Family Health Week is THIS WEEK – August 8th – 13th. Bring family in for check-ups and scoliosis screenings on us!  Below is a story about the importance of scoliosis screenings for kids.  Over 75% of my patients have a scoliosis when we x-ray them. These curves start when they are young. Prevention and early detection is key!

“Bend over and touch your toes” are the directions given to adolescents during a scoliosis screening. Unfortunately, this is usually the ONLY spinal exam most children have and has been shown to be ineffective in the best medical journal on the subject, “Spine!” What is equally upsetting is that over 75% of adult patients that come to our clinic have some form of abnormal spinal curvature that developed in childhood.

This toe touching screening test (Adams Test) is inadequate to detect abnormal spinal curves and is only as good as the examiner. In these school screenings, once a child is suspected of having scoliosis, further diagnosis is needed.   Most children are referred to an orthopedist. Unfortunately, lack of compliance, false-positive and  false negative tests, lack of conservative treatment options; all lead to the ineffectiveness of school spinal screenings for improving the outcomes of children with idiopathic scoliosis.

Over 75% of adult patients that come to our clinic have some form of abnormal spinal curvature that developed in childhood.

Scoliosis is the most common bony abnormality in the body, and is present in approximately 50% of the population in varying degrees (obviously higher with Chiropractic issues). Scoliosis is known to run in families.

Children-especially daughters-of women who have scoliosis are at increased risk for having scoliosis.

Girls are seven times more likely than boys to have a significant curve that requires treatment. Also, those that have spinal alignment issues and/or a short leg are also at increased risk.

Some of the more obvious signs of a significant scoliotic curve in the spine include; unevenness of shoulders and/or hip height, visible “crookedness” of the spine when viewed from behind, and a noticeable hump in the rib cage on one side. The complications from scoliosis, when advanced, include heart and lung disorders, degenerative spinal arthritis, muscular fatigue and joint dysfunction syndrome. The adolescent growth spurt (12-16 years) is the period when the curvature has a greater tendency to deform more rapidly.  Once a child has started their growth spurt, little can be done to arrest or reverse the development of scoliosis.  This is why early detection (BEFORE THE SPINE CURVES) and treatment is essential!

The Chiropractor is the only health practitioner qualified to handle the early diagnosis and prevention of scoliosis. A specific spinal exam, performed by a doctor of chiropractic, along with a safe and efficient surface EMG scan, is a better predictor of a child’s spinal health.  The surface EMG detects  abnormalities in the nerve system that can cause  imbalances in the pulling of the musculature, PRIOR to the spinal curvature.  X-ray is used in a limited basis to assess the initial curvature(or if the curve is even present) as well as a computerized postural assessment.

If our spines were visible from the outside, like our teeth, we would attend our spine regularly like we do our teeth. Unfortunately, some choose to ignore the parts of their body they can’t see. However, if we took better care of our spine, with regular chiropractic checkups, we would be in better health as we age!

Dr. Stephanie Maj is the author of the book, You Can Be Well! How to Improve Your Quality of Life Through a Healthier Lifestyle. She has been coaching families to a healthier lifestyle for over 16 years. Dr. Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Check out her blog at www.drmaj.com.

When people know better, they do better! That quote from Oprah is just not adding up when it comes to America’s issue with obesity.  I am a physician that is committed to helping sick people get well and right now I am angry.  According to a report just released, America is just getting fatter!  We know better and yet we are not doing better with regard to obesity.  I am here to say I can help, please let me share what has worked for me.

Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state!

There has been BIG news in my life. I lost 50 pounds last year and have kept it off for over 6 months.  I want to share the how I did it and the why. I have to say this is not an easy thing to talk about and open up about to everyone. Yet I am faced with the decision to play small, be shy and vain and possibly NOT help the vast amount of people that need the solution I am offering.  READ STORY

Below are all the statistics that are troubling. We are not winning this battle as a nation and here I am with a solution that at this point has helped over 30 people in my life alone in the last 6 months.  I want to scream from the roof tops and yet I know the more zealous I am about something, the more I turn people off.  I cannot be silent when I read statistics like the ones below.  This is killing us as Americans.  As a Chiropractor, obesity is THE #1 leading cause of physical stress in my practice.

The annual report I am referring to was put out by two public health groups that shows that America is getting fatter. Adult obesity rates have increased in 16 states in the past year, with 12 states now reporting at least 30% of their populations as obese.

Only one state in the nation, Colorado, has an adult obesity rate below 20% — but at 19.8%, just barely. Mississippi ignominiously leads the fat pack with a 34.4% rate of obesity. No states showed a decrease since the previous year.

“What’s happening with the country is not unlike with individuals,” says Jeffrey Levi, executive director for Trust for America’s Health. “You add a pound or two every year and after 10 or 20 years, it becomes a significant thing, and that’s sort of what the country has done.”

