sciatica

Custom Orthotics vs Over The Counter – Is There Really A Difference?

by
custom orthotics

The first step taken in the morning can tell you a lot more about the spine than you think. Any degree of stiffness or discomfort that you experience when your feet hit the floor can be indicative of an irregular posture, walking gait or misalignment in the spine.

The feet in a sense, are the window to the spine. When the pain starts in the feet at the foundation, it can, and often time does creep up through the weight bearing joints which then makes it to our low back. It can show up initially as a number of different conditions, such as: 

However, these are just a few of the diagnoses. All in which may be a sign that it’s time to take a closer look at what’s happening below. 

Did You Know?

“External rotation of the foot during running reduced the loads on the medial compartment of the knee.” –Journal of Sports Science & Medicine

Click here to read, “Acute Effects of Foot Rotation in Healthy Adults during Running on Knee Moments and Lateral-Medial Shear Force”.

foot pain

So How Do You Know? 

If you’re not already experiencing the clear signs of low back or foot pain, try this simple test. The next time you’re putting on your shoes, take a second to turn them over and look at the soles. What do you see? Where are they worn out?  “What are the bottoms of your shoes telling you?”.

Well, if your shoes are worn mostly in the middle of the heel and under the 1st and 2nd toe, you’re part of the minority that has a correct and NEUTRAL gait. These two spots indicate that you’re going through the motions of heel strike and toe off appropriately. 

If your shoes are worn mostly in the middle of the heel to the inside of your heel and primarily under the big toe, you are part of the 90% of the population that PRONATES (to some degree!). In simpler terms, this means that your feet and more noticeably your ankles lean inwards when you walk or stand. 

If your shoes are worn under the outside edge of the heel and near your pinky toe, you are part of the 3-7% of the population the SUPINATES– this is way more rare! Simply put, your feet and your ankles, lean outwards when you walk or stand. 

Click here to read, “How To Choose The Right Running Shoes – Part 1”and “How To Choose The Right Running Shoes – Part 2”.

foot scan
foot impression

So What Should You Do? 

Alleviating foot discomfort and associated stress to the low back is all about giving the feet the support they need. That’s where CUSTOM ORTHOTICS come into play! Custom orthotics are inserts that are created to cater to the needs of YOUR feet. Unlike store solutions, (ie. Dr. Scholl’s gel inserts) custom orthotics are made from a more rigid material that is based off the shape of your foot (literally a scan or foam cast of your foot is used!) to reshape and incorporate support where you need it.

Modifications can be made to address every part of the foot and the pain associated. Pressure can be taken off the heels. The arch can be reshaped. They can also cushion the toes amongst many other changes. But most importantly, with the right support, you are able to keep your feet, ankles, knees hips and low back in the RIGHT anatomical position. 

How Do I Get The Right Orthotics?

Orthotics can be prescribed and fabricated by a number of physicians, including your chiropractor. BUT be weary! Even custom orthotics can be made incorrectly. Here are some tips to optimize your orthotics and their wear: 

  1. Don’t Rock The Boat – A neutral rearfoot post should be included at the back of your orthotic to keep it from moving from side to side in your shoe. This also allows for a more comfortable wear in the shoe. 
  2. Let Your Orthotics Do The Heeling – Your heels deserve to be noticed too. A “hole in heel” feature will take pressure off your heels. 
  3. Level Them Out – If your doctor finds a leg length discrepancy, you can have a heel lift added to your orthotic to compensate for the difference in height on that side. It’s a great idea to keep you equal and to ensure a proper gait. 
  4. You Can Mix It Up – You don’t have to restrict your orthotic to only one pair of shoes. It’s recommended you do wear them in your most used shoes. For example your gym or work shoe. However you can move them around. Ask your doctor about a sulcus length orthotic that is shorter. This makes it easier to more around. 

A Natural Proven Solution To The Opioid Crisis

by
opioids

The pharmaceutical industry has come under heavy fire in the media recently.  They’re being blamed for the opioid crisis facing many communities.  The irony of it all is that the Company responsible for initiating the opioid crisis is now claiming to offer a solution.  They want to introduce yet another drug to help suffers cope with their addiction.  I don’t have to tell you about the dangerous and unethical practices of this particular company for you to know we cannot place our health in their hands.

