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March 2024 Health Newsletter

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Current Articles

» Healthy Diet
» Stress Management
» Arthritis and Acupuncture
» IBS & Acupuncture
» Athletes & Acupuncture
» Allergies and Acupuncture
» Spinal Decompression Therapy
» Foods That Fight Inflammation
» Vitamin D Deficiency
» To all our Virtua Aetna Patients

Healthy Diet

Healthy Diet 

World Health Organization WHO Symbol

Consuming a healthy diet throughout the life-course helps to prevent malnutrition in all its forms as well as a range of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and conditions. However, increased production of processed foods, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. People are now consuming more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars and salt/sodium, and many people do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and other dietary fibre such as whole grains.
The exact make-up of a diversified, balanced and healthy diet will vary depending on individual characteristics (e.g. age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity), cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. However, the basic principles of what constitutes a healthy diet remain the same.

For more information please visit https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet

Author: World Health Organization
Source: World Health Organization


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Stress Management

Stress Management

okeefe chiro center

Dealing with the complications of modern life requires some form of stress management. Acupuncture can be an ideal therapy to use in conjunction with lifestyle changes to help you combat stress and enter a more harmonious state. When your body is subjected to constant stress, this stagnation of circulation causes a variety of physical and mental symptoms, such as anger, depression, cold limbs, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), tight tendons and muscles, headaches, migraines, and pain.
Stress is primarily a mental reaction to your perception of life. Often, the mind will amplify this condition as it constantly deliberates the many complicated aspects of life. You actually end up creating more stress than you truly experience by these mental reactions. This type of mental tension can be especially relieved by acupuncture. The deep unwinding that occurs during acupuncture treatment parallels the effects of meditation, allowing you to release the stress and begin to perceive your stress from a different perspective. Along with acupuncture productive activities like hiking, cycling, canoeing, and positive imagery can help in realigning thought patterns and assist in resolving past issues and negative thought patterns.
As acupuncture helps the mind relax, the body returns to a more balanced state. This can improve the functioning of your organ systems, and in turn help you to manage stress more effectively. Digestion is one system of the body that is easily disturbed by stress leading to common stress reactions of nausea,  IBS, vomiting, and diarrhea. By supporting the digestive system, the entire body becomes stronger and better able to handle the next stressful situation.

 

Author: O'Keefe Chiropractic Center
Source: O'Keefe Chiropractic Center


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Arthritis and Acupuncture

Acupuncture for Arthritis

webmdlogo
 

Acupuncture may curb pain by boosting the amount of natural pain killers your body makes, called endorphins.

Acupuncture may be part of treatment for chronic pain, such as:
  • Arthritis
  • Low back, neck, or muscle pain
  • Pain after surgery

For more information please https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/arthritis-acupuncture

Also visit https://www.okeefechiropractic.net/blog/posts/what-conditions-are-treated-with-acupuncture 

 

Author: WebMD Editorial Contributors
Source: WebMD


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IBS & Acupuncture

IBS and Acupuncture 

 

It is tax season. Lois is staring at her computer screen, and it tells her that the dreaded tax season is upon her, and what lies ahead are long hours, and abdominal aches.

            Many people experience alternating constipation and diarrhea, abdominal bloating, excessive gas and pain, usually as a reaction to stress. Other general symptoms that may accompany include heartburn, fatigue, headache, back pain, palpitations, and weakness. If you find yourself nodding in agreement, you will join the estimated 30 million Americans who suffer from IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional motility illness of the small and large intestines, in the absence of true structural damage to the intestines. The disorder does not usually lead to serious diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Aggravating factors surrounding the disorder include diet, drugs, hormones or, especially, emotional stresses such as depression, hysteria, obsessive-compulsive trait and resentment. Common psychosocial situations associated with IBS are marital discord, death of a loved one, worrying over children or job, or just excessive pensiveness over everyday matters. IBS is a disease predominantly of women (3:1 to men), and the average age of onset is 20-40. Proven modalities include those which calm and soothe the mind and body. These include acupuncture, meditation techniques, yoga, stretching, and chiropractic.  

General Eating Principles Include:

1.        Be careful with food combinations: especially avoid starch, sugar, protein combination (for example, cheesecake). Avoid eating too many types of foods at one time. Stick to one type of starch per meal. Eat steamed vegetables rather than raw ones.

2.        Emphasize a high complex carbohydrate, high fiber diet.

3.        All foods must be eaten slowly, chewed and salivated well; eat in a calm atmosphere, do not read or watch television while eating.

