Ocean Chiropractic Center of Aventura

Car Accident? What Do I do?

2020-06-16

If you recently had a car accident or have had one in the past there is a good chance you’ve had some type of injury. Besides the pain you may be scared to get in the car again, have anxiety, and confused about going to your MD, the hospital, or seeing a chiropractor. At the hospital or your doctor you will hopefully get examined and x-rayed. If there are no broken bones you will probably get a prescription for muscle relaxants and painkiller and sent home even if you are in severe pain. This unfortunately is the standard of care following most car accidents. If you have sustained a whiplash, also called neck sprain or neck strain here are some important things you should know about this common injury.

How Whiplash Happens

A whiplash is caused with the sudden backward movement (extension) and forward movement (flexion) of the neck or upper back, which can cause the joints of the neck to be injured. This type of injury can also cause the muscles and ligaments of the neck and upper back to be over-stretched. When the ligaments and muscles become over-stretched this will lead to the formation of what we call “scar tissue”. No medication in the world can get rid of scar tissue! The primary symptom of whiplash is neck or upper back pain. The pain can start immediately or develop days, weeks, or sometimes even months or years later. Symptoms can vary widely among individuals. Some may only suffer minor discomfort while others experience one or more of the following:

Tightness or spasms of the muscles the neck or upper back
Pain with movement of the neck, headache and dizziness (symptoms of a concussion)
Difficulty swallowing and chewing and hoarseness (could indicate injury to the esophagus and larynx)
Abnormal sensations such as burning or tingling
Shoulder pain
Upper back pain

*Even “fender-benders” can cause hidden injuries. Even worse, most people who have been involved in an auto accident may not even know that they’ve been hurt.

How Whiplash is Diagnosed

Even if your neck pain is only mild, you should be examined by a health professional as soon as possible. X-rays may be done to rule out any bone fractures. An MRI may also be done if there is concern you have a herniated disc or significant ligament injury. These tests are better able to identify soft tissue injuries than plain x-rays.

How We Care for a “Whiplash” in Our Office

Instead of giving painkillers to mask the pain from these injuries, our approach to these types of injuries is to use specific chiropractic adjustments via a specialized instrument (no neck twisting) to help return spinal function. After a thorough case history and examination, the doctor will recommend any necessary care to help restore proper motion and position of spinal bones. This usually involves yoga based mobility exercise, isometric exercises, and other mobility centered exercises. If caught early enough, inflammation can be reduced and scar tissue can often be minimized.

About Your Auto Insurance

After an accident you may be in shock and/or severe pain. Most people have no idea what to do first, whom to call, who’s responsible for damages or injury, do I need an attorney, etc.….

If you’ve been in an accident, don’t worry we will explain everything to you and guide you through the process. We will not only make the process as easy as possible, but also provide you with the best care possible as soon as possible.

Florida Law

Florida is considered a “no-fault” state. This means that ALL drivers are required to carry their own personal injury insurance or “PIP”. This means that regardless of who is at fault you may have coverage to treat injuries that are a result of the accident.

IMPORTANT

Please keep in mind the PIP law (HB-119) states that you must seek medical treatment within 14 days of injury to utilize your insurance benefits.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact our office at 305-932-3773

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet Now is More Important Than Ever

2020-04-15

An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on whole, plant-based foods that are rich in healthy fats and phytonutrients. Inflammation plays a role in every single health condition including heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and a WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM! The foods that can decrease inflammation are widely considered part of a healthy diet that can also help you lose weight and decrease the amount of pressure on your joints.

6 anti-inflammatory foods to add to your diet to help stave off disease

1. Go fish! The omega-3 fatty acids in fish can help block the formation of compounds that cause inflammation in the body.

2. Pile up the produce! Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables ensures you get plenty of inflammation-fighting phytonutrients.

3. Go Nuts! From omega-3 fatty acids to fiber to L-arginine and magnesium, nuts are inflammation-fighting powerhouses.

4. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on everything. You know how ibuprofen can make a headache or a cranky back feel better? Olive oil is rich in phenolic compounds; one in particular called oleocanthal has similar anti-inflammatory properties to ibuprofen. Look for virgin or extra-virgin olive oil to ensure your oil has the maximum amount of these compounds.

