Startin' em Early

Startin' em Early
DC in training

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Chiropractic Care for Children

CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR CHILDREN

Doctors of chiropractic hear from parents that they appreciate the importance of regular check-ups for their child’s teeth, eyes and ears, but they draw a blank when it comes to a spinal check-up. Yet that could be one of the most important check-ups your child will ever have. You might be surprised to learn that most adult problems chiropractors deal with actually have a start in childhood. For example, the growing pains of a 12-year-old boy can become crippling low back and leg pains in adulthood: the jolly jumpers used by a toddler can cause spinal curvatures (scoliosis) in the adolescent.

Your child’s spine is his or her lifeline. Running through it is the spinal cord containing billions of nerves that send messages and information from the brain to every part of the body and back again. Yes, we all have our very own Internet! As long as none of these messages is interrupted, your child should have optimal function and the best health possible. If, however, there is any interference with this information highway, the message sent by the brain will not reach the part of the body it intended to reach. As a result, the body starts to work improperly. Chiropractors call this a malfunction. It can be a serious threat to health. This interference will often affect the immune system, lower body resistance and leave your child prey to various bugs and infections.

THE FUNCTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

It is generally agreed that the immune system is very closely linked to the nervous system. As a matter of fact, Dr. Stephen Marini, who is both and immunologist and a chiropractor and who is on staff at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, feels that the immune system is like a circulating nervous system. He also feels most diseases that children get are really the result of the improper functioning of that system. This interference in your child’s nervous system is what chiropractors refer to as a vertebral subluxation- small misalignments of the bones of the spine pinching delicate nerves.

HOW DOES YOUR BABY’S SPINE LOSE ITS NATURAL ALIGNMENT?

Vertebral subluxations have many causes. The major cause of most is actually the process of being brought into the world – birth. For an infant, it can be very stressful. Subluxations associated with birth trauma can cause hyperactivity, lowered resistance, ear infections, asthma and bed wetting, as well as signs of central motor impairment. According to Dr Gutman, a German specialist, a spinal check up after birth should be obligatory.

As a matter of fact, certain hospitals in Australia are having chiropractic doctors check the infant spine immediately after delivery to ensure a healthy spine and nervous system, free from subluxations. As babies get older, they are often subjected to some uncomfortable traditions: wearing tight diapers that do not allow proper hip development; jolly jumpers which place an infant in an upright position long before the spine can deal with gravity; poorly designed school desks and poor mattresses, just to name a few. Then of course there is the usual process of crawling, walking and running. As your child matures, other incidents and activities can also create vertebral subluxations. For instance, falling off a bike or down stairs, hockey, football, skateboards and roller blades.

As example, the so-called growing pains I mentioned earlier that children often experience in their legs have traditionally been explained away as part of childhood. Worried parents hear such nonsensical statement as “it’s nothing-they’ll grow out of it”, or my very favorite, “it is because they are growing”. Many parents tend to buy these excuses. But when we really think about it, those explanations simply do not make any sense. After all, when did it ever hurt to grow? And why only the legs? Don’t the arms also grow? Why don’t they hurt?

From a chiropractic perspective, these growing pains are often called sciatica in adults. In other words, a vertebral subluxation in the low back affecting the sciatic nerve which controls the legs. These pains can also often be caused by a functional pelvic imbalance. In simple terms, it’s a subluxation of the pelvic bones which then changes the way a child walks. These pelvic imbalance subluxations can lead to the development of early Scoliosis (spinal curvature), knee problems and difficulty with balance. These are often the children who are wrongly labelled as klutzy.

If allowed to remain, subluxations are the starting point of nerve system and body malfunction. When a vertebral subluxation has existed for some time, it will eventually produce symptoms (pain is the most common) as a warning to let you know that something is simply not okay, that there is a threat to health and well-being. One must remember that symptoms are similar to a fire alarm. They let you know that there is a fire. At this point you have a choice. You can put out the fire (correct the subluxation), or turn off the fire alarm (using medication) to make yourself feel better. Which is more logical?