Break The Cycle Of Opioid

Pharmaceutical companies are showing time and time again that instead of helping manage peoples pain, they are instead only out to further benefit their investors.  In order to tackle the problem of opioid addiction, which is now a pandemic, we need to look past the big Pharma for help.  Their solution will only place more people under the influence of their drugs.  They will only provide solutions within their capacity creating a vicious cycle of drug dependence as a means of solving a health problem.  It’s important that patients and health professionals look for natural alternatives to put an end to this crisis.  Click here for more facts about the opioid crisis.

Where To Turn To For Help!

In 2017 a new systematic review was published in a medical journal which confirmed an association of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), with clinical benefit and harm for acute low back pain.  This is the standard treatment method utilized mainly by chiropractors.  The review looked at 26 eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and showed that 15 of the trials (involving 1711 patients) provided evidence that Chiropractic care, in the form of spinal manipulative therapy, recorded improvements with their pain.

Twelve RCTs [1381 patients] produced evidence that SMT has a statistically significant association with improvements in function.  No RCT reported any serious adverse event.  This is important to consider given the multitude of side effects that drugs produce.  High quality studies tended to report larger benefits.  So, the analysis of 26 randomized clinical trials, spinal manipulative therapy was associated with statistically significant benefits in both pain and function of, on average, modest magnitude at up to six weeks [compared with sham or alternative treatments].

The Evidence Is Clear

Chiropractic adjustments reduce pain, increase comfort, and lead to increased functional abilities.  Chiropractic adjustment is not just effective compared to placebo or sham adjustment, it is also more effective than surgery, usual medical care, or physiotherapy.

The key take-home points from the study are that opioid are addictive, deadly, expensive, and ineffective in the long-term.  Introducing more drugs to fix the problem created by opioid does not lead to better results based on lack of evidence for effectiveness and have their proven side effects.  Physiotherapy was also shown to be ineffective for spinal conditions and back pain compared to chiropractic.  There is only one scientific logical conclusion from all this: Chiropractic is the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective choice for patients with spinal health issues if you exclude spinal fractures, spinal infections, and spinal cancer.  To learn more about natural healing click here read about what conventional medicine doesn’t want you to know.

Source:

Paige et al. (2017) Association of Spinal Manipulative Therapy with Clinical Benefit and Harm for Acute Low Back Pain. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA;317(14):1451-1460
Dr. James Chestnut (2018) Newsletter: New Systematic Review in Medical Journal Confirms Benefits of Manipulation for Low Back Pain

Muscle Pain Natural Relief Product Review

by
Natural Relief for Muscle Pain

Looking for muscle pain natural relief?  If you’ve been faced with chronic muscle pain then you’ve probably asked yourself the following questions at some point:

  • What is causing my pain?
  • How can I fix it?
  • What is the cause of my fatigue (aka chronic fatigue syndrome)
  • Could this be linked to Fibromyalgia?
  • Are there natural solutions?
  • DOES ANYONE HAVE ANSWERS FOR ME?

At Family Health Advocacy we always promote addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms as the ultimate goal however when you’re stuck in a chronic pain cycle we understand that sometimes you need a little help to break free.  We have lot’s of great tools available to help you heal like our Chronic Pain Protocol but understanding the cause is an important first step and then possibly finding something non-invasive and natural to reduce your pain to get started.

Is This You?

“I feel like I’m on a journey leading nowhere. I’m getting desperate for direction but don’t know where to turn.”

When the muscle pain began you didn’t think much about it. You thought to yourself that it’s normal and everyone has to deal with pain sometimes, so it made sense just to ignore it and hope that it would go away on its own.

However, it didn’t. The pain continued and was either frequently intermittent or constant, which started to concern you more. It started to affect your mood and possibly your relationships. Simple activities like going for walk became more difficult, and if you’re a parent, then it’s possible the pain is even affecting time with your children.

You decided to finally get help and went to see your doctor.