5. Spice it up! Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods you can eat are already in your spice cabinet. Polyphenol compounds found in herbs and spices can disrupt the body’s inflammatory pathways, putting up a roadblock against inflammation. Curcumin, found in turmeric, is a particularly potent one.

6. Avoid a high-sugar, processed-food diet! High-sugar and high trans-fat foods are also problematic for inflammation. The biggest culprits are sugary drinks like soda, desserts, fried foods, and anything slathered with cheese or creamy sauces.

10 Things you can do to strengthen your immune system today and avoid Covid-19

2020-04-13

It’s estimated that 70% to 80% will come in contact with the Covid-19 virus or a mutated form of it within the next 2 years. What we know so far is that people with strong immune systems who are exposed to Covid-19 may never know they were exposed to it, or will have the power to overcome it in a week to 10 days, on their own. And once they are exposed, they develop life saving antibodies that create immunity to it.

If your immune system is vulnerable, Covid-19 could hit you like a sledgehammer and could be potentially fatal. The weaker your immune system the less antibodies you’ll have and the longer you could suffer.

When we experience stress, especially chronic stress, our immune system weakens and our body becomes increasingly susceptible to disease and infection. In agriculture healthier soil is synonymous with a healthier plant. To eradicate and kill the diseases and pests that attack our fruits and vegetables without fully appreciating the reasons why, avoids a potential opportunity to nurture the soil for long-term health.

To nurture the soil in ways that benefit its micro biome, and to increase its capacity to act as a healthy immune system we need to shift our thinking from one of attacking disease to one of nurturing the soil as a living organism.

10 things you can do to strengthen your immune system today and avoid Covid-19

1. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in healthy fats.

2. Reduce sugar intake

3. Reduce alcohol intake

4. Load up on vitamin D3

5. Take vitamin C

6. Add C0q10 to daily regimen

7. Take zinc and magnesium

8. Take curcumin to reduce inflammation

9. Take boswellia and CBD to reduce inflammation

10. Get Adjusted!! So much research on this

Balance issues? Especially for Athletes

2020-03-07

How athletes tune up the balance centers of their bodies through the chiropractic adjustment.

One most important set of “balance “sensors” in your body is a group of muscles called the suboccipitals. The suboccipitals are a group of 4 muscles at the base of your skull.

1) Rectus capitis posterior major

2) Rectus capitis posterior minor

3) Obliquus capitis inferior

4) Obliquus capitis superior

These suboccipital muscles are the sensors for positioning and orienting the head in 3-dimensional space. The main reason being is that these muscles contain a much higher density of muscle spindles than most muscles in the body. This means that their primary function is to send spatial data to the brain and the secondary function is movement of the head. That is why this particular group of muscles is special if you’re an athlete or a person who has coordination and/or balance issues. Weather you're a quarterback, wide receiver, golfer, baseball player, or tennis player, the ability to track the ball is what it's all about. I also almost always find this area an issue with patients experiencing vertigo or BPV.

The C2 and C3 vertebrae also connect to the dura mater (which means “tough mother”) of the spinal cord in this location. So, if the muscles attached to these vertebrae are pulling to one side or the other the spinal cord is also affected and this could trigger headaches as well as migraine related symptoms.

This is why so many patients get favorable results with chiropractic care! The other bonus being monthly lower prescription bills and no dangerous side effects.

1 Minute Mind Release! It's All about The Vagus (Your Mind-Body Connection)

2020-02-16

Stressed? Immediately slow your heart rate down with this proven technique.

If your in a stressful situation it’s as simple as consciously slowing your breath down for one minute or even 10 seconds with this proven technique.

THE VAGUS NERVE is the King of the parasympathetic nervous system!

