Kinesio Tape: What it is and What to do with it.

2 Dec 2013 Your Overall Health , , , , , , , ,

What is the Kinesio Taping Method?

Kinesio taping helps the body’s natural healing process by supporting and stabilizing muscles without changing natural motion. Kinesio taping, also known as elastic therapeutic taping (ETT), was developed by Kenzo Kase, D.C. in Japan in the 1970s to use in chiropractic care.

How does Kinesio Tape work?

Kinesio taping creates a lifting effect on the skin that improves circulation and relaxes the muscles, which relieves pain. It is also helpful for reducing the edema and swelling that results from injury to any area of the body. The tape which is similar in texture and elasticity to living human skin, activates the body’s healing process by stimulating the neurological and circulatory systems. Because muscles help and support other areas of the body such as the circulatory system, lymphatic flow and body temperature, a muscular injury can cause many different types of symptoms.

What are the benefits of Kinesio Tape?

Kinesio Tape can be of help both pre and post-adjustment. Taping pre-adjustment can reduce pain making the adjustment much more comfortable for the patient, as well as reducing over-mobilization which can further damage tissue.  Post-adjustment taping can prolong the effects of the adjustment, help balance muscle tissue and speed local tissue healing. It can be viewed as an “on-going adjustment”, supporting muscle movement around the clock–long after the doctor’s hands are gone.

When is Kinesio Tape used?

Most often Kinesio Tape is used to treat acute and chronic injuries within the first 24 to 72 hours to increase lymphatic drainage and reduce swelling. After, it is used as support to keep tissue from moving in a direction that would cause further damage.

Kinesio tape has been seen on many athletes ranging from High School track stars to Olympians to protect a body part after surgery or to keep a weak joint stable. It is most popular among athletes and coaches because it is a non- restrictive taping that allows an athlete to perform normal movements but prevents the end ranges of motion that can cause pain and damage.  Conventional tape is still useful but it is restrictive to a joint. It should be used strictly for stabilization and support as it does restrict circulation flow.

What other conditions can be treated with Kinesio Tape?

Kinesio Tape is used for anything from headaches to foot problems and everything in between. Examples include: pediatric patients with muscular weakness, carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back strain/pain, knee conditions, shoulder conditions, hamstring, groin injury, rotator cuff injury, whiplash, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, patella tracking, pre and post surgical edema, ankle sprains, athletic preventative injury method, and as a support method.

Drs. Ho and Walker are trained in the proper use of Kinesio Tape and have experienced exceptional results with patients suffering from a wide array of symptoms.

Vegan Potato Leek Soup

2 Dec 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies ,

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil.

2. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.

3. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.

5. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup or cool slightly and use a traditional blender.  Blend the soup with the fresh rosemary leaves until smooth and free of chunks.

6. Warm over low heat until heated through. Serve hot.

Serves 4 – 6.

Recipe by Care2make.com

10 Stress Busters

2 Dec 2013 Tips & Tricks ,

When the weather gets crisp and our thoughts turn to the holidays, our stress levels often rise while our good moods fall!  At in-Health Clinic, your health and well being are of the utmost importance to us. Stress can cause fatigue, a foul mood, a racing heart, and weakened immune system to name just a few.

To help you stay stress-free here are our top 10 holiday stress-reducing strategies to help you truly enjoy the season:

  1. Wake up 15 minutes earlier.  Waking up just a little earlier can give you enough time for a good breakfast and will prevent the need for rushing. Over time, rushing around can cause increased stress.
  2. Say no to extra social invitations and parties you truly don’t have time for and aren’t high on your priority list.
  3. Turn needs into preferences.  You don’t always need to make every holiday perfect. Get done what you can and have the most fun possible.
  4. Organize. Doing things in advance will keep you from that last minute panic. Get guest rooms ready, plan meals, have plenty of wrapping paper and maybe an extra generic gift or two on hand. Be sure to make lists so you don’t forget anything.
  5. Embrace forgiveness.  We live in an imperfect world and while forgiving and letting go may not make us forget, it will allow us to enjoy life more.
  6. Book a massage.  You may think you don’t have time, but taking a mid week evening off when someone can watch your kids will allow you to have an hour just to relax.
  7. Do one thing at a time.  Try not to think about all of your items on your to-do list as you are completing one task. It slows efficiency, and causes you to make more errors which keeps you from embracing and fully enjoying the moment.
  8. Do things you enjoy.  After all, ‘tis the season. Don’t fill it with things that neither you nor your family enjoy.
  9. Take the boredom out of waiting in line.  Have a fun book or movie downloaded on your phone or listen to your favorite tunes.
  10.  Procrastination is stressful.  Don’t wait until the night before Christmas or any other event to do all the shopping and preparing, plan ahead.