They may have told you that what you’re experiencing is all in your head, and you should eat healthier (fibromyalgia and diet) and exercise more.  But you know the muscle pain and/or fatigue is real and makes it difficult sometimes to even get out of bed some days, let alone go for a walk.
They may have given you pills that you don’t want to take and furthermore, they don’t work.  This leaves you feeling stranded with nowhere to turn because you want to exercise but can’t. You want to get better, but don’t want to take any more ineffective medication… because it’s not working, and you know that the side effects can be worse than your original symptoms.

Do You Have Fibromyalgia?

Have you been told that your muscle pain is caused by Fibromyalgia?  If so, what is Fibromyalgia anyway?  Some go as far as saying that it doesn’t even exist but we disagree… somewhat.  As a disease label with a single cause and a simple pill solution being the answer, then no that is not Fibromyalgia.  As a collective of symptoms with potentially multiple causes and therefore requiring a multi-approach solution, then yes Fibromyalgia is real.  The first place to start is to take our FREE online Fibromyalgia Test.  This will help you understand if Fibromyalgia is the issue and then you can start by breaking the pain cycle and implementing our Truth About Fibromyalgia Protocol.

Choosing a Topical Muscle Pain Natural Relief Product the Family Health Advocacy Way

We always pay close attention to the attributes of any product or supplement before we make any recommendations to our community.  Especially when it comes to pain relieving gels or creams we ensure that the products meet the following requirements:

  • Natural Ingredients
  • Safe for Everyone to Use
  • Research Supported
  • Non-Toxic: Free of dyes, colouring agents, parabens bioaccumulative/carcinogenic
  • We’ve Tried It and Actually Works

Product Review: Muscle Care™

Natural Muscle Pain ReliefBeing a health professional helping people with chronic pain conditions for over a decade now, I’ve been presented with many products like these.  As long as it ticks all the boxes above then I’m willing to try it.  However, sometimes a particular product is much different from the rest and stands out.  This is exactly what happened with Muscle Care™.  Countless patients of mine reported amazing results with the  pain relief function of this product which would be enough for us at Family Health Advocacy to endorse it however, I even have an emotional personal story with this product that I would like to share.

In the summer of 2007 I was an excited student just entering the final year in my professional studies.  This meant we that we finally started seeing patients in clinic and began to help people with their health problems.  Unfortunately, at that time there was one person who discovered she had a major health crisis that was beyond my scope as a health practitioner.  That person was my mother and her major health crisis was cancer.  She fought long and hard and as grateful as I was to have another decade with her, just like most cancers, she was in pain for most of that fight.  She didn’t need any more toxic chemicals in her body so discovering Muscle Care™ was a blessing.  She was able to extinguish much of her pain that was related to joints and muscles naturally and more importantly, she was able to stay physically active rather than stuck in bed or on a couch all day.  Nothing else I tried before with her worked as well.

MuscleCare Provides 3 Functions Never Before Seen in Topicals

  • Pain Relief
  • Anti- inflammatory
  • Muscle Spasm & Stiffness Reduction

This triad of functions really sets this apart from it’s competitors not to mention the amazing results they found while conducting gold standard clinical studies.

What The Research Demonstrated

Two published doubled blind studies conducted by the Dr. Jack Goodman Performance
Lab at the University of Toronto proved that Muscle Care outperformed it’s top competing products like Icy-Hot, Bengay & Biofreeze and was even shown to be marginally more effective than medical/pharmaceutical products like Voltarin, Diclofenac and NSAIDS.  If this natural product is even better than a pharmaceutical drug intervention why wouldn’t you go that route?  Muscle Care™ is so safe that even pregnant or lactating woman can use use it.

