic methods in clinical decision marks another example of the global growth and acceptance of healing benefits of chiropractic treatment.

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I was talking with a new patient of mine, a fifty-year-old woman who’d come to my chiropractic clinic for relief from hip pain, and as we were discussing her health history, she mentioned that she “used to have” high blood pressure, but now that she was on medication, it was “normal.” She said that she was very happy that she no longer needed to worry about her high blood pressure. She was surprised when I explained to her that her medication merely “regulated” her condition, but that it did not eliminate problem. As this woman was obese, I explained to her that her weight, in addition to causing her hip pain, was also the culprit that continued to cause the high blood pressure for which she needed the medication. I told her that as a chiropractor, I could temporarily relieve her hip pain with chiropractic treatment, but that it would likely come back again unless she lost some of the excess poundage she carried around each day.

Obesity is a serious condition that causes innumerable health problems such as heart disease, risk of stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and a plethora of musculoskeletal problems that, more often than not, lead to osteoarthritis. The only prevention is weight loss. The only “cure” is weight loss. The only hope for a healthy outcome is weight loss. Pharmaceuticals may regulate the symptoms of conditions caused by obesity, and chiropractors can help to temporarily relieve the pain, but there is not a traditional or alternative therapy that can rectify obesity.

There’s no getting around it, either. Losing weight is hard work and the more an individual needs to lose, the harder it can be. And, the indisputable fact is that no one can lose weight for you. But, the health “rewards” are worth it. Just ask anyone who’s lost a significant amount of weight. Health-wise, it’s a life-changer. And, studies have shown that many people with high blood pressure problems who lose their excess weight are often able get off their blood pressure medications altogether.

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Did you know that April is Foot Health Awareness Month? As a chiropractor, I think that it is always good for us to have special days set aside to look at the various areas of our health that we might improve upon. That said, if you are someone who experiences foot pain, you are, no doubt, aware of your feet every single day, week, and month of the year, especially if you are on the run for fun or fitness. Running, though “naturally” good for us, can be hard on our lower extremities for all sorts of reasons from bad gait and poor running shoes to the surfaces we choose to run on.

The impact forces during running can be two-three times your body weight and this, in and of itself, makes your feet particularly vulnerable to injury. Add to this general vulnerability the frequent reasons for foot pain and injury mentioned above, and its no wonder that so many people suffer from foot problems. Pain-free feet are important whether you run or not, but if you’re a runner (or thinking of becoming one) it is critical for you to make sure that your feet, and the rest of your body as well, are in good shape for it. As experts in restoring and improving motion in the entire musculoskeletal system, your chiropractor can examine your feet, analyze your running mechanics, and determine if certain conditions need correction before you continue, or begin, a running regime.

With summer just around the corner, more runners than ever will be hitting the roads, parks, and tracks. If you’re planning on being one of them, whether you currently have foot pain or not, it’s a good idea to see your chiropractor, just to “run” on the safe side.

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As if the intense pain and suffering from fibromyalgia weren’t enough, a disproportionate ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, perhaps you may be one of them. This “double whammy” can result in your not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also malaise, headaches, numbness and pins and needles, dizziness, sleep disturbance, swollen feeling in tissues, stiffness, sensitivity to noise and stress, and cognitive impairment.

Chiropractic techniques have been found to be highly beneficial in reversing trauma-induced injuries by reducing inflammation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can trigger pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.

What do “trauma-induced injuries” have to do with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? The connection may surprise you.

While the precise cause of these syndromes is not known, current research has pinpointed traumatic neck injuries, such as whiplash and concussion, as risk factors for the onset of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. And, here’s the thing: although the pain and fatigue produced by spinal injuries can be triggered immediately, often it can take quite a long time, perhaps months or years to develop. These types of injuries may no be remembered by the time fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms appear.

If you are someone who experiences the distressing symptoms of one, or both, of these two debilitating conditions, you may find it difficult to take part in even the simplest activities in life, and you may even be experiencing depression and feeling defeated. But, don’t give up hope because your chiropractor can help you.

When it comes to the knowledge and treatment of the spine, your chiropractor is an expert. Chiropractic management has been shown to be extraordinarily effective in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. If you’ve been experiencing the pain and discomfort caused by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, see your chiropractor today to see if chiropractic management can help to eliminate your suffering.

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