Chiropractic care is for everyone who wants to experience wellness, but is especially important for children. It can make a huge difference in their lives. Conditions easily corrected by chiropractic care at an early age are often neglected and can be carried by a child as a burden throughout a lifetime. I firmly believe that all children should be checked by a chiropractor to ensure a normally functioning nervous system and a healthy body.

Author: Dr. Ogi Ressell

If you have any questions about the health of your children or you would like to bring them in for a spinal check-up, please give us a call at 918-935-3432. Our passion is for the health of our community and we take our mission of wellness very seriously. Thank you for your time reading our blog.

Sincerely, Dr. Travis

www.mytulsachiro.com

Monday, April 2, 2012

Foods that Fight Sickness

Prevent sickness by stocking up on these items the next time you’re at the grocery store

Nobody plans to get sick. On the contrary, your efforts to avoid it sometimes seem borderline OCD: Don’t sneeze into your hands, always cook your chicken to exactly 170 degrees, and hose down every germ-carrying preschooler in sight with soap and water. And yet, no matter how many times you gargle with salt before bedtime or coat yourself in antibacterial hand cleanser, now and again the inevitable rumble in your tummy or tickle in your throat hits. Hard. Suddenly, you’re down for the count and up to date on the daytime soaps. What are you doing wrong? Probably nothing. But you can do a few more things right. Certain foods and drinks have a natural immunity boost; to tap their benefits, just open up and say, “Ahh.”

Tea Off Against Colds

Not just any hot tea, though. Chamomile, according to researchers from London’s Imperial College, is the one that’ll help prevent sickness. In a recent study, they found people who drank five cups of the brew a day for 2 weeks had increased blood levels of plant-based compounds called polyphenols, some of which have been associated with increased antibacterial activity. Levels remained high for 2 weeks after subjects stopped drinking the tea, says lead researcher Elaine Holmes, Ph.D. (Bonus: chamomile tea also raised levels of glycine, a mild nerve relaxant and sedative.)

Knock ‘em Dead

There’s a killer living in all of us. Known as a macrophage and produced deep in your bone marrow, it’s a white blood cell that roams the body, picking fights with bacteria, viruses, or any other intruders. But it only works if you help it. These killer cells are activated by beta-glucans, a component of fiber foods. The best source? Oats, says David Grotto, R.D., director of nutrition education at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care in Evanston, Illinois. So eat your oatmeal. The steel-cut oats, like McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, have double the amount found in the rolled, quick-cooking kind.

Dressing for Success

Eating a salad for lunch is smart. Drowning it in fat-free dressing isn’t. A recent study from Iowa State University found that without dietary fat, your body doesn’t absorb some of the disease-fighting nutrients in vegetables. Researchers fed seven people salad for 12 weeks and tested their blood after each meal. Those who topped their salads with fat-free dressing consistently failed to absorb carotenoids, antioxidants that have been linked to improved immunity. Fat is necessary for the carotenoids to reach the absorptive intestinal cells, says lead researcher Wendy White, Ph.D. Choose dressings with healthy fats from olive or nut oils, such as Many Seeds of Change (available at Whole Foods or in the crunchy section of your neighborhood market) and many Annie’s Naturals dressings. If you’re feeling adventuresome, try making your own. For an Italianate, try 2 or 3 parts extra virgin olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar; for something with an Asian influence, go 3 parts sesame oil to 1 part rice wine vinegar.

Fight Bugs this Whey

A shot of whiskey might be one way to feel better, but whey protein is a much more effective immune-boosting cocktail. Whey is rich in an amino acid called cysteine, which converts to glutathione in the body. Glutathione is a potent antioxidant that fortifies cells against bacterial or viral infection. For the highest concentration of protein, try something called powdered whey protein isolate, which is more pure—and more expensive—than concentrate. Fortify your morning smoothie with whey protein powder or try another source: yogurt. The clear liquid that forms on top of most cartons of yogurt is pure whey protein—so don’t drain it off, just stir it back into the yogurt.