Twenty years ago, no state had an adult obesity rate above 15%, and 15 years ago Mississippi was the fattest state, with a 19.4% obesity rate — notably lower that than of the least obese state today.

The swollen statistics come from the fifth annual “F as in Fat” report, put out by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This year was the first that the researchers also looked at data spanning the previous two decades, in addition to doing their year-to-year update, and the long-term comparisons show much starker jumps in obesity.  When the overweight population is counted with the obese, current rates by state consistently top 60%.

The highest obesity rates are in the South, large swaths of which are poor and rural, and where fried foods are eaten in abundance. Following Mississippi, the most obese states are Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee and Louisiana. It’s not until No. 10 on the list, Michigan, that a state above the Mason-Dixon Line appears. The least obese states continue to be in the West and Northeast.

In a foreword to the report, former Surgeon General David Satcher presents a concrete number of Americans, 190 million, who are overweight or obese. And he outlines the most important facets of the “epidemic” as he sees them: the associated health problems that are on the rise, from Type 2 diabetes to cancer, bloated health-care costs and “food deserts” where largely poor communities have little access to healthy food. As in previous years, the report showed that lower-income groups and minorities tend to have more widespread obesity.

Type 2 diabetes rates in 11 states and the District of Columbia have risen in the past year, the report found, and all but four states have seen increases in rates of high blood pressure in recent years. Today, every state has hypertension rates over 20%, with nine over 30%. Twenty years ago, 37 states had hypertension rates over 20%.

The program that has helped me is Take Shape for Life! Take Shape For Life is an entirely new approach to well-being based on creating health, not reacting to illness.  Reaching a healthy weight is just the beginning. Through the Habits of Health and the BeSlim Lifestyle, this program can help guide you to Optimal Health.

As you work toward Optimal Health, you learn to take charge of your lifestyle and be as healthy as you can be, for as long as you want.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. http://youcanbewell.tsfl.com/

From the April 1, 2007 issue of the Monterey Herald in California comes an article with a story of a woman who was having trouble with her pregnancy. Jennifer Hernandez was 36 years of age, and 32 weeks pregnant when her obstetrician told her she was facing a Caesarean delivery because the baby in her womb was in a high-risk position.

Hernandez’s obstetrician performed an ultrasound which showed that her baby was 180 degrees from the normal head-down position for birth. With this news and wanting to avoid a possible C-section, she then sought the services of Dr. Anne Lundquist, a prenatal chiropractor certified since 2001 in the Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique.

Hernandez reported her reaction after starting chiropractic care, “I felt a great relief after the first adjustment.” The article then noted that after two sessions with Dr. Lundquist, a new ultrasound showed the baby was in the proper head-down position. “Immediately after the first treatment I felt he moved,” Hernandez said.

Dr. Jeanne Ohm, a chiropractor and executive coordinator of the Philadelphia-based International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, the organization that certifies chiropractors in the technique, described the technique by saying, “It reduces interference to the nervous system, balances out pelvic muscles and ligaments, which in turn removes torsion to the uterus. It allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth.”

Dr. Ohm, who has 25 years of chiropractic experience and 10 at teaching the “Webster” technique noted that the technique doesn’t involve any risk. However, the article did note that the success rate drops if the patients have passed the 34-week mark of their pregnancies.

Chiropractic Helps New Mothers Produce Milk

An article in the March 2007 issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics, presents three documented case studies of chiropractic care helping new mothers who were unable to produce adequate mother’s milk. A reduction in mothers milk, known as “Hypolactation” can be a serious problem that can create health issues for both the mother and child.

The first case was a women who went to the chiropractor on the referral of her midwife. She had given birth 10 days earlier to her second child and unlike her first, she was unable to establish a milk supply for her second baby. The patient had no other medical issues other than difficulty in swallowing a glass of water.

An examination determined that she had a subluxation, and specific chiropractic care was initiated to correct that issue. After her second visit the patient commented that she found it much easier to swallow. By the third visit she noticed visible changes in her breast and the production of milk. This improvement resulted in a positive weight gain for the infant who was forced to depend of formula until the mothers milk issues were resolved.

The second patient went to the chiropractor for upper back pain but was also unable to produce sufficient milk to feed her one month old infant. Her examination showed no medical history for her problems, however, the chiropractic portion of her exam showed subluxations. She began a series of specific chiropractic adjustments for subluxation correction. By the forth visit the patient was noticing breast enlargement and the production of milk. She also became pain free from the upper back pain she was experiencing.

The third case was a women who came into the chiropractor’s office with her daughter six days after birth. She was sent there on the recommendation of the hospital lactation consultant. As in the previous cases, subluxations were found and care was initiated to correct them. In this case it took only 24 hours for the positive results to show, and for this mother to be able to feed her infant naturally.