The vagus nerve arises from the brainstem at the base of the skull and also nicknamed “the wanderer” because it connects the brain to almost every organ in your body. This nerve which is the longest nerve in the body, is largely responsible for the “mind-body connection” and is the link between thinking and feeling. Because the Vagus is the king of the parasympathetic system the more we do to stimulate it, the more we cancel out the effects of the sympathetic nervous system also known as the “fight or flight response” which releases adrenaline and cortisol in response to stress.

To cancel out this stress response try this.

Breathe six times in a 1 minute span. 5 seconds in 5 seconds out. Vagal activity is highest, and ️ heart rate the lowest, when you’re exhaling. This technique is so simple but works amazingly well. You can also do it anywhere.
Other ways to improve vagal tone include yoga ????‍♀️, a chiropractic adjustment, a cold rinse, laughing, and singing out loud.

What do your New Year's Resolutions Have to do With NASA?

2020-01-22

How are those New Year’s Resolutions going 22 days in?

If you're hanging on and committed, or if today is the day to start working on that change, keep reading.

Below is a little story of a research done by NASA of a process for shifting a given habit for good, once and for all. This is also a reminder of a proven method of the consistency and commitment required to effect positive change.

NASA’s Research

Years ago NASA researched how its astronauts would deal without gravity, particularly with being upside down and the stress incurred on the body in space. As part of this research, NASA had a group of astronauts wear special convex lens goggles. These goggles literally flipped their field vision 180º. The astronauts even wore them when they slept. Essentially, they saw everything upside down, their entire world inverted 24/7.

They were required to wear the goggles for 24 hours for 30 consecutive days.

What they discovered was absolutely amazing.

The first couple weeks were tough. Astronauts reported a wide variety of symptoms including digestive issues, vertigo, and high blood pressure. Let’s face it: change is not easy or comfortable, and oftentimes feels downright abnormal!

What is amazing to me is that 26 days later one of the astronauts started “seeing right side up” again! Nothing was different about the goggles, and he was still wearing them all of the time, the views were all still turned upside down, but everything now looked normal to him! And, within the next several days the same thing happened to all of the other astronauts in the experiment.

The Cool Part

Between the 25th and 30th days, they all saw “the shift”. Every astronaut’s world seemed to be back to the right way up. Their brains created fresh neural pathways that turned the upside-down image that came to their eye, the right way up. Their brains helped them function more effectively!

Then NASA repeated the experiment with a slight change. This time some of the astronauts took the goggles off for a short period of time partway through the experiment. When they put the goggles back on and left them on until the 30th day, their worlds were still upside down, but when they continued on without interruption, at 26-30 consecutive days wearing the goggles, the same thing happened – everything was suddenly right side up again.

What the scientists learned from these experiments is that the brain requires approximately 30 uninterrupted days for new neural connections to form – for new habits to form.

Breaking the continuity of the new “habit” once for only 24 hours, put the astronauts back to square one.

So, it doesn’t matter what it is!

It takes an uninterrupted period of up to 30-days to reprogram your unconscious mind and develop a new habit. This can apply to thought, posture, diet, and exercise!

So if you’re having a tough time with your New Year’s resolutions hang in there! The “shift” will happen.

Feel like your head may explode sometimes?

2020-01-12

Sitting in front of our computer and looking down at our phones all day often leads to stress and dysfunction to the entire body by firing up your sympathetic nervous system.

The Postural Feedback Loop

Good posture has countless benefits including improved confidence, better digestion, and better breathing. However when your frame shifts into poor posture with your head shifted forward, upper back rounded, and shoulders pulled inward the body becomes distressed. Prolonged poor posture over time can lead a state in the body termed Sympathetic Dominance, a condition where your body’s operating system is working on overdrive, potentially leading to other conditions or symptoms like insomnia and digestive issues.

Poor posture activates the stress center and the neurons in the brain, increasing flexion of the arms and legs. When the shoulders are rounded forward and become tense, the body’s capacity to absorb oxygen decreases. Rounded shoulders cause the rib cage to become tight, meaning it can’t expand as much to take air in, leading to decreased oxygenation.