Thank you for your time in reading. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call at 918-935-3432 or visit our website at www.mytulsachiro.com

Monday, August 29, 2011

33 Universal Chiropractic Principles



1. The Major Premise. There is a universal intelligence in all matter, continuously giving to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence, and giving this intelligence its expression.

2. Cause and Effect. Every effect has a cause and every cause has effects.

3. The Principle of Time. All processes require time.

4. No Organization Without the Effort of Force. Matter can have no organization without the application of force by intelligence.

5. Universal Expression. Force is manifested as organization in matter; all matter has organization, therefore there is universal intelligence expressed in all matter.

6. The Triune of Organization. Any organized structure is a triunity having three necessary factors, namely intelligence, matter and the force which unites them.

7. The Amount of Intelligence in Matter. The amount of intelligence for any given amount of matter is 100%, and is always proportional to its requirements.

8. The Function of Intelligence. The function of intelligence is to create force.

9. The Amount of Force Created by Intelligence. The amount of force created by intelligence is always 100%.

10. The Function of Force. The function of force is to unite intelligence and matter.

11. The Function of Matter. The function of matter is to express force.

12. The Character of Universal Forces. The forces of universal intelligence are manifested as physical laws, are unswerving and un-adapted, and have no solicitude
for the structures in which they work.

13. Intelligence in Both Organic and Inorganic Matter. Universal intelligence gives force to both organic and inorganic matter.

14. Interference with Transmission of Universal Forces. There can be interference with the transmission of universal forces.

15. Organic Matter. The material of the body of a living thing is organized matter.

16. Innate Intelligence. A living thing has the intelligence of the universe inborn within it, referred to as its innate intelligence.

17. The Chiropractic Meaning of Life. The expression of this innate intelligence through matter is the Chiropractic meaning of “life.”

18. The Triune of Life. Life is necessarily the union of this intelligence and the matter of a living thing, brought about by the creation of specific internal (innate) forces.

19. Evidence of Life. The signs of life (assimilation, elimination, growth, reproduction, adaptability) are evidence of the innate intelligence of life.

20. The Mission of Innate Intelligence. The mission of the body’s innate intelligence is to maintain the material of the body of a living thing in active organization.

21. The Perfection of the Triune. In order to have 100% life, there must be 100% intelligence, 100% force, and 100% matter.

22. The Amount of Innate Intelligence. There is 100% of innate intelligence in every living thing, the requisite amount, proportional to its organization.

23. The Function of Innate Intelligence. The function of the body’s innate intelligence is to adapt universal forces and matter for use in the body, so that all parts of the body will have coordinated action for mutual benefit.

24. The Principle of Coordination. Coordination is the principle of harmonious interaction among all the parts of an organism, in fulfilling their functions and purposes.

25. The Limits of Adaptation. The body’s innate intelligence adapts forces and matter for the body’s use as long as it can do so without breaking a universal law; in other words, its expression is limited by the limitations of matter and time.

26. The Normality of Innate Intelligence. The body’s innate intelligence is always normal and its function is always normal.

27. The Character of Innate Forces. The forces the body’s innate intelligence creates are never intended to injure or destroy the living thing in which they work.

28. Comparison of Universal and Innate Forces. In order to carry on the universal cycle of life, universal forces are destructive, unless they can be adapted, whereas innate forces are always constructive, as regards a specific living thing.

29. Interference with Transmission of Innate Forces. There can be interference with the transmission of innate forces.

30. The Causes of Dis-ease. Interference with the transmission of innate forces causes incoordination, or “dis-ease.”

31. The Conductors of Innate Forces. Some of the forces the body’s innate intelligence creates operate through or over the nerve system in animal bodies.

32. The Law of Demand and Supply. The Law of Demand and Supply exists in the body in its ideal state; wherein the nerves transmit messages from the body, concerning its needs, to the brain, which acts as the central processing unit for the body’s innate intelligence, and from the brain to the body to meet those needs.

33. Subluxations. Interference with transmission in the body is often directly or indirectly due to subluxations in the spinal column.

