If we are on the game show, Family Feud, almost every contestant could name the top three reasons why you would see a Doctor of Chiropractic.

Let's pretend we are playing and recite the reasons together...
1. Back Pain
2. Neck Pain
3. Headaches/Migraines

Yes, those are all good reasons to be treated by a Chiropractor, because chiropractic has such a great success rate with all of these conditions. 

But now let's play the advanced version of Family Feud, and recite the Top 5 most UNCOMMON reasons to see a Chiropractor. 

And as promised in the title of the article, Number 5 is Amazing.

1. Pain,Tingling and/or Numbness in an Extremity
(Arms and Hands and Legs and Feet)
Patients who are suffering with Sciatica (in legs or feet), or a Cervical Neuropathy (in arm or hand) usually seek medical intervention first due to the pain and discomfort. Pain killers just hide the pain for a while but the pain persists and usually gets worse over this time.

But finally, a patient finds their way to a Doctor of Chiropractic after these medications fail or become too strong. Chiropractic aims to remove the pressure on the nerves affected, thereby addressing the cause instead of covering up the symptoms.

In most cases, Chiropractic can delay or eliminate the need for drugs or surgery.

2. Relief from Allergies
Another issue people see chiropractors for is Allergies, Asthma and other sinus and respiratory issues. The efficiency of your Immune System to fight off allergens and infection is largely dependent on the integrity of your Central Nervous System. The job of a Chiropractor is to remove nerve interference. It is like correcting a bad cell phone signal, making it so the immune system no longer perceives the allergen as a threat. 

Chiropractic patients perceive less overall symptoms due to seasonal allergies and asthma triggers without the need for medication.

When the fountains turn green in Savannah for St. Patrick's Day, soon the city turns green in the spring due to the pollen. Most of the patients at Ranicki Chiropractic are not phased by this pollen assault due to their well-tuned nervous system. 

3. Healthier Children with less Sickness and Disabilities
More and more parents bring their children to see the chiropractor because they don't want to see their child have chronic health conditions at an early age. Chiropractic care has helped many children recover from conditions such as acid reflux, ear infections, colic, asthma, and to improve challenges associated with ADD, ADHD and even Autism.

Remember that the chiropractic adjustment removes interference in the central nervous system, allowing the entire body to express itself at a higher level. 

In our office, Dr Ranicki, our lead doctor has a specialization in Chiropractic Neurology and Pediatric Chiropractic, and because of that, we see many children and children with special needs. 

4. Easier Pregnancy and Labor & Delivery
Moms-to-be find relief at the Chiropractor for common issues during pregnancy. Conditions such as back pain, heartburn and circulation problems all been shown to improve under chiropractic care.

Patients who see chiropractors have also been shown to have shorter and less painful deliveries. This makes for happy moms, especially those choosing natural child births.

5. Male and Female Issues
Women: Due to the nervous system’s control over the menstrual cycle, chiropractic has helped women with not only the level of pain, but also abnormal cycles and even infertility. More mature women have also found relief in their menopausal symptoms. 

Men: The nerves that control the male reproductive organs exit from the bottom of the spine, in the lumbar region. This lower back region is often the site of back pain and stiffness. Chiropractic adjustments to the spine can help unblock challenged nerves and increase blood flow to the body’s vital organs. This, in turn, will increase the amount of blood flow and nerve activity to the penis and scrotum, thereby allowing for sustainable erections. In short, chiropractic care has the same effect as drugs – to increase blood flow to the penis – but without any harmful side effects or worries about timing or dosage of medication.

I told you that number 5 was going to surprise you!

If you live in the Pooler area and are ready to seek the help of a chiropractor, visit Ranicki Chiropractic and begin to believe that you can be healthy again too. 

All 32 NFL teams include the professional services of a DC as part of their integrated health care team approach, according to a February 1, 2017, release by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. Both the Super Bowl participants, the Atlanta Falcons and the Champion New England Patriots had team chiropractors available to adjust their players for optimal performance and reduce the risk of injuries.