The red nucleus, located in the mid-brain, is the neuron primarily responsible for these physical responses via sympathetic nervous system activation. When there’s perceived danger and the sympathetic nervous system kicks in, the red nucleus prepares you to either fight rounding the shoulders and pushing your head forward, and or to run away as the hamstrings and calves tighten.

To start to alleviate physical symptoms of sympathetic dominance, check out the Foam Roller Exercise Routine video on our website for a more in depth how-to.

THE ON/OFF SWITCH FOR YOUR ENTIRE BODY

2020-01-07

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ON/OFF SWITCH FOR YOUR ENTIRE BODY

I had a new patient start care last year and learned something new from him about the most important area in your body. He’s in the U.S. Army reserves now but he was trained as a sniper and spent 2 tours of service in the Middle East. I learned the term “apricot” from him. You see this is the area a sniper is aiming for. If he’s able to hit it, it’s an instantaneous kill shot. Even if the bad guy is holding a gun on someone. We are talking about the Medulla Oblongata or the brainstem. The area at the base of your skull influences every single vital function in your body. This is exactly why a chiropractic adjustment to this region can have such life altering changes for someone. If this area is misaligned or subluxated it can cause headaches, anxiety, digestive issues, breathing issues, fatigue and so on.

If your dealing any of the symptoms above or worse you may have been prescribed a drug or given some diagnostic test like blood tests or MRI. There is nothing wrong with that to know what your dealing with. But there are 2 inherent problems with tests and drugs.

1) A diagnostic test is only positive after you already have the problem.

2) If you’ve been prescribed a drug it’s typically not addressing the CAUSE of the problem. It’s treating the EFFECT.

Have you ever had this region checked to see if it’s the cause of your problem?

GOT SHOULDER PAIN EVERYDAY THAT WON’T GO AWAY? HERE’S WHY!

2019-11-27

Many caregivers fail to address how the alignment of the spine (in particular your neck and head position) changes the mechanics of the shoulder and how it can severely increase the incidence of chronic shoulder pain and eventually shoulder dysfunction.

There is considerable overlap between shoulder and neck pain referral patterns. Any injury to the nerve, disc, joints, or soft tissues from C3-7 can refer pain to the shoulder. The Accessory Nerve from upper neck has SVE Special visceral efferent nerves- meaning these are messages that are coming out of your brain in response to a command by you or automatically by your nervous system. This nerve mediates head and shoulder movement! It also innervates the laryngeal muscles which are responsible for the production of sound.

A history of injury and physical examination is what we use to differentiate if your pain is coming from your neck or if you have a shoulder problem. Rotator cuff pain tends to be more pronounced at night while radicular (radiating) cervical pain tends to radiate into the arm or hand. If you have a shoulder and neck problem at the same time, it creates a treatment dilemma. Most people with shoulder pain eventually end up taking an anti-inflammatory. If it continues they end up going to an orthopedist and are given a prescription for something stronger. If that is not effective the next step is usually a cortisone injection and MRI. Only when the MRI has negative findings is the cervical spine looked at. This is a typical treatment protocol for one primary reason. We live in a “non-holistic” symptomatic based medical model. If my shoulder hurts, it must be my shoulder. The neck and head position is routinely overlooked in the initial stages of shoulder pain. Over the past decade in particular we have seen a significant increase in the number of patients coming in with a chief complaint of shoulder pain. Although the onset of symptoms is related to something they did in the gym, throwing something, or bad sleeping position, there are many patients that indicate that there was no “incident” that caused any injury.

Physical and postural exams with the majority of patients find several common factors that are usually contributing to stress on the shoulder joint. Physical exams reveal a “locked” upper neck or what we call an upper-cervical subluxation. Your skull is literally locked onto the first bone in your neck. As a result, people have a hard time looking down and usually feel pain in their upper back when they do. Postural findings usually reveal forward head posture (FHP) and a rounding of the upper back or an increased thoracic kyphosis (hunched upper back). This causes the shoulder to rotate inward almost 100% of the time. You may find yourself slouching right now as you read this or notice your child doing the same. This position causes the head of the humerus (shoulder) to be cramped pushing it closer to your acromion process (which comes off your scapula or shoulder blade). This puts pressure on all the tendons that make up your rotator cuff and all the other joint spaces that make up the shoulder joint. This is the recipe that increases the chances of having shoulder injuries like labral tears, rotator cuff tears, frozen shoulder, and impingement syndrome.

