There is no better time to rejuvenate your health than the start of a new year. So don't let your resolution to eat more nutritiously fall by the wayside. Just a few simple changes in your diet and lifestyle can have a positive impact on your health— and can also prevent you from experiencing a variety
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Vertebral subluxation refers to a set of signs and symptoms that affect the spinal column. Specifically, it is a complex that occurs when the bones of the spine lose their usual position and motion due to chemical imbalances, alcohol, prolonged sitting, trauma or even stress. An automobile accident and improper lifting are just two types of trauma that can cause vertebral subluxation complex, or VSC.
How Does Vertebral Subluxation Complex Affect the Body?
The term “complex” is associated with vertebral subluxation because, as the word suggests, the condition is multifaceted and consists of many elements. This is because VSC is the underlying cause of health care problems. When one or more vertebrae are misplaced or fail to carry out their intended motion, they can disrupt the function of the nervous system. The vertebral bones are designed to contain and guard this system, so interference can lead to pressure on the spinal cord or the nerve roots as they pass out of the spinal column. When VSC presents, a number of things can happen to affect the spine, its related soft tissues, and even the tissues and organs controlled by the affected nerves.
Vertebral Subluxation Complex and Its Five Interrelated Parts
VSC typically has — and is — identified by five major interconnected components, including:
- Spinal kinesiopathology. This component sounds much like vertebral subluxation itself. Here, the bones of the spine have lost their natural motion and position, making it difficult for the patient to turn and bend. It sets the other four components in motion.
- Myopathology. When the muscles sustaining the spine weaken, atrophy or become stiff, they can go into spasm. This can result in scar tissue that changes the muscle tone.
- Neuropathophysiology. If the spine functions improperly, it can obstruct, stretch or agitate nerve tissue. Nerve tissue is delicate. Irritation in these ways can cause nerve system dysfunction and lead to aggravating symptoms elsewhere in the body.
- Histopathology. A patient’s body temperature can rise due to an increase in blood and lymph supplies. This, in turn, can lead to inflammation and swelling, which can then cause discs to protrude, tear, herniate or deteriorate.
- Pathophysiology. This is when abnormal bony growths like bone spurs try to meld faulty spinal joints, leading to decay of the spine, scar tissue and nerve dysfunction.
The articles within this section discuss each of the five components further.
How Chiropractic Treatments Can Help
Your chiropractor will not only detect and minimize VSC, but, once the spinal bones are back in their normal position and have regained their natural function, he or she will try to prevent the problem from recurring. Chiropractic treatments, particularly spinal adjustments, can be used to treat VSC and ward off its associated symptoms.
To find out how chiropractic treatments can be designed to address your particular VSC-related condition, contact your practitioner.
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Advice For A Healthy New Year
Category: Newsletter Library, Healthy Tips
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Chiropractic Advice for Moms-to-Be
Category: Newsletter Library, Pregnancy & Parenting
The weight gain, the bloating, the nausea... Most new mothers will tell you that the aches and pains of pregnancy are a small price to pay for the beautiful bundle of joy they're rewarded with nine months later. But as many new mothers can attest, the muscle strains of pregnancy are very real and can
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Choose the Right Shoes
Category: Newsletter Library, Healthy Tips
Look around any crowded city street, and you'll see plenty of footwear— from stiletto heels to platform shoes— that is more than a little unkind to our feet. It's no wonder that foot pain is such a common complaint. But it's not just our feet that are hurting. Improper footwear
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Bad Habits Lead to Bad Health
Category: Newsletter Library, Breaking Bad Habits
Did you know that drinking too much soda or other carbonated beverages could interfere with calcium absorption - a problem that could eventually lead to osteoporosis? Or that slouching at a desk all day or tapping away at a computer keyboard can lead to painful strains in your wrists, shoulders, elbows
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Backpacks: Lighten Your Child's Load
Category: Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
As millions of kids get ready to go back to school, many will pull out old backpacks or purchase new ones. While the books, homework assignments, lunches, and other school gear those bags carry may be important for success in school, some experts point to backpack use as the leading
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Weight Loss Made Easier with Chiropractic
Category: Newsletter Library, Weight Loss
If you need to shed a few extra pounds, you're not alone. Excess weight is possibly the largest health concern in the United States today. According to the Surgeon General, well over half of all adults in the U.S. were overweight in 1999. The good news is that your chiropractor can help you achieve your
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Sleep Apnea and Weight Gain
Category: Newsletter Library, Weight Loss
Is a lack of sleep thwarting your best weight loss efforts? There is much evidence to suggest that a lack of sleep goes hand-in-hand with weight gain. But first, it is important to address why you aren't sleeping well. Is your stress level or caffeine intake to blame? Or is your sleeplessness due to
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Key to Senior Fitness: Chiropractic Care, Healthy Lifestyle
Category: Newsletter Library, Senior Health
Over the hill at age 65? Ready for the rocker at 70? Not these days. Americans are living longer and making more of their later years. One key is exercise. "Perhaps the most debilitating influence in people's health as they age is a sedentary life," said Dr. Jerome McAndrews, national spokesperson
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Strong Lower Backs: Having One That Works
Category: Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
You never know until you hurt it how much you use your lower back all day long. When your lower back is injured, every movement becomes painful. Simple actions, such as getting out of a chair or bending over the sink, become excruciating, and your daily routine becomes difficult and frustrating. Back
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Sleep Better: 8 Simple Steps
Category: Newsletter Library, Breaking Bad Habits
Ten to fifteen percent of Americans suffer from chronic insomnia. Do you? Most of us experience an occasional sleepless night, but prolonged bouts of insomnia can lead to decreased mental function, frazzled nerves, and lowered immunity. The good news is that you don’t have to pop
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Osteoporosis: Not Just An Elderly Disease
Category: Newsletter Library, Chronic Conditions
It used to be that osteoporosis was considered a disease that affected only the elderly. We particularly associated osteoporosis with older women whose backs were slightly hunched over or those who could no longer stand up straight. Today, the truth is that an estimated 20 million American
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The Truth About Multivitamins
Category: Newsletter Library, Nutrition & Healthy Eating
During a graduate nutrition course at the University of Minnesota, a professor posed a challenge to the class: Construct a 2000 calorie-per-day diet that at least met the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for vitamins and minerals without the use of supplements. Most of the graduate
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Erasing Migraines: An M.D. Turns to Chiropractic
Category: Newsletter Library, Chronic Conditions
Stress, sleep deprivation and fatigue have been no small component of Dr. Michael Benson’s life. As a fetal surgeon, Benson is often up for 24- to 36-hour stretches at a time looking after patients. He has little time to rest or eat regular, healthy meals. It’s no wonder he has
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Experiencing Headaches?
Category: Newsletter Library, Chronic Conditions
If you have a headache, you're not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea. What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you grit your teeth
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Neck Pain: Chiropractic Can Help
Category: Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Who hasn't had neck pain at one time or another? What's more, many of us have experienced on-going neck troubles at some point during our lives. Looking at human anatomy, it's no wonder pain strikes us so often in this vulnerable area. While the neck structure gives us an amazing range of movement with
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The Bottom Line on the Bird Flu
Category: Newsletter Library, Illness Prevention
It’s hard to turn on the television or listen to the radio without hearing about the dangers of an impending pandemic of the Avian Flu (often called the ‘bird flu’). Day after day, the media interview expert after expert who claim that the bird flu is going to cause massive
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