The release notes that the New England Patriots have had the same team chiropractor for 35 years. Dr. Michael Miller, who attended his ninth Super Bowl this year stated, "During the NFL season, I regularly visit the stadium on my afternoon off from my office, as well as on game days both at home and away. Chiropractic care is emphasized by the head coach, trainers and medical staff as a proactive regimen to prevent injuries, with most of the players receiving adjustments roughly 1-2 times per week."

Chiropractic has two functions when it comes to care for athletes. They seek care to maximize their performance, and to prevent and manage injuries. Dr Miller explains, "We've also earned the respect of other team physicians as a necessary protocol, and are all committed to one goal: keeping the athletes performing at their maximum potential and preventing and managing injuries as they occur." He continued, "The players are educated about the principles of chiropractic and that it is designed to eliminate the cause of their problem rather than just masking their symptoms."

The Atlanta Falcons team chiropractor, Dr. Joseph Krzemien, points out that players who receive regular chiropractic care are less prone to injury. "During the six seasons I've spent with the Atlanta Falcons, my goal has always been to prepare each player's body to better resist trauma and to speed its natural recovery time," he says. "This season, the Falcons have been successful for a lot of reasons, but I firmly believe that regular chiropractic care has played an important role in helping us stay healthy and get to Super Bowl LI – I am proud of the role I've played in their success."

The Green Bay Packers chiropractor, Dr. Michael Zoelle, added, "Ensuring that the joints are functioning properly is critical in the healing process, as well as for injury prevention and optimal performance," says Dr. Zoelle. "The players recognize that chiropractic care helps them to perform better and heal faster, ultimately leading to better team success."

Dr. Lucas Matlock, President of the Florida Chiropractic Society and chiropractor for many professional athletes, explains how important chiropractic is for the success of a professional athlete.  "Chiropractic detects and removes interference to the nervous system at the spine, called subluxations. When an athlete's nervous system is free from interference, he or she can perform at a maximum level. For some athletes this could be the difference between making the team and the Hall of Fame."  

Herbicide Glyphosphate (the primary ingredient in RoundUp) being in your food is VERY COMMON and can cause some long term chronic problem in both children and adults. 

Food Democracy Now! and The Detox Project recently conducted a study, testing many popular foods for glyphosate (the primary ingredient in the herbicide, RoundUpTM) and the results are alarming. Many packaged foods that we might think are relatively healthy for us and our families, including products listed as "gluten-free" or "organic" contained disturbing amounts of glyphosate. 

Below is a link to the originally published list of foods from the study, the study report, and an interview with Dave Murphy, Founder and Executive Director of Food Democracy Now!, as well as information about our urine Glyphosate Test.  Just click below: 

https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/social-media/2016/11/30/alarming-results-of-study-many-popular-foods-found-to-have-glyphosate-in-them​

As part of what we in our #poolerwellness center is to talk with patients about clean eating. It is not just about an adjustment, but how we can create a better lifestlye and life-abilities. 

#poolerchiropractic

What Is Pronation?
When a foot is severely “pronated,” it means its arches have fallen and the foot is flat. Flat feet are less shock-absorbent, and make for a less stable “base” for everything above—the bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons of the entire body.

They can also:

• Shift the entire body out of alignment
• Cause aches and pains in the feet, knees, hips, neck and/or spine
• Lead to injury and problems like shin splints, Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis
• Women with flat feet are 50% more likely than those without to have low back pain

Causes of Pronation
The connective tissue, called the plantar fascia, on the underside of the foot is critical to maintaining the foot’s healthy arched shape. Injury and certain health conditions can cause the fascia to stretch out and flatten, but so can everyday, ongoing stressors like walking and standing. Once the fascia stretches out, it is unable to “spring back.” With the foot structure flattened, the body’s very foundation is in trouble.

Treatment
Extremity adjusting to ensure proper positioning of bones and joints. Dr Tinker is able to adjust knees, ankles, feet and toes (anything with a joint).

We combine adjusting of extremities with custom-cast orthotics to create a very stable base, which creates way more comfort and less stress on the body.