These are the principles that guide my office. You were created to express health. Let's get you back on the path to health and wellness. Click the link to read more. www.mytulsachiro.com

Dr. Travis

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome -A Natural Approach to these Misunderstood Conditions

We see a great many people at our Center with these digestive difficulties. Many people seem to feel that their digestive problems are simply an inconvenience. That rectal bleeding is normal, that blood in the stool is Ok, that constant bowel accidents are livable, and that stomach cramps are just a part of life. It is estimated that approximately 70 million people in North America suffer from digestive problems ranging from Crohn’s Disease, Colitis, IBS, and others. So many people are affected that there seems to be a sense that there is “safety in numbers.” That it somehow seems normal. I hate to burst your bubble, but I would like to be emphatic. It’s NOT!

Have you ever wondered why, in such a technologically advanced society, so many people are sick? In the year 2000, the pharmaceutical industry sold over 96 billion dollars in drugs to”treat” digestive problems.

Symptoms of digestive problems are indicators that there is a malfunction somewhere within the system. Ignoring such signals is akin to having cerebral constipation! One thing we can all agree on: Your Body does not like being ignored. Let’s look at your digestive system more closely. Your digestive system is essentially a long tube that starts at your mouth and ends at your other end. It has one purpose only – to extract nutrients and energy from the foods we eat. Your digestive organs; esophagus, stomach, liver, gall bladder, intestines, etc., are simply modifications of this tube. Their function is to make the extraction of energy more efficient. This system is very efficient – as long as it is functioning normally. Many children and adults however, suffer from a malfunction of their digestive system. The three most common conditions affecting intestinal function we see at our Centre are; Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Although not exactly the same, they have a great deal in common.

These conditions increase the risk of colon cancer by as much as 20 times! If left untreated, bowel function slowly deteriorates and can be life-threatening. Definitely conditions which should be avoided at all cost!!! Would you agree?

Medical Treatments include anti-spasmodic medication, anti-inflammatories, immuno-suppressive drugs, surgery, diet, and counseling. You have probably noticed that these treatments are designed to deal mainly with your symptoms. While often necessary, this type of approach does not really deal with the CAUSE of these difficulties. Surprised?

We see these conditions in a different light. We need to remember that we are dealing with human beings, NOT their intestines. Our approach recognizes that difference. We feel it is most important to deal with the person, not the disease.

So let’s look consider some basic neurology. In order to deal with these conditions, you first need to understand how your body functions: Your Health is really based on four profound principles:

Your body is self-healing. Yes, your body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism. It is designed to heal itself and regulate all its functions. Your body follows a very exact program in order to perform all of its amazing functions. You could say you are on “Auto Pilot”

Your nervous system runs and controls your whole body and all its functions. It controls the way you see the world around you, the way you breathe, the way you digest food, the way you move, your Immune system, and everything else! As long as there is no interference to the normal function of your nervous system, you should experience the best of health, period.

If something interferes with the function of your nervous system, it will no longer be able to control your body as it was meant to. Your body will not work as it should. It will do its own “thing”. This is called MALFUNCTION. Signs of Malfunction include; severe cramping, malnutrition, loss of appetite, explosive gas, diarrhea, weight loss, and malabsorption. These are just a few of the most common signs. And if a part of your body is malfunctioning, it will slowly start to become sick. This is called dis-ease.

When your body is no longer able to handle the disease stage, it will then “talk” to you in a language you can easily understand. The language your body uses is called symptoms. The most common is PAIN. There are others and some may be the same as signs of malfunction: Explosive gas, uncontrolled diarrhea, fever, malaise, cramps, headaches, rectal bleeding, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc.

So…what can interfere with the function of your Nervous System? If one of the vertebrae of your spine becomes subluxated, it will interfere with the way your nervous system sends messages to your intestinal area – your intestines will no longer be able to function normally; Your Body will do its own “thing”.