Raw Vegan Coconut truffles

2 Dec 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,

1 cup dates

½ cup walnuts

½ cup almonds

½ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cocoa powder

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon salt

Extra coconut, cocoa powder or nuts for finishing.

1)

In a food processor or Vitamix blend together the dates, walnuts and almonds until they form a crumble-paste. If it is too thick, add a little water, but only enough for it to come together. It shouldn’t be totally smooth; some nutty pieces are desirable. Add the cocoa powder and blend until mostly incorporated. Remove the nut mixture from food processor and place it in a large bowl. Fold in the remaining ingredients by hand.

2)

Now it’s time to truffle. If the “dough” is too sticky at this point, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes until it rolls easily into balls. Measure the truffle mixture out as 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll into balls and then toss in your desired topping.

While these could be eaten right away, the truffles are best when cold. For best results place the truffles in the freezer and allow to harden (at least 1 hour). Store the remaining truffles in the freezer and pull out 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe by:  thesweetlife.com

What is Menopause?

1 Oct 2013 Women & Pregnancy , , , , , , , , ,

By definition menopause is the cessation of menstrual flow for more than 12 months, at which time a woman can now be defined as menopausal.  In our culture there is a lot of negativity surrounding being in menopause. However some cultures view it as the time when women become enlightened and can now share their wisdom with others.

Menopause is not simply the period of time from 50 to 55 years of age, but it is the third stage of womanhood. The first stage is the years before puberty and the second is our fertile years. The last stage is menopause when we no longer produce babies but nurture other women and possibly grandchildren.

What is the physiology of menopause?  What happens to a woman’s body?

In many cultures a woman who has passed from her fertile years into menopause is now at the age of wisdom and enlightenment and is to be honored and treated with great respect and awe.  In the United States we don’t exactly give women this respect, nor do women themselves give their bodies and minds this great respect.  Women tend to cringe at the word menopause and feel that this is the end of youth.

It is important to understand that this is a time of change. Some changes are easy while others can be more challenging. When a woman is in her 40s and 50s, she can be in a time of life some describe as peri-menopause.  At this point she may, or may not, experience symptoms.  By the age of 50 it is not uncommon for a woman to stop having her menstrual cycle.  At this time, and even before, there is a decline in the production of some of the following hormones (just to list a few):

  • Estrogen
  • Progesterone
  • Testosterone
  • HGH
  • DHEA
  • Pregnolone
  • Melatonin

Women may also see changes in their bodies such as skin texture, skin tone, weight, vaginal dryness and the slowing to finally stopping of the menstrual cycle itself.  Women may also see a sudden rise in cholesterol levels that promote their doctor to place them on a statin. This can be avoided and women should seek hormone balancing first to make sure that they are not unduly harming their bodies.

Why is there a change in cholesterol?

Cholesterol is the building block of hormones and can be adversely affected when your hormones are not balanced properly or you are going into menopause. Your body is still producing the same level of cholesterol, but less is turned into hormones resulting in higher levels of cholesterol.

At in-Health Clinic we treat the cause of the higher cholesterol and start with balancing hormones. If there is no change in cholesterol and we have done a blood test to determine you are a woman at greater risk for heart disease we will also do a combination of herbs, diet and lifestyle counseling that can regulate your body.

What are the effects of lower estrogen?

Estrogen has many effects including breast fullness, clarity of mind, vaginal lubrication, mood stabilization, heart protection, brain modulation as well as bone function and growth. It also has a great deal to do with female pride, vitality and sensuality.  While it isn’t involved in passion or orgasm, it does help build the feminine essence that defines a woman.

There are 3 types of estrogens:

  • E1 Estrone
  • E2 Estradiol
  • E3 Estriol

E2 is found in Prempro and many other hormone replacement pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately this is made out of a horse hormone and is not identical to what is actually in the human body.  This can cause a lot of side effects, which have deterred women from seeking hormonal care especially if these are not properly regulated with the correct amount of Progesterone.