The technology in our office allows us to take a 3-D digital scan of your foot, assess the results and then have a pair of orthotics created just for your feet. Not the mass produced pairs you see in the stores, nor the rigid pairs of orthotics that podiatrists have used in the past, but a super-duper durable and comfortable pair of orthotics made by Foot-Levelers, which is a company who has been making custom-cast orthotics for more than 25 years. ​

If you would like to schedule a time to have your foot assessment via the 3-D Digital Scanner, please call the office at 912-748-1506. The cost of the assessment is just $40. 

Chiropractors and midwives have been working together more frequently since the utilization of complementary and alternative approaches in birth. Research has been done previously and has determined that chiropractic can be very effective in helping a woman who is experiencing “dystocia,” which can be defined as being abnormally long, painful, or nonprogressive births. There has been a call for more research in how chiropractors and midwives can aid pregnant mothers, and the following report is a case in which a chiropractor and 3 midwives were helpful in aiding a woman who was having a difficult birth.

A 26 year old woman chose to give birth to her first child at home. Initially, the birth process was proceeding well, but after 22 long hours, progress had stalled. Due to the fact that her contractions had become less frequent, since there was a stalling in the descent of the baby, and cervical dilation ceased at 7 cm, it was determined that the mother was experiencing dystocia. After an additional hour, it was deduced that the baby was “asynclitic,” which means that the baby’s head position was not optimal for birth and was causing restrictions in movement and a decreased heart rate of the baby. At this time, it was decided that the chiropractor would become involved, and would utilize the Webster Technique.

The Webster technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment designed to locate and remove any pelvic subluxations (misalignments) that are causing interference to the normal function of the pelvic neuromusculoskeletal system. Immediately after completing the first adjustment utilizing the Webster technique, which included the “psoas muscles release” and “round ligament contact release”, the mother began to feel the baby “move.” The midwives immediately noted significant progress, with increased contraction timing, and improved fetal heart rate. However, at 28 hours, the baby was determined to be asynclitic once again. An additional psoas release was performed at 34 hours after the midwives had attempted different patient position changes and surgically ruptured the mother’s membrane. Thirty minutes later, a normal heathy eight and a half pound baby girl was born without complications.

Many causes of dystocia have been theorized. They include muscle weakness, poor baby positioning, soft tissue abnormalities, or bony abnormalities of the mother’s pelvis. It is not uncommon for a first time mother to be diagnosed with dystocia. In fact, the rate of cesarean section surgeries increased to above 20% in 2004, with 50% of those being due to dystocia.

Medical treatment for dystocia can include observation, manually moving the baby during contractions, rupturing of the mother’s membranes, and/or changing of the mother’s positioning. The decision to move to operative vaginal delivery or cesarean section surgery only comes after there is a sustained drop of fetal heart rate, indicating fetal distress.

​Chiropractic asserts that chiropractors and birth care providers should collaborate during pregnancy. Within the scope of “Integrative Medicine,” multiple approaches are used to give the best possible care to the patient. Reducing the effects of subluxations (spinal misalignment) to the mother during pregnancy is well within the chiropractic scope of practice. Additional research regarding chiropractic, midwifery, and resolution of dystocia is underway. To date, experience and clinical evidence have shown that cooperation between these professions may greatly aid pregnant mothers and their births.

​-Joel Alcantara, Justin Ohm, & Jeanne Ohm. “Chiropractic Care of a Patient with Dystocia & Pelvic Subluxation.” Journal of Pediatric, Maternal, & Family Health. 

How are you doing so far this year? Its almost time for a new year? Have you stuck to those big resolutions you thought about back in late December?  

Or maybe you’re not the resolution-making type.  Maybe you’ve tried and failed one too many times to think you can psyche yourself up for making big changes.

If you’ve already slid back into the old routine, or if you have just plain given up on ever making big changes to your life, or if you have a lurking sense that these New Year’s habits might not last much more than a few days, you’ve got good reason to feel “stuck in a rut.”  

I read recently that only 8% of people will keep their New Year’s Resolutions.  Most people, it seems, fail to make big changes in their life this way, and odds are, you’re one of them.  

But if you have the mental capacity to read these words right now, and if you’re able to self-reflect and consider how well you’re doing (or not doing), I have good news for you.  You can change.  Big time.  

