The Olympics & Kinesio Tape

By Dr. Marion Constantinides - 8/24/2012
As you watched the Olympics, you may have found yourself asking “What are those brightly colored lines on the athletes’ bodies?”
The answer is Kinesio Tape, which was developed by a Japanese chiropractor in 1979 to reduce pain and enhance performance on the area applied.  It is now used worldwide by physicians for pain management, physical therapy, and every day exercise activities.
When properly placed along injured muscles, the tape reduces pain and inflammation, relaxes overused or tired muscles, and supports muscles in movement on a 24-hour-a-day basis.  Its gentle tug also promotes circulation and facilitates the body’s natural healing process.
The super sticky tape is designed to last up to 6 days, and its water-resistant fabric allows patients to bathe or even swim as usual.

Using the Kinesio Tape and the Kinesio Taping Method, I have successfully treated patients with a range of issues, such as:
• Plantar fasciitis
• Shin splints
• Knee problems
• Ankle sprains
• Lower back pain
• Headaches
• And more

Healing Chronic Injuries One Patch at a Time

Science, medicine and technology continue to evolve at lightning speed, which means many success stories and breakthroughs never appear in the media or appear for only a blink.

One such success story from the medical community is the WHITTE Patch from Wei Laboratories in Cupertino, Calif.  It is a herbal patch that increases blood flow to the injured area to:

·         Break up scar tissue

·         Improve  circulation to the joint

·         Increase lymph drainage away from the joint

Following is a story from a colleague of mine who used the WHITTE Patch to help a 28-year-old athlete with lumbar disc problems.

Patient History

A Division I college football player who was drafted into the NFL. His NFL career was cut short by a lower back injury which required lumbar disc surgery. He has had pain and disability for the past 3 years since the surgery. He has had minor temporary relief with pain medications, injections, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications.

Before the WHITTE Patch treatment

Chronic lower back pain with left lower extremity sciatic pain and muscular weakness. Pain level on a daily basis initially was 6 - 7 on a scale of 1 - 10.  He had limited range of motion and experienced frequent muscular spasms in his lower back.

After the WHITTE Patch treatmentThe patient was treated with a combination of chiropractic adjustments and WHITEE patches.

Within 3 weeks, he experienced complete relief.  He stated that it had been the only real relief since the surgery.

He has returned to running, lifting weights and playing basketball. He has had several minor bouts of lower back pain after lifting weights and playing basketball, but those were relieved with a course of adjustments and herbal WHITTE patches.

We carry the WHITTE Patch

Lower back problems baffle a lot of doctors, but not us. For many years, we have successfully treated men and women with lower back problems through chiropractic adjustments, the WHITTE patch, as well as other medical techniques.

If you are interested in trying the WHITTE patch or would like more information, please contact us at Dr.C@appliedhealthva.com.

Take Charge of Seasonal Allergies

As summer plans take shape, the shadow of seasonal challenges can darken even the brightest day. These frustrations can take a toll, both personally and professionally.

One company’s assessment showed that almost 60 percent of workers reported experiencing seasonal challenges or seasonal allergies. Those workers were (on average) 4.1 percent less productive than their coworkers, costing the company a startling sum of just more than $1.8 million per year.

In another study, authors reported that employees who attempted to work through seasonal challenges with nothing other than a “grin-and-bear-it” approach were less productive (by10 percent) than their “non-challenged” coworkers or other coworkers who took steps to deal with seasonal challenges.

What can you expect Dr. Constantinides to do to support your health during this time? She will focus on preseason planning with concrete protocols aimed at prevention for the current season and many seasons to come.

Planning ahead is key. One recent paper suggests the body’s natural immune response can be higher earlier in the season than in the end, even if the amount of environmental challenge is similar.

So if you know what sends your immune system into a spin, make sure you know when your that stimulus is coming. Daily pollen counts are published in newspapers and online. For the tech savvy, there are smartphone apps that track how a person feels or the weather in general. These apps are useful for evaluating how well you can manage and just how challenging the season turned out to be.

Without prior planning, physically cleansing the nasal passages using a saline solution can help to clear out mucus and the irritant it carries.  Netti pots or Nasal Saline kits are available at any local drugstore.

Instead of working to stop the body’s natural response, consider supplements that are meant to work with the body to support a measured immune system reaction.  Because of the whole food solutions that Dr. Constantinides carries in the office, she can gently guide your body before the seasonal challenges ruin your Spring.

adapted from Standard Process Newsletter April 2012

It’s not all in your head - Treat tension headaches at the source

Treat tension headaches at the source  - by Foot Levelers

Everyone experiences headaches, but did you know there are two main categories? Most people – in fact, 95 percent of people according to the American Chiropractic Association – suffer from primary headaches.[1]

 The most common form of primary headaches, tension headaches, can be triggered by poor posture, sedentary behavior, sleep patterns and work ergonomics. Add in other factors such as stress, fatigue, and malnutrition and a throbbing headache can surface abruptly – a painful way to carry out the day.