How to Use It Effectively for Chronic Pain or Fibromyalgia

The company told me there are literally millions of users around the globe using this product which is exciting for me to hear, however as a practitioner I want to make sure that the product is being used responsibly and effectively.  If you suffer from chronic pain like that associated with Fibromyalgia then here is what I recommend:

  • For acute mild pain – 1 rollon, 1 cream for 30 days. Cream 3 x AM, rollon 4 x in day
  • For chronic mild pain – 2 rollon, 2 cream – 60 days. Cream 3 x AM/PM, rollon 4 x in day
  • Moderate to Severe Acute Pain – 2 rollon, 2 cream – 30 days. Cream 3 x AM/noon/PM, rollon 4 x in day
  • Moderate to Severe Chronic Pain – 2 rollon, 2 cream – 30 days. Cream 3 x AM/noon/PM, rollon 4 x in day

Where Do You Buy It?

You can buy this off the shelf at most of the big retailers for these types of products in both Canada and the United States but my recommendation is to buy it directly from the manufacturer because I told them that we have a large number of people in the Family Health Advocacy community suffering in pain that need relief.  So they worked out a special for us so you can get 10% off if you buy through this link here and use promo code “fha10”:

10% off Your Natural Pain Relief Solution with Muscle Care™

DON’T FORGET TO USE THE SPECIAL PROMO CODE: fha10

I recommend that you give it a try but remember this is just the first step in your healing journey and yes it will help you break the pain cycle however if you are going to beat your chronic pain or Fibromyalgia for good then there are other action steps that you need to take which we detail for you in our Online Truth About Fibromyalgia Protocol.  Also be sure to click here to read, ” The Dos and Donts of the Fibromyalgia Diet”.

Vision and Health: Can’t have one without the other

by
Vision for Health

I had worked at a homeless shelter for 2 years giving free chiropractic care to the down and out in Hamilton. The man in front of me had come in for back pain. I always asked these men the same question at their intake exam:

“What is the vision of what you want to do with your life?” His response tore my heart: “I have failed at everything I have ever tried and I’m not even sure if I want to live anymore.”

As you can imagine if people have LOW or NO vision, like the above example, their investment of time and money into health disciplines like nutrition, exercise, spinal health and relationships will probably be VERY LOW to NON-EXISTENT. Consequently, their health will be very poor, as it was with the above man. The BEST way to get healthy is to NEED good health because of your vision for amazing health. 

If we NEED our bodies to be healthy in order to accomplish our BIG dreams, then we MUST take care of them. 

Vision is EVERYTHING. As a chiropractor for 20 years now, I realize that the MOST important piece of information we can glean from the New Patient exam is precisely what I asked that man: “What is your vision for your life?”  We then ask: “What do you miss MOST due to your poor health right now?”.  Finally we ask, “If this condition was left alone for 5 years and did not improve how would that affect your life?”

EVERYONE has a vision and desire for CRISIS care. This puts us in a place of “no choice” meaning that we MUST fix the problem, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs. Crisis care may be the 30 year old Dad who can’t work as a mechanic due to sciatica. His wife and kids will starve if he can’t get his spine fixed. No choice. It may be the 65 year old widowed grandma who has hip pain and can’t play golf. Her Tuesday and Thursday night golf league is what she lives for and she can’t give it up. No choice. These people will ALWAYS proceed with their corrective care plan. 

The BIG SOLID YELLOW differentiating line is this: once the crisis is gone, do people have a vision for ongoing wellness care? This may mean weekly or bi-weekly adjustments for life. The answer to this question depends on their belief. Will on-going wellness chiropractic in some REAL way help me achieve my dream of being healthy until I’m 90? If they can’t see how chiropractic may help do that then they will NOT continue into wellness care. This same decision making process will determine whether they work out for life and eat healthy food for life.   

The first pre-requisite here is that you have a VISION for good health which means a compelling REASON as to why you need good health. This varies for everyone but could be grandkids, travel, ministry work, sports and golf, taking care of sick family etc.   

The second pre-requisite is understanding how a healthy spine will get you there. A spine that has good mobility and structure IS that key to amazing health in older years. A spine that is immobile, mis-aligned, arthritic and decaying will rob people of their ability to fulfill their dreams especially in later years.