Those people in the 8% are not just lucky, or more highly motivated, or more disciplined.  They just had a moment when they made a fundamental, deep in their bones decision to be different.  Not do different, but be different.  

If you’re stuck in a rut, you can’t just decide to get out of the rut.  You need a new rut.  You need a new normal.  

I recently met a woman who lost over a hundred pounds through healthy lifestyle changes.  You could tell her transformation had been very, very meaningful to her.  I asked her, “Can you tell me what made you decide to make the change?  What was the moment that made you decide to get healthy?”  She looked me right in the eye and said, “Yeah, I can tell you the day I decided to change.  It was the day that I got on an airplane, but I couldn’t get the seatbelt around me and I had to ask for a seat belt extender.  That was the day I decided to change.”  

Your moment doesn’t have to be that dramatic.  It could be as simple as sitting right where you are, reading these words, and deciding, right now, to get a new rut.  Set a new normal for yourself.  Be different.  Be the you that you are longing to be.  Then go carve you out a new rut in life.  Why not?

A Not-So-Great Use for Coca-Cola 

Fill in the blank: Coca-Cola settles your ______________.  

Say it together everybody: “STOMACH!”  

According to whom?  Well everyone’s grandmother of course!

But is it true?  (No offense, grandma!)

It’s amazing how powerful the messages we have inherited about what’s “good for us” are.  We read about the dangers of soda, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, but we still keep ordering cokes in this country like they’re going out of style.  And deep down, many of us, when we’re sick, will actually reach back into the deep part of our psyche and want a coke to “make us feel better.”  And of course, if you’re a caffeine addict and coke or diet coke or coke zero is your beverage of choice, well then you probably o feel worse when you’re not getting your regular injection of your drug of choice!  

Whether you’re ready to question “age old wisdom” yet or not, here’s something to consider before you walk up to that soda fountain next time.  

Fill in the blank: Coca-Cola weakens your ________________.  

Answer: “Bone density.”  That’s right.  That coke you just drank is weakening your bones.

I like to imagine those fizzy bubbles, which grandma thought were  so good for my stomach, bubbling up like air bubbles inside my bones and making them just a bit more brittle each time I have a coke.  It’s 
not scientifically how it works, but it helps me remember that I like my bones and want them around a while.  I’d much prefer a lifetime of strong bones than getting to belch after downing a soda.  

“Hey Grandma!  Guess what I just heard about Coca-Cola!”

“OUCH!  I tweaked my back!”  “Argh!  I can’t WAIT for this headache to go away.”  

Pain.  It happens.  Your back just won’t quit hurting.  You've got a nagging headache and can’t concentrate, but you've got a pile of work to do.  So what do you do?

If you’re like most Americans, you reach for your pain reliever of choice.  Most people have their trusted brand.  

Quick question though.  Does it cure the pain?  

Well, yes and no.  If you take enough of the right pills, sure, you probably won’t feel the pain.  But does it cure what is causing the pain?  

If you will take a moment and really let that last question sink in, you might just change and even save your life.  

Does Tylenol or Advil or Aleve really cure what causes your headache or backache or nagging pain of choice?  

The truth is, it does not.  It only tells your brain not to care or notice that pain.  And that’s a real shame.  

Because pain is your friend.  Pain is your body telling you something is wrong.  

What if you decided, rather than to shut up the pain by numbing it, you listened to it?  

Let’s say it’s stress, bad diet, lack of sleep, or any combination of these that’s causing your headache.  

Why do we take the pills?  So we can keep working right?  So we can continue pushing when our body is telling us it’s time to stop.  

Let’s say there’s really something wrong in your back that’s causing that lower back pain (or some lifestyle stresser that needs attention).  If you pop a few Advil and keep going, what do you think is actually happening in that site of pain?  Is it getting better or worse?

While we think the Advil is relieving the pain, in fact it is allowing us to do further damage and not feel the pain that would be shouting at us to stop, make adjustments and heal.  So what happens four to six hours later?  

You guessed it.  More pain.  

You’d think we would quit calling them pain relievers.  

So what are you going to do about your pain? Chiropractic Care can help without the use of pain killers, for a long term relief.