My mission is to correct these Vertebral Subluxations. This restores normal nervous system balance, and your bowel function starts to improve. The result is Health!
The following will assist you while you are having your Vertebral Subluxations corrected: Slippery Elm, raw carrot juice, vitamin C, digestive enzymes, cabbage juice, calcium, and magnesium. Things to avoid include: alcohol, tobacco, stress, preservatives, food additives, and heavily refined foods.

If you or someone you know is dealing with these issues, have them visit their local wellness Chiropractor, or give me a call and we can chat!

Give us a call to schedule your consultation today. It may be the smartest thing you could do for your health. www.mytulsachiro.com

Thank you,
Dr. Travis

Monday, May 9, 2011

Headaches – Don’t Reach for Aspirin

One of the most common reason people seek chiropractic care is for headaches. When you have a headache, your eyes hurt, your forehead pounds, your neck is sore and tight and your scalp feels as if it’s being slowly removed. Lights bother you and noise sets your teeth on edge. Then there are your children, the house, dinner, your spouse, and the daily demand of life. You would like to stop the world and get off!

Headaches have been sold to the public as a disease to be “treated.” Millions of dollars in advertising are spent annually on the benefits of drugs for headaches. We’ve bought into this carefully contrived thinking. Let’s look at this from a different perspective. The word headache simply means ache in the head. It’s not a disease. It’s a pain- a SYMPTOM. I’m not making light of the symptom: it can be severe and debilitating.

There are different types of headaches- migraines, cluster, tension, occipital, and sinus. Each seems to have a different pattern, location, severity and of course, a different drug to deal each one. This is a manufacturer’s reality. The pharmaceutical industry would like you to believe and accept the illusion that all of these headaches need to be treated. Why? Money. There are billions of dollars of profit at stake! There is no consideration given to the reason why you have the headaches.

Most people are so busy treating their pain they forget that pain has a reason for being. A headache is your body “talking” back to you and you need to interpret that language. It’s a signal that your body’s having a difficult time handling something and the vast majority of headaches are found at the base of the head, in the region of the temples or over the eyes.

Chiropractors have found that many headaches signify a distortion of some of the vertebrae of the neck area affecting the function of the nervous system. You’d be surprised to learn that 85-95 percent of all subluxations I see in adults can be traced to birth or childhood. It is something that your body has been forced to deal with your whole life, and eventually it punches the clock and says "I've had it!"

These subluxations affect the manner in which the nervous system transmits information and can be very catastrophic. When this occurs, certain neck muscles are called in to play to protect the nervous system from damage, thus you experience a “tension” headache. Very often, the pain is transmitted to the face and people think it’s their sinuses at fault. They reach for sinus medication-and the profit cascade begins!
Then there’s the pounding pain in the temple-a migraine. Again-different drugs. And the headaches which come in clusters? More drugs!

Some headaches are not caused by subluxations. They can be cause by wrong diet, poor nutrition, and hypoglycemia. I see many of these in my practice. Some are caused by an aneurysm, a disease process, toxicity or a tumor.

No headaches should be taken lightly. Something is not right. Find that something. A trip to your family chiropractor will provide a comprehensive examination to help determine the reason for your headaches. He/She may also provide you with nutritional advice to ease the headaches.

Thank you for your time,

Dr. Travis

For more information, visit my website. www.mytulsachiro.com

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The Truth - How Powerful is Chiropractic?

The following is a very profound address to an early graduating class, by B.J. Palmer, the Developer of Chiropractic. We have included it so that it may give you some sense of the scope of chiropractic. It always comes to mind when someone asks me, “Can Chiropractic help me?”

The Truth

We Chiropractors work with the subtle substance of the soul. We release the imprisoned impulse, the tiny rivulet of force, that emanates from the mind and flows over the nerve cells, and stirs them into life. We deal with the magic power that transforms common food into living, loving, thinking clay; that robes the earth with beauty, and hues the scents of the flowers with the glory of the air.