Symptoms of estrogen deficiency include:

  • Mental fogginess and forgetfulness
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Mood changes
  • Hot flashes
  • Night sweats
  • Decreased libido and painful sex
  • Loss of skin radiance
  • Dry skin, eyes and vagina
  • Rapid heartbeat episodes without anxiety
  • Gastro-intestinal discomfort
  • Day-long fatigue

Excess estrogen can occur in someone who is on hormone replacement therapy.  Symptoms include:

  • Breast tenderness
  • Water retention and weight gain
  • Impatient and snappy behavior
  • Pelvic cramps
  • Nausea

What does Progesterone do?

Immediately after ovulation the ovaries release progesterone so that the uterus will prepare for implantation of the egg.  There are also high levels of the hormone in the body while pregnant for development of the fetus.  Besides this hormone’s importance during reproduction it is also the harmonizer of hormones that allows the balance of estrogen and progesterone to take place.

The body releases very little progesterone from day 1-14 of a woman’s cycle but after ovulation it spikes and sets the cycle duration for the menstrual cycle itself.  Some of its lesser know jobs are:

  • Protects the breast and uterus from cancers
  • Natural diuretic
  • Anti-anxiety
  • Enhances immune system
  • Improves breakdown of fat
  • Decreases sugar cravings
  • Helps new bone tissue form
  • Increases HDL levels
  • Reduces breast tenderness

 

What are signs of a progesterone deficiency?

Progesterone production can slow around the age of 35.  This is when conceiving can become slightly more challenging for women. Most women in peri-menopause will have low progesterone.

The symptoms can occur at anytime in life and include:

  • Amenorrhea or the stopping of the period.
  • Oligomenorrhea – infrequent or inconsistent periods.
  • Heavy frequent periods
  • Spotting before the period
  • PMS symptoms both physical and emotional
    • Headaches
    • Mood swings
    • Cystic breasts
    • Painful breasts
    • Anxiety
    • Endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids

What does the typical woman in menopause experience?

The most common symptoms of menopause are foggy brain, hot flashes, inability to sleep and emotional instability.  These can all be symptoms that make women suddenly feel isolated from their families and other people around them.  Sleep disruption can also lead to stress about not sleeping and cause anxiety.

What are the tests for menopause?

A blood test can measure the basics such as FSH, SHBG, Estradiol, Estriol, Testosterone, DHEA and Progesterone.  Many physicians are reluctant to do such testing because there are few pharmaceutical treatment options.  However, there are options!

What are the treatment options for menopause?

It’s possible to use plant estrogen and progesterone and other herbals that actually help to stimulate the woman’s body to make more hormones and to balance them as well. Examples include vitex, evening primrose oil.  It is important to consult a doctor even when taking herbs as it can seriously affect hormone levels in your body and cause greater problems.

Then next option would be bio-identical hormones typically created with your doctor and a compounding pharmacy that can be quite helpful in returning a patient to optimal health.

The last option is conventional hormone replacement, which doesn’t mimic your body and doesn’t balance as well but may be the option you need.  If this is the only option that works for you, please talk to one of our doctors about supplements so we can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and other side effects.

By: Jennifer Walker, D.C.

 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries: a Healthy Snack for Kids

1 Oct 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 small)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, and place it flat side down on a cutting board. Cut the potato halves into 1-inch-wide wedges.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Place the potatoes on a roasting pan and brush with the oil mixture. Lay the potatoes flesh side down on the pan and put the pan in the oven.
  3. Cook until soft, 20 to 25 minutes, turning once. Remove the pan from the oven and season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the wedges cool for a bit, and serve warm. Recipes by Parents.com

Is My Child Too Heavy?

1 Oct 2013 Healthy Child , , , ,

The BMI percentile should give you a good idea. Similar to the BMI index for adults, the BMI percentile charts a child’s weight onto the standard BMI growth chart and then compares the child’s BMI to other children of the same age and gender. The resulting categories are underweight (less than 5th percentile), healthy weight (5th to 85th percentile), overweight (85th to 95th percentile) and obese (95th percentile or higher). You can figure out your child’s BMI percentile with this handy online calculator: apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi

Parents justify their kids weight issues with excuses like being big boned or just waiting for a growth spurt. However, research shows that kids that are overweight before they hit puberty are 20 times more likely to be overweight than after puberty.  Don’t forget that excess weight is a risk factor for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease. Even in kids. Many doctors believe that in our overweight society we have lost sight of what a healthy weight looks like.

