Many people go around claiming that they are allergic to certain foods.  But are they?

According to ALCAT:

It is rare that foods cause this type of classic allergy, typically less than 5% of the population. The ALCAT Test identifies food and chemical sensitivities where the symptom onset is longer (several hours to days) and varied (typical in chronic conditions). These types of sensitivities or intolerances affect nearly everyone.
Did You Know?
Food sensitivities or intolerances affect over 80% of the population while less than 5% of us actually have an IgE or “true” food allergy ...

It’s important to distinguish between a food allergy (rare) and food sensitivity (common.)  If you suffer with fatigue, skin problems, headaches, brain fog, or some other reaction to certain foods, but nobody has been able to help, give me a call to set up testing.  As we are setting up the testing protocols, we are offering a discount off of normal testing fees.

(707) 575-8988

Todd Lloyd, DC

I’m currently investigating a technology now available in this office called ALCAT where blood is drawn locally, and sent to a lab to get tested against foods and other allergens. When foods are digested, they are filtered and broken down through the liver, and the component parts are then put into the blood stream for the body to assimilate. Since the body has an active immune system, the component parts of the ingested food can potentially react with antibodies in the blood.

If there is an adverse reaction with the immune system, there can be systemic inflammation and malabsorption. This can lead to a wide range of problems, including fatigue, irritability, brain fog, headaches, skin disorders and systemic infections, like thrush and candidiasis.

Note:  the title of this post is misleading. ALCAT tests for food sensitivities, not allergies.

I just read an article on pregnancy and chiropractic care that I found while following my colleague Dr. Lauterbach on Twitter.  Since my wife, Kristina, and I got pregnant, I’ve had a bunch of referrals for pregnant mothers to get chiropractic care.  Not all of them came in for aches and pains, either.  They came in because they understand the need to have symmetry in the frame of the body, particularly in the pelvis, if you are going to have a comfortable environment for the baby.  They also understand that this can help out with the birth process itself.

The article can be found here.

Adjustments result in easier pregnancy, significantly decreased mean labor time, and assists new mothers back to prepartum health. In one study, women receiving Chiropractic care through their first pregnancy had 24% shorter labor times than the group not receiving Chiropractic, and multiparous subjects reported 39% shorter labor times. Thirty-nine percent-that’s a massive difference. In addition, 84% of women report relief of back pain during pregnancy with Chiropractic care. Because the sacroiliac joints of the pelvis function better, there is significant less likelihood of back labor when receiving Chiropractic care through pregnancy.

If you are pregnant, and you haven’t been checked by a chiropractor, please give us a call.  I’ll meet with you personally, and we can determine how your structure is performing, particularly in the low back and pelvis, and we’ll see how we can make your pregnancy a comfortable one. (707) 575-8988

Dr. Todd Lloyd–Doctor of Chiropractic

In this study from The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, people with back pain were sent to chiropractors or pain clinics.  The results were compared.

People who went to chiropractic doctors had better pain relief than the people who went to pain doctors.

At 8 weeks, the mean improvement in RMDQ was 5.5 points greater for the chiropractic group (decrease in disability by 5.9) than for the pain-clinic group…

and,

This study suggests that chiropractic management administered in an NHS setting may be effective for reducing levels of disability and perceived pain during the period of treatment for a subpopulation of patients with CLBP.

Whiplash causes both neck problems and jaw problems. To treat the jaw problem, you must also treat the neck problem. They are linked by reflexes. This study done on 187 people with whiplash injuries.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18836693

BACKGROUND: In 10-20% of patients with a simple whiplash-injury without severe structural lesions, a chronification of the complaints occurs. The question is whether some unidentified pathogenic factors exist. SCIENTIFIC QUESTION: Investigations have demonstrated that mandibular and head-neck movements are coordinated and centrally controlled and that a craniocervical dysfunction (CCD) can lead to a temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) by reflex action and vice versa. This study investigated whether a whiplash-injury can lead to a TMD. METHODS AND RESULTS: IA total of 187 patients with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) were examined for TMD. Simple tests with and without loading of the mandible were used to initially diagnose TMD and the diagnosis was confirmed electrophysiologically. TMD could be verified in all patients with WAD. According to these investigations a CMD was regularly found in patients with WAD and relief from suffering can often not be achieved without treatment of the CMD.

A large search of the literature recently concluded that being upright and walking around during the first stages of labor makes the whole birthing process easier, and leads to less reliance on epidurals for delivery.  

Is this any surprise? 

When mothers allow gravity to assist in the birthing process, this allows the baby to shift itself into the lesser pelvis, into the pelvic inlet.  Then, because there is a rush of the hormone relaxin, the loose ligaments of the pelvic rim relax, and gives more room for the baby’s head to start crowning. 

Here’s a side view of a pelvis while standing.  There’s not a lot of room to start out!  Fortunately, there’s gravity and the relaxin hormone:

Side view of the pelvic inlet and outlet

 Looking down, this is a view of the trip out of the belly, through the pelvis.  We might need to loosen some of those ligaments to get through.  Chiropractic care will help keep the pelvis straight, with no torsion, no tight muscles. 

The pelvic inlet.

 Here’s the view from the bottom-up.  That pointy tailbone (coccyx) is actually pretty flexible, where there’s relaxin in the system.  With those cross-hairs, it kind of looks like it’s shaped like a baby’s skull. Do you want to push that out with the help of gravity and a loose pelvis, or would you like to be laying down?

the pelvic outlet

Oh no!  the mother is laying on her back, trying to push a large, roundish shape through the pelvic inlet and outlet. She’s got to push UP and over the sacrum because she’s on her back with legs in stirrups. Only she can’t push because they gave her an epidural.  Get the vacuum out!