In the dim, dark, distant long ago, when the sun first bowed to the morning star, this power spoke and there was life; it quickened the slime of the sea and the dust of the earth and drove the cell to union with its fellows in countless living forms. Through the eons of time it finned the fish and winged the bird and fanged the beast. Endlessly it worked, evolving its form until it produced the crowning glory of them all. With tireless energy it blows the bubble of each individual life and then silently, relentlessly it dissolves the form, and absorbs the spirit back into itself again.

And yet you ask, Can Chiropractic cure appendicitis or the flu? Have you more faith in a knife or a spoonful of medicine than the power that animates the living world?
- B.J. Palmer DC., Ph.C.

Dr. Travis

Friday, April 29, 2011

Two Types of Chiropractors

Not all chiropractors are alike. Although they go by the same name, chiropractors today differ greatly in technique and philosophy.

The traditional philosophy that chiropractic was based on has never changed, but for social acceptance, some chiropractors have.

As a result, when patients go to different chiropractors they get different opinions, treatments and results, not to mention costs. This can be both confusing and frustrating to the patient.

If expectations aren’t met, patients stop chiropractic care, and never get to experience the great results chiropractic care can give them

There are basically two types of chiropractors Limited Scope chiropractors who work on symptoms and relief and the Full Spectrum (Traditional) chiropractors who work on subluxations and structural correction. Let’s look at the two types of chiropractors so you can choose the one that best suits your needs

THE SYMPTOM RELIEF CHIROPRACTOR

Like the typical Physician, this type of chiropractor primarily focuses on relief of symptoms (for example, back pain neck pain, and headaches). Manipulations are done to the spine to decompress the joints, free fixations and reduce pain. In addition, electro therapies such as diathermy, electro stimulation, tens units and laser acupuncture are often used. In the United States, these chiropractors are even trying to expand their scope of practice to prescribe drugs.

Length of treatment and frequency of adjustments are usually dictated by the patient’s symptoms, or insurance coverage. Monitoring patient’s progress by symptoms and insurance coverage usually means shorter overall treatment time but still leaves the patient far short of correcting the cause of their problem.

The patient may feel better temporarily, but since the spine remains structurally misaligned, it degenerates silently and results in damage and malfunction at whatever part of the body the nerve supplies.

Many experts see little value and even harm in simply treating symptoms.

The bottoms line is that treating only symptoms still leaves the cause uncorrected.

THE TRADITIONAL CHIROPRACTOR

This type of chiropractor practices the traditional philosophy of chiropractic which is subluxations and structural correction of the spine. A vertebral subluxation interferes with nerve impulses. A nerve impulse is the electrical message from the brain thatregulates all functions of the body and keeps us alive.

Although the traditional or Full Spectrum chiropractor wants his patients to feel better, his primary focus is removing the nerve interference(subluxation) and restructuring the spine to it’s most stable biomechanical position.

This is done through a program of specific adjustments and exercise to be used to stabilize and strengthen.

The length of correction and frequency of adjustments is determined by the severity of the patient’s subluxations, structural alignment, X-ray information, SEMG and Thermography results, etc., not symptoms!

Symptoms may be gone long before the spine is at its maximum correction so adjustment schedules may be kept intense to allow structural correction in the shortest amount of time. The patient is then closely monitored by postural patterns and X-rays until the subluxation patterns are corrected and the spine is in its proper alignment and function.

By reviewing these before and after studies with the doctor the patient actually sees the results.

Since subluxations are silent, and research shows they can begin at birth resulting in dysfunction and dis-ease, the traditional chiropractor recommends families to be checked, especially children.

Because of this, the traditional chiropractor will work out fair and equitable payment plans so families can afford care, regardless of insurance coverage.
So remember, when choosing a chiropractor, choose based on your health goals – either temporary relief or maximum correction and Wellness! The choice is YOURS!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look into chiropractic philosophy. I am proud to state that I am a Traditional Chiropractor. I respect your pain, and will do my best to eliminate it, however, I want you and your family to be healthy. I want you to be the best you can be! I urge you to visit my website www.easternoklahomachiropractic.com
My mission is to help as many people in my lifetime as I can - especially children.

All the best,

Dr. Travis