Recommended Foods:

4.        Potato broth, cooked carrots, okra, steamed and mashed parsnips, squash, pumpkin, figs and flax seed tea, steamed zucchini and squash, papaya, grated raw apple, applesauce, ripe peaches without skin, banana, rice porridge, miso soup, slippery elm gruel, psyllium seed powder, flax seed powder.

5.        Diet is an obvious component of our comprehensive treatment program for IBS. Other modalities such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and stress release techniques, all contribute to promoting the healthy functioning of the digestive tract. Without a good digestive system, you will be robbed of energy and quality in your life.

Author: Moises Morris, L. AC
Source: O'Keefe Chiropractic Center


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Athletes & Acupuncture

Athletes & Acupuncture 

Athletes are creatures of habit and perseverance. They strive to improve by continuously practicing and perfecting form and increasing endurance. The key to being a world-class athlete lies in the individual’s ability to RECOVER from training and competitions.  For these reasons many athletes around the globe have found acupuncture to be a key to athletic success and achievement. But…how can acupuncture be effective in performance and recovery????
First: it improves blood flow: Acupuncture needles activate the acupuncture points; they create an increase of nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to relax and to widen, opening the arteries. The process allows for more blood flow to the heart and to the other organs improving blood circulation and cardiovascular health.
Second: Acupuncture relaxes muscles:  As blood flow is increased throughout the body, tight muscles relax, and inflammation reduces. Therefore, relieving fatigue and strain within the muscular system.
Thirdly: Acupuncture prevents injury and treatment is essential to recovery. Acupuncture promotes neurological and cardiovascular balance, which supports homeostasis or balance within the body—therefore preventing injury. Should injury arise, the treatments regulate nerve conduction and microcirculation in the area of inflammation to speed up the healing process.
Fourth: Acupuncture can be used to regulate the nervous system, which helps to improve energy and endurance allowing for enhanced athletic performance. A boost in energy and endurance can occur by removing blockages and increasing the flow of energy.
Fifth: Having regular treatments in between training sessions and after a competition minimizes muscle fatigue and pain, enhances energy, and facilitates rapid recovery. It also promotes a deeper, more restful sleep allowing the muscle tissue to rebuild and for energy to be restored.
Common ailments acupuncture treats:
  • Shoulder tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis and impingement syndrome, Tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, and elbow bursitis, Hip bursitis, Achilles tendonitis, Iliotibial band syndrome, Biceps tendonitis, Sprained ankles, MCL & ACL sprains, Deep contusions
  • Famous Athletes and Acupuncture 

  • Tom Brady the greatest quarterback to ever play the position has a dilemma. He has severely cut his right hand near his thumb. How is he going to play? He sits at the precipice of playing in the AFC championship and he may not be able to even grip the ball sufficiently.  Tom Brady decides to go to an ancient means of healing and repair. One that has been around for 5000 years. He used Acupuncture, to help aid in his recovery and get him on the field with minimal pain. His treatments helped to nourish the site of the wound and promote a quicker healing rate by enhancing the immune response. Acupuncture can provide both; by using the body’s own natural ability. Worldwide, athletes from cycling to tennis to basketball to football have utilized acupuncture’s remarkable ability to heal and restore function in the human body.

    Here is a list of famous athletes who you would be surprised are using acupuncture to enhance recovery time:

    1) Kobe Bryant – On January 4th the NBA superstar took to twitter and posted a picture of his leg with acupuncture needles in it.

    2) Vincenzo Nibali - Recently won the Tour de France, perhaps one of the toughest athletic competitions in the world. During the arduous 3-week race he was treated with acupuncture twice daily. Eddy De Smedt L.Ac. a Belgian acupuncturist treated Vincenzo and all the cyclists on Team Astana. His treatments focused on assisting the racers with pain relief, quick recovery, and rest.

    3) Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers used acupuncture to help treat his injured calf. In a quote from ESPN, he said, “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our training staff. They spent a lot of hours with me this week. They did an excellent job of getting me ready. My acupuncturist as well, she really helps.”

    4) Famous former NBA forward Grant Hill received acupuncture to help his legs and boost his energy. Grant Hill said, “it doesn’t hurt, they treat the whole body. They look for the cause of the problem and fix that.”

    5) Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neil received acupuncture treatment from the famed Shaolin Temple in China. He reported that the ‘experience was a beautiful spiritual experience’.