 Secondary headaches are typically more severe than primary headaches and are the result of an underlying disorder such as meningitis or a serious neck injury.

 Typical responses for a headache are to reach for the medicine cabinet, lie down for a short time, or simply try to ignore it. Unfortunately, most remedies do not address the issue where it starts, and relief is short-lived.

 Chiropractors across the world will agree – the solution is not to provide relief temporarily, but to find the source of pain, treat it, and let headaches be a thing of the past.

 One thing leads to another

Chiropractors have an extensive knowledge of joint, muscle, and bone functionality. Their expertise in the musculoskeletal system gives them an ability to identify pain at the source. They know that pain in one section of the body can be a response to a disturbance in a completely different area.

 When a tension headache occurs, we experience cranial and facial pain, even though there is not an injury to the face or the brain.

 According to a New York Times article, “The brain is insensitive to pain, so that is not what hurts when you have a headache. Rather, the pain occurs in the following areas:

• The tissues covering the brain
• The attaching structures at the base of the brain
•  Muscles and blood vessels around the scalp, face, and neck”[2]

Most tension headaches are a result of a disturbance in another part of the body. Multiple factors can intensify the issue such as light, work environments, food, and sleep patterns.

 How chiropractic can help

Throughout time, our bodies adapt to repetitive poor posture and work ergonomics.

As this happens, alignment in the neck, upper back and spine become compromised.

This stress and misalignment upon the musculoskeletal system can be a great causer of tension headaches.

 It is important to consult with a chiropractor to discover what is causing headaches, and how to treat them. People may be experiencing headaches but are unaware that their posture and musculoskeletal health can be the source.

 Chiropractors can help by restoring range of motion and correcting the body’s biomechanics through adjustments and spinal manipulation.

 A headache is a message from your body, telling you that something is out of order. If headaches are becoming a common problem, it is up to you to take control – visit with your chiropractor and fix the problem at the source.

[1] American Chiropractic Association. (Accessed: February 2012) Headaches & Chiropractic. http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2186

[2] New York Times. (Accessed: February 2012) Headache, Cluster In-Depth Report. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/cluster-headaches/print.html

The Importance of Vitamin D

For the past few years, there has been a lot of attention placed on the significance of Vitamin D for good health.  I agree with that wholeheartedly.

You can use Vitamin D to your advantage to:

• Fight Colds

·         Promote absorption of calcium in the bone and improve bone health

·         Boost immune function

·         Reduce inflammation

·         Slow the aging process

·         Protect against colon, prostrate and breast cancers, as well as other cancers

For such an amazing nutrient, very few foods in nature contain Vitamin D. The best sources are salmon, tuna, mackerel (especially the flesh), and fish liver oils. Beef liver, cheese and egg yolks also contain small amounts.

If these foods are not appealing to you, there’s good news: you don't have to eat them to get your daily dose of Vitamin D!  Vitamin D is actually produced in your body when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike your skin. The UV rays trigger synthesis of Vitamin D, which then gets converted in your liver into its active form.

One of the best ways to get Vitamin D is to spend 10-15 minutes a day outside in the sun. Keep in mind that wearing sunscreen will prevent you from getting adequate Vitamin D. In the summertime, an easy solution is skipping sunscreen on your legs for the first 15 minutes in the sun. Just make sure you apply it in time to prevent any burns or damage.

How do I get Vitamin D in the winter?

Capturing sunshine is hard to do in the winter, which is why my clinic carries Bio-D Mulsion and Bio-D Mulsion Forte from Biotics Research Corporation.  Just one drop provides your daily dose of Vitamin D, and is easily absorb by your body.

How much Vitamin D do I need each day?

For all ages, I recommend a daily dose of at least 400 IU.  For those who are:  still growing, have low Vitamin D levels in their blood work, are post-menopausal, pregnant, or nursing, I recommend as much as 2,000 IU daily.

The Bio-D Mulsion contains 100% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D.  The Bio-D Muslion Forte is perfect for those who need the extra boost of Vitamin D.

If preventing colon, prostate and breast cancers, building strong bones, fighting off colds, and slowing aging sounds like a good deal to you -- look for the answer in one simple package: Vitamin D.

Free Massage Giveaway

As part of our Patient Appreciation Program, Applied Health Chiropractic is giving away one free massage per month from one of our massage therapists.

We are also opening this up to any family or friends you wish to forward this email to.

To become eligible for the free massage, simply email via our website http://www.appliedhealthva.com/ by Jan. 25.

Massage therapy is one of the most powerful preventative medicine tools available to us today and provides the following benefits:

• Recovery from tension, stress and fatigue
• Stimulates circulation
• Stimulates lymphatic flow
• Relief of chronic pain
• Enhances well being
• Increase restricted joint movement
• And, of course, PURE RELAXATION

We will email the winner on Jan. 27. If your spam filters are set high, please include your phone number in your email and we’ll call too.
Thank you.

From your friends at Applied Health Chiropractic,
Dr. Marion Constantinides & Staff