Laying on your back, trying to push out a watermelon.

 As you can see, the mother has a mechanical advantage to push the baby out if she is somewhat upright, in a squat to help push out the baby. If she’s on her back, there’s a bumpy ride ahead for the baby with a pelvis that is squished down, making the pelvic inlet and outlet smaller.

Research from an annual meeting from The American Pain Society looked at 211,551 patients between the ages of 18-64 years.  They concluded that, “Duloxetine, NSAIDs, and chiropractic treatments were associated with a reduced likelihood of LBP [low back pain] surgery.”

Philosophically speaking, we usually advise patients to seek the most conservative, least invasive care possible. Chiropractic care uses a full spectrum of conservative treatments for low back pain; the central core treatment is spinal manipulation, or, “adjustments.”  the term adjustment implies that the chiropractor is delivering the treatment in a more specific manner, avoiding manipulating too many joints at once.  Other treatments delivered in a chiropractic office include stretches, specific exercises, cold laser therapy, taping, nutritional recommendations, decompression, traction, percussion massage, and others. 

This endorsement from the scientific community echoes the endorsement from the survey community as shown recently in Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports surveys showed that chiropractic care and other types of physical treatments for back pain were preferred over pharmaceutical drugs.

Check it out here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4928281n

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old style metronome, useful for brain development

Tic Toc Talk: The IQ brain clock.

I recently stumbled accross an interesting blog linked from an email from Interactive Metronome.

This blog talks about neuroscience, and importantly, the application of neuroscience with changes in the brain.  One important tool that they use is a metronome.  Do you remember what a metronome is?  A metronome is a time keeper for musicians.  It’s got a sliding weight on a post that alters the intervals between clicks as it tick-tocks back and forth.

When using a metronome for brain recovery or development, you time a body movement with the tick-tock of the metronome, careful not to break rhythm or concentration.  Read Kevin McGrew’s blog for more information if you are interested in this science.

In a related note, chiropractic manipulation of the spine or extremities has been shown to alter the frequency of firing of the brain, brainstem or cerebellum.  Certain neurological tests can be done before and after a chiropractic adjustment showing instant changes, and long term changes over the course of care. If you are in Santa Rosa, our office can be a helpful resource for more informaiton.

We’re well into the new year, and you’ve already met your new years goals of more money, a better job and world peace, but now you feel it’s time to whip yourself back into shape.  But, are you ready?

I’ve seen many of our friends start working out with enthusiasm to burn off the fat, build muscle and to feel better overall, only to injure themselves quickly afterward because of some kind of undiagnosed spinal disorder.  I see a lot of patients come through the office with this story. Some people injure their shoulders because of a dysfunction in their neck.  Others show up with knee injuries as a result of their pelvic imbalance. Some throw their low backs out because they didn’t know how close to injury their backs were.

If you are over 40 years old and have been sedentary for more than six months, and are thinking of entering a new exercise program, you need to get a physical done by a Doctor of Chiropractic.  Chiropractors are the best trained in the diagnosis of spinal disorders and good spinal function.  Studies show that Chiropractic students score higher on tests for musculoskeletal disorders than medical doctors, physical therapists, and even orthopedic doctors. Chiropractors are thoroughly trained in neurological, muscular, and skeletal anatomy and function.  Chiropractors study each other as healthy students, we study cadavers in the slab lab, and we study patients with a full spectrum of problems from age and other common disease. Chiropractors coorelate their clinical findings to X-ray and orthopedic tests, and work to improve a paitent over the course of care, working closely as function improves.

Therefore, nobody is better equipped to screen yor body for good function before starting a physical task.

If you live in Santa Rosa and need to address a nerve, muscle, or joint problem, or if you just need to be screened for your new workout, give me a call at (707) 575-8988 to get cleared, or to get fixed.

Todd Lloyd, DC

Doctor of Chiropractic

Happy New Year!

For many of us, a new year means setting and meeting new fitness goals.  Weight loss.  Muscle building.  Cardio health. 

But, often new goals for the new year can get curtailed by pain in the body.  For the month of January, you can take advantage of a comprehensive screening examination for your neck pain, headaches, upper back pain and arm pain or numbness.  We will do a comprehensive neck pain evaluation including a full physical examination, our medical findings and our recommended action plan to health for on ly $67.00.  The comprehensive physical exam consists of a full orthopedic battery of tests, a full neurological evaluation, and a spinal exmination.  This test is a screening examination, and may uncover exactly what is wrong with you as well as what underlying problems are making things worse for you. 

Here is a list of our exam procedures performed.

Call (707) 575-8988 to get your appointment.  You’ll meet with Dr. Todd. After a history of your problem, You and Dr. Todd will do a computerized spinal examination, then a traditional spinal examination, finally you’ll get a full physical examination targeting the problem areas.  This is all for only $67.00.  If x-rays are necessary, there may be a seperate fee for that.  

I’ve had patients come in telling me that they went to Urgent Care to see what was wrong with their low back or neck.  They were left with a perfunctory history and examination, a handfull of pills and a bill for $2200.  I’m offering a conservative, natural, non-invasive solution to your problem for only $67.00.  In addition to that, our treatment programs are very affordable and effective.

Dr. Todd