San Diego Chiropractor

Archive for February, 2010

At my San Diego Chiropractic clinic we stress the basics of good health. Diet, exercise and stress reduction go a long ways towards not only helping you feel better today but also toward helping prevent diseases such as gallbladder disease.

Recently a powerful congressman, John Murtha, underwent a surgical procedure to remove his gallbladder and ended up dying from complications due to massive infection. While this is a common procedure that is performed with only rare complications, Murtha’s death should serve as a warning that “routine” medical procedures can have life changing or even life ending complications.

Eating a healthy with a good balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates combined with frequent exercise and effective stress reduction can help you avoid many different illnesses and diseases like the gallbladder issue that took Murtha’s life.

Eating a healthy diet can even help with common complaints of neck pain, lower back pain and headaches. Many people consume caffeine, sugar and nicotine unaware that all of these “foods” make you more pain sensitive.

Just as important to our health maintenance is exercise. Exercise keeps the muscles strong and flexible which helps them support your spine and other joints. Joints that are supported by strong, flexible muscles are less likely to suffer from painful joint conditions involving specific injuries or general wear and tear.

Finally, keeping a handle on stress can also help reduce your chances of developing neck pain and back pain. Stress often expresses itself as muscle tension. All of those tight muscles are attached to bones and joints. Muscles that are chronically tight will cause pain in the joints that they work upon.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com

One of the more frequent questions that the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic practice have asked me over the years is “What is the best bed to get?”

As with most things in life, what is good for me may not be so good for you and visa-versa. As a general rule, the firmer the sleeping surfaces the better. That being said, a mattress should be comfortable. Remember however that comfort can be a fleeting thing – we can feel comfortable as we fall asleep but awake with back pain, stiff necks, sore shoulders or hip pain. A comfortable mattress should allow you get a full nights sleep and awake feeling pain free and rested. Some stores offer a comfort exchange plan that will allow you to exchange the mattress after a month or two if it is not a good fit for you.

A mattress should also offer the right amount of support for your lower back, shoulders and hips. The mattress should have enough give for your hips and shoulders so that when you are lying on your side your spinal column remains straight.

Another thing to consider is the cost of a new bed. This is an issue that I have with my patients that drives me absolutely crazy! If we get the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night, that equates to one third of the hours of each day that we spend in our beds. I have patients and friends who are so cheap when it comes to buying a new mattress while at the same time they spend $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 or more on cars that they drive for less than an hour each day.

Over the years, I have had patients buy mattresses from all the major brands. The Tempurpedic mattress or one made of memory foam are always popular as are the air support beds like the Select Comfort.

The bed that my patients have had the most satisfaction with is the Select Comfort. The idea of being able to change the firmness of the sleeping surface is a nice feature. I like to recommend this mattress because it can change as your comfort needs change.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554
www.JonesPainRelief.com