Chronic FHP (forward head posture) can aggravate these structures on a daily basis causing pain, inflammation, and severely limit optimal shoulder mobility. The primary fix - or to prevent the issue entirely - is to use proper positioning at your computer and while using your other devices. However, if it’s been there long enough it’s a good bet you’re going to need some help to correct this.

Some Simple tips to help

1) Consider getting a chiropractic adjustment! There is considerable overlap between shoulder and neck pain referral patterns. Any injury to the nerve, disc, joints, or soft tissues from C3-7 can refer pain to the shoulder. Over the past 18 years we have helped so many people with chronic shoulder pain without even touching their shoulder. Prior to coming into the office many of them have had multiple cortisone injections and many have cancelled surgery including a prominent cardiologist in our community.

2) Make sure your computer or workstation is ergonomically sound. Simply search proper computer ergonomics in Google images. What you’ll find is that all major joints are at 90°.

3) Sit and stand with a “chest out” butt out” posture. Upright position includes keeping your head and neck upright, shoulders positioned beneath ears, shoulder blades back and down.

4) While texting maintain this upright position and hold your phone in front of you at eye level rather than below your chest. Starting to hold your phone vertical is a good start. Teach your kids this!

Are You in Fight-or-Flight Mode All Day?

2019-10-24

Are you in fight-or-flight mode all day?

Any stressful incident can make your heart pound, your breath shorten, your jaw clench, and your muscles tense up.

A combination of reactions to stress is known as the "fight-or-flight" response. It’s there to save your life.

How much do you have going on in your life right now?

Any stressful situation in the office, with your kids, with your partner, etc., can trigger a cascade of stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes in your body. Even though it’s designed to fight the threat or flee to safety, it can also cause the body to overreact to stressors that are not life threatening: traffic, stress at the office, and your family to name just a few.

Over the years, researchers have learned not only how and why these reactions occur, but have also gained insight into the long-term effects chronic stress has on physical and psychological health. Over time, repeated activation of the stress response takes a toll on the body. Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction. Other research also suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to obesity, both through direct mechanisms (causing people to eat more) or indirectly (decreasing sleep and exercise).

When someone experiences a stressful event, the amygdala, an area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus functions like a command center, communicating with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system (ANS) so that the person has the energy to fight or flee.

The ANS controls such involuntary body functions as breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat, and the dilation or constriction of key blood vessels and small airways in the lungs called bronchioles. This is how chronic stress affects every function in your body, potentially leading to premature aging and death. Your body virtually burns itself out way to soon.

Three tips to stop this from happening to you:

1) Instead of starting your day on someone else’s agenda, start every day on your terms! Rather than grabbing your phone while still in bed take 15 minutes or longer and nourish your soul, through a short meditation or inspirational reading. Jumping on life’s daily treadmill by responding to emails or getting your kids ready for school without taking care of your needs first can put you into “fight-or-flight” all day. Taking some alone time to set your intention for the day set you on into a “frontal-lobe” course the entire day. You only need 10-15 minutes!

2) Get up and exercise before you start the daily grind.

-Morning exercise has been proven to boost your mental and physical energy and shift you into a “frontal lobe” mindset. The frontal lobe is where all executive decisions take place. In “ fight-or flight” you are in a “run and shoot offense” all day (for those of you that are not football enthusiasts, this means that you are reacting to what comes at you instead of charting your own course).

-Morning workouts also help enhance your metabolism and to sleep better at the end of the day.

3) Take a vacation! Even a long, three-day weekend can make a huge difference. Get out of your zip code and shut down.

4) Go see your chiropractor and get adjusted! One of the benefits of having a chiropractic adjustment is that it can trigger the body's ability to heal. Moreover, it improves the communication between the brain and the rest of your body, reducing the chances of chemical imbalances such as mood swings, headaches, or lack of sleep.