So what is a parent to do?

  • Pay attention to your child’s BMI percentile and don’t make excuses
  • Be a good example of healthy eating
  • Focus on health and not weight in your conversations at home with your child
  • Don’t use the TV as a babysitter. Get out of the house and move!
  • Limit eating to the kitchen table. Unconscious eating in front of the TV leads to extra calories
  • Cook at home. Even the simplest sandwich is healthier than fast food

Homemade Moldable Ice pack

18 Jun 2013 Recipes & Home Remedies , , ,

Making your own ice pack is a great economic solution to buying the more expensive versions.  It is also nice to make one so that you don’t ruin your bags of peas during a more acute injury that requires regular ice treatments. We use rubbing alcohol since it is cheap and it drops the freezing point of the water allowing it to stay moldable so that it will take the shape of the body part that you are placing it on.

  • 2 parts water : 1 part alcohol (Use a measuring cup)
  • Place a quart sized or larger freezer bag in a bowl
  • Label the freezer bag so that the contents are not consumed by anyone in your household.
  • Pour the liquid into the freezer bag. Make sure that you remove as much air as possible so that the bag will seal properly.  Make sure to fill bag only ½ full as things expand a bit when frozen.
  • Double bag the freezer bag so no leaks occur.
  • Place in the freezer and wait at least 3 hours before using.
  • Store the ice pack in the freezer until needed.

Homeopathic Labor Kit

18 Jun 2013 Women & Pregnancy , , , , ,

Homeopathic Labor Kit

37 Weeks to Labor:  

  1. Cimifuga Racemosa
  2. Gelsemium Sempervirens
  3. Coulophyllum Thalictroides
  4. Arnica Montana
  5. Pulsatilla

Take each 1x per week on separate days and use 30ch dosage, do 4 pellets each.

This combo has been associated with reducing difficult labors when the research was done versus a placebo group. The placebo group had an average of 8.7 hours of labor – with 40% difficult labor. The homeopathic group experienced an average of 5.1 hours of labor – 11% with difficult labor.

During Labor:

  1. Catnip Tincture 1 dropper-full every 30 minutes.
  2. Arnica:  200 c every hour (3 pellets) – used for bruising, swelling and takes the edge off.
  3. Blue Cohosh: Coulophyllum -200c every 15 min. (3 pellets) – used for weak contractions.
  4. Black Cohosh: Cimifuga 200 c every 15 min. (3 pellets) – used for electric shock-like pain during labor or the feeling of “I can’t go through with it.”
  5. Gelsemium:  200 c every 15 min. (3 pellets) – used for flu like symptoms or stage fright, “ I can’t do this moment” toward the end of labor.
  6. Pulsatilla:  200 c every 15 min. (3 pellets )- for emotion, anxiety, sensitivity to pain, needing air and lack of thirst.
  7. Kali Carbonicum:  200 c every 15 min. (3 pellets) – for back labor and posterior birth.
  8. Ignatia Amara: 30 c every 15 min. (3 pellets) – for emotional state, grief or excessive crying.

Post partum:

  1. Blue Cohosh: Colaphylum  200 c every day (3 pellets) – for breast feeding and after birth PMS.
  2. Arnica: 200k 3x a day for 5 days (3 pellets)- for pain, bruising, swelling.
  3. Bellisperanus:  200 c every day (3 pellets) – following C-section.
  4. Staphasagria:  200 c every daily (3 pellets) – for episiotomy stitches or C-section.
  5. Silica: 200 c every day (3 pellets) – helps with breast-feeding.
  6. Castor: equivalent 200 c every day (3 pellets) – for sore and cracked nipples.

Thyroid self-assessment Test

29 Apr 2013 Your Overall Health , , , , , ,

The test that was developed for the Book Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health [Paperback] by Dr. Richard L Shames, M.D. and Dr. Karilee Halo Shames, R.N., Ph.D.    This test is not a complete guide that you have a thyroid condition but can lead you in the direction of whether testing is necessary.

The following is a list of symptoms, conditions, and signs that could be indicators of low thyroid. Take this self-assessment to see if you should receive further testing, or a trial of thyroid hormone, regardless of test results.

