If you are a parent, you have likely experienced the helplessness and frustration of your little one suffering from an ear infection. You’re not alone; ear infection or otitis media (OM) is the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician's office. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, about 62% of children will have their first ear infection by age one and more than 80% by the age of three. 

A common treatment for ear infections is antibiotics, usually amoxicillin. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (December, 1991), amoxicillin with and without decongestant anti-histamine combination is NOT effective for persistent asymptomatic middle ear effusions (fluid) in infant and children. In fact, occurrence of fluid in the ear was two to six times greater after the administration of amoxicillin! Additionally, the over use and over prescription of antibiotics...

You may not believe this but pain can actually be your friend. Don’t hide what your body is trying to tell you by masking it with long term use of pain killers. Pain is the body’s way of telling us something needs attention and care. This is one of the basic philosophies held by Chiropractors.

There is a danger in medicating pain away, especially over a long period of time. This “band aid” approach can create a false sense of security - you tell yourself, “Oh, the pain is gone, so I must be all right.” Additionally, there is the danger of damaging our bodies with the use of pain medications.

Some people are generally surprised to hear that we take care of such young patients.  However, the truth is whether you have a large spine or a little one, if there is improper or hindered communication throughout the nervous system then our body is unable to function at 100%.

Our body’s nervous system is the controller. When communication channels become aggravated, distorted, or damaged we may experience significant or subtle communication errors. In babies, this ineffective communication may present as colic, irritability, poor breast feeding, and poor sleep habits. In toddlers and children, poor nerve communication may result in developmental delays, lack of concentration, behavioral problems, digestive issues, and asthma to name a few in a long list of possibilities.

Stress comes in many forms. It can be emotional. It can make you feel anxious, worried, or fearful. Stress can also be chemical. Many Americans deal with chemically induced physiological stress by taking drugs, eating too many processed toxic-chemical laden foods, or abusing alcohol. Stress can be physical. It can cause muscle tension, neck pain, backaches, stomach ulcers, and heart attacks. No matter how it enters our lives, stress has the ability to lower your body’s immune system and put you on an unhealthy path.

The most common symptoms of stress include headaches, fatigue, neck pain, shoulder or lower back pain, irritability, digestive problems, and sleeping problems to name a few. In fact, many people misinterpret stress for a chronic disease or illness. This can be a constant battle. I help many patients understand the stressors in their lives and work with them to reduce the effects of those stresses on their body.  Here are some of the key tips...

I can attest to the fact, the muscle strains of pregnancy are very real and can be more than just a nuisance. A woman gains an average of 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. This weight gain, combined with the increased stress on the body by the baby, may result in severe discomfort.

During the stages of pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity shifts forward to the front of her pelvis causing stress on her joints and low back. As the baby grows in size, a woman’s abdomen is pushed even further forward increasing the curvature of the low back and placing extra stress on the spinal discs.

I tell my patients everyday inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses including heart disease, cancer, arthritis and auto-immune disease to name a few.  But do they really understand what inflammation is and how it affects their body.

Inflammation is the body’s healing response to damage. Inflammation becomes a problem when it is persistent. If you have an injury or infection, inflammation helps to protect and heal the body through nourishment thus repairing the cells. Difficulty occurs when inflammation becomes chronic, often silently damaging your tissues.

Chronic inflammation is a result of an unhealthy lifestyle. I like my patients to understand what causes inflammation in their bodies and discuss ways to help them reduce it. The 3 major causes of inflammation stem from our food choices, the stressors in our life and the minor traumatic injuries over time...