Author: yingyanghouse.com
Source: yingyanghouse.com


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Allergies and Acupuncture

Allergies and Acupuncture

okeefe chiro centerAllergies, or allergic rhinitis, are due to an over-reactivity of the immune system to certain allergens. Seasonal allergies are induced by wind-born trees, mold spores, grass, weed, and pine pollen. Allergy symptoms can cause such symptoms as: sneezing; nasal congestion; runny nose; watery, burning, itchy, or red eyes; headaches; fatigue; and sometimes coughing and wheezing. When allergens and antibodies react in individuals with rhinitis, their nasal mucosa becomes swollen and may obstruct drainage from the sinuses causing infection in many people. Thus, sinus infections are a frequent complication and consequence of allergic rhinitis.
 Chinese medicine can help bring relief of symptoms, correct imbalances of the immune system, prevent the occurrence of infection, and allow healing of tissues of the sinuses. Acupuncture offers allergy sufferers a way to strengthen their bodies and significantly reduce their symptoms, without unpleasant side effects. You do not have to spend another season suffering with allergies.  
 FAQ on Allergies & Acupuncture  
  1. Can acupuncture help relieve allergy symptoms?
  2. How do I know if I am a suitable candidate for allergy acupuncture treatment?
  3.  How is acupuncture a remedy for allergy symptoms?
  4. How does acupuncture help strengthen my immune system?
  5. Why choose our treatment plan? 

 1. Yes. A skilled acupuncturist will be able to diagnose the root problem and not just the symptoms to uncover the underlying condition that is allowing the allergy to take hold in the body.  

2. Good candidates include those affected by seasonal allergies like pollen, grasses, mold. Also, those allergic to dander, dust, and other lesser-known pathogens.  

3. Acupuncture aids in allowing your body to naturally heal itself and withstand harmful pathogens by strengthening the immune system and decreasing inflammation overall.  

4. Acupuncture works by stimulating specific regions of the autonomic nervous system. This stimulation causes a reaction from the immune system. We recommend starting treatment for allergies 1-3 months before the season commences to allow enough time for the immune system to strengthen.  

5. At O’Keefe Chiropractic Center, our acupuncturists are highly skilled and trained therapists that listen to our patients and ask questions to deduce the right course of treatment for the individual patient. This diligence is the cornerstone of the acupuncture program at O’Keefe Chiropractic Center.               

                                                                                  

Author: Moises Morris, L. AC
Source: O'Keefe Chiropractic Center


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Spinal Decompression Therapy

Spinal Decompression Therapy

webmdlogo

Nonsurgical spinal decompression is a type of motorized traction that may help relieve back pain. Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine. That changes the force and position of the spine. This change takes pressure off the spinal disks, which are gel-like cushions between the bones in your spine, by creating negative pressure in the disc. As a result, bulging or herniated disks may retract, taking pressure off nerves and other structures in your spine. This in turn, helps promote movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids into the disks so they can heal.

For more information please visit https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/spinal-decompression-therapy-surgical-nonsurgical

Author: WebMD Editorial Contributors
Source: WebMD


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Foods That Fight Inflammation

Foods that fight inflammation

harvard med logo

Benefits of anti-inflammatory foods

On the flip side are beverages and foods that reduce inflammation, and with it, chronic disease, says Dr. Hu. He notes in particular fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, apples, and leafy greens that are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols—protective compounds found in plants. Studies have also associated nuts with reduced markers of inflammation and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Coffee, which contains polyphenols and other anti-inflammatory compounds, may protect against inflammation, as well.
For more information please visit https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation

Author: Harvard Medical School
Source: Harvard University


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Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D Deficiency

Cleveland clinic logo

Vitamin D deficiency is a common vitamin deficiency that causes issues with your bones and muscles. It most commonly affects people over the age of 65 and people who have darker skin. It’s preventable and treatable.

We will send you for a blood test to check your vitamin D level. 

For more information please visit https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15050-vitamin-d-vitamin-d-deficiency

Author: Cleveland Clinic medical professional
Source: Cleveland Clinic


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To all our Virtua Aetna Patients

okeefe chiro center

To all our Virtua Aetna Patients: 

Please be advised that we have learned that as of January 1, 2024 you now need a referral from your Primary care physicians in order to utilize your insurance benefits.

 

If you have any questions please contact us at (609) 654-4299

Author: O'Keefe Chiropractic Center
Source: O'Keefe Chiropractic Center


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