Recently at my clinic my patient, a 60 year old lady, had her adjustment and then sat on the table and announced that she got an award from her Gym. She had hit the 1800 mark.  She had done 1800 workouts over a 13 year period of time. WOW!! It just so happens that she finished 10 years of wellness care with me; close to 300 adjustments. She is one of the healthiest and most joyful people I know. She always comes in with a smile and is praising our team and her husband and her kids and friends. She has a VISION for wellness and believes that chiropractic is a large part of the HOW to be optimally healthy. 

Ultimately as humans we have two choices when a health challenge robs our ability to do what we love to do. The first choice is to LOWER our vision and NOT fix the health issue.  An example would be the 70 year old who decides to quit golf because it causes him extreme back pain every time he plays.

The second choice is to MAINTAIN our vision and dream and to FIX the health issue. This would be the 70 year old man who follows through on a corrective care plan and then ongoing wellness care for 20 years and continues to play golf until he is 90!

The most important question for the patient is: “What vision do you believe will allow you to have the most abundant and healthy life possible?” Life-time wellness chiropractic care OR symptom-based crisis-relief care? If you believe life-time wellness care is best for you then find that chiropractor that also believes this.

Without a compelling vision for your life, you may not need good health. If you lose your health you lose everything. If you lose your vision you also lose everything. They both go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. 

_________________________________

Guest Blog by Dr. Mark del Cantero

Dr. Mark del CanteroDr. Mark Del Cantero has been a structural corrective chiropractor for 20 years now in Ancaster, Ontario.  He has helped thousands of people to not only restore their health but to maintain it and achieve high levels of health and vitality.  He not only takes an interest in spinal health but also in nutrition, exercise and stress management.  

He graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Chiropractor in 1996 with clinical honours and has since taken all of the core courses in Chiropractic Biophysics Technique.  He completed his  undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Toronto in 1990.

He has been a speaker at various venues including Warrior Coaching and dozens of groups locally in Hamilton.  

He lives with his wife and three children in Ancaster, Ontario.  

You can find Dr. Mark at:

Website: http://www.cedarspringschiro.com/

Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedarspringschiro

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chirocedar

Instagram @cedarspringschiro

Chiropractic Heals Nothing!

by
subluxation

In the mainstream world, chiropractic is thought of as healing the back and neck pain.  However, in reality, chiropractic doesn’t heal anything!!  What it actually does is remove the interference (subluxation) in your central nervous system, which allows YOUR BODY to restore health through its innate healing abilities.  All on its own!!

Your body functions because your brain says it must. Your brain controls every aspect of your body with messages that are sent through your central nervous system which is encased by the bones of your spine.  If any of the bones in your spine become out of alignment, they put pressure on your nervous system.

Misalignments, also referred to as a subluxation, can happen from hunching over at your computer desk, continually looking down at your phone, or repetitive use injuries.  They can also happen due to stress, traumas and toxins.

chiropractic

When your spinal bones put pressure on your nervous system, the nerves are unable to properly send all of the messages from your brain to the rest of your body to allow your body to function and heal at 100%.

This is why it is critically important to have your spine checked regularly by a Doctor of Chiropractic.  They can identify areas in your spine that have shifted out of alignment, and adjust them back into alignment.

Once your bones are trained to stay back in alignment, the interference to your nervous system are removed.  Your brain can now regain the ability to communicate at 100% with the rest of your body.  Thus, allowing function and healing to return.

This philosophy is true of healing back pain and any other health condition experienced.  For example, if you had a subluxation (misalignment) at the area of your spine that allows the messages from your brain to get to your stomach, your stomach would be unable to function at 100%.  You may experience various digestive issues and discomfort.  By removing the interference to the nerves that direct the function and healing of your stomach, health is able to return. For further help with gut help, click here to read, “6 Easy Ways to Improve Your Gut Health”.

What Your Body Wants!

Your body wants to be at 100% health all of the time.  Give it the opportunity to create healing by removing the interference.  These interference’s are generally subluxations in your spine.  However, they can also be emotional stress and toxins you are exposed to.

To support your healing, it is important to feed yourself with care, try:

Have your spine checked to remove the interference’s from your nervous system so that you can express optimal health!  Click here to find a chiropractor in your area.

Remember, the very first subluxation happens at birth, so be sure to have your little ones checked too.