Based on their case studies and the volumes of previous research, these researchers concluded that subluxations and the neurological interference they cause play a major role in Hypolactation. The researchers suggest, “Chiropractic evaluation for subluxations would be a key element in the holistic assessment of the failure to establish milk supply in the post partum patient.”

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

I was asked to contribute to this blog on my experience with Chiropractic and boosting energy. I hope you enjoy!  Dr. Steph

Looking for ways to boost your energy during the hot summer months? Read our latest, helpful blog article.

Feeling tired all too often? You’re not alone. Blazing hot temperatures and humid weather can really zap your energy, especially if you work in a concrete jungle. Looking for ways to increase your stamina, energy, and brain power through the summer?

• Start the day with the marvelous energy inducer – exercise. The old adage, you have to give to get is true when it relates to exercise and energy.
• Stay hydrated. Drink water before and after exercising to promote endurance and prevent fatigue.
• Get on your feet every hour, stretch and do at least 2 exercises before sitting down again.
• Walk, dance or exercise to music to motivate you, boosting your mood, and energy level. Make exercise something you look forward to.
• Do what you love, whether it’s swimming, ballet, basketball, Taekwondo, jogging, walking your dog, dancing, strolling in a park or taking a lap around the mall while window shopping.

• Getting less than 8 hours of sleep compromises your immune system, increases your chances of illness, reduces your ability to concentrate, and depletes your energy. A good night’s sleep is necessary to keep your body charged and your brain functioning well.
• Beverages containing caffeine and alcohol can dehydrate the body and increase chances of fatigue. Avoid drinking stimulating beverages close to bedtime. Studies show that when more than one alcoholic beverage is consumed, it stimulates the body, increases your heart rate and causes stress on your circulatory system.
• Getting in and out of a hot car is sure to zap your energy level. Save running errands for when the sun starts to set, when possible.
• If you exercise during your lunch break, avoid exercising outdoors in bright, open areas consisting largely of asphalt or concrete. Instead, exercise indoors or in a shaded area.
• Avoid these energy zappers: hot showers and baths or sitting in a hot tub or sauna.
• Don’t skip meals when you’re tired. Refrain from eating energy robbing foods: sugar, refined white flour products, highly processed foods and unhealthy fats. Consuming these foods also promotes unhealthy weight-gain, another huge energy robber.
• Avoid sitting for long periods of time. Get up and move every hour.

• Eat plenty of fresh fruits rich in water such as watermelon and vegetable or salad based meals instead of heavy red meat entrees.
• Consume these energy producing foods: green beans, grapes, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, almonds and pumpkin seeds, black beans, white fish, brown rice and unrefined, whole grains. Drink a healthy green drink daily. Wheatgrass is especially noted for increasing energy.
• These nutritional supplements fight fatigue and increase energy levels: MSM, bee pollen, magnesium and calcium, Brewer’s yeast, vitamin C, vitamin B Complex and ginseng. Consult your health practitioner before starting a supplement regimen, especially if you are taking medications, have allergies, or an existing health condition.
• Take a cold, refreshing shower or bath to rejuvenate energy levels before and after working outdoors, when you’re feeling hot or tired. Soaking your feet in cold water helps too. (If you have a heart condition or circulatory problem, check with your doctor before trying cold water treatments.)
• Practice good posture when sitting, standing or walking. Correct, strong posture allows you to breathe deeply and enhances your overall wellbeing. Ask your chiropractor to show you posture strengthening exercises.
• Fresh air and sunshine is invigorating, healthy and a mood enhancer. Spend 15 to 30 minutes outside daily for a healthy dose of vitamin D, as weather permits.

Note: Fatigue is a symptom of most illnesses. If fatigue is chronic, consult a health professional to determine if you need to adjust your diet, have a vitamin or mineral deficiency or other health condition.

By Dr. Stephanie Maj

Meet this week’s Chiropractic Care contributor: Dr. Stephanie Maj is the author of the book, You Can Be Well! How to Improve Your Quality of Life Through a Healthier Lifestyle. She has been coaching families to a healthier lifestyle for over 16 years. Dr. Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Check out her blog at www.drmaj.com.

You cannot have Wellness without Chiropractic!

• The flow of energy in the body travels through the body’s wiring system – the nervous system. That flow travels in a looping cycle over your brain and spinal cord, through the nerves and back to the spinal cord and then back to your brain. Chiropractic adjustments remove interference to this nerve flow and allow your energy to be balanced, your immune system to be strong and your resistance to stress, high.
• Chiropractors look for interferences in that natural flow of energy. Because your nerves come through every level of the spine, an unbalanced spine can create blockages that may cause physical and emotional fatigue.
• Understand that chiropractic adjustments “Turn your body’s power ON!” By removing the interference in the flow of the nerves, the body is able to achieve optimal function in all areas, thus unlocking the flow of energy and supercharging the body.