I.  Symptoms
Give yourself 5 points for significant fatigue, and 1 point for each additional ‘yes’ answer.

  • Significant fatigue, lethargy, sluggishness, or history of low thyroid at an earlier age (5 points)
  • Hoarseness for no particular reason
  • Chronic recurrent infection(s)
  • Decreased sweating even with mild exercise
  • Depression, to the point of being a bothersome problem
  • A tendency to be slow to heat up, even in a sauna
  • Constipation despite adequate fiber and liquids in diet
  • Brittle nails that crack or peel easily
  • High cholesterol despite good diet
  • Frequent headaches (especially migraines)
  • Irregular menses, PMS, ovarian cysts, endometriosis
  • Unusually low sex drive
  • Red face with exercise
  • Accelerated worsening of eyesight or hearing
  • Palpitations or uncomfortably noticeable heartbeat
  • Difficulty in drawing a full breath, for no apparent reason
  • Mood swings, especially anxiety, panic, or phobia
  • Gum problems
  • Mild choking sensation or difficulty swallowing
  • Excessive menopause symptoms, not well relieved with estrogen
  • Major weight gain
  • Aches and pains of limbs, unrelated to exertion
  • Skin problems of adult acne, eczema, or severe dry skin
  • Vague and mildly annoying chest discomfort, unrelated to exercise
  • Feeling off balance
  • Infertility
  • Annoying burning or tingling sensations that come and go
  • The experience of being colder than other people around you
  • Difficulty maintaining standard weight with a sensible food intake
  • Problems with memory, focus, or concentration
  • More than normal amounts of hair come out in the brush or shower
  • Difficulty maintaining stamina throughout the day

II.   Related Conditions: Give yourself 5 points for autoimmune illness, and one point for each additional ‘yes’ answer.
Have you ever had:

  • Any of these autoimmune disorders: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, biliary cirrhosis, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, thrombocytopenia (decreased blood platelets) 5 points
  • Prematurely gray hair
  • Anemia, especially the B-12 deficiency type
  • Dyslexia
  • Persistent unusual visual changes
  • Rapid cycle bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness)
  • Raynaud’s syndrome (white or blue discoloration of fingers or toes when cold)
  • Mitral valve prolapse
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Persistent tendonitis or bursitis
  • Atrial fibrillation
  • Alopecia (losing hair, especially in discrete patches)
  • Calcium deficiency
  • Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
  • Vitiligo (persistent large white patches on skin)
  • Neck injury, such as whiplash or blunt trauma

III. Family History: give yourself 5 points for blood relatives ever having a thyroid problem, and 1 point for each additional ‘yes’ answer.
Have any of your blood relatives ever had:

  • High or low thyroid, or thyroid goiter (5 points)
  • Prematurely gray hair
  • Complete or partial left-handedness
  • Diabetes
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Lupus
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Scleroderma
  • Sjogren’s syndrome
  • Biliary cirrhosis
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Thrombocytopenia (decreased blood platelets)

IV.  Signs: give yourself 5 points for low basal temperature, and 1 point for each additional ‘yes’ answer.
Have you or your doctor observed any of the following:

  • Low basal temperature in early morning (average of less than 97.6 degrees over 7 days)

  • Slow movements, slow speech, slow reaction time
  • Muscle weakness
  • Thick tongue (seemingly too big for mouth)
  • Swelling of feet
  • Swelling of eyelids or bags under eyes
  • Decreased color of lips or yellowing of skin
  • Swelling at base of neck (enlarged thyroid gland)
  • Asymmetry, lumpiness, or other irregularity of thyroid gland
  • Swelling of face
  • Excess ear wax
  • Dry mouth and/or dry eyes
  • Noticeably cool skin
  • Excessively dry or excessively coarse skin
  • Especially low blood pressure
  • Decreased ankle reflexes or normal reflexes with slow recovery phase
  • Noticeably slow pulse rate without having exercised regularly
  • Loss of outer one-third of eyebrows

Score interpretation: Add up your grand total of points from all four categories above.

  • 5 points: only mildly indicative of low thyroid
  • 10 points: somewhat suspicious for low thyroid. Possible actions: obtain TSH level as first screening test.
  • 15 points: very suspicious for low thyroid. Possible actions: obtain additional tests if TSH is normal
  • 20 points: likely to be low thyroid. Possible action: obtain all possible blood testing to help confirm a diagnosis.
  • 25 or more points: very likely to be low thyroid. Possible actions: obtain a trial of thyroid medicine, regardless of blood test results.
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